Wednesday 14 May: The Conservatives won’t save themselves by disowning their heritage

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.

422 thoughts on “Wednesday 14 May: The Conservatives won’t save themselves by disowning their heritage”

  6. I much prefer the comments to the flakey letters this morning ..

    Well, who would have guessed we were becoming an Island of strangers eh?

    1800 men have landed illegally since Sunday ..

    Our village has a 5,000 population ..

    Peter Gwynedd
    1 min ago
    It would be ironic if Starmer’s firebomber arrived on a small dinghy across the Channel.

    1
    1 new reply
    show new reply
    Comment by Keith Phair.

    KP

    Keith Phair
    2 min ago
    Another clutch of delusional letters from the rump of the Conservative Party who plainly haven’t got out much in the last decade or so. Phillip Dully’s effort is particularly risible.

    Comment by D Taylor.

    DT

    D Taylor
    10 min ago
    You only had to watch the ITV news last night to see how ineffective Brit governments have been in stopping the boats and how naively and foolishly they have been in giving £500 million to the French to help stop these boats who have been taking every opportunity to punish us for Brexit. They were seen standing around or disappearing all together while the this boat filled up over a period of an hour.

    And did I hear right? Macron is to be given a state visit?

    Why can't we set up an award fund to be given to the person or people who can think of way of kicking this dangerous and lunatic so-called government out.

    Reply by Edwin Pugh.

    EP

    Edwin Pugh
    2 min ago
    The French have been remarkably successful at stopping the boats. About half of those attempting to leave are prevented from doing so. They are dealing with a highly sophisticated operation that is well aware of the authorities moves to stop them.

    Some thoughts of somone at the sharp end –

    The French navy doesn't intercept boats that are already on their way to the UK, the Boulogne prosecutor has said to the media.. "The maritime prefect doesn't want that passengers be put in danger by an attempt to storm their boat, which infuriates the British side, who say that we don't do our job. We have seen migrants putting gasoline on themselves and threatening to set themselves alight. Others showed very young kids onboard, saying that if French sailors insist they will all capsize and the children will drown", said Pascal Marconville.

    But in Calais itself, French authorities have intensified police raids on makeshift camps, with a series of thorough dismantlements that have emptied the patch of bush near Rue des Huttes, where hundreds of migrants used to stay.

    At night, a pilot can get to the UK by aiming for the lights on the English side of the Channel, including a tall telecommunications antenna whose five red lights are clearly visible from the French side.

    A growing trend is for groups of immigrants to ignore the smugglers and to buy their own dinghies to attempt the Channel crossing.

    1. A blackout should be enforced in Kent.
      The government would probably put up an extra lighthouse to guide them in.

  9. Morning, all Y'all.
    Dull. Bad commute this morning. It wasn't a question of "Will I get a seat on the train today", but "Will I get on the train today?"
    Bus rammed too, nearly couldn't get off at my stop.
    Lobby coffee bar's barista was missing in action – so couldn't even get a decent coffee to try to fix the bad start to the day.

  10. Good morning, chums. And thanks to you, Citroen, for today's new NoTTLe page. (Citroen? Is Geoff OK?)

    Wordle 1,425 6/6

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    1. Haven't spoken to Geoff. Do you have his number, Elsie? Someone is creating the new Nottler page daily but not appending the link to yesterday's page.

      1. I don't have Geoff's phone number, Citroen. It seems as if the two sites for today have differing messages, and I am more confused than ever.

    2. Good morning Elsie and all
      Wordle 1,425 4/6

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    1. They had a senior executive on the R4 graveyard slot this morning, reporting on another Select Committee grovelfest.

      Over bonuses, he said that 6% bonus for frontline staff compares favourably with the 115% bonus for top executives. He said that if this money was not spent on market-led bonuses, these executives might be poached by other companies. They do a valuable job maintaining standards (such as reservoir provision and sewage control) and cannot afford to be lost.

      As for malpractice fines, then this is money that will not then be spent on remedial work, and the public have only themselves to blame for shortages and sewage dumps. The public should be realistic about malpractice, pay up and move on. That's life.

      When we are being failed by our legislators and regulators, what can be done about this? It is like getting Putin or Netanyahu to stop bombarding their targets, when they are clearly winning their war of aggression.

  12. Hostile state ?

    Fire bombing

    Who?

    In the referendum 51.89% voted in favour of leaving the EU (Leave), and 48.11% voted in favour of remaining a member of the EU (Remain).

    Starmer only has himself to blame .

  13. 'Morning All
    Midweek medley
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fcb2a9875361ec9aefa78748e6312d67b56904bef69dd7da576917eed3cb7785.jpg
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    1. Gary Larson is a genius of the absurd. He is the cartoon equivalent of the poet, Edward Lear.

    2. The last one is very funny. Can't nick it for the parish magazine because of copyright and the naughty word 🙁

      We do seem to be seeing a lot of memes encouraging people to stay at home alone, isolated and on the internet…is the 77th Brigade doing overtime?

  14. 405575+ up ticks,

    A HEALTH AND SAFETY WARNING.

    ARE YOU BLOODY LISTENING THE BLEEDING KING HAS GOT NO CLOTHES ON, WE ARE SUFFERING UNDER A DAILY INVASION CAMPAIGN AND HAVE BEEN SO VIA CHANGES OF POLITICAL OVERSEERS AND THE POLLING STATIONS,FOR DECADES.

      1. 405575+ up ticks,

        Morning N,

        That was 39/45, currently sad to say
        THERE IS EVERY NEED

    1. Since neither lions nor rhinoceroses live in a 'jungle', then no. They are both plains dwellers. Tigers, on the other hand, DO live in a jungle.

      That second clip was NOT me. I don't have a sweet tooth!

      Edmund Hillary goat?

      🤣

        1. But that was a dead lion, and one which bees — allegedly, according to that story — built a nest inside its decomposing body.

  17. Good morning, all. Sunny but windy. About to go to the dentist. Back later.

  18. Good morning all.
    Another bright & sunny day with no sign of rain.
    A tad under 12½°C again with scattered cloud and a light breeze.

    I see police in Lanarkshire are hunting two men who raped a 17yo:-

    Police hunt two men after teenage girl raped in park

    "Officers are looking for two men, aged about 30, who were in the area at the time. One man was described as being of medium build, and the other was wearing grey work-type trousers."

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cje799z0522o

    With such an accurate description as that it shouldn't take too long.
    {/sarc}

  19. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2e9d3d00b84ec7d283fc421249ee1e143806199ddfe82541128872923ae961a6.png Is it 'cos I's black?

    Poser for the day: Why is it that mixed-race (mulattoes, half-caste, half-breed) people who have one white parent and one black parent invariably 'identify' as being black? I've never yet come across any that call themselves 'white'.

    The above photograph is of the actress, Halle Berry, whose father is an 'African American' but whose mother is white (her maternal grandmother being a scouser called Nelle Hawkins). There is nothing in that photograph that suggests her racial characteristics. She has no negroid features, her hair is not frizzy and her skin is very much far from being black.

    So why is she invariably described as "the black actress, Halle Berry"?

      1. O wad some Power the giftie gie us
        To see oursels as ithers see us!
        It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
        An' foolish notion:
        What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us,
        An' ev'n devotion!

        [Robert Burns]

      2. Guess what….5'8' here, long blond hair, long legs..and age 25. And super-intelligent. AI just the best thing….

          1. Very very similar here…offspring & theirs like to look through old photo albums…me? not so much 😆

      3. If you can choose your gender based on how you feel, I guess deciding your race is a breeze.

    2. Megan Markle called herself Caucasian early on when she was an actress looking for work and became Negroid later when that proved more advantageous.

          2. Not today Kate but yesterday I received the book of British Birds from Amazon (s/h £3.75) which illustrates all the birds so I'll be doing more of them soon. Today is grass cutting – how about you? x

          3. Brill, I have a copy ISBN 0 86145 663 7 large hardback, possibly same as yours soft back is ISBN 07495 0922 2. Mostly gouache illustrations, have you tried that medium? I like the Daler one. Grass cutting? no way, hay fever 🤯….sat in the sun for 5 minutes and fell asleep…must get something done now x see you later Alec..

          4. Yes Kate it's the large hardback edition, brilliant illustrations and for £3.75 (inc postage) can't be bad.
            Finished the front and rear grass and put 3 brisket joints in the oven to take advantage of the free electricity. x

          5. Amazing value, Alec…you’ll find it invaluable. Illustrations are indeed fab, gouache originally used for illustration, I really like it but not the acrylic version. Good grief, that’s a lot of energy cutting all that grass…three joints…are you a carnivore? How is your leccy free? x

          6. Solar panels give me free electricity during the day even when the sun isn’t shining so I cooked the joints and then froze them. Same with the grass – electric mower. Did the washing and tumble dried it yesterday free. My chain saw and log splitter are also electric. Looking forward to painting some of the birds. Goodnight Kate, sleep well x

          7. We have them, used to receive the FiT payment, electrician said no brainer… also a Tesla battery…two guys arrived in Tesla outfits all black electric car inc windows, to check all ok. Impressive and super polite. Have one of those dopey Roombas always getting stuck. Goodnight Alec you sleep well too x

          10. Groan…tell me about it! It was seeing a painting of hers inspired me to try watercolour. Failed…found a book by an American painter, Burton Silverman, then I followed his method for a while – until lockdowns when everything closed and couldn’t get the paper I liked….x

      2. I have never heard him mention his mother before.
        But the same story exists with Obama. Never a mention of his white mother.

    4. Because she thinks it gives her brownie points when it comes to acting roles, Grizzly. Chaboom…here all day….

    5. Good morning, Grizzly

      It is a political choice.

      When the Duchess of Sussex was looking for work as an actress she declared herself as White Caucasian.

      Now she declares herself as black.

      There was a song by Blue Mink – which I know you you abominate above virtually all other songs – which 'celebrates' miscegination!

      I thought that it would have been nicely mischievous to reissue Bobby Darin's 1960s song, Multiplication as Miscegination

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x-NZ7TaoT0

      1. Good morning, Rastus.

        That Blue Mink atrocity was the biggest dirge of my lifetime (other dirges are available).

        Bobby Darin died much too young. He was a superb talent.

      2. Miscegenation comes from the Latin miscere, 'to mix' and genus, 'kind'. The word was coined in an anonymous propaganda pamphlet published in New York City in December 1863, during the American Civil War. The pamphlet was entitled Miscegenation: The Theory of the Blending of the Races, Applied to the American White Man and Negro. It purported to advocate the intermarriage of whites and blacks until they were indistinguishably mixed, and further asserted that this was a goal of the Republican Party. The pamphlet was a hoax concocted by Democrats to discredit the Republicans by imputing to them what were then radical views that would offend the vast majority of whites, even those who opposed slavery.

        Democrats discrediting the Republicans? Some things never change.

        1. The parties were quite different in that era – the Democrats supported the South and slavery, while the Republicans were much more forward looking. Lincoln was a staunch Republican.

    6. There Is so much of that going on but what is their problem or indeed reason for this. What point are they trying to achieve.
      Are they all looking for work in tv advertising ?

    7. Here in the US, claiming some kind of protected ethnicity means that person becomes a "minority hire" and so the employer gets to tick a government required box.

      When I was still working we had someone on staff who was utterly useless, had lied on his resume, etc., but as soon as he was told he would be let go, he claimed we could not do that because he was black. Not very black of course, in fact not visibly black at all. The company basically made him redundant with a payoff, just to avoid the media circus of a very large multinational firing someone "because they were black". A situation made much worse here, as giving a negative reference will get an employer sued by some shyster law firm. That's why we were under strict instructions to do nothing more than confirm dates of employment.

  20. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2e9d3d00b84ec7d283fc421249ee1e143806199ddfe82541128872923ae961a6.png Is it 'cos I's black?

    Poser for the day: Why is it that mixed-race (mulattoes, half-caste, half-breed) people who have one white parent and one black parent invariably 'identify' as being black? I've never yet come across any that call themselves 'white'.

    The above photograph is of the actress, Halle Berry, whose father is an 'African American' but whose mother is white (her maternal grandmother being a scouser called Nelle Hawkins). There is nothing in that photograph that suggests her racial characteristics. She has no negroid features, her hair is not frizzy and her skin is very much far from being black.

    So why is she invariably described as "the black actress, Halle Berry"?

    1. 'Morning, all…….Patrick Chrystys had a good piece yesterday evening GBN, probably on the website if anyone interested.

  23. ‘King’ of group wanting to install monarchy in Germany arrested. 14 May 2025.

    Alexander Dobrindt, the new German interior minister, banned the group owing to its alleged anti-Semitic views and attempts to build a “counter state” opposed to democratic order in Germany.

    The group is part of the wider, loosely connected “Reichsbürger” movement, whose members typically deny the legitimacy of the modern German state, believing it to still be occupied by the Allied powers of the Second World War.

    This story is even more ridiculous than the usual German propaganda.

    Comments were closed after six posts so I guess that there were no takers.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/05/13/leader-of-group-wanting-monarchy-in-germany-arrested/

  24. The Daily T: Davey – Starmer is echoing Enoch Powell on immigration
    The Liberal Democrat leader on how the care system needs reforming and why he disagrees with the Prime Minister’s use of language
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/13/the-daily-t-davey-starmer-echoing-enoch-powell-immigration/

    BTL

    Are none of today's politicians aware that the problems with mass uncontrolled immigration that we have today are because the simple truth that Enoch Powell uttered was ignored and vilified?

    It is not surprising that perhaps the most stupid and silly exhibitionist MP in the House of Commons, Ed Davey, is so eager to climb back upon that wobbly board of Powell vilification! He will fall off – as he always does!

  25. The God-awful government's war on landlords is intensifying, but make no mistake, it's not only landlords they are attacking, it's also property rights and freedom itself, and part of the same campaign to destroy small, family farmers, as explained in The War on Landlords Is a War on Freedom . Please read and leave a comment.

    John Hamer gaves us the very key to comprehending the full extent of the depopulation agenda as, oddly enough, found on the Georgia Guidestones , erected in a field near Elberton in northeast Georgia, USA but since mysteriously blown up. It's a story and a half, so if you missed it, and please don't forget to comment.

    James Gatehouse pondering on the significance and thinking' behind abandining BAME for Global Majority in his Who are the Global Majority? helped me make some sense out of it. If you missed it, please read and do leave a comment.

    Energy Watch, last 24 hours: Britain's electric power was sourced from Hydrocarbons, 23%; Solar, 11.1%: Wind19.6%; Imports, 18%; Biomass, 9% and Nuclear, 16.7%.

    freespeechbacklash.com

    1. Tell you what.
      To remove ALL doubt about the matter, why not just do a quick drug test on all three of them?
      After all, people working in MANY industries are subject to Drug and Alcohol Testing, so why not our Political Leaders?

      2. Unfortunately, she only saw what had gone on after she saw the damage to her car and checked her surveillance video.

      1. Of course not, she is one of the clever elite that will be telling the reduced herd what to do in the technocracy.
        They really do believe that they are a superior race to us, and are therefore uniquely qualified to rule the world. This idea is part of the original technocracy movement from the early 20th century.
        By the 1980s it was so publicly discredited that technocracy wasn't even in my politics course as a form of government. We didn't learn about it, but it was simmering under the surface the whole time.

  29. Morning all 🙂😊
    Noticeably cooler start which is nice, it was too warm yesterday.
    I think the electorate have already noticed how useless the Conservative Party was as a government. The illegal invaders were made welcome by them. Despite all the malarkey about Rwanda. I just hope that Reform will do as promised, but frankly I'm not confident that will happen. They don't seem to be pressurising this dreadful ongoing invasion issue as much as they talked about it.
    Labour are only faffing around waving their arms about as usual and decidedly not telling the truth.

  30. Fat jabs better than statins at helping people live longer

    Experts hail ‘golden age’ in obesity treatment as drugs could halve deaths from major diseases

    The Daily Telegraph 14 May 2025 By Laura Donnelly HEALTH EDITOR

    MOST Britons could soon use weight loss jabs to live longer, Britain’s most eminent medic has said.
    Experts hailed a “golden age” in obesity treatment thanks to drugs which have been found to halve deaths from major killer diseases.
    About 150 new treatments, including injections and pills, could be available over the next decade, pushing prices down.
    Prof John Deanfield, Brit- ain’s leading cardiologist and government adviser on health policy, said the treatments were better than statins as they could prevent multiple deadly diseases.

    Research presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga found that the injections halve the risk of heart attack deaths after six months.
    It follows a major study published on Monday which suggests a similar impact on cancer.
    Prof Deanfield said the drugs, originally developed to treat diabetes, should now be used to prevent heart disease, cancer, liver and kidney disorders, and potentially even dementia. He said: “These drugs do remarkable things to improve many diseases. They are not just weight loss drugs, they actually benefit chronic diseases and affect the biology of diseases of ageing. They have shown benefits on heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, cancer and mental health.”

    His comments come amid mounting calls for a mass rollout of GLP-1 agonists such as semaglutide – the key ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic – which mimic hormones that control hunger and reduce inflammation. Two in three adults in the UK are overweight or obese.
    About 50,000 people are receiving weight-loss injections on the NHS, despite nearly 4 million being eligible. Health chiefs have called for a phased rollout to allow new services to be set up.

    Experts warned that current restrictions risk wasting a once-in-a-generation chance to tackle the chronic diseases that place the greatest strain on the NHS. Prof Deanfield said most of the population could benefit from the jabs, found to be far more effective than statins which only cut heart death risk by about a tenth. “It is a bit like statins in the sense that it is a class of drugs that can help millions of people, not just in terms of their immediate problem of being overweight or obese, and all diseases that go with that. It may even help those with diseases in a broader population, even if you weren’t overweight or obese.

    “Very excitingly, there are trials ongoing still that are looking at the effect of these drugs on cognitive decline and dementia. The promise is that these drugs affect some of the fundamental biology that underpins many of these diseases of ageing that we would like to avoid. “We don’t just want to live longer, we want to live longer in good health. And this is where these drugs may have a role in the future.”

    Studies presented at the conference in Spain show the injections can reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart attack by more than a third within three months – even before significant weight loss is seen. Within six months of use deaths from heart disease were halved.

    It's those 'studies' again!

    BTL: It’ll be interesting to see how the anti-vax brigade treat these weight loss jabs.

    Eating fatty meat, eggs, butter and fish is a million times more effective than taking drugs of any kind (statins and jabs included).

    But, keep on eating your weeds, sugar, carbs and processed crap. Then bury your heads back in the sand. Having a jab will cure all that imbecility, won't it? Muppets!

    1. No thanks – I'm not obese, and if I were I still wouldn't want these drugs. The only people benefitting are the drug companies.

    5. Just try eating properly. a 1950s/60s diet. like you great granny did.

    6. From the DT article…….
      "He said about 150 treatments were in development, with pills expected to become widespread and prices to fall sharply as patents expired."
      I misread that as " ….prices to fall sharply as patients expired."…..

    1. Morning Sue – how are you? Weather just as good in the central belt? 😘

      1. Yes thanks, pet! It’s been very hot and sunny! Cool, cloudy mornings then the sun breaks through! A lot of stuff has to get done am before it gets too hot. We’ve got mad Harry here so walk him early! How are things?😘

        1. Surviving thanks, keeping busy logging and kindling, trying to keep cool 😘

      2. Yes thanks, pet! It’s been very hot and sunny! Cool, cloudy mornings then the sun breaks through! A lot of stuff has to get done am before it gets too hot. We’ve got mad Harry here so walk him early! How are things?😘

    1. Now take all the Muslim children to a church and get them to make the sign of the cross and recite the 'Our Father'.

    3. We visited a synagogue when I was at school. But nobody forced us to pray. A visit should be just that – not making the children take part in a ritual that is offensive to many parents.

  34. Any idea what the property market is doing where you live?

    It seems that since the Budget, there is an awful lot for sale and not a lot of buyers.

      1. "Smash the gangs" were his words, I believe. He meant they would smash the gangs by taking over the business themselves.

        1. He really is naive if he thinks taking out the gangs would stop the boats.

          Just as with taking out a drug kingpin another steps immediately into their shoes.

          3. He just opened the left wing phrasebook at a random page and recited a sentence, inserting the word gangs.

    1. I don't care if it is true or not as long as it is causing hassle for Lammy.

        1. If the French taxi drivers are anything like Spanish taxi drivers the Police are in on the cut.

  38. Well, that's three hours I'll never get back. Dental apptmt = 9.45. Left here at 8.20 for the 40 minute journey. Half way along the main road, stationary traffic. Road works. One-way working. Traffic lights. It took half an hour to reach the roadworks lights – only to find NOT A SOUL doing any work. Reached dentist with five minutes to spare. After waiting there for half an hour – "Dentist is dealing with a difficult extraction – and is running an hour behind". The MR has a long work zoom at 12 noon. So we cancelled – and came home the long way to avoid all roadworks – only to find OUR road blocked because of resurfacing…….managed to get through to the house.

    Life can be tedious, at times.

    1. They must improve the roads so that the gimmegrants can get to and from their hotels easily.

    2. There are websites which tell you where roadworks are. In the case of your own road they have a duty to put up signs so you know when it is going to happen.

      1. I know that. I often look at them when going for long journeys. But not for a simple drive into Norwich. There were no signs erected in the village.

        1. Although you have my sympathies.
          MoH was parked and sitting in her car earlier when another woman drove her car into hers! Sheesh!

  41. Mark Carney ‘Not Impressed’ by Trump State Visit

    Newly-elected Canadian Prime Minister and former ‘politically neutral’ Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has come out against his old friend Keir Starmer for inviting President Trump for a second state visit. He whinged to Sky News:

    “[Canadians] weren’t impressed by that gesture quite simply given the circumstance. It was at a time when we were being quite clear about the issues around sovereignty. I was not yet prime minister but I was being clear on the campaign trail and it cut across some of those messages.”

    When asked whether he personally thought the invite was inappropriate, Guido was surprised to hear Carney reply that he keeps some of his opinions to himself. Wait until the arch-remoaner hears that the US-UK trade deal counts as a Brexit dividend…

    May 14 2025 @ 10:06

    ******************************

    petersitch
    1h
    After complaining about foreign intervention in Canada's affairs Carney wants to interfere in the UK's affairs.
    Wonderful hypocrisy from this mediocre politician

    George Finchley
    1h
    Mark Carney ran the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, an unelected technocrat wielding enormous influence with no direct public accountability. Like others in his mould, he couldn’t be voted out, yet shaped policy that affected every household. Under his watch, the Bank became an active political voice during Brexit, while monetary tools were misapplied to structural problems.
    Today, government has no say on interest rates, yet inflation isn’t driven by demand. It’s fuelled by utility costs, housing market failures, weak regulation, and global supply pressures. Raising rates into that only deepens inequality andstagnation. We're punishing households for inflation they didn’t cause.

    Carney may now be Canada’s PM, but his outlook hasn’t changed, technocratic, top-down, and detached from real democratic accountability. And frankly, I see him and Starmer getting on just fine, they’re cut from the same managerial cloth: centralise power, outsource decisions, and tell voters it's too complex for them to understand.

    1. Yet another politically neutral civil servant. Perhaps Baroness Sue Gray of Tottenham will be offered a top job at the Canadian central bank.

    2. Why did he complain about foreign interference, it wax all in his favour!

  42. I dread to think where this Schools Bill will lead us

    By Michael Charles

    May 13, 2025

    𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘴 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘉𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘸 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 30 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳. 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭.

    If passed in its current form, this Bill, that readers have already been alerted to in these pages here, here, here and here in these pages, will change the relationship between family and the state for ever. It won’t just affect home educators, SEND families, and religious communities. It will affect us all. Parents, grandparents, future parents, and anyone who believes in democracy should be deeply concerned.

    There are five reasons why you should care:

    1. Parents could be criminalised for protecting their child

    The Bill introduces harsher fines and even prison sentences if the state disagrees with your educational choices. Today: freedom. Tomorrow: prosecution.

    2. Councils will have the power to veto your decisions

    The Bill proposes that parents of children with disabilities or under a child protection investigation must seek local authority consent to home educate or even change schools. The council – not the parent – would decide what is ‘best’ for your child. David Wolfe KC spoke out against it.

    3. The most intrusive surveillance powers ever proposed.

    The Bill introduces a compulsory home education register that demands personal details about families and anyone who educates your child. Leading human rights KC Aidan O’Neill has called this ‘state surveillance of family life on an unprecedented scale’.

    4. Religious freedoms will be eroded

    Strictly Orthodox Jewish yeshivot could be forced to register as independent schools and deliver state-mandated secular education. Professor Mark Hill KC has said this directly breaches Article 2 of Protocol 1 ECHR.

    5. Disabled children and SEND families will be the first to suffer

    I have represented more families in SEND disputes than I can count. Councils lose 98 per cent of appeals at Tribunal. Yet this Bill proposes giving them even more power to deny parental choices. It risks further isolating the very children society should protect most.

    𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪?

    You may not have children today. You may have grandchildren tomorrow. You may have a brother, sister, friend or neighbour with children. You may otherwise be a concerned citizen pondering as to what else will come next for us all.

    Why do I say it is dangerous? The answer is simple. History teaches us that liberty is rarely taken all at once. It is taken piece by piece, always under the comforting guise of ‘safety’. Once these rights are gone, they are almost impossible to recover. Because democracy depends on freedom, and freedom depends on clear limits to state power. There must always be a proper separation between the state and the family. The moment the state claims a right to override the judgement of loving parents, or to criminalise them for making lawful choices, the line between citizen and subject begins to blur. That distinction between real parenting (rooted in love, knowledge, and day-to-day care) and corporate parenting (rooted in bureaucratic systems and distant decision-making) is vital to the soul of any free nation. If we lose that, we lose the essence of democracy itself.

    Do not be silent. Silence is complicity.

    𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤?

    Follow my Facebook page for urgent updates.

    Share this article. Spread awareness. Write to your MP: ask them to oppose or amend this Bill. Join the growing legal and civil rights movement calling for changes. Sign this petition.

    We can still stop this. But we must act now.

    TCW
    https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/i-dread-to-think-where-this-schools-bill-will-lead-us/

    1. Spinning Jenny
      21 hours ago
      The government appointed Mufti Sir Hamid Patel as the interim chair of Ofsted. He is a muslim and I cannot believe he will look at our education system in an unbiased way.
      Shabana Mahmood, Justice Minister is yet another who is in a very powerful position in a Christian country. I have written to her many times about the injustice occurring in our prison system where a man has been in solitary confinement for seven months.
      Sadiq Khan has been mayor of our Capital City, London since 2016.
      All the above are muslims. What is happening?
      Edit: a Mufti is a 'Muslim legal expert who is empowered to give rulings on religious matters.'

      Hollyand1vy
      a day ago
      Where are the parliamentary debates on all these issues? Are they occurring and just not reported? Or are these things just written up and imposed, with no debate whatsoever? And what is even more scary, absolutely no pushback or even comment, from any other politician or party (inc. Reform).

  43. I'm sure this has already been posted but this story has got legs..

    The right honourable (LOL) distinguished (LOL) HM Foreign Secretary does a runner on a six hour cab fare to French ski resort.
    Forgets his passport and diplomatic briefcase in the boot. Now suing the cabbie for 'fraudulently removing luggage and cash'.

    Betcha there's a five page itemised stack of expenses being processed relating to Haute Savoie ski passes.. lobster tails.. & all you can eat raclette.
    I wonder if the three brats are in posh schools. If they are.. bung that on expenses too.

    2. How can anyone be that incompetent? He probably thought a minion would pay – doesn't he have any political antennae? DEI hire, path smoothed etc. if he can arrive in that job without figuring out how to avoid appearing in the papers accused of bilking a cabbie.

    1. I will upvote your comment.

      I am not impressed that Carney (and Trudeau before him) have sat on their all expenses paid arses while the rest of the world has moved forward with trade deals to address the new world order.

      Honda is the latest auto company to move production to the US, abandoning a five billion dollar grant they received from Trudeau to build EVs in Canada.

  45. Gut instinct: the real reason why vegetarians are repelled by meat

    The Daily Telegraph 14 May 2025 By 'Telegraph Reporter'.

    VEGETARIANS feel disgust towards eating meat similar to the aversion widely felt towards cannibalism, research has found.
    A study set out to investigate whether there was a difference in the psychological mechanisms by which people reject meat compared with vegetables.

    In an online study involving 300 people, who were mostly vegetarians, researchers found people who rejected vegetables did so because they felt distaste – a simple aversion to the taste, texture or smell of a food.In contrast, when people disliked and rejected meat that would be considered appetising by omnivores – such as roast chicken or steak – they felt the more complex emotion disgust, in a similar way that meat-eaters were disgusted by the idea of eating human meat.

    Prof Natalia Lawrence, of the University of Exeter, said: “This is the most robust evidence to date that we reject meat and vegetables that we find repellent based on different underlying processes. Finding meat disgusting can help people avoid eating it, which has health and environmental benefits. “Other research we’ve conducted suggests that these feelings of disgust may develop when people deliberately reduce or avoid eating meat, such as during Veganuary.” The study recruited 252 people who reject meat and 57 omnivores who eat meat.

    Researchers tested responses to images of 11 different foods, such as palatable meat, olives, sprouts, aubergine and beetroot. Participants were asked several questions about how eating each of the foods would make them feel. Each question was linked to either disgust or distaste, which allowed the researchers to make a distinction between what people felt when they rejected different foods. To compare reactions, the meat-eating participants were also shown images of substances considered disgusting to eat, such as human flesh, dog meat and faeces. Consistently, people rejected vegetables they did not like based on distaste, and rejected meat in a similar pattern.

    Dr Elisa Becker, the study’s lead author, said: “Meat eaters responded to the idea of eating truly disgusting substances in the same way that vegetarians responded to images of meat that they didn’t want to eat, and this was very different from the way they responded to vegetables they rejected. Although we may think we’re rejecting a food because we don’t want to eat it, we showed that the basis for this rejection is quite different – and that’s evolved to protect us from pathogens that can lie undetected in meat.”

    The paper is published in the journal Appetite.

    Gut 'instinct'? What a load of utter bollocks from yet another 'study'. Our instincts tell us differently; that is, before we've had them knocked out of us!

    Nothing in this anonymous article explains the fact that ALL (naturally carnivorous) human babies, when weaned, are utterly repulsed by the flavour of vegetation and have to be bullied into "developing the taste" for weeds.

    No other animal species forces its offspring to eat foodstuffs that are inappropriate for the species. Tiger kittens are not force-fed carrots and baby squirrels are not made to eat rabbits! Only humans possess the elevated levels of stupidity to make their children eat inappropriate items.

    1. "Participants were asked several questions about how eating each of the foods would make them feel. Each question was linked to either disgust or distaste, which allowed the researchers to make a distinction between what people felt when they rejected different foods."
      So, how were these questions phrased? "Linked to" implies to me that they were leading questions aimed to get the "right" answer, such as "How do you feel when eating a cuddly baa-lamb? A-Repelled? B-Disgusted? C-Sad? "

      1. Every day now, in the Terriblegraph, there are reports of 'studies', conducted by random overpaid groups, telling us of their 'findings'. Most, like this one, are by an unnamed reporter.

        1. Editor: We have nothing to put in our rag today. Get some media student to make up some article about vegans'.

    2. It doesn't say what age the subjects were. There's no reference to cultural values based on social class or ethnicity.

      Mrs T didn't like vegetables. Didn't do her much harm.

      2. "It doesn't say what age the subjects were. There's no reference to cultural values based on social class or ethnicity."

        I find that to be a common thread with the majority of these reported anonymous 'studies'.

    3. Vegans will of course say that they are repelled by meat, because that is their political standpoint.
      There were no vegans in the siege of Leningrad…

    4. Just to be pedantic, squirrels do take eggs and young birds from nests, but I've no idea if they attempt to feed them to their weaned young.

      2. That is true but they don't eat roast beef for Sunday dinner. I only used squirrels because they were the first animal to come into my mind.

        'Giraffes don't feed their offspring on bits of warthog' might have been a better example.

  46. Nothing is beyond this banana republic when we have an election!

    One riding in Quebec was particularly close so a judicial recount was carried out and as a result the election result reversed giving the seat to the liberals with a majority of one vote over the second place Bloc candidate.

    As soon as the revised result was announced, a voter came forward to complain that his postal ballot was returned as Address Unknown – the official return envelope had an error on the postal code used. The voter is a staunch supprter of the Bloc which would have meant a tie. Needless to say, Elections Canada are in a tizzy and don't know how to proceed.

    There are three other recounts going on, that should be enough to organize a majority government for Carnage.

  47. Well, it wasn't the surgeon I saw this morning but "a member of his team" and I was told the opposite of what I'd been given to expect. It WILL be open heart surgery. They'll carve through the sternum and both replace the valve and do an atrial ablation to stop the fibrillation. The valve will be tissue not mechanical so apixaban not warfarin. I asked why and was told, "You're 69, you'll be 70 in October". No other explanation. A tissue valve apparently can be expected to last 15 years maximum. I asked what happens when I'm 85 and was told that will depend on my general health as and when and besides, the technology will have moved on by then. First thing is to get rid of this chronic cough, as there is a danger that it's bacterial. Then I can be put on the waiting list, which apparently is a maximum three months but possibly just weeks. 5-7 days in hospital and 8-12 weeks recovery, "But we won't let you out of hospital till you can walk on your own".

    1. Phew!
      Let's hope it all goes well and your cough does not delay it too long.

    2. Good luck. I had a triple heart by-pass a long time ago and recovered quite quickly. I hope you do too.

    3. Well If it is like my experience, you will not feel a thing and you only need Tylenol for a couple of days while the incision heals.

      I found the first few weeks were awful, I was too weak to do anything and I had no reference model to compare my progress against.

      Time to start practicing getting out of bed with your arms crossed, you are not supposed to use an arm to lever yourself up!

      A friend had bypass surgery and out of necessity, he was back to doing all of the driving and cooking after a week.

      1. The surgical team member I saw this morning added, "There are no guarantees – but we do this every day".

        1. Oh dear Sue you never know what's going to happen with the serious medical problems we might have and could never have avoided. Are you going to be at St Barts ?
          It's quite a procedure you'll be having. But trust in these people are all we have. They are all pretty well on the mark.
          I so hope everything goes well for you, there's no reason why I shouldn't.
          My thoughts are with you, best wishes. X

    5. Blimey Sue! How are you feeling about that? I’m sure to them it’s just ‘routine’ and of course, they do know what they’re doing! Good luck and best wishes!

    6. Hope all will go well, no reason why it shouldn't. NOTTL is the best place to bring health woes – so many people have been there before you and lived to tell the tale!

    8. You have my hopes and wishes for a good outcome.

      Hope you can still make the Lanesborough lunch. Give you a nice memory for your hospital stay.

    9. Sorry to read this, Sue..but at least they laid it on the line for you, and you'll know what to expect? Hope there's a waiting list cancellation, and you get moved up more quickly. NHS can be less than good sometimes, but as a family we found excellent on the big things (mum, aneurysms). All the best, good luck x

      1. The NHS reminds me of my late mother-in-law.
        A nightmare on small things and day to day life.
        An absolute brick when things went seriously wrong; you really couldn't have anybody more dependable.

    10. My God, Sue! What a horrible description!
      I hope it all goes well for you… 12 weeks recovery. Dear God, what have you done to deserve that?
      Hope you have plenty alcohol at home to help you relax after that explanation!

      1. Sue doesn't drink.

        I might round up a posse and we go annoy visit her in hospital.

    11. Well with all the Nottlers rooting for you, you'll never walk alone!

      Very best wishes S xx

    13. Sorry to hear it's open heart, Sue, and more intrusive. It's what it is, but you'll get through just fine.

    16. It sounds quite grim but is maybe for the best, Sue. Yes indeed, get rid of that cough PDQ. Don't worry about Apixaban; I've been taking it for three years; I prefer it to warfarin! Anyway I wish you an early op and a speedy recovery.

    17. Well my OH expected a valve implant but actually received a triple by pass as well as the aortic valve. That was just after his 80th birthday in December '22. They turfed him out of hospital five days later. He's made a good recovery and is in good health now at 82. They dealt with the AF later with a cardioversion.

  49. Urgent 'do not drink' warning issued for tap water in UK region – due to fears of deadly contamination

    READ MORE: Outbreak of parasite that causes 'bowel cancer-like' symptoms

    Residents in North Yorkshire have been told to boil their tap water after tests revealed it contained high levels of bacteria found in faeces.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14711101/Urgent-not-drink-warning-tap-water-traces-deadly-bacteria.html

    Why would you want to consume liquid shit after you have boiled it?

    1. If there's one thing to be said about Arabs such as MbS, they recognise and respect powerful men when they see them.

    1. If you are lucky, the blue plaster and mayonnaise sarnie should give you a clue.

  52. BBC boss vows to tackle Britain's 'crisis of trust'

    Tim Davie has used a speech to set out measures he says will allow the broadcaster to play a leading role in reversing a breakdown in trust in information and institutions, as well as combating division and disconnection between people.

     https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg5p8z27z8o

    Well into his fifth year in the job and he hasn't made any progress. And then there's this:

    He also reminded BBC presenters to avoid calling the corporation's impartiality into question on social media, after complaints about Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, who shared and deleted a post about Zionism featured an illustration of a rat.

    Gary Lineker deletes 'Zionism' post after criticism
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c39x0133e2wo

    'Lineker' and 'rat' is an association that a well-informed 8-year-old could make.

    1. Mr Lineker should be expecting a visit from plod, shouldn’t he, going by Allison Pearson’s article a year or so ago?

      1. The attack on democracy is not just legalistic – the use of legislation to silence debate – but the breaking of the very foundation of the idea of the demos, the people. It is an attack the whole being of the nation, a 28-year programme of mass immigration to atomise society and remove its power, the kratos.

  54. Google Maps on the phone also shows the level of traffic as colours on the roads, based on how many Android phones are there.

  55. Just got home and looking at news headlines. Just what did Ken Dodd get up to with his tickling stick?

    'Cassie Ventura to return to witness stand in Diddy sex-trafficking trial'

    1. They use it to thrash the miniature slaves working in the 'jam butty mine' and the 'broken biscuit factory'.

  57. Well. Today we received a card from Sonny Boy Snr; apparently he and his Beloved are enjoying their break in Rhodes.
    In October 2024.

    1. Look on the bright side. Coming from Rhodes, it probably got lost in a pothole.

    2. Some years ago I received such a card from Malaga, nine months after it had been posted there. I asked if the burro postal service of España would ever be streamlined.

    3. In 1984 – 85 I took a sabbatical year to sail my boat across the Atlantic and back.

      At each port I sent a colour photograph postcard to my mother in England – some of the cards were sent from very little obscure Caribbean islands but every single one arrived safely and my mother put them all into an album.

      Nowadays a letter sent from Brittany to England can take over a fortnight to arrive – if it arrives at all.

  58. The warmongers just won't give up!

    How Putin could humiliate NATO and send 600,000 troops to attack alliance's northern flank in lightning offensive – as chilling satellite images show Russian troop build-up near Finland border

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14706343/How-Putin-humiliate-NATO-send-600-000-troops-attack-alliances-northern-flank-lightning-offensive-chilling-satellite-images-Russian-troop-build-near-Finland-border.html

    No doubt next up will be: NATO to supply Zelensky with the wherewithal to nuke Moscow in pre-emptive strike.

    1. I find it difficult to establish what possible benefit Putin would gain from starting a war with NATO.

  59. Save the Sausages – sorry – Save the Ostriches! 400 healthy ostriches on a farm in Canada are to be culled, because two of them contracted bird flu. These birds recovered and are healthy.
    https://chng.it/WVR9t5xrcg Petition to sign.

  60. As a former Prime Minister almost said: Hypocrisy. Hypocrisy. Hypocrisy.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/14/the-nimby-row-engulfing-the-two-faced-milibands/

    The nimby row engulfing the ‘two-faced’ Milibands

    Dame Justine Thornton, the Energy Secretary’s wife, is among residents opposing Labour’s plans for a new housing development in north London

    Eleanor Steafel14 May 2025 7:00am BST

    Ed Miliband’s wife, Justine Thornton, has voiced her concerns in a letter to Camden council over plans to build a new block of flats in her neighbourhood of Dartmouth Park Credit: Chris Ratcliffe
    If you were going into battle with developers wanting to build a five-storey block of flats on your street, you would imagine it might be helpful to have one or two celebrities living in the neighbourhood willing to throw their names behind the campaign. Better still if one of them is in the Government. It might become awkward, though, if that particular neighbour happens to be the Secretary of State with oversight of green energy development, whose party is theoretically on a mission to build 300,000 new homes a year.

    A row has broken out in Dartmouth Park, an affluent north London enclave which is home to the actor Benedict Cumberbatch and Ed Miliband, about plans to build a block of flats. A developer has filed plans for a block containing a small number of apartments, claiming the project would bring new homes to a brownfield site.

    But the proposed structure would stand taller than existing surrounding properties and, as a result, residents have deemed it an eyesore. Many consider it to be too big, too intrusive, and not in keeping with the style of properties in the area. Among those objecting is Dame Justine Thornton, Miliband’s wife, who voiced her concerns in a letter to Camden council. She described the proposal as “too tall, too bulky and too dense for its plot given the context of the surrounding houses and the wider conservation area”.

    On a sunny weekday morning, it’s hard to imagine the residents of Dartmouth Park can have too many complaints about where they live. This is something of a middle-class utopia. There is a yoga studio, a deli, an organic wine shop, and an independent butchers on the Milibands’ and the Cumberbatches’ doorsteps, plus a pub that will do you a £25 ox cheek, and a contemporary rug shop with a sign on the door that urges you to “use colour to change space”. The housing stock mostly consists of well-maintained privately-owned period homes. Many of the houses on the street where the development has been proposed boast four floors and large gardens. There appears to be more wisteria than there is social housing.

    Though the planning row might be a local issue, it’s sure to be of interest to Sir Keir Starmer – firstly because it falls in the Prime Minister’s constituency, but also because it rather goes against the Labour leader’s assertion that Britain needs to be less Nimby, more, as he would put it, “Yimby”.

    Sir Keir’s plan for growth has long centred on his push for new homes. In 2023, he told the BBC his policy was very much “yes in my backyard”, saying he would “bulldoze” restrictive planning rules, overrule local MPs to build more homes, and restrict councils from stopping developments on under-used urban land. Labour would, he said, get the “balance right” between the need to build housing and local concerns about developments. Georgian-style townhouse blocks were to be the thing. “Gentle urban development” of four to five storeys. To give the developers of the Dartmouth Park site their dues, the design doesn’t look a million miles from that description. A futuristic interpretation of a Georgian townhouse, perhaps.

    Earlier this year, the Prime Minister doubled down on his pledge, writing in The Times that he planned to put “the country’s future prosperity ahead of the whims of Nimbys who have been holding us back for too long”. Angela Rayner is now spearheading Sir Keir’s promise to build 1.5 million homes. The developers in Dartmouth Park argue their block would “deliver new housing on a brownfield site in an accessible location in line with national and local planning policy objectives”. They have said their plans are “in line with the priorities” of Labour’s updated planning guidance. The Government has said brownfield schemes “should be approved unless substantial harm would be caused”.

    You can see, then, why Dame Justine’s intervention does seem to contradict Labour’s grand plans. Miliband himself has pledged to “take on the blockers, the delayers, the obstructionists” who he deems to be standing in the way of his green energy development drive. But do the same rules apply when it comes to his own street?

    The average house price in the borough is £810,000, while the council says there are currently more than 7,600 households on the social housing register. In the street where the development has been proposed, a property sold in January for £3.7m.

    Mr Cumberbatch, who declined to comment, and his wife Sophie Hunter, an opera director, said in a joint letter to the council that the development would “disrupt the aesthetic” of the neighbourhood. “The approval of this planning would set a precedent for the area,” they wrote.

    When you speak to people on the street itself, it’s the height and heft of the planned block that seems to be at the centre of the issue. A little further afield and it’s the building’s purpose which is the more pertinent problem. “There is vastly insufficient social housing in this area,” says one resident who has lived in the area for over 30 years. For her, it isn’t the style of the building that troubles her so much as the likely make-up of any future residents.

    “Camden needs far more social housing than it’s got. I would be very unhappy about any development that isn’t affordable. I want proper social housing.

    “Now, people in this area won’t like that because they’re all rich, but tough – we need it.”

    Outside Truffles delicatessen, two long-time local residents, a retired librarian and retired charity executive who asked not to be named, are enjoying a coffee. Their concern, too, is the need to combat the borough’s housing problems. “Most people around here are Labour Left orientated, but come something like this happening…” she shrugs. Her friend chimes in: “Well, they’re champagne socialists,” he says. “We’ve got such a level of homelessness and yet renting and buying is still unachievable for people and no social housing is being built.”

    A source close to Dame Justine, a High Court judge, has said that in her submission she “made clear she had no objection to the principle of new housing on the site. She was referring to a specific design.”

    But critics of the Milibands have been quick to accuse the family of standing in the way of boosting Britain’s housing stock. (Mr Miliband himself did not add his name to the objection submitted by his wife and has made no public comment on the proposed development).

    “Red Ed joins the not-at-all exclusive club of 14 other serving Cabinet ministers who have objected to housing developments in their areas,” Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow Housing Secretary, said.

    “Incredibly, the Energy Secretary has pledged to ‘smash the Nimbys’ but, as ever with Labour, this is just another case of do as I say, not do as I do.”

    Speak to people on the street itself and the feeling is unanimous – the proposed building isn’t right for this neighbourhood. “We’re hugely against it,” says one resident. “It’s massively overdeveloped. It’s a very small site and it’s a bigger building than any of the others. It’s going to be taller than any of the other buildings. The developers must be some of the greediest developers ever with no sense of community at all and the surrounding area.”

    Another resident, Portia Holmes, 64, a doctor who has lived on the street for 33 years, says it is purely the height she objects to. “I don’t even mind if they produce something that’s exciting and modern, but just not too tall.” And if it were social housing? “I’m happy for them to build social housing if they want. […] This is a money spinning exercise – there’s nothing noble about it at all.”

    Some eyebrows on the street have been raised at the more famous names throwing their hats in the ring. “I get it,” says one resident, chuckling at the idea of the Energy Secretary’s wife blocking the build. “I understand. The irony is not lost on me.” Still, he says, “it’s not right to build something that is going to completely impinge on other people’s homes”.

    ‘I don’t even mind if they produce something that’s exciting and modern, but just not too tall,’ says one resident of the planned structure

    A resident in the street behind, whose house stands to be overlooked by the new property, admitted to seeing the irony. “It’s the best joke going around.” Nevertheless, he agrees with her and has made his own submission to the council. “All the privacy would go. It’s really got a very serious impact on us.” At 83, he has lived here for 45 years. He doesn’t approve of the way the developers, HGG London, who declined to comment, have referred to the site as brownfield land, invoking Labour’s own language around the need to use urban spaces. They argue it will deliver “much needed two bedroom and family housing provision” in the borough.

    But it certainly isn’t an industrial wasteland – there is a two-storey, 1930s red-brick house already on the site. “This nonsense with using the terminology brownfield which would normally suggest there has been some industry here, which there certainly hasn’t.”

    While much of the community is in agreement, some tension has arisen around the house currently on the site, which is rented out to a young family. The family didn’t want to be named or to comment on the proposed development, but said one local resident objecting to the build had made things difficult for them, assuming they own the property and trying to urge them to get involved in the campaign to block the planned new building when they are in no position to do so. Recently, their nanny was stopped in the street by a man who was “shouting at her in an accusatory manner, expressing his objection towards the proposed development”.

    A few streets away, Kyle Donaldson, who has lived in the area for eight years, ponders the design for the block of flats. Does he consider Dame Justine’s intervention to be somewhat ironic? “Kind of. It’s a bit two faced.” He pauses. “But if I lived on that road I would probably agree with her.”

    The Telegraph contacted Mr Miliband and Dame Justine for comment.

    I quite agree. To quieten their delicate leftie consciences, something like Grenfell Tower would house all this social derelicts that these people worry about. There is plenty of room round the proposed development. Add a bit more height and increase the footprint and dozens of extra flats could be fitted in for these poor people.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2c4978e94f53cef9ea84ca2e0cf8d553cb8d204814842e69d992546f98c50b57.png

    1. Hypocrisy is so common among leftists that it is practically the defining characteristic.
      'It's alright when we do it."

    2. My objection would be that the proposed development is out of scale with adjoining properties, unnecessarily fussy in its treatment of the facade and frankly quite extraordinarily ugly.

      This is the sort of shit that a student might produce. Nothing lines through with the adjacent storey heights which is a sure sign of ignorance on the part of the “designer”.

      1. You are very polite, Corim. It's truly horrible to look at, some kind of pastiche, a joke, something even AI would struggle to design.
        It's utter crap.

      2. It is shit.
        But the leftie luvvies would be quite happy to inflict it elsewhere; only bigger and more utilitarian.

      3. It is shit.
        But the leftie luvvies would be quite happy to inflict it elsewhere; only bigger and more utilitarian.

    3. So where are all the illegals – sorry, poor refugees fleeing war and climate catastrophe – supposed to live?

  61. Wordle No. 1,425 3/6

    ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
    ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    Wordle 14 May 2025

    A drum beat for Birdie Three?

    1. Well done, back to par here.

      Wordle 1,425 4/6

      ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
      ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
      ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    2. Par today.

      Wordle 1,425 4/6

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

    3. Very fortunate par here!

      Wordle 1,425 4/6

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

    4. Birdie here.

      The answer was one of my nicknames in Technical School. A small African animal from memory, not the drums.

      Wordle 1,425 3/6

      ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
      ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  62. David Lammy accused of refusing to pay £590 taxi fare
    Foreign Secretary denies driver’s claims he ‘became aggressive’ after 360-mile journey from Italy to France
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/05/14/david-lammy-accused-refusing-pay-french-taxi-fare/

    BTL

    I cannot understand why David Lammy seems to hate white people so much when he is himself married to a white woman.

    I myself am in a mixed marriage – my wife is Dutch and I am English; my wife is Roman Catholic and I am Anglican and I do not dislike Dutch people or Roman Catholics; It is strange that man whose party's mantra is Diversity is out Strengthdoes not likethose who are diverse in a different way from himself.


    1. I find it extraordinary that a white woman would wish to have connection with this ignorant racist.

    2. Who TF runs up a 590 pound taxi fare? Who do these MPs think they are?
      People are struggling, and most of them could do his job at least as badly as he does it!

  63. Lammy ‘Suing’ Italian Taxi Driver After Fare-Dodging Accusation

    Richard
    2h
    Some questions for aspiring journos to ask.
    Why were the pair taking a taxi from a legitimate FO visit to Italy, to a ski resort in France?

    Who was expected to pick up the bill for the ski-trip couple?

    Shouldn't he bein trouble for leaving diplomatic documents in the boot of a taxi?

    Is this how our Foreign Secretary is expected to behave? Surely, the proper approach would have been to pay up, keep all the invoices and receipts and if the charge was invalid, pursue a refund through the usual channels?

    David Ross MacDonald
    3h
    Another case of a "Do you know who I am?" incident. I know who I believe.

    Don't believe him
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5685b9ce0e2a01665a19152c9f104699365386555d8f0c55f83f7d1fe9f4c72e.png

    1. The taxi driver is the one being prosecuted!

      I suspect it's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

      He sped off in a rage, hoping the passengers would agree to pay what was due to get their luggage back later.
      He then opened the boot, discovered the real nature of the contents and then reported it to the police.

      1. BTL on the DT article

        David Clark
        4 hrs ago
        To be fair, Labour politicians aren’t used to paying for things themselves. I can imagine the whole process must have been very confusing for him.

        Robert Gray
        4 hrs ago
        Reply to David Clark
        Perhaps he had forgotten to bring the Lord Alli credit card.

      2. BTL on the DT article

        David Clark
        4 hrs ago
        To be fair, Labour politicians aren’t used to paying for things themselves. I can imagine the whole process must have been very confusing for him.

        Robert Gray
        4 hrs ago
        Reply to David Clark
        Perhaps he had forgotten to bring the Lord Alli credit card.

    2. Lava, erupting below the sea or flowing into the sea, becomes an even more instant rock than slag.

    3. During my trip down the Cumbrian Coast a couple of years ago, I stopped at the coast near Workington and was rather impressed by the variety and colours of the rocks on the beach that had been formed from slag.

        1. I am going to have to paint a door later in the week; I had the garage doors repaired and now the new wood needs a coat of gloss.

      1. I am glad that she is still finding the time (what with A-levels, soccer, netball, choir) to do some painting.

    5. Good for her, Bill! It’s a wonderful portrait. Well done to her, and you’re allowed to be very proud!

  67. The Daily T: ‘A coward and a viper’ – is Rupert Lowe right about Farage?
    New polling shows a huge general election win could be on the cards for Reform amid Rupert Lowe’s stinging criticism of its leader
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/14/the-daily-t-coward-viper-nigel-farage-reform-rupert-lowe/

    BTL

    Time and time again it becomes clear that Farage cannot lead a team because of his insecurity when it comes to having competent colleagues.

    Rupert Lowe was not a threat to Farage – but Farage saw him as a threat because he was becoming the best and most articulate MP in the House of Commons.

    It is a tragedy that it looks as if Farage will never be able to assemble a competent team about himself. How very much better the Reform Party would be if Rupert Lowe were still in it.

    1. I ran a team with some staggering talent – not only smart, but nice people.
      In the end, they want what you have, and deserve it. So, you need to prepare for them to move on, and be open about it to them, too. Don't be defensive or put them down, be open taht you want the best for them.

      1. But we are talking politicians here, even though I have been supporting Reform UK.

  68. Evening all. Am absolutely shattered as I have cleaned the motorhome. It is a big job, involving ladder work. Still it is unlikely to need doing again this year. Fingers crossed.
    I doubt the Cons can recover. It’s like my previous church; I and the other diaspora are unlikely to return.

    1. "I've had both, they're rubbish". *hat tip: "A journalist/bon viveur" on the Prince and Princess of Wales c.1990ish

  71. Now Ofcom Launches Draconian Attempt to Ban Politicians From TV Programmes

    Failing and increasingly angry two-tier media regulator Ofcom has discovered a new route to censor current affairs programming. It just launched an ominously titled consultation document called: “politicians presenting news”…

    The move comes months after a slam-dunk legal judgement by the High Court which ruled that Ofcom had unlawfully deemed GB News to have broken broadcast rules. The High Court’s central ruling was that Jacob Rees-Mogg’s current affairs show wasn’t a news programme – and as such, it was fine for him to present it. Therefore there was “no plausibly contended justification” for finding GBN in breach of the rules…

    Yet in this document, the watchdog appears to propose new rules – which if enacted – could see Ofcom effectively able to vet which politicians can and can’t appear on your screens as presenters. All while their documents make out that no such change is taking place at all…

    Moreover, under Ofcom’s draconian Rule 5.4, TV channels are forbidden from broadcasting anything discussing the regulator’s policy process itself. Ofcom will be only be satisfied when the sole news presenter on TV is that North Korean news anchor…

    14 May 2025 @ 16:56

    Mike Fish
    50m
    Hopefully, Reform will give Ofcom the burial it deserves. Hive off spectrum regulation into a new organisation, which pretty much pays for itself through fees etc., the rest can be binned. Instantly, the government has saved a 9 figure number.

    Carol Quayle
    43m
    It's all about removing Farage from presenting on GB News. It won't make any difference, we know the score and Farage will still be PM in 2029 – possibly sooner if the current shower implodes.

    Pat France
    38m
    It's a bit like chlorinated chicken. you dont have to buy it if you don't like it. GB news you don't have to watch it if you don't want to watch it. With the BBC and you have to pay for it even If you don't like it and don't watch it. Remind me what ofcom is for?

    Chlorinated Chicken
    31m
    Ofcom really needs to be put out to pasture come the great Reform-ation, along with its equally awful counterpart the BBC

    1. Anything that stops Cur Ikea Slammer and his gang appearing on telly would get my vote!

  72. That's me for this very cold day. The sun may have shone- and warmed the house – but outside it was bitter. I pity the beans and tomatoes that we have put out. They are well fleeced and haxnicked – they must take their chance. The other half have yet to be planted out and I DO have spares.

    Have a wonderful evening.

    A demain.

  73. What to do.. what to do?
    Jacob Rees-Mogg can't leave it too long to decide whether to contest the North East Somerset by-election.. with the turquoise rosette guaranteeing him a 20,000 majority.
    Now that would be a heavy artillery addition to the Reform Party.
    Betcha he won't.

    1. Perhaps he doesn#t fancy the idea of Musaf and Farage trotting down to the police station accusing him of threatening them.

    2. Interesting.
      I would like to hear more about his political beliefs and what he purports to represent; if the video is from his home he appears to live in a very pleasant part of the country.
      At first face, I would subscribe, but I'd like to know a bit more.
      And yes, I realise that subscribing might give me the information.

      1. "And yes, I realise that subscribing might give me the information."

        Or, I'm suspicious of things these days, mark you down as one to watch. He was a bit thin on detail. "Be able to talk like you can at the pub." That's why I go to the pub.

        1. "That's why I go to the pub."

          And here's me thinking that you go to the pub to get rat-arsed! 😉

      1. UK fishermen/villages badly let down. Likely more tourism now, that always enhances a small village (not).

    2. What we need is a Coast Guard like the US have.

      "The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the armed forces of the United States.[9] It is one the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the United States military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its duties. It is the largest coast guard in the world, rivalling the capabilities and size of most navies."

      1. The "large" Coast Guard cutters are the size of the average frigate and are well armed. Just the thing for the Channel…

  77. Another envy of the world
    NOT
    I was in the UK for a funeral memorial service and, unbeknown to me, missed an appointment in the French NHS. They had phoned whist I was away.

    When I returned here, I wrote to my consultant's secretary, asking what was the current state of play as I hadn't heard; and was then told about the appointment I hadn't turned up for. I apologised and asked what I should do.
    The response:
    1 Here's the private line. Phone them.
    I phoned:
    2 If you get stuck in the phone queue try this e-mail address.
    I emailed:
    3 You now have a new appointment.
    Total time?
    Including the 10 minute wait for stage 1, 12 minutes.

    Why can't the UK do similarly?

    The French take the view that the sooner it's sorted out the better ( and cheaper) it is for everyone.

    1. You are clearly a known trouble maker. Hence their wish to dispose of you quickly!!

  78. Just a thought:
    Did Lammy declare his free transport from the UK to France before his holiday and was his wife with the UK party for the trip to France?

  80. Warm evening here..

    Had my rear molar extracted this morning .. 5 stitches in my gum .. a real surgical intervention ..

    My dentist moved me from one surgical room to another .. He had to kit out and cover me and everyone else as well , it was a mucky business .. abscess on my root system .. I hurt .. and I am minus a tooth , despite it being a rear molar , the cost of an implant is mind blowing , despite being a member of Denplan since the very beginning .. my surgical extraction cost over £100 + and a replacement implant will cost £3,000.

    I had a crown which had to be dismantled , cracked like a hazelnut , then the rest proved to be more difficult , tooth roots are deep , buried , nature is clever.. I have no wisdom teeth .. Apparently I have evolved the need for wisdom teeth.

    Moh needed an op years ago , surgeons removed 4 wisdom teeth under general anaesthetic .. he was a mess for a month , his poor face looked terrible.

    Moh was playing golf today , I shakily drove myself home from Poole Dentist on my own .. I still feel shaky , why?

    1. Ooo… poor you, Belle. That read as horrible, but then I have tannlegeskrekk – fear of dentists.
      When I was seven, had gas and 6 (I think) extractions all in one go. No fun for a small lad. Hated dentists ever since. So, I have enormous sympathy for you and YOH.

    2. My sympathies. I had one like that extracted in January. Crown wobbly, pin causing bone loss and tooth crumbling. Bits of the root are still in there but my dentist removed as much as she could take out safely. It bled profusely for a week but healed completely, albeit slowly. Hoping for a bridge to fill the gap but that can’t be done until after the heart surgery. I was told at the hospital this morning, “We need to get your heart beating normally”. Can’t argue.

      1. My OH had five teeth extracted at the hospital before they do his heart surgery – apparently as a prophylactic against endocarditis. At least they spared the two that support his front bridge.

    3. If it's a molar that isn't seen when speaking or smiling, I'd forget the implant. I had a 2nd from the end upper left molar removed about 10 years ago. It got damaged and cracked 20 years onboard ship against a bulkhead. My lady Polish dentist couldn't manage it and sent me to a colleague in Plymouth to do the deed. A hulking great Sikh who had to kneel on my chest to remove it in 2 pieces. They heal up quickly and unless I think about it, like now, I wouldn't know it was missing.
      Driving yourself home was brave. I've always been a terrified dental patient until my current Polish lady and lovely Cornish girl hygienist.

    4. I really wouldn't bother with an implant for so far back in your mouth.
      We have evolved to the state where wisdom teeth are more of a problem than a necessity.
      We no longer need them.
      My wisdom teeth were removed some forty years ago. (Yes, yes …… I know ……)

          1. You should be able to keep them now…think they used to take them out when younger, think mine were taken out my early 20s…so long ago…aaarghhh…

    7. Good grief. Anaesthetic is serious business for the body to contend with. Plus your body is coping with having a tooth pulled with then stiches being put in. I am surprised the dentist didn't ask if you were getting a lift home. Hope you will be alright Belle.

    8. It's shock, I think…take it easy for a while…I bruise easily and looked like I'd been punched in the jaw. My treatment similar I have bridges both sides lower jaw. We didn't see a dentist until NHS supplied, early 1960s. Hope you see the hygienist too, show you how to look after yours, teepees, floss etc. Good luck x

    9. You should not have driven yourself after the extraction. I can't imagine what your husband was thinking. Of himself probably.

    10. My friend I went to Brazil with had a deep molar extraction a few weeks ago – it knocked her for six and she's a tough cookie. It was still painful after two weeks. I'll see her on Saturday & see how she is now – she's just had a week away – whale watching in the Azores…….

      I hope you're feeling a bit better now – Moh should have fetched you home after that.

      1. Hello J

        Teeth, my goodness, I had no idea it would end up like this .

        I have a swollen face and a whacking great blue bruise on the right hand side of my lower jaw .

        Moh is better off on the golf course , he is back there this morning (Friday ).

        The antibiotic is making me queasy .. and my tongue naturally seeks out the sharp stitches in the hole my gum!!

        Gawd , listen to me moaning .. I just want to feel okay again!

        1. My dentist (Anousha – a young Indian woman) usually lectures me on things they could do…. like root canal treatments, more xrays, extractions and so on…….. I always say – no thanks I’ll leave things as they are.

    11. My friend I went to Brazil with had a deep molar extraction a few weeks ago – it knocked her for six and she's a tough cookie. It was still painful after two weeks. I'll see her on Saturday & see how she is now – she's just had a week away – whale watching in the Azores…….

      I hope you're feeling a bit better now – Moh should have fetched you home after that.

  81. I finally started my move to an alternative operating system from Windows 10. Many of us will know that Microsoft will not be supporting updates for Windows 10 after October 2025 so unless you have a Windows 11 compatible computer you may need to move your PC activity to a new operating system.

    As I use a Google Chrome browser on my current Win10 PC I am trying to port my activity to a Chromebook based PC.

      1. Good to hear.
        I have always used a Microsoft PC but with a Google Chrome browser.
        I found that Microsoft and Google were using my PC as a battleground.

        I’m using a ZenPad with a Chrome browser to write this.
        Microsoft are getting a lot of issues relating to replacing Win10 with Win11 particularly with PCs that are not upgradeable

        1. How to persuade buyers to upgrade, I think, Angie? Husband worked in software pre-retirement, so he always chooses and I just fall in. Be interested read your review on the ZenPad if you have time/inclination, no rush 🙂

          1. I’ve had my Asus ZenPad 3s 10 running Android for so long now that its protective case is falling apart. I use it daily mainly for reading daily Sky paper reviews, disqus commenting and latest YouTube posts.

            It is proven to be very reliable and easy to use.
            I sometimes need to use a two button restart when it rarely hangs up from which there are three restart options.

          2. Thanks, I’ll certainly pass that on to him, he’s the ‘expert’ here. I had a Kindle for a long time, only used it for photographs mostly landscape – it rendered colours quite accurately. Suddenly went kaput, got the latest and greatest nothing like as good. So now I barely photograph at all – any recommendations for that, Angie?

          3. I prefer to take pictures on my Sony α (alpha) which can transfervimages by WiFi to my ZenPad using a Sony app.

            I can then post process the images on the ZenPad before uploading to disqus. The Sony can also record movies that can be transfered to ZenPad and then compressed into .gif movies using compression apps.

          4. You sound well versed, Angie – good for you. I’m hopeless with tech stuff – will stick with sketchpad for now, thanks 🙂

  82. From Coffee House the Spectator

    10 May 2025

    Coffee House
    Thomas Edwards
    Does MAGA have a Pope Leo problem?
    14 May 2025, 12:40pm

    J.D. Vance, perhaps the world’s most prominent Catholic layman, has found his political ideology at odds with the papacy for the second time in as many pontificates.

    Vance’s brand of Catholicism favours tradition and he is part of a growing cohort of young Catholics, sometimes affectionately referred to as ‘rad trads’. It is a Tridentine Mass, highly observant Catholicism that reacts against the liberalising reforms of the 1960s, which it sees as corrosive to the truth that came before. These Catholics are found across the world, but particularly in the Anglosphere – and especially in the United States. They attend Mass with reverence, observe Church teaching on sexual morality, and view Catholic doctrine as a much-needed antidote to the ills of modern society. They have chosen to practice the faith, rather than inherit it as a birthright – something especially true for J.D. Vance. His St Augustine-inspired conversion from non-denominational Protestantism to Catholicism was, he explained, a rejection of 21st-century decadence.

    Vance’s stance goes one step further than some in the traditionalist faction, since he uses his interpretation of the Catholic faith to justify the Trump administration’s restrictive and nationalist immigration agenda.

    And it is this particular policy that has put him at odds with multiple papacies.

    Pope Francis and Vance came to ideological blows when, in February this year, Vance justified the administration’s immigration policy by invoking the Augustinian teaching of ordo amoris – the ‘order of love’: the idea that one’s first duty is to love those closest to you – your family, neighbour and nation – and only after that extend love to the wider world.

    Less than ten days later, Pope Francis issued a letter to US bishops, refuting Vance’s interpretation of Catholic teaching and citing the better-known Christian ethic found in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The matter, in an un-Trump-like manner, remained doctrinal and never personal, with the two enjoying a cordial meeting the day before Francis’s death. This clash in Christian theology between the Roman Pontiff and the Vice President signalled the rather strange moment we inhabit. Along with the bizarre Trump AI Pope creation, it signalled how Catholicism has unexpectedly taken centre stage in American political life.

    The end of Francis’s pontificate was a private source of relief for some on the American right – and for some others, a cause for open celebration. The arrival of Leo XIV was seen by many as a clear sign that American Catholics were back in the driving seat. However, the appointment of an American pontiff – Orthodox and vocal on ethical issues long neglected by Francis, in the eyes of the Catholic right – did not extend to an endorsement of MAGA foreign policy. In fact, quite the opposite.

    Three of the then Cardinal Robert Prevost’s most recent X posts were criticisms of the Trump administration’s immigration policy – two of them directed at J.D. Vance, and one of them stating plainly: ‘J.D. Vance is wrong.’ Vance’s papal problems are far from over.

    However, Vance is not alone among Catholic heads of state – though in his case, second-in-command – who have openly disagreed with papal teaching while remaining in good standing. European history is littered with examples of Catholic leaders who thought they had grasped the essence of religion better than the Pope.

    In the 17th century, Louis XIV of France advanced the Gallican Articles, asserting national Church autonomy and limiting papal influence. Pope Innocent XI refused to approve the articles and condemned them as an attack on the Church’s universal authority.

    In the 18th century, Joseph II of the Holy Roman Empire pushed a radical reform agenda known as Josephinism, which sought to subordinate the Church to imperial control. Pope Pius VI protested strenuously, addressing multiple briefs to the emperor and even travelling to Vienna in an attempt to defend ecclesiastical independence.

    Charles III of Spain’s expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767, undertaken without papal consent, was deeply opposed by Pope Clement XIII, who saw it as an unjust assault.

    However, in all these examples, the papacy ultimately triumphed: Gallicanism petered out, Josephinism no longer exists, and the Jesuits are now the world’s largest religious order.

    This, too, will likely be the case for Vance and MAGA’s doctrinal challenge. The historical and theological precedent favouring migrants in the Catholic tradition is simply too entrenched to be cast aside by a novel interpretation of Augustine. Leviticus set the ground several thousand years ago by stating: ‘The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself.’ The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which John Paul II described as a ‘sure norm for teaching the faith’, sets the modern foundation by saying: ‘The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin.’

    However, Vance need not despair. Louis XIV of France, Joseph II of the Holy Roman Empire and Charles III of Spain all remained Catholics to the end. It is possible to live a political life at odds with Church teaching – but Vance should not mistake survival for vindication. The final word on doctrine does not rest with a vice president, but the pontiff.

    Written by
    Thomas Edwards
    Thomas Edwards is contributing editor at the Catholic Herald

    1. Papal infallibility is a bedrock belief of the Catholic church. Vance either accepts that or he should find another church – again.

      1. Papal infallibility only extends to matters of doctrine, and then only to specific matters pronounced upon ex cathedra – something which is extremely rare. It is entirely possible to disagree with the Pope on non-doctrinal matters and still remain in good standing with the Church.

      2. The Pope isn't infallible per se; it's only in certain circumstances as Aeneas has pointed out.

      3. This has little to do with papal infallibility and is more in keeping with Saturday Night Live.. Every country in the world has rules regulating immigration and penalties for people who break the law. Does Peru have open borders I wonder.

  84. From Coffee House the Spectator

    10 May 2025
    Coffee House
    David Shipley
    Peter Sullivan should never have been in prison
    13 May 2025, 4:22pm

    Peter Sullivan, a man of ‘limited intellectual capacity’ and ‘suggestibility’, has been exonerated after spending 38 years in jail for a murder he didn’t commit. Now aged 68, Sullivan has spent most of his life in high-security jails. DNA evidence has demonstrated that another man was responsible for the brutal assault and murder of 21-year-old Diane Sindall in Birkenhead, Merseyside, in 1986 . How could such a horrific miscarriage of justice happen, and what has Peter endured these past four decades?

    After being arrested, Peter was interviewed without any lawyer present, with the police saying that legal advice would have been ‘a hindrance to the enquiry’. At Peter’s appeal this year, Dr Harry Wood, the psychologist who assessed him, said that he was so vulnerable that had the interview taken place today, he would have been accompanied by an ‘appropriate adult’ as well as a lawyer.

    But Peter had none of that. It was just him in the room with police officers. Under their interrogation he broke down and confessed to the murder, which he withdrew later that day, before making the confession again. Why would a man we now know to be innocent say he’d committed a murder?

    False confessions are a fascinating field of study, with much research suggesting that ‘accusatorial and confrontational’ interrogations are more likely to produce them. British policing was very different in the 1980s, but was this kind of interview normal?

    I spoke with Adam King, a leading criminal barrister who explained that the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984), which only came into force in 1986, ‘brought in a wholesale shift in how police conduct interviews’. This should have changed how Sullivan was treated. According to Adam, the new rules meant that ‘the Crown could only put a confession to a jury if they were able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that it was not obtained by oppression or as a result of anything else likely to make it unreliable’. Adam went on to explain that this new law and approach ‘hadn’t really bedded-in’ by the time of Sullivan’s arrest.

    So this vulnerable man seems to have received an old-fashioned interrogation which produced a false confession. On the basis of this and an ‘expert’ at the trial who claimed Peter’s teeth matched bite marks on Diane Sindall’s body, this innocent man was found guilty and imprisoned. Meanwhile, the real killer has never been caught.

    What must Peter have endured? To know you’re innocent and to spend decades caged in a system which insists that you’re guilty must be a very particular kind of hell. Now he will be released into a world profoundly changed in every way. Of course no money can make this right. Peter has lost the best years of his life. But in theory he should receive compensation.

    I say in theory, because the state is often unwilling and slow to compensate those it has wrongly jailed. Andrew Malkinson was freed from jail in 2020 and exonerated in 2023, but he only received his first compensation payment from the government in February of this year. This attitude and approach is just another example of how unjust our ‘Justice’ department often is. A ministry and a system run by people with true moral purpose would act to immediately and completely compensate those it has wronged. Sadly, we do not have such a ministry.

    Written by
    David Shipley
    David Shipley is a former prisoner who writes, speaks and researches on prison and justice issues.

    1. When the question of capital punishment comes up, I always find myself in favour, but only in principle. In practice, I'm against it because of the incompetence and/or corruption of Police, Lawyers/Judges and politicians. In short, I don't trust the buggers.

      Think Lucy Letby.

      1. I’ve been against capital punishment all my life. In principle and in practice as you might say.
        It is an evil philosophy, and perverts the innocence of all those coerced into participating, be they prison functionaries, medical staff, journalists, cleaners or even paid executioners. Something which eventually soils us all.

          1. I was brought up a Catholic and taught that suicide was an unforgivable sin.

          2. Terrible idea. For everybody involved.
            Having written that, we believe that my Father was helped over the last hurdle by extra medication, the day he died in pain from cancer. For him, that was good; there was bugger-all time and benefit of him remaining alive another few days. Pity was, it was so sudden that I was out of the country, and couldn't get back in time to say goodbye. Mother couldn't bear to stay with him and watch him expire, so he died alone.

  85. I'm stuck now with Race Across the World on TV. It all seems very fake.
    India looks like bedlam.
    I'm losing the plot.
    Baked two Bloomers and two large granary whole meal, cooked a very nice chicken bacon and mushroom risotto. All clean and tidy in the kitchen.
    Our South African born Neighbour who lives part time in France, popped in for an hours chat. We are fully on the same wave lengths.
    She'd make a good Nottler.

    Now I'm feeling tired, another day over, off to bed now goodnight Nottlers. 😴

  86. Well chums, time for bed. So Good Night to all of you. Sleep well, and I hope to see you all tomorrow morning.

  88. Morning all ,

    Lovely sunrise here , and I have been awake for hours ..

    Did any of you see / listen to PMQs yesterday ..

    Starmer is rude, women hating and out of his depth .

    I like this comment on the DTl's Thursday page .

    Trevor Anderson
    7 hrs ago
    Elsewhere: “Keir Starmer swiped at critics of his immigration crackdown saying they are 'talking rubbish' today amid mounting Labour unrest. Since Monday a slew of backbenchers have broken cover condemning his warning that Britain risks becoming an 'island of strangers.”

    This Damascene Conversion, was not made after a blinding flash of light from heaven, followed by a booming voice, castigating him for his handling of immigration, leading to his apparent 180 degree turnabout of his views and approach.

    This was a dishonest, deeply cynical ploy, engineered to attempt to convince the voting public that he was on our side with regard to managing this monstrous, uncontrolled problem. The reality is, that this farcical hypocrisy was caused by the terror caused by the blinding flash of light from Reform.

    A liar and a cheat, he is a total fraud and utterly shameless.

    1. Morning, Belle.
      Beautiful sunny day, blowing a hooley and cold! Hope your face is getting over the dental assault!

        1. Ouch! Days 3-5 are usually the worst for swelling. Be a pest. When I woke up with a bloody mouth 5 days in, I turned to the NHS and did get help.

  89. And does anyone think this is sufficient?

    “A MAN who operated a cannabis factory that exploded, killing a sevenyear-old boy asleep in the flat above, has been jailed for 14 years.

    Archie York died after a makeshift laboratory set up to make marijuana gummy sweets exploded and ripped through an apartment building in Newcastle upon Tyne.

    Reece Galbraith, 33, and his friend Jason Laws, 35, had been running a cannabis operation in the flat beneath Ms Errington’s home on Violet Close, Benwell, when it exploded early on Oct 16.

    Laws was also killed in the blast. Galbraith, from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, admitted two counts of manslaughter as well as possessing and supplying cannabis at a hearing last month.

    At Newcastle Crown Court yesterday, Galbraith was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in the explosion which destroyed six out of the 12 flats in the apartment block….”

  90. From Rupert Lowe, in an email:

    “The Rape Gang Inquiry: Update

    Dear supporters,

    Thank you for helping to make the Rape Gang Inquiry the country's largest ever political Crowdfunder. Our objective is clear: to achieve justice for survivors and to hold to account those who failed them.

    We have taken significant steps over the last few weeks, building a structure and team to ensure that we shine a light on what happened, and why it was allowed to happen.

    These steps include:

    – Registering the Inquiry as a Community Interest Company, ensuring every penny donated is used to obtain justice.

    – Building our team – including Sammy Woodhouse, who will act as our Victim Liaison Officer, and Raja Miah.

    – Appointing panel members, including former cabinet minister, Esther Mcvey and Reform MP James McMurdock.

    – Submitting over 9,000 Freedom of Information questions.

    – Writing to senior members of the Government, with Women's Minister Jess Phillips confirming that she would cooperate with the Inquiry.

    – Written to all council leaders in affected areas requesting their cooperation.

    We will shortly be launching our Call for Evidence and writing to all police forces and NHS Trusts requesting their cooperation. If you have any questions or suggestions that you would like to submit to the Inquiry, then please email us at info@therapeganginquiry.org”

    1. requesting their cooperation.
      Perhaps, a website plotting the progress.. and naming and shaming those that refuse to cooperate.

      1. Good thought!
        There must be openness everywhere in this enquiry, as a remedy for all the obfuscation, lies and misdirection that's already happened.

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