Sunday 18 May: The Prime Minister’s tough talk on immigration looks unlikely to yield results

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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

558 thoughts on “Sunday 18 May: The Prime Minister’s tough talk on immigration looks unlikely to yield results”

  2. Good morning, chums. And thanks, Geoff, for today's new No|TTLe site.

    Wordle 1,429 3/6

    ⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜
    🟨⬜🟨🟩⬜
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

      1. Good morning, Citroen 1. I listen to Angel Radio, and on Sunday mornings they broadcast an hour of poetry called "Wag's Rag Bag" which I thoroughly enjoy and which I get up early to listen to. Hence I am usually up by around 6.15 am.

    1. Hello, again Citroen 1. I've been meaning to ask for weeks now, how on earth you see this minute blue square with a little white question mark on it. Can you or any other NoTTLer help me?

      2. Morning Elsie, could be a missing link or image – I am sure other NoTTLer’s more tech savvy than me could help. Ange

          2. I have done this, vw, but the ? shoots up to the top LH corner of my iMac and there is set of numbers and letters which, when I click on them take me no further.

      3. It means that the image concerned did not automatically download for some reason. Very common on Daily Fail stories with many photos. Click on it and it may down load or give an option to download in a new window. Sometimes reloading the page clears it up.

    2. Gorgeous day down here in Helford. Mother-in-law making lunch and then we’ll head back to London.

      Forgot to take picture of boat for Rastus. D’oh.

    3. Gorgeous day down here in Helford. Mother-in-law making lunch and then we’ll head back to London.

      Forgot to take picture of boat for Rastus. D’oh.

    1. Anyone who thinks that Welby and May gave sound advise deserves to be put in the County Home for Mental Defectives and not given any outings as Mr Loveday was inadvisedly given.

    2. Whoosh over my head.
      What does doggy photoing his food have to do with EU reset talks? Because he won't be getting any more?

    3. About the only thing that two tier will get from the eu, after giving away all our fishing rights and opening the borders yet further, is a relaxing of pet passports to travel to Europe. I think the photo shoot the dog is doing is an example of pampered mobile poop machines.

    4. Matt's cartoon has baffled me too, Citroen 1. And the explanations offered by Smiling Cobra, Oberstleutnant, and Ndovu have left me equally confused and ignorant.

          1. My interpretation was showing how some dog owners go over the top in spoiling their pets. In this case had set up an Instagram account for said mutt. A bit ‘Far Side’ maybe.

    5. Starmer is taking us back into the EU, which will include back-in worth the EU pet passport. Which didn’t need to have been taken away, except, obviously, spite.

      Did Stepehnroi get his explanation? There was a letter in yesterday’s Terriblegraph explaining it.

        1. Lessons in grit
          SIR – You report (May 16) that children are to be taught the value of “grit” in schools.

          Do they not have parents? It is parents who bring children up, and it is they who should be emphasising the need for grit and determination in order to succeed in life.

          Howard Marshall
          Altrincham, Cheshire

    6. By my thinking the explanation is that the dog is depicted as photographing its dinner (which is what a lot of people do and then post the photos on Instagram – please don't ask me why, but they do), so if its owners got it a passport it would go on holiday and post all its holiday snaps as well (which is also what a lot of people do, and is insufferable).

      I think one has to be fairly clued-up about what people post on Instagram to get the joke.

    1. Report here says that there were several aloft, two of whom died and many injured. Brought on by motor failure – looks like it failed to reverse thrust when it needed to, hit the bridge with quite a smack.

      1. Several stupid comments re the ship being Mexican. The video in my comment and others do indicate a loss of power and that the ship was drifting out of control. A tragedy, not an incident to be used to belittle the Mexican Navy or Mexicans in general.

          2. I don’t subscribe so no access to comments.
            I did have a look on the Daily Fail (I know shame on me) and unpleasant comments there.

      2. It appears to be being towed backwards. The towing vessel appears to the right of the bridge support travelling at the same speed as the ship. Or am I wrong?

    2. I saw something in passing on my in-laws’ permanently-on telly (but thankfully GB News not Al- Beeb) and thought it was a retrospective on the bridge that collapsed a while back after being hit by a foreign boat tanker.

  12. 405698+up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    405698+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    Listen up,

    Forget about a uni. education, the park public toilet freak sold the peoples a pup decades ago, education,education,education, shortly education will be FULLY in the hands of the mullahs.

    If by now you have not given the Tillers of English soil a very serious coating of looking you really do deserve ALL the imams can serve up

    Political assassination rhetorical continues among the leading politico's as does the now larger boats coming in daily,the need to touch down on the near death corpse of old England is most urgent in Calais

    Saturday 17 May: It’s time to think again about the purpose of a university education

    1. To set the example we all needed, he should have been locked away even for further damage limitations.

  13. It must be at least 20 years since I watched any portion of Eurovision. From this morning's news reports, it's my impression that Israel came 2nd. The UK delegation (presumably BBC selected) awarded Israel 'nul points' but the UK voting public awarded them 12 points. Watta larf.

    ***********************************************
    Massey Ferguson
    7h
    Decent show by Israel in the Eurovision, came second, I had them backed for the win sadly. The UK public gave Israel twelve points and Ukraine zero points.

    Henry Flower
    Massey Ferguson
    3h
    The UK Jury gave Israel 0 points. Of course, it was never instructed to award it zero. Who could possibly think such a thing?
    Norton took great delight in saying it had a "mixed reception". Which still didn't stop it scoring 12, as it did in the UK public vote last year. A perfect opportunity to show the BBC no one believes their lies.

    Hopefully it upset Lineker as well.

    2. I think it just proves what we all know Obs, none of our leaders are actually in charge they are only carrying out orders.

      2. Until the last moment Obama was hoping to have a fourth term with Brain-Dead Biden nominally in the WH but Camel Toe rather ruined the schemes.

  16. Rastus posted a link to this article yesterday evening. I read it this morning. The BTL commentary has been 'lively' and slamming.

    Union tells teachers to bring ‘Palestine struggle’ into schools

    Critics accuse NEU of spreading ‘brainwashing’ propaganda about conflict in Gaza

    Patrick Sawer Senior News Reporter

    17 May 2025 4:00pm BST

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/briefs/2025/05/16/TELEMMGLPICT000424524415_17474145346330_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqNEaEPVj0ukpq09fI7aH1yF0eQgbBKoaRStLD_QueNXY.jpeg?imwidth=1920
    Mat Milovanovic, a London teacher standing for election to the NEU’s executive, is active in the pro-Palestine movement Credit: Instagram

    Britain’s biggest teaching union is coaching its members on how to bring the “Palestinian struggle” into schools.

    The National Education Union (NEU) is holding a workshop next month to train members in how to “advocate for Palestine in our schools”.

    At the same time, the union encouraged teachers to hold a day of action at their place of work on Thursday to highlight “the Palestinian struggle for freedom”.

    Critics have accused the NEU of spreading pro-Palestine propaganda and warned that both events could breach legislation barring the promotion of partisan political views in schools.

    They say the events could also go against rules requiring councils and head teachers to ensure pupils are presented with a balance of opposing views on political issues.

    The NEU-organised workshop, being held in Liverpool on June 14, is being run by Makan, an educational group that works towards “adopting educational approaches that capture the history of the Palestinian struggle”, which are “aimed at strengthening the movement for Palestinian liberation”.

    ‘Colonialism and apartheid’
    Makan says its workshops are designed to provide “foundational knowledge on key issues like the Nakba, settler colonialism, imperialism, and apartheid”.

    It has led critics to fear that teachers who attend the Liverpool workshop will be encouraged to spread one-sided information about the conflict in Gaza.

    The legal charity UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has now called on the Department for Education and local councils to crack down on what it says is the promotion of pro-Palestine and anti-Israel propaganda in schools.

    It wants teachers to be reminded of their legal obligations in ensuring they do not promote “partisan political views” in schools.

    Caroline Turner, director of UKLFI, said: “The NEU appears to be defying government guidelines on political impartiality in schools, by persuading teachers to brainwash children into supporting the Palestinian cause.

    “This is extremely concerning and we hope that the local authorities and head teachers will act to ensure this does not happen.”

    Many Jews say accusations of settler colonialism, apartheid and genocide levelled at Israel by some NEU activists are anti-Semitic – as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance – since they compare its actions to that of the Nazis and the Holocaust.

    The union has rejected the claims, saying its members abide by their professional code of conduct to teach political subjects in a balanced manner.

    ‘Illegal occupation of Palestinian land’
    The NEU-backed Nakba day of action encourages teachers to circulate petitions calling for the boycott of companies “complicit in Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land”, including arms companies supplying Israel; and organise lunch-time meetings and after-school film screenings “to educate colleagues about the Palestinian struggle”.

    Several British trade unions backed Thursday’s day of action, which marked the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, or “catastrophe”, regarded by Palestinians as the moment they were driven from their homes by the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.

    A number of leading figures in the NEU are active in the pro-Palestinian movement, including Louise Regan, one of the union’s executive members, who is also a director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign; and Daniel Kebede, its general secretary. He was due to address Saturday’s national demonstration in London commemorating the anniversary of the Nakba.

    They also include Mat Milovanovic, a London teacher standing for election to the union’s executive, who has also campaigned against Prevent, the government programme to tackle radicalisation.

    Liverpool city council has responded to UKLFI’s call by saying it will remind teachers in the city’s schools of the ban on the promotion of partisan political views in teaching, setting up a potential clash with the NEU.

    No power to ban workshop
    Reena Bhogal-Welsh, Liverpool’s director of education and inclusion, said she would also be writing to all schools and academies in the city to remind them of the ban and to “take steps to ensure the balanced presentation of opposing views on political issues when they are brought to the attention of pupils”.

    She added that “teachers are free to attend protests outside of school” and that the council did not have the power to ban the June 14 workshop.

    A Department for Education spokesman said: “For any pupil to feel unwelcome or intimidated in their school is completely unacceptable. At a time when Jewish students are experiencing a surge in appalling anti-Semitism, teachers should consider the message they are sending to children and young people when taking part in these activities.

    “It is a legal duty for teachers to be politically impartial, and schools should be a place of safety for all children – no matter their faith or background.”

    The NEU defended its members taking part in actions of support of the Palestinian cause.

    A union spokesman said: “The day of action is explicitly for school staff and is not for students to participate in. It is not accurate to say it’s designed to indoctrinate children and young people. What needs to be under the spotlight is Israel’s breaches of international law and the wholly disproportionate retaliation against a whole civilian population, including vulnerable children.”

    The NEU added: “The event in June is looking at equipping teachers with the confidence and resources to manage conversations or issues that may arise from the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine. It is aimed at supporting individual pupils or staff directly impacted or strongly engaged in the Israel/Palestine conflict. It also looks at how best to address any negative fall-out arising from the conflict among pupils or families such as anti-Semitism or Islamophobia.

    “Teachers know when addressing any political or sensitive issues in school their professional obligation is to do so in an impartial, respectful, calm and balanced way.”

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

    Sir Ian
    15 hrs ago
    The government should immediately intervene and ban this kind of radicalization in schools, if it isn’t already.

    David Langford
    12 hrs ago
    If Starmer does not act on this he’s finished … it would define him

    As an Anti Semitic PM …

    Mel Kay
    15 hrs ago
    This needs an immediate injunction from government to stop this.

    Utterly abhorrent indoctrination and biased political propaganda.

    Gordon Tanner
    15 hrs ago
    Reply to M J A Church – view message
    It's obvious these pro-Palestinian activists want to drive out Jewish students from our schools. Next they will be smashing the windows of Jewish shops and businesses. Ring any bells?

  17. 405698+ up ticks,

    It hasn't these past three plus decades so why would it now. if anything shows to be in evidence tis the fact the whole house seems to be in collusion

    Sunday 18 May: The Prime Minister’s tough talk on immigration looks unlikely to yield results

    Talks cheap MONEY buys transport to the welfare office.

    1. Here in south Devon it is full on sun, cloudless start to the day. A bit too much for one used to the chilly grey skies of East Anglia. For the first time ever we were delighted to arrive with a bug spattered car windscreen. Welcome back insects! We've missed y'all! Swallows are darting in and out of the barn opposite. The verges are full of wild flowers, it is glorious.

  20. Schoolchildren taught black people built Stonehenge

    Drive to decolonise history curriculums has ‘gone too far’, warns report

    Tim Sigsworth
    18 May 2025 7:28am BST

    The claim is made in the book “Brilliant Black British History”, which is still used in schools across the country, according to research by Policy Exchange, the think-tank.

    Written by Atinuke, the Nigerian-born British author, it says that “Britain was a black country for more than 7,000 years before white people came”.

    The report has described the book as one example of how the push to “decolonise” or “diversify” history curriculums in schools has “gone too far”.

    The think-tank found that 83 per cent of secondary schools had changed their history curriculum to “decolonise” it, which usually involves reducing or removing topics deemed too white, male or European.

    The report said: “In some cases this had a positive effect, exposing students to varied and knowledge-rich studies that better cover key areas of British history such as the women’s suffrage movement, as well as a wider range of world history.

    “However, in too many cases this process has gone too far, leading to the teaching of radical and contested interpretations of the past as fact, or with anecdotes of interesting lives replacing a deeper understanding of the core drivers of history.

    Contested narratives as fact
    It continued: “Numerous cases of poor-quality resources being used to teach contested narratives as fact have been identified.

    “For example, one book used in classrooms claims black people built Stonehenge, whilst free resources produced by a subject organisation celebrate the genital mutilation of a slave as a form of ‘gender transition’.”

    The findings went on to reveal that the drive to “decolonise” has meant that “in some cases students struggle to develop a synoptic outline of the national past and are exposed to one-sided and politicised narratives”.

    Its research showed that key elements of British history have been dropped by schools as fewer than one in five teach the Battle of Agincourt and only 11 per cent include the Battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo.

    The report, which is titled Lessons from the Past, recommended the creation of a new exam paper on British history from 1066 to 1989 that would be compulsory for all GCSE history pupils.

    “A paper of this kind would guarantee that all students taking history to GCSE level have a clear chronological understanding of the evolution of the British state and society and how this has shaped our nation today,” it said.

    In its foreword, Lord Roberts, the historian, wrote that an education of this topic should be the “birthright of English pupils”.

    “It is vital that pupils are taught the history of their own nation in a manner that seeks to do more than simply inculcate shame about our past,” he said.
    Lord Blunkett and Nadhim Zahawi, the former education secretaries, have endorsed the report, as well as Sir Nick Gibb, the former Conservative schools minister .

    Sir Nick said: “Policy Exchange’s report rightly identifies that the area where further improvement is needed is at GCSE-level, where increasing specialisation and an over-emphasis on narrow ‘theme-related’ topics such as health means that too many pupils are never exposed to the full chronological breadth of British history.

    “It cannot be right that a pupil could achieve a ‘9’ in GCSE History and yet never have heard of the Glorious Revolution or the Act of Union.”

    Mr Zahawi added: “As a boy who arrived in this great country from Baghdad, I know how important it is that every child in this country – regardless of birth and background – has the opportunity to learn about Britain’s inspiring heritage.”

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

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d4b97e92ecfdcfb0be6fc875eeede3e15de151f8e812cc1c2420a09aa67fe077.png This is Atinuke, the children's author who wrote “Brilliant Black British History”. She was born in Ibadan, Nigeria which is presumably where her ancestors emigrated to after finishing building Stonehenge in Wiltshire. Rachel, my neighbour in the next door cottage, has been a guide at Stonehenge for the past 20+ years and when I next see her I'll ask her to tell me all about it. {:^))

    2. I remember how daft it just was at the time it was previously mentioned.
      It would have taken at least two or even three life times for the gangs of workers after setting out in the right direction to have walked all the way from Africa to the area in Dorset. And making sure that they had the contact details of all the contractor's involved in the delivery of the stones.
      The 'experts' apparently found one body of a 'black person' in a cave near Cheddar, it must have resigned from the project.

      1. "It would have taken at least two or even three life times for the gangs of workers after setting out in the right direction to have walked all the way from Africa to the area in Dorset."

        These idiots are not suggesting that. Their view is that Man was born black, colonised the world and then became white in some parts of it. Remember Cheddar Man?

        1. I can’t believe how thick they are.
          They’ll be telling us the came to earth from sun.

    5. Citroen 1, I was in stitches when I read "She [Atinuke] was born in Ibadan, Nigeria which is presumably where her ancestors emigrated to after finishing building Stonehenge in Wiltshire". A wonderful comment.

    1. Well, Oggie, if you think that there was no need to have Sharia courts in the first place then surely Rupert Lowe's call for banning Sharia courts in Britain meets with your approval.

  22. Morning all 🙂😊
    Grey again, come on rain we know you're up there our green belt is becoming more vulnerable.
    I don't remember any results from tough talking from our wrist slapping British PMs since poor old Maggie was ousted.

    1. Clear blue sky here. We do need some rain. I've been watering every evening and the water butts are nearly empty.

      1. Same here Ellie.
        We've had to use our extended hose a couple of times.
        No doubt the water company will have a moan.

  23. 🎶HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU 🎶 Tine 🤩🤗🥂🥂🍾 have a lovely day today.

    3. Happy Birthday to you, Tine! Hope it’s wonderful and you have a great day! 🥂🎂🍾⭐️

  25. It's a first for the UK..

    The first time an official cleric has issued & broadcast a fatwa in UK calling for the accused, a moderate imam, to be caught, killed, then thrown in a hole. ‘Action is required, bravery is required… Each of you should bring forth your capability.’

    London based Imam Somali Omar Abdallah Mansuur with tens of thousands of followers.. of course..
    NHS Manager.. say it aint so..
    has been suspended & given a stiff letter.. until things cool down.

    However, his lawyer states.. his speeches had been ‘taken out of context,’ adding he has never advocated violence.

  27. Good morning dear people .

    DTL letters..

    Risky reading
    SIR – Though I should be getting used to reading tales of the collapse of Great Britain, I was nevertheless astounded by what happened to Julian Foulkes (“Police face lawsuit after former officer arrested over ‘thought crime’ tweet”, report May 12).

    I would be interested to know what – if any – action was taken against the officer who pointed out the “very Brexit things” on his bookshelf, as though a book by Douglas Murray is now considered to be a terrorist manifesto.

    Has Britain really reached the stage where the police now feel free to openly victimise the majority who supported Brexit?

    Chris Ash
    Johannesburg, South Africa

    SIR – It looks as though possession of titles by Douglas Murray and copies of The Spectator now attract adverse attention from the police. Certain sections of the population may be contemplating a purge of their bookshelves.

    Dr Catherine Moloney
    Liverpool

    SIR – Your report on Julian Foulkes’s arrest mentions that officers were concerned about a shopping list “containing bleach, tin foil and gloves”.

    All these items are in my cupboards and are used on a daily basis, along with caustic soda and pest-control substances. Does this mean we are likely to be raided?

    Dale Gatehouse
    Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire

    I guess the next arrestable sin will be to have a Bible in the bookcase , and a few children's novels like Black Beauty , Three little pigs, and Noddy and the Golliwogs!

      2. Used to be a restaurant chain here called Sambo's. Over 1,000 locations at one point, and popular with the black community apparently. The changing times over the last 40 years or so saw renaming, sell off's, etc. Last one was renamed on 2020.

      3. Putin is a black belt in Sambo – a Russian version of judo/wrestling – although it is always referred to just as judo these days…..

      1. That's actually something I know I would do were I to notice that my shopping list of random items appeared to have a dodgy intent.

        The same sarky sense of humour got me into a lot of trouble when airports first started asking whether one had packed explosives in one's hand luggage.

  28. So it looks like there was a lot of speculation about the man that tried to set fire to the PMs many residencies while I was away.
    Has anyone got to the bottom of it yet?

    3. Morning Bob. At the risk of being thought prurient it has the hallmarks of rent boy activity.

      1. oooooo you prurient old thing you, Minty. Quite right tho, that's what's being reported…..

        1. And if some of the rumours about the the foreign secretary's taxi ride and the gun said to be in his possession prove to be true then that will prove interesting.

          Of course all the news pundits – even those on GB News – are united in thinking it is fake.

          1. I too suspect it’s fake, Rastus. Lammy only has to show his stupidity for anyone to be scared and want to get away from him.

      1. I think there was a spelling mistake it was an arse attack not arson attack

        1. Someone else on Guido made that point citing scorch marks as supporting evidence.

          2. Had to look at calendar …Monday 19th May..time flying but missing the fun x

      2. Whatsapp content? Goodness, Twitter never sleeps does it. Wonder if it is genuine or fake, fake, fake…

  29. Iranians accused of spying in UK were asylum seekers. 18 May 2025.

    The trio were held on suspicion of committing offences contrary to the National Security Act 2023 between Aug 14 last year and Feb 16 this year.

    Mr Sepahvand, from St John’s Wood, was charged with “surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research” with the intention of “committing serious violence against a person in the UK”.

    Mr Manesh, from Kensal Rise, and Noori, from Ealing, were both charged with the same offence but with the intention that violence “would be committed by others”

    Like the Bulgarian spies and the Hybrid sabotage program this looks like another fake. The scuttlebutt is that they have come to the UK to beat up some reporters.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/17/iranians-charged-counter-terror/

    1. Open doors, Minty…..come one, come all…meantime, a Speccie reader investigated (I could be next, subscriber for many years).

    1. I woulds put Anti–Semitism high on the list.

      I would like to see to see what Keir Starmer and Gary Lineker would put on the list.

      1. Cheers Pip! We fondly remember the lovely birthday dinner we had with you both a couple of years ago, and are looking forward to seeing you at yours soon.

      1. Thank you, Harry. I am enjoying myself hugely – we will be going out for a late lunch, after being brought a late breakfast in bed by David.

      1. Thanks, Jules. It was good to read about the success of your hedgehog collection at the fair you were at recently,

    5. Grattis på födelsedagen, Dukke. Hope it's a rather special day and that you get spoilt rotten!😘👍🏻🥂🎂😊

      1. It is, David is spoiling me. I've even baked myself a birthday cake, that he loves scoffing…(it's mostly for him!)

    6. Grattis på födelsedagen, Dukke. Hope it's a rather special day and that you get spoilt rotten!😘👍🏻🥂🎂😊

      1. Thank you, BB2. I think of you every time I read about investing a few £ in gold (our conversation at Pip etc's delightful lunch a couple of years ago).

    8. Hello, and thank you very much!

      We are looking to move to the South West – we had an offer accepted on a lovely old house, but the survey just showed too much needed doing to it. We have been travelling there – 7 hour round trip, so we stay overnight and spend a lot of time going back and forth. We're whacked!

      I tend to catch up nowadays, so many delayed comments are only seen by the person I'm replying to. I've absolutely no intention of deserting the lovely NoTTLers, just rather overwhelmed at the moment!

      1. Oof; no wonder you're knackered!

        Happy Birthday, lovely – singing valiantly from a damned soggy Buenos Aires, and hoping to catch up soon.

        Lots of love,

        K x x

        1. Thank you, Katy. Have got new laptop without plasticine in camera holes…

          Txxx

          1. Oooh, how exciting! Can’t wait to see you. 🙂🙂 Let me know when you’re in the mood for a natter x x

          2. Just waiting for David to set me up on whatever needs to be set up (I have no idea, as you can imagine). Will let you know on private.

      2. Happy birthday, Tine! Hope you have a lovely day. Get “Escape to the Country” to do some house hunting for you. It would make a nice change to have a couple who seriously want to buy a home! Will your pusscat adapt to the move?

        1. Chance would be a fine thing – we have a buyer, who I don't think would wait for the time that would take to do…

          Had a lovely day, thank you!

        2. PS Gracie cat will be happy as long as we are around – she is too old to go roaming these days. And we will keep her away from removal people and disruption while any move happens. She is a very trusting cat.

  32. Good morning Nottlers, it's currently 16°C with clear skies and light winds on the Costa Clyde. I shall be attending the Killie v Hearts match later. As an 'Honest Man' I could care less who loses, but a couple of the walking football crew are former Killie players and asked me along. To add some spice to the event, the Killie manager has been exiled from the ground as he let slip last week that he's going to be managing Hearts next season. This has not gone down well.

    Talking of things not going well, I see rent boy abuser and traitor to his country #EunuchPowell just keeps digging. He's a man out of his time, he wouldn't get away with his fraudulent behaviour in the days before social media and digital news. He certainly can't hide now.

      1. #TwoTierKeir following his Poundshop impression of Enoch Powell with his 'tough' stance on immigration (just more jam tomorrow rhetoric) was dubbed #EunuchPowell by some wag on X. It amused me.

        2. Starmer as a eunoch is far more believable than most of the other rumours on Twitt at the moment!

        3. When I have time, I plan to commission two t-shirts.

          One will have “EWR” on it (Mr Powell was correct in 1968).

          The other, “Enquiry Now”.

    1. See Daily Sceptic today re: The latest Worldwide Embalmer White Fibrous Clot Survey

    1. No change there.
      Same old story with anything connected to our political classes.
      Everything single thing they come into contact with they eff it up and big time.

          1. Strangely, Starmer doesn’t seem to acknowledge that…leave the tab for someone else to pick up..

  36. A Irwin
    30m
    Jailbirds to fill in pot holes!

    soundbite politics, it’s not just a case of filling a hole. Cut the area out wider than the hole, excavate to subbase, lay base course, lay wearing course, white line if reqd.

    Need Certification, Extra Supervisors, Wagons, Diggers, Dumpers. All to be purchased by local authorities.

    Of course they need to be repaired, but it’s not just a case of throwing tarmac in a hole! We will be able to tell where they have been
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5ee788b96853078c1a69e8dd1f514e9df56bd6e006fad4797e24f2e23a847a76.png

    5. "Jailbirds to fill in pot holes!"

      Why not have dole boys and other 'benefit'-seekers do the job? No work: no dole!

    6. That appears to be the modus operandi of our council; throw tarmac in the hole, tamp it down and don’t seal the edges.

  37. From Coffee House the Spectator

    17 May 2025

    Coffee House
    Jimmy Nicholls
    There’s no point mourning the death of cash
    18 May 2025, 6:15am

    Credit: Getty images

    Text
    Comments

    ‘Cash is king,’ grinned the bartender as he handed me two pints of dry cider at a music festival I attended several summers ago. Since I’d paid in cold, hard cash, he’d agreed to a discount suspiciously in line with VAT. With nearby food vendors struggling to connect their payment terminals to the internet and fellow festival-goers queuing for cash, I gladly handed over the tenner and glugged down the goods.

    Such a bargain is not uncommon. I’ve seen the odd hospitality worker offer a cash discount so they can pocket the takings themselves. After a removal quote once went awry, a surly van man demanded extra cash to shift my piano. Newsagents, meanwhile, tend to set a minimum card payment lest they get scalped on fee charges.

    Carrying cash is a pain, the breaking of each note a shard in the soul

    It’s such transactions – minus, I suppose, the tax dodging and petty theft – that the Treasury Committee is hoping to encourage. Only last month, the committee warned that Keir Starmer risks creating another ‘two-tier society’, this one divided between those who qualify for an Amex card and those who exchange coppers for the morning coffee. As the committee chair, Dame Meg Hillier MP, argued:

    A sizeable minority depend on being able to use cash and they must not be forgotten by Whitehall. As a society, we must avoid sleepwalking into a situation where cash is no longer widely accepted.

    The report was coaxed out of the committee by advocacy groups increasingly hostile to the presence of cashless businesses on British high streets. The Payment Choice Alliance has been especially vociferous, throwing a hissy fit over the Treasury Committee’s reluctance to recommend that businesses be forced to take cash.

    ‘For the Treasury Committee to basically simply ask HM Treasury to report annually on how bad cash acceptance has become is patently unacceptable and clearly against the interests of the British public,’ the alliance fumed. It added that many neighbouring governments have intervened – though Europe is not known as the world’s regulator for nothing.

    For all the fury, the alliance’s summary of the committee report is not unfair. The top-line conclusion is a masterclass in official inactivity: ‘The government must act to manage the decline in cash acceptance.’ Institutions as storied as the Treasury, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Bank of England will sit and take notes while cash fades into obscurity, at which point the Treasury Committee might finally recommend that something be done.

    This would suit the government, which has already announced that it has ‘no plans to regulate businesses, big or small, to compel them to accept cash‘. In March it also revealed that it would be folding the official payment systems regulator into the FCA in an attempt to reduce regulatory burdens.

    When you consider who Labour will be courting in 2029, one can understand why the cash splashers aren’t a priority. The most devout adherents to the ‘cash is king’ mantra tend to be libertarians. Deeply suspicious of fiat currencies, they like cash because it prevents the government from monitoring their purchases.

    To be fair to the libertarians, banking services have proven vulnerable to political tampering of late. Only three years ago Canada’s government froze the bank accounts of truckers who had joined the anti-lockdown Freedom Convoy, affecting $8 million (£4.3 million) across 200 accounts. The year after in Britain, Nigel Farage lost his Coutts account because his politics didn’t align with the alleged values of the bank for the super-rich. Perhaps that’s one reason why he was photographed with a ‘cash is king’ shop sign last year.

    Labour doesn’t care about such people, of course. But it will be more sympathetic to the vulnerable groups that the Treasury Committee warns are being excluded as cash recedes from view: the poor, elderly and disabled who are unable or unwilling to take up Mastercard, Apple Pay or Bitcoin.

    Some of these people argue that physical cash is better for budgeting. As the report notes, it is easier to teach children about the limited supply of money when they can see it disappearing into a till. You can understand why a pensioner can’t be bothered to embrace the exciting world of contactless mobile phone payments.

    But we should not be humouring these luddites. Carrying cash is a pain, the breaking of each note a shard in the soul, your pockets weighed down until you empty the contents down the back of your sofa. Shops must employ men in motorbike helmets to ferry it around town, and write signs to thieves assuring them that none is kept on site overnight. It is only convenient as a choking hazard for over-inquisitive toddlers.

    For related reasons, nobody knows how much cash they have. In any British household the amount may stretch from the value of one Freddo to a night at a Premier Inn on the outskirts of Slough. This is in an era where you can look at charts on your monthly spending habits from the comfort of the bog before you return to scrolling TikTok clips.

    Indeed, the pairing of payment cards with smartphones means that debit cards accounted for 51 per cent of the country’s transactions in 2023, according to UK Finance, with credit cards accounting for 10 per cent. Cash was used in only 12 per cent of transactions, with the industry body predicting this would halve by 2033. The government was sufficiently confident in this trend that it declined to order new coins in 2024, a historical first.

    Far from reversing the trend of declining cash use, the government should be accelerating it. As the Treasury Committee recommends, somebody should be keeping an eye on Mastercard and Visa’s opaque processing fees, the subject of many a class action in the US. IT infrastructure must continue to be strengthened, not least because of the kind of outages that can prevent thirsty festival-goers from acquiring West Country cider on a hot summer’s day.

    As for cash, like the British monarchy, it could still enjoy a ceremonial function. The Royal Mint can continue to issue commemorative coins, enjoyed for a moment before being consigned to the back of a drawer. The cash king is dead; long live the plastic king.

    Written by
    Jimmy Nicholls
    Jimmy Nicholls is a journalist, writer of Poke the Bear, and host of The Right Dishonourable podcast.

    1. For various reasons including privacy from the government and for various groups of people we must keep the use of cash.

      1. Last month in the small Valencian village where I spend quite a lot of time there was a blackout ( all over Spain) and the internet didn’t work. Only cash was accepted. My wife and I had 13 euros. Luckily it only lasted one day, but since then I carry cash with me. Once bitten …

        1. I went into a supermarket on Saturday and as I entered the security guard said, sorry the contactless links are down. You’ll only be able to pay if you’ve got a physical card.

      2. I agree. That is a thoroughly unpleasant article that attempts to link cash with crime and tax-dodging in people's minds. He omits to mention that the plastic king is planned to be implanted under people's skins, and their digital money made centrally controllable.

    2. How right he is.

      Look at what has happened in the Sudan since the British left.
      Look at Rhodesia.

      Trouble is that the Left won't look and if they did look they would not see.

    3. He is absolutely correct. And this has happened simply because our know all political idiots don't actually or jointly have much real intelligence.

  41. This guy warns that people thinking of powering a national electricity grid using solar power need to think carefully about using Chinese built DC to AC converters. Just as in one of the Bond movies, sometimes a trigger has to be pulled but at other times there's a small thing called a radio:

    https://youtu.be/k5QbisLUcgM?si=IstMxfK1nwIQT84B
    N.B. Solar farm have radio receivers built in!

  42. OT – can anyone recommend a reliable brand of masonry drills?

    I managed to destroy the best one I ever had – that I inherited from my late father-in-law in 1968.

    2. I use a 1//2" Dewalt hammer drill for masonry, My "old" one was a 1960's 240v Black and Decker with the dual handles.

      1. Thorn's DIY store (opposite Jarrold's) in Norwich is where I bought all my masonry bits, they have a huge selection of such items.

    4. Far as I can make out now mostly made in China….possibly late f-i-l's were GB?

    6. Dewalt, Bosch, Heller all available at Tool station or Screw fix.
      Don't expect too much from any of them in granite or reinforced concrete. They are only made from tungsten steel.
      57 plus years is quite a long time for one to last.

    7. Mine are all Bosch and lasted 32 years so far, some used with 'hammer' action

    9. For drilling into concrete make sure that the drill bit is carbide tipped.

      Otherwise Bosch or DeWalt manufactured brands are commonly available at Screwfix where you can obtain additional advice.

      For specialist advice first port of call is Hilti but I doubt your purpose is other than domestic use.

      2. I had a large selection of tungsten carbide-tipped masonry bits. Unfortunately I knackered most of them when I discovered that flint is (as my palaeolithic ancestors had discovered) exceptionally hard. A bit like drilling into diamond.

        The walls of my traditional Norfolk cottage were 15" thick brick-and-flint.

        1. A few years ago I was charged with repairing a “English Heritage Building at Risk”. This was a brick and flint Gothick folly in a field, the grounds of Belchamp Walter Hall.

          The works involved drilling through about six feet of assorted, brick, flint and rubble fill in order to stitch a wide crack at intervals vertically using stainless steel bar. The builder obtained special drill bits from Hilti, made for the purpose, drilling from each side of the crack. A hole was made around the crack and copper tube inserted through one of the drilled holes. The tube was directed by hand (through the hole) to fit through the other side.

          The stainless steel bar was then inserted into the copper tube and plates and fastening bolts fitted to the ends.

        2. But, but Mr Tastey, the BBC Iove him. (I agree with you, odious and slimy).

      2. They're thinking up a credible story.

        Shall we open a book on what they come up with?

        Dastardly Russian plot – evens
        Patriotic Ukrainian driven to desperation because the UK didn't give enough money to Ukraine – 2 to 1
        Climate change – 3 to 1
        Starmer's unpaid rent boy – 1000000000000000000000000000 to 1

      3. They're thinking up a credible story.

        Shall we open a book on what they come up with?

        Dastardly Russian plot – evens
        Patriotic Ukrainian driven to desperation because the UK didn't give enough money to Ukraine – 2 to 1
        Climate change – 3 to 1
        Starmer's unpaid rent boy – 1000000000000000000000000000 to 1

        2. Never say never.
          But from a personal perspective I wouldn’t have a clue.

    4. The trouble with Starmer is that he is so slippery, such a liar and so generally odious that one could believe some past squeeze getting rather vindictive. If this is the case, whatever emotions triggered this arsonist to his reprehensible actions, no doubt very similar ire exists amongst much of the general population.

  44. Two dead after Mexican navy ship crashes into Brooklyn Bridge
    Sailors left dangling in the air after vessel’s masts snap during collision
     https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025/05/18/brooklyn-bridge-navy-ship-crash-new-york-city/

    The skipper was a captain in the Mexican navy – it seems like total total incompetence but apparently the cause was that the ship lost power and drifted backwards into the bridge and there was a pilot on board and a tug to hand.

    The height of Mianda's mast from water level to tip is 18 metres. We needed to look carefully at the chart and calculate the height of the tide to make sure that there was adequate clearance whenever we passed under a bridge. It is still pretty nerve wracking passing under a bridge even when we knew the clearance was 20 metres.

    Here is a bridge on the Guadiana – the river dividing Spain from Portugal with Portugal on the Western Side. In 2004 we sailed up this river for several miles
    to a village called Alcoutim. The current was ferocious and when we anchored we had to be secure fore and aft with anchors well set.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/89fe937d16c14609b39b2a2d635d05f88c36ecbc931c2c5c90f8a0d7d68357c2.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/72c67c8b514a35d287d2c98a336ea8413d9e5988fff9c429aa8c65f87ad9283b.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/313107ce6160a5a929c21c25f634c86eb2221a533c83e578cf5c782c7a7409c4.jpg

    1. When I engaged Tim, a Gloucester Pilot to pilot my narrowboat from Portishead to Gloucester docks on a following tide into Force 4 North Easterly, he told me that he once piloted a Tall (training) Ship up to Gloucester and was very careful to calculate the height of the tide and the times of passing under the two Severn Bridges. He told me the calculations were tight for a tall ship and so consequently he was horrified as they approached the first bridge the sailors on board scrambled aloft to the top spars!

      Tim: https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4f7576b01c8475186edee40c86966dfac3018b15ddfd474ea09360b678ce3088.jpg
      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0f249cae1357d9d522aeb0d266f058db97d16eebb3fde092dd0a01b9e130e577.jpg

  45. So…what do we make of the reports re: white males grooming gangs being more prevalent than Asian ones?

    2. Of course there are individual rapists of all races but are there truly any white rape gangs.

      1. Maitliss seems to believe so, Rastus. She didn't quote any evidence in the clip I saw.

    3. Posted yesterday about the proportions in relation to the numbers in the UK.

    4. Whilst both are evil, 10 gangs of 2 is nowhere near as bad a one gang of twenty.
      I rather suspect that that's how the statistics are reported.

          1. Similarly Net Zero, and other subjects, sos……lockdowns, Covid, vaccines..

    5. If that statement is true then surely justice needs to be equally applied surely?

      It doesn't make 'minority' gangs any less guilty?

      We have not been presented with any credible evidence to support Maitliss' or BBC claims (that I'm aware), but until we do………?

      1. Agree, if Ms Maitliss has actual evidence to support her claim she should show it.

      1. Thanks Grizzly, for the info (not specified by the Beeb, it seems)..and good afternoon x

      2. The Albanian PM has apparently told Starmer that Albania refuses to take back any of its criminals if they are deported from the UK. WTF? Pity Starmer has no balls.

    7. "…what do we make of the reports…"

      Depends on who is doing the reporting. Remember that the police have ignored thousands of cases 'in the interest of multiculturalism'.

    8. What we make of them is that it's another attempt to deflect attention from immigration, whether old or new. No one denies that sexual and physical abuse happened in the white population. After all, TV has been telling us for ages how rotten the UK was. Over the last 20 years or so, many crime dramas have featured the corrupt British establishment and the cover-ups, notably Endeavour and its episodes on the children's home. One of Morse's colleagues was a vicitim of that home. We are as guilty as the immigrants, so we should shut up lest we reveal ourselves as the hypocritical racists that we are.

      Except, of course, we're not. We're angry that the failure to pursue and prosecute went on for so long. Where the abuse by the white establishment was high-up, furtive and secretive (and included a lot of boys as victims), with the Pakistani gangs it was low-down, out in the open and known about by the authorities. Some social services gave underage girls contraceptives because they considered them to be willing participants in their own abuse and torture. "White men rape women as well, you know," we are told. Well, that's alright then. We must keep our mouths shut for the sake of diversity.

      And where are the liberal feminists in this? Have I missed their protests?

      1. I tell my husband (and anyone else willing to listen and think about what I say)…I think some ills at least can trace back to Women’s Lib.

          2. It did at the time but now his breasts interfere with the pedals when he is cycling.

          4. It did at the time but now his breasts interfere with the pedals when he is cycling.

      2. The liberal feminists only appear to be interested in trannies wanting to join lesbian-only sites.

    9. What we make of them is that it's another attempt to deflect attention from immigration, whether old or new. No one denies that sexual and physical abuse happened in the white population. After all, TV has been telling us for ages how rotten the UK was. Over the last 20 years or so, many crime dramas have featured the corrupt British establishment and the cover-ups, notably Endeavour and its episodes on the children's home. One of Morse's colleagues was a vicitim of that home. We are as guilty as the immigrants, so we should shut up lest we reveal ourselves as the hypocritical racists that we are.

      Except, of course, we're not. We're angry that the failure to pursue and prosecute went on for so long. Where the abuse by the white establishment was high-up, furtive and secretive (and included a lot of boys as victims), with the Pakistani gangs it was low-down, out in the open and known about by the authorities. Some social services gave underage girls contraceptives because they considered them to be willing participants in their own abuse and torture. "White men rape women as well, you know," we are told. Well, that's alright then. We must keep our mouths shut for the sake of diversity.

      And where are the liberal feminists in this? Have I missed their protests?

        1. I posted:
          "So that makes the Paki gangs OK, does it? There are more whites at it? What proportion of the populations are they?
          Chat GPT estimates 67 million people in the UK, of which 1.6 million are estimated of Pak origin. That's 2,3%, not the 10% if you use the Maitlis figures.
          Somewhat out of proportion, wouldn't you say?"

  47. Blue skies but cool.
    On a lucky streak:
    Wordle 1,429 3/6

    ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
    🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    1. You know me! I haven't been into the centre of Narridge for about three years.

      The MR is a great fan of Thorns. She goes to the city a dozen times a year.

        1. We have the equivalent in Inverness – HIS Highland Industrial Supplies – an Aladdins cave of tools and 'stuff', has trebled in size since I first moved here is 1993.

          1. Hardware and tool shops have always been my favourites: I could get lost in some.

            I would go into Tabwell Tools in Bakewell and spend hours just mooching around. It was rare that I left without something.

  49. My thanks to the helpful comments about masonry drill bits.

    For some reason, small Fakenham has both a Screwfix and a Toolstation. I'll investigate.

    1. Late to the topic, but I recommend Heller Tri-jet SDS Plus, if by any chance you happen to have an SDS drill.

        1. SDS = slotted drive shaft, or shank. The back end of the metal drill bit has three slots, or grooves, that click into the drill chuck.
          For heavy duty drilling.

    9. Signed and distributed.
      They will ignore it, but it might help them feel a little more unsettled.

  54. 405698+ up ticks,

    May one ask,

    Could this be enough for a declaration of war against france ?
    reason being they are escorting in many cases the active agents of paedophilia, mass overloading of the infrastructure with intentions off bringing it down, and could very well be taken as another form soul / spirit destroying BLITZ.

    https://x.com/ActivePatriotUK/status/1924034598234693859

    1. All this going on while Starmer is giving more and more betrayals of Brexit to France and the EU.

      If it could be conclusively proved that Starmer is a traitor and an enemy of Britain would an assassin who killed him be a criminal or a national hero?

      John Harington observed:

      'Treason doth never prosper: what 's the reason?Why, if it prosper, none dare call it treason.'

    2. All this going on while Starmer is giving more and more betrayals of Brexit to France and the EU.

      If it could be conclusively proved that Starmer is a traitor and an enemy of Britain would an assassin who killed him be a criminal or a national hero?

      John Harington observed:

      'Treason doth never prosper: what 's the reason?Why, if it prosper, none dare call it treason.'

  55. Could this be enough for a declaration of war against france ?

    It would be for me Oggy but I'm just me. It is quite obvious that all this is intended. There is nothing we can do.

    1. The only surprise to me is they don't give them all Eurostar tickets free. They get everything else. Except an interview from police/intelligence service.

      1. Well it is on the cards.
        An ETIAS registration, shortly to be introduced into the EU, will allow immigrants far easier VISA free access to the UK if the PM signs us up to the scheme.

        https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/the-eu-entry-exit-system-and-eu-travel-authorisation-system/#:~:text=or%20Schengen%20countries.-,European%20Travel%20Information%20and%20Authorisation%20System%20(ETIAS),Travel%20Area%20between%20the%20two.

        Free French passage using Eurostar will be cheaper for the UK to fund compared with paying them to stop immigrant boat travel to Dover. Border control can then be carried a Paddington where undoubtedly there will a large accumulation of bears.🤔

        2. Trampling through other people’s corn fields PM May signed us up to this invasion. I wonder what the old bitch will be thinking as they trample through her garden.

          They probably wouldn’t bother raping her for long. Though i expect many others would line up to fuck her dead body. Not making this up here.

          Obviously they have no standards. Let’s face it….they don’t even understand what napkins are for except to use as gags.

    2. 405698+ up ticks,

      Afternoon AS,
      A maddened herd is a dangerous herd we still have weight of numbers, a frightened, angry
      treacherously abused again & again mob can do untold damage to anything they perceive to be the cause of their fear / anger.

      Whoever is seen to be the enemy has, nigh on, put discussion out of reach, IMB it really is time to reshape the ploughshears.

  56. Could this be enough for a declaration of war against france ?

    It would be for me Oggy but I'm just me. It is quite obvious that all this is intended. There is nothing we can do.

  57. Roman Lavrinovich finally charged with three counts of arson..
    Oh pretty please permit the press to reveal this to be a hissy fit from Starmer's rent boy.

    1. The lawyers are going to have to do some dancing here. They have to convict him without mentioning his motives. They might go for a deal.

      1. Or go for D notices after conviction in the interests of National Security. Not that the PTB know what that is any more.

      2. Leftie press like The Guardian focusing on him being.. white.. building site worker..
        Common sense press hints at a very fruity Grindr profile & track record. LOL

        1. I hear shivs are quite common in our prisons. I wonder how long he will last.

        1. Nah – it'll be more like the Welsh choirboy. Guilty plea; minimal court chat; sentence and off he goes.

    2. The lawyers are going to have to do some dancing here. They have to convict him without mentioning his motives. They might go for a deal.

    1. As we all know, Nigel Farage was at Dulwich College, a school renowned for producing excellent rugby, association football, cricket, and hockey teams.

      Indeed one of the school's best known former pupils was P.G. Wodehouse who played both cricket and rugby for the first school team sides without being a star player.

      Farage did not play in team games and this has left its mark upon him – he was not – and still is not a team player – which is why the Reform Party will never succeed while Farage is its leader.

      I rather liked old Godfrey Bloom's comment:

      "Farage would have been a 'better man' if he had played more contact team sports at school. Mr Farage prefers fishing."

  59. Taking the piss

    There was once a time when providing a urine sample was a piece of piss.

    Now however you are provided with all the equipment and forms to carry out the full procedure to the level of completeness needed by the hospital to carry out the required test procedure.

    Here is what you are given:

    1.. Beaker, capped syringe and straw:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3b4a6bfee23427f7e50912fc2ca5c249c5f0574a9cc1cdce053919bedfdba4bf.jpg
    2. Instructions for assembly, drawing up and capping:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ae3f90068e200b1c29fc8a740e4229682543645120f14973e4e30c693a4a862b.jpg
    3.Assembly of hazardous material bag for sample and test request form:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2e8538da13df8b6f8f416c9a22183da5878f54d4e1f7738c01dc7f87a4ebbe65.jpg
    4.Check sheet of data required to ensure that hospital will accept your sample for testing:

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2bb43d8629d5d5dcca178c997de53900b01e490ee5669e06e85ed1e7ce94a948.jpg
    If you've done everything correctly then you should'nt have to fill in the manual entry data.

    1. Giving a urine sample is never easy for females. As Victoria Wood put it, “We have the engine power but not the steering”.

      1. I think the same could apply to a lot of men. Perhaps if they incorporated space invader video games at the back of the urinals their hand eye co-ordination would improve.

      2. I once arrested a female motorist for excess alcohol and she refused to provide a specimen of blood. When asked if she would give urine she complied. Trouble was, though, I had to ask my female inspector to witness this and I could hear this woman screeching out loud, from down the corridor, that she couldn't 'go' with another woman watching her.

        She managed to 'go', eventually, since the law insists that the flow of urine is witnessed (there have been accounts of people 'providing' old urine, from a secreted condom or small bottle, for example, in an attempt to defeat the test). Any failure to provide a specimen would constitute a refusal.

        1. I just might pour a glass of my H. Western and son's 6.8% vintage cider I won yesterday in a raffle. For a pound.
          It must have been my lucky day. I also won a fiver in the national lottery and a free lucky dip.
          No body won the jackpot.
          But the millions was shared out.

        2. Get the demijon out and i will test your specific gravity. Colour it red and we can sell it as Phizzies Fizz.

        1. A spoon full of er um sugar makes the medicine go down…in the most delightful way.

          :@(

    1. Thanks, Paul. seconded..doesn't seem to be …he had salmon for dinner (fish his favourite). Been interesting to see the interaction between him and the other dog who is 2 years younger and always been subservient..now walking round like she owns the place….

    2. Thanks, Paul. seconded..doesn't seem to be …he had salmon for dinner (fish his favourite). Been interesting to see the interaction between him and the other dog who is 2 years younger and always been subservient..now walking round like she owns the place….

      1. There's nothing to crosscheck it against. Suggests it's scaremongering. Can't even find it on Fox…

      2. If I remembered, I’d tell you. Sorry! I bought it at about 3 a.m. from a flower stall on the street – too dark to see the name (but still amazes me that such things exist!)

    2. Time of day, Kathie? I'd say possibly evening, seem to recall a thread months ago about the yellow and black ones. Look out for eggs, crush 'em……

      1. Thanks! Yes, it was the time of day I was after. So far, they are managing to be wholly invisible. 🙄

        Invisible but with huge appetites. Gah!

        Will be thinking of you and your dog tomorrow x

        1. Aaaargh, it likely be dusk or early am…don’t suppose you or anyone you know has a nature camera…could use pesticide if you can find one doesn’t damage plant…other hand, you may eventually have lovely butterflies, look out for the dangling cocoons…there’s an image to conjure with…waiting for vet to call, dog not good, peeing blood now…. will let you know, thanks Kathie x

        2. Got ’em! Dim n distant memory, someone else had this problem a while ago…are these the beggars (Cinnabar moth if you can’t get the link):

        3. Thought I replied to you Kathie..think these are cinnabar moths they are yellow & black and eat anything in sight. The moths are quite handsome, black with red markings. Taken dog's urine sample to vets, it didn't look good – very dark, and now a blood clos. They'll let me know testing results later today hopefully. Meantime, he sleeps, will now only eat if I hand feed him (cooked salmon), but luckily still drinking water.

          1. You did indeed reply to me, thank you. I can’t see hide nor hair of them, bit shall keep trying. Thank you.

            Sending waves of love to you and your dog x x

          2. If you do see them, squish the beggars…thanks for your support and love, Kathie…I doubt the test results will be good, and then a decision to be made 🙁 Did I tell you how I came across him?

    2. They don't give a damn.
      Even after all the revelations exposed by Candace Owens on Brigitte Macron.. they just smirk and sneer back "whatcha gonna do about it.."

      1. I think it is amazing that – given the amount of time he is abroad – he is able to find ten minutes to go cottaging. And what do his "security detail" make of it all?

    3. Perhaps this will actually increase support for Starmer as people realise that he is not a robot after all?

      It is weird that Labour is the party of the rainbow flag where the leader has to hide his sexuality…

    1. They'll huff and they'll puff and they'll blow the cage down, with the help of a freezing nor 'easterly

      1. Ah – we have cleverly placed the tubs and the cage OUT of the north wind.

          1. Nah – after an hour, they lost interest. Where the cage is placed there are far more interesting things for cats to do – mice, rats, moles….

          2. Biding their time.

            They will deposit a tomato munching beastie in the cage

  68. Afternoon all. Scorchio again. After lunch (lamb leg steak from the butcher plus veg) I have been lying out in the heat digesting it. I am still not 100%; I was asked to serve in church and I was shattered afterwards.

    Of course Starmer’s tough talk won’t achieve anything; he doesn’t mean a word of it. I doubt it will even fool many of the electorate now.

    1. That'll be the heat, Conway. Mad dogs and Englishmen etc…Starmer's a numpty, I swerve him if at all possible. Take care in the heat, M-i-L took a tumble.

      1. Not the heat. I’m recovering from a bad bout of ‘flu. It’s really knocked me for six.

        1. Awful…hope you’re feeling better soon, take it easy a while. A number seemed to have swerved flu vaccine this year, and also the Covid one (me).

          2. Good! think I’ve been reminded ten or so times now. Early night for you? tomorrow another day:-)

          3. Tomorrow I have a funeral to attend in the morning and an AGM in the evening.

          4. Hope no thunderstorms/downpours…and hope you get some rest to deal with the AGM. Long time since I’ve been in such a meeting, thankful to say..good luck 🙂

          5. Tomorrow I have a funeral to attend in the morning and an AGM in the evening.

  69. Success! Just chased a retching cat outside, upon which the retching ceased.

  70. I haven't seen any reference in any MSM to the arsonist who discovered Stammer's two properties and his ex-car, and the fact that he is a garçon de location.

  71. Wordle No. 1,429 4/6

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

    Wordle 18 May 2025

    A fuming Par Four?

    1. A lucky birdie here.

      Wordle 1,429 3/6

      ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
      🟩⬜⬜🟩⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    2. Another fortunate four!

      Wordle 1,429 4/6

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

    4. Wordle 1,429 4/6

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

    5. Later than corim but still a par
      Wordle 1,429 4/6

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

    1. Groan…
      China is getting out of the danger zone and putting all their money into gold. Poor old UK poodle is being left holding the bag…as well as our own debt…

      1. Consider our own situations and what will happen to our wealth if the US defaults either by not paying or by letting the value of the dollar (and other fiat currencies) go to zero. And what will happen if the government makes it mandatory to register and tokenise your wealth.

      3. I keep saying it is not we, as such, it’s the stupid government who don’t know what they’re doing. Although I’m beginning to believe that it’s all part of somebody else’s plan.

  74. I was quite disappointed at the state of Palma airport, coming back from a recent trip after a gap of twenty years or so.
    Building work still going ongoing , lifts not working, still using buses to take you out to the plane, there were not enough of them which caused a delay to the take off, standing room only, all squashed in while being thrown about round corners on a windy route across the runway, it didn't look very safe, water pouring from the ceiling at the terminal fusing lights, all very shoddy really.
    I was expecting a lot more from an EU country with tight regulations.

    3. They are finding circumstances straightened since we aren’t pouring so much money into the EU.

  75. Oooooph …… my shoes are full of feet.
    And my heart is full of hatred for tourists.
    And how the hell do all those trinket and tartan shops make a living?
    Weather is good; sunny and reasonably warm with a refreshing breeze.

    p.s. avoid Caffè Nero in Parliament Square. We're not terribly squeamish, but after a nip into the badly maintained loos and also spotting a dull film on the tables, we decided to forgo our coffee and cinnamon buns.

      1. They are fine in Colchester and elsewhere. We suspect poor local management.

          1. Yup…and she doesn't speak the local lingo which is why she has taken elderr Sonny Boy with her.

          2. She should be so lucky. My neighbours have had the 'see you jimmy clan' all weekend.

          5. :-).
            Whaddya mean?
            I didn't get my cinnamon bun, so I should start shrivelling a bit.

  77. 405698+ up ticks,

    Afternoon Anne,

    Hopefully out seeking unsuccessfully, very hard to find funds.

  78. That's me for today. Brief periods of cold sunshine have given way to long periods of, er, cold weather.

    Useful gardening carried out. Have a spiffing evening. (Do try to catch A J P Taylor's lectures. Marvellous stuff – and he always starts, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." When did you last hear THAT on t'telly?)

    A demain.

        1. Weren't you already a rowdy, ill-disciplined, teenager at a public school???

    3. Well I should hope not. In these more enlightened times, where we know there are 102 genders, presuming that the audience comprises only ladies and gentlemen is clearly a thought crime. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn he is a far-right fascist racist etc etc etc

    4. John Rickman, racing presenter. Always used to doff his trilby hat as he greeted the audience.

  79. Fine, stop tourism and fill the hotels etc with gimmegrants.

    Holidaymakers too scared to leave their rooms as thousands of anti-tourism protesters take to the streets of the Canary Islands

  80. 405698+ up ticks,

    So this starmer (THE TOOL) political chap has donned the mantel of epstein and is setting us up as the whore of europe
    open to be front and rear raped by ALL and sundry under the jurisdiction of von der leyen.

    UK will have to follow EU rules, says minister
    Starmer will concede to bloc on food standards in most significant reversal of Brexit process yet

    3981

    Gift this article free
    Tony Diver
    Associate Political Editor.
    Genevieve Holl-Allen
    18 May 2025 12:15pm BST
    The UK will accept EU rules on food standards as part of its deal with Brussels on Monday, marking a significant reversal of the Brexit process.

    Nick Thomas-Symonds, the minister for EU relations, said the Government would “align on common standards to make sure we get far easier trade” and secure an agreement.

    His comments have been seen as an indication that Britain will concede to the European Union on food standards, aligning with Brussels’ regulations on plant and animal health.

    1. Did we just not see in the British media that French dairy and cheeses would be banned recently? Now they apparently are not.

      Well done Prime Minister.

      Art of the sell out deal.

    2. Whereas if we had left on WTO rules, we wouldn't have any of this nonsense and trade would still have been easy. They never intended we should get what we voted for. The contempt I have for all the remainiacs is beyond words.

    1. I'm a soap salesman and

      You are a right wing racist bigot !

      When can we do lunch?

      1. The Duchess of Sussex has suggested they use edible flowers, sprinkles and the remains of all her old friends.

          1. Her old friends no longer exist in her world. Plenty of new friends available.

          3. I do think that when all her gaslighting plans come to fruition what happens next.

            Divorce…Suicide attempts…

          7. I would hope not too but this has gone too far. And attempts are just another cry for help.

            Clearly this woman needs restraining.

          9. Yep, her wedding guest list illustrated that. “A list” celebrities she barely knew but her father and siblings weren’t good enough.

          10. I thought it hilarious the Clooneys not only accepted but turned up. Not knowing who they were.

  82. Oh dear.
    Violent thunderstorms on the way.
    Having just been sitting for half an hour, looking over the valley, listening to all the loud noise: birds, insects, the breeze through the grasses, I marvel at how the weather can completely overturn, and with not a Miliband in sight.

      1. No.
        Almost no wind, but the atmosphere is "tightening"
        On the plus side I have an orchid that has "crossed a divide".
        Always a pleasure to discover one that has propagated to a new area.
        This has been a good year.

      1. Don't pressurise him, he's not aware of what is actually happening on our planet. He only makes it all up.

        1. Be quiet, his Elysium glades are his…otherwise we will need more strait jackets!

        2. Be quiet, his Elysium glades are his…otherwise we will need more strait jackets!

      2. Don't pressurise him, he's not aware of what is actually happening on our planet. He only makes it all up.

      3. Don't pressurise him, he's not aware of what is actually happening on our planet. He only makes it all up.

      4. Don't pressurise him, he's not aware of what is actually happening on our planet. He only makes it all up.

      5. The thought of 1019 Milibands is terrifying. One is bad enough, two is horrific, but thousands …!

  84. I've done very little today, cooked our dinner and I'm feeling pretty tired now. Only one glass of wine as well.
    Antiques Road Show from Beaumaris Castle Anglesey. The weather wasn't like that when we were there for a holiday.
    40 minutes and I'll be orff.
    Good night all Nottlers 😴

    1. How will we be able to deport Albanians who commit crimes justifying deportation, when the Albanian PM has apparently just told Starmer publicly that Albania will not take them back. These countries are simply sh!t.

  86. Latest Book Club book is “Finding Margaret” by Andrew Pierce (his birth mother).

    I must say, i haven’t heard of the man (i know, i know) and was sceptical about it but i am really enjoying it so far.

    1. The reason I am not a member of a book club is that I don't like having books chosen for me (that, and the fact I have a huge backlog of books I have chosen myself and haven't got around to reading yet).

      1. Well, there is that, Conners. I have mountains of books accumulated over my life to work my way through. Nonetheless one extra book every month, to discuss over an inexpensive evening meal where we sit at tables of four and change to another table for dessert after the first course is enjoyable. I usually go to around 7 or 8 per month, and it's good to meet friends and share our views so that effectively we each get six (3 + 3) takes on the book. It is enjoyable and, of course, gives me a chance to enjoy a glass or two of wine.

      2. Well, there is that, Conners. I have mountains of books accumulated over my life to work my way through. Nonetheless one extra book every month, to discuss over an inexpensive evening meal where we sit at tables of four and change to another table for dessert after the first course is enjoyable. I usually go to around 7 or 8 per month, and it's good to meet friends and share our views so that effectively we each get six (3 + 3) takes on the book. It is enjoyable and, of course, gives me a chance to enjoy a glass or two of wine.

      3. A large pile of books to read here too, but I so frequently re-read old favourites that I fear I'll never finish the 'to read' lot.

      4. Yes, i am ploughing through my backlog of books at home too…..a lot of German ones from my degree days which i never read, and onw which i did and remember loving, but cannot remember why (Die Aula by Herman Kant). And many random ones, picked up over the years. And a few Spanish ones from my South American days. Pretty overwhelming…

    2. If it helps, LIR, when my own monthly Book Club book is chosen, I search for it in Amazon.co.uk and use the free preview of the first 10 to 12 pages to see if it whets my appetite. If it does, I then buy it. If not, I give it a miss that month. Glad to read that despite your initial scepticism you are (so far) really enjoying it.

      1. We have a great library. Else i buy second-hand. But i like the idea of the Amazon thing – good idea.

  87. Well this afternoon we went to the AGM of the Music society – still struggling on despite making a loss each year – new brochure programme for next year, focusing on up and coming young players. Followed by wine and nibbles and a rather dull talk about Herbert Howells. Came home, watered the plants, cooked the dinner, watched the swifts flying around while we sat down to eat it. Cats decided they've gone off cat food and want what we're eating.

    1. Still haven't seen, or heard, a swift yet this year. A bit worrying, but perhaps I haven't been in the garden as much as I should.

  90. High in the blue above
    Swifts whirl and call—
    We are down a-dabbling
    Up tails all!

    1. Oh well, leave the “black Africans” to their own ruinous devices. Stop foreign aid to these scroungers and make them work the land, assuming they might eventually have invented the wheel and developed mechanical machinery, say in the next hundred years. I would not bet on it.

      Just stop the fuckers from seeking refuge in England. Give refuge to the Dutch Afrikaner farmers who made the place a successful economy before the blacks took over and shat on everything.

      1. AActually, it might set a useful precedent. If South Africa can say that it belongs to the Africans and that the whites must leave then …

      2. AActually, it might set a useful precedent. If South Africa can say that it belongs to the Africans and that the whites must leave then …

      3. Unfortunately for their narrative, the Afrikaaners arrived in the atea before the Bantu, apparently. The original “natives”, if there were any, were the Hottentots.

  94. Its my own bedtime now. So Good Night chums, sleep well and see you all tomorrow.

  95. The Queen’s new dog
    New eight-week-old Jack Russell called Moley will be featured at the Chelsea Flower Show

    Apparently the dog is called Moley because he looks like a mole. I like Jack Russell terriers but I do not like moles.

    Forget 'The Wind in the Willows' – Moles are nasty, aggressive little creatures which are not very pleasant to other moles. And worse than that they have made a mess of my lawn with their excavations, tunnels and mounds.

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