Friday 8 August: Reflecting on the legacy of America’s decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan

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.

537 thoughts on “Friday 8 August: Reflecting on the legacy of America’s decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan”

  1. Good morning all.
    A bright start with clear skies and a somewhat autumnal 13°C on the yard thermometer.
    A trip to Stoke to see Stepson in planned, leaving in about an hour.
    I will say that despite having to go there being a bit of a ballsache, the drive over the Staffordshire moors is lovely!

    1. Morning Johnny

      Looks like June has been on the sauce.

      Knob not nob and "Roll out the barrel", not role out.

  5. Good morning, chums. And thanks to Geoff for today's new NoTTLe site. Managed a Wordle Par today. Now off for my car's MOT test. See you all much later today. Play nicely whilst I am away.

    Wordle 1,511 4/6

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

    1. Snap.
      Wordle 1,511 4/6

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

  10. Good Moaning.
    Well, well, well.
    The DT news item on the over enthusiastic Homelessness Minister has clocked up 4000+ comments in 9 hours; and that's overnight!
    You have to hand it to Stoma; he picks ministers with an intimate knowledge of their subject; a Corruption Minister who resigned because of family corruption and now a Homelessness Minister who makes her tenants homeless.
    At this rate, we'll get a Chancellor who understands ….. um …….. on to my next fancy theory.

    1. Cliff Langdon
      That was quick. Makes one wonder if maybe we haven't heard the full story yet.

      Massey Ferguson
      Cliff Langdon
      Indeed, hypocrisy is not normally a resignation matter for any politician.

      Rob Ellis
      9h
      “Followed all legal requirements”. Evicted her tenants because she said she wanted to sell the properties. Once they are out properties on the market for a matter of days before putting them back up for rent at £700 higher rent. Legal requirements yes. Landlord responsibilities and moral compass none existant

      Mill House
      Rob Ellis
      Yet another compassionate, caring socialist.

      UK Legislation
      A GOVERNMENT BIG ENOUGH TO GIVE YOU EVERYTHING YOU WANT, IS A GOVERNMENT BIG ENOUGH TO TAKE AWAY EVERYTHING YOU HAVE! " – THOMAS JEFFERSON.

  12. I doubt we'll see many more letters like this.

    SIR – I was interned in Java, Indonesia, for three-and-a-half years from the age of two during the war. My mother died of starvation just a month before we were released. I understand there were plans to kill those left in the camps.

    The horrors of the atomic bombings were undeniable, so I feel guilty when I admit that I am so thankful still to be alive and reasonably well at the age of 85 with a loving husband, children and grandchildren. I have my mother to thank for all my blessings as I know she deprived herself to keep me alive.

    Sally Cumming
    East Grinstead, West Sussex

    1. In Quartered Safe out Here, Fraser McDonald was very grateful for the Americans dropping the bomb, he felt that he plus many others would not have survived the invasion of Japan. I found it a very interesting read.

      1. There's many that would not have. The Japanese would likely have fought literally to the last man and the last bullet. So, many Japanese should be grateful, too, as they wouldn't have been born, either.

    2. Government borrowing does not spend itself. No doubt "hard decisions" over tax are coming soon.

  16. Good morning, all. Sunny. Slight breeze. Dry.

    Not sure who was worse last night: Badenough or the vile Rajan.

  17. Dan Wootton is an annoying lightweight on so many levels. Neil Parkin's response is much more sensible. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ec6a761bf1177302938b8817a26ca63c6cd571245ff85bad3ba9d41e663cba9b.png
    Neil Parkin
    Nowt better to do
    2h
    The really depressing bit is that someone with a voice in the media can't see the obvious. If Reform become the Government they have to have a deliverable programme of legislation. Right now the Blob is heart and soul into left wing ideology, and can stymie anything and everything they might want to do. Want mass deportations? Look at how difficult that has been for Trump and they have Executive orders and a motivated ICE and loyal National Guard. You think a few Border Force teams are going to do well in Bradford or London.? 30 years of misrule and brainwashing can't be put right in one term of parliament. The truth is that it may never be put right, such are the Gordian Knots and legislative tie ins that Labour will leave. Anyone who thinks it is going to be simple to reverse this, must be in a fantasy world.

    1. Certainly won't be reversed if they start from the position of not wanting to.

    2. Wrote this before. Used ChatGPT to get me Reform UK's policies, and what it reported is what the MSM wrote (cos that's what it does) and not what Reform UK have written, 'cos that was in a downloadable pdf file, not searchable by web browsers.
      So, is Wootton writing about what the Guardian is reporting, or is he actually writing about what Reform are writing? Quite different…

    3. You're missing the point.. Farage doesn't even want mass deportations.. so he's in sync with the Blob as Dan Wootton has noted.
      And everyone on the DS show is on board with the need to dredge The Swamp.

      1. No, I think you're missing the point. Much of what Reform has espoused publicly of late is intended to mislead the blob until the GE. The dredging of the swamp comes later. I'm not sure they will get away with it.

  18. Good Morning!

    Elizabeth Nickson's How Oligarchs Steal America's Public Lands tells of the anti-farm agenda still playing out in the US, and possibly to be made worse by the Trump administration. Oligarchs, Government and the Green industry are buying productive land and turning it into wilderness. This is, of course, the same agenda being implemented here. They are up to no good, for sure.

    Psychologist Xandra H is back with Gaslighting: A Game For All Humanity , on the western Establishment's game to distort reality so much that they create a new one, more amenable to woke globalism in your mind. And In The House That Jack Built Graham Cunninhgham looks at whether the West has become excessively ‘feminised’, to the point of dystopia, and in Secrecy and Power.

    Energy Watch: Over the last 24 hours: Britain's electric power was sourced from Gas, 15.9%; Solar, 7.3%: Wind 41.2%; Imports, 16.3%; Biomass, 5.7%; Nuclear 10.8% and Miscellaneous, 2.8%. We are exporting 3.55GW to Ireland, Belgium and Denmark – but still importing 3.89GW, mainly from France, which seems to be all but obligatory.

    Also, have a look at our Home page and see if you can spot our innovation.

    https://www.freespeechbacklash.com

  19. Morning, all Y'all.
    Cloudless sky, 13C outside, and the house is surrounded by cows, all munching happily. Next door farmer uses GPS collars instead of electric fences to "pen" he cattle into an area, and yesterday he moved the boundary to the (cut) silage field next to Firstborns place – so, it's getting clipped again, and fertilised as well.
    Lovely looking youngsters, these are, brown & white, too young to have noticeable udders.

  21. Coffee, the lifesaver of the day.
    Painted for 8 hours yesterday, utterly trashed by the end of it. Beer, shower, massive spaghetti pesto blowout, early bed – with some strange dreams about being in the military in Afghanistan, and trying to steal someones arctic mittens… weird.
    The bad news is that Firstborn's tendonitis isn't improving, and he can't stand around noticeably, so doing, well, painting. It's too painful. Problem is, his job involves standing around doing car mechanicking, so that is looking serious. The therapy (being hammered on the soles of the feet) doesn't seem to be working. I'm very concerned.

    1. With only one of us on brushes & rollers, the work is going at half the planned speed, as well. More frustration!

        1. That’d be great, and many thanks for the offer! You are a darling, and I banked a couple of hugs for you, to be paid out, with interest, when we meet!

        1. We have a sprayer, but the details that need painted are relatively narrow, so there’d be white everywhere there shouldn’t be, unfortunately.

      1. They keep on with the Gestapo physio – hitting the soles of his feet with a tiny hammer…

  22. Good morning.

    Something I have never understood about Hiroshima and Nagasaki – if we would land up in a nuclear winter and uninhabitable planet after a nuclear war, and if nobody can live around Chernobyl because radiation – why did people never evacuate these cities? Why aren't they radioactive wastelands? Genuine question.

    1. I visited Hiroshima in April 2023. The Peace Museum is truly grim.
      The reason for the lack of persistent radioactivity was because the Hiroshima bomb was an air burst high above the ground, so most of the radioactive products were blown out to sea on the wind.

        1. In a word, Dilution. There were almost 1,000 atomic bomb tests before it became politically and socially unacceptable.

          1. And yet my entire childhood we were terrified that any nuclear explosion would render huge parts of the earth uninhabitable. And yes, I know there is a plausible explanation for that too (they are so much bigger!) but I do feel now that the scaremongering was overblown.
            edit: before someone accuses me of not caring about the Japanese, it's not the damage caused by teh blast, which was huge, but the radiation that is said to last for thousands of years.

          2. MB and I met during the Cuban crisis week.
            Our whole youth had had the nuclear threat hanging over us all our lives. It became background noise.

        2. In a word, Dilution. There were almost 1,000 atomic bomb tests before it became politically and socially unacceptable.

      2. How big were those A-bombs? Much smaller than the H-bombs that nearly did for us in 1962.

  23. Drivers likely to shut off EU-mandated ‘safety’ features

    ‘Intrusive’ cameras and sensors detect if a driver is not paying attention and issue alerts

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/07/drivers-likely-shut-off-eu-mandated-safety-features/

    We have this on our Kia: I turn the white line rider off every time, before I attempt to drive

    Za little man in China is vatching you, listening to your phone calls, checking your internet connections.

    In your house you have a lady who helps you do a lot, she too is vatching you

    1. My Audi Q3 is the same. If you don’t turn off the Lane Guidance first thing, you need to use the turn indicators before crossing any white lines, or the steering wheel will fight you. Luckily, the Lane Guidance button is on the same stalk as the turn indicator.

      1. My car is so old now it's virtually steam-driven – a 15 year-old VW Tiguan 7 speed DSG.
        Best car I ever owned, but beginning to develop metalworm problems.

          1. Our Fiat Scudo minibus which we bought brand new in 2001 passed its French MoT on July 9th and is deemed to be roadworthy for the next two years.

        2. Apart from the LWB Land-rover, the best car I've had was a VW, passat auto/manual 2.0 diesel.
          50 plus mpg on a long run.

          1. We get about 55 MPG on a ong run – with speed limits of 80-90km/h, so 55 mph.

          2. Around 15 years ago I drove all the way through France through the Mont blanc tunnel to HPB Stigiliano near Sienna.
            The next morning the engine wouldn’t start. I called AA and it was taken to a local garage. Nobody was willing to tell me what the problem was. After a couple of days of obvious procrastination I told the AA I wanted it brought home.
            It cost them 3,000 pounds. Plus a hire car, air fares and a nice hotel in Pizza. On our arrival home I found a letter from VW saying that model had been recalled because of problems with the Pezzo injectors, brought on a trailer from Tuscany. My local dealer repaired the problem free of charge.
            The Italians were lying, they knew what the problem was and were trying to get an insurance payment whilst getting the injectors replace for free. I had a large 4 litre plastic container of screen wash in the boot side compartment, which they punctured so it seeped out. And put sharp bottle tops inside two pairs of walking boots. Pathetic.

        3. My 15 yo Renault Megan Coupe diesel has 160k and is in showroom condition apart from one scratch (not done by me) and still returns 60mpg

        4. Son has a Passat saloon TDI , 1.9 diesel , 2001 , that is perfect , 301,000miles on the clock .

          Has just passed it's MOT, sailed through , and the body work is amazing considering the environment the car has been subjected to.

          He has nurtured that car like a child , it has been an absolute workhorse , and might go on forever.. we hope!

      2. Audis have indicators? well I never..
        Next you'll be saying BMWs have them
        :o)))

        3. FA: I had 4 BMWs before the Audi. I thought that [indicator] stalk was somewhere to hang my handbag!

      3. "..the steering wheel will fight you" Sounds like a potentially dangerous distraction. A couple of months ago, I stalled my car turning right at a T junction. I tried to restart but somehow managed to engage the steering lock. I sat totally motionless and bewildered at a busy junction until I figured it out. Imagine if that had happened at speed.

    2. I few people I know including family have mentioned that their cars take over the steering and redirect it if they move 'off line'.
      But whilst driving south on the M1 Saturday evening, me as a front seat passenger,
      I did notice one lady along side reaching 60mph (Max limit) driving with her left hand only and dramatically waving her right hand and arm as her mouth rapidly moved not looking at the road as she talked to her passenger's.

  25. It was always going to end badly.

    Labour's homelessness minister Rushanara Ali & landlord of London pile quits on Thursday night after she threw out four tenants then raised the rent £700.

    She told the Commons recently: 'The Renters' Rights Bill will give renters much greater security and stability so they can stay in their homes for longer.'

    1. Ha! Ha! Ha!
      Why anyone believes the lying bastards of politicians, I don't know. It's all doublespeak.

      1. Here's some more..

        However, it is clear that continuing in my role will be a distraction from the ambitious work of the
        government.

        "securing record investment in social and affordable housing, and nearly a billion pounds of funding to alleviate homelessness and rough sleeping. LOL

        I am proud to have delivered this government’s election strategy, leading to legislation
        that will protect and enhance our democracy, with tough new laws on foreign donations, extending
        the vote to 16 and 17 year-olds, and tackling harassment and intimidation in public life.
        More widely, I have been proud to serve in a government that is investing in the NHS, rebuilding
        communities, securing trade deals, delivering jobs and growth, and rebuilding Britain’s place on the
        world stage. Under your leadership, Britain is showing international leadership on a range of
        issues, from standing up for Ukraine against Russian aggression, to working with our allies on
        developing a pathway to end the war in Gaza, including recognition of Palestinian statehood."

        2. ", Britain is showing international leadership on a range of
          issues, from standing up for Ukraine against Russian aggression…" And therein lies message for the UK and its presumed role in the world. We no longer have an empire, we are no longer a world power, so get used to it.
          This "leadership" is almost neo-colonial in its assumption that the UK has a duty to lead the world in some noble social and moral venture. They should look over their shoulders and see who is following our lead. No-one.

    4. One would not expect more from a government that put Tulip Siddiqi, wanted on corruption charges, in charge of anti-corruption….let's hope they don't appoint a minister for rape gangs, eh.

  26. Morning All 🙂😊
    Sunny 22 max today.
    It seems the Japanese people learnt a very valuable lesson from being bombed, since then they have rebuilt to perfection and kept their country and its culture safe.
    There are plenty of cities in the western world that have become 'virtuly derelict' from just interference from their own home adgenda and political consequences.

  27. Morning All 🙂😊
    Sunny 22 max today.
    It seems the Japanese people learnt a very valuable lesson from being bombed, since then they have rebuilt to perfection and kept their country on its culture safe.
    There are plenty of cities in the western world that have become 'virtuly derelict' from just interference from their own home adgenda and political consequences.

      1. Goblins and trolls are not fond of dogs or cats. See Norwegian tale, “The Cat on the Doverfjell".

      2. Goblins and trolls are not fond of dogs or cats. See Norwegian tale, “The Cat on the Doverfjell".

    1. JBF: Gotta go and drive to Epsom. Will try to answer your query after I arrive.

        1. No problem, Herr Oberst, saves me a job writing a reply to FA as complete as yours.

    2. Hiroshima ("Little Boy") – estimated yield of about 15 kilotons of TNT.
      Nagasaki ("Fat Man") – estimated yield of about 21 kilotons of TNT.

      For context:
      Tactical nuclear weapons (designed for battlefield use) → less than 1 kiloton up to about 50 kilotons.
      Strategic nuclear warheads (for intercontinental missiles) → typically 100–500 kilotons.
      High-yield designs (rarely deployed today) → can exceed 1 megaton (1,000 kilotons), with some Cold War designs reaching 10–50 megatons.

      For perspective, a single modern U.S. W87 warhead (on a Minuteman III missile) has a yield of 300 kilotons—about 20 times the Hiroshima bomb’s power.

    3. Hiroshima ("Little Boy") – estimated yield of about 15 kilotons of TNT.
      Nagasaki ("Fat Man") – estimated yield of about 21 kilotons of TNT.

      For context:
      Tactical nuclear weapons (designed for battlefield use) → less than 1 kiloton up to about 50 kilotons.
      Strategic nuclear warheads (for intercontinental missiles) → typically 100–500 kilotons.
      High-yield designs (rarely deployed today) → can exceed 1 megaton (1,000 kilotons), with some Cold War designs reaching 10–50 megatons.

      For perspective, a single modern U.S. W87 warhead (on a Minuteman III missile) has a yield of 300 kilotons—about 20 times the Hiroshima bomb’s power.

  31. Captain Hindsight and all that..

    Worth noting documents released after the war revealed that Japan began surrender preparations only after The Soviet Union declared war and invaded Manchuria with 1.5 million soldiers. Apparently the atomic bombing was incidental. They feared Stalin would claim great chunks of Japan.

    2. No, the USSR's declaration at that date was opportunistic; Stalin fancied a few islands to add to his collection.
      Point is, well before August 1945 the Red Army had been transporting vast quantities of men & weapons to the Far East, in anticipation of invading China in order to help defeat Japan.
      IIRC the Soviets removed a lot of booty materiel from Manchuria.

      1. Stalin had already agreed to join in the war against Japan three months after the ending of the war in Europe, The US were unsure about the functionality of the bomb so I imagine they were quick to use it as soon as possible. The timing was quite probably a coincidence. Whether or not the USSR had the capability for amphibious attacks a la D-Day and Island-hopping is debatable.

      2. Stalin had already agreed to join in the war against Japan three months after the ending of the war in Europe, The US were unsure about the functionality of the bomb so I imagine they were quick to use it as soon as possible. The timing was quite probably a coincidence. Whether or not the USSR had the capability for amphibious attacks a la D-Day and Island-hopping is debatable.

    3. But at that point they would possibly have been able to negotiate some more favourable terms.

      After the bombs the surrender became unconditional.

  32. Prison officer fired for saying men are men and women are women
    Dr Frederick Attenborough: https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/prison-officer-fired-for-saying-men-are-men-and-women-are-women/

    A the moment my attempt to post this comment below has met with: "Hold on, this is waiting to be approved by TCW".-

    It would be a shame if the CW became afraid of its own shadow and did not post even mildly controversial comments.

    "Latin has three genders: Masculine, Feminine and Neuter. In this context they are grammatical rather than sexual terms.

    But perhaps all those who are trying to move from one sex to another should be classed as neuters and only those who have had surgery to remove their original genitalia will be able to transition from neuter.

    The Willy or Womby? (Woomy) test should be the deciding factor and no one with male genitalia should ever be allowed to serve a prison sentence in a female prison because there have already been rape cases when such a person did."

  33. 411047+ up ticks,

    Criminal acts / paedophilia issues are, via the media / police if reported at all are reported in a very selective manner.

    The outcome eventually will be "local guardians" will take a hand in, right or wrong, judgement and punishment.

    Life taking mistakes have been made via the legal route, serious interment of the innocent has been made via the legal route, put down as collateral damage. https://x.com/LizaRosen0000/status/1953205412309942352

      2. 411047+ up ticks,

        Morning N,
        Every right and good cause to fear muslims but, NOT to let the fear overrule us.

  34. I notice our Lefties latest counter-argument against the constant whinging about the dinghy invasion..

    "The boat crossings account for only 4% of migration and those are official government figures."

    okey-dokey.. that makes everything ok then?

    3. And they can't even understand how a huge increasing black hole in our countries finances has appeared.

    5. Shades of Jacinda – the only figures you should believe are mine??? Snag is when you have been lied to for years by various governments, you might tend to be a little suspicious of their statements!

    6. Post-2004 'legal' migrants feature prominently in the criminality and welfare dependency stats.

  35. I notice our Lefties latest counter-argument against the constant whinging about the dinghy invasion..

    "The boat crossings account for only 4% of migration and those are official government figures."

    okey-dokey.. that makes everything ok then?

    1. While I agree with many of the sentiments expressed by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (who also goes by the name of Tommy Robinson) I am not sure that the use of such language does his cause any favours.

      Paradoxically many Arab states are far more anti-Hamas than the UK.

        1. I find it amusing and ironic that GB News scrupulously avoids obscene language and if ever one of its guests uses one the programme host immediately apologises.

          On the other hand, on the BBC every play, film, discussion or quiz show after the 9.00 pm watershed is full of obscene language.

  37. Police roadside vehicle pull-ins – to check licence, MOT and insurance – seem to be very rare these days. They would always catch a surprising number of miscreants. Wonder why they don't happen now ….?

    1. In Norway, this is all on computer. You only have to have your driver's licence.

    3. They can just sit at the side of the road in a warm car and wait for the ANPR cameras to identify you and your insurance etc

      1. You only need to walk down the street, Alec..spy in the sky will catch you. Good job you're a good boy! :-)) x

          7. Dull and grey here, dog sulking to go out..:-D it’s her right. Are you painting today x

          9. Excellent..seen some growing here on morning walk. Back to ‘heads’..for me, but in graphite. Just thinking about you, great minds eh..’Night Alec, sleep well 😴 😘

      2. Presumably ANPR can't work out who the driver is and whether he / she has a licence and is insured to drive the vehicle.

        1. It can tell the cop if it’s insured and who to, but say it’s insured to a woman and a man is driving it they have grounds to stop it and check who the bloke is. ANPR also checks if it’s taxed and MoT’d

    1. And remember that successive British governments have made owning firearms progressively more difficult for anyone other than criminals.

  39. Good morning everyone.
    Headline at the moment:
    "Sir Keir Starmer has urged Israel to reconsider its plan to take over Gaza City, saying it is “wrong” and will “only bring more bloodshed”."
    My version:
    Tim has urged Sir Keir to reconsider its plan to take in more illegal gimmegrants, saying it is “wrong” and will “only bring more bloodshed”.
    Release the hostages, and release Lucy Connelly.

    2. Hamas will never abandon their plan to get rid of the State of Israel and kill every Jew they find between between The River and The Sea. They have already sworn to repeat the October 7th outrage over and over again.

      Until Hamas is wiped off the face of the earth only more bloodshed will follow.

      As Razi Hamed of Hamas said, as he congratulated those three obscene pieces of filth: Starmer, Marcron and Carney,

      Recognising a Palestine State is one of the fruits of October 7th.

      1. Iran is the power behind Hamas, Rastus. Why Iran should never be allowed to develop nuclear weaponry, why Trump is ensuring that won't happen on his watch.

      2. Totally agree Richard and the more they are allowed to spread around the rest of the world the more problems will occur.

      1. It's a Little Owl.
        They are a species. I remember seeing them on telephone lines and tree branches when I was a child.
        I think they were originally from America.

        Little owls (Athene noctua) are a small owl species found in the UK, introduced in the 19th century. They are commonly seen in England and Wales, and can be found in open landscapes like farmland, parkland, and orchards. Little owls are known for perching on elevated spots like poles or rocks while hunting, and they are sometimes active during the day.

        1. An old friend of ours use to be the chair/director of the Hawk and Owl Trust.
          I help him fix a few boxes.

  41. The bombing of Hiroshima saved my grandfather – and tens of thousands more

    It is an uncomfortable truth that many of us owe our existence to this act of supreme horror

    David Blair, Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator
    6th August 2025, 6:00am BST

    On August 6 1945, a man called Denis Bruce Soul was enduring his fourth year as a prisoner of the Empire of Japan.

    In the squalor of Sime Road camp in Singapore, he existed on a few handfuls of rice a day: contemporary photographs show gaunt, emaciated, semi-clad captives. He was, slowly, being starved to death.

    There was no reason for him to hope that his ordeal would soon end. The Allies had triumphed in distant Europe but they were still a long way from Singapore and mainland Japan. Months or years of captivity – and steadily more debilitating hunger – loomed ahead.

    Yet on that morning, 80 years ago today, an American B-29 bomber was flying towards Hiroshima. At 8.15am local time, the atomic bomb eviscerated the city, killing at least 70,000 Japanese people instantly and tens of thousands more later.

    The prisoners of Sime Road could not know it, but this act of supreme horror 3,000 miles over the horizon meant they were only weeks away from liberation.

    I write this because Denis Bruce Soul was my grandfather and the accident of history that made him a prisoner in Singapore on the day the bomb fell places me, along with many other people, in a strange category of humanity.

    There is no delicate way of putting this: I owe my existence to the atom bomb.

    Had Robert Oppenheimer failed in his task or President Truman decided against using the new weapon, there is no telling what my grandfather's fate would have been.

    Had the war been prolonged, with the Americans invading Japan's main islands and fighting their way street by street across a desolated landscape, it is just possible that my grandfather would have survived to be liberated in 1946 or 1947. But the odds would have been against him. He certainly would not have had a daughter (my mother) in December 1946 – and therefore I would not be here.

    Instead, Japan surrendered on August 15 1945 and my grandfather was home before Christmas, arriving at Liverpool after a three-week voyage and then taking the train to Paddington.

    He was reunited with my grandmother, Dorothea, and my uncle, Brendan, then aged six, having last seen them in 1942 when he placed them on board one of the final ships to leave Singapore before the Japanese captured the city. That desperate evacuation really was governed by the rule: women and children only.

    The chances that my grandfather would have survived much longer as a prisoner might be judged by the fact that he weighed 6st 7lb (41kg) on his release.

    Once home at the age of 38, he recovered quickly and resumed his career at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, now HSBC, serving variously in India, China and West Germany, before retiring to Bognor Regis and living until his 91st year. After the war, he had two daughters (my mother is a twin) and seven grandchildren, of whom I am the second oldest.

    All because he was freed in 1945. All because the atom bomb fell when it did.

    How many others were prisoners of Japan on this day 80 years ago? Throughout the war, Japan captured about 270,000 Allied soldiers and civilian internees, with my grandfather in the latter category. In the occupied countries of Asia, many thousands more people will have been held in countless jails.

    How many were still alive to be liberated in 1945 is uncertain. We know that 37,500 British and Commonwealth military prisoners came home from the Pacific theatre, together with 12,000 Americans.

    What is certain is that all endured abominable treatment at the hands of an empire that scorned the Geneva Conventions and despised anyone who submitted to captivity.

    And whatever the total number who were liberated, today I must be one of millions of their descendants across the world.

    But you did not have to be incarcerated in Sime Road or Changi or any other jail to be a prisoner of the Japanese. On this day 80 years ago, entire nations were being tormented and enslaved.

    Lee Kuan Yew, the first prime minister of independent Singapore, describes in his memoirs how Japan began its occupation by executing thousands of young Chinese males, chosen at random, to spread terror and demonstrate the price of resistance.

    The young Lee, then 19, avoided murder by pure chance simply because a Japanese soldier inexplicably allowed him through a checkpoint. "I will never understand," he wrote, "how decisions affecting life and death could be taken so capriciously and casually".

    Once the mass graves of Singapore were exhumed after the war, Lee concluded that the number massacred was "between 50,000 and 100,000".

    Elsewhere, if it can be believed, Japanese imperial rulers treated their unwilling subjects yet more brutally. In his history of Japan's war against China, which began in 1937, Rana Mitter of Oxford University writes that 14 million Chinese people were killed and another 80 million driven from their homes. "The narrative of the war," he writes, "is the story of a people in torment".

    So as the B-29 approached Hiroshima, millions across Asia, within and without Emperor Hirohito's prisons, were being starved, brutalised, enslaved. What would have become of them if Japan had not been forced to surrender when it did?

    On the question of the morality of the atom bomb, I am perhaps not the best person to ask. I can never be truly objective.

    And I have to confess that when I read Albert Einstein's letter to Franklin Roosevelt from 1939, telling the president that a "new type" of bomb may be possible and that America should get on with its "experimental work", I find myself hoping that the scientist will be heeded. I know that six years later, Denis Bruce Soul will be freed because Einstein did not write in vain.

    On this anniversary, there must be millions of people who can trace their own existence back to a similar story.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/06/the-bombing-of-hiroshima-saved-my-grandfather

    Above is the article referred to in this letter in yesterday's DT:

    Hiroshima showed the true cost of nuclear war

    SIR – Everyone understands that the dropping of the two atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki showed the world just how horrendous nuclear weapons are, both immediately and in the longer term (Comment, August 6). It is easy to forget, however, that their use in this event had positive effects.

    First, it brought about an almost immediate end to the war. The bombs' effects were so far beyond any attitudes to warfare, particularly among the Japanese High Command, that it allowed them to think the unthinkable and surrender. Had they followed their projected course, the consequences for Japan could well have been worse. The American High Command, faced with the huge cost in casualties of invading outlying islands, knew that to invade Japanese itself would have been far more costly.

    Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the nuclear genie was by then out of the bottle. The Americans had a tested device which worked; they had two deliverable weapons. The Germans had been working on such technology for some years. The Soviets had infiltrated the Manhattan Project and were on the way to developing their own nuclear capability.

    Had the weapons not already been deployed in anger, the enormity of their use would not have been appreciated. In subsequent conflicts, most obviously the Korean War, the temptation to use the "new toys" could well have been impossible to resist; by which time, the available stockpiles could have been thrown about, tit for tat, before any understanding of the longer-term effects became known. By then, it might well have been too late.

    Adam Massingham
    Ashford, Kent

    These are today's letters:

    SIR – Adam Massingham (Letters, August 7) writes that "the dropping of the two atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki showed the world just how horrendous nuclear weapons are", but that they none the less had the positive effect of making the Japanese surrender. There was another benefit.

    The Americans showed Stalin that they not only had a working bomb but were also prepared to use it. This might well have saved Western Europe from being occupied by Soviet forces in 1945, and undoubtedly played a large role in keeping the peace for the next 40 years.

    John Sheridan Smith
    Southampton
    ________________________________________

    SIR – No doubt the bombing "brought about an almost immediate end to the war" (Letters, August 7), but the lives of American – and perhaps also of Japanese – soldiers were saved because the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had no choice but to lose theirs. To suggest that "the huge cost in casualties of invading outlying islands" was thus avoided seems to imply that Japanese lives were inherently of less value than American ones.

    It is no argument to say that more lives might have been lost, but were not – such a view means that no military strategy in the world can ever be deemed a moral failure, for the simple reason that more lives can always be lost.

    What's more, the desire for an immediate end to the war arose from a wish not merely to avoid American casualties, but also to minimise the Soviet Union's territorial gains.

    Given that the Soviet Union could not be ejected from the territories it had captured in Europe, the Americans worried that nothing could stop Moscow's territorial expansion in the Far East as the war came to a close.

    Since the Soviet Union did not become a nuclear power until 1949, the fate of Hiroshima and Nagasaki could not have failed to produce the desired effect in Moscow – leading to the end of the war, halting Stalin's advances, and beginning the Cold War.

    Bilal Haider Junejo
    Durham
    ________________________________________

    SIR – My late husband was a prisoner of the Japanese and worked on the Sumatran railway. He had no doubt that the atom bombs saved his life and countless others.

    M E van Rees
    Kendal, Cumbria
    ________________________________________

    SIR – Even the lowest estimates suggest that the total number of deaths from the Second World War was some 70 million people. Set against this, the destruction caused by the two atom bombs was ultimately less than one third of 1 per cent of a multi-year conflict. If they did end the war, they would seem to have done so cheaply.

    Moreover, Operation Meetinghouse, the American firebombing of Tokyo on 9-10 March 1945, was even more destructive than each of the atomic bombs, killing as many as 100,000 people in a day, while destroying twice as much land area. Was subjecting people to horrifying incineration more ethical than killing them in an instant with a nuclear blast? Was the burning of Tokyo more moral for being done with reassuringly familiar weapons, instead of with a new device?

    Robert Frazer
    Salford, Lancashire
    ________________________________________

    SIR – I was interned in Java, Indonesia, for three-and-a-half years from the age of two during the war. My mother died of starvation just a month before we were released. I understand there were plans to kill those left in the camps.

    The horrors of the atomic bombings were undeniable, so I feel guilty when I admit that I am so thankful still to be alive and reasonably well at the age of 85 with a loving husband, children and grandchildren. I have my mother to thank for all my blessings as I know she deprived herself to keep me alive.

    Sally Cumming
    East Grinstead, West Sussex

    2. On a more mundane level, we should not forget that at the time, British forces were on their way to the Pacific theatre to take part in the invasion of Japan. Germany first, Japan next was the agreement. All of us whose fathers, etc., did not have to go into that particular meat grinder should also be very grateful. I know my father, normally a very peaceable chap, who had been "in" since 1940, was more than grateful for the A bombs ending the war.

  42. More problems for the French with water…..Perrier water scandal now, not genuine natural mineral water anymore. Problems with both drought and flooding.

    2. Rocks changed their blackcurrant recipe to use arnoia berries or something. Tastes like soapy water. Apparently, all 100 people they paid to taste it said it was fine.

      Well durrhh.

    5. A lot of bottled water is filtered but it's usually declared honestly on the label and the filtering process is more sophisticated than a Brita jug delivers. Actiph Alkaline Ionised Water is manipulated to give it a PH level of 9+. If you buy it, it's for a specific reason and you know what you're getting.

    3. Farage is not that light.

      But maybe he is come to bear witness of the light if a messianic leader is about to come along!

        1. It's the questions that are asked. What people mean is they don't want other people to have something if it means them losing out. With half the population on some form of welfare you're going to get folk sliding ever further Left as their lives depend on getting hold of other people's money.

    2. How anyone with a functioning brain cell or two could possibly support Starmer's government is a mystery. I cannot conceive that 22% of the population lacks that level of brain function.

      As for Reform UK, I have doubts about their direction of travel. We need a RADICAL change in our political structure and I once thought Reform UK would the change agent required, no more.

      1. They don't havee a braincell. They live on welfare. They don't work. They claim special benefits for having a badly behaved kid. Their kids are on bennies, they get masses of child benefit, neither work, they swan about in a new tank like car – as no one who wastes that money on eye brows, tattoos, nails has a job that can afford £400 a month for a new car. They'll be given a house, same as I am paying for the parents' house.

        Thus they vote Labour to keep someone else paying for them. These people don't care what it takes to earn this money. They just want more for themselves.

      2. 411047+ up ticks,

        Morning KtK,
        I would seek the needed radical change through the
        Farmers Food and Freedom group with mass support.

        They have very genuine grievances that affects each and every one of us, as a solid new party base..

      4. Starmer's government is not much worse than Callaghan's – or Wilson's for that matter. Historically Labour have always polled a good percentage of the voting population. In other words, there has always been an unthinking segment of the population who vote Labour/Socialist, etc., even though every piece of evidence shows such governments always make things worse.

  45. I've just found out how to put my action cam into still shot mode. After that to must only do a short press after which you hear a shutter sound.

    I've used this mode to record the charging status of the old motorhome battery being charged through the new PWM charger from the internal greenhouse solar panel – a decent float charge of 13.7 volts despite only partial panel illuminaton:

    seems to be problem stuck in upload!

    Edit: reupload in self reply.

        1. The 12 volt lead acid battery drives the greenhouse watering pump which has been working now for ten years. I installed the system to be able to keep the greenhouse watered automatically whilst we adjourned to MOH’s holiday lodge.

          We leave it operational now all the time as it is a self sustaining installation and works 24/7.

          1. I admire your technical skill. I wouldn't know where to start. Our greenhouse is watered by hand, using watering cans!

          6. The diagram does not show the overflow to keep the diagram simple.
            Likewise I have omitted the internal tank cover to prevent algae build up, a post pump pond filter to limit jet spray clogging and the prejet one way valves to prevent back flow.

        1. MOH did wonder if the cucumbers had shivelled up but today she found one hiding in the bushy undergrowth and found it quite a handful as she managed to pull it out through the prickly undergrowth.

  46. The true depravity of the Palestinian victim mindset has been exposed
    Activist Mahmoud Khalil claims he is not pro-Hamas, but lends a gloss of legitimacy to the horror of October 7
    Brendan O'Neill https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/07/the-true-depravity-of-the-palestinian-victim-mindset-has-be/

    A couple of BTL comments about the ruthless nature of Fascism:

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e9ea486727562e05bf0705c994806819652c1b3b705d771d206c03c6e7fe3d67.jpg

      2. Yes, it was.
        Jeeves tipped Bertie Wooster to say the name "Eulalia" to Spode.
        (Spoiler). Apparently it was not some poor girl he had a abandoned, but a ladies' lingerie shop that he owned.

        1. "I know your secret," said Bertie to the enraged Spode who was menacingly advancing upon him. "It is —-" at which moment Bertie forgot what it was.

          "You, worm," said Spode as he raised his enormous hands to strangle his rival for Miss Basset's affections

          But that Eu saved Bertie who said: "Eulalie" which rendered Spode as harmless as a kitten.

      3. The same. He finally won the hand of the soppiest of women, Madeleine Bassett, who thought that every time a fairy coughs a wee baby is born. She was also exceptionally beautiful showing that brains and beauty seldom go together. (In case she reads this post I must exculpate myself by saying this general rule does not apply to my wife)

        For some time she was erratically engaged to Gussie Fink-Nottle (clearly an amphibean- ophile Nottler!) who was the newt fancier. On the frequent occasions when this engagement was broken off she attached herself to Bertie Wooster and Jeeves had to find a way for him to disentangle himself. Gussie eventually married a cook but as far as we know Bertie remained both celibate and chaste.

  48. The Tories apparently took the 'socio economic' bit out of the 'equality' act. A better question is why did they enact it at all, instead binning it forever? This sort of farce is rife. They simply tinkered and edge fiddled when they should have smashed Blair's appalling legacy to pieces and kicked Labour into irrelevance.

    The whole thing is atrocious. This is why conservative folk didn't vote for the Tories. The demos did not recognise the party.

      1. Every decision – every single one, where given choices they intentionally, spitefully make the most destructive, damaging and difficult for workers one going.

        The sensible decision is easier, more rational, with obvious benefits but they always make the wrong one out of spite.

        They are trying to destroy the economy. That'll force us to the IMF, and the IMF, because it's now infiltrated by effluent ex Eurocrats will demand we are rechained to the hated EU.

      2. 411047+ up ticks.

        Afternoon RE,
        Meaning they, as agents of the
        WEF / NWO, are running a successful campaign.

    1. The economic damage is clearly deliberate. The state is intentionally causing chaos solely to do so much damage the IMF steps in and says 'back to the EU you go and most folk will agree because the state has deliberately made sure we saw no benefit from it whatsoever and mendaciously implemented every single useless EU regulation going.

      They're evil. It was always intended this way.

        1. Good morning.

          He's not very bright is he…He should have known he would be asked that question and had a suitably convincing response ready.

          2. It's akin to 'when did you stop beating your wife'. There is no convincing answer. It's all about the state.

            A better question is why are you not basing a digital currency on blockchain, to reinforce privacy, security and prevent inflation and state debt? That gives the waster nowhere to run.

    3. I'm afraid everything will be tokenised on a blockchain. And a transaction can mean many things including; signing in. verification. voting. provenance. ownership. a contract. mileage. copyright. data storage. as well as the obvious one of sending money.

      1. If it did use blockchain that'd be great. Untraceable, undetectable and the state cannot devalue the currency nor see what you have.

    4. Things to consider;

      *blockchains usually mean decentralised, the exact opposite of centralised govt. How will they get that square peg & in the round hole?
      * this will be done on the US govt's terms.
      *it's the 1970s totalitarian dream of recording every single transaction of everything from A to B forever.
      *encryption and safe networks like https://maidsafe.net/ are all well and good.. they will either be banned or they will get you as you go in & out.
      *gentle reminder: On 10 August 2022, Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev was arrested in Amsterdam airport for writing code that allowed your cash to get jumbled up with other people cash.. just like in real life.

    5. I thought CBDC was the legal version of pot that is supposed to heal/alleviate all sorts of aches and pains.

    6. Let's say Reform get in and undo a lot of the destructive, miserable laws ruining this country. Let's say that erases the Tories almost completely.

      Now, we get a term of civil service obstruction and fighting, so no new policy is enacted, just constant state resistance. Let's be generous and say Reform get in again but this time the entire Left fight against them – Greens, Lib Dems, SNP, Plaid Cumry, Jezzbollah and Labour all coalition as 'the national socialists'.

      Reform then try to change legislation and it does even then get changed. However, they face constant assault from the Hard Left Nazis and the chaos has people thinking 'I'm not actually any better off and nothing has improved. I'll vote for the other lot.' And the nazis get in and just reinstate all the legislation, hike all the taxes back up and set about reinforcing their spiteful, evil agenda further.

      1. 411047+ up ticks,

        Afternoon W,
        We have to go right back to the base line, no quarter asked none given, there will be hardships, in my book deserved due to past voting input over four decades.

  55. George Finchley
    8h
    So she’s gone from the ministerial payroll, but not from Parliament, which means she’s still on £91k a year plus expenses, still voting on the laws she’s been accused of flouting in spirit, and still enjoying the perks. That’s the real hypocrisy here: Westminster’s “accountability” is always just half a resignation.

    Let’s not forget, she was fronting a Renters’ Rights Bill designed to stop landlords hiking rent straight after kicking people out, precisely the behaviour she’s accused of. Under her own proposed law, such actions would be illegal. Yet the political class closes ranks. Starmer’s letter is pure theatre: “lasting legacy,” “continued support”; translation, keep your head down and ride it out on the backbenches.

    And she’s not alone. How many MPs, across all parties, are landlords voting on housing policy that directly benefits them? How many “champions of the people” lecture about fairness while quietly playing the same game in their personal finances? Tulip Siddiq, Louise Haigh… the list goes on.

    The truth is, the Commons is full of property investors writing the rules for renters, career politicians who preach morality until it costs them a ministerial car. They resign from the front bench, but never from the gravy train. And unless someone lodges a formal complaint with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards alleging a breach of the MPs’ Code of Conduct, nothing will happen, because neither the Labour Party nor the Prime Minister will ever choose to investigate one of their own. That’s why nothing changes: hypocrisy isn’t an exception in Westminster, it’s the business model.

    3. They are all bent and on the take. Miliband issues a claim for energy bills twice that of a property along his road. They're crooks and thieves.

  56. Just had this comment zapped by the DT.
    Kommentar macht frei.

    Don't be taken in by the western veneer; the clothes, the visible hair, the fluent English.
    These women adhere to values that are totally alien to a Christianity based country. They are the social equivalent of Death Watch beetle.

      1. It was a DT article about the Homelessness Minister who seemed rather too keen on her job.
        It appears to have disappeared.

  58. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c686e4f697ae5fd2da14ce7e607897d21b8e6965c267d8ed2de0b2d7b843dccc.png
    Massey Ferguson
    4h
    Yea, there's a lot the bint doesn't understand, her own brief being one. Luckily Sasha took the time to explain some basic fundamentals regarding interest rates.
    They got absolutely blitzed on their official X feed yesterday for crowing and taking the credit. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0c487cb8a72dc6d3c002e3bc7dd61afee8dc64872562b82f366f132498328b76.png

    3. Mr Blobby was a far better economist than the entire Treasury and OBR combined. Apparently they didn't expect people to pay upfront and rightly, sensibly avoid tax so now this malignant, spiteful policy is costing them money.

      Stupid fools.

      Sasha's channel specifically about the UK economy:

      https://www.youtube.com/@SashaTakesOnUK

    2. The same happened here. Miliscum simply said ok, here's another ten billion on top for each windmill so you take them up. It's slapped on bills anyway, and we keep lying about gas so who cares! The less the proles use, the more we meet our target and I get that 7 figure UN non job.

  60. Oh here we go….Buckingham Palace has announced that the King will address the nation next week……hang on to your hats folks.

    2. "I have converted to Islam and give up my position as Governor of the Church of England."

        1. Perhaps he's booked a long holiday and will be off within an hour of his next gloss over.

      3. The question is: 'Has he already been circumcised and if not will he have to have this done to him?'

      1. I imagine he'll announce h is abdicating due to health grounds and Billy will step in.

        I am not a monarchist, but as the only government department that makes money we should keep it. I also acknowledge that they're people, and it is damned awful for Katherine to get cancer. To live in the maelstrom of the media and deal with it is horrible.

    4. We are living through difficult times, but you must all live next to rapist criminals and be more tolerant because if you don't, we'll jail you.

    2. Pity it is Rupert Lowe. He should have better informed himself before looking an idiot.

      1. BBC News Puts Rupert Lowe Twitter Gaffe Above Labour Minister Resignation

        BBC News at One has featured independent MP Rupert Lowe mistaking some rowers for small boat migrants on social media above the resignation of a Labour minister in its programme. Nothing to see here…

        Lowe’s X gaffe from this morning featured as the fourth item on the bulletin at the top of the hour – reserved for the biggest stories of the day. Ali’s resignation did not get into the bulletin at all…

        Coverage of the tweet plus an interview with the rowers then continued at 17 minutes past the hour. For anyone to hear a peep about Ali’s resignation late last night they would have to wait until 21 minutes into the programme when it was given three minutes. On some days BBC News at One can get about 2.5 million viewers…

        On the BBC News website Lowe is prominently featured – the Ali story isn’t there. Who’s interested in scandal and sleaze anyway…

        August 8 2025 @ 13:51

        RodPudney
        3m
        I think Lowe came out well. He made a mistake, but he promptly acknowledged it and even gave a donation to the charity rowers he mistook for gimmigrants.
        Contrast with the usual cases of politicians doing something wrong where they either issue a carefully worded statement which while technically true is designed to obfuscate or they issue a near apology e.g. "sorry if anyone felt offended" instead of "sorry for being offensive".

        The BBC protects Labour.
        Always has.
        Always will … unless a future right-of-centre administration finally develops the nerve to act on the advice that Sean Gabb gave a meeting of Tories back in 2009: https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a31b190bd526abfee3cf440f6bf331da038d295a6c740bb7747ad945393707bc.png

        1. Apparently that's what the machete wielding street gangs do, as it condemns their "enemy" to wearing a colostomy bag. Lovely people.

    2. The online harm bill working as the Left want it to: preventing people seeing and commenting on the vermin diversity's disgusting behaviour.

    3. I have a feeling much of that is a 'fat suit' worn for a role.

      But hey, I went from 130 kilos at 20 to 198 in my 30s. I'm about 150 now, with a lean weight of 120kg.

      On the upside, in full plate, with a shield and broadaxe even re-enactment folk get out of my way.

      1. What age are you now? I don't have you on my birthday list.

        I am 79 and very overweight clocking in at 120+ kg. I must set a target to try and get to 100 kg by the time I am 80 next July.

      2. There are many photos on the web showing him to be rather portly, plus a couple of stories that he has to go on a diet for a role. Talking of which, he at 61, has a 30+ girlfriend. Maybe she's the reason for the intended weight loss; the experience being a bit too overwhelming for her…

  65. 50 years ago today saw a run of eight consecutive days of temperatures of over 30C from 2nd to the 9th, with the highest recorded temperature being 34.2C at Heathrow Airport on Friday 8th August 1975.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6ea8a1d05dd3bcfb6f3fd54a9f21fc95916b60297809359c3ecd07c588da4672.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/957dd7bcbf117a5f0ca61f83ae54e7892841ba1c8c19c5fd4e8844bf11f4191e.png
    I was in London on Friday August 1st 1975. The Met Office's carefully placed thermometers might not have reached 30C on that day but it was certainly hot in the bowl that was Lord's cricket ground on the second day of the 2nd Ashes Test. England made it warm for the Aussies at 81-7 but couldn't finish them off and they recovered to 268.

    We sat on the grass behind the boundary boards. No shelter! From the Wisden report: "Played mostly in stifling heat, the match attracted vast crowds, the gates being closed on the first three days with 27,000 attending each day…" This was also the match of the streaker…

      1. It was so hot my goodlady and I decided to go and live in Australia 😆😅🤭🤠🦘🐨

          2. That summer, helped my Father lag the loft. Had to be out by 10 o'clock, too hot otherwise. Memories…

          5. I was 18, finished my OND, working every hour I could for going to Manchester to study! Scarborough was brilliant….

    3. Look at the bathers. Not a porker to be seen.

      p.s. that was about when we first headed for the US, Stayed for a year. Came back in 1976 to a cracked foundation due to the clay subsoil drying out. But we had an "all risks" policy iin those days, so the insurance company paid up to get the experts in and fix it.

    4. Yo WS

      highest recorded temperature being 34.2'C at Heathrow Airport on Friday 8th August 1975.

      Just after 6 airbusses took of in convoy…. (and it was 8 minutes past Midnight, but shhh about that

      1. Ooh, you old cynic, you.

        Global warming hadn't been invented in 1975 and Met Office thermometer fraud was still to come.

  66. 50 years ago today saw a run of eight consecutive days of temperatures of over 30'C from 2nd to the 9th, with the highest recorded temperature being 34.2'C at Heathrow Airport on Friday 8th August 1975.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6ea8a1d05dd3bcfb6f3fd54a9f21fc95916b60297809359c3ecd07c588da4672.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/957dd7bcbf117a5f0ca61f83ae54e7892841ba1c8c19c5fd4e8844bf11f4191e.png
    I was in London on Friday August 1st 1975. The Met's carefully placed thermometers might not have reached 30F on that day but it was certainly hot in the bowl that was Lord's cricket ground on the second day of the 2nd Ashes Test. England made it warm for the Aussies at 81-7 but couldn't finish them off and they recovered to 268.

    We sat on the grass behind the boundary boards. No shelter! From the Wisden report: "Played mostly in stifling heat, the match attracted vast crowds, the gates being closed on the first three days with 27,000 attending each day…" This was also the match of the streaker…

  67. Madeline Grant
    Labour is entering its ‘Zanu-PF’ era
    8 August 2025, 1:45pm

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GettyImages-1428026682_13ba8c.jpg?resize=1536,1025
    If you hadn’t heard of Rushanara Ali until her resignation yesterday, then good for you. If you still hadn’t until now, even better. With her departure British politics is robbed of one of its most promising minnows.

    The former homelessness minister is an absolute standard-issue Starmerite apparatchik. PPE at Oxford, followed by a stint as a Parliamentary researcher, then a fruitful career milking the ‘human rights’ cow for all it was worth. She’d already quietly resigned from her building safety brief when it turned out she had been in receipt of sponsored trips courtesy of Saint-Gobain, one of the firms implicated in the catastrophe at the Grenfell Tower. Once again, Sir Keir’s nose for moral probity in his appointees has come up trumps.

    Now it appears that Ms Ali evicted a bunch of her tenants, whacked up the rent to the tune of an extra 700 quid, then readvertised the property. It’s exactly the sort of swizzle which Labour would have us believe only wicked conservatives are capable of doing. Don’t you just love the smell of integrity in the morning?

    Ali’s resignation is the latest in a striking tendency amongst Labour ministers for doing the very thing they are supposed to be tackling. The anti-corruption minister has already been booted out over an anti-corruption investigation, now the homelessness minister has been sacked for making people homeless. And, like everything this government does, it’s all so terribly petty. The resignation is just the latest sign that Labour, corrupt, incompetent and increasingly despised, is entering its ‘Zanu-PF’ era.

    Ali’s resignation letter is further evidence of this. This was a letter from the late Kim Woodburn school of graciousness. ‘I want to make clear that at all times I have followed all relevant legal requirements. I believe I took my duties and responsibilities seriously, and the facts will demonstrate this.’ In short, ‘I don’t think I did anything wrong’ – (or at least, not until a few months’ time when the government in which I serve will pass legislation making what I just did illegal).

    In his letter of reply, Sir Keir said that Ali’s time in office would ‘leave a lasting legacy’. Again, you get the impression that members of this government genuinely believe they will be spoken of as one of the great reforming ministries, rather than in the hushed and embarrassed tones normally reserved for a teacher who turned out to be a paedophile.

    In opposition, the PM spent years at the despatch box presenting himself as a byword for integrity – sometimes actually placing his hand on his heart as he bemoaned the absence of virtue in politics. The Lord Alli debacle soon revealed the PM’s preference for having his snout firmly in the trough. The capacity of him and his cabinet to indulge in the trappings of office, from concert tickets to private jets (having condemned their predecessors at every opportunity for doing the same), suggest that even by the venal standards of our parliamentarians, this lot really do love a freebie. They may genuinely believe that holding the ‘correct’ (i.e. left-wing) opinions absolves them of having to behave properly too. Or perhaps, like adults who wear crocs in public, they have simply forgotten that we can see them.

    The question really is – who’s next? It’s no secret that the government’s supplies of incompetence are far from exhausted. Still more astonishing is that Sir Keir can and will continue to pose as a man of great moral probity, aided and abetted by media double-standards. Half a dozen ministerial resignations within a year, several involving weapons-grade hypocrisies. Had this happened to a Tory government, we’d no doubt still be in the midst of a media circus.

    1. They just think they can get away with anything. So well done the men who put this animal straight.

        2. He'll need to surrender his inside leg measurement and all his biometric details, too, I'm afraid, Sue. Make that very afraid.

    3. Starmfuhrer is busy having his secret police discover who the white people are who pushed the man off the train to make sure 'community' tensions are not inflamed.

      And have them arrested, black bagged, interrogated and tortured for wrong think for interfering with the diversity.

    4. Very heartening that we still have brave young decent Brits who are prepared to tackle this kind of outrage gently (ie with a minimum and surprisingly careful use of force) but firmly. I hope wibbles (below) is wrong that they will be persecuted for their necessary actions by our multi-tier state. Let's see.

  69. Just had a text message from Royal Mail:

    My new passport will be delivered me tomorrow. Well, I did apply for on Tuesday 05 August 2025…….

    My time as a Snivel Serpent, albeit a Technical one, must have helped its speedy passage through the system

    1. There's a published collection of JFKs letters, including his correspondence with MLK. Two good men. The term "conspiracy theory" was coined for anyone who suggested that they were disposed of as part of a wider agenda.

      There was a play about Marylin Monroe staged at the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park which insisted that Bobby Kennedy Snr crept in to her house in the dead of night and killed her with a poison enema. THAT is a conspiracy theory.

    1. 1 is too many. Until it's a negative number gimmigration is too high. They get here, they don't work, they don't contribute, they cause endless problems. The diversity must go. Every last one.

    2. Under Kurdish cultural rules, murderers usually end up with their heads no longer attached to their bodies.

        1. They still did when I was at school. Not seperating, but using the long drop. My dad being home office had on occasion to deliver HM's response to pleas for clemency. He never saw the contents, but picked up properly sealed the letter from the guard of the express from London and turned it over to the prison governor, who opened it along with the padre. The letters used to arrive on Saturday afternoons as I recall, and if no clemency, early Monday morning saw the deed done. He had met the good Mr Pierrepoint though.

  75. Now Reeves is going to be digging around in our life's savings accounts with new tax rules.
    Their black hole our turn again to get them out of it.
    What next…..over 75s must downsize and pay more tax on their profit margins.

    1. Not one of them has ever had a job. None have ever started a business. All are simply grifters and thieves.

      1. They have also betrayed their own kind with their persistent and pervasive lies (ie the laws of physics – of nature itself) can be changed by international legislation)

    3. Looking at those mugshots and what i know about the ones I recognise I can only say Gawd help us all

  77. You know Labour are bad.. really bad.. really really really bad.. when the DT & The Guardian are on the same page decrying the possibility of a tech exodus.

    Musk and Google warn UK on tech exodus over safety rules..
    The Online Safety Act and the Self-Deletion of Innovative Britain..
    When the founding head of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC which is a government agency!) tells you something is a bad idea, its a bad idea…

  78. You know Labour are bad.. really bad.. really really really bad.. when the DT & The Guardian are on the same page decrying the possibility of a tech exodus.

    Musk and Google warn UK on tech exodus over safety rules..
    The Online Safety Act and the Self-Deletion of Innovative Britain..
    When the founding head of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC which is a government agency!) tells you something is a bad idea, its a bad idea…

  79. Comment of the week..

    The human brain is an amazing organ.
    It keeps working.
    24 hours a day.
    7 days a week.
    52 weeks a year.
    From before you leave the womb, right up until you vote Labour…

  81. Wordle No. 1,511 3/6

    🟨⬜🟨⬜🟩
    ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    Wordle 8 Aug 2025

    Permeate Birdie Three?

    1. Par for me. I liked my guess three better than the answer so made the wrong choice.

      Wordle 1,511 4/6

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

    2. Well done – #MeToo – given your starter word I thought you might have had a shot at an eagle today!

      Wordle 1,511 3/6

      ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
      ⬜⬜🟨🟩🟨
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    3. Two CT scans and a par before lunch:

      Wordle 1,511 4/6

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

    5. Well done. Late on parade due to going to the pub. Not sure how I did this morning so I'll see when I post it.

      Wordle 1,511 3/6

      ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩
      ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟩
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

      Ah, not bad.

  82. Afternoon all. Been busy today although I did look in earlier and upvoted a few posts while I was waiting for the chiropodist.

    The Japs would never have surrendered without the Bomb. They would have lost face, which they would not do. One reason why the prisoners from Singapore were so badly treated was that they had surrendered.

    1. True, and along with that went the mentality that they could do what they liked with prisoners and civilians. Hence Nanking, which the Chinese will never forgive them for.

      1. I don’t think that Koreans are too fond of the Japanese either – memories of occupation and comfort women.

      1. All the white criminals have been arrested and imprisoned without trial. And rightly so, racist scum.

  84. Why are we called far right by Kier Starmer

    Why can't we be called the indigenous tribe of GB, we care for our country .

    I am sick and tired of the gabbling bods who don't share our heritage .. getting all the limelight .

    1. There were several in town today, all black as the ace of spades and gabbling away in a non-European language.

  85. 'Night All
    Useful info from FSB
    If you use WhatsApp:
    As of today, AI is available on WhatsApp and therefore has access to all chats.

    You can enable the "advanced privacy" option. Otherwise, AIs can open group messages, see phone numbers, and even retrieve personal information from your phone… even in private chats.

    To prevent this:
    1️⃣ Click on the bar above that says "Advanced chat privacy enabled. More information."
    2️⃣ Turn the "Advanced chat privacy" option to On.

        1. Strange because I have the latest update, unless it’s not on the Android version

    3. Cows are used to farmers using AI because they don't use the advanced privacy option on their phones. The cows are well aware of WhatsUp!

  86. That's me for today. Very nice day it was, too. Just watered the garden. And myself! Put the spray down the well while I walked across to turn off the pump. The pressure forced the hose out of the well and gave me an unwanted cold shower!

    Have a spiffing evening – being glad you are not Mr Vance being lumbered with Lammy. All weekend.

    A demain

  87. Calling shoplifters ‘scumbags’ is offensive, warn police

    Rob Davies was contacted by officers in Wrexham and asked to remove the ‘provocative’ notices in his store
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2025/08/08/TELEMMGLPICT000434985841_17546589623760_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq3xvZxfYv7jWmMroZOwZRkjqm0gYDcu6VTA4mKR8maVE.jpeg?imwidth=1280 Police told a shopkeeper his home-made notice had offended someone

    Telegraph Reporters
    08 August 2025 2:55pm BST.

    Rob Davies, 61, who runs a retro shop in Wrexham, North Wales, put up notices around his shop to inform customers that cabinets were locked due to problems with shoplifting.

    His home-made notice stated: “Due to scum bags shoplifting, please ask for assistance to open cabinets.”

    But, police attended the Run Ragged shop to tell him that someone had complained that the signs “caused offence” and asked him to “take the signs down”.
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2025/08/08/TELEMMGLPICT000434996854_17546581566150_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqZgEkZX3M936N5BQK4Va8RWtT0gK_6EfZT336f62EI5U.jpeg?imwidth=680
    Rob Davies, who runs a retro shop in Wrexham, shows off the offending sign he put up Credit: Newsquest

    Mr Davies said: “One person whinges about a sign, and the police turn up and ask if I can take the signs down.

    “I have a legitimate reason to complain to the police due to thieving, they don’t turn up.”

    He said that the shop was plagued by theft and he gave up reporting it to the police – so has instead taken his own measures to protect stock.
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2025/08/08/TELEMMGLPICT000434985889_17546594423260_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqzG-NIyidSJ-rcjIbyqO8XAVYoRvqBVjAP076IWqIXTM.jpeg?imwidth=680 The Run Ragged shop
    Mr Davies says that in the last year alone he has caught five shoplifters Credit: Wales News Service

    Police told Mr Davies to “re-word” the signs as they could be seen as “provocative and offensive”.

    He said: “You couldn’t make it up. When I asked who it could offend, I was told a member of the public had reported the sign to them. I just wonder if that person was a shoplifter who was offended as it was detrimental to their work?

    “Well guys, if you know me you will know I don’t mean to cause offence but in this case please feel free to be offended and stop frequenting my shop. You are no loss.”

    Mr Davies has run the shop, which sells vintage clothing and accessories, for five years and said in the last year he caught and reported five shoplifters – and lost about £200 in stock.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2025/08/08/TELEMMGLPICT000434985887_17546595993320_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq7t4Eljyiy6iRMFuEKY2dXA1vLvhkMtVb21dMmpQBfEs.jpeg?imwidth=680
    Mr Davies sells vintage clothing and accessories and that in the last year he lost about £200 in stock Credit: Wales News Service
    He said: “The police came out to the first one, handed me back the shirt the guy had stolen and told him to get on his way. When you’re not getting back-up by the authorities, you’re paying for. It’s really difficult.”

    Mr Davies said he received a lot of support about the matter. “It means a lot, and restored my faith that there is that sense of community,” he said.

    One fellow shopkeeper gave him another sign reading: “If you find anything offensive here, please let us know so we can have a good laugh.”

    Wrexham City District Inspector Rhodri Ifans said: “All incidents of retail crime, no matter how big, should be reported to police at the earliest opportunity to enable us to effectively respond to any offences.

    “All reports of shoplifting are taken extremely seriously, and we are committed to combatting retail theft in the city. Each day, my officers go above and beyond to identify risk individuals and locations to prevent further incidents of shoplifting.

    “A dedicated team of officers in Wrexham have consistently maintained the highest detection rate for shoplifting offences within the force over the past two years, which is a credit to their commitment to protect local retailers and pursue repeat offenders.”

      1. I asked if there was a list of crimes I could commit and not be charged with. After all, the pikey scum were stealing, trepassing, littering, keeping animals.

        It was a simple request.

          1. Most of us are not as old as you, so our time immemorial is shorter.
            A lot shorter…

            };-O

    2. Plod let the crook go? They let a criminal… go?

      How about dragging them to the nearest metal box and padlocking it shut?

      1. Better than using an Mac-10, I suppose. 20 rounds/second would drastically change the odds.

      2. I don't think they have JCB in the states Sue.
        It stands for Joseph Cyril Bamford the original founder of the company.

      3. A JCB would be classed as a backhoe in the US. In England, they just used to be called diggers, JCB are in the US, the other big players are the likes of Komatsu, John Deere and Caterpillar.

    2. When people stop believing in God, they do not believe in nothing, they believe in anything.

      Attributed to G K Chesterton.

      2. P D Ouspensky used to talk about Lunatics and Tramps with reference to the common man. Lunatics believe in everything and tramps in nothing, He posited a route for "Man 3" that would, with specific work, transcend this condition.

        It is my belief, btw, that any true religion provides a clear route for such a transition.

    3. Religion was replaced with science. Science only asks questions. It gives no answers. Weak people sought something, anything to believe in. They cling to 'something' to believe in because they are not strong enough to simply 'be'.

      Faith is perhaps the opposite of religion as it is that belief in 'something'. I don't say this to mock those who are religious. It is your choice to be so. I present it as human anthropology.

    2. It is hardly surprising that the PTB, the MSM, the Police and the Courts want Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (whose alias is Tommy Robinson) silenced.

    3. It is hardly surprising that the PTB, the MSM, the Police and the Courts want Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (whose alias is Tommy Robinson) silenced.

      1. He most certainly is. I find him really irritating (full of own goals) but I more and more admire him for his courage and clarity

    5. I wonder what atrocity will be allowed before 13th September?
      Just to get it cancelled/discredited.

    1. Rivers have now been granted personhood. Obviously those that inhabit those rivers have rights.

    2. Maybe they're just trying to wind people up, Mr T. Just stifle a yawn next time. There's nothing that riles that kind more than indifference.

    1. What utter bollocks. Chains use Brakes. There is also a price point. Aunt Bessie now does decent Yorkshire puds.

  96. I'm orff folks my battery is almost out.
    Had a decent day, had to water plants both back and front. Been fiddling with the new desk top. Still can't open my emails Been in touch with Virgin media they are not exactly helpful. Basically I'm going to dump them.
    Too early to say goodnight.
    So back tmz, have a good evening. 🤗

    1. My battery was out, but recharged with dinner & some glasses of red medicine.

  97. https://order-order.com/2025/08/08/labour-tax-expert-warns-against-unconvincing-gambling-sin-tax-plan/

    … that whacking enormous taxes on the industry inevitably hits the gambler, not the gambling companies, and that the Institute for Public Policy Research’s (IPPR) proposal is flawed. If even Neidle is saying it…

    That's true of every tax though. That's why inflation is soaring. Trouble is, inflation is going up but salaries are going down, which mean fewer sales which really means unemployment.

    When Reeves hikes taxes (any taxes) sales will fall even further which means even more unemployment and so we get the ripple effect (as one company folds so does another, and another) and the laffer curve, as less tax is raised and welfare rises.

    Reeves is… thick. I understand she is ideologically nuts. I understand Labour's who thing is to force socialism. I appreciate the treasury and OBR are incompetent but this is simply obvious stuff. Oh, big fat state can keep taxing and wasting but eventually there will be nothing to tax, the currency will be utterly worthless and people will starve. This is the end result of socialism, after all.

    1. And the civil service. But what do they care? They don’t have to sell their labour on the open market and turn in a profit against the competition, so they can impose every loony law they want.

      1. I found the article to be dismissive of Pubs doing their best.
        I have used Brakes myself. You cater to the market. In my case at the time it was burgers and chips. They do do higher end stuff.

          1. Yes it is. Shame he isn't a food critic. There are plenty of places where the food is reheated. And the customers are happy to buy it.
            They may have many different reasons for doing so.
            Wetherspoons offer food at a price point people are happy to pay.
            I have been to 'nice' places where the food was inedible. Rock solid sour dough toast. A fruit salad made up of hard apples and pears. £25 for breakfast.

          2. "Wetherspoons offer food at a price point people are happy to pay."

            At the other end are the big chain pubs, operating on the basis of low cost and high margins. "The lower the price, the more likely it's been bought in and not been cooked by a chef," Hannon says. However, he adds: "The chains will apply their skill set and their muscle to actually get not-bad food produced well."

          3. I think he might be a bit behind the times. Places like Greene King and Stonegate have never employed chefs.

          9. Eat at home its the only way. Standards are so poor and so expensive. We buy the very best cuts of meat and eat at home.

    1. Will plod bring them tea, or will it drag them off the road?

      How far will the double standards go?

    2. The reason why the Police are calling for instruction is because they don't have any idea how to deal with this situation when they know there is going to be a large illegal gathering of Pro Palestine supporters this weekend.

      What to do what to do….

      I'll make it easy for them. Taser everyone.

      1. I predict (mystic Opopanax predicts) that the perlice will treat these people very nicely, and that if there are arrests they will be conducted courteously and without a hint of violence. They will then be praised by judges for their commitment to a cause and given, at the most, suspended sentences. Let's see.

        1. There might be anti-palliers and they will be hoovered up, fast tracked to prison and Palestine Action will be ignored, because the police are arresting the antis.

          1. Hearing the police officer saying after someone complained that Jihad can have several meanings and also ignoring Islamic Jihad flags tells me everything i need to know about them.
            I do hope those officers are learning verses of the Koran. They might seem a bit surprised otherwise when they are pushed off the local NCP car park.

      1. I honestly can't believe it. They're normalising paedophilia? Is there no depths the Left won't fall to brainwash children?

        1. The Left do have form in this matter.

          It is part of the plan. The attack on the 'nuclear family'.

          It suits them to allow multiple marriage.

          It suits them that the Paki flood trip back home and marry 9 year old girls.

          It suits them that prepubescent boys and girls are used for entertainment/gratification regarding Bacha Bazi and Bacha Posh.

          They are evil. They are Satanic.

          3. I give credit where it's due.

            OK, I know it's difficult in your case, but hey ho, every now and then…

          4. I think you secretly admire me. Me being so handsome and popular and you looking like a deformed gorilla and all.

          7. Look to the crap going on in Germany until at least the 1970s (little orphaned boys being deliberately placed with paedophiles – I am not making this up)

        2. It has been clear for a long time that the normalisation of homosexuality was part of the attempt to bring paedophilia into the mainstream.

          1. Not entirely sure i agree with that statement.

            I think the groups pushing for paedophilia to be normalised hitched their wagons to the cause.

            As we see with Trans women. There are such people that make the change and are okay.

            Then there are the perverts that take advantage of the rights and use it for their perverted minds.

    3. If my child was involved it would be a very unhappy teacher when I found out.

    6. This is appalling, but the sainted Jo Cox used to do similar – she went round to schools brainwashing children that mass migration is a good thing.

  102. I know a fella can play Dancing Queen on a didgeridoo.
    He's an abbariginal.

    1. That poor man. Just walking his dog. Words fail me. Except for a lot of fucking swearing.

    2. Evil brats, that poor dear old man and his dog , are we addressing serious crime too lightly , expose these brats and shame their families .

  105. 411047+ up ticks,

    Pillow Ponder,
    There is now a group that could easily be molded into a very successful political party with a sound footing for its very existence, it supplies the nation with the bread of life.

    The political opposition is not only up for biting that hand, but for devouring it fully and in place, have us on
    a diet of manufactured fodder consisting of ants arses, and gnats bollocks.

    https://x.com/HDewarSport/status/1953764325119631376

    1. Hope above reason! God invented alcohol on Earth to allow ugly people to find mates, there aint no virgins in heaven. You might find a few naughty girls in the other place though..

    2. Fix it by sending the bastards to Heaven as soon as possible – all of them, now. They'd be deoghted, we'd be delighted, win-win.
      What's not to like?

  114. Well, chums, yet again it's my bedtime. (And my car passed its MOT for another year..) Good Night all, sleep well, and see you all tomorrow.

    1. Looks interesting, but at that price I think I'll pass, Citroen1. (Good morning, btw.)

    1. Soory. I am looged in to post, but not to upload lovely photo. Grrr.

Comments are closed.