Thursday 12 January: Hope that British tanks will help the Ukrainians land a decisive blow

Posted on by Geoff Graham

An unofficial place to discuss the Telegraph letters, established when the DT website turned off its comments facility (now reinstated, but we prefer ours),
Intelligent, polite, good-humoured debate is welcome, whether on or off topic. Differing opinions are encouraged, but rudeness or personal attacks on other posters will not be tolerated. Posts which – in the opinion of the moderators – make this a less than cordial environment, are likely to be removed, without prior warning.  Persistent offenders will be banned.

Today’s letters (visible only to DT subscribers) are here.

594 thoughts on “Thursday 12 January: Hope that British tanks will help the Ukrainians land a decisive blow”

  1. Good morrow, Gentlefolk, an exposé for today.

    Sexual Problems

    A man goes to his doctor.
    ‘I have a terrible problem,’ says the man. ‘My wife’s pregnant, but we haven’t had sex in over a year. Is there any way that it would be medically possible for her to get pregnant?’
    ‘Oh, yes,’ replies the doctor. ‘It’s a condition we in the profession call a “grudge pregnancy”; someone has obviously had it in for you.’

    When I came into my hotel room last night, I found a strange blonde in my bed. I would stand for none of that nonsense! I gave her exactly 24 hours to get out. Groucho Marx

    In Therapy
    A psychologist was conducting a group therapy session with four young mothers and their small children. “You all have obsessions,” he observed.
    To the first mother, Mary, he said, “You are obsessed with eating. You’ve even named your daughter Candy.”
    He turned to the second Mom, Ann: “Your obsession is with money. Again, it manifests itself in your child’s name, Penny.”
    He turned to the third Mom, Joyce: “Your obsession is alcohol. This too shows itself in your child’s name, Brandy.”
    At this point, the fourth mother, Kathy, quietly got up, took her little boy by the hand, and whispered, “Come on, Dick, this guy has no idea what he’s talking about. Let’s pick up Peter, Willy, Percy and John Thomas from school and go get dinner.

    2. Morning Tom. Love em. 😉😉😉 Have you settled into your new abode with the garden? Hope all goes well. xxx

      1. ‘garden’ is just bare earth at the moment being pounded by rain.

        Finding lots to do in the Flat. Shower Curtain, Towel Rail. Just had the cooker moved and want to find a small (3′ x 2′) kitchen table – the older the better.

        Thanks for asking, vw.

    3. Good morning Tom.
      One of my great grandfathers was named John Thomas (born 1849). On some census returns and some of his children’s school admission records, he calls himself Thomas. Not sure when the ‘John Thomas’ euphemism began.

      1. My sister, when in the USA and at a function, was accosted by a small boy who proudly introduced himself thus, “Hello, my name is John Thomas.”

        Angela replied, “Did your Mommy not love you?”

        1. Over the head of the lad but any adults over-hearing would have chuckled!
          Although I can no longer recall any titles, I remember a few of the books we read to our young children and some tv shows/films had a similar extra level. Possible aimed at staving off tedium for the adult asked to, yet again, read that story. 🙂

          1. Ditto pantomime.
            This year we noticed that our late teenage grandchildren were appreciating the gags on a different level.

      2. I worked with a charge nurse whose name was John Thomas.
        He never forgave his parents and preferred his second name (which we all forgot!).

  4. Morning all. An outbreak of common sense leaves me speechless for once, although I expect the writers of the letter will be hammered back into their box and the scheme will go ahead anyway (which will cause me to have a rant in future – assuming we find out about it).

    “… NHS England is recruiting a group to run gender-inclusive training on “how best to care for trans and non-binary birthing people”. The £100,000 contract to supply the classes and online resources will be awarded this month.

    But 300 medical professionals have written to Lizzie Streeter, NHS England’s national LGBT programme manager, demanding the plan be placed on “immediate hold”.

    “A scandal similar to Tavistock could be repeated in NHS maternity services due to poor research and the influence of advocacy organisations,” they warned in their letter. The Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust’s sole child gender clinic for England is being shut down by the NHS following years of criticism over activist interference.

    David Bell, formerly a staff governor at the Tavistock, said he was “shocked at this repetition of ideology again trumping careful examination of the evidence and little thought as to the likely damage”.

    The letter to Ms Streeter also stated: “The current estimate of prevalence of trans and non-binary maternity service users is at most 1 in 2,000, therefore most midwives will not care for a trans or non-binary person during their career. This begs the question of time and cost effectiveness for a training with no clinical credibility.”

    The row comes amid a growing backlash against NHS bodies backing transinclusive terminology such as “chestfeeding”, “human milk” and “people who bleed”. NHS England has been contacted for comment.”

    1. No no, keep spending this sort of money on unwanted nonsense. It undermines the nurses pay demand every time such twaddle comes up.

      The NHS is a healthcare provider. The translobby are mentally ill. The only interaction it should have is with their psychiatric ward.

    2. …Lizzie Streeter, NHS England’s national LGBT programme manager…

      What the…

      I’ve heard it all now. Her ‘Mission Statement’ would be an interesting read in terms of woke nonsense, I’m sure.

    3. “The current estimate of prevalence of trans and non-binary maternity service users is at most 1 in 2,000 ….”
      I very much doubt it is as high as that especially given that more than half (I think that is right, but others may have more accurate info) of babies born in NHS hospitals are born to foreign-born mothers, significantly from a certain background.

  5. Hope that British tanks will help the Ukrainians land a decisive blow. 12 January 2023.

    This war is being fought for our democratic freedoms as well as those of Ukraine: its security is our security. In partnership with Ukraine, our Government and its allies must now develop a clear strategy to achieve agreed objectives, underpinned by unity, decisiveness and determination.

    There are certainly no Democratic Freedoms in Ukraine where the opposition has been abolished and the independent media silenced. It’s only residue in the UK is due to its tradition of Free Speech, otherwise it is totally extinct. Russia is probably now slightly ahead as far as it can be measured.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2023/01/12/letters-hope-british-tanks-will-help-ukrainians-land-decisive/

  6. 369827+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    Thursday 12 January: Hope that British tanks will help the Ukrainians land a decisive blow
    This is the hope in the main of the political hierarchy, they lie.

    In the main the indigenous peoples hope the money spent on tanks & the transportation of tanks would be going towards settling these strikes amicably, would also be using the transportation to erase the hotel bills and bring much needed relief to ALL our infrastructure by the MASS deportation of morally illegal immigrants.

    We the indigenous peoples of the United Kingdom are the repeat sufferers of fallout from any worldwide trouble spots, and certainly NOT in receipt of charity begins at home.

  10. ‘Morning, Peeps. Heavy rain forecast all day here. Enough!

    And now for something completely different, from today’s DT:

    “Britain’s oldest lorry driver to continue working at the age of 90 after passing health check

    Age is just a number for the 90-year-old, who still wakes up at 4am for his 12 hour shifts delivering to locations in the UK”
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2fc64061d5d231756feb44acc7182c62130f2309f1307b153a10ce294d0c370b.jpg

    Fantastic! My admiration is unbounded.

    1. That’s absolutely Brilliant. But you can bet your sweet boots that some interferring AH somewhere, will be taking note and he will be ‘fully investigated” as to whether he’s fit and able enough to carry on.

    2. At nearly 82 I have just stopped driving a recovery truck – I’d liked to have continued but my back argued against it

  11. ‘Morning, Peeps. Heavy rain forecast all day here. Enough!

    And now for something completely different, from today’s DT:

    “Britain’s oldest lorry driver to continue working at the age of 90 after passing health check

    Age is just a number for the 90-year-old, who still wakes up at 4am for his 12 hour shifts delivering to locations in the UK”
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2fc64061d5d231756feb44acc7182c62130f2309f1307b153a10ce294d0c370b.jpg

    Fantastic! My admiration is unbounded.

    1. Where they work is irrelevant. The fact that most of what they do is pointless is the problem.

      When they do strike, let’s hope it’s for a good long time so then we know who to sack.

  14. Good morning all. 4½°C this morning and currently not raining.
    A trip to Derby to see stepson is planned, so no heavy work today.

    Looking at the 1st 3 letters, it seems that escalating the current Russia-Ukraine conflict into WW3 is being promoted.

    SIR – At last our Government appears to see that the West’s overcautious approach to arming Ukraine has allowed its soldiers only to resist the Russians, rather than push them out.

    Unhelpful distinctions have been made between defensive weapons (acceptable) and offensive weapons (not acceptable). Tanks may be regarded as offensive assets but in the context of this war they are needed to repel the Russians from illegally occupied territory. In order to defend, the Ukrainians must be able to deploy offensive capacity.

    This war is being fought for our democratic freedoms as well as those of Ukraine: its security is our security. In partnership with Ukraine, our Government and its allies must now develop a clear strategy to achieve agreed objectives, underpinned by unity, decisiveness and determination.

    David Platts
    Newark, Nottinghamshire

    SIR – While I strongly endorse your Leading Article – ably reinforced by Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon’s article on the same day – about the urgent need to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, it must be emphasised that this has thrown the spotlight once again on the woeful state of the British Army.

    Since the Cold War, successive defence cuts, allied with frankly delusional priorities for spending the limited funds left, have diverted us from the key pillar of our defence.

    As a medium-sized yet influential European Nato power, our current focus should be on the threat from Vladimir Putin’s Russia. In this context, while it is important to maintain a balanced Armed Forces, every effort must be bent towards increasing the size of the Army, procuring and upgrading our armoured and artillery systems, and rebuilding adequate stocks of materiel. All other defence ambitions are secondary.

    Brigadier Rod Brummitt (retd)
    Bournemouth, Dorset

    SIR – As a former user of the Challenger 2 main battle tank, both in peace and on operations, I am somewhat sceptical about the utility of gifting these vehicles to Ukraine.

    While it’s a battle-proven tank, with a design that avoids many of the flaws that have plagued Russian tanks, it has nevertheless suffered from a lack of investment by the Government over the past decade, which was necessary to maintain its tactical edge.

    As such, it could rapidly become a burden to maintain and supply – its ammunition, for instance, is not Nato standard, a factor that is becoming increasingly relevant.

    Its utility is more likely to be political if, as one hopes, it encourages Germany and the United States to start gifting Abrahams and Leopard 2 tanks, which will be more capable and, more importantly, easier to support in the field. In sufficient numbers, and used as part of a combined arms approach, these would be a game changer.

    Lt-Col H Beanfield (retd)
    Shaftesbury, Dorset

    1. I disagree Brigadier. What the army needs is to be re-organised into smaller, more mobile, better equipped units. Heavier weapons such as portable rocket launchers and heavy guns. More vehicles than you can shake a stick at – small drones for recon, large drones for fire support. Gunships, medical evac and mine protected, heavily armed vehicles.

      Small groups, of say, 100 men and support equipment able to operate in theatre without support for extended periods of time. Tanks are big, heavy and expensive. Replace that with a ten man squad with MANPADS and you’ve far more a credible threat to an armoured column.

    2. You retired army officers should keep quiet, the snivel serpents might start interferring with you gold plated pensions.

    3. The Ukraine War – coupled with indigenous population replacement – is nothing more than an excuse to bankrupt Western economies in order to speed up the inevitable Great Reset.

    4. Who has decreed that Challenger AFVs should be sent to Ukraine?
      No serious patriotic politician would expose our armoured resources to the meat-grinder that is playing out on the Russo-Ukrainian border. The problem is, where are these serious patriotic politicians? The latter is one resource we are most definitely short of.

  15. West losing patience with Libyan elite over aborted elections. 12 January 2023.

    Western leaders are losing patience with an entrenched Libyan political elite that has collectively failed to agree on the basis of elections for more than a year but has boosted politicians’ salaries by more than 40%, according to official figures.

    These people are all Western stooges anyway. If they weren’t they wouldn’t be where they are now. Libya is a salutary lesson; if one were needed that is, of the difficulties of Nation Building. This can be done only by the inhabitants if one seeks anything even remotely democratic, otherwise you end up with gangs of thieves who have no interest in and see no real reason to assume the burdens of office without the power to solve them!

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/12/west-losing-patience-with-libyan-elite-over-aborted-elections

  16. Today’s DT Leader:

    COMMENT

    The Church of England spending £100 million on an apology fund is a shameful waste

    This money could fix church roofs, help house the homeless, or provide clergy for growing congregations

    TELEGRAPH VIEW12 January 2023 • 6:00am

    Anglican parishioners and clergy who have lamented the decline of church infrastructure on cost grounds will be perplexed to discover that £100 million has been found for a fund to atone for the “past wrongs of slavery”. The sum was announced by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, after a commission investigating Church investments concluded that some of the institution’s wealth was accumulated after initial investments with the South Sea Company. At the time, it traded in slaves.

    We are talking about the early 18th century and it can have come as no surprise, surely, to anyone that this appalling activity took place then. Indeed, stalwarts of the Christian faith such as William Wilberforce were in the vanguard of the campaign to bring about its demise. This is not a revelation uncovered only in recent times, so why has the current Archbishop taken it upon himself to offer such a sum at a time of financial difficulties?

    The Archbishop insisted that “it is now time to take action to address our shameful past”. But why is it? This has become a political imperative for so-called “progressives” only in the past few years in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Nobody suggests today that slavery was anything other than a grotesque and dehumanising condition dating back thousands of years.

    The fund is to pay for a programme of “investment, research and engagement” and to “help communities affected by historic slavery”. How will this be decided? Church leaders would do better by directing resources at present-day problems such as homelessness instead of seeking to atone for past activity for which they were not responsible and which they cannot change.

    * * *

    Spot on…Welby must have finally taken leave of his senses.  Now that the C of E has money to burn, perhaps he would now make available a similar sum for the descendants of all those sailors of the West Africa Squadron who died between 1808 and 1867 in its brave and world-leading attempts to halt the slave trade…

    No, I thought not.

    1. A fine contribution from a BTL poster:

      Paul Connolly
      24 MIN AGO
      The U.K. bought out all slaves within its territory from their slavery . At the time most children worked down the mines and there was no right of education. They didn’t get compensation so the suggestion that anything is owed is puerile.
      No other country did this or even tried to do this at that time or since.
      There is no other obligation owed by the U.K.
      Post freedom discrimination is a separate issue and is both territory specific and historically related. There are too many variables for this type of claim to get anywhere.
      All this slavery “noise” is utter puerile rubbish and has no place in our society
      The Church of England could use this money to look after its churches and not waste it.

      * * *

      Permit me to add…that this sum would be much better spent supporting persecuted Chritians in several dozen countries around the world.

      1. The most disgusting ‘people’ in the history slavery were the Moors in Spain. They had thousands of stolen kidnapped white children stored in caves, for the use of. And when they had finished with them those disgusting religious vile subhumans fed them to their caged lions.
        Has Justin Well by mentioned this fact yet ?

        2. Mostly slave children were sold to Arabs. Slave adults were sold – by blacks – to America.

          1. The Muslim sailors spent many years sailing around the coasts of Britain and Ireland stealing children.
            See if you can watch Blood and Gold, the making of Spain. With Simon Sebag Montifiorie.

    2. Not just the West Africa Squadron, but also the later efforts of the RN in the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf to interdict the Arab Slave Trade from East Africa.

    3. This shameful past. How far back is he going? If he feels guilty, he can pay for it, personally. Why should others?

  18. Morning, all. Overcast and breezy this morning.

    Is Biden time-expired?
    For two disastrous years he’s been POTUS and now, immediately the new Congress meets, there’s a revelation re highly classified documents being found in an office linked to Biden: as if this wasn’t enough there’s breaking news that a second cache has been unearthed.
    Time to go, Joe, and thanks for everything?

    President Joe Biden’s aides have discovered more classified documents in his possession at a different location, according to a report from NBC News.

    The report does not say where or when the new documents were discovered, but it is clear the White House is attempting to clean up Biden’s records ahead of a possible run for reelection(sic) in 2024.

    The newly discovered documents are from a location separate from the private office connected to a University of Pennsylvania think tank that Biden had in Washington, DC, where the first batch of classified information was discovered.

    Breitbart – 2nd Cache of Classified Documents Linked to Biden Found

    1. My understanding (possibly flawed) is that if Resident Biden lasts until after the mid-terms, and is then replaced, VP Harris won’t be deemed to have served as POTUS during this election period and would therefore be able to serve two full terms after 2024.

      Whether the USA could sustain the cackling clown as President is another matter. After all, much like Sunak and Rhyming-Slang, she was foisted on the nation without party support.

    2. Yet Harris is inept and couldn’t stand against someone like De Santis. Biden is clearly a menace. The sad truth is he isn’t well and needs to step down.

      The less sad truth is that his policies, ideology, programs are mindlessly destructive and need to be stopped and reversed.

      2. As VP, yes. Another puppet for the ‘deep state’ to toy with.
        Isn’t there some arcane rule about the succession of a VP and the number of terms they can stand for election in? Perhaps she’s reached the threshold and can stand for two terms?

      3. The timing has to be right. If she is installed too early, she is deemed to be President in this term. I understood the plan was for her to take over after two years and then she can have a further eight. God help us all.

  20. Morning all 😉 😊
    Wind and rain 11 degs feels like 8 in the wind.
    I think I’ll stay put a bit longer.
    Guitarist Jeff Beck dies from viral meningitis.
    Why is Britain getting involved in Ukraine battles. We already knew our politicos are completely stupid and totally useless. But WTF is going on now ?

    1. 369827+ up ticks,

      Morning RE,

      Never underestimate your enema, the politico’s
      are far from stupid on 80K + + exs, treacherous / dangerous yes, never stupid.

      Those that return them to power again & again
      that is a proven case of recurring stupidity.

      WEF is going on & on & on.

  21. Church of England told to ‘sort its own house out’ before paying slavery reparations
    Justin Welby acknowledges £100 million fund comes amid mounting concern over parishes’ ‘stretched’ finances
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/11/church-england-told-sort-house-paying-slavery-reparations/

    BTL

    It was an unfortunate accident of his birth that Justin Welby is a bastard which is hardly his fault.

    However, he is now determined to be a metaphorical bastard as well as a literal one by destroying The Church of England.

    Remember the story of the bastard intent on revenge on the world going round the Durex factory with a pin?

    2. Good morning Mr T and everyone.

      Archbishop Welby was a child of the marriage. He is not a ‘bastard’.

    2. The defence manufacturers must be happy. Offload the old stock and then gain contracts to replace said stock. All for the price of a few brown envelopes and future placement on the WEF gravy train. #winwin

      1. 369827+ up ticks,

        Morning W,
        If that be the case why do we use polling booths? they know ( the politico’s) they do NOT have to ask the voting majority, the party name, even though counterfeit, is enough.

    1. It would appear to be a deliberate tongue-in-cheek arrangement by an independent book seller.

      1. Good morning. Seeing as there are hundreds of locked doors to get through someone let him out.

  26. Just trying to get my head round that saying particular crime against humanity is the worst since the holocaust, is offensive and antisemitic.
    Surely one is putting the holocaust on a pedestal that can never be surpassed, isn’t it?

    1. Morning Bob. That they are still talking about the Holocaust after seventy years and numerous other genocides tells you that the outrage is largely manufactured for political purposes!

    2. I’m confused.
      Is the planned collection of iron bars on a patch of Westminster grass to commemorate the Holocaust now deemed anti-semitic?
      After all, it does remind people of the atrocity and that now appears to be a Bad Thing.

    3. Any mention of the Holocaust unless in an ‘approved manner’ is deemed to be anti-semitic.

  27. Pensioner ‘punished’ with £100 fine for running red light to allow ambulance to pass
    Frank Wallington, 76, says he was left ‘feeling like a criminal’ despite doing ‘nothing wrong’
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/11/pensioner-punished-100-fine-running-red-light-allow-ambulance/

    “A pensioner has said he feels “punished for doing the right thing” after he was fined £100 for running a red light to allow an ambulance to pass through.

    Frank Wallington, 76, who has had a clean licence for over 20 years, was issued with the penalty after he made way for an ambulance last March.

    He said he had been driving home from his cousin’s funeral when he was caught on camera inching past the lights a second after they had changed. He had been making way for an ambulance approaching with flashing blue lights on the A52 in Radcliffe on Trent, Nottinghamshire.

    Mr Wallington said he was left “feeling like a criminal” despite doing “nothing wrong” when he was fined £100 and given three points on his licence by Nottinghamshire Police.

    The grandfather of four subsequently appealed the penalty and explained what had happened but received no response for almost a year.

    He has now been told he must appear at Nottingham Magistrate’s Court on 14 Feb if he wishes to dispute the decision.”

    BTL

    Lack of common sense. Lack of judgement. Imbeciles in positions of authority.

    England is finished practically, morally and intellectually.

    1. Blue Light Aware videos tell you not to do this, only the police can make you go through a red light, the ambulance should turn off the sirens when approaching a hold up like that to avoid spooking the drivers into illegal moves. He says he’s done nothing wrong but he has broken the law, I’ve been in that position myself but didn’t get caught however when I spoke to a copper friend he said it’s down to the ambulance driver to find a way through but under no circumstances should you go through a red light to facilitate its progress .

      1. Very true. Someone was prosecuted for driving into a bus lane to enable an ambulance to pass.

    1. Stapleford supporting rape there. It was paedophilia yesterday. Perhaps the police should be informed?

  30. Sky news reporting that Lib Dem leader, ex-cabinet minister and MPs avoiding tax on second jobs.
    As tax avoidance is not illegal I wonder how they are avoiding the Tax.

      1. I don’t mind second jobs but within the lobbying rules and to pay tax as we have to. In fact, all MPs should have a “proper” job, preferably in the private sector.

        1. It wouldn’t be so bad if 2021 they hadn’t taken home nearly 132million pounds in expenses between them.

    2. Pay a service company that has an umbrella somewhere else. Your company makes nothing, usually a loss and it all goes to the parent company, which then returns the money in the most tax efficient method possible.

      It’s ironic. They spout about needing the taxes yet are strangely unwilling to pay them themselves. After all, who would want to see £68,000 of the £100,000 for the ‘speech’ consumed by the exchequer?

  32. The BBC is at it again (when weren’t they?) 

    From today’s DT:

    Sir Francis Drake is a national hero – we can’t let the BBC cancel him

    When a school decides to remove the name of one of the most celebrated figures in our history, impartiality in the news report matters

    MICHAEL DEACON

    COLUMNIST & ASSISTANT EDITOR

    11 January 2023 • 5:36pm

    Ever since the eruption of Black Lives Matter in summer 2020, hardly a week seems to have gone by without the people in charge of some school, college or university suddenly realising, to their horror, that their institution is named after someone with links to the slave trade. Cue frantic name changes all round.

    In Bristol, for example, Colston’s School (named after Edward Colston) is now known as Collegiate School, while in London, Beckford Primary School (after William Beckford) is now West Hampstead Primary School. The authorities at Edinburgh University, meanwhile, renamed the David Hume Tower as “40 George Square” – even though the great Enlightenment philosopher never actually owned any slaves himself. Still, one of his friends did, and this was deemed incriminating enough.

    Anyway, there have been so many such renamings that they barely attract any attention now. All the same, I think the latest example is worth dwelling on. Because on this occasion, the figure being cancelled is one of the most celebrated in our history.

    In future, we learnt this week, Sir Francis Drake Primary School in London is to be known as “Twin Oaks Primary School”. According to its headmistress, this is because of the “slave trade links associated with the current name”.

    Now, there is no denying that Sir Francis Drake had “slave trade links”. In his youth, he accompanied Sir John Hawkins, the first English slave trader, on three expeditions to the West African nations of Guinea and Sierra Leone.

    Looking back, almost 500 years later, most British people would no doubt concede that this decision was not entirely to Sir Francis’s credit. In the interests of balance, however, I suspect they would also point out that it’s not the only thing he did in his long career at sea. Indeed, they might even dare to suggest that some of the things Sir Francis did were actually quite admirable. He was, after all, the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. He was the MP for three different constituencies. He captured so much treasure from foreign ships, it was enough to pay off the national debt.

    Oh, and one other small matter: he saved the country from invasion by the Spanish Armada.

    Weighing it all up, therefore, I can’t help feeling that the school’s governors have been just a touch hasty in erasing Sir Francis’s name. Preventing your nation from being crushed by a bloodthirsty foreign power, I tend to think, should at least count for something, whatever your other faults.

    Even so, what concerns me most about this story is not the renaming itself. It’s the way that it’s been covered by the BBC. Because, according to the opening sentence of the BBC’s report, the school was originally named after “the 16th-century slave trader Sir Francis Drake”.

    That was how the BBC referred to him, in the first instance. Not as “the 16th-century explorer”, or “the 16th-century sailor”, or “the man who played a key role in the English fleet’s victory over the Spanish Armada”. No, the BBC introduced him as “the 16th-century slave trader”. As if slave trading is what Sir Francis Drake is best known for, above all else.

    I would humbly contend that it isn’t. But, by calling him “the 16th-century slave trader” in its very first sentence, the BBC’s report clearly implies that we should applaud the school’s decision to remove his name. The choice of phrase is not impartial.

    A news report, however, shouldn’t seek to force an opinion on its audience. Imagine I were to write a news report about, to pick a subject completely at random, the BBC. In the first instance, I would refer to it as “the public service broadcaster”. Rather than, for example, “the increasingly brazen Left-wing propaganda unit infested with fanatical culture warriors hell-bent on moulding public opinion to their political advantage”.

    Conceivably, I suppose, there may be one or two licence fee-payers who believe that the latter description represents a fair and accurate summary of the BBC in its present form. But even so, it would be less than wholly impartial for a news reporter to use it.

    Then again, as I’m an opinion columnist rather than a news reporter, I’m not bound by any such requirements. Which means I’m free to say that the BBC’s treatment of Sir Francis Drake is silly, slanted, and entirely in character.

    A fine BTL comment:

    Alex Thomson14 HRS AGO

    The woke test is such that a single act of transgression of whatever happens to be the current set of beliefs of the day means eternal damnation. There’s no way back, you’ve nicked the tripwire and as a result that’s the defining facet of your character.

    The problem is that (i) pretty much every single person born before the second half of the 20th century would set off the wire: racial intolerance (or even clumsiness), brutality, sexism, homophobia, now even transphobia, any perfectly conventional religious sensibilities, total fail all round; and (ii) the “rules” change constantly so language, attitudes and “correct thinking” can evolve even in the space of a decade or so (just ask anyone involved with stonewall when it was a worthy organisation campaigning for gay rights).

    The past is a different country and if we take every single historical figure and hold their life, actions, associates, political opinions, philosophies and religious beliefs up to inspect them against the impossibly vicious, pious and ever changing catechisms of 21st century woke morons then every single historical person, billions of them, will be cancelled.

    However, this is the point. No one can pass the test which is why victims are carefully selected. Shall we examine the conduct of say, Ghandi, what about Shaka Zulu, maybe Ho Chi Minh, Karl Marx or even various Middle Eastern religious figures whose adherents get awful upset if you point out the awkward bits?

    Of course not. That’s not useful. In the same way that the only slave trade we ever agonise over is the c.200 year period of the Atlantic trade and not the two millennia old trans-African trade which long pre-dated it.

    History is just another weapon in this fight. And fight it is.

      1. It certainly is.

        In the interests of balance and impartiality may we now expect the BBC to refer to St Mandela as ‘the former terrorist’?

    2. The word ‘useful’ has been corrupted. If you make a truthful comment or present an inconvenient fact then it is not ‘useful’.

      It is clear that Mr Bridgen’s information about the potentially disastrous side effects of the Covid jabs is so lacking in usefulness that he must be expelled from the Conservative Party.

    5. St. Petersburg – Petrograd – Leningrad.
      Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City
      If time hadn’t run out, Hitler would have built Germania, the city formerly known as Berlin.
      Going back further – Verulamium – St. Albans

      Wherever a political system (and the RC church did evolve into an over-arching political entity) gains too much power, it changes familiar place names. Remove familiarity and you create a bewildered and controllable population.

    6. “Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past” – 1984.

  34. Living in a rural cottage, I have an LPG bulk tank. Under the competitive Free Enterprise system, there are five suppliers available to me to choose from: Flogas (my current supplier which took over my account when Countrywide went bust), Calor Gas (which has always been exorbitant), Avanti (is that the same company that sometimes runs trains?) are the three big companies, and there are two independent locals – Callow Gas (from Droitwich) and Carver’s (from Wolverhampton).

    Recently, Flogas announced they were putting their prices 20p a litre above their competitors and 40p a litre over wholesale price, because they can. Also the tank rental goes up from £60 a year to a standing charge amounting to £100 a year, and also a £75 delivery surcharge. This is because I am an existing customer, and of course they can capitalise on my loyalty.

    I arranged for a rep from Callow Gas to call, but he refused to supply my existing tank that has been in place 12 years because it is less than 3 metres from a tree or shrub, which he claimed was a “fixed source of ignition” and told me I would have to move my tank to the middle of the lawn in order to qualify to switch supplier. In the past, the only reservation about trees was that they should be cut back to allow sufficient ventilation on three sides, and that sources of ignition were actually things such as motors or electrical switches that could spark off an explosion from a gas leak. The rep told me that they used Lockdown to change the rules without anyone noticing, but I think he is lying because he doesn’t want the business. Plenty of industrial customers and those in big houses closer to the main road.

    I am still waiting to hear from Carver’s.

    The question I ask peeps here – since when was a tree a source of ignition, and isn’t this just a ploy to maintain the pretence of a free market in what is actually a corporate monopoly?

    2. I’m more surprised that the smaller outfits haven’t contacted you. Yo would expect them to be nimble and quick, eager for business. I know I don’t hang around if we get an enquiry.

      1. It would be nice if they did, but I identified only two that supply LPG bulk tanks in my area – Callow Gas and Carver’s. Callow Gas were indeed quick off the mark, but they insisted on inspecting the site before committing to supply.

        I keep getting flyers from Calor Gas, but I know already that Flogas undercut them.

        Most folk round here went for Countrywide (formerly Midland Shires Farmers) when they were in business, but their administrators sold off the gas side of their business to Flogas.

    3. Morning Jeremy. Customers are no longer always right. They now exist simply to be milked like financial cows.

    4. Morning Jeremy. Customers are no longer always right. They now exist simply to be milked like financial cows.

  35. On 6 January1941 President Roosevelt gave his “Four Freedoms” speech – Freedom of speech, Freedom of worship, Freedom from want, Freedom from fear. The details and the meaning behind his speech, which was delivered before America came into WW2, was a plea to Congress to support Britain against Germany, are in the link, and there is ample information on the internet.

    The tragedy is these worthy ideals seem to have been buried.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Freedoms

  36. On 6 January1941 President Roosevelt gave his “Four Freedoms” speech – Freedom of speech, Freedom of worship, Freedom from want, Freedom from fear. The details and the meaning behind his speech, which was delivered before America came into WW2, was a plea to Congress to support Britain against Germany, are in the link, and there is ample information on the internet.

    The tragedy is these worthy ideals seem to have been buried.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Freedoms

  37. 369828+ up ticks,

    Methinks a lot of new models are required starting with the most major one, the “INVASION” THAT is the current hub of ALL other odious issues.

    Dt,

    The NHS is dead – and it’s dragging the rest of the country down with it
    Labour and the Tories are incapable of fixing it. Our only hope is a doctor-led campaign for a new model

  39. Why Putin’s command shake-up is doomed to fail. 12 January 2023.

    For the first seven months of the war, there was no one in overall command of the campaign, perhaps because no one in Moscow expected the fighting to last long enough to need an overall commander.

    The appointment in October of Surovikin – the man most notoriously responsible for the humanitarian disaster Russia helped unleash in Syria – was seen as a signal both that Moscow was imposing order, and that that order would be bloody.

    The range of the West’s propaganda far exceeds that required for the narrow boundaries of the Ukraine business and betrays its true nature. Here we have a comment inserted about Syria. The truth of this is that far from it being a Russian humanitarian disaster they saved the Syrian people from the Western sponsored Jihadists and Europe from a refugee crisis that would have dwarfed anything before or since!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/01/12/why-putins-command-shake-up-doomed-fail/

      1. I agree Sue, she is surely taking the bodily fluid excretion, and good for her. If I’m wrong then things are even worse than I ever imagined…

    3. This is so easy to mock that I can’t tell who is joking and who is just a complete twat.

    4. This is so easy to mock that I can’t tell who is joking and who is just a complete twat.

    5. Methinks a parody account, as no parent is that mindless. If they are,… goodness help us all.

  41. British tanks.
    Fish tanks? Sewage tanks?
    They can’t mean the clapped out military hunks no-one will be able supply ammunition for, to drive, to service or to recover when they run out of fuel.

    If anyone knows how to invest in any Russian salvage or scrap company, please let me know.

  44. Feb 15th 1970. There I was in LA for the first time with a company credit card and a Hertz Mustang. AM only car radio, Topanga Canyon boulevard, and what should come on the radio but the Rabbit, KRLA with a session of tracks from Beckola and Rod Stewart. Never to be forgotten because I still have the recording I made off the radio at the time. The date is exact because the recording includes the news of the Dominican air crash that day.

    A never to be forgotten time, RIP Jeff and thanks for being a background to my life.

  47. Good morning all

    Do you want to know something completely different but familiar ..

    Moh has had a cough for 2 months now, and it sounds horrible, quite congested still.

    I booked up for a GP appt at 8.30 for him this morning , by 9am he was down at the surgery being examined by the GP. Cough might not be what we thought it was .

    My super fit athletic argumentative husband arrived home 15 minutes ago to tell me the GP had detected a heart murmur, and is fast tracking him for tests .. soon .

        1. I think it is the Covid jabs ..

          I am certain as eggs is eggs there is something amiss with them , ok what is the alternative .

          My GP advised me not to have my winter jab because of my previous reactions to the jabs .

          1. I think you may a good point. Obviously, as individuals, all our evidence and resultant suspicions are anecdotal.
            As I’ve mentioned before, MB had his myocardial infarction a fortnight to the day after his first AZ jab.
            He has always had a tendency to catch colds more easily and for them to ‘go onto his chest’ but this was a whole new development.

          4. Typical American, can’t pronounce their own name. That’s Kowfman – a German name.derived from Kauf – to buy or purchase.

          5. Medical coincidence is similar to structural subsidence.
            When you claim on your house insurance it magically becomes heave, and your claim is denied..

          7. Quite likely given the reports of a big spike in heart problems since the jabs were introduced.

        1. He was told that the cough was not related to the virus , his lungs sounded good apparently.

          I feel so shocked for him .. The GP has been messaging him with more details re Xrays and tests .

          He was running Saturday 5k park runs during the summer and playing golf 3 times a week .

    2. Good morning Belle.
      Crikey! Good job he actually saw a real, live GP. Hope the appointment comes through soon, and nothing untoward is found.
      Many years ago, MH had some chest pains at work so a colleague made him leave early and to promise to see a GP when he got home. The GP did an ecg and decided to call an ambulance. Lots of tests at the hospital, heart attack ruled out. Sent home in the early hours. Turns out the GP in question had read the printout incorrectly but at least the appropriate checks were carried out at the hospital. Just to be sure, we saw a consultant privately (Cover through his job). Correct diagnosis was bad stress. Lets hope your GP has been similarly over cautious.

    4. Blimey Belle! Such a shock for you. Thinking of you all and suggest he doesn’t watch the next round of the footy! 🌹

    5. I feel for you Maggie – my super-fit, sporty husband spent his 80th birthday in hospital, waiting for a triple by-pass operation. He is struggling to come to terms with the change in his life.

        1. I do hope so. I keep telling myself (and him) that it is still early days and only four weeks today since the op.

      2. Hello , J

        I wonder whether the Covid jab is laying flat good healthy men .
        R is now waiting for notifications for tests , xray and echo cardiogram/ ecg/blood tests .. GP has been messaging more info .

        1. That thought has crossed my mind many times. He had three Pfizer jabs, as he was persuaded to have a booster last winter. I had two AZ and so far seem to have dodged the bullet.

          J had all those and more both before and after his admission to hospital. He is having good days and bad days now – some days he just has to go and lie down as he did this morning. The earliest we could get a call- back to discuss his meds with the GP was Saturday – and that was booked a couple of weeks ago now. It’s not so long since they would call back the same day – and only in 2016, I had two visits from our usual (now retired) GP.

          1. My doctor (and other people) have attempted to ‘persuade’ me to have Covid jabs.

            Their ‘persuasion’ continually and routinely fails. No one is capable of persuading me to do anything irrational.

      3. I do hope your J is occupying himself in other ways but knowing that at least he did what he wanted to do sports wise .

        I lag behind because I am the tortoise and he is the hare ..

        1. He’s watching the snooker at the moment, sitting next to me, with Lily curled up on his lap. He has to be careful to use a cushion for her as she is very keen to give him a hug, and his scar is still very sore.

          1. I wanted him to book up on Monday, because his cough was almost choking him , and he was coughing at night , and struggling with exhaustion .

            This morning I rang and told the receptionist I wasn’t happy with his breathing .. she jumped to it and said could you bring him over for 9am .. he said he would drive , so he sorted himself out and drove to the surgery.

            The shock of receiving an immediate appt,
            Then nearly 20mts + with the doctor

            Then after he got home and had a coffee etc .. GP messaged him with series of plans for tests etc .

            My shock is … The GP was thorough quick and confident , that is what Moh said .

          2. When I finally managed to persuade J to see a doctor, last October, the receptionist booked us in for the same morning – I think the doc we saw was a locum – but she said he had a heart murmur and booked him in with the nurse for the next day for bloods and ecg. That led to the other tests later – the chest xray and the echocardiogram. Then admission via A&E.

            So they do ask the questions and i think breathlessness is one of the triggers for an early appointment.

          3. Snap, just the same route ..

            He refused on Monday and just kept taking the cough linctus ..

            I rang this morning, and hoped he needed more antibiotics ..

            He is quite sanguine about the whole business, but I have been very stressed out , his father died of congestive heart failure , but sadly he was horribl unfit .

  48. Lionesses to ditch white shorts for World Cup over period concerns.

    The Football Association has opened discussions with Fifa about changing the colour of the Lionesses’ shorts for this year’s World Cup because of players’ concerns around having to wear white on their periods.

    Why? Women cricketers continue to wear all-white (or all-off-white). Women tennis players continue to be forced to wear all-white at Wimbledon and have done so for well over a century. Are women’s football administrators so devoid of the imagination to get around this ‘problem’ sensibly?

    1. For goodness sake! It’s a perfectly normal biological act that should encounter no more notice than allowing the woman to step off the field as she needs to.

      1. On this occasion, I do understand their worries.
        If a woman is unlucky, she does not have time to ‘step off the field’.
        This particularly applies to teenage girls whose systems have yet to settle down into a predictable pattern.

        1. Add to that prolonged bursts of violent physical activity and concentration elsewhere, and accidents will happen.

    5. Skirts would solve the problem. You can’t see what’s happening underneath. Women wore them for thousands of years – even before tampons existed. Dresses are worn at Wimbledon. Sanitary protection is only made visible by bifurcated garments.

      1. Tennis or netball skirts are very short – plenty of knickers on view. Leakage would be a problem whatever garment is worn, apart from long skirts, which can still be a problem if the wearer sits down.

        1. In over a century of lawn tennis at Wimbledon, I cannot ever remember seeing (or hearing of) a single incident of any female player experiencing an “unfortunate moment”.

      1. I remember a scurrilous version of this song about an effeminate dragon dressed in pink called Poof.

    2. Stupid little, drug-riddled, man-child doesn’t realise that there are many, who have already formed an ill-opinion of him and his mendacity.

      1. Oh, but it’s his ‘truth’ therefore it must be accepted as just as valid as the real truth.

          1. As long as the $$$$ keep rolling in and the camera shutters keep clicking, the shameless pair will keep spouting their lives and exaggerations.

  50. Quiet market. Despite forecast of sunshine, started to rain as we drove to town… Lots of masks to be seen in Morrisons.

        1. The old rhyme my mother taught me was:

          If you wish to live and thrive
          Let a spider run alive.

          I don’t think I’d kill a spider here but some of those Australian buggers, that’s a different matter!

          1. I was out in the bush on my dirt bike and hit an orb spiders web, it wrapped around my face.
            Inch ants give you nasty bite as well.

          4. Knock, knock.
            “Who’s there?”
            “Sam and Janet.”
            “Sam and Janet, who?”
            “♪♫Sam and Janet evening…♪♫”

          1. Good chap! My younger daughter hates them, but even she knows you die if you kill them!! What an awful Mummy I was!

          4. I can’t touch them but try not to kill any – I have to call for help. Fortunately I didn’t see any of those while he was away.

          6. Because of the size of a Huntsman I used the same technique but with a much larger (plastic) container.

          9. I once thought it was a lizard scratching the metal fence behind our Brick BBQ and when I looked looked was a Huntsman bigger than my hand.

    1. Any crime, be it an honour crime or not, is still a crime and must be dealt with within the full Majesty of the Law.

      1. Our police have become cowards in these situations. It will gradually and deninately get worse.

          1. I saw an article on east London this morning it’s disappeared now. They said it was like living in Bangladesh.
            I suspect that every individual has at least 5 ballot papers delivered.

      1. Unfortunately Kaypea all that has happened is that a bit of paper has been produced forbidding the marriage.

        The child’s passport has not been confiscated, so the child can be sent to a neighbouring country and from there

        onto Pakistan.

        No court will prosecute the parents or guardians because of “cultural norms”

        Just empty virtue signalling really.

        Poor child !!

      2. Fifty years ago I played Mr Bumble as a young school master in a school production of Oliver – Widow Carney was played by the headmaster’s secretary but the English teacher who played Nancy was the real good looker in the cast but her heart belonged to the master who played Bill Sykes!

        One of our students last year, who was head boy of a leading London public school, also played the part of Mr Bumble in his school’s production and we both recalled having had to sing:

        Since my lovey dovey’s chubby could she love a chubby hubby

        in the song in which Bumble tries to woo the Widow: “I shall scream”

        https://www.facebook.com/LittleTownPlayers/videos/i-shall-scream-oliver/387579712319837/

        1. I was stage manager in our production in Manchester but also understudy for Bumble. The housemistress who played Bumble was a well upholstered woman and there was a pile of cushions backstage to pad me out with in the event I had to go on. I didn’t, thank goodness.

  56. Clearly, Tory Chief Whip Simon Hart, was talking off the top of his head or more likely out of his rear-end. If he had taken any heed of the data that is being circulated re the “vaccine” he would have taken a more temperate line with his defence of the “success” of the potion rather than uttering the hackneyed narrative.

    According to Sky News, Tory Chief Whip Simon Hart said:

    Andrew Bridgen has crossed a line, causing great offence in the process. As a nation we should be very proud of what has been achieved through the vaccine programme. The vaccine is the best defence against Covid that we have. Misinformation about the vaccine causes harm and costs lives. I am therefore removing the whip from Andrew Bridgen with immediate effect, pending a formal investigation.

    Here, data from Joe Smalley and brilliantly put into animated graphs by Jeff Peel of New Era is the reality of the “success”. Repeatedly stating that the “vaccine” is a success and has reduced deaths will not make that assertion true.
    The only downside is the intrusive music.

    Before and After the Jab

    1. Simon Hart used to be fairly sensible when he was at the Countryside Alliance. Westminster seems to have rotted his brain.

    2. Bridgen was unable to cross any lines in his speech to Parliament – due to Parliamentary privilege. He’s now been ‘cancelled’ for retweeting something which breached no lines.

      1. And when it is conclusively proved – with no possible escape path from the truth – that the sources upon which Bridgen based his case were genuine, accurate and true what will the Conservative Party do? Or do they think that they can bury their heads in the sand for ever?

    3. “If you tell a lie often enough, people will believe it is true.” Can’t remember who first said that – was it Goebbels?

      2. ‘It is easier to fool people than it is to convince them that they have been fooled’ credited to Mark Twain but might not be!

        1. You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.

          Abraham Lincoln

    4. That was so sad to see that all those people had died all over the world.
      Empirical evidence is a quintessential part of the scientific method of research that is applicable in many disciplines.
      Clearly not used here and left to the ‘experts’ opinions and the propaganda infested MSM on this dreadful occasion.

  57. Internet problems here – only the main desktop was working – now- suddenly – the laptop is connected again! Phew!

    1. I’ve problems with my main PC with the cables running to the hard drives. Occasionally it will slow RIGHT down and lock up but when I waggle the cables to the drives it clears the problem for another 2 or 3 weeks!

      1. Younger son fixed the network problem while he was here but I wonder if it’s the same thing again. My phone was not picking up the wifi this morning either.

      2. No doubt you know but you can replace them. New ones are not expensive. I assume they’re the thinner SATA cables – can get them from anywhere. Might just be dusty or a duff cable not mating properly. Unplugging is a doddle as they’re keyed to only go in one way.

  58. Prince Harry’s hypocrisy is hilarious – but also desperately sad
    While Spare is proving a publishing success, the Duke of Sussex’s double standards are showing with his fury over Paul Burrell
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/columnists/2023/01/12/prince-harrys-hypocrisy-hilarious-also-desperately-sad/

    On the topic of double standards about 3 – 4 weeks ago the Duchess of Sussex complained about the inequality of how men’s and women’s sexual history is regarded. She said that men who boast about their past sexual exploits are applauded while women who do so are regarded as sluts.

    Prince Harry has given details of his loss of virginity and he has also said that he and his brother have been circumcised. Will the Duchess of Sussex now give a graphic account of how she lost her virginity and whether or not she has had labiaplasty in order to have a ‘designer vagina’.? And if not – why not – if, as she says, this is what she wants to do because men and women should be equally free to discuss their personal sexual experiences graphically as her second husband has done?

    1. Does she seriously think sad little man Harry is being aplauded for his sexual exploits?

      1. Of course he is held in total contempt. Her point is that a man who talks about the women he has ‘had’ is a bit of a lad while a woman who boasts about the men she has ‘had’ is a slut.

        At the time when Nick Clegg boasted about having slept with about 30 women I expressed the view that I hoped his wife, Miriam, would outdo him and claim that her ‘slept with men’ score was at least 35.

        1. In recent decades, the decline in human fertility has become increasingly more worrying: while therapeutic interventions might help, they are vexing for the couple and often burdened with high failure rates and costs. Prevention is the most successful approach to fertility disorders in males and females alike. We performed a literature review on three of the most common unhealthy habits – tobacco, alcohol and drug addiction – and their reported effects on male fertility. Tobacco smoking is remarkably common in most first-world countries; despite a progressive decline in the US, recent reports suggest a prevalence of more than 30% in subjects of reproductive age – a disturbing perspective, given the well-known ill-effects on reproductive and sexual function as well as general health. Alcohol consumption is often considered socially acceptable, but its negative effects on gonadal function have been consistently reported in the last 30 years. Several studies have reported a variety of negative effects on male fertility following drug abuse – a worrying phenomenon, as illicit drug consumption is on the rise, most notably in younger subjects. While evidence in these regards is still far from solid, mostly as a result of several confounding factors, it is safe to assume that cessation of tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and recreational drug addiction might represent the best course of action for any couple trying to achieve pregnancy.

          That information increases my doubts about the Sussexes .. and have we all been conned by the Sussexes because the children they profess to be their own , aren’t .

          1. Of course you’re right about tobacco, alcohol and drugs. But there are other factors, notably the presence, albeit in tiny quantities, of contraceptives in our tap water as well as the endocrine disruptors in many skin products and elsewhere. This means that men have a lot more oestrogen in their systems than before. Maybe this phenomenon also partly explains the current wave of men thinking they are women?

          4. We have our own artesian well so all our drinking water should be much purer than the mains supply! We have it tested from time to time and it used to have rather too much iron in it but we have a special treatment system to eliminate it.

          5. And now we are finding that along with increased deaths over the normal levels, in countries which had a high level of the covid vax – lower birthrates and fertility issues are becoming common as well.

            I don’t know if the Sussexes have lied about the origin of their children – but there is definitely a depopulation agenda going on.

          6. You may be right but most people are not prepared to accept that even Harry and Migraine would go so far as to pretend that children who are not their own begotten offspring are their own begotten offspring. DNA testing should be able to give a clear answer about the children’s parentage but this will never be done.

          7. If the Cambridges persist in travelling together, we could be only one plane/train crash away from that DNA testing being vital. If either of the the children is descended from the Ginger Whingers, they must under no circumstances ascend to the throne!

          8. “…the decline in human fertility has become increasingly more worrying.”

            I don’t find it ‘worrying’. I find it a source of deep joy. Maybe nature is fighting back against the incessant onslaught of the biggest unmitigated infestation the planet has ever suffered: mankind.

      1. It is thoroughly insensitive and nasty thing to name names and give intimate details – some things should remain private and not be betrayed. One of the creepiest things in today’s world is people taking photos or making movies of their sexual acts and then parading them on the internet to shame their former partners. Castration of any man who does this sort of thing should be mandatory.

      1. Normally it may be done in Gentile families and to the eldest son only. It happened in my family, to my older brother.

      2. Why should anyone be circumcised? It is a barbaric practice. In my opinion it is nothing short of GBH.

    4. The labia (outer and inner) are part of the vulva, not the ‘vagina’. Yanks, in particular, cannot comprehend this fundamental fact of anatomy.

  60. Afternoon, all. Just here for a short while until I leave to visit a housebound friend (I was going tomorrow, but I’m taking a neighbour for a medical appointment then and I’ve rejigged in the light of events). I should have been racing, but unfortunately, the meeting has been abandoned. I expect one will be able to canoe up the home straight (no it isn’t Worcester).

      1. I developed a long term adverse reaction to a commonly prescribed blood pressure drug and consequenly reported it to the MHRA. I sumitted my evidence that I had unilaterally withdrawn from the drug without discussing it with my GP and reporting that I had rapidly recovered within a few days after being drug free.

        This didn’t go down well the medical professionals who subsequently investigated as this drug was supposed to be the first drug of choice for the treatment of blood pressure. Nevertheless my persistence with my claim that I had become allergic to the drug resulted in its inclusion in my medical record.

        I realised that the information had got through after many years later when after admission to hospital I found myself with a red wristband!

        1. May I ask which drug? I have just decided to stop taking, at least for a week, the Amlodipine prescribed for me which is in addition to Ramipril. I was warned that it can lead to swollen ankles but noticed yesterday that the tops of my feet had become swollen, and I have felt amazingly tired for quite some time, another of the side effects. I shan’t be contacting the surgery as they may well prescribe something for the fluid retention.

          I would be very interested to know your problem drug if you are willing to share.

          1. I was taking Ramipril and Lercanipidine. I was getting palpatations and thumping in my ears and the back of my throat. GP sent me to hospital with suspected heart attack. Got seen and was told i hadn’t had a heart attack. They told me to wait for the consultant. I sat in the waiting room for 8 hours then walked out. I stopped taking the lercanipidine and now feel better. Didn’t bother telling the GP.

          2. It can depend upon the dosage.
            I understand that Amlodipine comes in 5 and 10 mg doses. Check which one you’ve been given.

          3. Hi vw,

            The drug that I considered to have caused me an adverse reaction after having taken it alone for quite a few weeks was Ramipril.

            There were warnings in the Patient Information Leaflet that there could be a reaction to this drug manifest by swellinng in soft body tissues.

            However, the possibility of a delayed drug induced allergic reaction called Angioedema was not published at the time of my. MHRA Adverse Reaction report.

            The possibility of Ace Inhibitor caused Angiiedema is currently published ny the NHS in:

            https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/angioedema/causes/

  62. Just off for the afternoon, now, for coffee and a chat. I’m leaving the dogs behind this time (they’ve already been to the cafe for their treat). See you later this evening, DV.

  63. Three men try to steal 10-ton ancient statue of Ramesses II in Egypt with crane. 12 January 2023.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5908164605c95a5804fca66664881a19b4eace164cf1608932d4d470f2ebebfe.png

    Egypt has arrested three people for trying to steal a huge, ancient statue of Ramesses II by prising it up with a crane.

    In a statement, the Egyptian public prosecutor’s office said it would hold the men for four days and would charge them with “attempting to steal a pharaonic statue”.

    They added that three people were “arrested in possession of manual digging tools and heavy equipment, a crane” in a bid to “lift the statue and excavate antiquities in the area”.

    It was a pyramid scheme!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/01/11/egypt-thieves-detained-steal-statue-ramesses-ii-crane/

      1. It’s the reason why they were flogged to the Earl of Elgin in the first place.

        He was concerned about possible vandalism, which was rife at the time.

    4. Is that the temple that was due to be swamped by the Aswan Dam so they cut it from the hillside and lifted it up to a higher level?

  64. Harry should be sectioned …………..

    Harry reveals how he sent fighter jet after father Charles’ car while training for Afghanistan, ‘but ultimately spared him’
    Duke of Sussex tells of how hard he worked to prepare himself for life in military
    This included ‘steering jets over marshy flats at ungodly speeds’ in Norfolk
    He detailed one bizarre practice drill where he targeted his father’s grey Audi
    By TOM PYMAN FOR MAILONLINE

    PUBLISHED: 14:16, 12 January 2023 | UPDATED: 14:16, 12 January 2023

    e-mail
    View comments
    Prince Harry sent a fighter jet after his father’s car in Norfolk while training for combat in the military, his controversial memoir reveals.

    The Duke of Sussex writes in Spare of how hard he worked to prepare himself for his tours of Afghanistan, including ‘steering jets over marshy flats at ungodly speeds’ near the Sandringham residence.

    In one bizarre tale, he tells how he used a Typhoon to target King Charles and his grey Audi before ‘ultimately sparing him’ at the last minute.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11627667/Prince-Harry-reveals-sent-fighter-jet-Charles-car-training-Afghanistan.html?ito=push-notification&ci=gBbp4_Tyje&cri=yWxP2LyMjd&si=xYJ0MlrMyMmf&ai=11627667

      1. Ops control. Just like playing video games which was what was really happening. Do keep up !

    2. I was used as a dummy target by the US Air Force in East Anglia – a section of A10 Warthogs made mock firing passes at me & my little red Polo as we drove to a meeting.
      It was VERY unnerving and distracting.

    4. Could someone persuade him that all will be right with the World and his family if he targets Davos next week?

    2. Only a par four here

      I got all the right letters but in the wrong order

      Wordle 572 4/6

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

    3. A Birdie Three for me.

      Wordle 572 3/6
      ⬜⬜🟨🟨🟨
      ⬜🟨🟨🟨🟨
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

      1. An ignoramus asks: Is it always the SAME word in Woodle? I mean – is everyone doing it seeking the same result?

        1. Every day is a different 5 letter word (Four lettered words simply won’t do). Clearly everyone’s first go is a guess. A useful word in this respect is ‘Adieu’ – as it contains three vowels. Thereafter its a question of working out the letters needed to complete Wordle. Any letter in the right place gets a green light any letter in the wrong place an amber light…
          Yes everyone is trying to work out what the same new word is each day…

      3. Me too. Is 5 a bogey?
        Wordle 572 5/6

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

    6. Well played. Just a birdie for me.

      Wordle 572 3/6

      🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨
      🟨🟨🟨🟨🟩
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  66. Inspired by Robert’s endless energy and activity, just spent 1½ hours cutting down dead branches and sawing them into useful sizes. Very mild out – but that agreeable effect spoilt by strong south-westerly wind. Not fun up a ladder.

      1. Indeed. Most of the week not much above zero by day – hard frost at night. Thank God for pullovers.

        1. Reminds me of an occasion when old Bill stopped and old lady in her car because she kept holding up the traffic.
          They found she was knitting and shouted PULL OVER. She held up her work and shouted…..NO SOCKS.

      1. Bill, we had some photos of the gang, minus 3, the other day. But I was advised by my younger section of the family not to post one, soz.

        2. A line used by Fred Wedlock in his song The Oldest Swinger in Town,

          I saw a notice in the SW Arts paper – I asked my Sixth Form English sets if they’d like to accompany me to see him in the Strode Theatre in Street the following night. Fifteen said they would so I booked one of the school’s 16 seater minibuses and phoned the theatre to book the tickets and we set out from Lyme Regis the following evening and had a very entertaining evening.

          Of course spontaneous things like that are not allowed today.

          i) There would have to be a feasibility study and risk assessment;
          ii) I would have had to make the booking at least two weeks in advance;
          iii) Parents would have had to have given written consent by letter;
          iv) As the group consisted of boys and girls I would have had to have been accompanied by a female member of staff.

          Over the years I made many such spontaneous trips to plays and concerts in Devon, Dorset and Somerset taking my Sixth Formers with me. I made just one rule:

          I promise not to behave like a schoolmaster if you promise not to behave like school children.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sOPRIdY0ns

          1. I used to accompany the MR when she led 14 year olds on trips to the Great War battlefields. They needed responsible adults as the staff rarely volunteered.

            That could not happen in 2023.

          2. I went on many junior school trips as a responsible parent as I was not working full time – the teachers were glad of extra help with 30 or more children.

  69. https://12ft.io/proxy?ref=&q=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uk/

    Tewkesbury surrounded by floodwaters again. They seem to have learned nothing since 2007.

    A town has been deluged by floodwater after stormy weather battered
    parts of Britain, prompting warnings some communities could be stranded.

    Aerial images on Wednesday afternoon showed the 12th century Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucestershire surrounded by floodwater and homes submerged after the River Severn burst its banks.

    1. The rivers authority could do something about it, but the EU rules state that they cannot dredge rivers. Yes, I know we have left. The state refuses to change the law because that would make it harder to chain us back to the hated thing.

      1. Remember the Somerset Levels were flooded when Cameron was PM because of the mad observance of EU rules on dredging?

        The only good minister in Cameron’s pathetic government was Owen Paterson who was Minister for the Environment and he knew that the practice of dredging was the only sure method of avoiding floods.

        But the totally odious Cameron sacked him for being too competent and put Adultera Truss in his place. This was when Adultera was very pro EU and long before she converted to being pro-Brexit as she thought it would help her bid for the leadership.

        I am still not at all sure that Paterson has been fairly treated.

      2. Was there not a minister who was sent packing by Cameron because he advocated dredging the Somerset Levels to alleviate severe flooding?

        I have just read Richard’s post, it shows I never imagined it, just slow on reading comments.

          1. Thanks I did see it eventually, not the sharpest tool in the box today but better tomorrow I hope. 😊

    4. The Abbey is high and dry. Those ancient monks knew a thing or two (which is more than modern planners do). Shrewbury is nearly under water again – it happens virtually every time there is substantial rainfall. It’s been happening for decades. They used to erect planks as walkways to keep people above the flood back in the fifties to my knowledge.

  70. Shamraze Ul-Hassan, 32, of Freshfield Gardens, Bradford, a drug dealer who operated in Skipton, has been ordered to pay back £932.25 obtained through selling cocaine and heroin – or face jail. Following his conviction, an investigation into his finances by North Yorkshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit found that he had profited by £18,327 through his drug dealing.

    However, the amount he must forfeit reflects his current assets that amount to £932.25. The judge gave him a suspended two-year prison sentence.

    That’ll teach the b*ast*rd !

  71. Breaking news: Witless speaks….

    “Millions more people could start taking statins under new guidance that the drugs should be given to anyone who wants them.

    The change in approach comes after a warning by Sir Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, that thousands of middle-aged people are dying of heart conditions because they were not prescribed statins or similar medicines during the pandemic.”

    Definitely NOTHING to do with any, er, vaccines…..

    1. Don’t worry if the present level of ‘Excess Deaths’ continues for another few years, after 5 years those levels of deaths will become the norm and no longer regarded as excess (if you see what I mean…)

      1. I did wonder whether several million extra arrivals in the last few years could push the “normal” rates upwards.

        1. Back in 2020 I read an article (which I can no longer find of course) claiming that the percentage of deaths worldwide had remained absolutely steady for some 50, 60, possibly 70 years. What had increased rapidly was the size of the population.

    3. I wonder what, if any, research has taken place to see if being put on statins having been vaccinated makes the likelihood of cardiac problems even greater.
      None would be my guess. Whitty’s is a knee-jerk reaction.

      1. There is even more in the article (from The Grimes) about how millions more younger people OUGHT to be on statins.

        Anyone would think that Witless ( and his Unbalanced friend) might have an interest in drug companies……..

    5. Following disabling.muscular adverse reactions after which MOH should have had tests for a statin side effect, I believe that Rhabdomyolosis was a possible end adverse reaction after continuing to take the drug long term.

      How do you know if you have muscle damage from statins?

      Rhabdomyolysis or milder forms of muscle inflammation from statins can be diagnosed with a blood test measuring levels of the enzyme creatinine kinase. If you notice moderate or severe muscle aches after starting to take a statin, contact your doctor.

      https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statin-side-effects/art-20046013#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20most%20common,make%20your%20daily%20activities%20difficult.

      Muscle effects
      Statins can rarely cause muscle inflammation (swelling) and damage. Speak to your doctor if you have muscle pain, tenderness or weakness that cannot be explained – for example, pain that is not caused by physical work.

      Your doctor may carry out a blood test to measure a substance in your blood called creatine kinase (CK), which is released into the blood when your muscles are inflamed or damaged.

      If the CK in your blood is raised, your doctor may advise you to stop taking the statin. Regular exercise can sometimes lead to a rise in CK, so tell your doctor if you’ve been exercising a lot.

      Once your CK level has returned to normal, your doctor may suggest you start taking the statin again, but at a lower dose.

      https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/statins/side-effects/

    1. This is what is known as FULL CIRCLE

      Yer Germans have no shame and no understanding of history. I expect they’ll dig out a Dr Mengele to give the injections.

        1. Everything that is not compulsory is forbidden?

          An English friend in France was married to a German (a very unpleasant, violent man). He old me one day that when one moved house, one had to register “with the police”. I suggested that that was a bit far-fetched. He said, “Why should you be worried to do this simple thing?” He was unable to grasp my point. He also cheated his English wife out of her inheritance – and was known to have screwed a 14 year old pupil (he was a teacher) – and then marred HER mother….to whom he left everything….

          Never been keen on the Huns, me…

          1. It’s true about the police. There is a specific timeframe in which you have to do it. Anmeldung, and Abmeldung. Didn’t sit well with me when I lived there.

          2. You leave me out of this.

            Mind, I have 2 ‘N’s and can trace my Father’s line, directly to 1580 in Lincolnshire.

          3. I have to say, I never particularly minded registering at the town hall (not police ) or carrying an id card. Other developments like facial scans are far more sinister. If you post pictures of yourself on the internet you will be on a facial scan database- there is privately owned software that searches people’s photos and governments buy this information.
            Your criminal acquaintance not withstanding, the system works well in Germany. Theres a high level of trust between strangers. Everythings done locally, and doesnt cost much.
            In Britain, it wouldnt work because the govt would outsource to crapita or serco, the id cards would be astronomically expensive, and loads of petty little hitlers would take the opportunity to punish their fellow citizens.

            one handed typing due painful shoulder

    3. Assuming this isn’t fake news.

      Looking at this utterly callously, the best result this poor woman and the rest of us could get to prove her point is for her to drop down dead and the autopsy to prove beyond any doubt that it was the vaccination.
      Then for all those involved with the compulsory vaccination to be tried and found guilty of murder and imprisoned
      Then I woke up.

          1. I don’t speak German but if you look at the story (by clicking on the clip) thee is some history of mental health ishoos (apparently) and she came to Germany from the Ukraine “to escape the Nazis there”…

            All very odd. But the report of the judgment is apparently correct.

          2. Those will be Zelensky’s Nazis, but I very much doubt that that will be pointed out on the BBC!

          4. AZOV Brigade, Sos.

            Murdered 14,000 Russian speaking Ukrainians in the Donbass province. That and other reasons, are why Putin stepped in.

          5. Quite, but as those who know and comment on the fact are ultra-right-wing Nazis themselves it can’t be true.

    4. This is, indeed, true.

      Apparently she is in a closed psychiatric ward and her “supervisor” i.e. the person who has power of attorney over her, has agreed with the court that she needs to be vaccinated.

      In other news, it appears that she has escaped. Good for her!

  73. Radio 4’s PM has just run a short piece on Biden’s box of papers. It started with “we’ve been here before, haven’t we?” and for a moment there was the startling prospect of an even-handed report…but no. Biden didn’t have as many documents as Trump and his camp owned up so the FBI didn’t need to wade in with a warrant and that means Donald is still the bad guy…

    You have to give them some credit. It’s so skilfully done.

    1. The Conservatives have been in power long enough and could have done something about the BBC – I can only conclude they are Frit!

    2. Special Council has just been announced, to investigate these documents…we shall see what happens next…..

      2. Square root of diddly squat? I guess the guy can always fall back on Alzheimer’s disease in mitigation?

        1. Let’s hope it removes Biden from the 2024 election nominees…….but I don’t see anyone capable of running…too many lefties in the party!

  74. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7f64b14284786cf903c4dc46a8509fb6609df5bf3a1a66210915fe64a4459cb2.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3e51566237a9c6ffb4b9e4fb0cdfa9739c37dcc89e69d2e4b57185ca00e00e6d.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/05ac0101112be9f07592bc08db2d90f5e6b64698966efd5a8e1ea11eaa12f805.jpg Herr Gebhardt was a German refugee who fled his home nation prior to WWI and settled in Sheffield. He brought his charcuterie skills with him and set up a business in his new home city where his products, especially his celebrated pork pies, were well received by the locals. I have now taken his excellent recipes back to Europe and continue his tradition of charcuterie for my own benefit and that of friends. My latest batch are at present cooling and await an injection of trotter jelly.

      1. Danke, Lacoste, das sind sie tatsächlich. Wenn das möglich wäre, würde ich dir einen zum Testen schicken.

    2. I think that is your archive photo of the pies! Very, very similar to the one you posted the other day. Pity you don’t still live locally – I’d enjoy a pie.

    3. Evening, Grizz.

      Here’s the pork pie (about my 6th attempt at these items) I made for a Boxing Day get-together. I made it in a 7″ spring form cake tin and it took over 2 hours to bake. I used my own recipe for the filling: pork shoulder, smoked gammon, dry cured smoked streaky bacon and used about half a pound of my butcher’s sausage meat to bind the filling. I was concerned about how the filling would turn out but it merged well. Took me ages to get the jelly in and then only came about 3 quarters of the way up the pie. I’m looking for some small tins, spring form if possible, for future attempts.
      Your pies look delicious.

      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/417f64f42edebc9c05c32b55183e234ced803d80ef8e0b3a892fd7ff889ceb71.jpg

      1. That pie looks very yummy, Korky. I bet it went down well.😋

        I am forever experimenting to try to achieve my “pie nirvana”. Each time I try something a little different in my quest. On this occasion I didn’t pack the meat in tightly. I just used belly pork cut up into 5–6mm chunks (no mince) and seasoned with a mix of: salt, white pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg and Colmans mustard powder in a ratio of 64:30:2:2:2 (16g mixed seasoning to 500g belly pork). Not packing the belly pork chunks tightly meant that there were more gaps after cooking and my pig’s trotter jelly filled the pie nicely.

        They are not yet cooled so I will have to wait until tomorrow to see how successful I have been this time.

        1. In a trial before I made the big pie I tried using only shoulder pork as preferred by a pie maker in Melton Mowbray. It didn’t work for me as the meat didn’t form together inside the pie. I put that down to the meat being too lean. Any ideas on that?
          I won’t go too deeply into the disaster of trying to ‘raise’ the trial pies without a wooden ‘dolly’ – beer glass, whiskey tumbler etc. all absolutely useless. I need to find an old wooden rolling pin with handles and set my saw to work.

          1. I’ve never been a fan of Melton Mowbray pork pies, Korky, I find them bland and flavour-free and I have no idea how that town managed to make their pies so famous. If you use just shoulder pork, its lack of a decent amount of fat will make it lack flavour (fat is where all the flavour resides — to cook any meat without the fat removes all its flavour and makes it dry). I only use belly pork for my pies and the improvement in flavour is noticeable. I have also failed, miserably, when attempting to hand-raise a pie with a ‘dolly’ or jar, no matter how much flour I put on them. That is why I invested in six special 4″ diameter steel pork-pie tins (with a loose base) from Lakeland that I bake my pies in. I simply press the pastry inside them before filling them with the meat/spice mixture and then crimping on the lid. These tins keep them in shape as they bake, maintain straight sides, and are a cinch to remove afterwards. I have also made small pies of various sizes using ramekin dishes. The best commercial pork pies I have ever tasted came from independent butchers’ shops in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. Simplicity is the key. Chopped belly pork only (no ‘fillers’ or binders are necessary) and a seasoning mix of your choice (I’ve stopped using herbs; I only use salt and spices). The bottom line is that it’s each to their own. One man’s pork pie is another man’s ‘pork pie’. My advice is keep on experimenting until you achieve what you like. Practice is fun.👍🏻

          2. Thanks, Grizz. I thought that the lack of fat was the cause. In the big pie I put in 10 rashers of streaky bacon to supplement the fat content and the sausage meat, about half a pound, they worked well and the meat came together and sliced well.
            I am always looking to improve and after suffering what I considered failures with sweet flan cases I came across Raymond Blanc’s recipe and it has worked well. Experiment and using an expert’s advice is what I enjoy about cooking, well, after the eating of course. Just made a batch of fruit scones!

          3. I’ve never had much luck with sweet flan cases, Korky. I shall have to look up Raymond Blanc’s recipe. Fruit scones, with butter? What could be better? 😊

  78. That’s me gone for a curious day which was unable to make up its mind. Sun – rain – drizzle – strong winds. Pickles loved chasing the leaves and “killing” them – also climbing to the top of the Bramley – as he did when he was a baby! Gus is more introspective…

    Have a jolly evening – preparing for next week’s winter weather.

    A demain – DV.

    2. If ‘probable cause’ can be shown then a warrant can be issued and genealogy sites have to comply. That at least is true in the UK.

      1. I got the impression it wasn’t the case in the USA, although it may be fear of cancelling that stopped those mentioned.

  80. The NHS has not planned ahead .. the population has grown by millions but the hospitals haven’t.

    Post-war governments haven’t planned ahead .. Many of us are postwar baby boomers, we are now in our seventies and eighties. We were the children who grew up and made Britain new, with new skills and advanced education, paid our way, and made the world a better place .

    Politicians have not invested in the future of health care, they have ruined the Medical training schools and nurse training, and all social care in the community.

    Politicians have prioritized an elite railway under construction, HS2, they have imported stone-age asylum seekers who are now bleeding the taxpayer dry, and politicians have ignored the education of all children from nursery through to high school.

    All governments have frittered the money away on useless projects .

    We are no longer a nice comfortable secure healthy country anymore, and in particular the elderly have been betrayed

    2. It would have been possible to make sure that everyone who used the NHS had paid nation insurance contributions. Millions of people in the UK have been using the NHS and have never contributed a single penny towards the cost of the service they have received.
      It’s a no brainer they have to pay.

      1. I believe that there are rules that say such people should pay, the problem is that none of the diversity and other parasites being paid by the NHS are willing to ensure that they do.
        Here in France my care is billed back to the NHS, even though I am a local tax-payer and have the equivalent of French NHS qualification and the same happens to nationals of other countries. Here you pay up front if you cannot prove there is a method whereby the French can be reimbursed.

        1. PS
          there are exceptions, emergency treatment and those without incomes, refugees and the like, but the free to the world largesse of the NHS does not apply.

        2. We were in Singapore a few years back and a lady at our hotel with two young children had to put up 3k because her 5 year old son had to be taken into hospital. Sure she had insurance and it’s a very wealthy country. But you get ill you make a deposit.
          Typically our political classes have made yet another complete eff up of every single thing they come into contact with.

    1. I see “There are further planned dates for activists to take to the streets in various forms of protest. Piers Corbyn and friends are taking to the streets on Friday the 13th of January. Starting at Southwark tube in London.”

      Wish I’d known about that. I would have taken time off work to join in. As it is, I’m at home keeping my lovely old dog company.

  83. Bridgen refutes anti -semitic smears.

    https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/bridgen-refutes-anti-semitic-smears/
    Statement by Andrew Bridgen MP

    I’m disappointed that the Chief Whip, Simon Hart, with the
    support of the Prime Minister, has chosen to suspend me as a member of
    the Conservative Parliamentary Party. My tweet of 11th of January was in
    no way anti-Semitic. Indeed, it alluded to the Holocaust being the most
    heinous crime against humanity in living memory. Of course, if anyone
    is genuinely offended by my use of such imagery, then I apologise for
    any offence caused.

    I wholeheartedly refute any suggestions that I am racist and
    currently I’m speaking to a legal team who will commence action against
    those who have led the call suggesting that I am. Indeed, the Israeli
    doctor I quoted in my tweet has stated that there was nothing at all
    antisemitic about the statement. The fact that I have been suspended
    over this matter says much about the current state of our democracy, the
    right to free speech and the apparent suspension of the scientific
    method of analysis of medicines being administered to billions of
    people.

    3. Today I have written to the DT on this topic.

      When it is failed to be published tomorrow I shall put it on this forum.

        1. Who the hell is AW Kamau and who gave him/her/it permission to remove my photo from NoTTLe?

    1. We had a Black Swan offering the other day so he’s still around.
      Edit: It was about the dog’s bowl fight.

    2. I think the personanlity of the Woke Archbish of C has a lot to answer for – especially closing the churches during covid and then swanning off for a three month sabbatical. I no longer go to church, but I’d probably still say i’m a Christian on a census form. I told my elder son the other week that I’d like a Christian service when I go, not a humanist one.

      I was sorry to hear recently that the church where I grew up is now closed. Ivor Gurney is buried there, also my grandmother, and my mum’s ashes are in her grave.

      https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/final-service-gloucester-church-war-3619665

      1. I think Welby missed an opportunity….what better way to get recruits during something like the so-called pandemic than to leave the churches open so people can at least go for private reflection or prayer.
        I would not call myself a Christian but I still follow most of the precepts.

        1. You appear to be under the delusion that Welby wants to promote Christianity and the Anglican way of life.

          1. No, I am not. I sent an email to GB News re the subject but it wasn’t read. Welby is not a Christian and it’s obvious. All Archbishops, Bishops etc should stay out of politics.

          2. It was a reference to the phrase “missed a trick”. He didn’t miss it, he deliberately did what he could to stick the knife into the church.

        2. Yo, Big Sis – I was Verger at the time (think caretaker), as well as organist. The Rector was legally prevented from even entering the church. I was allowed to enter, to make sure the building was secure, and not under attack from the elements, or whatever. The moment I wound up the organ and played it, I was committing an offence. Organ practice was verboten. It didn’t stop me – the AZ jabs did that for a while…

          1. I wouldn’t expect anything else from you, Little Bro. My brother and I used to go to the old church and he would play the organ and I would sing…in sarf London.
            Sometimes I wish I could believe again but it seems unlikely.

    3. Who appointed Justin Welby?

      Soon after Prime Minister David Cameron announced his appointment, Bishop Welby, 56, a former oil company executive, made it clear that he endorsed earlier church statements criticizing government plans to legalize same-sex marriage.9 Nov 2012.

      Welby appears to be dedicated to the demise of the C of E at the parochial level.

      In this destructive role, he appears to be an ongoing success.

      I regret the eclipse of the delightful, intelligent and Christian Rowan Williams.

  88. There’s a bike in the neighbourhood that keeps running me down.
    It’s a vicious cycle.

  89. A whooppee cushion filled with gravy adds a new dimension to a rather tired old practical joke.

    1. Good night, BoB. Let us know tomorrow how your stepson is doing in his new abode in Derby.

      1. So far he’s coping.
        What bloody annoys me is that no one told me he was moving in t’other week otherwise I’d have been there to help him get sorted out.

  91. Before surgery, the anaesthesiologist offered me the choice of being knocked out by gas or a canoe paddle.
    It was an ether / oar choice.

  92. My Uncle just texted me asking “What does IDK mean?”
    “I don’t Know”, I replied
    “Damn, nobody does” he responded.

    4. It’s stopped raining here although still blustery and we had rotini pasta with homemade pasta sauce for dinner. That’s about it, Conners.

      1. We had omlettes – used up the eggs, bacon, mushrooms & peppers, ready for shopping tomorrow.

          1. Don’t need any at the moment because I bought two cases in the autumn in Laithwaites’ wine sale. I’ve got the regular three monthly case due soon, too. I didn’t drink much when I was on my own.

          2. Don’t need any at the moment because I bought two cases in the autumn in Laithwaites’ wine sale. I’ve got the regular three monthly case due soon, too. I didn’t drink much when I was on my own.

      2. It’s blowing a gale here and the rain is heavy and horizontal! You must have sent it to us. The pasta sounds nice. I had cottage pie.

        1. Our neighbor gave us lots of tomatoes from his allotment in the summer. They were delicious and I made tomato and basil soup, pasta sauce and plain tomato sauce for things like chilli and lasanga. Still some pasta and sauce left for tomorrow.

      1. It’s preferable to the run-up to Christmas, which was made more difficult this year by OH being in hospital for five weeks. I hate it when the shortest day is looming and I haven’t got down to the Christmas card writing, etc. Always glad when that’s out of the way.

  95. I think I’ll buzz orff now, Erin’s watching the Apprentice. Wadda loada.
    Pumped up lips and eyebrows.
    Not attractive at all.

    1. That girl who was shot in Liverpool? would have been a good-looking girl apart from the lip filler. So unnecessary.

    2. Lips.
      Some years ago the actor James Nesbitt OBE appeared on a TV chat show; the interviewer moved to the topic of an actress who had just had some treatment resulting in the pout of a trout. When asked his opinion about the said young lady, Mr Nesbitt replied that he had never seen her lips.
      The studio audience was silent for a couple of seconds, then everyone burst into laughter.

    1. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds in Canada. The government and all hangers on (media, public health) are still pushing these m4na vaccinations.

      If moderna/Pfizer are debunked, will Trudeau change his tune or will pride (and personnel profit) keep the lies alive.

  98. I wonder which idiot sixteen year old cub reporter on the Telegraph’s staff masquerades as a subscriber and writes letters like the one in the header:

    “Hope that British tanks will help the Ukrainians land a decisive blow! David Platts”

    She needs to study geopolitics for a few years,

    1. I thought the same. I listened to a retired US general this instant who says the Ukrainian Army is in disarray, utterly disillusioned with Zelensky who is sending hundred of thousands of untrained and poorly equipped soldiers to their certain death.

      It takes years to train an army to use even the second rate military equipment being shipped to Ukraine.

      The general predicted that what is left of the Ukrainian military are more likely to turn around and march on Kiev to depose Zelensky than continue to be massacred in the ‘meat grinder’ of Donbass which Russia has now conquered.

      The sooner Zelensky and Biden (and the puppet masters) are deposed the better for this world.

  99. Good night, everyone. I hope you all enjoy a good, restful night’s sleep and awaken refreshed.

    1. Benjamin Butterworth appears regularly on GB News as a member of one of Dan Wootton’s panels. He is an extremely muddle -headed lefty who does not enjoy the woke agenda being challenged in any way. Like most lefties he does not approve of free speech and reasonable debate but he does believe in an authoritarian state.

      Here is his tweet about the Bridgen satement:

      Benjamin Butterworth

      …… The Covid vaccine is very clearly proven to work by all the people whose lives it has saved. Surely you know to trust the science that keeps us healthy, not retweet chasing cranks

  102. Night Y’all. Must be bright eyed and bushy tailed for the trip to the shop tomorrow. I hate shopping but a necessary evil.
    At least it’s not supposed to rain tomorrow…..fingers crossed.

  103. 01:44 in the morning and just finishing off a mug of tea alongside the DT.

    4°C outside, raining and rather windy.

    I see the Archpillock of Cunterbury is getting a well deserved hammering on the letters page.

    SIR – I read with a mix of sadness and incredulity your report (January 11) about the £100 million fund set up by the Church of England to atone for the “past wrongs of slavery”.

    Sadness, because of all the parish priests and volunteers who selflessly support the day-to-day activities of the Church, yet are starved of funds and expected to do more and more by combining parishes. Meanwhile, the bureaucracy of the central Church seems to grow apace, absorbing ever more money.

    My incredulity is at the astounding ability of the Church, presumably under the direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, to jump on any woke bandwagon. The Archbishop has been proved wrong on several issues – from Bishop Bell to the closure of churches during the pandemic – but always apologises far too late, when forced to acknowledge his mistakes. Here again, he is following his own narrow agenda and ignoring the very people he is appointed to lead.

    I fear that, if he is not careful, in time there will no longer be a membership of the Church, as it seems to be dying from the bottom up.

    Roger Hollest
    Melksham, Wiltshire

    SIR – It is painfully obvious that no adequate recompense can now be made for the wrongs of slavery. And what of the appalling things done in the name of the Church during, for example, the European wars of religion? Are we to have memorial funds for these too?

    Let the dead past bury its dead; the modern Church of England needs to apply its resources to the dire state of so many of its parishes (large numbers of them priestless), to which this rural churchwarden and church treasurer can certainly bear witness.

    Jolyon Grey
    Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire

    SIR – In your Leading Article (January 12), you say that Church leaders would do better by directing resources at present-day problems such as homelessness instead of seeking to atone for past activity for which they were not responsible and which they cannot change. I’m sure this has resonated with many readers.

    However, if the Archbishop of Canterbury thinks that virtue-signalling is more important than maintaining the broad fabric of the Church, at this time of great NHS need he might consider emulating the Knights Hospitaller and financing a Nightingale hospital as a continuation facility.

    Nigel McKie
    Helston, Cornwall

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