Saturday 25 January: The Chancellor is right about the need for a third runway at Heathrow

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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

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

737 thoughts on “Saturday 25 January: The Chancellor is right about the need for a third runway at Heathrow”

  5. We are all paying for Keir Starmer’s political education – this week has proved it. Charles More. 25 January 2025.

    The accusation of “cover-up” is unfair. Sir Keir knew that the full background to the horror would come out in court, and rightly did not try to impede that. Cover-up was not an option except, arguably, in the very short term.

    Similarly, he is right that pre-trial disclosure can prejudice a case, leading to the accused walking free. He had to be careful, as did we, the media.

    Nor is there reason to think Sir Keir is peculiarly insensitive. He is a father and a family man. He may not be eloquent in his disgust at Axel Rudakubana and his sympathy for his victims – he himself admitted “No words come anywhere close” – but he surely feels normal human emotions.

    Moore is demonstrating his own beliefs here in trying to salvage something of Starmer’s reputation. It’s pretty difficult. The public view of him is not unfair. It’s the truth. He didn’t simply conceal it but sent anyone to gaol who dared to disagree. As to his personal qualities I doubt that he possesses any human feelings at all. His marriage and sexuality is a sham. He is a narrow minded Marxist ideologue devoid of any human empathy. The part he played in abandoning young English girls to the Rape Gangs is a testament to it.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/01/24/all-paying-for-keir-starmers-political-education-this-week/

        1. Nor me – I thought someone had done a thorough trawl through the records and found no link between TT Keir and those proceedings. I loathe Starmer so it's disappointing if the allegations are untrue, but we need to be sure!

          1. Lies abound all over the place in this new age of ours – who knows what is true – lies regarding covid; the 'safe and effective' vax; the great climate scam with its fudged, cherry picking data – why should this be any different. Who knows where the real truth of the matter lies.

          2. What concerns me is seeing things in the news about topics I know well which I can see are lies; that worries me about topics I don't know well – is what I am being told true or more lies?

          3. That is exactly what I mean. We cannot trust anything we read in the media is the truth. In these political times the raison d’ĂŞtre of the media is to manipulate with propaganda, or distract from the truth. Therefore one has to treat it all with a fair degree of suspicion and ask oneself what is the purpose of an article. Or indeed a simple paragraph.

          4. That's why I ditched watching the Bbc – it lied and was partisan about a subject I knew well and had participated in. I began to think, "if it isn't telling the truth about this – and I know it isn't – what else is it deceiving me about?"

          5. I think it’s been rebranded “misinformation” and “disinformation” these days!

        2. The sad thing is, they are, true or not, all too believable. Trust, once lost, is nigh impossible to regain.

  6. Keir Starmer is under pressure from EU to join a ÂŁ420 billion defence scheme that would allow its participants to chip in and buy military hardware (from Germany & France) to be distributed to European armies.

    From the archives..
    Three non-governmental organizations have filed summary proceedings against the Dutch State, demanding that it stops the export of parts for F-35.

    When in September 1990 the British army asked to sell them some of its ammunition stocks to prevent their troops from running out of ammunition in the Arabian desert, the Belgian government (with the present Nato secretary-general as its vice-premier) refused stating that Belgium "gave absolute priority to a diplomatic solution" to the Gulf conflict.

    Never works.. ever. There's always some EU veto about to be imposed.

      1. The Exocet story is fascinating covered in detail by Nigel West (military historian specialising in security matters).

        And it's not what you think.
        Mi6 uncovered lots of interesting details that made Francois Mitterrand haleter d'horreur..
        eg. You could buy AM39 on the black market via.. as it turned out.. communist SNCF workers.. Non Non haleter d'horreur..
        eg. An Argentine radio hack had broken into all the highly secret Firmware. Non Non haleter d'horreur..
        Captain Mike Barrow of HMS Glamorgan.. was a maths expurt that knew how to outmanoeuvre an incoming exocet. And he did. Using a stopwatch, sliderule and the back of a fag packet. Non Non haleter d'horreur..

        1. And the biggest threats to the success of The Task Force were:
          1/ Israel's Menachem Begin.
          2/ West Germany.
          3/ Pro-Latinos inside West Wing.

          and greatest allies were (according to West).
          1/ Francois Mitterrand.
          2/ Caspar Weinberger and the good bits of The West Wing.
          3/ Chile, Australia & New Zealand.

    2. I thought we voted to leave. Why is the government even contemplating sending money to that corrupt institution? Ah, silly me! The people didn't vote the "right" way.

  7. Good morning, chums. And thanks, Geoff, for Saturday's new NoTTLe site.

    Wordle 1,316 4/6

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    🟩⬜🟩⬜🟨
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  8. Morning, all Y'all, and Happy Burns!
    Much of the snow turned to ice following rain yesterday afternoon – why we chose to work from home. Much sliding in the roads and pictures in the papers of roads coated in thick sheet ice.

  9. Britain can learn from Trump’s positivity to increase economic growth, says Reeves. 25 January 2025.

    In an interview with The Times, Ms Reeves said Britain was stuck in the “slow lane” and needed to emulate Mr Trump.

    “Yes, I think we do need more positivity,” she said. “I’ve challenged businesses as well and said no one else is going to speak up for Britain apart from us. It hasn’t been a very British thing to say.

    It’s pathetic isn’t it?

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/01/24/britain-trump-positivity-economic-growth-rachel-reeves/

    1. Rachel from Accounts is certainly challenged. It's as if she and the rest of the #KeirmerRouge live in a parallel universe.

      1. Of course they do; they live in a socialist utopia (not for nothing does that mean "nowhere"!) where all their policies work.

      1. Morning Obs.
        Why did it take more than three years to be reported?
        I could make a guess.

        2. It was reported at the time but this was the trial. I don't why the trial was delayed for so long.

  12. Good morning all.
    The year advances and it's getting light earlier. A clear sky this morning, not quite down to freezing but 1°C, slightly up from the overnight minimum of 0.7°C. Maximum was 8.5°C.
    The wind has died down considerably.

    1. Somehow, I doubt The Donald will be awarded the Nobel Peace prize by the end of this month.

  14. 400506+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,
    We ALL have a hand in the downfall of the nation, short term gain, long term pain.

    If dangerous stupidity was a sellable product we would be world leaders, by far.

    We now witness children being evilly slain on the altar of diversity.
    We now witness sitting atop of untapped gas fields while our elderly die through lack of heat
    We now witness floating atop of untapped oil fields whilst our industries grind to a halt plus our elderly continue to die.
    We now witness giant money making mills introduced
    to the anti Brit energy program by criminal
    Ed case milliband MP, at a standstill, denying our elderly heat, so they will continue to die.

    Conclusion,
    If SHITE was might we the electorate would be multi millionaires.

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    Households face ÂŁ3bn bill to switch off turbines during high winds
    Grid operator warns of rising costs amid struggles to keep pace with expansion of renewables

  15. The Demonrats thought they were so clever stealing the election for Biden now its come back to bite them on the arse,bigly
    President Trump has had 4 years to watch and learn how the swamp obstructed him last time ,who could be trusted and who not and he has hit the ground running and bloody determined

    1. Ironic.
      If they had allowed him to win, they could have stymied every move and policy he tried to make over his 2nd term.
      Instead, they gave him 4y to learn, plan and organise.

  16. Re Plymouth on Wednesday. A domestic stabbing, in all senses of the word.

    “TRIBUTES have been paid to a university lecturer whose death led to a murder inquiry.

    Claire Chick, 48, was found seriously injured in a Plymouth street on Wednesday before later dying in hospital. A manhunt was launched for Paul Butler, 53, and he was arrested on suspicion of murder in Liskeard, Cornwall, on Thursday.

    Ms Chick, who was previously known as Claire Butler, worked as a lecturer in adult nursing at the University of Plymouth. In a statement released by police, her family said: “We are absolutely devastated and broken at the loss of our beautiful caring mother Claire Chick.”

    Devon and Cornwall Police have referred the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct because of “previous contact with the victim”.”

  18. there’s more:

    “A PENSIONER who was stabbed to death in his south-west London home has been named locally as Mark Talbot.
    The architect, 75, was found dead at an address in Putney in the early hours of yesterday.
    Mr Talbot, who previously worked at Stoutheart, an architectural firm in Wandsworth, was treated for his wounds at the scene but was later pronounced dead.
    A 30-year-old man, who is believed to have been known to the victim, was later arrested on suspicion of murder.
    Sited near the banks of the River Thames, Deodar Road has an average property price of ÂŁ1,740,000, according to Rightmove. Mr Talbot was director of Stoutheart from 1991 before also being made secretary in 1999, according to Companies House.
    Records show he was also director of two other companies, Blade Mews Management and Greatheart Group.
    Det Supt Amanda Mawhinney from the South West Command Unit, which covers Putney, said: “We are currently supporting the family of a man who was sadly killed.
    “I am aware that people in the community may feel shocked following this. We believe this to be an isolated incident and there is no wider threat to the public.
    “Although we have made significant progress by making an arrest, I would like to make it clear that our investigation does not stop here.
    “We need the local community to help us understand what happened. We are appealing for anyone who was in the area at around 3am and that saw or heard anything unusual to contact us as soon as possible.”

    1. We had a case in my building some years ago of an elderly man who liked to pick up young men and take them home to bed. One of them almost certainly killed him and his body was found in his flat rather a long time after.

      2. So what you are saying Sue is that he was well and truly bu@@ered!

        Good morning to you and all…

      3. So what you are saying Sue is that he was well and truly bu@@ered!

        Good morning to you and all…

      4. A long time ago 30 plus years, I was working for a company and changing door locks on a block of flats in North London possibly Hammersmith area. We couldn't access one of the flats and found it rather smelly through the letter box.
        The police were called and a body was found inside.

  19. there’s more:

    “A PENSIONER who was stabbed to death in his south-west London home has been named locally as Mark Talbot.
    The architect, 75, was found dead at an address in Putney in the early hours of yesterday.
    Mr Talbot, who previously worked at Stoutheart, an architectural firm in Wandsworth, was treated for his wounds at the scene but was later pronounced dead.
    A 30-year-old man, who is believed to have been known to the victim, was later arrested on suspicion of murder.
    Sited near the banks of the River Thames, Deodar Road has an average property price of ÂŁ1,740,000, according to Rightmove. Mr Talbot was director of Stoutheart from 1991 before also being made secretary in 1999, according to Companies House.
    Records show he was also director of two other companies, Blade Mews Management and Greatheart Group.
    Det Supt Amanda Mawhinney from the South West Command Unit, which covers Putney, said: “We are currently supporting the family of a man who was sadly killed.
    “I am aware that people in the community may feel shocked following this. We believe this to be an isolated incident and there is no wider threat to the public.
    “Although we have made significant progress by making an arrest, I would like to make it clear that our investigation does not stop here.
    “We need the local community to help us understand what happened. We are appealing for anyone who was in the area at around 3am and that saw or heard anything unusual to contact us as soon as possible.”

  20. Janet getting her virtue-signalling/libtard credentials in early:

    ”SiR – I dislike Donald Trump intensely, but will vote for the first British party that follows him in pledging to ban all diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives; stating that there are only two genders; and encouraging the use of our own resources, rather than importing oil and other forms of energy from elsewhere. Janet Milliken Folkestone, Kent”

    2. I dislike Donald Trump intensely.. LOL.
      Janet also says.. "I really intensely like Sir Keir, he's great.. but I don't care for him importing thousands upon thousands of hairy fighting age men that hate us, rape my children, and the way he lies about everything."

    3. Of course Janet meant diversity, EQUITY, and inclusive initiatives. Equity and equality are two different fish.

          1. I e racism because they hold the diverse to lower standards because they think (or know) they aren’t capable.

  21. 'Morning All
    Saturday Medley
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    2. It's called a testudo (a tortoise) the formation with the shields. A Level Latin was not entirely wasted, see! :~)

  22. Civil servants threaten strike over returning to office for two days a week

    Union from Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is latest in Government voting to walk out over right to work from home
    Time to do a Regan and sack the bloody lot President Trump would!!

  23. 400510+ up ticks,

    Yet more of the short term gain, long term pain material, out of curiosity, if Ed case milliband stood in front of one of these mirrors would there be a return image ?

    Miliband approves huge solar farm being built by major Labour donor
    Energy Secretary accused of ‘thrashing the countryside’ as he backs Dale Vince project

  24. FSB promotes free speech, personal liberty and British sovereignty, but also British culture, and takes the attitude that the more we know about it, the better we are at defending it. And today’s article is about an annual cultural event, Burns Night , that is celebrated tonight not only in Scotland, but also around UK and around the world in all of the English-speaking nations. Scot Iain Hunter explains all about it in his entertaining Immortal Memories.

    If you missed it, Grumpy Old Git Graham Bedford was back yesterday griping about modern cars and driving on modern roads in his Cars and Driving Annoyances and If you want irritations of a more, er, global(ist) nature there’s Beware the Big Corporations for you.

    Energy watch 08.30. Demand: 34.997GW. Supply: Hydrocarbons 12.5%; Wind 48.1%; Imports 16.7%; Biomass 8% and Nuclear 12.5%. Solar: 0%.

    The wind has picked up a lot, but we are importing electric power from the continent – much of which was produced there in gas-powered stations but classed as ‘other’ for carbon emission purposes here. Of the nominal demand of 35GW, Britain is only producing 27GW and importing electric power very expensively from Europe, just so they can report that carbon emissions are low.

    And please remember that FSB is a reader’s magazine, and relies on contributions from readers, so if you have something you want to say, please do write an article. It does not have to be a long one and no topic is taboo. Please think about it.

    freespeechbacklash.com

  25. Moving scenes from Tel Aviv. Live footage on GBN of returned sausages. Why do I not trust the Arabs?
    Tooth site not hurting yet though face still swollen. Doing sweet FA.

  26. Morning all 🙂😊
    It looks as if I've been transferred to another country overnight, bright sunshine not a cloud to be seen but not very warm yet only 2 c.
    I expect Erin will be lining up a few jobs in the garden.
    I wonder what millipede has to say to the chancellor regarding a new runway at LHR ?

    1. Trump says.. We're gonna make Murica great again.. with growth through, re-industrialisation, low taxes, drill baby drill, less govt and no woke DEI.

      Rachel Reeves says.. Britain is stuck in the “slow lane” and needs to emulate Mr Trump.. with growth through.. er, high taxes.. er Net Zero er Diversity Inclusion and Eq.. slogans that's what we need slogans.

  28. Good morning, all. Bright, blue sky on show but bitterly cold.

    If the weather holds I will prune my two apple trees. It'll be a good feeling to start working in the garden again.

    This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who follows politics. My desire is that they are all as miserable as sin.

    The use of the word "sauces" is I believe, a play on words. Goosey's profile has a tag-line "I love my Sauces".

    https://x.com/Goosey30111568/status/1882815743034888430

    2. After last week, I can recommend the Coop funeral service.
      Maybe Downing Street would get a discount for bulk buying.

      1. I recommend the Coop as well. A telephone call to get it started then a zoom to discuss the details plus Will and Power of Attorney. Easy peasy.

        I didn't tell them about the buried gold though.

      3. My Mum died in Gloucester and I used the Coop for her funeral.
        For myself and OH I'll probably choose one of our local ones.

        1. We have always used a local company; the owner was actually in the same class as MB at c
          school.
          It was Elderly Chum's family who chose the Coop. In fairness, I will say they did a good job.
          EC's family were Christian Scientists; there are none around, so the Coop's own chapel etc… gave her a decent send-off.

      4. I used the Co-Op for my wife’s funeral. All went well considering the lock-down restrictions, raised to 20 members a little time beforehand, except that they lost my wife’s remains and I had to complain before someone found them on a shelf somewhere at their funeral parlour. I wasn’t in a state to berate the manager when he called round with the box and with profuse apologies. My body language and curt thank you and goodbye was sufficient for him to know that I wasn’t happy with their service post cremation.

  29. Good morning, all. Bright, blue sky on show but bitterly cold.

    If the weather holds I will prune my two apple trees. It'll be a good feeling to start working in the garden again.

    This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who follows politics. My desire is that they are all as miserable as sin.

    The use of the word "sauces" is I believe, a play on words. Goosey's profile has a tag-line "I love my Sauces".

    https://x.com/Goosey30111568/status/1882815743034888430

    2. This horrible useless mob who take up valuable space in the building known as Westminster are all akin to the efforts prior to moving a ship that's been stationary at sea.

    1. I read this earlier. I'm one of the thousands vaccine-affected, doubt I will greatly improve – so much later, so much older post 2020. Main thing is to ensure it never, ever, never happens again nationwide. I have no faith in our Health Service, especially GPs – been asked many times now to have the combined flu/covid jab. Our GP won't always see you if you request an appointment – they may phone you, but otherwise 'A&E'. And we pay them for this service.

      1. I haven't seen a GP for myself since 2019 when I had shingles – got an immediate appointment that time. Since then of course, my OH's heath has been a worry but our surgery acted promptly when his heart troubles began.
        Last week I phoned (circumventing the online triage system) on Monday morning and we saw the Dr on Thursday morning. She's ordered some blood tests for him so we'll see.

        1. I think they vary, many happy to have a phone conversation without actually seeing in person, and certainly no examination. Our practise is in a large stone built Victorian house, on three levels. It’s now a privatised company, with the Senior GP a MD and the others as Directors – Specialist Nurses do most of the day to day. The MD has an electric jag which he charges at work using the sole charger – leaving the Pharmacy vehicles delivery late because they need to charge their EV vans after his jag is charge. Those who pay ie us, didn’t seem to have a say, all seemed to happen on the qt during lockdown/s. Very pleased to hear that your practice is doing a good job, especially with OH – good luck with blood tests, and results x

          1. They've given him good care (usually the nurses these days) for his various issues. But our old GP is missed – he wasn't afraid to refer him to a private surgeon for his shoulder repair and also hernia trouble. He came out to see me twice in 2016 when I had a problem. He retired a few years ago now.

          2. In the past, they were excellent. The first GP in our village was the one brought me into the world, post WW2. I still remember him, his voice, his look, his suit, his attitude. His surgery was run in a room in his house – similarly to the ones Peta would talk about, in France. Vets work similarly in France, out of a room in their dwelling – we compared costs, she was quite disgusted UK costs compared to France. Occasionally, someone (the ones don’t often post) asks me if I’ve seen her lately. Glad your hubs got his shoulder repair, and also hernia prob (that’s no fun…). Also very good you got home visit….those seem long gone UK.

  33. The Old Age Pension in the United Kingdom began in 1909. The Old Age Pensions Act was passed in 1908, and the first payments were made on January 1, 1909.
    How did it work?
    The pension was non-contributory, meaning it didn't require contributions or a work record.
    The qualifying age was 70.
    The pension was subject to a means test.
    The pension was paid weekly, at 5 shillings for a single person and 7 shillings and sixpence for a married couple.
    The pension was deliberately set low to encourage workers to save for retirement.

    1909
    The modern state pension began with the introduction of the Old Age Pension in 1909. It was paid from 70, a ripe old age at the time. It required no contributions or work record, although a recipient had to have lived in the UK for 20 years and be of 'good character'.

    1. The population was much smaller of course and I wonder what percentage didn’t reach 70. Also, for those able to work and save, what was the tax rate?

      1. And of course it was made worthwhile to save.

        Now the moment you have any savings or money in a private pension scheme the state will do its best to steal it from you.

        Self-sufficiency used to be encouraged; now the state wants you to be dependent on the state.

        .

        1. 'now the state wants you to be dependent on the state', easier to control that way, Rastus CT…

        2. I was only thinking that today as I spent some of my savings. Rather I buy things I want/need than that Starmer and his wrecking crew rob me of my money.

  34. Good point but perhaps even Starmer has a threshold that can be breached. Reform ahead in the latest poll may be a factor.

      2. In the good ol' days Church services were conducted in Latin to maintain the mystery. Medicine is a bit like that today…

    2. Except for the crushed disc in my neck all my other diagnosed conditions are listed there.

      To get any sort of compensation you have to be 60% disabled.

      This is worse than the blood scandal.

          1. I think that list is of the Pfizer issues. The AZ one seems mainly to have caused blood clots and low platelets which together was fatal for many people under 50. I had AZ.

          2. I had four blood clots and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) Sticky blood. I still have the main clot in my leg but the blood thinners help.

          3. Thank God and thank our doctor Françoise that neither of us have had any Covid jabs.

            Françoise was suspended but she has now been reinstated but she has now passed retirement age.

          4. MB and I had AZ; two jabs and then left well alone.
            Ironically, I only had the jab to protect MB; if I'd been on my own, I'd not have bothered.
            But it was the one who I was trying to protect who suffered the blood clot and heart damage.

  36. For those who don’t take vitamin D 3 this might change your mind.
    http://www.drdavidgrimes.com/p/vitamin-d-deficiency-and-covid-19.html

    Vitamin D Deficiency and Covid-19
    “For weeks and weeks people from ethnic minority communities have been wanting to know how they can better protect themselves from coronavirus.” [BBC News June 13th 2020]

    We believe that during Covid-19, ethnic minority communities in the UK, the USA and elsewhere, and all others vulnerable to seasonal Vitamin D deficiency, have been seriously let down by politicians and medical-scientific officialdom. As a result they have been needlessly deprived of extensive biological knowledge that would have protected them against disease and death from a novel virus, for which adequate levels of Vitamin D are essential.

    We are two retired physicians of similar ages, who together bring a century of experience to many aspects of medical practice and medical education. This includes the endocrinology of vitamin D, the prevention and treatment of serious infections, experience of previous pandemics, and a sadly sceptical view of present medicoscientific politics.

    During the course of the Covid-19 disaster we both came up against the neglect of first-line immunity provided by adequate levels of Vitamin D, critically important for effective defence against invasion by all new viruses, and supported by science. This is explored from many aspects in this book, in which we identify important lessons for the future, including the folly of relying exclusively on Big-Pharma and the scientists it supports.

    GENERAL INFORMATION

    Title: Vitamin D Deficiency and Covid-19
    Subtitle: Its Central Role in a World Pandemic
    Authors: Dr David C Anderson, Dr David S Grimes

    1. I started with D3 from the start of Covid. Not infected, and never had a cold or flu since.

      2. I give it a rest during the "summer" – I've had minor sniffles but nothing much. I also at one time had creaking joints, but nothing like that now.

  37. Insanity.

    The Climate and Nature Bill debate has been deferred until the 7th of July. Surprisingly, it was labour MPs who were in the majority yesterday.

    David Kurten has a few things to say about this amended abomination that a LibDum placed before Parliament yesterday.

    Here is one suicidal idea focused on generating capacity – anything over 100MWs will be deemed a bad idea unless a local vote of approval is forthcoming – there goes SMRs of any useful size. They really do want to create an industrial desert of the UK.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c8523ff12659525aced9e7635d79202bbfe24cf67c74910b8c179495d0be7e5b.png
    Full comment.

    https://x.com/davidkurten/status/1882835168458891637

  38. 400510+up ticks,

    Thinking slightly timewise ahead when we rid ourselves of the odious political S(tool) and co, we should be in good time to refurbish ALL the requisitioned hotels currently under enemy occupation, in time for summer
    lest we forget, THIS SUMMER that is.

    Also it
    is worth keeping in mind that, https://x.com/Parkerbats/status/1883059392691712475

  39. Good Moaning.
    Sunshine: good.
    Low sunshine: what else do you expect in January.
    Low bright sunshine in the kitchen: aaaaarrrghhhhhh ………………… the Dower House is a health hazard.

    4. No one's making you do that. LOL.
      Let's agree to disagree. LOL.
      Please Ms Dewbs spell it out for him.. Trans women are male pervs that need to get aroused and/or enter the woman's private parts, or win a medal at the Olympics.

  41. Karma in spades. Lush has always been a preachy company, obsessed with all matters green and leftie.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/01/24/lush-executive-accuses-reeves-of-asset-stripping-businesses/

    "Lush executive accuses Reeves of ‘asset stripping’ businesses

    Inheritance tax changes are ‘sucking’ out profit, warns son of cosmetics chain founder

    24 January 2025 5:39pm GMT

    Rachel Reeves has been accused of “asset stripping” businesses by a senior executive at the ethical cosmetics chain Lush.

    Jack Constantine, the chief digital officer at Lush and the son of co-founders Mark and Mo Constantine, said the Government was “sucking” profits out from businesses with policies such as its inheritance tax raid.

    In the Budget, the Chancellor unveiled plans to drastically reduce the relief entrepreneurs can claim when passing their company on to their children.

    The changes are expected to affect Lush, which is majority-owned by the Constantine family and has a history of campaigning for Left-wing causes such as human rights and open borders.

    As of last April, co-founders Mark and Mo held around 56pc of the retailer. Mark has previously suggested he would want to keep Lush in the family by handing his and his wife’s shares in the company to their three children, Simon, Jack and Claire. All three have roles in the business.

    Jack said the inheritance tax changes were “teasing assets away” from businesses.

    He said: “Unfortunately for us, if you look at it, it feels as if this is effectively asset-seizing. We’re basically building the business here, and then you’re just stripping these assets away. There’s no option. There’s nothing a business can do about it. It’s out of our hands.”

    From April 2026, full business rates relief will only apply to the first £1m of a business’s assets upon a shareholder’s death. Everything above this level will be subject to 20pc tax. Under the previous rules, business owners could pass their firm and its assets on to their children without having to pay any inheritance tax.

    Jack Constantine said the inheritance tax changes would force more companies to consider going public and undermine family companies.

    Mr Constantine said: “With these tax implications, businesses might be forced into a situation where they need to go public, they need to find funds to [pay the inheritance tax bill]. It’s pushing businesses away from being entrepreneurially run and privately owned.”

    It follows months of criticism of the Government from business leaders, who claim that its policies are hurting growth. A survey this month suggested business fears over taxation were at a record high in the wake of Ms Reeves’s Budget.

    Mr Constantine said there would be a big focus on cost-savings at Lush over the next year, with the National Insurance changes and higher minimum wage adding ÂŁ6m to its workforce bills.

    He said the costs would have “quite a dramatic” impact. “It does mean you have to find the money somewhere.” On Jan 1, Lush increased its prices by 3.8pc, with Mr Constantine not ruling out further increases.

    It comes after Lush slipped to a ÂŁ30m loss in its most recent financial year, to June 30 2023, widening from a ÂŁ4.1m loss a year earlier.

    Lush blamed the increase on a rise in staff costs and ingredient costs for its cosmetic products, including glycerine, which it uses to help lock essential oils into its skin.

    The Treasury did not respond to requests for comment."

      2. That suggests you have never walked past one of their shops.
        Let's just say your nostrils are assailed by a variety of over-sweet and over-powerful pongs.

    3. Robbing the public and business. Where else are they going to get the money from, they eff up everything they come into contact with.

    4. You'd have to have a heart of stone not to laugh. Socialism not so funny when it hits home, eh?

      Inheritance tax is simply wicked though.

  42. Morning all,
    Sorry for going AWOL recently – I've been busy tending to 93 yo mother's demands vis a vis buying and setting up a new touchscreen tablet, fixing her TV which has gone kaput and searching for paperwork to do her tax return. Exhausting.

    Sad news, night before last I had to take one of my cats to the OOH vet in Woodstock and after a long traipse across Oxfordshire in the middle of the night to another vet in Swindon, after numerous tests, obs etc, nothing conclusive but serious none the less and so I had to decide to have her put down. 😪😪

    I hope you've all been playing nicely in my absence.

    2. Lovely to see you back.
      So many people are having a crap start to 2025.
      (And that's without the politics.)

      1. She didn' seem to be in pain but that was the problem, she had lost all sensation and movement in her front legs.
        Also anaemic and very hypothermic. It was best to say goodbye (sob)

    5. Playing is all we really do Stormy you know that nothing really gets done here.
      Sorry to hear about your cat. And well done sorting out your mothers paper work etc.

    7. Sorry Stormy I got a bit confused reading the above and thought for a moment you were referring to your mum at the end of your penultimate sentence….

    8. Sorry to hear that, Stormy. It's not a nice decision to have to make, even if you know it's the right one.

  43. Bingo! Got it in three. I also won about 5 Euros on the Lotto – which means I only lost about 25 Euros this week!
    Wordle 1,316 3/6

    ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
    🟨🟩🟩🟩⬜
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    1. Well done! For once I've done it at a civilised time – until recently I used to end up doing them rather late…

      Wordle 1,316 4/6

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

      1. Wordle 1,316 4/6

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

  44. Please may I ask Nottlers if any have had a dog with pancreatitis, symptoms, treatment, recovery etc. Thanks in advance, anyone, everyone. Kate x

    2. Is your doggie an elderly dog?

      Pip spaniel developed something nasty like that a few years ago , we spent a fortune on drugs for him , and the vet gave us a prescription so that we could buy his medication on line at a cheaper price.. Medivet charged us a fortune previously , but wise kind vet suggested alternatives . He had tests for 2 years prior

      Pip was on medication for 18months nearly 3 years ago .. now we have left well alone , adjusted his diet , bland foods , vegetables (I microwave those small packets of mixed veg, carrot, and greens and cauliflower) and I give him cooked chicken .. He will be 12 this year, he has a good life still active, pees alot . but we are doing the right thing , I hope .

      Jack spaniel died in 2023 he was nearly 16 yrs and had a multitude of probs associated with age , but did very well re quality of life.

      1. Yes, he’s 14 almost 15, a neutered male Patterdale. Soft until he sees/hears another dog. Has been fine until last few months. Hates the vets, who are now all young women, apart from one – the Senior Vet, a chap who is rarely seen or heard, he’s good and I’ve asked to see him. The trots have only started recently, know not why – been on the same diet for years. Now, of course, I’ve tried different things -kibble, kibble soaked, canned meats, grain free…yadda yadda, a change seems to work for a day or so then it starts again. Hoping to see or at least speak to Senior Vet come Monday, have sent a request in via PetsApp. They now work in a huge building, three female receptionists typing away, one junior vet (female)..items for sale leads etc, all expensive…wind whistling through everywhere…and fees much higher than I’d like. I’ve had a dog for over 70 years, but I’ll have no more when this one goes.

        1. We've always had cats…… no more kittens as we're too old – but our current two are lively, middle-aged tabbies from our local rescue. They are gorgeous girls. They had to go together as a bonded pair but they don't really like each other much. They chase around and bash each other, never cuddle together like our previous pairs did. They both love a lap though. Very often Ziggy on his, and Jessie on mine. Or next to me if the laptop's in the way.

          1. You may have known, or heard of PetaJ…mostly Spectator…she had cats, one used to sit on her lap when she was working. When Peta got up to move away, ct used to cling on by it’s claws…think the air may have turned slightly blue. My two dogs are similar to your cats – very little interaction, don’t much like each other…hmm…some humans similar 😀

          2. Peta – I only knew her for such a short time on here – but she was very kind and shared a photo I should have taken for myself at Macchu Picchu and for some reason I didn't. It was the Last Supper, with Jesus and the apostles about to tuck into roast guinea pig.

          8. Chilli-con-Cavy is delicious. Chilli-con-Coney is a substitute if you only have rabbit!🤣

      2. Sorry, True_Belle, in my haste to reply, and focussing on my dog, didn’t say ‘thanks for info’ and good to read Pip is doing well, and to read about Jack – well done, all the best, Kate x

        1. Kate,

          Do you have bird tables in your garden , bird feeders hanging in bushes trees etc, sometimes but sometimes Pip grazes some of the seed.. and that has produced the trots and vomiting .

          I have to be careful with the bird food , small seed stuff and none of the fruity mix etc .

          I am considering abandoning my feeders .. Chris doodah on Winter watch told us last night that feeders should be banned and that we should plant bird friendly trees and plants .. why because of stale seed poisoning birds !

          1. He would probably also ban cats. I went off him some years ago. The birds rely on feeders during the winter.

          2. I have a small metal hanging one, sunflower seed hearts, refilled each day – emptied pdq by both birds and grey squirrels below. I’ve never seen dogs eat any, they’re not out on their own always with me. Good suggestion tho, TB – many thanks. I ordered some recommended treatment YuMove Digestive Care Plus for dogs which is advertised as fast acting, high strength formula to help firm stools, ingredients I can’t understand, but so far today he’s been twice – once not too bad, second time much better. It may just be a one-off. I have suspicions about what started it…husband let him out one night when I wasn’t well, dog didn’t come back for a good 20 minutes, unheard of – I think he may have eaten something at that time. Husband denies it, natch! Thanks again,Belle, for your thoughts and advice Kate x

          3. I gave up feeding the birds after I attracted rats. I do have lots of shrubs that have berries, so they have to make do with that (plus I don't poison snails, slugs, etc).

    3. Oscar had it shortly after I first got him. Expensive trips to the vet, injections and bland food. He recovered. He was nearly 12.

      1. Thank you, Conway. He’s been very quiet today (he’s almost 15). Have a call booked with vet for Monday.

        1. Oscar was quiet when he had pancreatitis. He couldn't even be bothered to snap or be grumpy 🙂

          1. Harry is certainly sleeping a lot, but he’s always liked his comfort zone. He chose me when I went to look at the litter…obviously knows a soft touch when he sees one 😂 he’s never snapped or been grumpy other than at the other terrier and over food, especially cheese….did Oscar like cheese?

          2. Oscar loved cheese. He had to take half a paracetamol three times a day and the only way was to hide it in cheese. Of course, Kadi had to have a piece of cheese when Oscar took his medicine. Now if I get any cheese out, Kadi is licking his lips and expecting some. He can’t suss out that he only got some when Oscar got some and Oscar only got some because he needed to be medicated.

          3. Are you certain sure he hasn’t sussed it out, Conway 😀😀….what’s his favourite? my two dogs like my own favourite – blue stilton.

          5. Okaaay…😀 cheddar always a good choice….not as crumbly.. he sounds a delightful little dog x

          6. He is; he's a Cairn (hence the noise) crossed with a Westie. He's a blond himbo; everybody loves him and he gets lots of biscuits from shopkeepers and even customers in the cafe when we go in for a coffee.

    1. It's quite nice out there. Bed sheets drying on the line. Cat litter tray cleaned and drying on the potting table.

    2. Letters to the Editor
      How successive governments sacrificed Britain’s energy security

      Hot air: Ed Miliband, the Secretary for Energy, visits Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm
      Hot air: Ed Miliband, the Secretary for Energy, visits Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm Credit: Zara Farrar/Zara Farrar
      Letters to the Editor 22 January 2025 10:01pm GMT

      SIR – When I joined the energy industry in 1990, Britain was self-sufficient in electricity, oil and natural gas. True, we imported some electricity from France, but that was because it was cheap, not because we needed it.

      Since then, we have shut our coal production down and severely diminished our oil and gas industries. We are heavily reliant on imports of electricity, oil and gas. Now, in 2025, we are having serious conversations about blackouts. The idea that increased intermittent renewable power will reverse our decline in energy security is laughable.

      Ceri Phipps
      London EC1

      1. I wonder when it will dawn on Ed Miliband that solar panels are only capable of deliivering energy after dawn.

        1. Probably never – the man is a scientific illiterate and a moron! He seems incapable of rational thought and unable to assimilate actual facts!

          1. He must think that having to stop windmills turning when the wind blows hard is a wind up.

    2. His role isn't to have a clue what he's talking about. It's to convince the weak minded who think something of his to support the cause.

      After all, no one has heard of the psychopaths in the WEF. They have heard of David Beckham and such people don't think too much beyond what he says. Even to the point of 'I wonder if he got paid for that…'.

      1. Other than a bit of tinnitus my hearing is fine.

        Just sprinkled marigold seeds all over the garden to feed the slugs. That's what seems to happen anyway.

  50. Fun fact:
    I'm buying a BYD car..
    That's very brave of you, Sir. (in voice of Sir Humphrey).

    Local garage repairman got six months jail in China for unlocking EV management system and carrying out minor repairs. Buyers do not technically own their own cars as battery & data collection are considered off limits. BYD is key component of CCP global strategy with rapid subsidised expansion into S America, Africa & Thailand.. and UK.

    The United States finalised a rule effectively barring Chinese technology from cars in the American market.
    Care to comment, our Rachel?

    1. I asked her. All she said was, "But but but Trump is a fascist and an enemy of democracy."

      1. Odd that he has such a commanding majority if he is an enemy of democracy.

        Oh! Hang on. It's one of those Lefty things isn't it. Trump, despite gaining a huge majority is a 'populist' and that's bad (despite it meaning democratically elected by a majority) and 'democracy' means won a pathetic share of the votes and really has no mandate.

        The Left hate democracy until it's their sort of democracy.

        1. Ain't dat de troof. Had we voted by one vote to stay in the EU, it would have been irrevocably settled and full steam ahead for complete union.

      2. "BYD" is the pinyin(Romanisation) initials of the company's Chinese name Biyadi. Originally known as Yadi Electronics, named after the Yadi Road in Dapeng New District. The character "Bi" was added to the name to prevent duplication and to provide the company with an alphabetical advantage in trade shows. As the name "BYD" had no particular meaning, BYD started adopting a backronymic slogan "Build Your Dreams"

      3. When I was young "made in Hong Kong" or "made in China" were synonymous with shoddy but cheap.

    1. All nonsense that we've heard so many times before. Younger people are brainwashed with this claptrap.

      1. After watching a program on TV about the splendid sights of the Grand Canyon and other similar places (all of our own river valleys) on earth no body can answer the simple question, what happened to all the water that causes all the erosion over millions of years ?
        As far as I have been able to understand moisture cannot escape from our atmosphere it's trapped. Melting Ice bergs floating on the sea don't raise the sea level when gone. I remember science lessons at school showing this and the old Gin and Tonic trick proves it.

        2. Water evaporates from the oceans. Hits mountains and deposits rain which then causes erosion. Rinse and repeat.

          The cellars in Portsmouth and Southsea get damp every year from the seasonal high tides. It hasn't got any worse.

    6. Made a bet with a hypocritical Lefty that when Trump's policies make absolutely no difference to the world that he gives me his three properties. He agreed.

      Lefties are dumb – but he'll try to squirm out of it. It bothers me that they make these idiotic proclamations (and have been since the 60's) yet haven't the faintest clue about real science.

      1. Just to clarify, he will give you his three properties if Trump's policies do make a difference?

    7. Well a good number of inland Local Authorities are already underwater… birmingham being a prime example….!

      1. That’s probably because the EU MAFIA banned Britain from dredging its own rivers. It’s only happened since then.
        Every area gets its floods after huge down pours.

          1. Ahhh I see and yes you're right about Brum. They are not flush.
            Probably got too many residents on benefits and not paying any council tax.

  55. On a happier note, the bullfinches and siskins are back at the birdfeeder, along with the regular greenfinches, chaffinches and noisy goldfinches.

    1. It's Great to see the birds feeding. I put out scraps every day in the back garden and they are all cleared within an hour.

    2. I've not seen a single siskin so far yet this winter on my feeders. I've had a couple of hawfinches but not much else, except for the 'usual gang'.

      1. Too early, I thin, for UK? Not seen any for a few years tho. Hawfinches, and most others as you say 'usual gang'. Not many birds of prey. No collared doves, several wood pigeons tho.

          1. I’ve not seen many, mola…there are more birds this turn of the year than I’ve seen in a while. If you fancy feeding the ones in your garden – buy a metal bird feeder (they last the longest), half fill with sunflower seed hearts (not the full seeds), position five or six feet above ground on a slim pole if possible (to deter grey squirrels). Buy a pair of binoculars if necessary. I must have been doing this for 1/4 century 😆

          2. Got some decent squirrel proof feeders ok. I get through more than 25kg of sunflower hearts a year.

          3. I am lucky in that there are no grey tree rats in Sweden. I've had a red squirrel in the garden on a couple of occasions but they are not robbers of bird food.

          4. One afternoon, several years ago, I was riding along a hedgerow and a snowy owl floated by – absolutely silent. Neither the owl nor the horse turned a hair.

          5. Oh my..like something from time gone by….pre motor vehicles, can we imagine the bliss of that …I’d go back, I think, but perhaps that’s just my age talking ..I have a tawny owl box, last year raised one chick – a male from the sound of him, still nearby. Hoping for another this season, but they move on when an area ‘hunted out’. The bats (pipistrelle) also moved on, I hope they return if cooler summer weather. Must have more than a hundred mole hills here, another return with the cooler weather. And snowdrops back, been sparse for last few years.

          6. You see a lot of wildlife on horseback; I’ve seen fox cubs playing outside their den and a fox being mobbed by crows. None of them took any notice of the horse and rider.

          7. I think you would, although I’m not a rider. Don’t see foxes anything like I used to, walking. Crows, rooks, all the time. Jays screeching. I have a picture of you now, in my head 🙂 G’night Conway, sleep well.

          9. Yes on s horse you become invisible to creatures who would normally fear you. Such a privilege.

  56. Just having a rest from cleaning inside and out, the bedroom windows, the resident assessor will be in action later. But………

  57. I see Harmer Starmer is going for even greater growth in October budget, warning of yet more tax hikes. All in "the short term" apparently, natch. Still waiting for my ÂŁ300 dividend due to switching over to wind and solar…

    1. We are getting bribes cheques in Ontario as well, a wonderful $200 to every adult that filed a tax return last year. Dead people who qualified have already received their cheques.
      Oh look an election will be called next week, surprise! No, not federal just provincial where our conservative in name only premier us looking for a new term at the trough.

        1. Makes sense, if you cannot fix the result don't allow the election.

          Many wags around here expect Trudeau to organise a crisis around September so that he can declare an emergency and cancel the October elections. Very much a Pretty Polly conspiracy but we are not ruling it out.

          4. Poilievre’s nailed it. Hope he and Trump reach accommodation. Something amusing…Katie Hopkins came across Nigel Farage, apparently outdoors during the inauguration, on his mble, smoking a fag..she went up to shake his hand, he ignored her. Phone call must have been important….

      2. How thoughtful, a contribution to the funerals. Do you have an opinion on Poilievre please, richard? If so, would you share it? Thx Kate

    2. Well yes, James ('afternoon 😊). I haven't rec'd my 300 squid either, and I don't expect to – me of little faith. The only growth will be in tax hikes. As Judge Judy would say (about teens tbf but I think we can safely include various politicians)…'when their mouths are moving'.

  58. Not only was the 19th century the most prominent period of man's endeavour, it also contained the greatest selection of inventors, explorers, artists, wits, musicians and much, much more. Humans, in those days of endeavour, inventiveness and exploration were much more sensible and civilised back then than the miserable excuse their present-day descents have turned out to be.

    Back in time, humans were proud to be thoughtful, literate, numerate and considerate. They expressed themselves poetically with an extensive and rich vocabulary and their music was sweet and uplifting. Compare that with the limited — stunted — vocabulary, lack of decorum, grace and good manners, possessed of the risible excuse for humanity in the present day. Obscenities abound and what passes for 'music' is in the same desolate vein.

    Far-sighted individuals, in the form of the likes of Twain and Wilde, gave precious and prescient insights that are still relevant today. One such insightful man was the Scottish bard, Rabbie Burns, whose birthday is celebrated tonight. In his wonderful poem, "To A Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest With the Plough, November, 1785", he reveals his distaste for how mankind had already commenced its woeful and abominable trashing of the planet. In just the second verse Burns laments:

    I’m truly sorry Man’s dominion
    Has broken Nature’s social union,
    An’ justifies that ill opinion
    Which makes thee startle
    At me, thy poor, earth-born companion
    An’ fellow-mortal!

    I shall be raising a wee dram of a special single-malt, frae his ain wee country, to the great man, the nicht!🥃

    1. The problem, Grizz, is that all the achievements you reference in your first two paragraphs were made by ethnic Europeans and Ashkenazi Jews. Yet it’s the rest who left nature largely undisturbed, since they never developed the means by which to have any significant impact. Rousseau’s fantasy noble savage now leads the white man to feel guilt and to glorify the not at all noble savage. To emulate him even.

      2. That would be J J Rousseau, who loved humanity so much he dumped his children in orphanages.

      3. Progress, Sue, is indeed a double-edge sword. A truly intelligent (as opposed to a creative, manipulative, clever or constructive) human being would have ensured that his increasing sophistication in the arts and sciences was not mitigated (or diminished) by his growing propensity for overbreeding — and the concomitant, resultant desolation of the planet that has followed.

        Unfortunately, as we well know, that was not the case and it is why the world is in the truly deplorable state it now finds itself in.

        No one who follows world news, daily, can be in any doubt — whatsoever — that mankind is now in an advanced state of deterioration.

  59. This doctor has changed his view about doctors.
    He sees the future as being with front line primary care medical professionals like NPs and DAs with AI being an important part of the mix:

    https://youtu.be/e3j88NHXUS0?si=5V6JiqWHSdxi_Fus
    With the growing need for NHS patients to seek private health treatment perhaps Trump sees the advantage of linking access to the NHS as part of a trade deal with the UK.

      1. Morning, Richard! Crikey – where is that? We're pretty lucky for up here in the north – I have a great doc.

        I did read something about the law changing around not needing a Doctors sick note for short term absences from work. I wonder if this is why? Can't get a note if you don't have a doc?

        1. That was in some little town about 300 km north of Toronto, Cbc news (yuk, spit) carried the story.

          We are also lucky that we have a doctor. Trouble is when they retire you get thrown on the unserviced pile, you don't automatically get transferred to another GP in the practice.n

      1. I think – Nurse Practitioners, and Digital Academy (watch a video, that'll cure your ills). Idea is that GPs still draw their pay, but don't necessarily earn it (you gotta problem – go to A&E!)

  60. Inept government? Try this summary of our Liberal management from our Parliamentary Budget officer.

    Given that the best indicator of future performance is past practice – and that the Trudeau government has failed to address these concerns after almost a decade in power – it’s reasonable to conclude a new Liberal government will simply continue these reckless fiscal practices.

    Appointed by Trudeau (well nominally by the Governor General), the term of this pain in Trudeaus backside is being ended this year!

  61. Earlier I put up a comment re No 10 and its denizens feeling the atmosphere there is grim and poor old Starmer is worring about being universally disliked.

    Perhaps if Starmer & Co cared about what is happening in the UK instead of deliberately making it worse they might find that the atmosphere in No 10 would improve, as for Starmer's situation… not a chance.

    The following is just a microcosm of the tsunami of problems sweeping over the UK.

    https://x.com/DaveAtherton20/status/1883072983155327051

    1. Starmer & Co don't understand it, because they can't understand it. They think they're doing all the right things, and we're just the vast ungrateful public. One answer would be to shut us up, perhaps they're figuring out how to go about that.

      1. Cancelling local election under the pretence that they are converting to "unitary authorities" is merely a stage in turning Blighty into a full blown dictatorship.
        During the scamdemic, the sheeplike British public showed that it will take any form of oppression and manipulation.
        This is the result.

  62. G'day all,

    First visit here today – I've. been taking advantage of the clement weather and I've been busy in the garden.

    I don't know if anyone has posted this yet, this 29 minutes of fireworks. Javier Milei socks it to 'em at Davos and they won't have liked it. Neither will Kier Stalin. He completely and utterly demolishes woke globalism. He demands a "Mea Culpa" if they wish to be a part of the future! Farage and Co need to take a tutorial or two from him.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9f8zTWLKzw

  63. 400510+ up ticks,

    The end result being a continuation of, and much more of the same right up until the scimitar is raised above buck palace,
    The Tories can seize on Labour’s failures
    Having laid the groundwork, there is now an opportunity for Ms Badenoch to get on the front foot

    Question Time and what to do with a multiple fractured NHS, NOT one mention of the 400 hundred a day potential patients landing at Dover, my niece yesterday 6.30 am Chatham / london hospital, foot operation day, in the waiting room only to be told postponed.

    That could very well be a foreign patient just leaving calais "in dire need"

  64. Joanna Lumley: ‘I never minded people wolf-whistling. I always thought that was tremendous’
     https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/01/25/joanna-lumley-saturday-interview/

    What a sad world it is if an enthusiastic response to a pretty girl is considered politically incorrect and potentially illegal.

    [ I note to my disgust that the wolf whistles have been cut out of all the versions of this song which I can find on line.)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9AtE1h9hx0

    2. I always wonder if it would be some kind of assault to compliment a woman on her attire – there was a young lass going to the office a couple of days ago wih a long wool coat, in black and white checks. Lovely garment, so it was, and suited her beautifully, accentuating her youth and slenderness. Not being at all sure what her response would be, I kept any compliment to myself, and said nothing at all.

  65. Michael Deacon takes us for a trip down memory lane. From the days when we were still allowed to laugh.

    If it’s wrong to blame the obese for being fat, answer me this

    Obesity is a ‘disease’, claims Oprah Winfrey. What a convenient excuse

    A spokesman for Elizabeth Taylor once claimed that the actress’s considerable weight gain was due to “her glands”. When the satirist Peter Cook heard this explanation, he naturally expressed his utmost sympathy.

    “Poor woman,” he said. “There she is, in her suite in the Dorchester, harmlessly watching television. Suddenly her glands pick up the phone and order two dozen éclairs and a bottle of brandy. ‘No,’ she screams, ‘please, I beg you!’ But her glands take no notice. Determined glands they are, her glands. You’ve never known glands like them. The trolley arrives and Elizabeth Taylor hides in the bathroom, but her glands take the éclairs, smash down the door and stuff them down her throat…”

    What a pity Peter Cook is no longer with us. He’d have been fascinated to hear the latest breakthrough in our understanding of obesity. And we owe it to no less an authority than Oprah Winfrey. The queen of American media has informed listeners to her podcast that, if you’re obese and struggling to lose weight, it’s not because you lack willpower. You’re just a victim of bad luck. Because, she explains, “Obesity is a disease.”

    Well, that’s a relief. Being fat is not our fault after all. It’s merely a disease we happen to have. Good to know. I’ve got just one question.

    How exactly is this disease transmitted?

    We know that lots of people are slim in their youth but become fat later on. Presumably, therefore, the disease is not genetic, but viral. One day, you’re sitting on the bus, minding your own business, when an obese passenger suddenly sneezes crumbs from his steak bake all over you. That night, you go to bed feeling queasy – and when you wake up next morning, you’re 18 stone.

    I do hope scientists will conduct more research into this awful malady. For one thing, I’d love to know why the disease is so contagious in the US and other rich Western countries – yet in poor countries, the disease doesn’t seem to spread at all. Do Ethiopians have herd immunity? Or did they discover a miraculous vaccine?

    In the West, we do now have weight-loss drugs – but sadly, their manufacturers just can’t keep up with demand. None the less, there are steps we can all take to stop the disease of obesity from spreading.

    First, practise social distancing, by standing two metres away from the nearest fat person. And second, always wear a face mask.

    That should stop you from catching the obesity virus. Or, at the very least, stop you shoving ĂŠclairs into your mouth.

  66. Bluss – it's chilly. The sky may be blue and the Sun is shining but….it is too cold to do more than half an hour in the garden.

        1. Still, under Bliar’s reformed GP contracts, they get loads of dosh to fill in forms and no responsibility for out-of-hours care. Cushdy!

  68. Welcome. Our NP was very good, experienced, retired early…suspect workload something to do with that.

  70. Amazing really, with all the disease around….🤦🏻‍♀️

  71. Electric cars are now MORE reliable than their petrol and diesel counterparts, study claims D Fail

    Researchers from the University of Birmingham and the London School of Economics (LSE), analysed the 'health' of nearly 300 million vehicles on UK roads.
    Their analysis found that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) not only had a lower likelihood of failure, but also a comparable lifespan to traditional cars and vans.
    According to the team, this marks a 'pivotal moment in the drive towards sustainable transportation'.
    Co-author Dr Viet Nguyen-Tien, from the LSE, said: 'Our findings provide critical insights into the lifespan and environmental impact of electric vehicles.

    There were 32,169,932 licensed cars in Great Britain at the end of 20223. Really? One car for every two men, women and children in UK. Of course – the science is settled!

    2. "300,000,000 Vehicles analysed.

      however, there are only 32,169,932 on the roads of UK.

      The others are in Cloud Cuckkooland then

    1. Why on earth has Mr O'Rourke not appealed against his vicious and wholly disproportionate sentence?

        1. Beyond me; there are always tons of right-on lawyers only too happy to act for terrorists, illegals etc etc. Why not some for these victims?

          1. Because they aren't terrorists or illegals? Therefore they don't matter but are a threat to the Plan?

          2. It is bizarre the crap legal (aid) representation that bullied these people into pleading guilty so as to theoretically avoid a lengthy "remand term" pre-trial turned out to have given really, really bad advice.

            Is the SRA interested? Doubt it. This is 2TK policy today in the UK.

            Yet all the lefties, illegals, brownies and jihadis, advised to plead NG, get bail and an ever receding trial date.

      2. Probably because it costs money, and native Working class Brits get no access to legal aid.

    2. Our country is completely broken.

      This man told the truth and it was the truth. But he was imprisoned because Starmer's henchmen said it was a lie

      When it became clear that it was the truth a whole, unbroken country would have set him free immediately and issued a grovelling apology.

  75. "Starmer and his law chief fought for terror suspect to come to Britain

    Pair argued it would be ‘irrational’ not to bring the man over from Iraq for a trial while heading his legal team in 2006

    Sir Keir Starmer and Lord Hermer acted together for Hilal al-Jedda as he appealed his detention by American and British forces during the Iraq war Credit: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing/Getty
    Sir Keir Starmer and his Attorney General previously worked together to try to bring a terror suspect back to Britain, it can be revealed.

    The pair argued that it would be “irrational” not to bring the man, who was later stripped of his British citizenship twice, back to Britain from Iraq for a trial.

    The Prime Minister and Lord Hermer acted together for Hilal al-Jedda in 2006 when he was appealing his detention by American and British forces during the Iraq war.

    Mr al-Jedda had been arrested by Western forces in the country in 2004, suspected of taking part in attacks on UK-US coalition forces in the country. He was suspected of associating with Islamist groups then operating in Iraq following the invasion by America and Britain.

    But Mr al-Jedda’s legal team, led by Sir Keir and Lord Hermer, argued that their client’s detention was unlawful, citing conventions of international law, such as the European Convention on Human Rights.

    They also argued that, because Mr al-Jedda was a British citizen, he should be tried in Britain, not in Iraq under the Iraqi law enforced by Western forces following the invasion.

    ‘One-off’ deal offered to asylum seekers

    The disclosure comes at a time when the Attorney General is facing intense scrutiny, after it was revealed he represented Gerry Adams in a compensation dispute.

    When the Government announced plans to amend legislation in a way that could potentially benefit former detainees in Northern Ireland, including Mr Adams, questions surrounding a possible conflict of interest were raised.

    Lord Hermer was then pulled into a fresh conflict of interest row after The Telegraph revealed that asylum seekers he had represented during his years of private practice were offered a “one-off” deal to come to Britain shortly after he entered government.

    Critics have also raised concerns about an apparent pattern involving the Attorney General taking up legal battles that they say are contrary to the interests of Britain.

    In the al-Jedda case, the Prime Minister and Attorney General’s claim was dismissed by the court, with appeals rolling on for a number of years.

    In 2007, the then Labour government stripped Mr al-Jedda of his British citizenship.

    After a High Court appeal in 2010, this decision was overturned, and his citizenship was reinstated. Lord Hermer once again acted for Mr al-Jedda in the 2010 case, though Sir Keir did not as he had since become director of public prosecutions.

    Following a Supreme Court judgment in 2013, he was once again stripped of his British citizenship.

    Mr al-Jedda had obtained British citizenship after seeking asylum during the years of Saddam Hussein’s rule in Iraq.

    In the 2006 case, the court ruled that since British and American troops operating in the Multi-National Force were acting in the war zone of Iraq, hearing his case in Britain would not be appropriate.

    A record of the judgement in the case, seen by The Telegraph, reads: “Mr Starmer renewed in this court his contention that the secretary of state was acting irrationally when he declined to direct that Mr al-Jedda be returned to this country.

    “This was very much a matter for the secretary of state to decide, even supposing that he had the consent of the Iraqi authorities to remove Mr al-Jedda, who is an Iraqi national as well as being a British national, out of Iraq.”

    Lord Hermer, a long-standing friend of the Prime Minister, was a surprise appointment to the Cabinet in July when he was made Attorney General and given a place in the House of Lords.

    Like Sir Keir, he was known as a lawyer who championed international law in British courts. The Prime Minister gave the toast at Lord Hermer’s silk ceremony, while the future Attorney General donated £5,000 to Sir Keir’s campaign to lead the Labour party in 2020.

    The Government has said it has rigorous procedures to prevent conflicts of interest."

    1. Well it couldn't possibly be the prospect of lawyer 'Lovely Jubbly' influencing their desire to see justice in Britain….

    4. There are no words! At least none that won't get me locked up. As for that last sentence – it would be funny if it weren't so appalling.

    3. A few days ago the Mail ran a story allegedly from a very discreet top prostitute which claimed that all her clients know that the world has gone beyond tipping point on man made global warming.

      I think the Daily Mail has high end prostitutes on the brain, and they may not be telling the truth…

      1. I’d trust the tarts long before I’d trust the Davos attendees.

        But hey ho, you pays yer money, yer takes yer choice.

        1. Actually it would not surprise me in the least to learn that the tart in question was a figment of the DM’s imagination! I thought it was climate fraud – pushing clickbait.

          1. And I never had you down as an apologist for Davos attendees.

            How many examples of these people’s one rule for them? another for the rest of us? do you need?

          2. ? I don’t understand you.
            My point is that the DM put together an article, probably with a mythical prostitute, claiming that everyone at Davos knows the world has been irreparably damaged by man-made climate change.
            I don’t think there is any truth in it, it’s just a sly way of pushing the climate fraud. It doesn’t interest me at all what kind of unpleasant things happen at that meeting of people who have sold their souls.

          3. If the Davos people really believed the climate change rubbish why would they be arriving on private jests (sic), they probably have access to the finest video links.

            If the DM wanted to make the point there are better ways, I accept the click-bait argument but why bother with a mythical prostitute to present it?

          5. Because most of the stories in the DM are fake and sex sells.
            The Davos attendees obviously know climate change isn’t real.

    4. They deserve to get AIDS, syphilis and the sort of STDs that leads to the disintegration and decomposition of their flesh.

    5. Similar to the great WEFist Gates's delight in his long and close friendship with the late Epstein…..

  77. Switzerland is excelling at removing immigrants slated for deportation, achieving the highest rate in Europe in 2024 with a 60 percent deportation rate and boosting its own progress by 18 percent over 2023.

    In total, Switzerland was able to remove 7,000 asylum seekers in 2024, said Beat Jans, the federal councilor responsible for asylum, while speaking at the WEF.

    When asked how Switzerland was so successful at returns, Jans said it was by working better with the cantons, which is the term for federal states of Switzerland, according to Swiss outlet RTS.
    Jans said it was a “good development” and praised the work of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), which is responsible for obtaining the necessary documents to ensure speedy returns.

    1. Sounds as though majority Swiss behind the removals, Stephen – not so sure it would be the same GB, get the impression more of an uphill battle.

      1. Not just the majority Swiss (they do have referenda), those with the power to implement it are carrying it out rather than finding excuses to block it.

          2. Yes. Did you see Katie Hopkins experience with Farage today. Must have been quite an important call.

          4. It was online, she was waiting for Trump to appear post-inauguration, spotted Farage – she thought having a smoke, but was on his phone. Went up to him to shake his hand, he ignored her then waved her away. She wondered what could be so important for him to answer just at that time.

          6. Definitely ill mannered. He seems to usually like being recognised, I saw some footage – he seemed pretty annoyed, guessing at the phone call. I think the rude/cowardly look comes with the badge, many in the public eye. ‘Because they’re worth it’, opo.

    2. So now the WEF is parotting the allegedly "far right" policies of the governments that are allegedly fighting back against the policies that have been pushed by the WEF for the last fifty odd years.
      And people still think Trump, Milei, Meloni, Musk etc don't work for the Rockefeller programme!

        2. I'm under embargo on Faceache but happy birthday to mum. I'm sure the staff will take care of the lady.

    3. Happy birthday to your mum. Today is my eldest brother’s 85th birthday and our mother’s year’s mind. She passed 12 years ago today, aged 97.

      1. Condolences for 12 years ago, Sue.
        🙁
        Mother was bright and engaged when I called, recognised me and my voice, and an anecdote about a boozy birthday party for her some 58 years ago, combined with Burns night party – in Nigeria.

          1. I can see Edward III at the back. Princess Margaret and Donald Trump at the front but who are the others?

    2. That is word for word the one I learnt when I was 8 and can still recite by heart. (Other, lesser versions, exist).

    3. Naming of Parts (1942)

      Today we have naming of parts. Yesterday,
      We had daily cleaning. And tomorrow morning,
      We shall have what to do after firing. But to-day,
      Today we have naming of parts. Japonica
      Glistens like coral in all of the neighbouring gardens,
      And today we have naming of parts.

      This is the lower sling swivel. And this
      Is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see,
      When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel,
      Which in your case you have not got. The branches
      Hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures,
      Which in our case we have not got.

      This is the safety-catch, which is always released
      With an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let me
      See anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easy
      If you have any strength in your thumb. The blossoms
      Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see
      Any of them using their finger.

      And this you can see is the bolt. The purpose of this
      Is to open the breech, as you see. We can slide it
      Rapidly backwards and forwards: we call this
      Easing the spring. And rapidly backwards and forwards
      The early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers:
      They call it easing the Spring.

      They call it easing the Spring: it is perfectly easy
      If you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt,
      And the breech, and the cocking-piece, and the point of balance,
      Which in our case we have not got; and the almond-blossom
      Silent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and forwards,
      For today we have naming of parts.

      Š Henry Reed, 1960

  81. Electric Special Forces jeep ‘will sneak behind enemy lines undetected’. 25 January 2025.

    Special Forces have collaborated on the design of a new vehicle that can run on batteries, hoping it will be able to sneak behind enemy lines without detection because of its reduced noise and thermal masking.

    The Fering Pioneer X, designed by former Formula 1 engineers in London, is equipped with four batteries that provide more than 80km (50 miles) of quiet driving.

    This is beyond stupid.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/01/25/electric-special-forces-jeep-will-sneak-behind-enemy-lines/

      2. It's a farce, alright, but I suspect there won't be many volts involved when the sun don't shine and they can't find an unguarded charging point that fits.

    4. Hahaha! Lots of secret charging points behind enemy lines, are there? 50 miles is nothing. It certainly wouldn't get you to Berlin (the Big City) and back.

    5. An operating radius of 25 miles on a battlefield for Special Forces is beyond stupid.

      The wagons pictured travelled hundreds of miles and refuelled from fuel dumps created earlier. I'm thinking that charging points will be at a very high premium in an active battle ground.

      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/52bd5e48232ee2705e32be63bd8be7789b2306a61a95781dd7fcc271c1408660.png
      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bccd500a53ffd8d0073a27fc4d34f052c2c75519ed71a810be6d74e947cc5431.png

      LRDG

      1. My late father-in-law was with that mob. Never said a word until a few months before he died. Very modest, unassuming chap, he was.

      2. Thanks to the onboard generator, the article claims 4,000 km range for the vehicle.
        That must be one very large fuel tank to power the generator for 3950 miles, I wouldn't want to be near that much fuel when the new jeep is under fire.

        1. Knowing the prats in charge, they'd probably skimp on self-sealing tanks to save weight as well!

    6. And if the enemy is more than 80Km away? If they get chased and have to go full power??
      Edit – now I see – it has a multi fuel generator to extend the range!! Bit like charging your EV from a diesel generator!

    7. 'reduced noise and thermal masking'.

      Have they considered electromagnetism being detected from low orbit satellites or have i been watching too much sci-fi.

      Mr Spock looks nonplussed.

  82. Voice Online > News > World News > 10th February 2023Written by: Lester Holloway
    What is Tony Blair doing in Africa?
    The 'new King of Africa' is busy hooking up African leaders with international bankers.

    Old article , but worth reading because all will be revealed !!!!!!!

    "While Blair acts as speed-date organiser between global bankers and the Rwandan regime, last month a Rwandan newspaper editor, John Williams Ntwali, wound up dead after being “regularly threatened”, according to respected international body Human Rights Watch.

    Ntwali died in a motorcycle accident on 18 January, but Human Rights Watch says it hasn’t been able to find a police report of any traffic accident at the location. He is the latest in a long line of government critics who have met a premature end."

    Blair’s wife Cherie, a QC, recently represented Rwandan General Karenzi Karake in court following his arrest on an international warrant for ‘war crimes against civilians.

    https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/world-news/2023/02/10/what-is-tony-blair-doing-in-africa/

  83. Will you have to pay the 5% tourist tax, for Edinburgh, if you hire the camper off Ms Krankie?

  84. Afternoon, all. Been quite sunny today – blue sky, a few fluffy white clouds – but nonetheless cold (4 deg C). Still it is winter. That hasn't stopped the local rag warning of more weather Armageddon. I risked lighting the Rayburn so the house is warm all through. Fingers crossed we don't get any power cuts while it's lit. My electrician is dragging his feet about plumbing the generator in; I need to give him another prod.

    If the Chancellor is right about needing a third runway (Chancellor and right in the same sentence!!), then Milioaf is very wrong about net zero. They clearly don't do joined up thinking.

  85. Wordle No.1,316 3/6

    ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
    🟩⬜⬜🟩⬜
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    Wordle Sat 25 Jan 2025

    An abrasive Birdie Three?

    1. Well done, lacoste.

      Same here.

      Wordle 1,316 3/6

      ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
      ⬜🟩🟩🟨⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    2. It's a birdie barrage – Well done folks!

      Wordle 1,316 3/6

      ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨
      ⬜🟨🟩⬜⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

        1. Yes, they're working well! – I stick doggedly to mine as I think the luck will even out over time……

    3. Amazingly, me too.

      Wordle 1,316 3/6

      ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜
      ⬜🟩🟩🟨⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    4. Straightforward Birdie.

      Wordle 1,316 3/6

      🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
      🟨🟩⬜⬜⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    5. Puts my birdie to shame, I had all of the letters and just needed to shuffle them.

      Wordle 1,316 3/6

      🟨🟨⬜🟨⬜
      🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    1. Oh my daughter caught something in Southampton! Sent me a picture of herself on one of them!

    2. Get real ! There are far more important things for the media to report.

      The bastard son of a Princess winning a minor court case.

      The Prime Minister making an announcement about little white girls being slaughtered not being a terrorist event.

      Angela Raynor, Pixie Balls-up Cooper and Jess Philips being shown up for the vacuous cunts they are.

      Erm…I think i should stop now.

  88. My bimble around Moors Valley was a pleasant interlude and got me out the house. Nature is slowly starting to move out of Winter into very early Spring:

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4b24f837a00ec834d090285d9e525a87c951537035a5f3cb994e4e5d70c321fc.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/957595e767fd0df62df1c4c5e210a045b31c0ae1ddb53458ec193f8b56839f37.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b19dd354a228c05fae19101536449e1cf1bd210ffb37f54a214acd53bf792322.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4ea90614c5e5016719009060234de6c8bf1f476fd7e998ecb8dea3673f194cbe.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f9f6788fc7e11102c551e36c0cd6448abcc6acc143a43616724f5980031de3e5.jpg

      1. While words of learned length and thund'ring sound
        Amazed the gazing rustics rang'd around;
        And still they gaz'd and still the wonder grew,
        That one small head could carry all he knew.

    2. Looks like the Los Angeles fires….!

      Though we had a very sunny day, we didn't have a sunset like that.

        1. I was in the Natural History Museum with my niece and we looked up and saw equally beautiful sunset, as you say, over in 2 minutes. I am knackered after my match and impromptu trip into London. Having a quick soak then put again with both nieces. Rest of my family has gathered in Southampton where I gather my daughter’s hockey team lost again, and Southampton football team let Newcastle beat them (husband and son are Newcastle fans).

          1. Fine thank you. We’re getting ready to move on 24th February , not far, and to a bungalow. Stairs are becoming a problem for me due to arthritis and neuropathy in lower legs.

      3. Yes. I lunch with them often at the Red Lion at Horsell. They never complain though when liver is on the menu.
        This part is 100% true. I had eaten most of my meal and when i came back from the lavatory, Max, John and Geoff had snaffled all me bacon !

        Quite clearly from this…Aliens like offal…with bacon bits. FACT !

  91. Sir Keir to chief Spad intern.. "Try and find out why I'm so unpopular.. Let me make this clear, Try and find out why I'm so unpopular.."

    Starmer Rejects 'Life Sentence' For Rudakubana

  92. In The Grimes today, there is a vomit-making "interview" with the unspeakable Gates. I won't spoil your evening by copying and pasting. The adulatory comments BTL are nauseating.

    1. Yes, it was revolting – whatever he got up to with his mate Epstein, Melinda was clearly unimpressed to the tune of many millions of dollars!

      1. I hear Gates recently had a meeting with the President of the United States. As did Bezos and Zuckerburg.

        I expect it was like being sent to the Headmasters office. :@)

          1. I hope so, too, Eddy. If Trump turns out to be yet another paper tiger I will take up the government's offer.

    2. I wonder how much the Nudge Unit gets paid working from their Ipads before they piss off to the subsidised Bars and Restaurants where they titter over how thick we all are.

      Thick people still have access to scythes and pick axes.

    10. The parrot on the right is saying: 'These arent real!!'

      The parrot on the left is saying: 'I'm not looking, she feeds me peanuts if I behave myself…'

  95. Right, that's me done for today. Pork belly for supper, so Cook informs me.

    Have a spiffing evening, despite the persisted cold air…

    A demain – with luck.

    1. We’ll be a very short walk from a local as well as our fabulous village centre. Hopefully it will keep me more mobile.

      1. That's good. I've found with my joint problems that if I don't keep moving the problems get worse.

    2. I contrast the pictures of Palestinians arriving to a crowd of armed, masked, terrorists to the crowds welcoming the Israelis.

    2. Streeting needs a lobotomy and then parcelled off to some Marxist state, North Korea (DPRK) will suffice !

      Send the whole blooming cabinet whilst we are about it.

      1. I think they've already had the lobotomies, Belle, which explains their behaviour and views.

  101. Afternoon all. A pleasant morning down at the range watching Mrs DC hustling some new young bucks at the 25 yard rapid-draw-and-fire handgun range. It's adorable watching their faces as they hand over their $50's. Just planning what to spend it on. I didn't take part, hence my excessive gin drinking last night, but secretly it's just an excuse to prevent her kicking my arse as well as theirs.

      2. I was planning a move to Norway even back then, so joined a pistol club in Norway, and brought my guns over before they became illegal in the UK.
        When I showed the local Police the papers demonstrating that, the Sergeant said "Bloody well done, this is all bullshit, won't solve a single thing" – and he was right.

    2. Dynamic handgun, eh? Used to enjoy that until I had a stroke, and the running bit became difficult. Firstborn is a range officer in the club, and I go along now & again, to make up the numbers.
      Keep hoping that someone will come up with dynamic bolt-action rifle… My K98 is a mean piece of precision, so it is.

      1. Sorry to hear about your stroke – delighted to hear that Firstborn is keeping the tradition alive!

        1. He's so good at almost anything, I'd be jealous if I wasn't his dad. Instead, I'm proud as fuck.

    2. it's also very weird indeed that they are castigating Castro (Trudeaus's "Dad", remember) and comparing the hated Trump to him

          1. I can imagine the MLK one might cause some interest. Of course that assumes that there’s enough left on the files to actually be worth releasing.

          2. Could be, we’ll see. Just seen a headline Millibollix has approved Dale Vince’s application for huge solar farm. Details will follow. FFS.

          4. Millipede needs a firm kick up the jacksy. What an effing idiot is that man. Does he honestly think the huge amount of money he is creaming off these deals will make life worth living?

          5. Likely make his life worth living and all those lovely contacts he’s making. Hope the wheels fall off the green boondoggle soon, looks to be possibly a few signs of that 🤢🤬

  103. I was chatting to a friend the other day about meaningful songs from the past. My choice was Where have all the Flowers gone. By the Kingston Trio. 1962. It has such poignant lyrics that sadly fit in with life today. Especially when we witness constant views of bouquets being left in memory of the recent dead.
    Let's have some choices from Nottlers.

    2. For me, it's "Big Yellow Taxi" every time.

      You don't know what you've got till it's gone.

    5. Louis A for me. What a wonderful world.

      Play it over any appalling news footage and it can bring me to tears.

      3. Agreed, DC.
        When Firstborn was born (lots of stress, difficulty, cĂŚsarian at the end) and he was alive, I went home and played that, and cried like, well, a baby. It still gets me every time I play it.
        https://youtu.be/VqhCQZaH4Vs?si=iR_MDwfRNRCW1VrJ Now Firstborn is a huge man, enormously strong, and well known in his industry (automotive).

        1. When born, he weighed just over 2kg. Tiny wee wrinkled thing, so he was. Fitted between my elbow and palm when I held him…

          1. My elder son, born 6 weeks premature in 1970, was exactly 2 kg. The Perinatal Nurse was going to put him in an incubator and I noticed it didn't have a 13 Amp Flashproof plug on it, so it wouldn't switch on when plugged into the flashproof sockets in the recovery room. Good job I was there. She went off and found one with the correct 13 Amp plug, which has a slot cut into the earth pin. When number 2 came along (also premmie) 3 years later, I checked very carefully too.

        2. Always a good one, Paul x I was in labour 24 hours plus my first…husbands used to be kind of sidelined those days, go to the pub soon as baby born 'wet the head' etc….

          2. Thanks Paul, kind of you – your whole world shrinks and you just focus on that. Didn’t help the woman in the next room shrieking hour after hour. Had a good doctor, he came to see me the following day, rushing around to check on me as his last call – been on duty 24 hrs, he’d come to work UK from Mauritius thought it would be better…. two midwives for around 20 women, different stages of labour. Now, going in with my daughter, posters on the wall to follow various rules and regs. NHS – envy of the world, eh 🤔😄 sorry if I spoil your morning coffee….x Kate

      4. Last Song played at my mother's funeral.

        Every now and again I just break down at that one.

    7. 'I'll find my way home' by Jon and Vangelis – makes me very emotional every time I hear it……

        1. I like Nina Simone (Feeling good, I put a spell on you). but I'm not sure I know this one – the tune though sounds very much like the theme tune to the Film XX series of TV programmes with Barry Norman?

    9. Ah Eddy…would always be Joni, for me. Start with Big Yellow Taxi, but many many others eg Case of You….

    10. One Last Cold Kiss sung by Christy Moore but written by Felix Pappalardi and Gail Collins of “Mountain”. Also known as Two Island Swans. Fits my mood perfectly at the moment.

      1. It will get better, eric. Time is a great healer. There will be moments when it seems overwhelming, but these will become less and less sharp.

        1. I hope so. There are times I feel I don’t have the strength to carry on, but more importantly I don’t have the courage not to.

          1. I understand, but you are stronger than you think. It's very raw at the moment. I have been in that situation, but fortunately, I was saved in the first instance by friends who arrived just when I was contemplating ending it all, and in the second by prayer and faith. I am glad I was granted the strength to cope.

          2. You do have the strength, Mr Bee. You do. Never give up.

            Also, just think how much strength your posts give to others, who may also be going through dark times. it's valuable.

          3. As I said last week, some who try to end it all don’t always succeed and may leave themselves with life changing disabilities and in a much worse condition.

    12. Sometimes, it's 'Gloomy Sunday' by Billie Holiday. It can be found on YouTube but be careful – it's known as the 'suicide song'.

      1. Another of many meaningful and lovely songs.

        I like the old joke…..bumped into Vincent in the pub and said can I buy you a drink? …..no he said I’ve got one ‘ear.

      1. I think life is going to become very awkward and very dangerous for us indigenes very soon, Conway.

        2. If things get really really ugly the authorities will have no choice but to resurrect the Home Guard initially with ex service personnel who’ve had weapons training once established recruitment will be opened to loyal subjects.
          They say History never repeats but merely rhymes. Echoes of King Alfred tackling the Danes springs to mind ….

          1. I know this sounds conspiratorial theoryist, but the third world army they have spread around the country is well able to overwhelm any armed force we are able to muster, and has no loyalty nor compunction about finishing us off.

        3. I'm afraid you are right. After today, I see only strife and even civil war in the land of my birth, and the whole appals me like you couldn't believe. It terrifies and stresses me beyond belief. Hope I'm wrong, but the signs don't point that way.

  105. "President Trump made a stir when he pulled the plug on Dr. Anthony Fauci’s security detail replete with limo service.
    "You can't have a security detail for the rest of your life because you work for government," Trump told reporters, when asked about the decision on Friday. "It's very standard."….When asked if he was concerned about these former officials' safety, Trump replied: "They all made a lot of money. They can hire their own security too.""

    from the Substack of Dr John Leake
    https://petermcculloughmd.substack.com/p/trump-pulls-plug-on-faucis-security?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=28gmek&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

    1. They all want armed security. Politicians, sports stars, movie stars. But they also feel that schools shouldn't have them, because 'We shouldn't need to protect our kids like that." Which is true. But until you fix that problem, maybe it could help?

      1. Maybe without state security at their back, they might have an incentive to fix the problem.

    2. I remember DT giving Fauci the side eye, thought then he didn't trust him. No longer trust any medics/press supported vaccines, haven't for a while. Relieved when I found Carl Heneghan – not just me, but a qualified guy thought so too.

      1. RFK Jr’s book The Real Anthony Fauci is quite an eye-opener! And Fauci has never sued the author.

        1. Cheers, BB2…off to hunt it down now. Carl Heneghan good today, as every day.(Good morning, btw…:-))

  107. Takes me back to when I was working in the harbour at Port Elizabeth SA. I often had that song in my mind.

    1. If I had my time over again – and not that I regret a thing – I would love to work at a port. Planes never interested me, no wish to be a pilot of that type. But there is something about a harbor.

      1. It's a long story but my old buddy John and I were helping refurbish the below harbour storage for fruit and vegetables before being shipped around the world.
        I felt homesick.

        1. I miss the ocean. We have a lot of fresh water around us, but salt water is a long way away.

  110. It's a bloody cold, clear night tonight, apparently with several planets visible. Mars is quite high up in the sky and quite red.
    And with that, I'm off to bed.
    Goodnight all.

      1. If it wasn’t for their leotards I ve seen one of two Chinese acrobats who are capable of doing just that.

    2. I've seen it too, Bob…and Sirius A/B…Orion been bright for a while, fab clear skies….sleep well 🙂

  111. After my mammoth window cleaning task today I deserve an early night. So good night all.
    Interesting comments on the favourite songs and lyrics.
    Tomorrow is another day.
    Night all 😴
    Up on the roof with James and Carol now.

        1. At Mrs Bee’s funeral we are having ‘Whole of the Moon’, the Waterboys; ‘From a Distance’, Bette Midler and ‘Everything I Own’, Bread.

          3. Today is the anniversary of my mother passing. Lara’s Theme “Somewhere My Love” from the movie Dr Zhivago was her tune. Just days after she died I went into Westfield shopping centre and they had a pianist playing in what was then the designer wing. He was playing Lara’s Theme.

          6. Did you ever tell your mother that Lara escaped from the Gulag and retired to live quietly in Notting Hill?

          7. I don’t think Mum would have understood Gulag. Viktoria Mullova escaped the USSR and went to live in Notting Hill. She didn’t retire though.

          8. The Whole of The Moon and Everything I Own are two of my long-time favourites.

            [David Gates wrote Everything I Own in tribute to his father.]

  113. Goodnight, all. Just been planning my first holiday this year. I want to visit a few places I missed first time round so it's a good time to do it.

    2. You are welcome here. The South Downs are my back garden…in a manner of speaking…sort of.

  115. Well, chums, it's my bedtime now. So Good Night all, sleep well, and I hope to see you all tomorrow morning.

    1. Night, Elsie. Here, the night is young. Even if I'm not. Recently returned wife is watching her new favourite show – Jim Bowen doing Bullseye. There's something about a northern Canadian gal trying to say "Look at what you could have won" and also "He sounds like that other guy who did Garlic Bread and Turn Big Light Off."

      I take solace in the sticky-nozzle soda stream, that she hasn't spotted yet.

      Sleep well.

    2. Oh dear. That's the beachside mansion next to the O'bama's gone. The Condo next to the Clooney's. Have to say goodbye to the Markles…Though luckily that one burned to the ground so no evidence.

  119. They won Bully's star prize. A speedboat.

    Mrs DC: "Do they get one each?"
    Me: "No. It's sits in one driveway until one of them kills the other or sells it."

      1. Maybe.

        The hidden secret behind Bullseye was that 500 contestants used to compete to the death behind the scenes, ala Squid Game, before the final 6 made it onto the show.

        Don't get me started on the dark origins of Blockbusters.

    1. Melted cheese? Wouldn’t feed it to me whippet. :types 800813S: into Casio watch.

      1. I will have you know that i was prescribed a course of Testosterone therapy to reduce those. It did work….. however my penis then needed its own hammock.

        Note ! Some or all parts of that statement are true.

        1. H*mmoc* Pen**. I'll take a K please, Bob.

          Current contestant just won a ping-pong table. But gets to keep his digital answering machine, teasmaid, and a pen.

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