Monday 16 January: An insurance-based health system would give power back to patients

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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675 thoughts on “Monday 16 January: An insurance-based health system would give power back to patients”

  3. Good Morrow, Gentlefolk. Today’s Story

    The Irish Daughter

    An Irish daughter had not been home for over three years. Upon her return, her father yelled at her, “Where have ye been all this time? Why did ye not write to us? Not even a line. Why didn’t ye call? Can ye not understand what ye put yer old Mother thru?”

    The girl, crying, replied, Sniff, sniff….”Dad….I was too embarrassed, I became a prostitute.”

    “Ye what!!? Out of here, ye shameless hussy! Sinner! You’re a disgrace to this Catholic family, so yer are.”

    “OK, Daddy…as ye wish…I just came back to give Mammy this luxurious fur coat, title deed to an eight-bedroom mansion plus a $5 million cheque. For me little brother Seamus, this gold Rolex.
    And for ye Daddy, the sparkling new Mercedes limited edition convertible that’s parked outside, plus a membership to the Limerick Country Club.”

    She takes a breath and continues, “and an invitation for ye all to spend New Year’s Eve on board my new yacht in the Caribbean.”

    “Now what was it ye said ye had become?” says Dad.

    Girl, crying again, Sniff, sniff….”A prostitute Daddy!” Sniff, sniff.

    “Oh! Be Jesus! Ye scared me half to death girl!

    I thought ye said a PROTESTANT. Come here and give yer old Daddy a big hug.”

      1. Good morning Tom,
        Another excellent one! I’m sure you must have a big book of these funny stories to dip into each day.

  6. The destruction of truth is at the heart of Western cultural decline. 16 January 2023.

    But for the Worthy People truth can be whatever they like, words can mean whatever they choose, and what is said to be offensive in a different context might be reasonable – even progressive and brave – when they speak. This is how we end up with events and job opportunities restricted to people based on skin colour, and the Left writing off black conservatives as not really black, or white people for supposedly inherent guilt.

    The intellectual origins of this nonsense go back to the postmodernism of thinkers like Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida. Discourse is oppressive. Language, custom and tradition exploit the weak and sustain the powerful in their privilege. Victims of the powerful participate in their own oppression through their assumed social roles.

    Though I would agree about the West’s Cultural Decline and the Death of Truth, which we can after all see every day with our own eyes. I wouldn’t attribute it to Postmodernism or Cultural Marxism. They are not the originators but examples of it. The cause is the Death of Christianity. Even if you didn’t believe in the more numinous aspects of Christian Belief it still provided the moral backbone of the West for two millennia! It taught children that Truth was essential to the good life and that Lying was not simply reprehensible but actually harmful. Its deliberate destruction at the hands of the Elites was the inevitable Doom of Western Civilisation since it was the Life Blood of that Culture. Its absence has left the West floundering in a Moral Morass of corruption where all is relative and what is Right is Wrong depending on the exigencies of the moment or the wishes of the Perverted. No society can survive such an assault which leads inexorably to Chaos, Division and its Downfall.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/15/destruction-truth-heart-western-cultural-decline/

    3. Gosh, I wonder what media organisations can have been responsible for the destruction of truth?

      (I agree that repeated attacks on Christianity and its subsequent decline are far more important than most people realise).

      1. ‘Morning, BB2.

        While I’m agnostic, I still try to run my life on the Christian values I was brought up with.

        1. They stopped teaching Christianity in RE lessons in school in the eighties and started teaching a mish-mash of ethics and all religions.
          Very few people under fifty even know much about Christianity now.
          This has been one of Satanism’s most successful attacks on our country.
          Hyperbole? No, it exists, and is taken seriously by some, including in the elite. The Balenciaga scandal was only the latest manifestion of that.

    4. And the replacement of Christianity with an ideology that not only condones, but encourages, lying* is a further nail in the coffin.

      * for the avoidance of doubt; kitman and taqiyya.

  7. An insurance-based health system would give power back to patients

    Power back to the customer?
    I’ve never heard of such a thing

    Strike!

      1. Not yet, Phizzee. I bought too many boxes in early 2021, and used a third of the oranges. Then I used another third last January, and I hope to finish off the final third in the next three or four weeks. This will give me much more space in my freezer.

        1. ‘Morning Tom! I think you might escape, looking at the chart! We only have a covering!

          1. Morning Sue, we had a fall in the village overnight. Not much but the surrounding roads are bad in spite of being gritted

          2. Hi Spikey! That photo you posted last night of the lorry on Corrieshalloch gave me nightmares! Alan and I went a couple of years ago to the gorge and I got about 4 steps on to the ‘bridge’ and couldn’t go any further! I was on my knees with my eyes closed and all my darling old man could do was laugh and wobble the cables!! 😱

          3. You should have gone when it was the old bridge secured by ropes we used to wait until tourists were on it and started to swing it – used to terrify them.

  10. Will the last person interested in working hard in this country please turn the lights off when they leave?

    “ISA savings should be capped at £100,000 to stop wealthy families from benefiting too much from “costly and unnecessary” tax breaks, a leading think tank and charity have said.

    All savers would face a total limit of £100,000 of tax-free cash under proposals set out by the Resolution Foundation and the Abrdn Financial Fairness Trust.

    Individual savings accounts (Isas) allow savers to put away up to £20,000 every year without having to pay tax on any interest or gains. The joint report found that the three main government saving schemes – Isas, Lifetime Isas and Help to Save – together disproportionately benefited wealthier families, thanks to their much higher levels of cash savings…

    Isas alone are expected to cost the Treasury £4.3bn in foregone revenue by the end of the 2023-24 tax year, the report found.

    Both organisations called on Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, to do more to incentivise middle-income and poorer families to save, rather than providing additional support to “people who were likely to be saving money anyway”.

    More than 700,000 families had no cash savings, the report found.

    Molly Broome, of the Resolution Foundation, said: “Britain is not a nation of savers. This lack of financial resilience has left many exposed during the cost of living crisis, with families having to build up debts and fall behind on bills.

    “Our myriad of savings policies are set to cost the Government £7bn next year as interest rates rise, with the lion’s share going to rich households. Spending over £2bn on those with Isa savings of over £100,000, while 750,000 families have no savings at all, is not what a good use of Treasury resources looks like.”

    Capping the total amount of Isa savings that are tax-free at £100,000 would raise around £1bn per year for the public purse by the end of the 2023-24 tax year, the report estimated….””

    It’s the bit about “ISAs are expected to cost the Treasury…in foregone revenue” that gets me. If I have surplus income from my PAYE job (on which I have paid tax already) and decide not to squander it on a holiday abroad, say, but put it in an ISA for which I pay the wrapper provider money for old rope, and providing employment (in “abrdn’s” instance, in Scotland), how is this “foregone revenue” to the Treasury versus me taking Eurostar to France and spending my money on a skiing holiday – where the money really is lost to the Treasury.

    Grr. This place.

      3. ‘Morning, B3. It was a pleasure to watch Widdy in full flow on GBN yesterday evening, berating some Tory party high-up about the un-consevative party. Her oppo came out with the usual list of why this wasn’t so, none of which was in the slightest bit convincing. Her discomfort was both obvious and welcome, although it won’t make a scrap of difference of course.

    2. It will be so much easier for the government to inflict their ideologies on us when they abolish money and bring in the programmable CBDC.

    3. Costly and unnecessary tax breaks. For fecks sake. It’s their own money. They’re not getting a ‘break’, it’s their own savings. Foregone revenue – it’s NOT the bloody government’s money! It’s ours! Every damned penny! Bunch of squealing Lefties these wasters are. Every penny of public money should be removed.

  11. Will the last person interested in working hard in this country please turn the lights off when they leave?

    “ISA savings should be capped at £100,000 to stop wealthy families from benefiting too much from “costly and unnecessary” tax breaks, a leading think tank and charity have said.

    All savers would face a total limit of £100,000 of tax-free cash under proposals set out by the Resolution Foundation and the Abrdn Financial Fairness Trust.

    Individual savings accounts (Isas) allow savers to put away up to £20,000 every year without having to pay tax on any interest or gains. The joint report found that the three main government saving schemes – Isas, Lifetime Isas and Help to Save – together disproportionately benefited wealthier families, thanks to their much higher levels of cash savings.

    The richest tenth of households are on track to gain £800 on average from the schemes next year. Meanwhile, the poorest tenth of households are forecast to receive £38. The average was approximately £250.

    Isas alone are expected to cost the Treasury £4.3bn in foregone revenue by the end of the 2023-24 tax year, the report found.

    Both organisations called on Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, to do more to incentivise middle-income and poorer families to save, rather than providing additional support to “people who were likely to be saving money anyway”.

    More than 700,000 families had no cash savings, the report found.

    Molly Broome, of the Resolution Foundation, said: “Britain is not a nation of savers. This lack of financial resilience has left many exposed during the cost of living crisis, with families having to build up debts and fall behind on bills.

    “Our myriad of savings policies are set to cost the Government £7bn next year as interest rates rise, with the lion’s share going to rich households. Spending over £2bn on those with Isa savings of over £100,000, while 750,000 families have no savings at all, is not what a good use of Treasury resources looks like.”

    Capping the total amount of Isa savings that are tax-free at £100,000 would raise around £1bn per year for the public purse by the end of the 2023-24 tax year, the report estimated.

    The organisations called on the Chancellor to overhaul all saving policies to “cut waste”, such as expanding the Help to Save scheme.

    This is the only savings policy targeted at low-income families, where eligibility is determined according to receipt of benefits. Under the scheme, people can save up to £50 a month and receive a 50pc top-up from the Government.

    However, take-up is low, with an estimated one in 10 eligible participants taking advantage of the policy.

    Mubin Haq, of the Abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, said: “Reforms such as auto-enrolling benefit claimants could quickly transform this initiative into a much-needed safety net for millions.”

    A Treasury spokesman said: “We offer targeted support to help those on the lowest incomes save, including our Help to Save scheme, which offers a generous 50pc bonus on monthly deposits of up to £50 and saw users rise by over a quarter last year alone.

    “Nearly nine in 10 Isa-savers earn less than £50,000 a year, and we are committed to supporting even more people to save through a range of schemes we’ve made available to help with their short and long-term aspirations – such as building a rainy day fund or owning a first home.””

    It’s the bit about “ISAs are expected to cost the Treasury…in foregone revenue” that gets me. If I have surplus income from my PAYE job (on which I have paid tax already) and decide not to squander it on a holiday abroad, say, but put it in an ISA for which I pay the wrapper provider money for old rope, and providing employment (in “abrdn’s” instance, in Scotland), how is this “foregone revenue” to the Treasury versus me taking Eurostar to France and spending my money on a skiing holiday – where the money really is lost to the Treasury.

    Grr. This place.

  12. Breaking News – Britain’s second attempt at launching a satellite proves another dismal failure

    https://external.flhr10-2.fna.fbcdn.net/emg1/v/t13/17454495265080228001?url=https%3A%2F%2Fichef.bbci.co.uk%2Fnews%2F1024%2Fbranded_news%2F5308%2Fproduction%2F_127765212_f0cde30b-cb5c-4f70-ac06-d79d0adef38e.jpg&fb_obo=1&utld=co.uk&stp=c0.5000×0.5000f_dst-jpg_flffffff_p500x261_q75&ccb=13-1&oh=06_AbHUNe1SM3IW8IIatfMGoKs761CzerMZXtpFfIyxPkOBow&oe=63C6680C&_nc_sid=a349d5

  13. SNP getting desperate…

    “REDUCING the voting age to 16 in local and Scottish Parliament elections has led to youngsters being more likely to retain a habit of voting in elections than older first-time voters, a study suggests.

    Those able to vote at age 16 to 17 in Scotland were more likely to continue voting well into their twenties than those who started when they were over 18, researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Sheffield said.

    The research was funded by a grant from the Scottish Government…”

    2. “The research was funded by a grant from the Scottish Government…”

      In other words, funded by the English taxpayer!

      ‘Morning, Mir.

    3. If you can’t be employed and pay tax, then you shouldn’t be able to vote.
      I believe the Yanks had a snappy slogan to that effect.

        1. By the time you’ve reached that stage, there is 50 years of tax payment behind you.
          At 16, not so much – other than a spot of VAT when you spent your pocket money.

          1. Which is why I’d advocate that you should only be allowed to vote once you are a net tax payer OR can prove a social good.

            Only once you see half your income vanish in tax can you really appreciate just how useless government is. Then you see it being spent on people who have no right to it, getting vastly more than you can afford without any effort.

    1. Good morning William, and a very happy birthday to you! Hope you have a wonderful day and no ladder work!
      Love to you and MR! 🍷🌹🎂🍾

      1. Happy birthday, Bill. I hope you see this before retiring for bed, since it is now 9.40 pm.

    10. Clear as a bell on the Costa Clyde and currently at -2°C. Get those birthday candles lit, we need the heat!

      Happy birthday, hope you enjoy a fine day.

  15. Good morning, all. Wet, very wet here in N Essex.

    Came across this earlier this morning on Daily Sceptic, rain woke me around 5 and once awake I decided a coffee and reading on the web were the best options.
    I’d seen Dr Tess Lawrie’s zoom interview with a rather uncomfortable Andrew Hill before and this is her letter to him following that interview. The opinions at the end from Drs Marik and Kory are excoriating.

    NB this is about a year old.

    Dr Tess Lawrie’s Letter to Dr Andrew Hill

  16. Morning all 😉 😊
    Cold and dark, the other stuff due later.
    I’m already feeling under the weather.

  17. Re headline, I thought we already had a national insurance system in place.
    It doesn’t seem to be working. I paid in for 53 years and still have to wait two weeks for a simple 10 minute GP appointment.
    Month’s, risking last minute cancellation, for anything else. What really went wrong 😕
    Was it possible that our civil service and Parliament ‘took their eyes off the ball’ probably trawling for extra votes. And consequently millions who use the NHS have never paid a penny towards it, as in national insurance. But instead have won the national lottery.
    Even though they have never bought a ticket ?

    1. We don’t. Calling it “national insurance” is extremely misleading.
      Where is your or my contract with the NHS, promising us defined benefits in return for the money we pay?
      It doesn’t exist.
      That’s the difference that is on the table. The French and Germans have a defined list of benefits for which they are paying – whether they are privately insured or on the social system.

      1. I’m sure it might have been the purpose at the outset. Prior to that people had to pay GPs cash to receive treatment.
        Similarly our useless devious political classes have misappropriated so much public money over decades. Road tax for instance.

    2. The payment and the service (hah! as if!) are separated, and so it’s difficult for most people to associate one with the other.
      If you paid the Dr, through a medical insurance card, every time you visited, there’d be a change in behaviour. Same with the hospital, clinic, etc.
      Where these get funded anyway, there’s no incentive to work effectively, and whilst the medical staff might be very good, if the system buggers everyone around so inefficiency is the result, it doesn’t help. However, if an ineffective system resulted in only half the possible number of appointments in a day, then the matching fee shortfall would incentivise improvement.

      1. Have you noticed that the people who infest the HoC and Lords.
        Never go short on their massive expenses claims.

    3. We have health system in France for which we have to pay and this gives us basic medical cover and we can top up this with an additional private insurance if we so wish.

      Philosophically the French systems of both health care and education are far more just that the British ones. If you use private health care or private education you do not lose your entitlement to things for which you have paid with your insurance or taxes.

      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/07f70aa30e9d93e893fbc102399bccd544e2aabda59e20d015eeb42f946214c0.jpg

      We have a carte vitale whcih we have to present when we use the medical system to remind us that we have had to pay for it and to show that we are entitled to healthcare.

  18. Good morning.
    I have just discovered the work of Neil Howe. Some people may find it over-thinking, but he studies generational cycles.
    https://twitter.com/howegeneration
    This is a very long, but interesting talk . He says that everyone will experience all the phases at least once in their lives – crisis, rebirth, success, decline – and he foresees a bright future after a period of crisis.
    If one is trying to analyse the current situation, one must also factor in that real crisis is the over-printing and subsequent collapse of the dollar – which was baked in as soon as they went off the gold standard and started printing it .- and all other crises are merely man-made distractions.
    The seeming determination of the Malthusian elite to cull the masses in order to preserve their luxurious lifestyle is also going to be a huge factor over the next ten years or so.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9EmSI12raQ

    1. And folk wondered whether the Nazi behaviour could be replicated in their cosy, tolerant, open country? Didn’t take much for that to become apparent – whodathunkit that tolerant Canada, New Zealand, Oz would come over so fascist so easily?

      1. In the past three years, the majority of Britons have shown that they would feel thoroughly at home in the old GDR.
        I now view most of my fellow citizens with a very jaundiced eye.

    1. My twitter response:

      Replying to
      @WokeWorldDebunk
      If they continue with this madness, they should be charged with wilful damage, by experimentation, on young childrens’ lives. Shades of Dr Mengele.

    2. Mike Yeadon, Peter McCullough, Dolores Cahill, Suchit Bhakti, Robert Malone and many others warned explicitly and clearly what were the likely outcomes of the mRNA jabs.
      If I, as a lay person with internet access knew about heart attacks, blood clots and cancer before the jabs started going into arms, then the medical establishment certainly knew. While profit is a great motive, I believe that there is also a group of powerful nutters who see themselves as saving the world by culling unwanted farm animals who are eating too many resources.

      Conclusion: next time round, they will not let me have unrestricted internet.

      I suspect that the medical establishment is closer to eugenics than most of us realise
      https://unlimitedhangout.com/2020/12/investigative-series/developers-of-oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-tied-to-uk-eugenics-movement/
      When I was at school, the father of someone I knew was knighted and was some big medical academic. I was shocked to see his name on publicity from the Galton institute, years later. Charles had Jonathan Porrit as his advisor, who is director of Optimum Population, a closely related field.
      There was I thinking that eugenics had died in the bunker along with Hitler, and suddenly I realise that it is at the heart of the UK establishment.

      1. Eugenics was a serious movement in the UK long before Hitler and VERY strongly supported by the middle class Socialists of the Fabian Society, something the Labour Party are not very keen to admit or discuss.

        1. Yep, all a bit odd that that was brushed so quickly under the carpet. The Tories never mention it either.

        2. Just as the US Democrats don’t like to admit that they were in favour of slavery!

  20. ‘Morning, Peeps. The monsoon season has returned, along with a warning about ‘yellow snow’…

    SIR – Since the start of the Covid lockdowns, there has been a huge rise in people offering dog-walking services in our area. I’ve often seen some individuals struggling to control large numbers of dogs – on one occasion, a child of 12 with seven dogs.

    Highlighted by the tragedy in Surrey (“Dog walker killed as pets turn on her ‘in a frenzy’”, report, January 14), it is clear that licensing is well overdue. However, numerical limits – in place in some voluntary schemes – are too simplistic. A duo of Great Danes would be a challenge, whereas half-a-dozen chihuahuas would be little problem. But licensing of some kind is essential.

    Dr Richard Brown RCVS
    Heathfield, East Sussex

    That’s all very fine, Dr Brown, but how do you intend to enforce licensing? And if yet more new laws are not enforced they are likely to be disregarded.

    1. More regulations is not the way to go, but it is the government’s only answer.
      How about using one’s common sense, and taking responsibility for one’s own actions?

      1. How did eight dogs get from Croydon to the Surrey hills?
        Did the older ones have bus passes?

    2. You could walk 10 dogs if they were well trained. I don’t see why 2 Great Danes is a struggle. In my experience a giant breed is likely to be better trained and socialised than a small dog because the owner of small dogs think they’re easier to manage. A small dog does not think it’s a small dog. Mongo has no idea he’s 120cm at the shoulder, nor cares that he is heavier than most adults. He’s just a dog.

      1. My Fred, who was the biggest of the 3 Goldens I had, thought he was a lap dog. He had no idea how large he was but loved to sit on my lap and snuggle. Bit of a bugger if I was trying to see the TV;-)

  21. Good morning all. A dull damp start, -1°C and drizzling.

    A run into Derby planned to pick up some scaffolding poles.

  22. Good morning Nottlers, after a few wet and very blustery days (constant gales and rain from 2pm Saturday until 3am Sunday) this morning is clear as a bell, calm and below freezing.

    Anyone might think it’s Winter!

  23. Bonjour!
    To the title – rejigging the manner in which money is redistributed to big pharma and the equipment industry (and the bloody vanity buildings) etc. is cosmetic and will do nothing to address the problem.
    Understanding spheres of influence and benefit and uprooting them will begin to address the problem.
    And then, installing people with a sense of public service who are qualified to provide it – rather than argue about gender neutral toilets.

    1. We think that this is too late.

      One of the few things that Prime Minister Truss did was to sign up to PESCO.

      1. Lack of joined-up thinking.

        A lot of what she wanted to do was fine but this is a step too far.

    2. We have always been completely out manoeuvred by the EU – which is why our pathetic ‘negotiators’ always are taken in and surrender to the EU without even being aware that we can all see that they have surrendered.

      Watch what happens with the NI Protocol. Does anybody here think that Sunak and Co will succeed in getting a good deal for the UK and Northern Ireland?

      Sunak will say that he has finally sorted out the problems in Northern Ireland but he will not say the he has surrendered completely. People are still under the misapprehension that Boris Johnson got Brexit done – one look at how things are shows that he did not even begin to get it properly done.

  25. Deer are overrunning the countryside – so what can be done about it? 16 January 2023.

    A population explosion has seen around two million animals roaming the UK, destroying precious woodland and depriving farmers of crops.

    Deer for dinner obviously. The problem is that hunting is regarded as a decadent class pursuit by the Political Elites in the UK. There is also the unspoken fear of the hoi polloi gaining access to firearms! Something truly frightening to an isolated minority who hate and fear the revenge of their own countrymen!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/deer-overrunning-countryside-what-can-done/

    1. My BTL comment:

      “Deer are overrunning the countryside – so what can be done about it?”

      Cull ’em and cook ’em.

      Venison is a very fine, pretty fat-free meat, to which delicious sauces may be added.

          1. 370060+ up ticks,

            Morning NtN,

            Regarding the politico’s yes I agree to that, and leave the deer in peace.

      2. We had a glut of reindeer some years ago. Very low fat, good flavour, and a bugger to cook because of the low fat. Much bacon required to coat the meat.

          1. Do you remember this advert for bran flakes:

            They’re tasty, tasty, very very tasty. They’re very tasty

            Venison is rather tastier in my opinion.

        2. Just lightly pan fried. Serve with blackberry sauce. The tougher cuts should be slow cooked after searing.

        5. Venison sausages from my cousin’s butcher in Portree were excellent. 1990s so probably long since retired.

    2. I know 3 local ‘deer hunters’, licensed to shoot and sell deer. There are seasonal rules and they have to pass a lot of practical and theoretical tests to retain their licences, not to mention their rifles.

      1. There is plenty of Ben Rigby venison round here.
        I stock up whenever I go to one of our local real butchers.

  26. Good Moaning.
    I thought we were supposed to be snowed in.
    Back to seaweed on the shed door or inspecting goose entrails for an accurate forecast.

        1. I was going to say ‘don’t tell him Pike’ but you went and told him anyway! And how do you know he’s called ‘Michael’?

  30. From today’s DT…how’s this for yet another piece of governmental crass stupidity?  If people are not buying enough electric cars it’s probably because they can’t afford them and/or don’t fancy queuing for hours to recharge them!

    * * *

    Electric car amibitions will be stifled by fines for missing targets, Jaguar warns

    Carmaker says new zero emission mandate could have a ‘significant financial impact’

    ByJames Warrington 15 January 2023 • 3:40pm

    Jaguar Land Rover has warned that its electric vehicle (EV) push could be under threat if it is slapped with fines for failing to meet tough new government targets.

    The Government has proposed a new zero emission vehicle mandate that would force manufacturers to sell a certain proportion of electric cars by the end of the decade.

    The plans, due to come into effect next year, could punish car makers that do not meet the quotas with fines or force them to buy so-called carbon credits from other EV manufacturers.

    But a source close to JLR told the Sunday Times: “If we have to suddenly pay fines… there would be a significant financial impact to us, which would damage the plans that we have in place.”

    The company, which is owned by Indian car giant Tata Motors, is understood to have warned ministers that the new rules could hamper its electrification strategy.

    Under the strategy, dubbed ‘Reimagine’, JLR plans to become an electric-only brand by 2025 by relaunching all Jaguar and Land Rover models as electric vehicles.

    However, the company has warned it may have to scale back plans for new jobs or water down the number of new models it launches as a result of potential fines.

    Ministers have also been warned that Tesla, the electric car group led by Elon Musk, could stand to make huge profits from selling carbon credits.

    Carbon credits, which are given to car manufacturers that produce low-emission vehicles, have become a lucrative source of income for Tesla, which sells excess credits to struggling rivals.

    Industry sources are said to have warned that the US company would cash in on the electric vehicle mandate at the expense of the UK’s nascent EV industry.

    Under the plans, car makers would have to ensure that 22pc of their car sales are electric in 2024, rising steadily to the end of the decade, when the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles will be banned.

    However, the Government is yet to confirm the scale of the fines and a decision is overdue.

    Mike Hawes, chief executive of industry body SMMT, complained that the lack of certainty over the new measures was holding back the shift to EVs, adding that ministers needed to consider other factors such as the cost of the new cars and availability of charging points.

    He said: “If this regulation is to deliver the market transition Government wants, industry needs that detail for product planning, and consumers need the confidence to switch.”

    The Department for Transport said a final consultation and cost-benefit analysis will be published in due course.

    A spokesman added: “We will end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, and all new cars and vans will be fully zero emission by 2035. That is why we are working to introduce a Zero Emissions Vehicle mandate to be implemented in 2024.

     “Vehicle manufacturers and supply chains play a vital role in the transition to cleaner vehicles, and we continue to work closely with the industry to help shape future regulations.”

    * * *

    PS  As all Nottlrs know, there is no such thing on the planet as a ‘fully zero emission vehicle’ – the manufacturing process is a million miles from ‘zero emission’ and currently their electricity is at least 40% gas powered!

    And as for the farce of ‘carbon credits’…what a load of hogwash.

    1. In the future everyone is going to be taxed on their carbon footprint, electric cars produce a lot of CO2 especially in construction and when they are charging and when they are scrapped. So I’m assuming that driving an electric car will be just as expensive to run as petrol and diesel cars are now,
      Only with electric cars the powers that be will have more control over you

      1. One of the biggest lies we have been given is that Boris Johnson is a libertarian.

        In terms of his unbridled sexual lust there might be some truth in this lie but as far as everything else is concerned he wants the people to be controlled and subjected to the oppressive green agenda so much favoured by his father and his most recent wife.

        He is not remotely a libertarian and he should not return as leader of the Conservative Party even though the current team of Sunak and Hunt are beneath contempt.

        1. God forbid.
          Are you suggesting that flight numbers should be reduced dramatically?

          The only effects that will have are to stop the vast majority from travelling and allow us plebs to know that the contrails we will still be seeing belong to the planes of our lords and masters.

          The more of this scam that gets accepted the worse will be the lives of the billions who are not part of the self-appointed elite.

          1. “…we will still be seeing belong to the planes of our lords and masters.”

            Time to rig up some Ack-ack or effective missile sites.

            Probably on offer from some Nigerian Nabob.

        2. Resulting in very few airline seats and the only people able to afford to fly being the very rich.
          Anyhow, Belle, you live under the main airway from London & Amsterdam to the US – you are bound to see lots of contrails.

    2. Just another Gov’t policy that has not been thought through.

      I shall keep my 2006 petrol RAV4 until either it or I die.

      1. We were just saying the same ourselves last night, we will be keeping our 2014 Honda diesel until we pass on. I recall a gentleman from Germany being interviewed once, an ordinary member of the public who worked on the shop floor, who said ‘why would a new car make me any happier’ (I like that attitude) and Jorgan Klinsman, the footballer who used to drive around in an elderly VW.

        The thing is, our govt will probably ban sales of petrol, diesel and paraffin (we have a paraffin heater in the kitchen) to the public. ‘Morning, Tom.

        2. ‘Morning Mum. I don’t think it will ban diesel and petrol. Instead it will be taxed out of existence, along with those vehicles requiring such fuel. Then they will pretend that we are being given a choice as to keeping or replacing them. Devious barstewards!

        3. Our useless government and the dopey wokies want us to be seen as martyrs to their cause.

    4. “The company, which is owned by Indian car giant Tata Motors,”
      aka. more jobs exported to countries where people want to work and the government allows them to do so.

  32. My comment on another ‘bleeding’ obvious statement from John Redwood.
    The government, whether it’s his Tory shower or the shower waiting in the wings, needs to let us live our lives as we see fit. We do not need more laws, rules and restrictions, especially those emanating from the Davos crowd, the WHO, the UN, the G ‘add the number of your choice’ etc.

    https://twitter.com/bangerbloyce/status/1614910103852826624

  34. Another fine officer and gentleman has departed:

    Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Gerken, naval officer who commanded Andromeda at tense moments in Cyprus and the Third Cod War – obituary

    Gerken and frigate Andromeda displayed outstanding initiative and professional competence and later he was appointed Flag Officer, Plymouth

    ByTelegraph Obituaries 12 January 2023 • 11:53am

    Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Gerken, who has died aged 90, commanded the frigate Andromeda during two incident-filled two years; later he devoted more than a quarter of century of his life to West Country affairs.

    When Gerken was appointed to Andromeda and joined her in Malta, he was expecting a quiet voyage home in order to familiarise himself with his new command before a period of maintenance in Devonport. Instead, he found himself covering Operation Mercy, the Cyprus emergency in July 1974, and the Third Cod War.

    Turkey invaded Cyprus after a coup, organised by the military junta in Athens, ended the delicate equilibrium between Greek and Turkish Cypriots kept by UN peacekeepers. Then on July 21 1974, in a blue-on-blue incident, Turkish aircraft sank the Turkish destroyer Kocatepe.

    Twenty-five men were killed and about 205 survivors in life rafts were being swept away in freshening winds, and it was many hours before the tragedy was realised and Turkish authorities asked for help.

    Gerken hurried to the scene to take command of a search by a second Turkish frigate, Berk, helicopters from the carrier Hermes, RAF launches and a circling Nimrod. Andromeda pulled many men, some injured or suffering from exposure, from the sea, and Gerken organised for these, with others rescued by Berk, to be transferred to the RAF hospital at Akrotiri.

    However, Air Marshal John Aiken, in command ashore, thought that they would be at risk from Greek reprisals, and ordered their removal to the tanker Olna.

    Once at sea again, the weather was too rough for boat transfers, so Gerken took Andromeda, Berk and Olna into a lee and, overnight, his flight commander, Lieutenant Ian McKechnie, flying the ship’s tiny Wasp helicopter, completed 55 deck landings, ferrying Kocatepe’s survivors including four stretcher cases in 4½ hours of near-constant flying from Olna to Berk’s heaving flightdeck.

    Gerken and his Andromeda were judged to have displayed outstanding initiative and professional competence and, before parting company, Berk expressed the Turks’ deep appreciation. Later, McKenchie was awarded the Turkish Distinguished Service Medal, only the 75th to have been awarded and the first ever bestowed on a foreigner.

    During a ceasefire, Gerken resumed an operation to evacuate foreign nationals by boat from the port of Kyrenia. Under the guns of the warring parties, Gerken distinguished his landing party from the warring Greeks and Turks by dressing his sailors in their white uniforms, and led them ashore carrying only a silver-knobbed ebony cane instead of a sidearm.

    Soon some 200 refugees were crammed into Andromeda: all were made to feel at home including a member of the French embassy, his wife and three-day old baby who were given Gerken’s cabin, and an American woman who simply telegrammed home “Thank God for the British Navy”.

    Gerken was awarded the CBE, which he referred to as the Cyprus Beaches Expert medal, and which later earned him free fish and chips when he was recognised in a Cypriot “chippie” on the Fulham Road.

    Andromeda spent Christmas 1975 and New Year fighting the so-called Third Cod War, a fishing dispute with Iceland. On December 28 and again on January 7 1976, she was rammed by the gunboats Tyr and Thor: only Gerken’s superior seamanship and quick manoeuvring saved all three ships from major damage and loss of life.

    Robert William Frank Gerken was born in London where his father was a trader on the Baltic Exchange, and was educated at Chigwell School, where he later became a governor.

    He won the King’s Sword for best cadet in 1951, presented on board the training cruiser Devonshire. Other early ships included the frigate Leopard, the carrier Ocean during the Korean War, and the cruiser Superb. By 1961 Gerken was second in command of the destroyer Cassandra when he met his first wife, a Foreign Office secretary.

    In 1968-69 he commanded the newly modernised frigate Yarmouth which he brought out of dockyard hands for service in the Western Fleet.

    Gerken’s energy, leadership and optimism were recognised by his next appointments. He was Commander Sea Training (1970-71) when he assessed and advised new commanding officers. He was captain of the new entry training establishment HMS Raleigh in Cornwall (1976–77), when he prepared for Wrens’ training to move there, and Captain of the Fleet (1978–81) responsible for personnel matters in the fleet.

    Promoted to flag rank, Gerken was Flag Officer Second Flotilla (1981–83), Director General Naval Manpower and Training (1983–85), and Flag Officer Plymouth (1985–87). He was knighted KCB in 1986.

    On leaving the Navy, the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir William Staveley, wrote that “you will long be remembered for the leadership, immense skill and depth of wisdom you brought to your many and varied appointments”.

    Gerken and his second wife made many friends in the West Country, leading them to settle there and to devote the rest of their lives to regional causes. He served as a Deputy Lieutenant of Devon.

    Gerken was president or chairman of SSAFA and the Royal British Legion, never failing to attend events and always first on the dance floor. He was a much-loved chairman of the Plymouth RNLI (1988–2007) and president until 2014. In the late 1980s he led a fundraising campaign which raised over £1m for a new offshore lifeboat, City of Plymouth, and, after a bequest by the marine artist Sybil Mullen Glover paid for a new boat in 2003, he successfully petitioned for the Queen to name her.

    Gerken lived opposite the lifeboat station where he was a regular visitor on his way home from collecting his morning newspaper.

    He was a long-time member and commodore (1993-97) of the Royal Western Yacht Club of England where he lunched weekly with the Old Wednesday Lunch club or Owls, and cruised the southwest coast in his own boat, Pickle. Once he raced from San Sebastian to Plymouth against King Juan Carlos I of Spain, in a crew of admirals – unplaced because the boat was overladen with cases of wine.

    From 1987 to 2013 he chaired the China Fleet Club which repatriated assets from Hong Kong to build a country club for ratings and their families at Saltash in Cornwall, when, in the early years, his characteristic patience and cheerfulness were tested by the bankruptcy of the architects and a cash deficit.

    Then from 1993 to 1996 he took on the chairmanship of the Plymouth Development Corporation, a thankless task as the MoD, which was cutting back in Plymouth, sold land and created a glut of historic property, some dating from Georgian times. Thanks to his perseverance, however, the PDC’s flagship project, a mixture of hotels, restaurants, housing and art studios at the old Royal William Yard, at last succeeded.

    Gerken was a generous host and always good company: as a guest, his eyes lit up if he discovered his host knew how to make a proper pink gin – with Angostura bitters and, of course, Plymouth gin.

    He married Christine Stephenson in 1966: she died in 1981, and in 1983 he married Annie Fermor (née Blythe) who survives him with two daughters of the first marriage.

    Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Gerken, born June 11 1932, died December 20 2022

    Andromeda rammed by the Icelandic gunboat Tyr

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/44ad1667cab66655e97560806c51b709b3d073729b70fe05dac4831b558f96af.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4c11a3ef3e848639a04f64b66f44308567e1d8e1494fb5deb574ed5e9bf370cc.jpg

    1. Send on the clarions! 🎼🎵Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday to you🎵 🎉🍰🥂🎉🎂🍹🍮🎉 enjoy your day, Bill!

      1. You can enlarge it, although if you are using a phone it may be difficult. I only use a phone for texting and answering, and only at home.

        1. I’ve tried, Mum, but no magnifying glass and PowerPoint says it cannot handle .png images. Bu55er.

    2. Moved it, enlarged it, still too fuzzy. But it’s probably very interesting, so thank you!

    3. Could you provide the root link, please Poppiesmum? I’ll try to grab the text for other people then.

      1. Only just seen this, Wibbling – sorry not to have replied sooner, I had a dog to walk. Thanks for making the text legible, I took only a screen shot and not the twitter reference.

    4. Finally got it, Mum, and it is all so damned true.

      Open image in a new tab and hit the magnifying glass.

      It worked this time where it hadn’t before I logged out and then logged back in.

    5. Finally got it, Mum, and it is all so damned true.

      Open image in a new tab and hit the magnifying glass.

      It worked this time where it hadn’t before I logged out and then logged back in.

    6. The first to arrive were the cameras
      Installed to protect both you and me
      In places where we weren’t that threatened
      And yet the people didn’t see

      What followed were traffic restrictions
      To keep the roads quiet and clean
      The maths didn’t add up, or the science
      But still the people didn’t see

      Next came the 15 minute neighbourhoods
      Make our lives easier, decreed
      To some, it seemed like restrictions
      But still the people didn’t see

      Then came the Digital ID
      So convenient, easy and free!
      Your life in one chip on a mainframe
      And still the people didn’t see

      The cars they sold were electric
      All wired to the government PC
      They switched off the driving on Sundays
      Yet still the people didn’t see

      The banks moved their money to digital
      The government banned cash the next week
      The ability to fly was restricted
      Yet still the people didn’t see

      They linked up your money and profile
      To the ID on the government PC
      Connected it to social media
      Yet still the people didn’t see

      Then came a new cure, a new virus
      Safe and Effective, and free
      They linked these j&bs to your profile
      And connected the government PC

      When the people were locked up in cities
      Policed by their digital ID
      Unable to visit their loved ones
      Now finally the people can see

      Restricted and tracked with no money,
      To go further a permit you’ll need
      Contained in your digital city
      Oh why did the people not see?!

      These steps they sold us a progress
      Never looked to be quite what they seemed
      If you don’t ask the questions and protest
      Then your children will never know FREE.

  37. PM accelerates Ukraine support ahead of anniversary of Putin’s war. 10 Downing Street. 16 January 2023.

    The Prime Minister is set to accelerate the UK’s diplomatic and military support to Ukraine in the weeks ahead in a bid to push Russia further back and secure a lasting peace.

    A flurry of UK diplomatic activity will take place across the globe this week after the Prime Minister directed senior ministers to drive international action as we approach the first anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February.

    Since the Military, as so much else, is subject to Newton’s Third Law that to, every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, any attempt to force the Russians back will only increase the resistance. Since Russia has the backing of a Nuclear Option its defeat in traditional terms is not simply impossible but unthinkable. Only a fool would seek to back them into a corner where that option would be taken!

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-accelerates-ukraine-support-ahead-of-anniversary-of-putins-war

    1. Good morning Minty and everyone.
      The conflict in the Ukraine: has it really always been a civil war? If so, the British PM should be aware of what happened to India after Independence, and the risks of intervention.

    2. For goodness sake. The right action was a strong NATO presence. The major military power clearing his throat and looking pointedly at Putin should have been enough to bring him to negotiation but no, they’re headed by a senile idiot more interested in politicisation of government than international affairs.

      1. ‘Morning, Wibbles, if you’re pointing at Biden as the senile old fool, remember, all he’s interested in is promoting the American arms industry, giving employment to stupid Democrat voters, and bugger the death-toll in a faraway country, on a continent he cannot identify, so long as it MIGHT cause Russia some hardship.

    3. “ Only a fool would seek to back them into a corner where that option would be taken!”. Step forward the U.K. Prime Minister and take a bow!

  38. Good morning all

    Breezy cold sunny morning . 4c

    In the wee small hours we had a snow flurry. The water meadows are like lakes and many roads are flooded .

    River Frome channel , as it winds its way to Poole harbour, is now similar to the Nile , well not really, but my goodness there is alot of water .

    2. It will be a reminder not to build on water meadows. Except it won’t stop them, councils love council tax.

    1. From that article, I can only suggest that Fauci is one of the first to face the full wrath of the law, for his murderous intent in promoting the vaccines and masks and all the rest of his idiotic sanctions, against a mild influenza epidemic.

  40. Here is one for Bob of Bonsall.
    About 50 yards of railway embankment collapsed near Hook in Hampshire; obviously very disruptive as it’s a main line. The reports said it would take at least a week to repair, my guess would be longer.

    No mention yet of climate change, so it could have been rabbit holes.

    1. It is thought that some chap had been felling the trees that supported the embankment…!!

    1. According to my surgery it’s no long to do with cholesterol but now “Profile and age”. Doctor said she was “obliged to recommend I take statins”. I reminded her that I did once and they nearly killed me. I then asked what my cholesterol reading was and she said “it’s marvellous at only 3.5 what sort of diet are you on”.
      I will never take a drug advised by the government after that.

  42. A great big thank you to all NoTTLers who posted birthday greetings today. I am taking things easy by the stove with the occasional help from a cat or two!

    Your warm wishes are greatly appreciated by this old fogey.

    4. Grattis på födelsedagen, Billy. Go easy on the 1989 Domaine de la Romanée Conti, but have a spiffing day. 👍🏻🍷

    1. It was the DoD in cahoots with the Wuhan lab that developed the gain of function of the virus.

      1. Yes, but it’s a general expression being used by others, like the Chinese who are exploring bioweapons aimed at racial groups among other delights. You don’t like Europeans? Simple…there’s a spray for them at Boots….

          1. Islam isn’t a race.
            The racism card, like every other special treatment demanded by them, is played by Muslims to further strengthen their position and undermine those of non-Muslims.

          3. You replied
            “They can start with the Muslims.”
            to:
            “like the Chinese who are exploring bioweapons aimed at racial groups among other delights”

    1. Given the site, I would be inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.
      Perhaps they’re being cautious and checking that it’s a genuine email address and not a scam?

      Or, alternatively a CEO reads TCW and doesn’t want it widely known and complained!

    1. Apparently it’s Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year.
      At least Eeyore should be happy.

        1. I have just let the dogs out and it’s been snowing! We aren’t supposed to get any until tomorrow.

  46. ‘Ms Lewis, a professional psychic, posted on social media after the incident that her dog was “one of the ones missing”.
    She added: “She’s a Leonberger, please if you have any information please tell me where to go or what to do.” ‘

    Maybe not that professional.

  47. 370060+ up ticks,

    More facts,

    Gerard Batten
    @gjb2021
    ·
    20h
    Remainers really hate their own country, history & traditions.

    True, Churchill described our Parliamentary system as an “elected dictatorship” a hundred years ago, BUT our govnt CAN be removed at election time & replaced with another. The peoples of Europe CAN’T replace the European Commission – the unelected EU govnt.

    Our liberties were not granted by a government but evolved through Magna Carta, hundreds of years of Common Law, & various Constitutional Acts of Parliament.

    The European Convention of Human Rights was influenced by Churchill & modelled on English Common Law. The Nuremburg Trials of Nazi leaders were conducted under the principles of Common Law precisely so that the argument of ‘only following orders’ would be in…more

    https://gettr.com/post/p255c5pc60b

  48. Anthony Burgess’ 1962 novel A Clockwork Orange centers on teenage psychopath Alex and his violent gang of “droogs.” It has proved to be sadly prophetic in Britain, but one line has become newly relevant. In the book, the “Lodovico Treatment” is intended to cure young hooligans of their antisocial tendencies so they do not need to be jailed. It is assumed this is to solve the crime problem, but a politician gives a subsidiary reason: “Soon we may be needing all our prison space for political offenders.”
    It seemed like dystopian stuff sixty years ago. Not now. The land of hope and glory is arresting and jailing more people every year for “hate crimes,” many online. The same police who will not attend burglaries, who drive around in rainbow-colored cars (guaranteed to chill the hardened criminal), and who solve around 5 percent of crimes nationally, will come running if someone disses the LGBTQ “community.” Can anyone sharing similar interests and aims be a community, by the way? There seem to be an awful lot of them. The black community, the gay community, the black gay community. Is there a soccer hooligan community, a drunkard community? We really should be told. Here is just one example of the U.K.’s new totalitarianism.

    https://www.takimag.com/article/the-new-inquisition/

    3. An old Goldfinger trick, he probably wants to feed them all to the piranhas in the tank under the banquet hall

    5. Also Soros can’t get there either, do they think there might be something Going On, have they been alerted?

      2. Reported a couple of days ago that the Swiss Army was placing 5,000 troops at the WEF’s disposal for security. Make of that what you will?

    7. I doubt if it has anything to do with a gene therapy injury as we can be pretty sure that Schwab knows enough about the jabs to avoid having them at all costs.

      2. The whole Davos mob know the dangers of the jabs. They are insisting on unvaccinated pilots for their preferred mode of transport, the private jets.

  50. Suella Braverman personally thanks heroic fisherman who rescued sinking Channel migrants
    Home Secretary praises trawler skipper Raymond Strachan for saving 301 lives from the freezing sea in a tragedy that left four dead
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/15/suella-braverman-personally-thanks-heroic-fisherman-who-rescued/

    BTL

    Ms Braverman should have made them fully aware that they would have received something like an OBE rather than just ‘thanks’ given through gritted teeth if they had returned them to France.

    1. “praises trawler skipper Raymond Strachan for saving 301 lives from the freezing sea”

      That’s a big inflatable!

    2. I think he deserved the George Cross and a similar medal from France. He was doing his duty as a seaman, saving humans in dangerous distress. His boat must have been rather overloaded.

  51. “Scotland Yard bosses have apologised to his victims after admitting missing numerous opportunities to prevent his offending and failing to act on repeated complaints about his behaviour.

    It can now be revealed that Carrick came to the attention of the Metropolitan Police and other forces on nine occasions for a range of offences including domestic abuse, burglary, harassment and assault.

    Three months before he was eventually charged, he was arrested on suspicion of rape but at no point was he ever suspended by his force.”

    Thank goodness he wasn’t a member of BLM or landed on a Kent beach; we’d never have heard about this man, even twenty years later.

      1. She still looked pretty good in her 90’s. Obviously didn’t go down the drugs and booze route.

  53. Penny Mordaunt urges the Church of England to allow gay marriages
    In the first intervention by a Cabinet minister, Leader of the House of Commons asks bishops to overturn the ban and approve same-sex unions
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/16/penny-mordaunt-urges-church-england-allow-gay-marriages/

    We don’t like it when Justin Welby, the Archpillock of Canterbury, gets involved in politics.

    It is just as bad when scurvy politicians get involved in church matters.

    But Mordaunt is probably pushing on an open door. How long will it be before ‘Call Me More Than Just In Welby‘ gets the Cof E to celebrate Sodomy Sunday?

    1. Several BTL posters making the same point – will Mordaunt demand that mosques perform same-sex marriages?

  54. How Britain’s Challenger II tanks could alter the battlefield in Ukraine. 16 January 2023.

    Britain’s Challenger II will be the most capable armoured vehicle gifted to Ukraine, if Rishi Sunak’s government decides to increase military support for Kyiv.

    The protection provided by the Chobham and Dorchester armour – the exact composition of which is graded secret – will enable the vehicles to survive direct hits from Russian T-72 tanks.

    During WWII German armour; particularly the Tiger tank , was largely immune to Allied counterfire. The Soviets got around this by using a Pakfront; actually a German invention ,which consisted of firing what were essentially volleys at a single chosen target. This overwhelmed its ability to respond before it was destroyed . It is not difficult to see surely that these Challenger tanks will be prized targets and will receive special attention. Fourteen of them will be more temptation than threat!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/01/10/challenger-tank-2-ukraine-alter-war-russia-britain/

      1. Quite a bit I would imagine Sos. They will probably be able to buy one of these on the Ukie Black Market!

        1. My bet is on that horse too.

          “Please Mr Zeelensky, we’ve only counted ten of our tanks destroyed, can we have the rest back?”

          “Certainly Mr Anus, I’ll return them both immediately.”

        1. The same types routinely misspell Bombay, Peking and Boadicea (among countess other good old-fashioned words)

    3. “The protection provided by the Chobham and Dorchester armour – the exact composition of which was graded secret”. It won’t be much of a secret when some “enterprising” Ukrainian sells it!

    1. If demonstrators can get away with pulling down a statue and chucking it in a river, why shouldn’t these people be treated the same i.e. not guilty of criminal damage?

      2. Because the protestors here are white, working, family folk. The state hates those sort and they’re often too busy to fight it. The state also intentionally makes the lives of those people difficult out of spite by cancelling licences or hindering training.

        The waster welfarists, being criminals, unemployed and unemployable don’t care what the state does.

    2. Too late. The state has imposed it’s malicious attitude and by not stopping them they will enforce it. The state is relentless, and will continue to spend money on this horror until you are forced to accept it.

  56. Two thirds of tagged Albanian migrants have cut them off or tampered with them. 16 January 2023.

    Two thirds of the Albanian Channel migrants who were electronically tagged to prevent them absconding have cut them off or tampered with them in a bid to escape, Home Office figures show.

    Albanians accounted for 204 of the 284 Channel migrants tagged since June last year to stop them skipping immigration bail or disappearing into the black economy.

    But Home Office figures show 133 of the 204 – 65 per cent – were “non-compliant”, meaning they breached their tagging conditions, including in many cases by removing them.

    Additionally, 51 of the 64 Albanian criminals who were tagged in advance of their potential deportation also broke their conditions.

    This is a farce! The UK Government and its Law Enforcement institutions are essentially defunct!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/15/two-thirds-tagged-albanian-migrants-have-cut-tampered/

    3. We all know what they’re up to and it’s prevalent across Europe.

      https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=131011&page=1

      What is more, the EU considered that prostitution was a measureable revenue to a state’s GDP and even gave the UK (when a member) an assesment of its own percentage of GDP for contribution purposes.

      So where does the UK stand now in relation to what is deemed to be part of our black economy?

    4. Instead of wasting money tagging and monitoring them, why did the state not deport them?

      For goodness sake. The state can’t pretend to want to do something about this carnage after causing it. Fly them back to Albania, push them off the plane. If they complain and kick off, shoot them.

  57. Wish me luck- off in half an hour to see my husband. He called this morning and sounded rather confused- hope that’s just the knock out stuff wearing off. Spoke to the Occupational Therapist and she said it may be a few more days before he’s OK to come home. God, I hope it’s not too long.
    Anyway, I have a goodie bag with 2 books, his phone chargers, change of clothes, pork pies, 2 large baguette sarnies and a placky bottle of ” fruit juice.” Some cigs if he is able to get outside.
    Can’t wait to see him although I suspect he may look haggard and ill. Poor man.

          3. Did you see those yard long boxes of Jaffa’s?

            My problem is when i open the box i can’t stop.

    5. All the best of luck to you and Other Half, Ann.
      Please let us know how things go; all of us on NOTTL have been through similar experiences.

    7. I hope the visit went well and that he’s recovering – and home again soon.

      We had an appointment with the cardiac clinic nurse this afternoon – she was very thorough and we were there for more than an hour. Although all the staff were wearing masks, she took hers off so we could understand what she said, and they didn’t enforce wearing one as they tried to last time we were there.

  58. Afternoon all,

    Alison Holt, BBC Social Affairs correspondent has been on BBC Breakfast TV this morning

    https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/encountering-orwell/alison-holt/#:~:text=Alison%20Holt%20is%20the%20BBC,Joseph%20Rowntree%20Foundation%2C%20in%202015.

    commenting after a clip of Dan Lasserson, https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/med/staff/d_lasserson/ was shown visiting an elderly patient at home.

    He did a blood test and numerous other tests with portable hospital equipment showing that people could be cared for at home as well as in hospital.

    Wherever such tests are done there can still be a number of different conclusions as to their meaning. That is why doctors always allow patients a second medical opinion.

    Alison reckoned that a number of factors mitigated against the practicality of this kind of ‘hopital at home’ care being a realistic solution to the current NHS crisis.

    1. Particularly, protecting themselves against the current Lib/Lab/Con/Green versions of Gov’t.

    2. I’m sure the criminals will be quaking in their trainers over the prospect of firmer laws on shotgun ownership…

    3. Legally owning a shotgun is nothing to do with protection! It’s a tool to knock down pests.
      You’re as bad as Starmer – It’s that kind of thinking, that private ownership in the UK of firearms is to do with self-protection that gets ever-more restrictions placed on them. That’s not needed in the UK. Soon, nobody will have any kind offirearm, and the rats, rabbits, foxes, and a lot of birds will proliferate to the detriment of them and the rest of wildlife.

      2. I think that politicians are worried that if shotguns can be used to shoot vermin then they will be in danger themselves of being shot.

    4. They’re already taking away shotgun licences here in Cornwall and Devon for the flimsiest of reasons.

    6. Is he really suggesting that criminals will hand over their shotguns that aren’t registered anyway. It is very concerning that a former DPP thinks they will. Bet he knows the score but just loves imposing more laws on those who already comply.
      Evil politicians.

    7. It isn’t people who shoot and have firearms licences that are the problem. It’s a blek on blek issue. Since they banned hand guns, gun crime has increased, not fallen. Now only the criminals have hand guns (and our Olympic shooters have to go abroad to train).

    2. The silly women applauding this nonsense are writing their own death warrants. The transgender movement is a construction by globalists to divide society and marginalise women.

      1. The sooner some common sense kicks in and points out that these people are mentally ill, the better.

  67. H’mmmmm ……. not exactly yer average English name. I wonder what his tax contribution has been? Apart from VAT on his takeaways.

    “Fire crews are also seen constructing a ramp to remove the 50stone man out of his ground floor council home in Acton, West London, in an operation estimated to have cost around £10,000.

    After the lengthy extraction process, the heart attack victim, known only as Manuel, is understood to have been rushed to a special ward at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington.”

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11640511/Shocking-moment-firefighters-smash-brick-wall-rescue-50st-heart-attack-victim.html

      1. You’ve got the question marks correct but what is Senor Guevara doing in the middle. ¿Que?

    2. 50 stone man having a heart attic ! Emergency services pull out all the stops to save him ! Dozens of paramedics, police officers, firefighters were among those
      working to save the man known only as Manuel during the incident.

      FFS

        1. They should have let the self indulgent fat bastard to his own devices. He clearly wanted to die by food. An utter fucking waste of resources.

      2. I wonder how many people died but could have been saved, because all those people were occupied saving him?
        If there were any.

        I suspect probably more than one.

      1. Edged sideways through the door?
        Sat down and then gorged himself on crap for as long as it took.

    7. Elephants are contagious!
      Be careful how you tread.
      An Elephant that’s been trodden on
      Should be confined to bed!

      Leopards are contagious too.
      Be careful tiny tots.
      They don’t give you a temperature
      But lots and lots – of spots.

      The Herring is a lucky fish
      From all disease inured.
      Should he be ill when caught at sea;
      Immediately – he’s cured!

      >SPIKE MILLIGAN

    8. Well, I’m going to say it. What right has he to a council flat (if he’s not native).

      I know, I know – it was a rhetorical question.

  69. No matter how disappointing the overall response we now receive from long established services in this country. There is always another trauma awaiting around every corner.
    Despite todays letter taking 7 days to travel around 20 miles. Instead of the expectation of ‘a head on’ with the cardiology department. I’m now getting a friggin phone call.
    After two of the longest years of examinations in my entire life. They must all ready have more than enough information to work on/with every sort of recent test made and hours of in depth examination.
    Now I have to make contact by email, with these people to try and find out exactly how they expect a phone conversation to help with progress in my ongoing and very exhausting health issues.
    A cardioversion takes less than two hours.
    Although it didn’t last more than 3 months.
    Having said that they might have that in mind. But my next appointment with them would have been in July.
    The old sayings are so true. You just couldn’t make it up.

      1. They seem to be over stretched right now Bill.
        Things are worse than I describe, that’s not the only long term problem I have at the moment.

    2. When they told me I would be sent an appointment for my endoscopy, they said it might be “a telephone appointment” rather than face to face! Quite how they were going to manage that one boggled the mind. In the event it is a proper appointment tomorrow afternoon. Oh joy! Nothing to eat and only water to drink and that only until two hours before the appointment time (which is, as they warned me, not necessarily the time I will actually be seen).

  70. Two paragraphs jump out at me from the long – and appalling – DT account of David Carrick.

    “Carrick, who spent a year in the Army, joined the Met in 2001 despite having previously been reported for domestic abuse and burglary.” …….

    “Born in Salisbury into a military family, he never married but had dozens of short-term girlfriends” …….

    In other words, he went into the army because it was expected of him. The army realised they had a bad ‘un on their hands and got rid of him as soon as he’d been given time to show his true colours.

    1. Cripes! I ‘ve just read that one – how incompetent can they get? This guy could have been stopped years ago.

    2. Sorry Anne, but the women concerned were old enough to have known what they were doing. If ‘A Allan’ doesn’t accept that aiding and abetting the statutory rape of a 15 year old girl is an offence why should I care one jot about a bunch of 30 & 40 year old females who discovered that casual sexual affairs can be risky, both physically and emotionally.

  71. Interesting add-ons in modern football! my bold

    Arsenal had been willing to pay what Chelsea paid up front, but crucially the Blues offered £26.5m in add-ons, which the Gunners were not willing to match.

    Shakhtar president Akhmetov has confirmed £20m of the fee will go to Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russia, while Chelsea have agreed to play a friendly in “a Ukrainian Donetsk” after the war.

      1. It will never end unless America is told by EURP to keep their noses out.
        EURP won’t until we can all play a jolly game of WW3

  72. The snow stopped. Actually, it was rather beautiful, because the sun (though not seen here – was out and about and setting – turning all the sow clouds pink.

    I am signing off (no singing tonight!) early to get warm by the stove and read “The Dig” (the novel from which the excellent film was made). It is a real page turner – and fascinating (even though one knows, of course, the outcome).

    A demain

    PS Remember that you have only till 31 January to return complete books of stamps to the GPO for a refund. We thought it had been put back to the summer – but that is ONLY for using “old” stamps. The refund malarkey ends 31 Jan.

  73. A lot of unhappy folk in the UK. And even more unhappy men and women over the scale of this new wave….

    As of August 2022, there were more than 26,200 adults waiting for a first appointment at a gender dysphoria clinic, 90% of whom had been waiting more than 18 weeks, the court judgement said.
    The judge concluded that the duty on the NHS was “a duty to make arrangements with a view to ensuring that the 18-week standard is met” – but crucially it “does not regard failure to achieve that standard… as a breach”.

    1. As of August 2022, there were more than 26,200 mentally ill children posing as adults waiting for a first appointment at a gender dysphoria clinic,

    2. NHS is a hoist to its own petard.. If one has to go privately to have one’s ears and hearing examined and dewaxed and also foot care ,etc why on earth can’t the 26,200 adults waiting for a first appointment at a gender dysphoria clinic go privately .

      The NHS wasn’t meant to be for that sort of thing .

      2. Agreed, Maggie, I cannot afford chiropody at £50 a pop and my toenails are starting to become ingrown.

        My back is so bad, that I cannot reach them.

        I wonder if the National Elf might deign to look and rectumfry them if I complained.

        Probably not – this is NHS Scotland, only beaten to the low spot by NHS Wales.

        2. Tom, I’m not being funny.
          Surely there must be some form of supervision where you live; the RAF cannot just dump people in accommodation that they own and for which they have responsibility.
          Is there an office in the building or someone you can contact to organise such things for you?
          By definition, people living in Dowding House are there because they need an bit of extra support.

          1. The Manageress resigned on 22nd December and we (mostly ex-army wives) are alone until a new one is identified.

            I have had words with the Head Honcho and his sidekick and all they want to focus on are my drinking habits – not a problem for me.

            I have a lady from Annandale & Eskdale looking out for other accommodation, probably in Annan but it might take a year.

            I also have a guy from Dumfries & Galloway Social Services coming on the 19th to see if he can get me ‘Carer’s Allowance’, ‘Pension Credit’ and a reduction in the Council Tax and any other goodies that might boost my income.

            Rent and Council Tax are currently the major drain on my pension pittance. Fortunately, heating is included in the rent, so it is currently (at -4C) on full blast.

            This is what Veterans sheltered accommodation is all about. Oh for the days when I earned £500-600 per day but that’s a long time ago, mostly sucked away by a profligate Swedish wife – now long gone.

            Sorry, Anne, I didn’t mean to lay it all on you but you might now understand why I DO get depressed and anxious from time to time.

            Enough, already.

          2. Tom, I agree with PM’s suggestion below, but as an alternative there’s a Podiatry Clinic in Moffat. No idea as to cost, but surely worth exploring?

            http://www.themoffatclinic.co.uk/

            When I was a frequent flyer at the Diabetic Foot Clinic, an outsourced podiatrist (from Virgin Care) was an essential member of the team. Are you diabetic by any chance? If so – don’t delay. You could end up in my situation. Sans toenails… and feet.

            PS Should you go to A&E at Borders General Horse Spittle, say hello. I spent two years of my life building it.

      3. This is the problem with socialised health, it eventually turns political and supports the political dogma and obsessions of that era. Now I understand why the Americans have been so anti and unsupportive of socialised health and medical care.

          1. Covid is THE example of socialised medicine that has become political to the detriment of all else in health. Of course, all this gender and rainbow stuff is part of the politicisation of socialised health care. It has taken me a long time to understand this. If everyone is working for the benefit of a healthy society in the cohesive society we once were, it wouldn’t be a problem. It only takes those with a wish to fracture society to get into position and we are where we are today.

        2. If you want socialized healthcare hysteria, look no further than Ontario.

          The government have just announced that they will be using private clinics for simple procedures – cataracts, knes and hips kind of thing. It is wonderful to hear the lefties going on about the the introduction of for profit clinics leading to the destruction of the health system.

          It is not private, you cannot pay the clinics and jump the queue but the move really has the healthcare establishment up in arms.

    3. They should keep them waiting a bit longer – gender dysphoria used to be a rare problem before all this pressure for kids to try to be something they are not, and never can be.

    4. That’s a bit much. I would bet that a lot of those on the wait list have time for a change of heart in that time.

    5. A quick Google suggests that the average waiting time for a hip replacement is 111 weeks. But obviously, excruciating pain and immobility immobility are far less urgent than gender dysphoria…

  74. Well, that’s the 10′ scaffolding poles and swivel clamps acquired. Actually 10’9″ as I had to hacksaw a 21½’ pole in half.
    Weather permitting, I’ll probably rig the tirfor up and start pulling the log out tomorrow. I want it pulled about 1½’ before I rig the sheerlegs to support it.
    A bit of good luck, I checked the strops that came with the two damaged tirfors I made the mistake of buying 18 months ago, to find they are only 10m long instead of the 20m of the new strop, which will make life a bit easier!

    Whilst I was at the reclamation yard, it began with hailstones and followed on to snow! I think Derby copped at least 1½”, but after turning off the A6 at Duffield to come up the Ecclesbourne Valley, the snow quickly vanished.

    Rather chilly outside now, -3½°C just now.

      1. -4½°C just now as I put the rubbish bin out for tomorrow morning.
        Might get even colder as the sky is absolutely clear!

      2. It was sunny here, too. I managed to get more weeding done. The wind was bitterly cold, though, and even with thick, fleece-lined, gardening gloves on I struggled.

  76. UK government to block Scottish gender bill
    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-64288757
    The UK government has decided to block a controversial Scottish bill designed to make it easier for people to change their legally recognised gender.
    Ministers in Westminster are concerned the bill impacts UK-wide equalities law.
    It will be the first time ministers have used a Section 35 order, which stops a Scottish bill from becoming law.
    Scotland’s first minister had said such a move would be an “outrage” and the Scottish government is likely to mount a legal challenge in response.

    1. Well at least they’ve done something right for a change – they should stamp out this stupidity.

    2. It was a total set up, the whole contrived controversy was designed to demonstrate Scotland needs independence.

      1. Yep, they need cast adrift to fend for themselves.

        No oil revenue
        No Barnet formula
        No jobs at Faslane
        No use of £ Sterling
        Phenomenal cost of sustainable power.
        No other Energy from England.

        And that’s all I can think of, off the top of my head.

    3. …and who pays for the ‘legal challenge’?

      Certainly not Scotland, even if they lose.

    1. Although many years too late, I think I would be happy to discover he was teaching at my children’s school.

    2. Regarding the description of Islam – his view is correct. Muhammad must be a false prophet, according to Christianity (‘beware false prophets’ and ‘I am the way, the truth and the life – no-one comes to the Father except through me’), and so it is a false religion.

        2. A political theocracy masquerading as a religion intent on world conquest and domination.

  78. An effin’ Bogey Five.

    Wordle 576 5/6
    ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
    ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
    ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
    🟨🟩🟩⬜⬜
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    1. Par 4 here

      Wordle 576 4/6

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

    3. Bogey here as well.
      Scraped by on quordle and did well on wafflegame. All in all a reasonable result.

    4. I got lucky today.
      Wordle 576 3/6

      ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
      🟨🟩🟩⬜⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    5. Par today.
      Wordle 576 4/6

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

    2. A leg injury, received in a jousting tournament that never healed and festered for the rest of his life.
      Exacerbated by his gross obesity.

      1. And possibly syphilis. Everyone knows about the 6 wives but he was also promiscuous outside of his marriages.

        1. I read somewhere that in fact he only had a couple of mistresses that could actually be documented, Mary Blount and Mary Boleyn. How true it is, I can’t say, but it was a bone fide historian who wrote the article.

      2. Or possibly a contributory factor to his obesity – he didn’t moderate his appetite but could no longer take the exercise he did before it. He was a vigorous real (i e royal) tennis player at one time.

    3. It was only in later life that he needed mobility aids, due to his lameness following injury and consequent obesity. In earlier life he was active and vigorous (a wrestler, a real tennis player).

      I think the NT and the beeb might have a problem with this: “However Everywhere and Nowhere looks at Sir Jeffrey as having a complex, full and rounded life which included fighting as a Royalist soldier before being enslaved by pirates.” My emphasis.

  81. Sadly, Gina Lollobrigida has died.
    1927-2023.
    Born on the same day as my Father, but a year later.
    RIP, Gina. Bellissima.

  82. Well, I am home. It doesn’t look good. And to make matters worse they put him back in a hospital gown and bagged up his clothes- upshot of which, his mobile is here with me and not with him. Don’t these people ever feel the pockets!?
    Will go back down tomorrow on the bus which I found out stops right outside the hospital.
    I am worried to death and probably won’t be much company tonight. The fall has exacerbated the other health issues he has and he seems very traumatized.
    Am beside myself- we haven’t had long together and now this.

    1. Oh, Ann, so sorry to hear of such disappointment.

      Just KBO – that’s all the advice I can give.

      I’m sure you’ll bear up under the strain.

      Bluddy horse piddle. I shall always refuse to go, happier to die alone in my own bed with a good book. Fcuk ’em.

    2. That’s discomforting.

      I’m not joking, pour yourself a glass of wine and think through the good aspects.

      Presumably he recognised you and you could talk it through.
      He will have been pleased with his goodie bag and may even be enjoying it as you write.
      If there are problems it’s better that he’s there, rather than having to join an A&E queue.
      The bus is good news.

      Easier said than done, but try to get some half decent sleep, even if it means staying awake as long as possible now.

      Good luck, there will be many praying for you both.

        2. Hopefully he is in the right place for them to find and fix the problem.

          I will do the late shift thinking of you.

        5. Oh Ann, what to say. There are many possible reasons for that, aren’t there. Love and prayers for a positive outcome.

        8. Oh, dear. That could be a side effect of medication. Does he have intestinal problems in the ordinary course of things?

    3. Oh blimey, Ann. What a downer for the both of you.
      Do you have a friend who could drop round and help you feel a bit less down?
      I’ll send a mega-hug anyway. In cae you don’t need it just now, they keep well if stored out of direct sunlight…

    5. Really sorry to hear this. Hope you will have more positive news tomorrow.
      It’s bitter sweet when you meet The One later in life.

    6. Dear heart – that is terrible. All I can say is that when things are at their bleakest – NoTTL and NoTTLers can be a tremendous support.

      KBO.

      1. I am already getting organised….his mobile in my handbag, clean, proper trousers and belt ready to go in my Library Goddess bag. Yes, I do have one, a kid gave it to me in GA. I took him clean stuff today but not real trews, just jammies.
        Now to get through the evening and some sleep…

        1. Play some music to make you relax a bit. I know how miserable it can be to be the one left worrying at home when the loved one is stuck in hospital.

          1. I do and you and your husband were in my thoughts all the time. Let’s hope he’s home soon.

        2. If you ask Phizzee very nicely, he’ll send you a sosraboc doll and you can stick pins in it to your heart’s content.
          That’ll cheer you up.

          1. Raring to go. I can do this- I must be strong, which I am, just need to ramp it up a bit.

          2. Yes, you can do this. You are a very strong person – and your other half needs you to be for him as well. KBO.

        5. Your NoTTLer family are all right behind you, Girl, and believe you me, it cannot be under-estimated, as I found out.

    8. Oh, Lottie.
      What on earth can we say?
      The best we can manage at the moment is to reinforce that we are all thinking of you both and even the atheists are praying for you.

    9. So sorry to hear this Lotl, it will be a long night for you with all this worry, and desperate to get back to the hospital. We will all be thinking of you, and hoping that your man is back home with you soon and his health issues under control. Dig deep, you will find the strength, it is always there when we need it most.

    11. All I can say Lottie, is that Jack and I, as well as all Nottlers here, have you both in our thoughts, so you take care, try for a good nights rest, if you cannot sleep.

    13. I am so sorry to hear that. At least (think positive) the bus is fairly convenient. It doesn’t necessarily mean the worst, but I know it’s hard not to be fearful. Will remember you both in my prayers as usual.

    14. Dear Ann. What a horrible time you’re having and the worry for your darling husband must be dreadful. You’ve made a good plan for tomorrow and I hope all goes well when you go travelling! I’m sure your husband is confused after the surgery and will be much better when he’s had a decent nights sleep. Blessings to you both and sleep well. 🍷

      1. I now have my trusty stick and if anyone annoys me, I shall whack them! And don’t think I wouldn’t. Have decided to be a cantankerous old cow.

          1. Am taking a brief leave from identifying as a penguin, even though I am wearing my penguin sweater.
            No, until my old man comes home it’s cantankerous hell’s granny.

          3. Note to self.

            Make sure that we notice that Ann is being cantankerous, I would hate to be the person accused of not noticing the change.

            Cantankerous all that you want with us but tread lightly with the nurses – even if they don’t deserve it.

      1. I should prolly (©BT) have mentioned prayer, but I’m rubbish at it, until it seems the only option. When I had my extreme chiropody, there were many in the parish who were praying for me. Possibly due to the motley assortment of dubious organists who took my place. But my recovery was swift. And, in the meantime, our part-time lady priest was engineering my redundancy. But our new Rector just happened to be a former chaplain at Headley Court, and was therefore the best-equipped CoE cleric to understand amputees. I’m still here. Lady Vicarette isn’t. Divine intervention? Who knows.

        For shame, prayer is something I only do on Sundays. Tonight I’ll make an exception.

        1. Thank you for that Little Bro’ .
          I am off to bed very soon as I want to get going tomorrow morning. Life’s a bitch, isn’t it?

    16. Oh dear dear Lottie, so sorry to hear. Perhaps the effects of the anaesthetic still lingering? Do hope tomorrow brings good news. Thinking of you both.

  83. 370060+ up ticks

    I do believe I’v upset the pro jab brigade on twitter with a mild anti jab post they pounced quicker en masse than a rat.polecat,politician up a drainpipe.

  84. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/05d2dbd34ca424ea31057b6c20d50d66738683a598894eb9dd85af048f2976c8.png
    Back in the days of tanners and bobs,
    When Mothers had patience and Fathers had jobs.
    When football team families wore hand me down shoes,
    And T.V gave only two channels to choose.

    Back in the days of three penny bits,
    When schools employed nurses to search for your nits.
    When snowballs were harmless; ice slides were permitted
    And all of your jumpers were warm and hand knitted.

    Back in the days of hot ginger beers,
    When children remained so for more than six years.
    When children respected what older folks said,
    And pot was a thing you kept under your bed.

    Back in the days of Listen with Mother,
    When neighbours were friendly and talked to each other.
    When cars were so rare you could play in the street.
    When Doctors made house calls and Police walked the beat.

    Back in the days of Milligan’s Goons,
    When butter was butter and songs all had tunes.
    It was dumplings for dinner and trifle for tea,
    And your annual break was a day by the sea.

    Back in the days of Dixon’s Dock Green,
    Crackerjack pens and Lyons ice cream.
    When children could freely wear National Health glasses,
    And teachers all stood at the FRONT of their classes.

    Back in the days of rocking and reeling,
    When mobiles were things that you hung from the ceiling.
    When woodwork and pottery got taught in schools,
    And everyone dreamed of a win on the pools.

    Back in the days when I was a lad,
    I can’t help but smile for the fun that I had.
    Hopscotch and roller skates; snowballs to lob.
    Back in the days of tanners and bobs.

      1. At school, we used to use the empty plastic sheath of a Bic as a peashooter, using rice instead of peas. Aimed at the back of your classmate’s ear it stung like buggery!

          1. Slippered. Kicked up the arse. Slapped on the arse. Wooden stick across the arse. Ruler across the hand. Blackboard rubber. Lines. Detention.

            But never caned officially (with a report in the punishment book).

          1. Biros (or ballpoint pens) were discouraged at my school; we were expected to use (junior school) dip pens with ink wells or (senior school) fountain pens (cartridge variety were permissable).

      3. It did change.
        The originals didn’t have a hole in the tip of the cap. This was changed a few decades ago to have a hole in – so you could possibly breathe if it was in your windpipe. 1980’s, I believe.
        I’ll get me anorak. The one with the fur-trimmed hood…

        1. That explains why I never noticed the hole in the lids. One only really looks at things as a small child – its existence came as a great surprise a few years ago.

      1. Quite agree. Since I moved (I’m in one of six retirement bungalows) My five neighbours are all friendly and talk. Except one who was housebound and (due to covid) I never met. But she still managed to send Christmas cards via her carers. She’s gone to a care home now, so there’s a vacancy. Folk elsewhere on our small estate are equally friendly. Hard to believe this is Surrey, really…

    4. That’s a great poem you have written, Grizzly. But why did you have to illustrate it with an old photo of me putting my crumble into the oven whilst my marmalade is boiling in pots?

  85. 370060+ up ticks,

    breitbart,

    Bastards through & through inclusive of current supporters.

    Horrible Propaganda’ – EU Project Rebrands Paedophiles ‘People with a Sexual Interest in Children’
    26
    TOPSHOT – Students transport an inflated globe and a flag of the European Union through the streets during a “Fridays for Future” protest for urgent climate action on May 24, 2019 in Muenster, northwestern Germany. – In a shift since the last European Parliament elections, mainstream parties have adopted climate …GUIDO KIRCHNER/dpa/AFP via Getty Imaged with something “more appealing and morally neutral”.

    It comes after controversy surrounding an EU project’s use of the term Minor-Attracted People (MAPs) to describe paedophiles, despite the fact that the term is highly controversial, and seen by some as overly sympathetic towards predators.

    However, despite the use of the term prompting huge backlash only last month, Terhes claims that the EU still seems to be trying to soften the language around paedophiles, with another EU project on child protection repeatedly referring to them as “people with a sexual interest in children”.

  86. We are watching Nigel. I learn that I need to be corrected. Skidmark is married with kids, to whom Osborne is Godfather to one.

    However we (the MIR family) stand by the fact Skidmark is living off daddy’s money, and plans to make his own fortune by getting into the subsidies available for “renewables” (sic).

      2. I said last week my in-laws knew Skidmark’s parents and that I thought Skidmark wasn’t married and had no children. In fact it transpires Skidmark is married with children.

        I knew there was a connection with Osborne but thought Skidmark was Godfather to one of Osborne’s children (but it is the other way round).

        Amazing what one learns talking to one’s spouse! (Doesn’t happen often- ships in the night and all that).

      3. Skidmore is a great champion of renewable junketry and has been in the news because of his net zero review in which he tells the government to get on with it.

  87. It is -2.1c already outside here, S. Cambs. There were very clear skies here this evening, crystal clear.

    1. Just been to put the rubbish bin out for tomorrow morning and it’s a VERY clear night with -4½°C on the thermometer.

      1. 5 degrees here with a cloudy sky, but snow forecast for tomorrow (which is the day we put our bins out for collection on Wednesday).

    1. Nope,
      They could say Trump was the greatest POTUS ever, and the MSM would agree, because the Biden’s said so, so it must be true!.

    2. I’m sure I never heard of anyone getting away with losing classified documents by saying they were “inadvertently misplaced” – must be a new form of truth?

      2. My county council, according to one of the councillors, who should know, has “inadvertently misplaced” (i e lost) ten grand that it received from a development to repair roads. Will heads roll? You must be joking.

        1. The librarian (Huh) I replaced in GA mislaid an awful lot of media centre funds…..the only way they got Capone was tax evasion* and it was the same with her. So many crooks around.
          Edit- embezzlement.*

    4. Listening to lawyers on the War Room opining on SCI marked documents i.e. sensitive compartmented information, cannot inadvertently be misplaced. There is a chain of custody that controls this above top secret information and the VP does not have the authority to remove these documents from their secure storage. Only the president has that authority.

  89. Anyone got any thoughts on this?

    Through contacts I can’t reveal, I have heard on the grapevine that in the cesspit that is Westminster, Truss and Kwasi were “at it”. Am I being had?

    4. Now that the hi risk and the mistaken pronunciation are being shown up for what they are, why wouldn’t the rumour mill be trying to damn T&K to the max?

  92. Perhaps the times they are a changing?

    https://news.sky.com/story/why-an-absence-of-a-listers-at-davos-is-not-just-deep-trouble-for-the-world-economic-forum-but-for-globalisation-too-12788056

    A bit I liked:

    But there are two overarching reasons why Davos matters. The first is: convening power.
    It stands and falls on whether it can persuade enough influential people to come here, so that the other influential people can rub shoulders with them.
    The second is something deeper: most of the delegates here benefit from a world where capital and trade move freely from one part of the world to another. This place is not the explanation for the globalisation of the past few decades, but it has certainly thrived in that world.
    And on both of these fronts, things are not looking good for Davos.

    My bold & italics
    I hope so, I really hope so.

    1. “We haven’t applied the same sense of ruthlessness to guarding our own integrity that we routinely apply to confronting criminals.”

      I’m sorry, but:
      ha bloody ha,
      ha ha bloody ha.

      London, crime capitol of Europe, knives, guns, drugs, gangs, muggings, rapes, assaults shop invasions; you name it, London’s got it.

      AND diversity in spades, as it were….

  94. Goodnight and God bless, Gentlefolk.

    I’m bed wise bound but have to wash up before then.

    In Bill’s words, “A demain.”

  96. I’m slip sliding away now.
    I hope I get past 3 am before I’m wide awake again.
    Night all. 🌙 🌠

  97. Going to bed now and hope to get some sleep. Thank you all again for your kind and supportive comments.
    Am exhausted.
    X to you all.

    3. Remember the prayer: Lord help me change the things I can change and leave the things I cannot and give me the wisdom to know the difference.

  98. Good night, everyone. I’m off to bed now, so I hope we all sleep well and awaken refreshed.

      1. Yes pm , my neighbour was discussing that at the weekend , he needs regular ear cleanings , no longer done by the nurse .. standard £70 ear clean !

        1. Perhaps your neighbour should get an icing pump and some warm ŵater…. a do-it-yourself kit!

    2. A local nurse nearby does it for £45.00.
      She’s much better than the NHS gals who no longer do it!

      1. That is still expensive , but good on her .

        I have been told that Boots eye care have a hearing thingummybob to do just that , costs are similar I think .

  102. 370060+ up ticks,

    I don’t know,

    Update on the twitter episode, they really are acting like they have itching powder in their drawers,

    I really was trying to help when I said,

    A
    liked your reply
    in view of rising jab injuries from a toxic experiment I believe that more than one defibrillator within the village is not out of order.

    Point of fact maybe one each.

    1. Most folk in the village will have no
      idea even how to operate a defibrillator.

      These devices have been placed in villages as a supposed benefit because the PTB expect many vaccine recipients to have seizures and are covering their backs. Look: we funded and provided these precious defibrillators to the plebs!

      A shame the fuckers died because they did not know who to contact to access them or else how to use them.

        2. We have one in our bowls club. When you open it it tells you exactly what to do. We also made contact with the local First Responders and their manager came to the club and gave a demonstration. Excellent charity to support as they usually arrive at a cardiac arrest incident before the ambulance. https://www.woking-responders.co.uk/

  104. Regarding Davos. Davos as operated by Klaus Schwab is a front. It is a front to cover the shenanigans of a host of other entities, principally those who control global stocks such as Blackrock and its representative some oaf name of Larry Finkel, the rascals making fortunes from social media platforms such as Zuckerberg, the skunks controlling online trading such as Bezos, the globalists running Google and a host of other iniquitous entities.

    The Davos platform is a secretive venture where an assortment of international criminal entities propound upon their unique ideas to reconstruct and restructure the lives of billions of people.

    So we have the likes of Tony Blair on some committee when the bastard should actually be confined for his crimes against humanity.

    Davos is a joke in the worst possible taste. Time surely for it to be shut down, its contributors held in custody and put on trial for crimes against humanity. This happened before at Nuremberg and all crimes should now be revised. Under Nuremberg II.

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