Saturday 28 October: NatWest needs an overhaul if the trust of taxpayers is to be regained

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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474 thoughts on “Saturday 28 October: NatWest needs an overhaul if the trust of taxpayers is to be regained”

  1. Good morrow, Gentlefolk. today’s story

    Vegan Die(t)

    Paul McCartney got the family round the table the day of Linda’s death and announced to the family, “I’ve got good news and bad news.”

    The family says, “What’s the bad news?”

    Sir Paul replies, “Well, your Mother died this morning.”

    “So, what’s the good news, then, Father?” the family asks.

    To which Paul replies, “We’re having steak for dinner tonight!”

  4. 378185+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    Dt,

    Face masks let thugs, thieves and other criminals hide in plain sight. Ban them

    Could not agree more, we witnessed the above whip them of as soon as they entered number 10s door.

    Ties are back for MPs

    They are partial to parties at number 10, could we not arrange a poetically justified mass necktie party ? to show our appreciation in regards to lockdown.

  5. Massive pro-Palestine protest shuts down Grand Central station in New York. 28 October 2023.

    Thousands of protesters forced the closure of Grand Central station in New York on Friday night in a large sit-in against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

    The demonstration, made up mostly of Jewish New Yorkers, took over the main hall of the iconic station and blocked its main concourse.

    Organisers called the peaceful sit-in “the largest civil disobedience New York City has seen in 20 years”.

    This is largely the result of Zionism which has never been as popular with American Jews as the MSM makes out.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2023/10/28/protest-new-york-grand-central-israel-gaza-palestine/

    2. So you are saying, Minty, that Jewish New Yorkers held a protest (peaceful sit-in) at Grand Central Station to hold a pro-Palestinian protest? This has confused me somewhat. Can you explain?

      1. Morning Elsie. You have stated it yourself. Incredible as it may seem that is what happened. Not all Jews are Zionists!

  6. Startlingly early on parade, but then I remember the clocks have gone back/forward.

    Morning all.

    1. ‘Morning, Wibbles, though I hate to say it, the Americans identify it best:

      Spring Forward; Fall Back.

    3. All this fiddling with the clocks was something to do with WW2. Nobody has ever actually explained why it’s still necessary.

      2. Actually it dates from WW1. The Germans did it so we did it to keep up. Might have known it would be a Hun horror!

  8. Cats have the power to glow in the dark, scientists discover. 28 October 2023.

    Cats always land on their feet, are seen as a symbol of good luck in some cultures and enjoy nine lives, but now feline folklore has received an extra boost as scientists have found they can even glow in the dark.

    The domestic cat is one of 125 species that has been found to have fluorescent properties that illuminate it under UV light.

    For Nottl Cat Persons!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/10/04/cats-glow-fluorescent-australia-dark-mammals-uv-light/

    1. Since the sad loss of our friend and companion lottie the Lab. We seem to have quite a few cats using the rear garden for exercise. I suppose it might stop the squirrels from making holes in our lawn. And possibly keep rats away.

        1. My old business partner found a baby squirrel at the bottom of a tree on Finchley golf course. He took it home and fed and basically raised it. Kept it housed I a large parrot cage.
          It started to run wild in the house up Curtains and all over house.
          He took it back the spot where he found, it opened the box he’d put it in to travel. The squirrel lept out and sank it teeth into his nose. And tan off 4 stitches.
          That’s a lesson to learn the hard way.
          You can take a squirrel out of a tree…….

          2. But not rats apparently. We are no allowed to kill them I was told.
            Probably because they are related to our political classes.

    1. And remove the wasters here! House them in shipping containers. It’ll make them easier to return.

  11. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/10/27/max-hill-jihad-chant-not-automatic-hate-crime-cps-hamas/

    Yes it is. However, if you want to bend over backward to accommodate a ruthless murderous religious cult then go ahead – just do it in another country. The lies and deceit the state spews out to protect muslim is laughable but so, so dangerous to the public.

    Does this berk realise his attitudes and platitudes are the reason 100,000 psychos were screaming and wailing for Israelis to be slaughtered utterly untouched by the state?

  12. Good morning all.
    A pleasant evening for eldest daughter & self over a couple of pints of Titanic Plum Porter whilst listening to a decent duo performing then home and an early night.

    A dull and misty 5°C this morning.

  13. Good day all,

    Bright start at McPhee Towers but heavy rain forecast for this afternoon and evening. Wind in the South10℃ > 12℃.

    Clown World #1

    I bet Scooter Useless regrets spitting out the word ‘white’ so many times in the Holyrood joke parliament in the wake of the George Floyd hysteria.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0ab2fd000189493495d789d18884ebc1c8a65f432e37257fd138e3a9ccee612a.png

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/849ce90bc72f95a19ec7ca30f4f522b7f348ef3e64e82b4a6808a19458a5ccf1.png

    Another political career over. Oh dear, what a pity, never mind.

    1. He’s always been a racist. He’s the one who complained that Scotland was 97% white. The UK is a white country. No one wanted 25 million foreigners shovelled on us. The unworking, state sapping, welfare dependent wasters should go.

      1. That’s an example of the misrepresentation social media is renowned for. If this is a reference to the current First Minister’s address to the Scottish Parliament in 2020 – the one Elon Musk has suddenly piped up about – then it wasn’t about Scotland’s overall population being too white but that ethnic minorities are underrepresented in senior positions of Scottish civic society and that it’s indicative of the less overt forms of racism which pervade that country. I disagree, but his point was much narrower than that being attributed to him.

  14. Good day all,

    Bright start at McPhee Towers but heavy rain forecast for this afternoon and evening. Wind in the South10℃ > 12℃.

    Clown World #1

    I bet Scooter Useless regrets spitting out the word ‘white’ so many times in the Holyrood joke parliament in the wake of the George Floyd hysteria.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0ab2fd000189493495d789d18884ebc1c8a65f432e37257fd138e3a9ccee612a.png

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/849ce90bc72f95a19ec7ca30f4f522b7f348ef3e64e82b4a6808a19458a5ccf1.png

    Another political career over. Oh dear, what a pity, never mind.

  15. Clown World #2

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6d08ab8c60b030193ad593869eff131568d38022728980f63c99e604cda6a189.png

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d8af78097ef569b674e7b577e988ff8f1fc6c458b7dad3fc1f905432f0319fc5.png

    The practice of adding “something for charity” has been around for some while. I first noticed it in filling stations a couple of years ago and I have always refused. It’s good to see that in most filling stations where there is an option to do this the person behind the counter usually taps ‘No’ before offering the card payment device so refusal is obviously widespread.

    If I’m ever presented with a restaurant or pub bill which has this added to it not only will I remove it but I’ll remove the ‘optional’ service charge as well because of the unredeemable stupidity of putting it on in the first place.

    2. Whenever I have seen this ‘charity’ donation, I have never seen which charity the money will be going to. For all I know, it could be Stonewall. I will not donate unless I know where my money is going.

        1. That’s fine – you can see where the donation is going. It’s when the request is ‘for charity’ – you have no idea which one (or ones).

          1. Who’s boss of ‘Save the Rhino’ and what is his or her remuneration and on his or her CV? That’s where I’d start.

    3. Any Chef/Patron signing up to this is virtue signalling.
      Restaurants are already in big trouble with the huge rise in fuel costs and are either increasing their prices or going out of business.
      Marco has sold out and is advertising Knorr stock cubes and James Martin had to close his Winchester Deli because it failed the most basic hygiene standards.

    4. I noticed that in the Cancer Research Shop the “round up the penny” plea has become “add an extra pound”. I always say no. If I wanted to pay over the odds I’d decide to do it when I looked at the price and decided to go ahead anyway.

  16. Clown World #3

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8250c001ee78403a7224b5c9d46638a02a0dcb9d1e8bc54fe48e3cebe9d3414c.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e749414c7fc1eeb18868f84e08f9d548567288a866621051b70d3a1642de65e3.png

    A 2:1 in politics from York university, a few years working in organised lying (PR), into the Downing Street Policy Unit in 2021 and, Hey Presto, in 2023 she’s a baroness. She’s 30. Ten years ago she was an undergraduate. She knows nothing of the world outside lying and politics. No doubt she’s a very nice girl.

    It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World.

      1. If not already. I should imagine Carrie’s constant banging on about climate change and Net Zero might have a disappointing effect on his libido.

    2. Since women only date up, she only has a few old duffers as potential mates. Long-term revenge!

      1. Oh I don’t know. The Warqueen is a definitive 12 on the scale of 1-10 and I’m around a 2.

    3. It certainly is mad. But she might get into trouble for not being diverse.
      I wonder if there is anyone out there named Diana Verse.
      And know the ‘James Bond’ 007 is lady of colour. I think the producer’s might have developed a cash flow problem.

    4. Given Boris Johnson’ record with the female sex you must wonder why this young woman’s elevation to the peerage featured in his resignation honours list.

      In France things are more open – for example Edith Cresson was President Mitterrand’s mistress and he appointed her as prime minister and she lived with him in a ménage a trois.

      François Holland used to visit the apartment of his mistress, a blue film actress, riding pillion on the back of a scooter properly attired in a safety helmet. The driver was instructed to bring the president and his mistress fresh croissants for breakfast the following morning.

      The French were not shocked by the fact that their president had a mistress – indeed it was expected of him – but they did think that travelling on the back of a glorified moped demeaned the dignity of his high office. Had he arrived in a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce or Mercedes he would have been applauded.

      1. In the 18th century mistress to the King was an official rank at court on both sides of the channel?

        1. Apparently the churlish Idiot King peevishly said to his first wife that the Prince of Wales always has a mistress so why shouldn’t he have one too.

    6. It used to be that the Lords of a serious, apolitical debating chamber that improved legislation. Now it is a squabbling, immature talking shop jammed full of cronies and wasters who’ll vote the right way.Our entire political system is corrupt.

    1. That sort of sums up my commitment above.
      WTF is going on out there !
      Who do these people think they are ?

      1. 378185+ up ticks,

        Morning RE,

        Many of these are our elected, via the polling stations, political representatives.

        1. I expect there is more misrepresentation in the counting than we might realise.
          And a lot of fake votes.

          1. “It’s not who votes that counts it’s who counts the votes” variously attributed to Stalin (unlikely)

  18. Morning all 🙂😊
    Just grey more rain forecast.
    It seems that our banks are taking the mickey,
    After being told we (used them since 1980) are no longer entitled to Premier Banking we’ve transferred our savings to the Leeds isa at 5.2 percent. Get stuffed Barclays.
    There seems to be some sort of period in the UK of “Get out of my way. Do you know who (we are) I am” ? Attached to a mass of over self importance and even narcissism. Is our society following the lead set by our “We don’t give one.” political classes?
    Meanwhile this is happening, we are all being screwed over by our government at the rate of 8 million pounds a day to house thousands of illegal invaders mostly male. Why is this even taking place at all ?

    1. The intent of the state post Brexit has been to destroy this country out of spite. Once enough damage has been done they’ll force us to the IMF who will, in turn and agreed prior, ram us back into the EU.

      Then the Lefty state can smirk openly as the country disintegrates.

  20. Not much going on here so…..
    Time for my weekly treat, two slices of home made white bloomer, three rashers of bacon, possibly two eggs and some daddies sauce. And a large mug of ground coffee.

    1. Gosh – one doesn’t see bloomers much these days!

      (A comment setting up Mrs A Allan)…..

      1. Especially crusth

        Since I’ve updated my phone it seems to have a hair trigger, it’s a PITA.

  22. Not a single team in the Rugby World Cup has been unbeaten during the competition.

    However, 5 teams have only been beaten once: England, France Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand. The teams beaten by the smallest margin – just one point – are England and France.

    England 15 South Africa 16 – Margin of defeat I point
    France 28 South Africa 29 – Margin of defeat 1 point
    Ireland 24 New Zealand 28 – Margin of defeat 4 points
    South Africa 8 Ireland 13 – Margin of defeat 5 points
    New Zealand 13 France 27 – Margin of defeat 14 points

    I suppose we should take some comfort in the fact that England and France have been less well beaten during the competition than either of the finalists.

    2. Those low scores seem to bring more excitement to the games.
      A late drop goal as we have seen can make it impossible to regain a previous lead.

    3. I suppose. At one point in last night’s match, which the better team lost, England had a fly-half out of position at full-back, a full-back out of position on the wing, two fly-halves in mid-field and their one wrecking-ball of a centre taken off. What goes through Borthwick’s mind, I wonder?

      The Sprinboks played poorly against England but scored the only try of the match and didn’t take the lead until the 78th minute. Like true world champions, they found a way to win when it really mattered. They thrashed NZ 35 -7 in August. NZ will be looking for revenge.

      I’m hoping for a scorcher tonight although I still think it’s the Springboks cup to lose. I just hope yellow/red cards don’t ruin the game.

      1. England had bad luck against South Africa but towards the end of the game South Africa were very much on top.

        England were the better side in the first half against Argentina but by the end of the game Argentina was by far the better side and would have won by a large margin had the game gone into extra time

      2. I forgot last night’s match was on. The local social club was showing the Crystal Palace vs Spurs football match. The football was probably the better choice as I don’t understand Rugby at all well.

      3. “I just hope yellow/red cards don‘t ruin the game”.

        Or constantly stopping to reset the scrum!

  23. Humza Yousaf hits back after Elon Musk brands him ‘racist’

    A fact check carried out by the Reuters news agency in February concluded that the clip misrepresented Mr Yousaf’s comments by suggesting he had been arguing that Scotland contained too many white people.

    Reuters said: “Yousaf’s speech was given as part of a wider discussion about racial injustice and the lack of people of colour in positions of power in the Scottish Parliament and government.

    “The speech did not assert that white people make up too large a proportion of Scotland’s overall population.”

    A ‘fact check’. Just consider the use of those two words in that context.

    Poor Mr Yousaf. So misunderstood.

    2. Him being in that position in Scotland is a practice run for when the slammers take over the rest of the UK.
      Our idiots have ignored this possibility and have housed and cared for the backup. And we’re paying for our own national demise.

      1. And now Dr Malik has been suspended without pay for mispeaking about the vaccines.

        From the DS

        Dr.

        Ahmad Malik has been suspended without pay for speaking up about Covid

        vaccine harms and challenging the U.K. Government’s narrative on the

        ‘safe and effective’ experimental jabs.

        Over

        the last several years, Dr. Malik, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon in

        London, has posted online messages and videos highlighting research into

        the side-effects and efficacy of the Covid vaccines. Considering that

        well-founded concerns about harms and lack of benefit were being ignored

        or covered up, he called for a suspension of the vaccines to ensure a

        thorough investigation.

        This led to complaints and he was suspended by his hospital and referred to the General Medical Council (GMC).

        The result, says Dr. Malik,

        in that he has lost most of his income, his reputation is being dragged

        through the mud and his professional practice is being harmed for as

        long as the suspension continues.

        Dr. Malik is now taking legal action against his employer and he needs your help.

        Fundamentally at stake are patient safety and freedom of speech, he

        says, as when doctors are not free to give their professional medical

        opinion without threat of repercussions, patient safety is impossible.

        You can find out more and donate to the fundraiser for his legal costs here.

        All funds raised will go towards legal costs only and if there are any

        left over they will be donated to a fund for the vaccine injured or to

        support other doctors whose medical free speech is under threat..

          3. Rishi Dunakmrefusing to say if he profited from Moderna Covid vaccine. Couldn’t post with the AZ article.

          4. This is about no plans for U.K. to order more supplies of AstraZeneca Covid vaccine. (For some reason I wasn’t able to post the Rishi Sunak and Moderna one with this so it’s in second reply.

          5. I had two jabs of that stuff before the harmful effects were publicised. I had no adverse reactions at all but I think I dodged a bullet there.

    4. Reuters news agency, in common with most “legacy media” institutions, trades on its past reputation. A reputation it long since ceased to live up to. Covid put in the final nail when it came to light that Reuters Fact Checkers’ boss had ties with Pfizer. Still, the Reuters archive is amazing.

        1. Tried a net search to check my recollection was correct but so much info that was once available seems to’ve already disappeared down the memory hole.

    5. You can fact check it for yourself. Humza Yousaf posted the clip on his own Facebook page on 12 June 2020. I remember the backlash from the time, so this is neither new nor has it lain hidden and undiscovered, despite Elon Musk only just having found it.

      https://www.facebook.com/HumzaYousaf/videos/185423522849403/?app=fbl

      According to population data, 95.4 per cent of the Scottish population3 report their ethnicity as ‘White’. Approximately 4.5 per cent of the population are from ethnic minorities, with the Asian population being the largest minority ethnic group (2.8 per cent).
      Annual diversity report 2020/21 – Audit Scotland

      http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk › report

      1. Nobody said it was ‘lain hidden and undiscovered’, nobody needed to ‘check the facts’. It was pure mischief-making by Yousaf and was described as such at the time. The absurdity is Reuters intervention, as though it is capable of insights beyond the powers of the prejudiced plebeians.

        1. Musk’s “revelation” made it seem as if it was newly discovered.

          Reuters thought their intervention was necessary because some were incorrectly spreading the notion on social media that Yousaf was complaining about Scotland’s overall population being too white rather than claiming – wrongly in my view – that they were underrepresented in senior positions in civil society. Now that he’s First Minister, maybe he’s now satisfied that the quota has been filled.

          Scotland’s overall ethnic mix isn’t the proper yardstick by which to judge whether ethnic minorities are underrepresented in various roles. When looking at senior positions in Scotland’s civil society, age and experience are dominant criteria, so it’s the ethnic mix of, say, the 40-70 age band which ought to be more pertinent and I expect ethnic minorities are a smaller proportion of that group than overall.

          1. We might ask why Musk has raised the subject now but no explanations are needed as to the purpose of Yousaf’s speech. The careful pausing and the stabbing out of the words left little doubt.

  24. Humza Yousaf hits back after Elon Musk brands him ‘racist’

    A fact check carried out by the Reuters news agency in February concluded that the clip misrepresented Mr Yousaf’s comments by suggesting he had been arguing that Scotland contained too many white people.

    Reuters said: “Yousaf’s speech was given as part of a wider discussion about racial injustice and the lack of people of colour in positions of power in the Scottish Parliament and government.

    “The speech did not assert that white people make up too large a proportion of Scotland’s overall population.”

    A ‘fact check’. Just consider the use of those two words in that context.

    Poor Mr Yousaf. So misunderstood.

    1. The worst ‘flu I ever had was after having that jab at workplace, decades ago. Once, only once: haven’t had it (or ‘flu) since.

      2. I ignore the text messages “inviting” me to have the flu jab. Had flu just once and I can’t have been much more than 30 at the time. Put me on my back and it took at least a month to regain full strength. I guess that’s “long covid”.

        1. I was 24 at Christmas 1972 and I was confined to bed for nearly a week – it was nasty – and I had a second bout of it about a month later. Then I had morning sickness a couple of months after that………unrelated!

          4. The morning sickness was several months later. My younger son was born the following Christmas.

      3. Only once had the flu jab – in 2020 the propaganda must have got to me. I’ve had flu twice (confined to bed for several days with a lot of sweat when it worked its way out) at Christmas 1972 and again in March 1984.

        Never experienced anything similar since though I’ve had some real corkers of summer colds. Since I’ve been taking VitD3 nothing untoward except a sore throat in August last year when I was was on the summer break from Vit D.

      4. A few years ago, I think they made a massive mistake and used a vaccine for the wrong virus.
        My good lady and I had covid last August, we caught in Cornwall.
        But it was no worse than flu.
        After my previous experiences with ‘vaccines’ I have not and never will have a ‘vaccine’ again.

        1. The vaccine developers have to project 18 months ahead.
          There was one year where they were only 3% correct.
          I won’t have the ‘flu vaccine, but I do sympathise with scientists trying to foresee a lurgy inflicted by the virus equivalent of quicksilver.
          (I just hope they don’t rely on Prof Pantsdown’s steam driven ‘pooter.)

    3. I had a flu shot a few weeks ago. As with all previous ones, I experienced no adverse reaction. I haven’t had flu but that might have been the case had I not had the shots. It’s impossible to know how the alternative course of events would have worked out. The shots might be a waste of my time and NHS money or they might be sparing me an unpleasant illness. What I can say with some certainty is that they give me a modicum of peace of mind, even if it’s not warranted.

      1. I have had a flu jab just once and this was many years ago. It was the year I subsequently had the worst ever does of flu I have ever had.

        1. Let’s conclude that flu jabs are good for some, bad for others and that it’s impossible to determine beforehand which group you’ll fall into. Toss a coin when first invited to have one and let that be the determinant.

          1. I should add that I don’t believe I’ve ever had flu, only bad colds, mainly on the basis that no respiratory illness of any kind has confined me to bed other than a childhood dose of pneumonia, and that was a doctor’s diagnosis.

          2. Few people have had influenza. They have a bad cold and instantly inform the world they have ‘flu. I have had ‘flu once in my life and I was confined to bed, desperately ill, for a fortnight. It has become accepted practice to call a bad cold the ‘flu. If anyone does catch influenza, they will never forget the horrific experience.

          3. That’s because there isn’t a good word to describe a bug that’s worse than a cold, but not influenza.

      2. I had one – 20 years ago. I was very ill immediately after for a month. The GP said it was “pure coincidence”….

    4. I had proper influenza in early spring 1976. Bed ridden for 10 days shivering and sweating simultaneously. Another week to recover. I had a couple of flu jabs many years ago but have come to the conclusion that I now have natural immunity.

  26. If you have never seen this before you must spare 3 minutes of your life. I’m not a vegan, but if potato salad can make you so supple I’m willing to give it a try. I’m sorry Bill T but you are only allowed one serving at a time. (You may have to turn the volume down a little.)
    https://youtu.be/61cY1ILv60k

    1. Solid potato salad,
      That’s solid salad, Jack!
      Solid potato salad, boy,
      Take a plate, fill it up, bring it right back!

      Solid potato salad,
      And let’s have no “yak-yak!”.
      Solid potato salad, boy,
      Take a plate, fill it up, bring it right back!

  27. Greenwich Mean Time

    The Shepherd Gate Clock was installed at the gates to the Observatory, and was the first clock ever to show Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) directly to the public.

    The first thing you notice about the Gate clock is that it has 24 hours on its face rather than the usual 12. That means at 12 noon the hour hand is pointing straight down rather than straight up.

    But this clock is not just a quirky toy.

    The Shepherd Gate Clock is known as a ‘sympathetic’ clock, because it depends on another clock inside the main Observatory building for its accuracy. This highly accurate clock is known as the ‘motor’ clock.

    While the Shepherd Gate Clock is the one most visitors see, the motor clock is the true technological breakthrough: keep an eye out for it inside the Time and Greenwich Gallery.

    Between 1852 and 1893, the time was sent via telegraph wires to London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, Belfast and beyond, eventually suppling hundreds of local time signals.

    Before this system’s introduction, each individual town or village kept local time using a sundial, which meant half an hour’s difference between the eastern and western sides of the country. Greenwich time meant the nation’s time could be synchronised.

    By 1866, time signals were even sent from this clock in Greenwich to Harvard University in Massachusetts via the new transatlantic submarine cable, making it the first worldwide time network.

    In terms of the distribution of accurate time into everyday life, this is one of the most important clocks ever made.
    https://media.sciencephoto.com/image/c0046588/800wm/C0046588-24_hour_clock,_Greenwich_Observatory.jpg

    1. In 1984, the year I sailed my boat, Raua, across the Atlantic, I met in Lisbon a chap who had sailed from Gdańsk in Poland called Mike Kowenski. He told me he had had very little success using his sextant. I discovered that the reason for this was that he had been using Central European Time rather than Greenwich Mean Time. I explained this to him and showed him how you could get regular GMT pips on the BBC’s World Service and that it was essential to know the precise Greenwich time to the second when using a sextant for navigational purposes. We were delighted to meet him again on the other side of the Atlantic and Mike greeted me saying: “Thank you, Richard – you give me very good time, you give me Greenwich.”

      Here am I navigating in mid-Atlantic and here is the book which explains how a chap called Harrison made a watch which enabled sailors to know where they were on the globe’s surface with a sextant, a nautical almanac and a set of astrological tables..

      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a15d7e24f6d14dbdd8dcc4434ff76a3e88b56c7d9fb37006245d661851492aa6.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9275b5fb5d230e9bcb391ce71a8844494a12ce34b09b36c6288fe29afa3eed81.png

      1. I have seen several of Harrison’s chronometers – in Greenwich.

        Yorkshire carpenter and clockmaker John Harrison devoted his life to the task of achieving the necessary accuracy. To do this, he created his “sea watch” in 1761, finally getting his prize reward in 1773, when he was 80.

        I think this, H4, is the first Sea Watch No1. https://www.guidelondon.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Harrisons-22sea-watch22-No.1-H4-with-winding-crank.jpeg
        https://www.guidelondon.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Harrison-H4-clockwork-at-the-Royal-Observatory-Greenwich.jpeg

          1. His early clocks were wooden and comparing those with the prize chronometers it is extraordinary how he moved on to incredibly accurate metal versions.

          2. As i found out recently from an evening with a Antiques Road show expert on jewelry, even Faberge didn’t actually make anything, he only designed.

          6. Interesting clip.
            There never seems to be much mention of the designer’s and makers involved in the products of his famous name.
            But it seemed he lured the rich and famous into owning his products which ensured his success.

          2. I couldn’t cope with BST all year round. It’s bad enough for six or seven months or however long it is. I am really looking forward to getting back to real time in line with my body clock.

          3. My body clock seems to adjust quite easily, but I don’t like the dark mornings or dark evenings. I remember when they tried BST all year and it was awful.

          4. It’s funny how much more time I seemed to have today. Things went much more smoothly for some reason.

  28. Good morning! I am depressed by the fearful success of the propaganda that seeks to justify the killing of civilians in Gaza. using argument that has been used by people to justify terrible things they do for endless years. It is so ironic that the forces that that mriaculously brought this eclat about just at the right moment to distract from the Zelensky debacle should have pulled wool so easily over the eyes of people who up until now have had a clear understanding of what is being done by the parasites. We are now at a point of topsy-turvey where a criticism of the indiscriminate slaughterof the population of Gaza is said to be antisemitism.

    Hamas is a terrorist organisation rooted in those who promoted its creation and under the control and financing of sources based out of the Gulf. ISIS was similarly funded. The propaganda it puts out does not have a signature on it We should be making deep inquiry into this and into who
    actually is likely to profit from the conflict that is being pursued. Who are the most likely set of evil psychopaths, I wonder?

    The world is already at war, and the major assaults upon ordinary people have a common source that is in plain sight for the first time in many,
    many years. Let us not be distracted by left or right or Jew or Moslem or Christian or any of the other labels that have been used to obfuscate
    the real Manichean nature of events

    1. 378185+up ticks,

      Morning JWE,

      We must look, evaluate,and truly acknowledge regardless of party / status, that which is closer to home.

    2. The only people who seek to kill civilians in Gaza are Hamas. Did you not read the extracts of their charter that I posted. Are you unaware that they are an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood an organization inspired by the NAZIS? Israel goes out of its way to warn civilians before it attacks. Why is it that only Israel is not allowed to defend itself? The propaganda you speak off is a torrent of lies, misinformation, and deceit on the part of Hamas. As it has been said: “If Hamas put down its weapons there would be peace. If Israel put down its weapons there would be genocide.” People with your attitude are simply encouraging more violence in the future, never ending violence, as long as Hamas survives.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76NytvQAIs0

      1. A simple and lucid explanation of the recent history of the Israeli/Arab problem. Why can’t the powers that be not see that? Because they don’t want to, perhaps?

      2. As usual you don’t bother to read what is written before you climb on your tired nag. You seem bright, so engage please before spouting about attitude. Who are Hamas? Who will profit from all this?

        1. I read alright. It always strikes me as interesting that people always call for cease fires when it is Israel that is threatened. But not so when other countries are attacked, they can defend themselves but, somehow, when Israel does it everyone howls “genocide” and you with your delicate sensibilities are disturbed. Big deal!. It is almost as if people with your “ethics” wish to prolong the bloodshed. You come to the table with emotional prattle but no realistic alternatives to the total annihilation of Hamas. It’s just sentimental bleating. Give a concrete solution if you can provide one and stop calling for a false peace that simply embolden Hamas who take people like you for fools. And if you don’t know who Hamas is, then educate yourself. There is no moral equivalence to the two sides and the ones persecuted should not be asked to capitulate to the utterly immoral demands of Hamas.

          1. You are of course Mr Right. And Mr Right is is blind to the fact that Netanyahu, who until this all kicked off was in imminent peril politically, is now conducting two genocides. No doubt ,as you know everything, you will have seen him boasting on camera about how he obtained 98% of the Israelis medical records and delivered them to Pfizer and no doubt you will understand the impact the jabs have already had on the nation. No doubt as you know everything you will have explained the reason why the Hamas attack took place when it did and ruled out the state of the other war in Europe as a driver. No doubt your omniscience can outline who finances Hamas and who promoted its creation. If you wish to prate about morals start by opening your own eyes. But of course the world is all Mr Right and “people like you” Perhaps you think, to fit your own fixed opinions, that the world’s state is all a series of malign coincidences. ….you will either be Mr Right or Mr Wrong, that is your own choice. The Israeli and Palestinian peoples’ near futures are in the hands of evil, and evil that threatens us all.

          2. Thought so, could smell your anti-Sematic stench on your first post. You are an anti-Semite happy to perpetuate myths such as “genocide”. People like you really have nothing to say of any value. And unlike you I know the area by virtue of having grown up in Libya and my father serving in Palestinian, and 1 married two Jews. You, of course are just another Jew hater in your arm chair knowing nothing. Genocide, indeed. Well that is very odd considering the population of Palestinians is increasing at a much higher rate than the Jews in Israel, not decreasing, very odd form of genocide that!. As for your Pfizer rant, go see a psychiatrist, you need one to cure you of your delusions. But then that dovetails into your jew hatred, doesn’t it? I can’t ban you from this platform but I strongly suggest you go spread your bile elsewhere since you are obviously not interested in fact. As I said, read Hamas Charter. But you wont will you because it contradicts your pathetic world view. I’m sure that the Protocols of the Elders of Zion are more up your street. Lies that fit your antisemitic swill.

          3. Well, that got you out in the open in all your charm, Mr Right, did it not? The Bibi clip is out there for you to polish your views on but somehow I doubt you will risk it.

            I won’t try to edddicate pork, as they say in Devon….

          4. As I said, you are nothing but an anti-Semite. Your views are worth nothing because they are lies. Explain, you idiot, how the population of Palestinians has increased when they are subject to “genocide”. Or is it you are so ill educated you don’t even know what genocide is. Unlike you I will look at the Bibi clip. Send me a link. I will assume if you can’t it is because it is a half truth or myth that your sort of low life likes to perpetuate in service of your jew hating. Equally you should red this: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp
            Hamas Covenant 1988
            The Covenant
            of the
            Islamic Resistance Movement
            18 August 1988

          5. Rackham, You will believe what you want to believe, and you can easily do your own research if you are all interested the the reality of what is happening. Your hob-lawyer point on the definition of genocide I will accept as far as it goes. I am referring to the large-scale indiscriminate killing of civilians. The Holocaust is also generally referred to as a genocide, rather than attempted one, and if you apply your pompous point to that you will get a good deal of abuse, in my view rightly, because the genocidal intent behind the event was clear, as it is here. There are plenty of Jews, as you well know if you have an attack of reality, who share my view of what is being done.

  29. R.M.S. Empress of Britain.

    Complement:
    623 (45 dead and 578 survivors).

    On 26th October 1940 the unescorted Empress of Britain (Master Charles Havard Sapsworth) was struck by two 250kg bombs from a German Fw200 Condor aircraft of the 2./KG 40 piloted by Oblt. Bernhard Jope (awarded the Knight Cross on 30th December 1940 and the Oak Leaves on 24th March 1944) and caught fire about 70 miles northwest of Aran Island, Co. Donegal.
    The most of the 416 crew members, two gunners and 205 passengers (military personnel and their families) abandoned ship, leaving only a skeleton crew on board and were picked up by HMS Echo (H 23) (Cdr S.H.K. Spurgeon, DSC, RAN), the British A/S trawler HMS Cape Arcona and ORP Burza (H 73) (LtCdr Pitulko), which took the ship in tow until she was relieved by HMS Marauder (W 98) (Lt W.J. Hammond, RNR) and HMS Thames on passage to the Clyde. Later the tugs HMS Seaman (W 44) and Raider also participated in the salvage operation.
    The salvage convoy, making four knots, was escorted by HMS Broke (D 83) (Cdr B.G. Scurfield, RN) and HMS Sardonyx (H 26) (LtCdr R.B.S. Tennant, RN) and had air cover from Sunderland flying boats during daylight. On 28th October, two of three torpedoes fired by U-32 (Hans Jenisch) which followed convoy for almost 24 hours, struck the Empress of Britain and sank her northwest of Bloody Foreland, Co. Donegal. 25 crew members and 20 passengers were lost.

    Type VIIA U-Boat U-32 was sunk on 30th October 1940 in the North Atlantic north-west of Ireland by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Harvester and HMS Highlander. 9 dead and 33 survivors.
    .

    https://uboat.net/media/allies/merchants/br/empress_of_britain.jpg

  30. SIR – The Office for National Statistics recently published the
    latest set of UK trade figures for the 12 months to August 2023.

    Trade
    was up 10.9 per cent over the period, with British exports rising by
    15.1 per cent and imports by 7.2 per cent. The trade deficit had
    narrowed to £20 billion.

    Exports to the European Union rose by
    17.5 per cent, so it seems Brexit is not having a negative effect on our
    trade on that front, and exports to non-EU countries grew by 26 per
    cent.

    This hardly suggests an economy in decline. It is clearly
    rebalancing after our departure from the EU, and will soon be in surplus
    with the rest of the world if this trend continues. Pro-Brexit
    economists said this would happen and have been proved right.

    Michael Banyard
    Charlton Adam, Somerset

        1. Good afternoon Phil.
          I don’t know how to post them despite following the drag and drop routine. It just doesn’t work. I’ll pop them on an email to you.

          3. And that was for our granddaughter. Apparently when there was any in their house they used to hide it away so she couldn’t find it!

          5. Our youngest granddaughter loves the stuff. When she was younger our daughter used to hide it from her.

          6. Does it not work when you click on the photo icon (second one along on the bottom of the reply box)? Click on that and it takes you to the photos in your file system. Usually starts with the last one you posted. Then you just find the one you want.

          7. When I try to do that it usually tells me the photo is either a) not in a supported format or b) too big. That’s why there are no pics of a naked Oscar after his last shearing.

      2. At at least 8 million a day out going you might have thought someone would have noticed the effect of the drain.

    1. Bags of interest from the shower who stalk the corridors of the HoC, I see.

      Why the almost complete lack of interest in this important subject? Are the Whips involved?

      1. 378185+ up ticks,

        Afternoon KtK,
        My view, they do not want to be associated with the vaccine crime scene in any shape or form.
        As I posted yesterday I would like to see a peoples inquiry & jury running parallel to the official inquiry.

        The “patsy” seems to be, for me “didgetdick” but I do think, when one caves the
        domino effect will take over.

        1. A lot of it is out already – but there’s none so blind as those who will not see.

  33. SIR – I recently made a telephone purchase from Rohan, the outdoor
    clothing retailer. My call was picked up at once by a human being, who
    proved to be bright, polite, patient and anxious to ensure that we
    pinned down exactly what I wanted. This took 10 minutes, with absolutely
    no help from tapes or robots, and no assurances that my call was
    important to them.

    David Rosser
    Butleigh, Somerset

    I had the same experience with Donald Russel. Phone answered immediately and my request dealt with in under 5 minutes.

    A call to the GP normally has between 30 and 50 minutes on hold and then the request is not always dealt with satisfactorily.
    I had a text message telling me an appointment had been made. They directed me to the wrong practice. That paractice had one person in the waiting room. When i got to the right place there was also only one person in the waiting room and they were waiting for phlebotomy.

      1. Sadly no such luck with Post Office Money – last year my car insurance was £285, the quote for this year was £480! I tried to ring to discuss it – after some 10 minutes of legal claptrap I was “transferred” to an advisor but ended up in a queue. I eventually lost interest and hung up, then cancelled the renewal online and went to Money Supermarket. Five minutes or so there and I had several much better quotes [ironically including one from Post Office Money!] and had a new policy sorted about 10 minutes after that. When I cancelled the renewal online I was offered the chance to get a new quote, but apparently the only way to do it was to call the same number I’d just wasted 25 minutes of my life on, so they lost the chance. Serves them right for being greedy!

        1. Unfortunately the public are being fleeced by our politicians and Whitehall. While spending billions on feeding clothing and entertaining illegal (crooks) invaders, who have no right to bein our country. They obviously find that they are short of cash. It has to be stolen from us. But you can bet your boots it won’t affect any of those bastards.

      2. I have found the Building Societies better than the banks.
        Nationwide promises not to close branches where all the main banks are closing and some of what remain are removing their tellers.

  34. Oh well I have things to do, I better get on with it for a ‘peaceful existence’.
    Doors to hang a frame to fix, architraves boxing in……….I thought I had retired 10 years ago.

      2. I’m probably a bit older than you Grizz. And I’ve carried out a lot of physical work in my lifetime.
        Worn out joints etc.
        I did enquire about joining a local ‘men’s shed’ it was a fantastic set up and the guys in there were very amicable. But I felt it was too like going back to square one and restarting my apprenticeship. One of the guys in there owned a fairly Bentley.
        After 53 years of continuous hard graft I felt I’d had enough. 😉 But I really appreciate your enthusiasm, enjoy. Creativity is a very satisfying process.

        1. Worn out joints? You should have seen me yesterday, Eddy. I had to lie on my back under three separate worktops in my workshop in order to fasten some hooks to convey a thread of ‘hidden’ electrical cable.

          First I had to get down there (I cannot kneel any more due to knackered joints from too much kneeling in my youth). Then I had to obtain a pair of old Dunlopillo pillows to lie on (concrete doesn’t do it for me). Then I had to vacuum up loads of hidden cobwebs. Then I had to get up again.

          It were real fun!

    1. If real, what does Trudeau say about it? He was desperate to shut down the truckers who opposed him, will he stop this, or will he enforce it?

      1. Trudeau is in hiding again, he is apparently scared of upsetting his Muslim votes.

        He did briefly pop his head above the barricades on Thursday to announce a pause in his very unpopular carbon tax – but only for the east coast communities where he is losing votes. Just a coincidence of course, not vote buying.

    1. We’re in the middle of an Alpha course at the moment. I’ve been attending, purely to support the Rector. The Diocese has insisted that all parishes must take part (I was going to type “do one”, but thought it could be misinterpreted). I have no time for Welby, but Gumbel frightens the life out of me…

    2. What they really want to stamp out is middle aged and elderly Christian women praying silently in the vicinity of abortion clinics.

      Forget Hamas and Islamic terror – the country will be really up Excrement Estuary if these silent prayer women are not not eliminated.

    3. What they really want to stamp out is middle aged and elderly Christian women praying silently in the vicinity of abortion clinics.

      Forget Hamas and Islamic terror – the country will be really up Excrement Estuary if these silent prayer women are not not eliminated.

    1. What a surprise. As Grizzly continues to point out, stupidity is now the major pandemic sweeping this country. It has wormed it way into every corner of our social structure.

    3. It would not surprise me to find that the rectorette was fully in favour. It has certainly been a financial disaster and most of the congregation voted with their feet.

  41. How Britain descended into a state of total economic despair. 28 October 2023.

    Currently, the share of people pessimistic about Britain’s future outweighs those who are optimistic by a margin of -39pc, research shows.

    This is higher than a margin of -34pc recorded in September 2020 when the country was nearing its second lockdown.

    Ben Shimshon, chief executive of Thinks, says the numbers are damning: “Qualitatively, it’s the most negative outlook I’ve seen since I began my career in opinion research back in 2007. There has been just a fundamental loss of confidence in the country.

    Strange! I wonder why that is? Lol!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/10/28/how-britain-descended-into-state-of-total-economic-despair/

    2. Obviously they are all racists. How else could they be pessimistic about the future of such a diverse country?

        1. “If socialism doesn’t work, why do so many people support it?”
          “Because they don’t work either.”

          1. What is a Communist? One who has yearnings
            For equal division of unequal earnings;
            Idler or bungler, or both, he is willing
            To fork out his penny and pocket your shilling.

            Ebenezer Elliott

          2. I’ve just read a book for book club about a girl who defected from North Korea. Anyone who thinks Communism is about “equality” has another think coming!

          3. Most of those don’t seem to be willing even to fork out a penny, just pocket our shilling.

  42. I always wanted to just wander down to the airport with a small rucksack, passport & credit cards, look at the departure board and buy a ticket to somewhere that looks interesting.
    sigh…

    1. I hate airports. Even more since working at one. I would prefer to jump on a ferry and then travel across a continent by rail.

      1. Ferries are too slow, and when you get to the terminal, rarely go to more than one place, so the excitement of uncertainty isn’t there.

          4. I don’t get seasick at all and quite like the roll of a boat. Can’t swim though.

            Once took my American niece on the Cross Channel Ferry en-route to Paris. (This was pre-tunnel.) We played a Reversi board game all the way across, to take her mind off the movement of the boat and she beat me at every game so it clearly worked!

          5. My elder brother was like that. Never suffered any kind of motion sickness – even in the strongest of gales – when half a ship’s crew was ill! My father, too – could fly upside down in a plane and have no qualms at all. Though on the ground he was scared of heights!

          6. I was ok onboard ship as long as there was something to do. I was a Marine Warranty surveyor for a period (that seemed to be only winter) and by keeping busy kept from humiliating myself by being sick.

          7. Apparently the reason people who are scared of heights still like flying is because there is no connection between themself and the ground. Don’t know why it works, but it seems to. I love flying, but I am not keen on standing on high places, particularly if what I’m standing on seems a bit rickety and I’ve nothing to hang onto. I used to hate standing on the high board at the swimming baths at school because it always seemed to wobble!

          9. My elder son was car sick, boat sick – everywhere sick……….then it stopped when he was about 11. Now he’s never sick.

          10. I sometimes had to get off the bus on my way to school to avoid being sick.
            But I’m fine on a ship or a smaller boat.

          11. Way back in time. On our second day on the RMS Pendenis Castle on our way to Cape Town. My buddy John had part two nuns staring out to sea he said excuse me ladies and chucked his breakfast over the side. But he was okay for the rest of the journey.
            They were very sympathetic.

      2. There used to a secluded little cocktail bar at the top of Terminal B airside at Frankfurt that I visited about 4 times a month back in mid-90s. Sadly gone now 🙁

        1. After a long journey by motorcycle through most of Northern Europe. A thousand miles each each way i luxuriated in the Langhams restaurant atop the ferry back to England. I was a bit concerned they would make us welcome as we were in full leathers. Couldn’t have been better. Prob not there any more unless you want a burger.

          1. You’re correct, Phizz. Langan’s is long gone, all you get now is a nasty cafeteria with wipe-down tables and brats everywhere.

          2. Sad – we used Langans quite a few times on various ferry trips; the other options looked awful.

          3. Hi Harry,
            Won’t be doing that again then.
            Still looking at seeing you both next year. Somewhere nice with no children or burgers. We could meet half way. How do you feel about Rules?

          4. I sometimes obey them but not always…….;@)

            I assume you mean Covent Garden? Sounds good.

          5. I do. I have been meaning to go for ages but what with you know what it hasn’t happened.

            The Kingsclere thing was related to a visit to Highclere which again didn’t happen !
            Besides that, Rules not only features in Downton Abbey a few times but also in The James Bond film SPECTRE. I want to sit where M sits !

          6. I’ve always fancied visiting Highclere (and Kingsclere where Andrew Balding trains). When I was planning last year’s holiday I couldn’t fit in with their opening times.

      3. There used to a secluded little cocktail bar at the top of Terminal B airside at Frankfurt that I visited about 4 times a month back in mid-90s. Sadly gone now 🙁

      4. Our neighbours have hired a camper van and are currently in the North East. She sent me a video clip of Bamburgh Castle and the lovely beach. We gave them a list of site’s to visit. As we also enjoyed our 10 days about 4 years ago staying there.

        2. We went to Bamburgh on a June day many years ago and the sea fret was so thick we couldn’t see the castle. We came out of the Copper Kettle cafe and walked up towards the castle and still couldn’t see it. We had a walk on the beach though.

          1. Oh what a shame we parked about a mile away and walk to the castle through the sand dunes. Dog love chasing her ball in the surf.

          2. I spent a week staying with a friend in Amble and I never saw any of the town or countryside because of persistent thick sea fret!

          3. My first friend at school and her husband bought the Copper Kettle gift shop next door to the CK café. They were interested in buying the café at the same time but for some reason it didn’t happen, this would be about 2000-2007 sort of time. We visited a couple of times, they also had a place in Seahouses from where we walked to Bamburgh along the beach, there was a hotel just up from the Copper Kettle on the same side where we had wonderful, succulent kippers, buttered brown bread and a glass (or two) of chablis. Heaven.

          4. Good memories! I think the year I mentioned was 1993, we were staying in Hexham with our friends.

    2. That was always my definition of ‘rich’, being able to do that (airports or big train stations, no matter). 😎

      1. We can do that at our local station without too much worry. The only choice is between trains to Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

        Of course, I might get bored waiting for the once every many hours train to turn up.

        1. So can I, the choice being Guildford, Ash, Aldershot and Farnham. Not quite the same, I suppose… But on Sundays, Farnham is substituted by Ash Vale, Frimley, Camberley, Bagshot and Ascot. I am truly blessed…

          Still, they’re half-hourly Mon-Sat, and hourly on Sundays, which beas the three local buses a week…

          1. I can get to Crewe by train. Gateway to the world 🙂 That is if I catch a connection to Manchester Airport, Liverpool John Lennon or Birmingham International, of course. The only problem being many of the trains to Crewe don’t stop at the little stations/halts.

    3. My mate’s wife has just an hour ago landed at LHR after 6 weeks in Sydney and her home country of NZ
      Jealousy will get me nowhere.
      Fancy having to return to this dump.

    4. I did that over the Millennium Bug weekend, shut my Dorchester shop, drove to Gatport Airwick, bought a Virgin Atlantic ‘stand-by’ ticket to Florida and spent a wonderful couple of days in Cocoa Beach!

  43. Having got the optical fibre through the wall with an FTTH connection I now have to distribute ethernet round the home on Cat6 cable to make use of the high bit rate connection.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/cc707f2aca2199e73b6fa37d67ea173e1f0fefa7cacf92c8b1ebefce38848032.jpg

    Here is the ethernet connector I’ve trialled to make the internal wiring;
    Feeding wires into spacer:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3cb6ba1cd640f0ae50f7c87f97cb0a88afe81787aafc08c624dbbf481657073c.jpg

    Pushing spacer home:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/74445dfdade669ace5666d06813c2a6e250895fad85d385bb6363b1e81e26fb5.jpg

    Trim off wire ends:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/05c762e6f1a7cdde54bbf7b4f99b2d41ee5aca98c76107de4f626edd8589ad87.jpg

    Assemble connector:

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/98d38f88bf5ccbec9023d7773cb11ec9dafc7e78a449404a70d0d0c4db55d333.jpg

    Crimp:

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7a548450ac7a8c3ab021c649f60a083c6fa43c77c06799a110ec8bea9db5c8b0.jpg

    Now I should be able to host the control tower team whilst they land the plane on the runway.

    2. Are Cat 6 connectors really much different from Cat 5? I’ve successfully made up Cat 5 cables, with the right crimping tool, much more simply than your pictures suggest…

      1. The range of connectors available for Cat5 cable appear to be compatible with Cat6 because the four cable pairs are mecchanically similar – it’s the twist and pair.separation that’s different.

        I opted for a two part RG45 connector with a wire aligner because I found it very difficult feeding the eight Ethernet cable strands into the standard dead end one part connector – the aligner makes inserting,sorting and trimming wires much easirr.

        I decided not to use ‘pass through’ connectors because of possible issues with bare, trimmed conductor wires making unwanted connections.

  44. It isn’t hubristic to think Western civilisation can still be saved. Janet Daley. 28 October 2023.

    The truth is that Western political organisation which promotes individual freedom and private prosperity is the way most of the people of the world want to live. So attractive is the notion of an open society, which offers at least the possibility of self-fulfillment and progress, that countless numbers risk their lives to reach it.

    In fact, they want to come here in such numbers that even with the best will in the world we are finding it almost impossible to cope. Having lived with genuine oppression and inhumanity, they know what those things actually look like and where they reside. Do they see the true value of what we have and take for granted? You bet they do. And if we can just get a grip – even at five minutes to midnight – we will save it not just for ourselves but for the world too.

    This is hopelessly naïve. These people are not coming here because they love us or because they are keen supporters of Freedom and Democracy. You can see this for yourself on the streets of London today. They are coming to batten on Free Health Care and Social Security; though I suppose that it is at least something that Janet has at last noticed that we are going down the tube.

    Too late I’m afraid. The West and the UK in particular is finished!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/10/28/isnt-hubristic-to-think-western-civilisation-can-be-saved/

    1. What Janet Daley doesn’t seem to realise is that the newcomers are outbreeding the indigenous population to such an extent that the latter will be a minority in their own country before this century is out.

        1. They should tighten up on benefits generally. No benefits unless they’ve contributed. Make them look for work. Prosecute polygamous marriages.

    2. ‘They’ don’t risk their lives. They are 99% fighting age males. Janet is in for a bit of a shock when they reach the numbers they need. What a stupid fucking apologist cunt. I do hope she doesn’t have any daughters or nieces. Hamas has shown us what they like to do with them. ” Having lived with genuine oppression and inhumanity”

      Stupid bitch.

    3. Having lived with caused genuine oppression and inhumanity, they know what those things actually look like and where they reside.
      there, that’s more accurate.

  46. Why are City Mayors calling for a ceasefire in Israel?
    They weren’t really elected to prance about virtue signalling on the world stage.
    I would rather they spent their time calling for a ceasefire on their war on motorists.
    Just who do they think they are?

      2. 378185+ up ticks,

        Evening RE,
        One wonders how they got to he mayor , was it because they were mayors in their Country of origin.

        1. No it’s because our stupid politicians have allowed them to settle and do what ever they like.

    2. It’s so that when the “peaceful” protests really turn ugly they can say they were trying to calm down their populace.

      Get the excuses in early for your fellows..

  47. Re pro Palestinian protests.

    Part of me wonders whether the police should just let them all get on with what they want to do, it might finally make the PTB and the general population wake up to the deadly poison that is in our midst.

    1. Same with the Oily protests on A roads and motorways. Gets to the point where people who have to work for a living start fighting back.

      1. One day someone will get very seriously hurt. It’ll be a joiler. The person who did it will be charged and a life ruined – all because, as usual, the state wanted to promote an ideology.

        1. I admire your optimism. You appear to think they want to track these people and stop them carrying out atrocities. More likely it will be after an atrocity the perpetrator(s) will be “known to the authorities”. Sympathisers will not suffer any consequences – unless they are foolish enough to read out the names of the (World) War dead, of course.

  48. Has anyone noticed how the woke Left do not try to cancel Halloween, like they try to cancel Christmas and Easter.
    Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

    2. It’s a secular import from yankee land. Besides, if you really want to scare people stuff horror movies. Just say you’re from the government.

    3. The Archers is trying to cancel Bonfire Night.

      To be fair, all fireworks should only be allowed between 7 pm and 8 pm on two nights only: 5th November itself, and the nearest Saturday.

      Definitely not at midnight on New Year. Or any other time.

    4. I’ve seen little evidence of attempts to cancel Christmas or Easter. If the woke Left have been trying to, they’ve been utterly useless at it.

  49. If you understand this ‘joke’, you are probably beyond the first flush of youth.

    How many Pet Shop Boys does it take to change a light bulb?
    Two, one to change the bulb the other to look bored in the background.

  50. That’s me for today. Fog this morning. Sun and rain after lunch. Dismantled the tomato frames.

    The MR – after her determination to have the ‘flu jab – is feel distinctly unwell and is curled up under a duvet on the settee with a cat (Gus) for company.

    I did tell her…..and she concedes that her discomfort is self-inflicted.

    Anyway – I hope she doesn’t faint in the middle of the night….

    A demain.

    3. Poor MR.
      Last flu shot I had, was sick as a dog, so no more. Vit D3 keeps the nasties at bay.

    4. Apparently the jabbees like to comfort themselves with ‘this must mean I’m getting a strong immune response!’ when they feel unwell after indulging.

      Mind you don’t catch the ‘flu yourself, via the phenomenon known as ‘shedding’; it is a weakened version of the live virus that is injected.

        1. Same hear. I’ve never had an adverse reaction to any of the ‘flu shots I’ve been given.

      2. Shedding is something I first came across in the horse world; horses that had come into contact with Strangles (highly unpleasant and very contagious) could transmit the disease without actually showing the symptoms themselves (probably because they’d had it and recovered but the virus was still in their system). I didn’t realise it applied to humans, too.

        1. One of my late cats caught a nasty virus – this was nearly 40 years ago – and he recovered but the vet warned me then about ‘shedding’. My other cat, his brother didn’t catch it.

  51. Par today for any Wordlers.

    Wordle 861 4/6

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

    1. Par here

      Wordle 861 4/6

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

    3. And me.

      Wordle 861 4/6

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

    4. Me to

      Wordle 861 4/6

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

  52. Right, not been on here a lot, but a bit of progress with the van in that Still @ Home has found some video footage from a security cam that identified the wagon concerned!
    An eight wheel cab unit pulling extended bed, 14 wheel low-loader!

    Now off with eldest daughter, postgrad son and t’Lad for a walk to Matlock bath via Bonsall and Ember Farm.

    TTFN

      1. EU citizens no longer visit this country. It has been made evident to them that they will be spat at, verbally abused, kicked, punched, even hospitalised, by a nation of racists, bigots, haters and neo-Nazis. If I were Belgian, I’d fear for my life were I to cross the Channel in this direction.

  54. Evening, all. I’ve just completed a consultation supposedly about dog waste, but in reality (judging by the proposals) an attempt to circumscribe and punish anybody who walks a dog off a lead. At the end they wanted to know my ethnicity – English wasn’t an option. I could be white (British, Welsh or Irish), white (Roma, Gypsy etc) but nowhere could I be White English. I ticked the “Prefer not to say/don’t know” box. Bloody cheek! I know perfectly well that I’m English!

    1. Where there’s “Other…please state” I’m always tempted to enter “Black Sea Yorkshire”. It would be accurate.

    3. I wish they had a box for “None of your bloody business”. But they never do.

      1. That was what I thought when I ticked thr “prefer not to say” box. They also had a section on diversity, equality and inclusion.

    4. The paths in my neighbourhood are usually free of dog waste, so it was something of a jaw dropper to see examples of it, both intact and squashed, in several locations all on the same day. It was like Paris without the poodles. While I wouldn’t be surprised to see an occasional example, what I witnessed must have been the efforts of a pack of dogs freely roaming the streets. If not that, there is a society of dog walkers whose membership conditions are that they should not carry plastic dog waste bags on their person. It’s many years since I’ve seen the like. I now have to walk with my head down treading carefully.

      3. It’s another US import…….. I run a table tennis facebook page and when we receive a message from someone, the system usually replies before I see it….. “Thank you for reaching out……” It reminds me of some drowning person about to go under the waves.

        1. Me too… I remember driving through the Dutch polders with warning signs showing someone up to their waist in mud with both arms flung above their head ‘reaching out’ to grasp a hold of something, anything – that is what that phrase brings to mind every time – it is far too dramatic for simply ‘contact me/us’.

        2. It doesn’t have quite the same ring about it, I agree, but for every day use ‘reach out’ is over the top bordering on the dramatic.

          1. Oh, I hate the expression every bit as much as you do. In fact I hate all vapid Americanisms and sloppy English that has now taken over everywhere.

      1. I wish one of their less well known records – I’m In A Different World – were more widely appreciated. I believe it was their last effort with the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting and production team. The arrangement was more complex with Levi Stubbs singing as well as ever and James Jamerson on bass guitar playing magnificently, far better than a pop-soul record needed.

        https://youtu.be/tBlVTi2_6uU

    3. No joke. Back in 1972 I was dragged onto the stage, at the Fiesta nightclub in Sheffield, by Duke and Obie of the Four Tops, and invited to sing along with them. I sang Simple Game and If I Were A Carpenter with them. And I was stone cold sober.

      Fifth Top, me. 😉

          1. I heard a snippet earlier this evening of Levi Stubbs playing the part of Audrey the plant in Little Shop of Horrors. I delight in the evident pleasure he took in the role.

          2. Levi Stubbs had one of the most dramatic, yet sensitive, voices in soul music. A veritable favourite of mine.

  57. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEWCtIKsEgw

    I watched this. I feel a bit bad for these people who’ve fallen on hard times.

    Yet..l. what is stopping the bloke from getting a shelf stacking job, or a driving job, or working for Amazon or other delivery company? The single mother – why did she not plan for the lad? Where is the father?

    The food banks with ‘queues of migrants’ – sod off! Go home! You’re troughing on other people’s money. If you got here, you can go away again.

    At no point does the programme go beyond the answer it wants – this is Channel 4 and Left, so it won’t but the causes must be addressed: massive unwanted immigration. Something channel 4 supports ardently. A bloated, expensive and inefficient public sector – ditto, high taxes – ditto. All these things destroy private sector jobs. Thus preventing these folk from providing for themselves. That even ignores the lie of ‘climate change’ which is making energy expensive and c4 desperately pushes that hoax.

    IT IS THE PROBLEM. It pushes every single thing that creates this poverty trap yet abjectly refuses to acknowledge that because it’s inconvenient to the message they want to push – bigger state, more tax, more debt, more waste. Make ‘da wich’ pay! is all they bleat. That’s the damned problem, you lazy, arrogant, entitled, spoiled wasters.

    1. I don#t understand either, why people can’t change and just get any job. Perhaps the unskilled, easier jobs are taken up by migrants?
      The single mum will pay back into the system when her child is older and her training is finished. She looks pretty dynamic.

    2. I don#t understand either, why people can’t change and just get any job. Perhaps the unskilled, easier jobs are taken up by migrants?
      The single mum will pay back into the system when her child is older and her training is finished. She looks pretty dynamic.

    3. Not long after leaving the RAF after 16 years I fell on hard times due to some stupid business decisions. I was homeless, broke and unemployed. I didn’t go on the dole, I found a reasonable job and some digs and by a lot of effort within 10 years I owned my own home, was on a good salary in a great job and within 20 years I’d saved enough to take early retirement on a full indexed linked company pension. That was 30 years ago, I now live in the slow lane in a beautiful part of Scotland, the down side, as most of you know, I lost my wife a couple of years ago but we had 22 years of retirement together before Alzheimers robbed her of a decent life. That’s why I get pissed off with the scroungers who come here expecting everything to be provided and others who won’t get off their arses and help themselves (No not shoplifting).

      1. My mother, in her early 40s, was left near destitute when my father died aged 39. She had a four year old (me) and her elderly mother to care for. My father’s colleagues had a whip round, and the company offered her a job. She hated it but stuck it out till she found something better. She’d never had a job but worked from then untill she retired at 67. The only benefit she ever claimed was the state pension that she’d paid into.

        1. My grandmother’s husband (aka my grandfather though i would never call him that) left her in 1946 when my mum was 3 and my uncle was 8. No dole in those days. My grandmother had to work and from all accounts she worked bloody hard, i am amazed at the stories my my mum comes out with. When they lived in Norfolk. When they lived in Newquay. When they lived in Portsmouth. Etc. And finally they finally landed in Wolverhampton. So forgive me when i am totally unforgiving if today’s scroungers, cheats and “poor” people. A lot of them don’t know the half of it, these days.

          1. Mum never had to move – she lived in the same rented two bedroom maisonette for 50 years, from 1939 till she died in 1989. It was their second married home though – they lived for a few weeks in Cromwell Street in Gloucester. I had to check the number……..it was 38, not 25.

    4. This is an immensely wealthy country. If we shared our riches with all the poor of the world, we’d barely notice the difference.

      1. Did you mean they’d barely notice the difference?
        Our supposed wealth is all borrowed money.

  58. NZ will be very lucky if they win.
    I hope they may be so fired up now, that they prove me wrong.

      1. I think the referee has been excellent so far.
        The control, the explanations to the players, the decisions being quick, decisive AND accurate has made for a good game.
        It’s not his fault that the RFU has changed so much regarding tackle laws and fall laws.
        His calls have reflected the new approach and at least he has been consistent.
        Sometimes consistency is more important than pin point accuracy in these competitions, although ideally one wants both..
        With a consistent approach teams can adapt knowing the likely reaction.

        3. I really don’t think this invented bureaucracy should have ever been used, as it ruined the whole game. Knowing the risks now involved, I doubt very much if in an inappropriate split second, it is humany possible for any player in such a physical sport, to consider any damage to an opponent. In such circumstances this could never be be considered by the human mind. To me it appears that the woke mindset has now been applied in sport.
          It’s always been tough physical
          game, but before its completly ruined, maybe it should be banned.
          Rugby league is far less physical.
          Or reach the stage as professional football has, when players roll around on the ground after having their shirt pulled or ankle tapped in a tackle.
          It’s part of the game in contact sport. The powers that be can’t have it both ways.

          2. Can you imagine being part of one of the scrums?
            But I do think there needs to be some rule changes.

          3. Because substitutes were not allowed or more frequently we only arrived with 15 players, , I’ve had a go at every position except hooker, only because my upper body strength was reasonably good and nobody else would volunteer to play there.
            Prop and Second row were easily the worst. Back row was the most fun because I was normally a wing and the pleasure of taking down an outside centre or wing behind their gain line was excellent.

          4. Our ‘games’ teacher at school was Welsh and an early Wasp. Before they turned professional. He tried several times to get us to play rugby, but we use to muck about too much.
            Our youngest played as a junior for several years. Football and athletic pursuits were my interest. Golf and squash in more recent times. But cutting the grass is now a daunting aspect. It’s been suggested I take up bowls.
            It depends what’s in the bowls. 😉🤭

        1. I know Sue, but it makes no sense. It’s a tough game collisions of course happen. I can’t see how deliberation comes into it. I don’t there is enough time to consider any possible danger involved. It is what it is and hallways been.
          That red card ruined the final.
          I’m not sure the yellow was even necessary.

          1. Absolutely! It made me switch off and I’ve just read the idiot Gavin Mairs in the DT calling it a ‘final for the ages’! Don’t know what he’s on! His rugby knowledge is abysmal!

  59. Frizell – yellow – lucky. Cane – yellow – unlucky. Fine margins. Why do they, the professional players, risk it? They KNOW they won’t get away with it. NZ don’t just have a mountain to climb; they have the Himalayas.

    1. I know people are genuinely suffering, but I have reached the limit of my sympathy with people from all sides who claim the victim card now. Every time I look at any internet or media, there seems to be someone playing the victim and telling me I’m a bad person if I don’t support them.

        1. In the case of anything middle eastern, I have great trouble believing any of the claims that they are making.

          Five hundred dead – maybe one hundred.

  66. What a contest! After knocking seven shades of s*** out of each other for 80 minutes the sportsmanship and friendship at the end of it is the true mark of rugby. Well done SA, well played NZ.

      2. The Illuminati. The shadowy people who pull all our strings. We all dance to their tune. None of us are autonomous any more. Whatever you do has been chosen by someone else. The Matrix is real.

      1. 378208+ up ticks,
        Morning Bob,

        This Member State-led process is facilitated through the Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) (WGIHR), which runs in parallel to the INB. The WGIHR will propose a package of amendments for consideration by the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly,

        2024.

  70. Finally in the car on the way home from the airport. Bed within the hour – and do I need a zed all stretched out flat!
    Slayders, folks.

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