Tuesday 3 January: A&E departments overwhelmed by patients with nowhere else to turn

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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610 thoughts on “Tuesday 3 January: A&E departments overwhelmed by patients with nowhere else to turn”

  1. Good Morrow, Gentlefolk. Here is today’s story: I thought you deserved more than one.

    Fly Swat

    I was visiting my son and daughter-in-law last night when I asked if I could borrow a newspaper.

    ‘This is the 21st century, Dad,’ he said. ‘We don’t waste money on newspapers. Here, you can borrow my iPad.’

    I can tell you, that bloody fly never knew what hit it.

    Poetry Competition

    An Australian Poetry Competition held in the Sydney Opera House had come
    down to two finalists;

    A) The university graduate.
    B) An old aboriginal man.

    They were given a word, and then allowed two minutes to study the word
    and come up with a short four line poem that contained a particular word.

    The word they were given on this occasion was ‘ TIMBUKTU ‘.

    First to recite his poem was the university graduate. He stepped to the
    microphone and said:

    Slowly across the desert sand,
    Trekked a lonely caravan
    Men on camels two by two
    Destination – Timbuktu …

    The crowd went crazy! No way could the old aboriginal top that, they
    thought.

    The old aboriginal calmly made his way to the microphone and
    recited;

    Me and Tim a huntin’ went
    Met three whores in a pop up tent
    They were three, and we was two
    So I bucked one, and Timbuktu ..

    The aboriginal won.

  2. Brexit: Mistakes were made on all sides, says Leo Varadkar

    Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said mistakes were made on all sides in the way Brexit was negotiated.

    Mr Varadkar said he would be “flexible and reasonable” when attempting to solve issues with the Northern Ireland protocol. He admitted that “perhaps” the treaty was a “little bit too strict” and that the European Union was willing to make compromises.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64149139

    How big of him…

    A man [sic] we all hoped had passed into history.

    1. Good morning William and all.

      I suspect one or two might be thinking the words ‘into history‘ are superfluous……..

    2. Under his predecessor, talks between UK and Irish revenue services had concluded that the border could be managed remotely, as it was at the time., with no need for any infrastructure. Then Varadkar becme PM and everything suddenly changed. The EU has more than forty external borders* yet I don’t know of any other which is managed like this one.

      *Including Brazil, through French Guyana which is in the EU.

      1. Yes, I’ve referred to Enda Kenny before. He was forced to resign as Irish PM because of a controversy over a police investigation. He had started the talks between the Irish and UK governments to find a simple solution to the border problem but as soon as he was forced out, the odious Varadkar replaced him and stopped the talks, probably under instruction from the EU. No one in the media ever talks about this.

    1. When you wake up, Tom, I hope you read this: yet again, I enjoyed this morning’s two jokes.

  6. Western weakness could still allow Putin to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. John Bolton. 3 January 2023.

    The real issue is Western unity and resolve. Neither is guaranteed. Start with Germany. Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared a Zeitenwende (“sea change”) in Berlin’s foreign policy shortly after Russia’s invasion. He announced that Germany, in 2023, would more than meet Nato’s 2014 Cardiff commitment for members to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence matters; created a 100 billion euro fund for weapons procurement; and committed to spend 30 billion of those euros to purchase 35 nuclear-capable F-35s to replace Germany’s ageing Tornadoes.

    However, little has actually happened, and the pledges are in doubt. Germany’s regular 2023 defence budget will be smaller than 2022. The 2 per cent target is now a target for 2025, maybe, which is little better than what Angela Merkel promised when she was chancellor. None of the 100 billion euros has been contracted, and the F-35 purchase appears stalled by bureaucratic infighting. Good thing there’s not a war going on in Europe.

    The Germans are noted for many things but being stupid is not one of them. Though there’s nothing of it in the MSM, it must be apparent to both German Politicians and People that the Americans blew up the Baltic Pipeline. Hardly the action of an ally with your best interests at heart! If there was any doubt in their mind; that the Poles are conducting the inquiry into the Pipelines Destruction and not the more technically qualified Brits or Americans confirms this belief. Any announcement by the latter of Russian culpability would be treated with howls of deserved derision. The Poles can be relied upon to come to the right conclusion, which is why they were chosen, though even they, having had plenty of time, are still hesitant to announce it for fear of rubbing the Germans up the wrong way!

    The German manufacturing economy and its success is based on Cheap Energy and that is Russian Energy in the form of Gas and Oil. Without it they will be undercut on the World’s Markets by both the Far East and the USA. Even if Russia is defeated; whatever that might actually mean in practice, they will still suffer a massive cut in their prosperity. Not simply from the economic hit but they are also expected to finance the rearming of Germany Post Bellum. They have in fact been shafted both Economically and Geopolitically by the Americans.

    This must surely rankle which explains their lack of enthusiasm for the war, whether this resentment will result in a change of policy we don’t yet know, but it is certain that behind the show of NATO unity there are cracks and fissures that could break it apart. This of course is one of Vlad’s main war aims. It would be worth the loss of ten Ukraines!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/02/western-weakness-could-still-allow-pu n-snatch-victory-jaws/

    1. Good morning, Herr Paul Oberst. The upvote is for your cheery “Morning, all Y’all” and not for your weather forecast.

        1. Same where we live! That picture with the scary red wave over Europe is absolute BS and pure propaganda!
          In 2013 we ate breakfast outside on Christmas day because it was so warm and sunny. Weather happens!

  9. Good morning all.
    A wet and cold start to the day, -2°C and raining.
    I think I might have a run into Belper for a bit of spice shopping and then do a chutney to empty the freezer of the packs of flog-it-off-quick mango pieces that are cluttering the thing up.

    2. I can help you out if your freezer is cluttered, BoB. You know the address where you can send your chutney jars to. (Only joking, BoB, it’s far too expensive to post anything to me. And the mail won’t be delivered until the Royal Mail finishes its strikes. And in any case, I am desperately trying to de-clutter my own fridge and freezer these days – difficult when you are trying to lose a bit of the weight put on over Christmas.

  10. 369187+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    Tuesday 3 January: A&E departments overwhelmed by patients with nowhere else to turn

    Anyone else thinking what i’m thinking this state of affairs
    has been brought about these past 40 years intentionally ?

    From convalescent homes post serious operation to a patient waiting in the car park prior to waiting in the corridor before entry to a ward, is that not a serious anti health issue on its own.

    NO serious attempt made to stem the flood of potential patients
    entering these Isles on every tide, that interlocks nicely with bringing the NHS to its current state.

    One could say in all honesty that this political lab/lib/con coalition
    has done, without a shadow of doubt, a conversion job of some brilliance these past 40 years, taking these green fields of England
    inclusive of decency,integrity & common sense, turning them into the killing fields of the near future.

      2. Oggie, I’ve heard of OXO and I enjoy it as a hot cuppa in these winter days. But O2O has baffled me. Can you enlighten me, please?

        PS – Don’t bother to answer, I’ve just realised that O2O means you are talking to yourself (Oggie to Oggie).

        3. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ba09e799a830abdcc28dcf7ad459ec7bf297baf5504d93c2c89b74d59708bb36.png Mike Bradley

          Oxo building is at 4 Joiner Street. The building was completed in the mid to late 1930s, with the Sheffield Refreshment Houses being next door.

          The building closed in 1968

          They didn’t actually make anything there, the oxos etc came from somewhere else.

          The Oxo Building was offices and a distribution centre. All the well known OXO products were made elsewhere. (Van-Den-Bergh Foods then Batchelors made Oxo cubes in the early ’90s. Factory was on Gateford Ind Est Worksop.)

          The building fronted on to Joiner Street with a very large loading dock on the side, in Nursery Lane. For many years, it had the “OXO” name in large letters at the top of the building. Thorndale Limited, the new owner of 4 Joiner Street, Sheffield have just received permission from Premier Foods to rename the 10,000 sq ft Art Deco Building ‘OXO HOUSE’ – The building has been re-named several times since it was built in 1936 but was originally named ‘OXO House’ when built for OXO by George Longden, the builder whose work includes amongst other things, Sheffield City Hall. The building was originally used for storage and administration, and is just coming to the end of a £1.5 million renovation and conversion into office space.

    2. Don’t get too close to either the front or rear of jet engines – they suck, big-time.

      1. I remember one guy who was up the upper intake of a Lightning when a leckie doing a B/F tested the crackers. The guy shot out of the intake like a champagne cork having passed the radome which you normally have to squeeze past

        1. Similarly at West Raynham, an armourer was working on the ejector seat of a Hunter, when he heard the canopy eject starting to click. He forced himself back against the instrument panel as the seat ejected.

          They tried with the smallest guy on the squadron by sliding an unarmed seat into the cockpit – it wouldn’t fit past his knees and chin.

          Amazing what you can do when sh1t scared!

          1. Yep I heard about that. Maybe it was the drogue timer which started to run down, the canopy would not be on a timer – it had to be immediate. However there are a few anomalies in that version. The drogue timer doesn’t operate until the seat has moved upwards about 1″ as the sear is connected to the airframe. Even if the drogue gun was operated inadvertently it wouldn’t fire the seat. Even if the seat sear operated the seat would probably be past him by the time he heard it and had taken avoiding action. What may have happened (and I’ll try to find the investigation) is that he inadvertently fired the seat(with the canopy on) and hearing the canopy release fire got out of the way before the seat went

    3. A bod strike?
      CAA rules state that there must be barriers placed 14ft around the front of a jet engine when running. The investigation will be interesting.

  12. Oh dear.
    Looks like the Still @ Home is not going in to work as he appears to have some winter lurgy.
    The DT still has a cold but appears to be well enough for her shift at Crich.

  13. Windrush 75th anniversary is ‘diamond jubilee for Britain’, say campaigners. 3 January 2023.

    Actor Sir Lenny Henry, Tristram Hunt, the head of the V&A, and Kwame Kwei-Armah, the artistic director of the Young Vic, are among representatives of the arts, sport, business and faith to call for the anniversary to be marked with national celebrations.

    Windrush Day on 22 June was introduced by the government in 2018 to encourage “communities across the country to celebrate the contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants”. The move came a year after the Guardian began to uncover how hundreds of people who came to work in the UK had been wrongly detained, deported and denied legal rights.

    This year will be a “special year for Britain, a year of identity”, said Sunder Katwala, the director of the thinktank British Future. “A coronation year that ushers in a new era. One when we mark 75 years of pride in the NHS, and 75 years of Windrush, the moment which symbolises the postwar migration that has shaped our society today.”

    The last seventy five years have been those of inexorable decline; economically, politically, militarily, in fact in every known sphere of activity the country has worsened. The “years of pride in the NHS” are a mockery of what has gone.

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/03/windrush-75th-anniversary-is-diamond-jubilee-for-britain-say-campaigners

    1. Isn’t the “Kwame” bloke actually called Reg Smith – or something similarly normal?

      1. Morning Bill No! He is at present the Artistic Director of the Young Vic. As good a reason as any for giving it a miss!

      2. Morning Bill No! He is at present the Artistic Director of the Young Vic. As good a reason as any for giving it a miss!

    2. The only good thing that happened in 1948 was my birth. Not celebrating these other events.

    3. Aneurin Bevan was delighted to hear that the newly-formed NHS had named a disease after him.

      He rushed to a medical dictionary to find the definition of “Aneurism”

      It defined it as, “A bloody clot that ought to removed immediately.”

      1. Gold…..

        “Gold is money. Everything else is credit.” (J P Morgan). He was stating a fact.
        Russia is poised to price oil in gold, China is reputed to have 30 000 tons of the stuff, and Ghana has just started buying oil in gold.

        1. I’ve heard all this before, many times. Two points: by historic standards, gold is overvalued by a factor of three or four; silver had a greater claim to be “real” money.

          1. You’ve got to see it in terms of history. Gold has been rubbished by central bankers for the whole of the last century, because they wanted ordinary people to take their credit notes rather than real wealth.
            What does “over-valued” mean if they start pricing oil in gold?

            The last major country (Germany) came off the silver standard in the late nineteenth century. I love silver and would like to see it in coins again. It is still a monetary metal as is copper, but there is now a huge pull of silver towards industrial use, from which it is often not recycled.
            I suppose we will see how that will play out in the coming years, but my hunch is that bankers will try to push the supply of it all towards industry for their green scams.

        2. The Saudis are turning to gold for oil and they already have significant gold reserves.

          1. Apparently they started a few years ago shipping their gold to Switzerland to have it melted down and re-cast in the standard size preferred by the Chinese.
            I think we the common people are the last ones to find out about this!

      1. Looks like someone has over-dosed on apostrophes.

        Sneaked greengrocer’s one in there.

      3. Sorry, I don’t understand. Twitter is beyond me, except for clever furry animals who post their home movies.

        1. Some posters on Tw@ter post comments that, at first sight, appear to be typical extreme lunatic fringe leftie bullshite. Then you realise that they are just extracting the urine from the Lefties!

        2. Some accounts are clearly not quite what they seem – ie parodies. They are easier to spot once you’ve seen some of their posts. Furry animals are something else. Others are quite vicious. I don’t stay there long.

  18. Good morning, all. Damp and calm with light rain forecast.

    The PM, sans mandate, is living down to below expectations. For how long the unthinking herd i.e. the Parliamentary Conservative(sic) Party puts up with him and the equally installed Chancellor is anyone’s guess. Polls are not just disappointing, they are turning disastrously towards becoming an ELE (Extinction Level Event) for these faux Tories. And not before time. Oh, nearly forgot, and with the one and only ‘Kneel’ any bandwagon will do’, Starmer as the main competition. My, how far distant that 80 seat majority win must seem. Heady days, never to be repeated?

    Asked about how confident people that the government can reduce the cost of living in 2023, only 4% said they were ‘completely’ or ‘fairly’ confident. Seventy per cent of the public is not confident at all. Among Conservative voters, 53% say they are not confident at all, whereas the number is 90% among Labour voters. Only two per cent of Conservative voters are completely confident the government can reduce the cost of living in 2023

    “Not only has the Conservative government lost ownership of the economy but it is also not seen to be likely to bring down the cost of living. Voters are clearly pessimistic about their future prospects too, with most of them expecting their financial situation to worsen over the year ahead. This speaks to the wider mood of pessimism in the country.”.

    GB News – UK’s Confidence in Sunak Shattered

    Throw in another disguised U-turn using the HoLs as the shield to hide behind, no surprise there as it’s an EU supporting assembly, it’s little wonder that Sunak’s unpopularity is on course to become an inexorable march towards massive failure. Our problem is that we’re on board Titanic UK with him.

    https://twitter.com/TiceRichard/status/1609988653106823178

    1. Morning all. To sum up, all in all, things are going exactly to plan. Rejoin theEU at a vastly higher cost, starve or freeze the electorate (not the gimmegrunts, obvs), introduce CBDC etc. etc.

    2. Sunak’s a twerp who should never have got near the top job. Born obeyer of orders. Would not last five minutes in a genuine parliamentary democracy with a free press.

    3. Sunak v Starmer makes Major v Kinnock look like the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ and as the past 30 years have proved, neither were political heavyweights merely Brussels paperweights.

      1. That is not really a fair comment from you, Feargal. I expect better!

        All those you mentioned are far too flimsy to make a decent paperweight!🤣

  19. ‘Morning, Peeps. The forecast suggests that today could be the second dry one on the trot…just right for cutting up some old oak posts for logs, so not much time on here this morning.

    SIR – Despite being a long-term Conservative Party member, I did not have a say in the appointment of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister.

    What does he stand for, apart from (supposedly) financial stability?

    His fiscal policies are piling hardship on many; he has delayed or scrapped vital reforms; and he has made no attempt to deal with the bloated non-medical side of the NHS.

    As far as I can see, he is going nowhere and doing nothing. On the rare occasions he appears, he talks big but does little, rather like Tony Blair.

    We have no hope of winning the next general election with him in charge. I keep paying my fees, but they are to the party, not the PM.

    David Wallin
    Nottingham

    I agree that Sunak is very likely to lose the next GE, but even I realise that the campaign to get Johnson back as leader is clean off the stupidity scale. One session with a lazy liar at the helm was enough to convince this former supporter that this is a very bad idea indeed.

    3. Mr Wallin if you are still paying your fees I suggest you are thicker than at least 4 short planks. I suggest you check you bank account and discover how many Direct Debits you continue to pay although whatever you bought has been paid for many times over.

  21. SIR – With these checks for travellers from China, I sense that the Government is once again shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

    Why is this Government always so reluctant to act on the issues that really matter? And if it does act, why is it then always inexcusably incompetent?

    Stefan Badham
    Portsmouth, Hampshire

    Because those who can, do…

      1. Some BTL posts on the matter of incompetent government:

        Edwin Pugh44 MIN AGO

        Because there is a disconnect between MPs and their constituemts. No longer do constituents elect a member to represent them but someone to represent a party. As a case in point, my constituency voted overwhelmingly to leave but the MP has voted consistently to remain.

        Stripey The Cat19 MIN AGO

        Very soon, Edwin, you will have the opportunity to change your MP. Choose wisely.

        For 40 years all the important decisions have been taken by Brussels and Strasbourg (depending on time of the month). Our MPs have sat on their fat backsides & raked in a good salary plus massive expenses. That explains the poor quality of the current crop of MPs. Now they have to get back to work. Cometh the the hour …………..

        1. Stripey The Cat confirms what many concerned people felt after Brexit i.e. MPs, Ministers and Civil Servants had been in ‘Rubber Stamp Mode’ for far too long to enable a smooth transition to take place. Moving from being an administrative arm of the EU to becoming the Management Board of UK plc is beyond most of them.

          1. ‘Morning, Korky. Not only ‘Rubber Stamp Mode’ but also ‘Gold Plating Mode’ too…

            And now that Irish creep Varad is saying, in effect, that the EU walked all over us. He’s got something right at last. Thanks, Johnson.

          2. It was and remains a structural problem; there was no risk for UK administrators, indeed the opposite: mediocrity and failure would be rewarded. Westminster culture consistently failed to appreciate (or worse, ignored) the fact that British citizens could never be fairly represented within the EU hierarchy because indigenous Brits have english as a first language and have no need for other tongues; whereas an aspirational continental speaks his/her native lingo, and then at school acquires office english plus one other EU lingo. A prospective functionary needs at least three languages to enter the portals of Brussels-Strasbourg.

            E&OE.

          3. Well, I manage in English, German and French and can get by in Swedish and Spanish but I’ve no intention of applying to enter the portals of Brussels-Strasbourg.

        2. My MP put me off voting for him when his reply to the letter I sent 18months ago told me that The United Kingdom has a proud record, of basically being kind and accepting immigrants from countries where they are oppressed and ill treated.
          It shows how much notice or information he bothered to take in regarding the thousands boating over from safe and prosperous France.

    3. Because the government and the whole of Parliament and the home office are completely useless and inherently stupid. They have not an ounce of common sense between the lot of them.
      And when it all goes horrible wrong.
      Which it will. They very quickly deny any responsibility and it soon becomes every body else’s fault.
      We need a modern day Cromwell.

      1. I’m swaying towards a modern day Oppenheimer. An irradiated smoking hole in central London would be an improvement over the scorched earth policies of WEFminster.

  22. Before I get on with today’s jobs…has anyone else watched The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse (iPlayer)? Is is a very gentle animated film, rather like the Snowman, beautifully drawn and with a gentle message. Our grandchildren, and their parents, watched it in silence. Thirty-two minutes of Christmas programming not to be missed in my opinion.

    1. Good Morning Hugh J and everyone.

      Beautifully animated and well voiced but dangerously left wing.

    2. I don’t and won’t subscribe to iPlayer, Hugh, but it looked like it was just 3 scenes repeated over and over again for an hour.

  26. Oh dear.
    A change of plan as I do not have enough mango in the freezer for mango chutney!
    HOWEVER, I DO have nearly 2kg of pineapple, so delete mango, insert pineapple!

    Will be off shopping soon.

    2. Morning Bob! We found large tins of mango pulp in Asda for £2. It’s an excellent product and Alan made a smashing chicken chasni (not too hot, not too spicy!) for our nephew and family on New Years Eve!

  28. Morning all 😉 😊
    Such miserable weather, not cold but it seems to encompass today’s headlines, a distinctly dreadful state of affairs in the health service.
    Some how I have to arrange an appointment with a GP to discuss the letter we now both have from cardiology.
    What do I know?

    1. Phone the GP as he probably has a copy of the letter. It is urgent and he must give you an appointment without undue delay..

      1. I’ve left it until now and i’m going to ring today if I can get through. They don’t make it easy.

    2. Last Friday while walking the dog in Hurn forest I had a fall and injured my left hand and wrist. I didn’t trip or black out. I was very shaken and eventually made my way back home.
      On Saturday I had completed the walk, left the forest and put the lead on the Springer and had another fall. Didn’t trip on anything or black out. Suddenly I was falling, this time head first into a bramble hedge. It ripped my face up good and there was much blood. I also banged my head which still hurts.
      A concerned passer-by offered to call an ambulance but I declined as not fancying a twelve hour wait in an ambulance outside A&E.
      They walked the 25 yards to my home and fetched my darling wife who cleaned me up and gave pain killers.
      Surgery wasn’t open until today. After 25 minutes on the phone I spoke to a receptionist who said a doctor will call me this afternoon.
      One surgery in Ringwood has a 99% record of patients seeing a doctor face to face. My surgery in Ringwood – 32%. Time for a change?
      Signed
      Scarface.

      1. Ow! Poor you. Head-first into brambles is no fun at all.
        Hope you get to see the Dr quickly – toppling over for no reason doesn’t sound good.

          1. I sometimes lose feeling in my left foot because of a clot in my leg. I invariably go over. For me the only thing to do is concentrate when walking.

            Sounds like you need a scan.

      2. I also have become quite susceptible to falling. luckily most have been in my flat.

        My problem is that I find it impossible, without something firm to push down on or pull up on, I remain on the floor like a cowpit yow (Doric for an upturned sheep).

        Fortunately there are yellow cords in most rooms and passages, to pull and call for assistance. I don’t think there are many in the woods or bramble-bushes.

        I also have a wrist band with a big red ‘panic’ button.

        If you find this is happening a lot, Delboy, maybe you need to talk to your GP and get assistance with a walking stick or some other aid to get up with or a wrist band that alerts the ambulance service as to where you are.

        With the ambulance service, you don’t have to go to hospital.

        The crew will get you up and check all your vital signs then, when they know that you’re alright and they are satisfied, you may wave them goodbye, thanking them effusively.

        1. Thank you. I am worried because I am very fit and healthy and very active. I am not a typical 86 year old.

          1. …and I may just be a typical 78 year old!

            I was fit and healthy but have declined massively since moving into this RAFA flat. I’ve lost 15 Kg in weight and become very unsteady on my pins. (No, it ain’t booze!)

          1. No it’s the Doric – NE Scotland. It could be what you’ve written in Swedish but I never got into farmyard animals, whilst I was there – I was dealing with trains for SJ in Hagalund.

          2. Ryggwelter is Yorkshire dialect that stems from the time the area was under the Danelaw in wake of the Danish Viking invasion.

        1. Hi Minty. I check my BP regularly and it is under control with drugs. I had a diabetes check at Poole Hospital 6 or 7 years ago. It was negative but things may have changed.

          1. I should have the latter checked Del! If it’s any comfort to you it can be cured by diet!

      4. Take care Delboy.
        I’ve just had a quick word with the receptionists at our Surgery they seem to like getting rid of you as quickly as they can But i’ll get my good lady to drop the copied letters in to them as she told me they don’t have them !!! Which is a surprise as the address of the main surgery is on the letters as copies sent.

        1. Oh’s discharge letter from the JR, issued on 20th December, had not reached our surgery when I went in there last Friday. Postal strike you know! Anyway, the receptionist copied it.

    1. Morning T-B – It was heavy frost here when I looked out at 4am but when I looked after breakfast it was raining and the frost had gone off the ground and the cars. Sudden change in temperature.

  30. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fdada6cff3a51a9ddfe07572e32c72c6b24796b46c7126e2e3ac20c35270122a.png When the Left commenced their stealthy and insidious infiltration of all parts of the establishment, they left nothing out.

    Education (primary and university); health; the news media (newspapers, radio and television); all political parties (including the Conservatives); the police; the armed forces; and much more were all targeted and taken over.

    Their real prize, however, was the judiciary.

    1. How can he be a “fundamentally decent member of society” if he has been convicted of sex offences? And he should have thought about what would happen to his children before committing another crime.

    2. He must have had previous motoring convictions and points if a relatively minor speeding one would lead to a ban.

      1. Indeed. ‘Fundamentally decent’ members of society do tend to ignore the laws of the country and rack up lots of motoring (and, no doubt, many other) offences.

  31. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fdada6cff3a51a9ddfe07572e32c72c6b24796b46c7126e2e3ac20c35270122a.png When the Left commenced their stealthy and insidious infiltration of all parts of the establishment, they left nothing out.

    Education (primary and university); health; the news media (newspapers, radio and television); all political parties (including the Conservatives); the police; the armed forces; and much more were all targeted and taken over.

    Their real prize, however, was the judiciary.

  32. ‘Morning All

    In breaking news the term “Conspiracy Theory” is to be replaced with “Spoiler Alert”

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/077b471347beee615f303f909791ae7221b777d580a0435f8e8fc6b278c12f08.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/22ca5ca319bc8d5cae8312bb9e98cf2312e547095ee6728377424c6dc4fc15db.png

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/10f508eb7e8a61194af48aaf877e23d0c47eb2a7fedc9491442f334973d558a3.png

    Sigh,as China builds a new coal plants to top up the 1100 existing ones…..

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6a32fdf8d0f761d96c75ed02b3664e2f5bf87f15766dd47dab1aeb24f762fc14.png

      1. On the one hand, the UK is leading the world in “tackling climate change and driving down emissions”. On the other hand, the UK is an insignificant country which no-one listens to any more.

        Can’t be both. Which is it?

        3. That’s why no one else follows.
          All the UK is now is a soft touch for freeloaders: be they gimmegrants, climate warriors, wokeratti or giant corporates

        4. It’s easy to come first when you’re the only one in the race. Perhaps that explains it!

    3. But, but they reopened 2 coal power plants recently when lack of energy needed their energy input and used imported coal to burn in them. May the bastards roast in Hell or whatever carbon based fire is available.

    5. At this precise moment in time, coal burning probably has a much smaller carbon foot print than the 90 thousand illegal immigrants our stupid government have allowed to turn up and live in the UK.

  34. Good morning, my friends

    What I’ve learnt from a year without booze
    The Very British Problems author almost died due to alcohol abuse. Twelve months later, he shares the unexpected perks of sober life
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/what-learnt-year-without-booze/

    I must admit that I found the BTL comments under this article very anodyne, smug and depressing Everyone said how inspiring it was for this chap to give up drink and sort out his life. Nobody made the case for the chap who used to live a virtuous and blameless life scorning delights and living laborious days until, like Mrs Wentworth-Brewster in Noël Coward’s song, he discovered ‘in the nick of time’ that life was for living.

    Attempting to fill this need and in the interest of balance I put up this post:

    BTL

    My good friend, Percival Wrattstrangler, led a life of temperate innocence until two years ago. To be honest he used to be a rather boring, charmless and tedious person until he decided there would be no harm in ‘loosening up a bit’ and so he decided to start drinking and everyone discovered that he was no longer a self-righteous, moralising prig. Soon women who had previously found him dull and dreary discovered he had a keen sense of humour, a ready wit and a most endearing sense of mischief and was full of joie de vivre. His latest mistress is indeed a spectacularly attractive woman.

    For a change I’d like to read an article about a teetotal person who never touched a drop of alcohol and then started drinking quite heavily and found his life was greatly improved and very much more agreeable as a result.

      1. A drinkypoo certainly improves my outlook on life, but I admit to rather a lot of experience.

    3. Other fellow: “I don’t drink, smoke, play around with women, I don’t over eat, I’m a vegan. It’s my 89th birthday tomorrow and I’m celebrating!”

      Me: “How?”

    1. Interesting but i take issue with those who are against removing the bonus cap. The cap has just increased bankers’ base salaries and compulsory employer pension contributions. And we now have malus provisions. So on balance i think removing the cap isn’t the problem people are making it out to be.

    3. I would have thought it was the pension trustees that have the say of where money is invested, or the individual is given a choice from a range.

      1. As Parallel Mike points out, when we’ve all got no pension, we will all be dependent on the Government’s CBDC – in their dreams, anyway!

  36. This morning I fished out four Christmas puddings, from the back of a large pantry cupboard, that I had made (and steamed) prior to Christmas.

    That is, prior to Christmas 2017!

    I have re-steamed one and I am now devouring it with some Bird’s custard. Its flavour is sensational.😋

  37. Isn’t it strange how windowsills can gather clutter .. Moh and I have been trying to make clear spaces in the kitchen ..

    I started with the long windowsill which has several plants in pots .. basil, Christmas cactus , and a few dishes with used batteries , nuts and bolts , and odds and ends that have accumulated .. I bagged up the little batteries which will be tied on to the bin when bin day arrives . I gathered together marking pens and biros, a pencil sharpener and various postit note pads , and on another windowsill in the kitchen , a pack off caddy bags , a bowl of used lamp bulbs and more batteries .

    Moh looked through a pile of paper work and was shocked to find his car needed taxing .. the amount of junk mail binned has been colossal .. we haven’t been very organised.

    There is so much clearing up room by room .. and the house feels so cold ..

    How do any of you cope with clutter , and redistributing things .

    Moh is slightly better re the cough virus .. I am glad for his sake .

    Jack spannel is not too brilliant , the weather doesn’t help.

    1. Talking of paperwork, Maggie, I was re-taxing the car and looked for my MOT – it expired in July!

      I’m going to see if I can get it done next week.

      1. There’s something to be said for knowing the MOT and tax both run out on 24th and 31st December.

    2. Poor Jack. I wondered how he was getting on. I’m way overdue a good clearout. Had a small one just before Christmas when I dug out my leather weekend bag to pack for a couple of nights in the hotel near church. I found bags inside bags and all filled with stuff. A few things kep but most thown out. It was all stuffed in to a corner hidden by a bookcase and the sofa in my little studio flat.

      1. Finding places to put stuff is a nightmare , and getting rid of stuff is a problem .

        We still have late mother in law’s odds and ends .. stuff that belonged to her parents. WW1 postcards , from the front ..

        I did manage last year to get rid old hats and scarves .. the sort of hats that you see on Father Brown , that particular era .

        I think I have had enough , too much emotion involved for being sentimental ..time is precious , and too short .

      1. Quite right, come the revolution, bartering will be the in thing, so the more you have with which to barter, the better.

    4. SWMBO generates clutter by the truckload, and I have the occasional hissy fit about it and a tiny bit jets junked.

    6. Use a drawer for odds and ends. File all paperwork in a box file. Surfaces sweetie surfaces.

      Uncluttering your home is good for your mind.

      1. Phizzee ,

        Every bit of paper gets filed in box no 1… 10..

        I asked Moh for labels to identify where is what .. and he said , he knows , so that is all that matters .

        1. He sounds delightful. If he is so organised why was he surprised about the car tax. Get a wall planner.

      2. The day after you throw something out that you’ve kept for ten years you need it – sods law No.2

    7. I am an inveterate filer. I bung everything in a pile. If nothing changes after 6 months, it goes in the bin.

      Important things, like car taxes and what not are in the calendar.

    9. Sorry to hear about Jack. I have periodic tidy-ups and throw outs (or alternatively, I just buy more storage boxes) 🙂

  38. Love him or hate him, this is not a speech Biden or Sunak would give.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin’s New Year Address to the Nation
    Citizens of Russia, friends,
    The year 2022 is drawing to a close. It was a year of difficult but necessary decisions, of important steps towards Russia’s full sovereignty and a powerful consolidation of our society.
    It was a year that put many things in their place, and drew a clear line between courage and heroism, on the one hand, and betrayal and cowardice on the other, showed us that there is nothing stronger than love for our near and dear, loyalty to our friends and comrades-in-arms, and devotion to our Fatherland.
    It was a year of truly pivotal, even fateful events. They became the frontier where we lay the foundation for our common future, our true independence.
    This is what we are fighting for today, protecting our people in our historical territories in the new regions of the Russian Federation. Together, we are building and creating.
    Russia’s future is what matters the most. Defending our Motherland is the sacred duty we owe to our ancestors and descendants. The moral and historical truth is on our side.
    The outgoing year has brought great and dramatic changes to our country and to the world. It was filled with uncertainty, anxiety and worry.
    But our multiethnic nation showed great courage and dignity as it had in every challenging period in Russian history, supported the defenders of our Fatherland, our soldiers and officers, and all participants in the special military operation, in both word and deed.
    We have always known that Russia’s sovereign, independent and secure future depends only on us, on our strength and determination, and today, we have become convinced of it once again.
    For years, Western elites hypocritically assured us of their peaceful intentions, including to help resolve the serious conflict in Donbass. But in fact, they encouraged the neo-Nazis in every possible way, who continued to take military and overtly terrorist action against peaceful civilians in the people’s republics of Donbass.
    The West lied to us about peace while preparing for aggression, and today, they no longer hesitate to openly admit it and to cynically use Ukraine and its people as a means to weaken and divide Russia. We have never allowed anyone to do this and we will not allow it now.
    Russian servicemen, militiamen and volunteers are now fighting for their homeland, for truth and justice, for reliable guarantees of peace and Russia’s security. They are all our heroes and they are shouldering the heaviest burden right now.
    From the bottom of my heart, I wish a very happy New Year to every participant in the special military operation, to those who are here next to me now, and who are on the frontline, those getting ready for action at training centres, those who are in hospitals or already back home, having fulfilled their duty, to all those now on combat duty in strategic units, and all personnel of the Russian Armed Forces.
    Comrades,
    thank you for your valiant service. Our entire vast country is proud of your fortitude, endurance and courage. Millions of people are with you in their hearts and souls, and will be raising a toast to you at their New Year’s table.
    Many thanks to everyone who provides ancillary support for military operations: drivers and railway workers who deliver supplies to the front, doctors, paramedics, and nurses who are fighting for soldiers’ lives and nursing wounded civilians. I thank the workers and engineers at our military and other plants who are working today with great dedication, builders who are erecting civilian facilities and defensive fortifications, and helping to restore the destroyed cities and villages in Donbass and Novorossiya.
    Friends,
    Russia has been living under sanctions since the events in Crimea in 2014, but this year, a full-blown sanctions war has been unleashed against us. Those who started it expected our industry, finances and transport to collapse and never recover.
    This did not happen, because together we created a reliable margin of safety. We have been taking steps and measures towards strengthening our sovereignty in a vitally important field, in the economy. Our struggle for our country, for our interests and for our future undoubtedly serves as an inspiring example for other states in their quest for a just multipolar world order.
    I consider it very important that in the outgoing year, such qualities as mercy, solidarity and proactive empathy have become especially important in Russia. More and more Russians feel the need to help others. They rally together and take initiative without any formal instructions.
    I want to thank you for being so considerate, responsible and kind, for your active involvement in the common cause regardless of age or income. You arrange warehouses and transport to deliver parcels to our fighters in the combat zone, to the residents of affected cities and towns, and help organise holidays for children from the new constituent entities of the Federation.
    My friends, you are providing great support to the families of the fighters who perished, who gave their lives defending the lives of others.
    I know how difficult it is for their wives, sons and daughters, and for their parents, who raised real heroes; I understand how they feel now, on New Year’s Eve. We will make every effort to help the families of our fallen comrades raise their children, give them a good education, and get a profession.
    With all my heart, I share your pain and ask you to accept my sincere words of support.
    Friends,
    Our country has always celebrated the start of the New Year, even during very difficult times. It has always been everyone’s favourite holiday, and has a magical power to reveal the best in people, to heighten the importance of traditional family values, the energy of kindness, generosity and trust.
    As we see the New Year in, everyone strives to give joy to their loved ones, to show them attention and warmth, to give them presents they have been dreaming of, to see the delight in children’s eyes and parents’ touching gratitude for our attention. The older generation knows how to appreciate such moments of happiness.
    Friends, now is the best moment to leave all personal grievances and misunderstandings in the past, to tell our nearest and dearest how we feel, how much we love them, how important it is to take care of each other – always, at any time.
    Let these heartfelt words and noble feelings give each of us immense strength and confidence that together, we will overcome all the challenges and keep our country great and independent.
    We will only move forward, to fight for our families and for Russia, for the future of our only, beloved Motherland.
    Happy New Year, friends! Happy 2023!

    1. Irreverend podcast has done a series of broadcasts analysing Charles’s, Biden’s and Trudeau’s Christmas messages. Rev Jamie is not a fan of any of them but the funniest was today in the Trudeau episode when he said something along the lines of “have all these leaders been to the same place to get their speeches?”
      Very funny and actually thought-provoking.

    2. “and devotion to our Fatherland.” and “for the future of our only, beloved Motherland.”

      Is this deliberate use of alternating the country’s familial names?

    3. Very er..Churchillian. I wonder if he wrote it himself. Probably, he is switched on to the needs of his people. Unlike our self serving leaders who make promises they have no intention of keeping.

      Can you imagine Boris Johnson making a speech like that and not fluffing it and dropping his notes?

  39. 369187+ Up ticks,

    Gerard Batten
    @gjb2021
    ·
    3h
    The woman arrested & charged for the thoughts inside her head while standing peacefully in the King’s Highway. She won’t get a jury trial so she will most likely get a criminal record. BRITAIN TODAY!

    However, she should have refused to tell the Thought Police anything, & stayed silent, except to tell them to either charge her & PROVE in a court of law what was going on silently in her own head, or let her go. Let these clowns do their own dirty work.

    https://gettr.com/post/p23q8rb2c62

    1. Whilst I have every sympathy for her, I believe that she was wilfully disobeying an injunction.
      Cases like these don’t help the cause.

      What really annoys me is the way certain sections of the community/protesters seem to be able to ignore similar yet get away with it.

      1. I think she’d been warned not to stand outside an abortion clinic.
        Edited as I omitted the word ‘not’.

        1. So do I, I’m slightly unsure whether there was a general injunction or one specific to her, or whether it was merely a warning from the police.

        2. I think she did want to push it to prove a point, but I still think that was a worthwhile exercise, to demonstrate just how draconian the laws are when they WANT to be.

          Compare and contrast with the glue-for-brains climate freaks stopping hundreds of people getting to work….

        1. I agree.
          Naturally it will be used against the softest targets too.
          In this instance I think there are two aspects, one the law, but also the fact she had already been warned off.

      3. 369+ up ticks,

        Afternoon S,
        If it was such as you say then she is intentionally pointing out how dangerously ludicrous such an issue as thought police is, and putting such in the spotlight.
        I believe she really is risking getting a criminal record and ALL that incurs.

      4. The local authority had created a designated protest zone and a protest exclusion zone “to protect the right of access”
        from an abortion clinic. That was done, apparently because women going to the abortion place felt intimidated by anti-abortionists standing around and protesting.

        To stand in a PEXZ is an offence.

        She knew that and persisted in her behaviour.

        I agree with you that some “protesters” get away with it…..

        Life is – and always has been – unfair.

          1. I am not commenting on the pros and cons of this case – but I have seen the most awful, frightening demonstrations by deranged, screaming hags in front of abortion clinics.

        1. I don’t think her comment related to that specific location. She was making a general observation.

          2. Perhaps you might take a leaf out of that particular book and read the individuals’ comments and think about what they actually wrote, before jumping in with your own corrections.

          1. Ah, any new builds – but not on flood plains – unless it’s gimmegrunt quarters.

          2. Ah, any new builds – but not on flood plains – unless it’s gimmegrunt quarters.

    2. Lacock a Wiltshire village, wholly owned by the National Trust. Widely used in historic films – no road markings and all residents are tenants – you cannot buy a house in the village.

    3. A lot of flooding in towns is because the drains haven’t been cleaned out. Heavy rain. Flood. Photo. Proof of climate change.

    4. Dredging is against EU rules, so the EA won’t do it. Yes, I know, we voted to leave. The state ignores that and far prefers that we remain aligned, in every way.

        1. And we must not forget that the misery for those in business in Northern Ireland will be that thy have to pay 25% in corporation tax while across the border their competitors in the Republic of Ireland only have to pay 15%.

          And the misconsonanted slimeball Hunt said he wanted to reduce the rate from 19% to 15% when he was running for the party leadership and as soon as he became chancellor he said that he would raise it to 25%.

          Does anybody seriously believe that Hunt is not an evil man who is hell bent on destroying Britain and taking us back into the EU?

      2. This absurd EU ruling led to the flooding of the Somerset Levels.

        Owen Paterson was the minister of the environment at the time and was fully aware that the problem was the result of Britain under Cameron slavishly following the EU rather than trusting in dredging which had served well for many generations.

        Anyway Paterson was sacked for being right and Adultera Truss was appointed in his place.

    1. Yo All

      I am all for it: gets all the Mozzies on the pill = room in schools for whities

    4. That is an obvious statement poppiesmum, if you aren’t born you can’t catch Covid, never mind the rest of the waffle about estrogen levels.
      Bloody clever these doctors, I’ve heard of catching them while they’re young but never before they’re born.
      All is well with the world, the lunatics are running it.

  43. Morning all. Last night we (the Wibbling household) had something of a crisis. It started relatively calmly, with the warqueen going on a hack with the mare and coming back at dusk, going into the kitchen and tipping all the plates on to the floor.

    Amidst a huge pile of smashed crockery, there was the insistence that she was ‘fine’. Now, I’m not the sharpest tool, but I thought that might not be quite true.

    She pootles upstairs as I clean up (and order some more cruft off Amazon) to ‘get ready for work’. At that point things went from fluffy to bonkers, as she set about breaking her desk and one of the monitors fell off and smashed. At this point I found her crouching in the corner, shaking and crying. Now, this is not usual. She’s a tough, confident woman who has earned her place amongst some total wazzocks. She’s stared down multi million quid executives across board room tables.

    I began to think something might be slightly wrong.

    Long story short, she has resigned. She’s given her 3 months notice, burned all her holiday up (they didn’t like that) to reduce that to 9 weeks of which 5 will be handover to colleagues and then she’s locked out. She’s also interviewed today with a small accountancy firm ‘down the road’ of 7 people (they have 3 computers. It’s quite a funny place) and they really aren’t sure what they’ll do with her. The salary is a tenth what she was earning, even discounting same again in bonus but she’s working a 3-4 day week and has asked for lower pay for more holiday. I suppose as she’s bringing a dozen or so clients with her they don’t really mind.

    I’m not sure if she’s happy, but the crockery’s survived the day.

    1. I hope it works out well for you all.

      It sounds as if she may be better off in terms of work/life away from her previous place.
      Good luck.

      1. Thank you all – things have clearly been getting a lot worse, and her locking herself away hasn’t helped, but, hopefully she’ll get back on track. Now i need to find ‘things’ for her to do….

          2. Feminine intuition! Crockery and resignation looks like the tip of an iceberg, go placidly.

    3. Wow, wibbling! What an exciting life you lead! As for the Warqueen – bravo to her! No one needs that sort of pressure, no matter how much she earns. Her life, and her family probably matter a bit more as well!
      Good luck to you all and I hope things go well and happily for you all!

      1. And stepping off the corporate treadmill for a moment allows all kinds of creativity and new ideas to sneak in!

        1. I’m fairly sure she’ll buy the accountants out somehow. I can see that gleam of ‘plans’ in her eye.

          She had it when we met. I didn’t think of getting married. She had other ideas. Same with junior.

    5. That sounds like she has had a run in with someone.

      A woman also can react like that after being assaulted too.

      A lower stress job will be just the ticket for her.

      Best wishes to you and your family.

    6. The Warqueen is not alone.
      A few years ago, our high flying top banker chum cracked while on her nth business trip to New York.
      She had burdened herself with a huge mortgage, humungous school fees, subsidising just about every member of her and her husband’s family, and the hectic City lifestyle that went with the job.
      She has since learned to pace herself.

  44. I have just made toast at the woodstove with a toasting fork for the first time in years!
    It tasted even better knowing that it hadn’t cost anything for electricity.

        1. I associate it with being in the cubs; your post brought back pleasant memories on a cold misty day.

          4. Idiots should have let you stay.
            When my daughter’s school class went on a sailing trip aged about fourteen, one boy sold his drums to pay the cost.
            His parents are loaded, but divorced and his mother’s lost the plot.
            Nice boy, had to organise everything for himself, getting to school and so on. I felt sorry for him; he is very capable though.

          5. The cubs, scouts and Church choir were the other side of the tracks as it were. I’m sure they were pleased to see the back of me.

            I didn’t even hear of the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme until i was 16.

            No wonder i turned out such a naughty boy !

          7. My Primary class went on an overnight trip to see the Foudroyant. They slept in hammocks which would have been exciting. I sat in the classroom on my own with paper and paints for the day and painted in silhouette what thought it would look like. A teacher popped their head round the door to make sure i was behaving.

            My parents worked hard but didn’t have a lot of money. But they did manage to go to the pub every Friday night and Bingo on Sunday nights.

            It was the same at Secondary school too. My mother would never sign the forms for the trips.
            In my final year their was a four day trip to Paris. I knew she wouldn’t sign them so i forger her signature and paid out of my Birthday money and went anyway.

            Thursday to Sunday. When i got back Sunday night my Father said “Where the bloody hell have you been ?

            Then there was the trip to see Romeo and Juliet for my O levels. The coach took me back to the school, no one to pick me up of course. I had to walk four miles home in the dark at night.

            The upside of it was my picture was framed and my teacher put it up in the assembly hall.

            I left home at 16 as i didn’t feel they had my best interests at heart.

          8. There was one girl in my class who knew she could automatically sign up to every school trip – regardless of cost. Parents signing the form was a mere formality.
            She and her two sisters all went to our school; a private school, albeit a provincial private school, not one of the expensive biggies. Her father was a vet, which made me realise that the job might be a good earner (until I realised maths and science were needed).

          9. You would have fitted right in at the alternative school where my children went! Lots of freedom, joking and practical stuff like building huts in the woods and cooking for thirty people over an open fire.

          10. I would have enjoyed that. I don’t tend to build huts and whatnot in the woods anymore but i can stick knock up a feast..

          13. Our sons left before they were pushed.
            Compulsory short trousers were the final straw. Elder son chucking a very dead fish at the Akela’s son probably didn’t help matters.

          15. I rose to the exalted position of being the Sixer of the Bears Platoon.

            I remember we had to do Bob a Job week in the Easter school holidays and we had fun making up people and jobs that they asked us to do.

            I should imagine that Guides and Brownies would be at even more risk today than we were in the 1950s if they called round in some houses in Bradford, knocked on the door and asked what they could do for a bob!

    2. Now that’s a skill – you’ve got to keep the bread moving, but not too much, while ensuring the fork isn’t itself getting hot.

        1. I had forgotten watching the flames flickering through the bread to judge when it’s browned enough.

      1. You are absolutely right, Minty! I had a second slice just to be sure 🙂 it is definitely better than anything that comes out of the toaster! Not sure why.

          5. Richard Cadell, who now owns them, was on Talk TV quite late one evening. Sooty was pulling Sweeps ears, which led to a fight. I switched off when the show reverted to news and current affairs!

        2. Perhaps it is because the heat source is stronger but further away. Unlike an electric toaster.

          1. I think that’s it. It’s more moist inside. Could also be a slight “flame” flavour as NtN suggests.

        3. I remember it used to slip off the fork occasionally. We would just scoop it out, brush off the ash, and still eat it!

      2. Now you are talking.

        Slightly burned with lashings of butter that drips through the fork holes.

      1. That is precisely why I invested 1.50 in a toasting fork at a flea market earlier this year!
        I also have flatirons, a hand drill, a wind-up clock and a wind-up watch, weighing scales and a few more non-electrical bits and pieces. They don’t take up much space but if I need them, I will really need them!

  46. Black Lives Matter organiser denies fraud charges over Colston statue protest fundraiser. 3 January 2023.

    Xahra Saleem is charged with two counts of fraud by abuse of position.

    The Colston statue was pushed into Bristol harbour on June 7, 2020 during protests related to the death of George Floyd in the US, and the subsequent global BLM movement.

    Ms Saleem is accused of being one of the organisers of the protest and had set up a crowdfunding page to raise money for face masks and other equipment.
    Following the protest, it is alleged that none of the money arrived with a charity.

    The defendant is also accused of setting up a fundraising page following the protest to raise money for the legal costs of those facing charges. Those funds are again alleged not to have been handed over.

    The American branch of BLM has made its organisers millionaires!

    PS. None of its mine!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/03/black-lives-matter-colston-statue-protest-xahra-saleem-fraud/

      1. They’ll be out of government next year and we’ll have a Labour one, or possibly a Labour/LibDem coalition. Interesting times ahead.

    3. No need for expensive toys, my two would fight each other, to see who could fit in any box lying around. Most of the time the box would be far too small, how I wish camera/phones were around back then!!

        1. Other than the odd tip to Malta where i leave my dogs with the breeder (free!) I visit places that are doggie friendly. I did have a look at the kennels and i thought absolutely no way.

          1. I agree. Wiggy went into a kennel place once for a weekend and despite lots of good reviews – first hand from people speaking about them – they clearly had never dealt with a giant breed nor encountered Newfoundland stubbornness.

            I worried about him all weekend and despite the grand gesture, the Warqueen hadn’t thought through logistics quite properly. Ever since where we go, he goes.

          2. Poppie goes wherever we go. If they don’t take our dog, they don’t get our custom. She is part of our pack.

          3. I don’t know why but I always thought Poppie was a cat, Mum.

            Maybe it’s because my ex had had a cat called Poppy and I heard many anecdotes about this cat.

            She now has a chihuahua called Dotty, rescued about 4 years ago.

          4. I was having problems getting her to eat, Tom. Then I remembered the dog food recipe you gave me some time ago. I had tried to get turkey mince when I was shopping but I couldn’t find it in Waitrose (our nearest supermarket) and decided to try Tesco when I was next there. I kept forgetting about it, and eventually it got put on the back burner of my mind. Poppie started being picky with her food when she started her heart medications. I remembered your recipe, I had in only minced beef so I used that. She knew it was for her, she came and investigated the hopefully tempting smells in the kitchen, stood on her hind legs – I want some, I want some! – unsupported by me…aaaand, she tucked in and polished it off needing no persuasion from me. So, we have a winner there, for now. I have 12 servings in the freezer, they won’t be given to her on consecutive days because I don’t want her to get bored with it. I am very grateful for the recipe.

          5. Very happy to have been of service to both you and Poppie. I might hazard a guess that minced chicken would do just as well but cooked not too long or too high. I’ve found that if you try to curry chicken, it shreds quite easily. Turkey is tougher and would withstand the cooking more easily.

            Will you put up a photograph of you both together? I’ve no idea what this little lady looks like; I’ve had cats and dogs for most of my life and I miss them now, as we cannot have pets here.

          6. I’ll see if I can find one, it’s usually me taking the photos of Poppie, but I’ll ask poppiesdad to take one of me and Poppie together when I am feeling better and have shifted this horrid sore throat and coughing virus. I’m not looking very photogenic at the moment and a girl has her pride, you know…! Here are a few of Poppie to be going on with:
            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6d48084ff0b7948b767460021fa058bdff005238fafada9d1ddfc8ffb0db7b93.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ae00a61a3efdb9ff5c8cd80bdfa4c67b4c7597be13a6b83463a1ee0de6de66e6.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/dd9b9279ad986011e571798a11d29c78e0af12197399e5e1b97ff5b07e79071a.jpg
            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5ac83015b4da13d2e1f63c1fa27e311bf61faa97d946cba4b3bdcecfec7fc978.jpg

          8. Well I did post some photos of Poppie but they seem to have disappeared! Perhaps the file was too big, I’ll try again tomorrow. Also my reply with it seems to have disappeared too. It’s 11.45 now so I’ll have to leave it for now. Nighty-night, sleep well.

          13. Hi, Mum, I guess you’re using Apple software ‘cos your emojis don’t shew up on my laptop.

          14. Hotels, Bars and Restaurants that are happy to see dogs also tend to be happy to see the owner too. Staff always make a fuss of them which makes me happy. Good service.

            I understand there are some places where a pet would be inappropriate but a country Pub with stone floors isn’t one of them.

          16. She is doing very well, Alec and to all intents and purposes she seems fine, and energetic in short bursts; her heart medication seems to have rejuvenated her but sadly the lymphoma in her neck is slowly growing – as it is in her lymph gland one day (no-one knows when) it will travel to her liver. She is such a fun and funny dog, always ready for mischief and a great sense of humour. She also listens in to our conversations, I have to be careful what I say!

          18. Talking about certain interesting matters in front of Spartie is like adjusting the codes on Enigma.
            I have invented so many alternative words for ‘walk’, ‘supper’ and other events that play a large part in his life, that I’ve forgotten them and use a superseded word from way back. I may have got confused, but sure as hell one small dog hasn’t.

          1. He talks a lot and tells you exactly what he thinks! The smoke alarm went off this afternoon and with Scotland’s wonderful new law, we have to have an alarm in every room on a linked system. He was upstairs in our room and when I went up to reset the thing, he shouted at me until the noise stopped! He was very annoyed! Phoebe was hiding in the airing cupboard!

        3. It always amazed me how I could bring a suit home from the cleaners and without removing it from the plastic cover before packing it in my case but still find cat hairs all over the suit when I unpacked my bag after I arrived at a hotel.

    1. Duh! I can spout on about R III for ages 😉 And if Bill doesn’t behave I shall do so!

          1. That was what I thought initially too, but then looked more closely. I think it may say Richard king of the land.

          3. I had to look very closely because I wasn’t sure what the squiggles might have been and then noted it was terri

          4. That was what I read.
            Even if you don’t recognise the portrait, the hair cut and clothes tell you it’s not late C14.

        1. Read The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Key Penman. And there is a good bio by Paul Murray Kendall .

  50. Lloyds bank is closing in town. I have been with them for 50 odd years but there is no point in remaining a customer. We used to have Barclays, Santander, HSBC as well as Lloyds. All closed apart from HSBC so I decided to switch, which they say is so easy. I had a message this morning from HSBC that Lloyds have refused to switch our account. I went into branch and got absolutely nowhere. No sorry you are leaving us or anything. The teller said a letter has been sent to us, but couldn’t tell me what it said but it could take upto 14 days to reach us. Not very good customer service.

    1. They closed the tellers in my local HSBC, I asked how i could access my savings account which doesn’t have a card attached. They told me to go to HSBC 8 miles away. I emptied the accounts of all monies and am now with Nationwide.

    3. They’ve just shut their Belper branch. Only two cashpoints in the town now, one at the Co-op and t’other at Morrison’s.
      Not good.

    4. I so rarely need to visit a branch of Barclays that it made little difference when they closed locally.

  51. Duke of Sussex ‘wrong to claim’ King Charles has shown ‘no willingness’ to reconcile
    Sources said the monarch has kept communication channels open despite the many barbs from California
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2023/01/03/duke-sussex-wrong-claim-king-charles-has-shown-no-willingness/

    I am no great admirer of either King Charles the Prince of Wales and especially not since their treatment of Lady Hussey re that fake African Fullanus woman. But I agree with this BTLiner.

    BTL

    I cannot recall King Charles and Prince William ever showing the repulsive spite and venom towards Harry and Meghan as Harry and Meghan have shown towards them. Harry should read the Parable of the Prodigal Son and learn its message:

    “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.”

    Trouble is this nasty couple want the fatted calf without apologising one little bit.

          2. That’s next. Every person including family members has been unceremoniously dumped and shut out of her life when she feels they are no more use to her.

        2. And his wife is not only older than him she is older than his brother and his brother’s wife,. Not of course that it matters – my sister was happily married to man 12 years younger than she.

        3. He’s not, is he? We think of him walking behind his mother’s coffin still, forever a small boy. And she is rumoured to be three years older, at least, than stated.

    1. When’s Chinese New Year this year? Will the restaurant staffs and families be coming back from the celebrations bearing takeaways again?

      1. Towards the end of January on the 22nd, so they’ll be returning late January early February..
        It’s a year of the rabbit.

  54. NO, no, no, no, no. I won’t watch The Traitors, I just won’t. Stop talking to me about it. I’m not listening. Look, my fingers are in my ears. La-la-la-lalaaa. Seriously, my wife Ann and I watched the first episode of the Claudia Winkleman-fronted, castle-set, deception-driven reality show, shrugged and moved on. An adaptation of the simplistic party game Werewolf with a measly cash prize, it seemed the epitome of middlebrow “meh”.

    Since then everyone I know joined the cult, with friends deleting social media to avoid spoilers, talking up their favourites as if they were heroes of Greek antiquity and — following the finale — offering to sell their families into slavery to guarantee a second series. Even if we weren’t suffering a surfeit of excellent TV content, I just don’t get it. It’s a bunch of banally ordinary people sitting around in rooms and working out how to stitch each other up. Frankly, most of us get plenty of that at home and at work.

    From an ES columnist

      1. I only knew of it because it was trailered constantly and articles appeared in newspapers. From those bits and pieces it had zero appeal.

      1. Quite.
        But to be fair there are some excellent and informative programmes, they are just difficult to locate unless recommended.

      2. BBC One it seems but produced by Studio Lambert Scotland, which explains why I haven’t come across it.

    3. I have avoided it too. I do quite like the murder mystery nights that restaurants put on though. The last one was Fawlty Towers themed where the wait staff are supplemented with a few actors. Everyone in costume. That was at the Mayflower Southampton. I like a bit of Cabaret with my dinner.

  55. Well, that’s the mango pineapple chutney in the pan boiling down to a thicker consistency.
    This is the recipe I based it on:-

    Mango chutney By Barney Desmazery

    https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/mango-chutney

    Ingredients
    6 firm but ripe mangoes (about 1.5kg)
    500ml white wine vinegar
    450g granulated sugar
    1 tbsp cumin seeds
    2 tsp coriander seeds
    10 cardamom pods
    2 tsp nigella seeds
    ½ tsp cayenne pepper
    ½ tsp turmeric
    3 garlic cloves, crushed
    8 whole cloves
    thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
    1 fat red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

    Method
    STEP 1
    Peel the mangoes and chop the flesh into blueberry-sized pieces. Pour the vinegar and sugar into a large pan and simmer gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and bubble for 8-10 mins until reduced a little. Meanwhile, toast the cumin, coriander and cardamom in a dry pan until aromatic.

    STEP 2
    Tip the spices into a pestle and mortar and gently crush them, leaving the seeds with some texture. Remove the cardamom pods, leaving the seeds in the spice mix, and add to the vinegar mix along with the mangoes, the other ingredients and 2 tsp salt. Bubble over a medium heat for 1 hr 15 mins – 1 hr 35 mins, until thick and syrupy. Leave to sit for 10 mins.

    STEP 3
    Transfer the chutney into 2-3 sterilised jars while still hot. Seal the jars and leave to cool, then add labels. Store in a cool place for up to 2 years – the chutney will be best eaten after a few months, when the flavours have melded and mellowed.

    Instead of 1.5kg of mango, I used nearly 2kg of pineapple, slightly bulking up the other ingredients.

    1. Last night, I found that a late snack of celery sticks was much augmented by having a mango chutney dip.

      1. Cheese is piffed up with spicy mango chutney. or Piccalily, or any other kind of tasty chutney.

  56. Pouring down with rain as it has all day, getting fed up with this weather.
    Does anyone remember when the concern was of a lack of water in the country.
    It seems such a long time ago now.

    2. Hose pipe ban coming by May followed by an appeal for money to help the third world fight a lack of diversity (totally irrelevanf but it won’t stop them).

    3. Water supply is still an issue – the reason being – as always – with the EU. While the state continues to refuse to allow water companies to build reservoirs we’ll get droughts and floods. As with so many problems the country faces, the solution is obvious, and infuriating in equal measure.

      1. Factor in the increasing demand thanks to unlimited immigration and you have a disaster waiting in the wings.

      2. Here in Wessex Water area we seem to be blessed with an abundant supply, luckier than most.
        Perhaps a stop in increasing the population would be a start, are you listening you faux Conservatives!

        1. We are Wessex Water too but we have an inside contact at the pub. He says all is OK.

          1. My contact lives over the road, all through the summer he kept saying the water level was good.

      1. I will take your weather for a week or two, at least it would be a different view looking out from the house.

    2. The favourites f..k and c…t are entirely appropriate for the VIPs in No.10 and No.11, respectively . . .

  58. Can anyone explain the absurd – and recurring – headline on GBN:

    FRESH RAIL STRKE

    Should it be ‘shaken not stirred’ – or served with a zest of lemon?

    1. “Tell me, officer, why did you fire six, six rounds into my client’s body?”

      “That was all I had in my pistol, sir.”

    2. What was the crazed axeman on? If he hadn’t announced his presence by not being able to stop his car properly, the officer would have been hard-pressed to defend himself before being chopped.

      2. I suspect he was being stopped by the other police car and they knew he had a weapon; the one who shot him reacted very quickly, as if his weapon was already out of its holster.

  60. A painstaking Par Four today.

    Wordle 563 4/6
    🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
    ⬜⬜🟨🟨🟨
    🟩⬜🟨🟨⬜
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    1. A pleasant birdie today.
      Wordle 563 3/6

      🟩⬜🟨⬜⬜
      🟩⬜⬜🟩🟨
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

        1. Par 4 here

          Wordle 563 4/6

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

  61. Evening, all. Yesterday’s upbeat mood didn’t survive today’s miserable, dark, damp weather. Not helped by the electrician failing to ring me back, the other laptop failing to charge the battery (I’m on the Win10 machine so anything could happen in the next half hour) and my needing to contact my insurance company but I can’t find the policy number. 2023 has not started well. As for the headline, the problem starts, as ever, with govt meddling in doctors’ contracts and making it unprofitable to continue working after a certain age allied to paying them for the numbers on their books rather than the numbers they actually see. If you can’t see your GP, your only recourse is A&E.

    1. There’s you – always looking on the bright side.

      I sympathise with being unable to locate vital documents. Is there a remote chance that you were sent details by e-mail after renewal?
      They might still be there – somewhere…

  62. What a miserable, dreary, wet day. G & P want to go out for a wazz – but just stare despondently out of the window. No wonder a box was a diversion.

    Anyway, I am signing off – in the hope that tomorrow WILL be sunny as the Wet Office suggests.

    Have a nice evening planning for whom to vote.

    A demain.

    1. Much as I dislike and disrespect the creature, I doubt he’s actually on holiday for 6 weeks.
      Parliament may be in recess but the slimy toads will still be “working”

  64. Goodnight, all. I have a parish council meeting tonight (should have been last night, but that was a Bank Holiday).

    1. Somebody who believes CBCDs will rob him f his money. If you hold ‘tangibles’ there will always be someone who will deal with you. If you’ve seen The Watchmaker’s Apprentice one I’d George Daniel’s’ watches sold for £1.3 million. Can’t be controlled by the government. A wise man.

      1. That assumes that when the world’s economies collapse that such things have any value whatsoever.
        A £10 Casio that tells the time is equally useful.
        The ultra rich survivors will already have as many such watches as they could wish for, the rest will be happy just to eat. Who will be buying then?

          1. Quite.
            And what is more valuable, a £10 hatchet that allows you to chop wood, to create a trap, to catch prey, and prepare a fire to cook the prey you’ve killed with the hatchet, or a £300,000 fancy timepiece?
            When it all goes tits up, give me the hatchet every time.

  68. You stupid bloody bitch.
    Do you have any idea how much harm you have done to genuine victims?

    Woman, 22, who triggered Tommy Robinson led protests after falsely claiming on Facebook that she was raped, trafficked and beaten by an Asian grooming gang during lockdown is found guilty of perverting course of justice

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11595361/Eleanor-Williams-guilty-Woman-falsely-claimed-raped-trafficked.html

    Yet another reason that the MSM will use to attack TR.

    EDIT PS
    And yet another reason for the apologists to deny that the grooming and rape is happening.
    Again, you stupid bloody bitch, you’ve done a ton of harm.

    1. The system did the same with Carl Beech the phoney paedophile victim – and so the whole parlaimentary nonce scandal disappeared.

      1. Quite.
        Distract from what is really happening, use a false case so to do, shout it from the rooftops and then show it up as lies.
        And all the time the reality carries on under the radar.

    1. This wind power malarkey is a bit like socialism, it keeps failing and breaking the economy, yet they keep coming back for more and more.

      1. The guff that is spouted by their supporters is embarrassing, including ‘Wind energy expert Andrew Garrad’.

    2. It won’t be direct finances – his mate’s mate will get a contract and his mate will finance Clarke’s campagne or open a house in Tuscany by a company another mate has use of.

    3. If someone creates a use for the redundant parts of wind turbines, when they come to the end of their useful life-span, that’s where one needs to invest, because that’s where the real money will be made.

    4. Bristol: Work to begin on England’s biggest wind turbine.

      It should be consigned to he deep in Bristol Harbour.

      1. I don’t think Bristol Harbour is that deep.

        As they on the other side of the country – Norfolk, “That niver oughterer went!”

  71. Members of the House of Commons are not fit to preside over the NHS.

    Its members are self-interested, short-term opportunists who frequently benefit from direct and indirect financial interests.

    The NHS must be run by a Trust of professionals – with an elected Chief Executive.

    1. … who stands to go to prison if he gets involved in awarding contracts to mates’ mates.

    2. I disagree, the NHS should be utterly taken apart and resurrected.

      Start by splitting the entire UK into NHS regions, all independently managed and funded on the same per capita budget. Make those regions responsible for all parts of their “service”, A&E, hospitals ambulances, after care etc.

      Scrap ALL non clinical or accounting/procurement positions, eg diversity, PR, etc. Let the areas buy those extraneous services from the private sector

      Let those regions decide whether they will treat such nice to have rather than essential to have things such as gender reassignment, tattoo removal, cosmetic surgery etc etc et bloody cetera under “Their NHS” or whether those desiring such treatments pay for themselves.

      Give 75% tax relief for anyone who pays for their treatments privately.

      I can continue…

      1. “Let those regions decide whether they will treat such nice to have rather than essential to have things such as gender reassignment, tattoo removal, cosmetic surgery etc etc et bloody cetera under “Their NHS”.

        Bollocks: Let them desiring such treatments pay for themselves.

        1. It’s me rights to get tattoo removals when I want!

          If it doesn’t provide a direct health benefit, don’t fund it.

        2. I would let those hospitals/trusts decide.
          Their budgets should not be increased for such treatments, but if in their own areas such treatments reduce overall pressures, eg mental health, why not let the clinicians decide?
          Otherwise, if you want it, you pay for it.
          After all, in most such cases they paid for the problem that they now want treatment for themselves!

      2. Being responsible for after care as well as primary hospital care would help.

        It would be in their interest to ship patients out to lower cost convalescent units instead of letting patients block beds because there is nowhere to go. He’ll with it, get Travelodge to put up some of their budget hotels beside hospitals and use them for recovery. OK make it a Premier Inn, let’s not be too spartan but keep it below illegal immigrant standards!

        It will never work of course, too much common sense.

  73. Saw a GP at 1730. He conducted every test known to man and I passed them all. Back for an ECG tomorrow and on Thursday for a blood test. I will walk the Springer tomorrow taking a thumb stick to counter any fall. Wish me luck.

  74. Another episode of Jesse Stone about to start on 5 USA. For dog lovers the red setter (?) is a great actor.

      1. Thanks OLT but they come around fairly regularly and we invariably watch them over and over as they’re very gentle an we like the dialogue and, of course, the dog even though we’re not animal lovers but would never harm them. (Brough up in flats in London where pets were not allowed).

  75. Went to A&E this afternoon, and explained that I’d been bitten by a wolf.
    “Where” asked the doctor.
    “No, ordinary” I replied.
    😉

  76. I can’t take my dog to the pond in the park any more, the ducks keep pecking him.
    Guess that’s what I get for buying a pure-bred animal.
    😉

  77. Q: Why should you not brush your teeth with your left hand?
    A: A toothbrush works better!

        1. And there were all the Nottlers thinking that they were so amusing that you must have written them!

          ?sarc?

          2. Piles on the agony?

            Don’t tell the other Nottlers, but I really enjoy your jokes, Shhhh!

        1. Have you any idea how difficult it is to buy Christmas crackers in Norway? Throw, schmo… 🙂

          1. It was impossible to buy them in USA the first few years I was there. All the people here who moan about American stuff over here should see what is now available there…crackers being one example.

  78. They just announced that there were 431 thousand immigrants to Canada last year.

    Is there any wonder that healthcare is unavailable and housing is beyond most people’s budgets.

    1. Good luck with that.
      If there was any justice, Trudeau and his family and extended family would get the rapes/assaults/robberies/stabbings that ordinary Canadians can now look forward to.

  79. A man asked me for a dollar.
    I explained that I only carry big bills.
    “Well, give me one of those”, he said.
    So I gave him my electricity bill!

  80. I bought my friends a small elephant for their room.
    “Thank you”, they said.
    “Don’t mention it!”, I replied.

        1. I got 4 marbles in my Xmas cracker…. not sure what to do with them; do you need them? 😉

          1. I might have volunteered to take them if Sosraboc didn’t want them because I thought I was losing my own – but then I found them in the fridge.

          4. Anything I lose I find in the fridge, Sue Mac. It’s a bit like de-cluttering books by buying them a second time on Kindle and giving the originals to charity. All I have to do is throw everything I own (apart from the kitchen sink) in the fridge and my storage problems are solved and I can live in a minimalist house!

  81. Health Secretary Steve Barclay blames flu, Covid and Strep A for NHS winter crisis

    Forgive me here, but surely these are relatively minor illnesses, except at the extreme ends.
    What kind of “envy of the world health service” can’t treat such things in their sleep?
    Gawd if they can’t handle this, what possible hope is there for cancer/heart disease/ let alone quality of life changing surgery for hip, knee, liver heart, etc etc.?

    https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/steve-barclay-flu-covid-strep-nhs-crisis-ambulances-b1050594.html

    1. I expect many doctors and nurses were lost to the NHS by the threats and coercion to accept Covid injections. I suspect many more who having been coerced into taking the poisonous jabs fell ill or dropped dead.

      The NHS is always in crisis every winter but this year the idiots in government and those running it have made matters even worse than normal.

      The evil intentions of the WEF placements running our country and those medicos pretending to be custodians of our ‘health’ are exposed and will surely be meted their just returns in the near future.

      1. Type WEF in a post on the DT letters page and your post is removed.

        Just type With Effect From….

        1. I very much doubt the DT Letters page would ever publish any of my comments or views. The DT has been a rag since Lord Conrad Black departed.

          Conrad Black still expresses sensible conservative opinion on US podcasts such as America First : Sebastian Gorka as I have watched this evening on Rumble.

    2. Have you ever known a politician admit it is their fault in any way.
      They only have one answer to the problem, throw our money at it, but hey, can’t have too many diversity/ life experience managers can we. Worth every penny. Sarc meter overload.

    3. They run everything they come into contact with into the ground and then blame anything except themselves for the failure.

  82. Well, that’s me for the day, Nottlers. Good night to you all and I wish you a long and refreshing sleep

        1. The book is so good as many books are better than the movies.
          Wait until the end…..

  85. The more I see in this country now, the more I wish I had stayed in the US…except for my wonderful husband.

    1. I hear you Ann, there’s nothing I can say, a wonderful husband says it all!! Hugs

  86. From today’s Times:
    Tories’ dash to burn EU rules is disreputable
    daniel finkelstein

    Scrapping thousands of laws this year, as Jacob Rees-Mogg is trying to do, would be foolish and deeply anti-democratic

    1. I see no dash, and since the vote was to leave, surely it is pro-democractic to unwind all the legislation?

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