Monday 11 September: Voters want bold leadership – so why is this Government so timid?

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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469 thoughts on “Monday 11 September: Voters want bold leadership – so why is this Government so timid?”

  2. ‘Morning, Peeps and Geoff. It looks as though Global Boiling is leaving the south coast today, with a much more agreeable 22°C forecast. Nevertheless, the humidity last night was still off the scale.

    From today’s DT:

    BBC blasted for showing sea of EU flags in Last Night of the Proms coverage

    Former Tory MP Harvey Proctor calls for inquiry but broadcaster says the Royal Albert Hall decides which flags can be brought into the venue

    Harvey Proctor, a former Conservative MP, called for an immediate investigation into how so many EU flags could be on display at the event in the Royal Albert Hall.

    He wrote: “[The] Disgraceful & misguided BBC messing up a British tradition; a political gesture which would make Sir Henry Wood turn in his grave. Utterly vulgar & wrong. Rule Britannia, not Rule EU!”

    * * *
    Seems I wasn’t the only one to be irritated by the mass invasion of the Star-Spangled Sphincter. In particular, there were endless shots of two loons in EUSSR hats right in front of a camera. I doubt that this was accidental. Why? Because when it comes to such displays I simply don’t trust the British Brainwashing Corporation, because it has never tried to hide its rabid tendencies with this lot.

      1. ‘Morning, B3. Apparently van loads of the Sphincters were seen, bearing thousands of the wretched things. I wonder who paid for those? I think I can guess. Also reported is the BBC’s lame explanation for so many on display – it’s up to the venue to decide what can be displayed. How very convenient. I can just imagine the outcome if someone handed out thousands of…ahem…flags of Germany dating back 80+ years!

    3. SIR – Although this Proms season was excellent, I was disappointed with the singing of Rule, Britannia! at the Last Night party.

      A song celebrating our freedom and refusal to be controlled was accompanied by vigorous waving of the EU flag – a symbol, if ever there was one, of “haughty tyrants”.

      Max Batten
      Bromley, Kent

      Well said, Mr Batten. And further evidence that the 5th columnists in our midst have free rein to do as they please. It’s as though the 23rd of June 2016 never happened.

      1. The same applies to number plates. I saw a 70 plate car (Sept 2020) with the sphincter of stars on it the other day. FFS! You’ve had FOUR YEARS to realise we don’t belong any more (at least in name). I can only assume it belonged to a remainiac.

    4. I agree about the partisanship of TV coverage. As you know, I regularly attend race meetings. Among the spectators it is extremely rare to see tinted racegoers. Yet, among crowds of 10,000 TV always manages to find at least one.

  3. Voters want bold leadership – so why is this Government so timid?

    The problem is that what they have to sell us is not what anyone wants to hear, so it cannot be done boldly, maybe Labour will try as has we have seen in other countries, the Left love it.

  5. China’s threats must be challenged robustly. 11 September 2023.

    Rishi Sunak has confronted China’s premier over his country’s “unacceptable” interference in British democracy but faced a backlash from Tory MPs to stop “kowtowing” to China and take a tougher stance.

    The Prime Minister raised his concerns with Li Qiang at the G20 summit in India on Sunday as it emerged that a parliamentary researcher has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Beijing.

    Downing Street said Mr Sunak “conveyed his significant concerns about Chinese interference in the UK’s parliamentary democracy” in what was characterised as a business-like 20-minute conversation.

    I; as I’ve stated on several occasions, do not like the Chinese State or the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This doesn’t keep me awake at night. I’ve held the same opinion for sixty years. All through the Tibet invasion, the Cultural Revolution and the Industrialisation by the West. China is on the other side of the planet and poses no threat to us whatsoever.

    This sudden enmity actually has nothing to do with us. It is the UK acting out its subservient role to the United States. The only good thing about it is that unlike Ukraine it is relatively cheap. We just need to send an occasional tub around to the Pacific and make noises.

    The “spy” business is purely Political Theatre, almost certainly dreamed up in 10 Downing Street. He hasn’t just been “uncovered” they’ve known about this guy since yonks. The announcement came after the main business at the G20 was completed (So it didn’t overshadow the conference itself) but in time for Rishi to confirm his support for the US and slip it into his parting conversation with the Chinese delegate and mouth some inanities about the non-existent British Parliamentary Democracy for home consumption. And yes they really are that shallow!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/09/09/parliamentary-researcher-arrested-suspicion-spying-china/

    1. Good morning, a WEF placeman complaining about foreign interference? Obviously, irony is in short supply in the Sunak household.

  6. SIR – I have just received my energy bill. At this time of year, because of the warmer weather, it is usually at its lowest. However, I find that the standing charges now levied by my supplier make up almost 25 per cent of the bill, as well as the 5 per cent VAT. These charges largely nullify any attempts at thrift, and are hugely regressive for single occupants.

    This must be redressed. Even if the charges reflect a genuine expense, they should be incorporated into the unit cost so that their burden falls on the profligate consumer.

    Michael Bird
    Tavistock, Devon

    Couldn’t agree more, Mr Bird, but just wait until the green vandals dig up and destroy the gas network and stick the cost on our bills. You ain’t seen nuffink yet!

    Edited, to show the complete letter!

      1. 376063+ up ticks,

        Morning AS,

        Initially, in the main we voted them in
        then nurtured them decade on decade.

  9. SIR – A friend of mine recently experienced a classic example of overcharging at the vet (Letters, September 9).

    Her dog was stung on the nose by a wasp, resulting in some swelling in the affected area. She took him to a local vet, who examined the dog and administered an injection.

    The consultation lasted 10 minutes. My friend was then presented with a bill for £200.

    Peter Connor
    Perton, Staffordshire

    Outrageous, Mr Connor! I’d tell the vet where to shove it…

    2. I think Pet Insurance is driving up Vets’ fees. But it’s a chicken or egg situation – have Vets’ fees gone up so that many people take out insurance to cover the costs, or did pet insurance enable Vets to charge more?

      1. I think it is probably the latter. More than once I have been asked if we have insurance cover. The standard answer is always – no!

        1. When we first insured the Springer the premium was about £30 per month. It went up each year. The Springer is now 8 and the premium was £100 per month and we had to pay the first £90 of any bill.
          Cancelled the insurance and started a savings account for vet bills.

          1. I do the same; Oscar’s first insurance bill was £700 per annum, but I couldn’t claim anything for that because everything was just under the excess. The next year it was £860 and the excess had gone up a further £50. I put a certain amount aside each month to cover his bills (until fairly recently, I was just about ahead, but he’s had further eye problems). As many of the bills have been less than the new excess, though, I am probably still ahead.

    4. The friend, should have tried antihistamine cream or tablet in the first instance (if the problem was only the sting, rather than anaphylactic shock).

  11. SIR – Charles Moore (Comment, September 9) rightly criticises the way the National Trust is run.

    It is additionally frustrating to former members like me who resigned on principle when the Trust began to stray beyond its brief. Now we find ourselves unable to vote for those candidates who might return this once laudable organisation to its original purpose. Should we rejoin?

    Myra Robinson
    Newcastle upon Tyne

    Of course not, Ms Robinson. Don’t be so wet! We left at the time of the ‘rainbow lanyard’ debacle, and now support Restore Trust.

        1. He’s fine, really. Just got music running in his head.

          It’s taken me 35 years of wedded bliss to get to the stage where I can usually work out what he is talking about.

          1. Good morning, Caroline. I understand the rhythm he is showing us, but without any indication of the notes (do they go up or down or stay at the same level for a couple of notes?) I am at a loss – like you – to understand. My commiserations to you! Lol.

          2. Good morning again, Elsie:

            Listen to the lyrics – if you can call didis lyrics – before they start singing about the adulterous Mrs Robinson.

            Dustbin Hoffman played the part of a young college graduate and Mrs Robinson was clearly a mentor-like figure for Brigitte Macron who decided to go even younger and helped 15 year old Emanuel with his studies by getting onto her bac for him!

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C1BCAgu2I8

          3. I try to be a bit enigmatic sometimes but it backfires when I discover that I haven’t the slightest idea what I am talking about either.

          4. But, Rastus, what they sing is:

            Dee di didi dee dee didi dee dee didi dee
            Doo do doodoo do do dooo
            etc.

            Still, now I can understand what you were on about. (One of my favourite Simon and Garfunkel albums and the first one which I bought for myself.)

      2. Whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh yeah
        Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do, we’ll sing it
        Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah
        Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do

  12. Intelligence services set to unmask China spies. 11 September 2023.

    The Telegraph understands that security services suspect a number of Chinese agents to be working in Westminster, and are planning to use the National Security Act, passed this summer, to detain them.

    The Act introduced an offence of “foreign interference”, making it illegal for spies to meddle in elections or disrupt the workings of parliamentary democracy in the UK. Working covertly for a foreign hostile power will now become a criminal offence.

    The two men were arrested on suspicion of offences under the old Official Secrets Act, which dates back to 1911 and is much harder to prove, because their alleged offences occurred before the national security act came into force.

    You have to laugh at this. It’s like a pantomime but actually funny. Working for a Foreign Power has now become a criminal offence! Who knew? We’ve warned these “spies” that we are going to arrest them and they, instead of legging it for the border like respectable secret agents, have essentially said get stuffed we are staying. The two already arrested are unbelievably out on bail! Lol!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/09/10/intelligence-services-set-to-unmask-china-spies/

  13. 376063+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    Monday 11 September: Voters want bold leadership – so why is this Government so timid?

    So why is this Government so timid?

    “Government” ? in this case more apt would be political coxswains

    Coxswain,
    Currently,
    The political coxswain is responsible for steering the country and coordinating the power and rhythm of the indigenous herd
    to be in tune with the RESET program via the WEF / NWO

    As for “timid”,
    After these past three years of organised death / serious lingering ongoing injuries / fear manipulation via an experimental pharmaceutical product, I would not like to bare witness to these political coxswains operating at full terrorising level.

    The overriding factor is I do believe, the majority voter will go for “more of the same”via party before Country voting pattern.

    .

  14. Good morning all,

    Blue skies at the moment overhead McPhee Towers but soon to cloud over. Wind Sou’-West, 17℃ with 22℃ forecast

    Voters Want Bold Leadership according to the Letters headline

    SIR – Camilla Tominey (“The Tories have given up. Britain has a government in name only”, Comment, September 9) highlights one of the enduring mysteries of the age: that those who choose to enter national politics – thereby putting themselves through a bruising process requiring single-mindedness, determination, ambition and the acquisition of a thick skin – should then, on acquiring power, reveal themselves to be in thrall to vociferous minorities, which they bend over backwards to accommodate.

    This is despite the fact that most people – whose votes vastly outweigh those of the “professionally offended” – are crying out for sensible policies (too many and obvious to list).

    Spineless government is worse than useless. The moral cowardice of the governing classes is the hallmark of our times.

    Philip J Ashe
    Leeds, West Yorkshire

    I don’t think Philip has quite put his finger on it. It’s not moral cowardice that’s the problem, it’s lack of morals altogether which goes hand-in-hand with an unashamed fraudulence in standing for election under false flags.

    Here is one example: Gillian Keegan.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/09/10/sex-education-gilian-keegan-report-not-published-dfe/

    She is deeply unpopular among conservatives in her constituency and will not survive the forthcoming election.

    1. Sex education in schools is something most parents are concerned about but this arrogant and nasty woman does not give a toss.

      The Birthday Boy (Peddy) – with some reason! – would criticise me for being repetitive but this post which I put up last night is relevant.

      Keegan faces Tory anger after refusal to publish sex education review findings
      Telegraph learns that Education Secretary has no plans to reveal outcome of review by Government-appointed independent panel
      https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/09/10/sex-education-gilian-keegan-report-not-published-dfe/

      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ce9ed01e2d8f11a38fb57851e5ddcfb92c69c93d297cb4a1b4b060fbe8250026.png

      Good to see how keen the education minister is to keep in tune with what parents want!

      1. As I can’t read the article Richard, it’s difficult to understand what the problem is with Ms Keegan.
        Or is it just possible that she’s in politics and politicians are usually pathetically indifferent in anything they should explain or expose ??

        1. 10 September 2023 • 3:17pm
          Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, is facing a backlash from Tory MPs
          The Telegraph has learnt that the Education Secretary has no plans to reveal the outcome of a sex education review by an independent panel, appointed by the Government to advise on age ratings on lesson materials.
          Rishi Sunak ordered an urgent review of sex education in March after The Telegraph exposed evidence of widespread teaching of “age inappropriate” materials in schools, including 13 year-olds being told there are 100 genders.
          Nearly 50 Conservative MPs wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to launch an independent inquiry.
          MPs claimed the Department for Education’s (DfE) most recent relationships and sex education guidance, produced in 2019 in consultation with Stonewall, the LGBT+ charity, had allowed “activist groups” to overly influence teaching materials. The guidance does not set age limits on what can be taught.

          Five education experts were appointed to an independent advisory panel, including Alasdair Henderson, the joint deputy chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and Sir Hamid Patel, the chief executive of Star Academies and a member of the Ofsted board.

          They were due to report back to the DfE by September, but a department spokesman said there were no plans to publish the panel’s recommendations. The DfE has pledged to publish its own plans to reform sex education for consultation before the end of the year, after considering the recommendations.

          Miriam Cates, the Conservative MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, said: “Given the significant public interest in this issue and the rights of parents and taxpayers to know what children are being taught in state schools, it would be odd for the DfE not to publish the recommendations of the independent RSE [relationships and sex education] review panel.

          “The review was instigated as a result of a lack of transparency about materials used in sex education, and so it would be wrong – and deeply ironic – to conceal the findings. I’m confident that the Government is committed to transparency in schools, and so I hope the recommendations will be made available in due course.”

          Nick Fletcher, the MP for Don Valley, said: “My view is that the full workings of the independent panel, including their recommendations, should be published.

          “A lack of visibility, parental engagement, and open discussion has got us into the dire situation we have today with relationships and sex education. Now we need to reverse that culture and maximise openness.”

          Parent campaigners are also urging the DfE to publish the independent panel’s recommendations.

          Clare Page, a mother from London who is fighting a legal battle to obtain sex education materials used in her daughter’s school, said: “I am very disappointed that the DfE is not planning to make the recommendations of the independent review panel public.

          Tracy Shaw, of the Safe Schools Alliance, which campaigns for safeguarding to be upheld in schools, said: “The process should be transparent, so that parents and other taxpayers would be able to trust it.

          “We hope the Government will reconsider, and demonstrate a sincere commitment to child safeguarding. We question what on earth this has uncovered that cannot be made public.”

          A DfE spokesman said: “As part of our urgent review of the relationships, sex and health education curriculum, we appointed an independent expert review panel to consider changes to the existing guidance. The guidance will be published for consultation before the end of the year and will be informed by the panel’s advice.

          1. Thanks, interesting as we now have 4 young grandchildren.
            It seems sometimes some people carry out tasks to try and justify their existence. And I’d add quite often self invented experts are part of the problems.
            What has had to change since the explanation of the birds
            and the bees ?

    2. Sex education in schools is something most parents are concerned about but this arrogant and nasty woman does not give a toss.

      The Birthday Boy (Peddy) – with some reason! – would criticise me for being repetitive but this post which I put up last night is relevant.

      Keegan faces Tory anger after refusal to publish sex education review findings
      Telegraph learns that Education Secretary has no plans to reveal outcome of review by Government-appointed independent panel
      https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/09/10/sex-education-gilian-keegan-report-not-published-dfe/

      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ce9ed01e2d8f11a38fb57851e5ddcfb92c69c93d297cb4a1b4b060fbe8250026.png

      Good to see how keen the education minister is to keep in tune with what parents want!

  15. Reposted from late last night

    Monday 11th September 2023

    Peddy the Viking

    (aka Peter Anderson)

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e281877e66f9640965428cfaf7612b736a56b10f037dc7830d6ff3f7e0f8aba9.png

    and many joyful returns of the day!

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/16a19cf1440cee4e7d138bde60c8c2180d4df3880a28b2dd5b58a64a4646003d.jpg

    Welcome to the Trombone Club which all Nottlers join when they turn 76!

    With very best wishes,

    Caroline and Rastus.

    We do hope you’ll look in more often in the future!

    1. I think he made it clear to Poppiesmum when she was worried and went to see him – he wants no more to do with us. I emailed him about that time and he didn’t reply.

      1. We still hope he has mellowed since then. He was very critical of some of us here and no doubt he had his reasons for being so but the Nottlers are a tolerant bunch and even the teachers on this forum are more forgiving of bad grammar and atrocious spelling than he was! My own very poor typing performance leads me into many errors which I later notice with horror and then try to correct them by editing and hoping nobody has noticed. I am not Typo Tastey for nothing and Peddy loved to pounce on every typo I made because I was an English teacher. I retaliated by thanking God that he never got me into his dentist’s chair!.

        However we have broad shoulders and should be able to take take criticism!

        I would be happy to see him back here!

        2. Me too, Rastus. I very occasionally hear from him; a week or so ago he forwarded to me a very funny story from a friend of his whose cat somehow took a leaf to the local fishmongers in an attempt to mimic humans handing over banknotes to pay for fish. Humouring the cat, the fishmonger took its leaf and gave it a small fish in return. Since then, it appears that the cat exchanges a leaf for a small fish every single day!

          He also asked me to pass on his best wishes tomorrow for Anne Allan’s birthday, since he has lost her email address. And his mobility problems mean that he no longer catches the bus into Cambridge where he used to run German classes at his local u3a. However, he did say that he would welcome a visit from me, so I hope to do this in the next few weeks and will encourage him to re-engage with us. He certainly rubbed a lot of NoTTLers up the wrong way (see Ready Eddy’s and Grizzly’s posts above) but I always found him more of a rough diamond.

          1. Good morning Elsie,

            Please copy my birthday greeting to Peddy and email it to him along with my comment above.

          6. Good. I’m glad you’re still in touch.
            I think the death of Missy got to him more than he realised.

          7. Please pass on my good wishes, Elsie. No hard feelings; a lot of water has gone under the bridge since that episode and my life is no longer so tough.

        3. He could be very amusing certainly. I only see my typos when I’ve pressed post and I often amend them then.
          We had quite a bit of email correspondence but he stopped replying. It was he who first called me Ndovu.

          1. I reckon there’s an algorithm that automatically muddles up the letters when pressing “send”, “Enter”, “Comment” and the like, because my postings & emails are perfect up until then.
            See?? :-((

          3. I reckon there’s an algorithm that automatically muddles up the letters when pressing “send”, “Enter”, “Comment” and the like, because my postings & emails are perfect up until then.
            See?? :-((

          1. He did.
            Two other Virgos by coincidence.
            But don’t worry Ellie I put him in his place. It was hopefully why he took early retirement. 🤗

  16. This lady knew how to keep children entertained quiet.

    Holiday essentials

    SIR
    – My beloved late mother used to take my three young boys to the Isle
    of Wight for a week in the summer. I have kept her cardboard shopping
    list (Letters, September 9) as a memory of her. It goes like this: ginger beer, pork pies, plasters, valium, fags and whisky.

    They had the same holiday for 10 years and all loved it. Nobody ever needed the plasters.

    Georgina Nunn
    Kimpton, Hampshire

    1. So you’re saying, Phizzee, that the whisky was more than enough to keep them all plastered? Lol.

  17. Rugby World Cup: Having watched France, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland and South Africa play I think the Rugby World Cup is South Africa’s to lose. They put down their marker in their pre-tournament demolitions of both Wales and New Zealand. The behemoths in the bif bash ‘boks pack can strangle the life out of any team on the planet, including France. Scotland did well to hold them to 18-3 and they had the opportunities to cross the try line despite losing the battles for territory and possession. South Africa to win.

    1. Fiji needed the game to last a couple of minutes more and they would have won!

      By the end of the game they were far better than Wales.

  18. Good morning, all. Overcast and much cooler this morning.

    This is interesting. Not a lot of people know this. Boom, boom!

    Those ignoring it are well aware, of course, and state that Parliament is sovereign and continue the lie.

    All those councillors itching to set 15 minute cities could be in deep trouble if they persist. In the last couple of days reports of traffic restrictions being lifted in Cambridge and elsewhere are appearing on social media: why? People power?

    https://twitter.com/TrevorJukes1/status/1700813961644413078

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1acbcbc793b8e24496f215d35ebe4c528599e431a40102454dd54015ff5f87dd.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3780acbdb38f4f89cba42f59cfb21c6e65db37bdd5276d7732b42a6370c53cc2.png

  19. Morning all 🙂😊
    No sunshine here today, but cool wind in my hair. So welcome. 😉
    Why is this Government so timid ?
    Could it be in the real world none of them would have been able to hold down a job. And they only way they can live the life they have chosen it to be subservient to the AHs who really run the world.

    1. But they hold down ‘jobs’ afterwards, don’t they. Clegg at Farcebook or whatever it’s called this week, Milliband D at a Soros ‘charidee’, Blair taking money from Gates, Soros and any third-world government mad enough to employ his services with the money (our money) given to them in foreign aid.

      1. They call these positions jobs, but they usually gain them from and via ‘Mr Bung’. For favours unknown and obviously kept under wraps.

  20. Another DT article written by a journalist who doesn’t know what he is talking about. Errors and statements that are not correct are too many to mention, the article highlights the appalling standard of contemporary technical journalism, written for sensation only.

    “Apple braces for backlash after caving to EU demands on iPhone chargers”

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/09/11/apple-scrap-iphone-lightning-charger-usb-c-universal-port/

  21. SIR – I agree with Lord Frost about Last Night of the Proms (Comment, September 8), but he has no right to challenge the patriotism of those of his countrymen who wished to stay in the European Union.

    Having spent 30 years serving my country in uniform (including in combat), I resent the suggestion that I and millions like me are somehow treacherous per se because we happen to be “Remainers”.

    Colonel James N Stythe (retd)
    Pewsey, Wiltshire

    Your letter has left me utterly confused, Col. Jim. I cannot get my head around someone who bravely serves his country (against all enemies of the state, no doubt, for that is what any armed forces’ prima facie, raison d’être is), yet still retains a desire to have that home country ruled by the diktats of faceless, unelected foreign despots!

    If that is not handing succour to one’s enemies, I don’t know what is.

    1. That’s roughly what I thought. I wonder if he understood who he was really serving? Almost certainly not.

    5. Good morning Grizzly,

      We watched the LNOTProms with increased irritation .. the women presenters waffled on in an absurd fashion , very Woke lefty feminists , and then , how absurd to see the flag waving remainers ,who were making a lefty political statement .

      This DTL comment has also annoyed me … to the endth degree.

      JM

      J McMenemy
      29 MIN AGO
      Colonel James N Stythe (retd) is correct, there is no need for the patriotism of Remainers to be challenged. They are proving by their actions that they still love this country and wish to sing along and join in with our celebrations. Just look at how many voluntarily chose to participate in the Last Night of the Proms, they even waved flags & wore colourful hats to join in with this happy event, not to mention singing our National Anthem and Jerusalem in a hearty fashion and for all the world to see.
      Mrs M

      2. We watched it last night recorded. The star flag-waving was irritating and Alsop’s political speech even more so.

      3. When Marin Alsop started whiffling on about gender stuff, we switched off and went to bed.
        The all-female ‘commentariat’ already had us (particularly me) watching with a very set jaw.
        I am heartily sick of being hectored and lectured.
        Why can we not just be entertained?
        Next it will be operas based on tractor production statistics; or, rather, on the squillions of tons of bumph produced by the armies of useless desk pilots that now infest this country.

      5. If they still loved this country they wouldn’t be wearing the colours and waving the flag of a foreign one, would they? It’s like me saying I’m patriotic, but waving the Chinese flag.

  22. Good morrow, Gentlefolks, today’s story

    Blowing A Gale
    A young guy drops off his girlfriend at her home after being out together on a date.

    When they reach the front door, he leans up against the house with one hand and says to her, “How about a blowjob?”

    “What? Are you crazy!” “Don’t worry, it will be quick,” he assures his girlfriend.

    “No! Someone might see us…”

    “It’s just a small blowjob,” he insists, “and I know you’ll like it.”

    “No! I said no!”

    “Baby… don’t be like that.”

    Suddenly, the girl’s younger sister shows up at the door in her nightgown, with her hair a mess, and rubbing her eyes.

    She looks at them and smirks, “Dad says either you blow him, I blow him, or he’ll come downstairs and blow the guy himself…

    …but for God’s sake tell your boyfriend to take his hand off the intercom.”

  23. I wonder if the Chinese “Spy” knows the wife of the Chancellor of the Exchequer?

    Just asking…..

    3. This wife?

      Lucia Guo: The CCP-connected wife of Jeremy Hunt, a former British Foreign and Health Secretary and candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party and potential future prime minister. She was born in Xi’an, China. Her parents reportedly operate a military uniform factory for the People’s Liberation Army. According to sources inside China, Lucia Guo was trained at the People’s Liberation Army’s Foreign Language Institute in Luoyang, which is subordinate to the Intelligence Bureau of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission.

      In December 2021, the Daily Mail reported that Lucia Guo presented a show on China’s state-run TV that whitewashed the Communist Party’s human rights abuses:

  24. September 11th, eh. Remember what you were doing when you first heard about the slammer attacks?

    The MR was working in Cambridge. I was being idle here. About noon, she phoned and told me to turn on the telly.

    2. We were sitting at table at a beach-side restaurant in Poros in Greece.

      Christo and Henry were chatting with the cook and the waiters who were watching the TV when they saw pictures of the Twin Towers collapsing – they ran hurriedly to tell us that they had just seen America being blown up on the television. We thought they had been watching some trashy nonsense fiction.

    3. At home, watching breaking news of the first attack and thinking it was a terrible accident when the second plane hit.

    4. Yes, standing in a ground floor office in C Block at BBC Centre House, which was just behind White City station and has itself now been demolised and replaced with a very ugly block of flats. We put the telly on in the office and I recall staring at it thinking how very weird it was to be watching something like that live on television.

    5. I’d just got engaged. I was working at a brokerage in Artillery Row and they had a permanent telly on in reception. There were rumours that planes were flying over from Holland to London. So by about 3 pm people were starting to just go home. As did I.

    7. Moh and I had to get our passport photo’s sorted at the Post office in Weymouth, we also did some shopping , had a coffee, met a friend , arrived home here , let the previous spaniels into the garden ,made some cheese on toast , put the kettle on, and the TV ..

      We felt faint , hugged each other .. R was off duty , ( Still flying the Coastguard helo out of Portland ex Naval base )

      We thought the world was collapsing around us .. the news was too unreal and terrifying .

    8. Got home early from an offsite meeting. Firstborn had just got home from school. Turned on the TV to see if any cartoons were on, and saw people falling from the skyscraper… the image of the man in the dark suit, falling head-first, knee bent but otherwise completely unruffled, will stay with me for ever.

      2. And not very long after this terrible Incident, Danny Jowenko the Dutch explosives expert on controlled demolition, was murdered for openly expressing his expert opinion on what had really taken place that day.

    10. I was in Philadelphia for a business meeting with my US colleagues (I had literally flown in the night before on the Monday). First I heard was in my hotel room watching the news on TV. The meeting was to be held in the hotel’s conference room – obviously that got cancelled and all the US employees were ordered to go home and remain there. I was due to fly back to the UK on the Thursday, but didn’t eventually get home until the following Monday.

    11. We were in Cash Converters (can’t remember why) and saw the event on several second hand tellies.

    12. I was in the office when word came down of what had happened.

      We then spent several hours trying to contact fellow workers who were in New York for the day. One of my group was in Atlanta and it was quite a struggle to find a way home for him.

  25. Belated morning greetings to you all.

    Both of us had a very very disturbed sleep last night . Jack spaniel had lots of difficulty settling down , he paced , and was very thirsty , and his breathing was heavy and noisy . I was awake until 0230 hrs , and then Moh woke up and and carried the dog downstairs into the garden for another wee etc.

    Whilst we were both awake in those early hours , a HUGE turbo prop aircraft flew over head , it was quite low , we heard the rumble loud and clear , can any of you trace what it could have been .. maybe a low flying transport aircraft from Hurn (Bournemouth airport)?

    Jack is now fast asleep , no cough or rattles , Moh has staggered off to play in a golf competition nr Bournemouth, we both felt as if we in a zombie frame of mind earlier .

    Cloudy and cooler here , tractors and tanks are busy .

    1. I slept like a log after a very tiring day fundraising at a local event. Too tired to count the takings – must do that shortly.

        1. Still haven’t stirred my stumps to have a count up. Better go and do it – too busy chatting here!

          After I’d got the boxes and bags of stock indoors and put most of them away, I just got in the shower as I was so hot and sticky. We had a cold supper, watched the LNOTP recorded from Saturday and then bed.

          It was the first time back at that event for a few years, as we’d been pushed out by another rescue (an offshoot upstart that we’d funded) as the organisers thought two was too many, regardeless that we’d both been there (and it’s a big event) with no fisticuffs or trouble for several years.

          We were busy most of the time – even when it was pouring with rain in the morning – ha ha after the heat wave!

          I was horrified by the excessive number of hugely obese people waddling about, and most of those were women. Had a laugh about it on the way home with Gavin – our new recruit who is much younger than us – an absolute star and just what we need as a very ageing team.

        2. £334 which was good and helped make up for two events cancelled earlier in the summer. We can’t do every weekend now like we used to as it is exhausting and we are all getting older.

  26. 376063+ up ticks,

    Post
    Gerard Batten
    @gjb2021
    ·
    21h
    Watch this short video. State sponsored eco totalitarianism coming to YOUR home.

    You can be fined & imprisoned for not obeying, & tge energy to yiur house can be restricted or cut off at the Govnt’s will.

    The Tories are doing this to us. Never forget that the Tories did this. Never forgive. Whatever the next Labour Govnt does to us, the Tories made it possible.

    KNOCK KNOCK

    SUMMIT STORE: http://summit.storeDONATE: https://www.subscribestar.com/paul-joseph-watsonLOCALS (Exclusive content! No ads.): https://pauljosephwatson.locals…

    http://www.youtube.com

  27. Re all the hoo hah about the evil Spanish snogger.

    As this piece is going up on 9/11, I thought I’d better do something about Islam. But first, as Monty Python (almost) used to say, for something completely different: Like Hot Chocolate, I’ll be starting with a kiss.
    You will doubtless have seen all the tedious media hysteria about an overexcited Luis Rubiales, President of the Spanish Football Association, briefly kissing the women’s team’s midfielder, Jenni Hermoso, on the mouth after they had just won the FIFA Women’s World Cup final on 20 August. The nuclear reaction to the “scandal” indicated to me Rubiales must have bitten Hermoso’s tongue out, swallowed it, and then spat the blood into her face whilst shouting, “Girls can’t catch!” at the nearest female goalkeeper.

    https://www.takimag.com/article/kiss-of-death/

    1. The behaviour of the Spanish Dyke Footballer has put me off Women’s football far more than the poor chap who has been eliminated by the nasty, vengeful wokists.

  28. On this day
    246 people went to sleep in preparation for their morning flights
    2,606 people went to sleep in preparation for work in the morning
    343 firefighters went to sleep in preparation for their morning shift
    60 police officers went to sleep in preparation for morning patrol
    8 paramedics went to sleep in preparation for the morning shift of saving lives.
    None of them saw past 10:00am – September 11, 2001.
    In one single moment life may never be the same. Tonight as you go to sleep in preparation for your life tomorrow, kiss the ones you love, snuggle a little tighter, and never take one second of your life for granted.

    1. Somewhat forgotten in the numbers, the nationality that lost the most people inside the Twin Towers was Britain.

    2. My wife and I had spent that morning arranging her father’s funeral.
      We didn’t know anything about what had happened until we went to lunch at the Wicked Lady pub/restaurant on Nomans Land common.
      Apart from the obvious,. My most memorable moment was seeing George Bush being told of what had happened. He didn’t show much concern or surprise.

    3. At that time I was repairing TVs in my self employment. The repairs slowed to a trickle that afternoon as I watched it all unfold on the being tested sets.

  29. On this day, a tiny town in Newfoundland took in 6,700 airline passengers stranded during September 11th, 2001.

    The town of Gander, Newfoundland, has six traffic lights and a population of less than thirteen thousand. They opened their homes and hearts to complete strangers, in their most painful hour.

  31. Press release
    Prime Minister announces record climate aid commitment as G20 in India concludes
    UK will provide $2bn to the Green Climate Fund – the biggest single funding commitment the UK has made to help the world tackle climate change.

    As a gathering of G20 leaders in India concludes today (Sunday), the Prime Minister has announced the UK’s biggest single financial contribution to helping the world’s most vulnerable people adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change.

    The UK will contribute £1.62 billion ($2 billion) to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which was established by 194 countries following the Copenhagen Accord at COP15. The GCF is the largest global fund dedicated to supporting developing countries to reduce global emissions and helping communities adapt to the effects of climate change.

    Today’s pledge represents a 12.7% increase on the UK’s previous contribution to the GCF for the period of 2020-2023, which was itself a doubling of our initial funding to establish the fund in 2014.

    At the G20 Summit the Prime Minister has called on leaders to work together ahead of the COP28 Summit this December to both reduce their countries’ own carbon emissions and support vulnerable economies to deal with the consequences of climate change.

    Addressing G20 leaders, the Prime Minister said:

    The UK is stepping up and delivering on our climate commitments, both by decarbonising our own economy and supporting the world’s most vulnerable to deal with the impact of climate change.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-announces-record-climate-aid-commitment-as-g20-in-india-concludes

    1. That”s our money he’s giving away for a ficticious problem to be “solved”. Think what two billion could do in this country that is barely functional most of the time.

    2. As a small bonus to the G20 chinwag.

      After Trudeau was given a lecture by Modi, our dear leader set off for the long trip home but was told that his plane was broken. Trudeaus return to Canada has been delayed indefinitely. (Smiles sweetly and joins the celebrations).

      Not the most successful of trips for boy blunder, he was ignored by other leaders and couldn’t even get a one on one meeting with the Indian PM who gave him the cold shoulder on several occasions. Trudeau even missed out on the PMs dinner to celebrate the end of the meetings.

      At least he didn’t play Mr Dress-up when he was in India, that idiocy came a few days earlier when he was in Indonesia.

      What a waste of space he is.

    3. 376063+ up ticks,

      Morning TB

      With a money laundering exercise the calibre of the G20 the likes of Luciano, Meyer Lansky,
      Bugsy Seigal would be right at hone,

  33. Daniel Khalife ‘may have used bed sheets to escape’. 11September 2023.

    A former soldier suspected of spying for the Iranian regime may have used bed sheets to help him escape prison under a delivery lorry, a court has heard.

    Daniel Khalife has been charged with escaping from lawful custody at HMP Wandsworth in London on Wednesday last week while awaiting trial in relation to terrorism and Official Secrets Act offences.

    The-21-year old sparked a nationwide manhunt but was arrested on a canal towpath in Northolt, west London at 10.41am on Saturday after being pulled off a bike by a plain clothes counter-terrorism officer.

    There’s a real possibility that this story is even more ridiculous than the Chinese Spies in Westminster farce. The next thing will be a file in the cake his Imam delivered disguised as a nun.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/09/11/daniel-khalife-hmp-wandsworth-escapee-in-court-westiminster/

    1. A distraction from what was happening in govt that week – the passing of the Energy Bill.

      They allow hundreds of criminals in every day from all over the place.

      1. I thought it was a picture of Grizzly about to cook an excellent carnivorous meal until I remembered that in the last photo of himself which he posted here showed him to be now clean-shaven!

  34. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fce61ad82bfa2b531f83ec439dc6b439d9ea7a3c93e99ae21198f759d8412a31.png
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/fame-fortune/lord-michael-howard-lympne-mp-politics-worst-finance-choice/

    BTL

    Nobody with any integrity should go into politics for financial reasons – you should go into politics because of your firmly held convictions and beliefs and with a desire to do your best for your country.

    But looking at the low quality of people in the House of Commons it is hard to see how many of the MPs would be as well paid in any job outside politics. The basic salary is now £86,584 with the most generous of all pension entitlements and then there are all the tax free allowances and the most generous of tax free expense accounts.

    How many MPs would seriously expect to have such a good pay package in the private sector?

    2. Trouble is with MPs that hold firm beliefs is that they might try to turn those beliefs into action.

      OK if the MP believes in protecting the country but we have a few nutjobs in power who are happily pushing the global warming / emergency / boiling scare and don’t care if their actions endup breaking the country

    1. I suspect it will be the Poles who save us again.
      They have all vivid – and recent – memories of repression.
      Complacent Blighty has not: hence the boiled frog treatment we are now undergoing.

  36. Just picked several pounds of raspberries. They are so ripe – they fall off when a stem is touched.

    Hoped to do the same with the outdoor tomatoes – but, to our chagrin, discovered that, on top of everything else, there is BLIGHT. Bugger.

  38. Amanda Platell
    @amandajplatell
    Is Rishi Sunak on a suicide mission?

    As he backtracks on his promise to keep the triple lock on pensions has he forgotten there are around 13million pensioners most of whom vote Tory! Those pensioners who’ve worked all their lives to pay for the benefit scroungers who’ve never worked a day in their lives…

    Sick Of It 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇺🇸🇺🇸
    @WayneOrourke88
    ·
    15h
    This man has got to go
    Quote
    James Goddard
    @JamesPGoddard90
    ·
    16h
    The PM of 🇬🇧

    “Yes I’m a proud Hindu, that’s how I was raised”

    “It’s personally incredibly special to be back here in India, it’s a country I love dearly, it’s where my family are from”

    Should our PM be ethnically British? Let me know in the comments

    #ToryBritain

    1. We will soon have masses in common with Venezuela and Zimbabwe ..

      Zilch money and nothing to fall back on .

      We are being conned right left and centre .

    3. If he loves India (or Bhatti or whatever they’ve decided to call it now), he should go back there and stay. He certainly doesn’t love this country.

    1. I would not be at all surprised if this is what was trying to be forced on that little girl who died and her father and uncle fled the UK for Pakistan.

      2. My thoughts right from the word go.
        And that’s why our pathetic cowardly useless authorities can’t bring themselves to tell us the truth.

          2. I think they have all the information they need, they are just waiting for the right moment to slip it under the radar.
            Suffered multiple and extensive injuries.
            Beaten to death ?

          4. Yes good question.
            We’ve made a huge mistake allowing all these people with medieval mindset into Europe.

          6. The problem is they’ve done so much damage that can never be resolved or repaired.
            Some one needs to take action against them.

      3. Precisely what I thought.
        The photo of a 10 year old dressed as double her age suggested she was being lined up for a marriage designed to keep a spot of Paki scrubland in the family.

    1. Good Afternoon Truthful Loveliness

      I am becoming more and more convinced that Sunak is under instructions from the WEF to lose the coming general election so that Starmer can easily take the UK back into the EU.

      Why else is he doing his best to antagonise Conservative voters with his abandonment of the transgender issue until the election is over, refusing to commit to safeguarding pensions, refusing to leave the ECHR to facilitate stopping the boats. and delaying the India deal which would take some unravelling if it were in place when Starmer wants to start getting us back into the EU. Indeed the list of the things he is doing to exasperate the voters must mean that he fully intends to lose the election?

      On the transgender business:

      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1af8fc7a403d7a9b23218c3476663b3b9a46050a5a4d0f581b5af17cbfcfa8d3.png
      (Daily Mail story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12503807/Liz-Truss-calls-ban-schools-letting-pupils-socially-transition-changing-pronouns-Rishi-Sunak-backs-away-trying-pass-new-law-stop-youngsters-changing-gender-identity.html )

      Sunak was involved with getting rid of Truss. Is it not now her turn to get rid of Sunak?

      2. Remaining a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights is a prerequisite for remaining a member of the Council of Europe, of which the UK was a founder in 1949 and ever since it came into effect in 1953. Withdrawal from the Convention would mean joining an elite group of European nation states outside the CoE: Russia (expelled in 2022), Belarus (whose application to join will never be accepted unless it abolishes the death penalty), Kosovo (whose application to join was recently accepted but not yet put into effect), Kazakhstan (barely a European country at all, mostly in central Asia and with a -stan suffix, whose application to join is still in progress) and the Holy See/Vatican City (which has never applied to join).

        1. Good afternoon, Stig

          So you think having to put up every year with over 50,000 illegal immigrants who are housed in 4 * hotels at very great expense is a price worth paying to stay in the ECHR?

          I disagree!

  42. Man accused of spying for China releases statement. 11 September 2023.

    A parliamentary researcher who has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China has said he is “completely innocent”.

    In a statement released by his lawyers, Birnberg Peirce, the man said: “I feel forced to respond to the media accusations that I am a ‘Chinese spy’. It is wrong that I should be obliged to make any form of public comment on the misreporting that has taken place.

    “However, given what has been reported, it is vital that it is known that I am completely innocent. I have spent my career to date trying to educate others about the challenge and threats presented by the Chinese Communist Party.

    “To do what has been claimed against me in extravagant news reporting would be against everything I stand for.

    It is an oddity of the modern age that bearing in mind the circumstances and the state of governance in the UK that this man is almost certainly telling the truth.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/09/11/rishi-sunak-china-spying-news-live-suella-braverman-latest/

    2. It is as if the Conservative Party is doing everything in its power to lose the next General Election. Things must be really bad at the National Level…..!

      1. I have been banging on about this for some time. Sunak is quite determined not only to lose the election but for the Conservative Party to be wiped out completely.

        Even with a new leader the Conservative are likely to lose the election but they may not be wiped out and can start rebuilding now rather than after the lection.

        To my mind it is the fact that the Conservatives are not prepared to depose Sunak without further delay makes me think they have a death wish.

        1. To have four different leaders (Johnson, Truss, Sunak, AN Other) within one parliamentary term does not look good.

      1. It a combination of arrogance and their underestimation of people’s intelligence that is the psychopathic downfall.

    2. Shirley there must be some pissed-off sniper around who would love to use this smug twat as target practice.

      Killing him (and all his ilk) would not be murder: it would simply be pest control.

      1. Ah, I did wonder. Here it is.

        Scott Ritter: A comprehensive Ukrainian defeat is the only possible outcome of its conflict with Russia
        Kiev was offered a peace deal long ago, but chose war instead, egged on by its Western backers. Now its fate is sealed
        Scott Ritter
        Scott Ritter is a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and author of ‘Disarmament in the Time of Perestroika: Arms Control and the End of the Soviet Union.’ He served in the Soviet Union as an inspector implementing the INF Treaty, in General Schwarzkopf’s staff during the Gulf War, and from 1991-1998 as a UN weapons inspector.
        September 2 marked the 78th anniversary of the World War Two surrender ceremony onboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. This moment formalized Japan’s unconditional capitulation to the United States, and its allies, and marked the end of the conflict. From the Japanese perspective, it had been ongoing since the Marco Polo bridge incident of July 7, 1937, which started the Sino-Japanese War.
        There was no negotiation, only a simple surrender ceremony in which Japanese officials signed documents, without conditions.
        Because that is what defeat looks like.
        History is meant to be studied in a manner that seeks to draw out lessons from the past that might have relevance in the present. As George Santayana, the American philosopher, noted, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” The Ukrainian government in Kiev would do well to reflect on both the historical precedent set by Japan’s unconditional surrender, and Santayana’s advice, when considering its current conflict with Russia.
        First and foremost, Ukraine must reflect honestly about the causes of this conflict, and which side bears the burden of responsibility for the fighting. ‘Denazification’ is a term that the Russian government has used in describing one of its stated goals and objectives. President Vladimir Putin has made numerous references to the odious legacy of Stepan Bandera, the notorious mass murderer and associate of Nazi Germany who is feted by modern-day Ukrainian nationalists as a hero and all but a founding father of their nation.
        That present-day Ukraine would see fit to elevate a man such as Bandera to such a level speaks volumes about the rotten foundation of Kiev’s cause, and the dearth of moral fiber in the nation today. The role played by the modern-day adherents of the Nazi collaborator’s hateful nationalist ideology in promulgating the key events that led to the initiation of the military operation by Russia can neither be ignored nor minimized. It was the Banderists, with their long relationship with the CIA and other foreign intelligence services hostile to Moscow, who used violence to oust the former president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovich, from office in February 2014.
        The Wunderwaffe delusion: Why Ukraine’s Western backers are happy to feed Zelensky’s fantasies about American F-16s
        From the act of illicit politicized violence came the mainstreaming of the forces of ethnic and cultural genocide, manifested in the form of the present-day Banderists, who initiated acts of violence and oppression in eastern Ukraine. This, in turn, triggered the Russian response in Crimea and the actions of the citizens of Donbass, who organized to resist the rampage of the Bandera-affiliated Ukrainian nationalists. The Minsk Accords, and the subsequent betrayal by Kiev and its Western partners of the potential path for peace that these represented, followed.
        Ukraine cannot disassociate itself from the role played by the modern-day Banderists in shaping the present reality. In this, Kiev mirrors the militarists of Imperial Japan, whose blind allegiance to the precepts of Bushido, the traditional ‘way of the warrior’ dating back to the Samurai of 17th century Japan, helped push the country into global conflict. Part of Japan’s obligations upon surrender was to purge its society of the influence of the militarists, and to enact a constitution that deplatformed them by making wars of aggression – and the military forces needed to wage them – unconstitutional.
        Banderism, in all its manifestations, must be eradicated from Ukrainian society in the same manner that Bushido-inspired militarism was removed from Japan, to include the creation of a new constitution that enshrines this purge as law. Any failure to do so only allows the cancer of Banderism to survive, festering inside the defeated body of post-conflict Ukraine until some future time when it can metastasize once again to bring harm.
        This is precisely the message that was being sent by Putin when, during the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum this past July, he showed a video where the crimes of the Banderists during the Second World War were put on public display. “How can you not fight it?” Putin said. “And if this is not neo-Nazism in its current manifestation, then what is it?” he asked. “We have every right,” the Russian president declared, “to believe that the task of the denazification of Ukraine set by us is one of the key ones.”
        As the Western establishment media begins to come to grips with the scope and scale of Ukraine’s eventual military defeat (and, by extension, the reality of a decisive Russian military victory), their political overseers in the US, NATO, and the European Union struggle to define what the endgame will be. Having articulated the Russian-Ukrainian conflict as an existential struggle where the very survival of NATO is on the line, these Western politicians now have the task of shaping public perception in a manner that mitigates any meaningful, sustained political blowback from constituents who have been deceived into tolerating the transfer of billions of dollars from their respective national treasuries, and billions more dollars’ worth of weapons from their respective arsenals, into a lost and disgraced cause.
        A key aspect of this perception management is the notion of a negotiated settlement, a process which implies that Ukraine has a voice as to the timing and nature of conflict termination. The fact is, however, that Kiev lost this voice when it walked away from a peace deal brokered between its negotiators and their Russian counterparts last spring, at the behest of its NATO masters as communicated through then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The decision to prolong the conflict was predicated on the provision to Kiev of tens of billions of dollars in military equipment and assistance. The authorities duly staged a mass mobilization, meaning that Ukrainian troops vastly outnumbered their Russian counterparts.
        Kiev’s new NATO-trained and equipped force achieved impressive territorial gains during a fall offensive. The Russian reaction was to stabilize the front and carry out a partial mobilization of its reserves to accumulate enough manpower to accomplish the mission assigned from the outset of the operation – denazification and demilitarization. Denazification is a political problem. Demilitarization is not. In the case of Ukraine, it means to effectively destroy Ukraine’s ability to wage armed conflict on a meaningful scale against Russia. This objective also presumably entails the need to remove all NATO military infrastructure, inclusive of equipment and material, from Ukraine.
        Russia has been undertaking the successful demilitarization of Ukraine’s armed forces since the initiation of partial mobilization. The equipment Ukraine is provided by the West is similarly being destroyed by Russia at a rate that makes replacement unsustainable. Meanwhile, Russia’s own defense industry has kicked into full gear, supplying a range of modern weapons and ammunition that is more than sufficient.
        The harsh reality is that neither Ukraine nor its Western allies can sustain the operational losses in manpower and equipment that the conflict with Russia is inflicting. Russia, on the other hand, is not only able to absorb its losses, but increase its strength over time, given the large number of volunteers that are being recruited into the military and the high rate of armament production. At some point in the not-so-distant future, the balance of power between Russia and Ukraine in the theater of operations will reach a point in which Kiev is unable to maintain adequate coverage along the line of contact, allowing gaps to open up in the defensive line which Russia, able to employ fresh reserves, will exploit. This will lead to the collapse of cohesion among Ukrainian troops, more than likely resulting in a precipitous withdrawal to more defensive positions that could be established west of the Dnieper River.
        Ukraine, through its actions in 2014, lost Crimea. Ukraine, and through its choices in 2022, lost the Donbass, Zaporozhye, and Kherson. And if Kiev persists in extending this conflict until it is physically unable to defend itself, it runs the risk of losing even more territory, including Odessa and Kharkov.
        Russia did not enter the conflict with the intent of seizing Ukrainian territory. But in March 2022, Kiev rejected a draft peace agreement (which it had preliminarily approved at first), and this decision to eschew peace in favor of war led to Russia absorbing Donbass, Zaporozhye, and Kherson.
        Mikhail Khodaryonok: Western talk about a ‘new stage of Ukraine’s counteroffensive’ is just a cover-up of the operation’s failure
        Read more Mikhail Khodaryonok: Western talk about a ‘new stage of Ukraine’s counteroffensive’ is just a cover-up of the operation’s failure
        As one of its conditions to even begin negotiating for peace with Moscow, Kiev demanded the return of all former Ukrainian territories currently under Russian control – including Crimea. To achieve such an outcome, however, Ukraine would have to be able to compel compliance by defeating Russia militarily and/or politically. As things stand, this is an impossibility.
        What Ukraine and its Western partners do not yet seem to have come to grips with is the fact that Russia’s leadership is in no mood for negotiations for negotiations’ sake. Putin has listed its goals and objectives when it comes to the conflict – denazification, demilitarization, and no NATO membership for Ukraine.
        This is the reality of the present situation. Russia is working to achieve its stated goals and objectives. As things stand, there is little Ukraine or its partners in the US, NATO, and the EU (the so-called ‘collective West’) can do to prevent it from accomplishing these aims. The timeline is not calendar-driven, but rather determined by results. The longer Kiev – and its Western partners – drag out this conflict, the greater the harm that will accrue for Ukraine.
        It is time for Ukraine and its Western partners to move to the path of peace and reconstruction. But this can only happen when Ukraine surrenders and accepts reality.
        The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

        1. Thanks Sue – I’ve read it now and he seems to know what he’s talking about. Ukraine will lose however long the West goes on supplying armaments so the sooner the better, and the fewer young men will die. They should have accepted the peace deal last year.

    1. What a terrible waste of two enjoyable foods (the black and Yorkshire puddings, not frogs legs and snails), or are they synthetic imitations?

      2. Not if you’re the same race. Yorkies and Lancs (and Southerners and Frogs) are the same race, but different tribes. I’d call it “Tribeist”.

  49. Afternoon all,

    Latest news today on UK car production has revealed an undisclosed level of Government support for EV manufacturing in the UK. Motor manufacturers of ICE cars are facing a stark financial outlook as the two volume manufacturers of EVs, Tesla and BYD, are the only companies that can make electric cars and still maintain a profit.

    Will the world market in EVs still be big enough in a few years time to support profitable electric vehicle production or wll Germany progress with their call to the EU to make efuels acceptable as a substitute for fossil fuels.

    Electric Viking reckons that volume production is the key to making profitable EVs and in future China will be involved somehow in every EV produced in the world.

    https://youtu.be/uRiKi8MDgvI?si=N5CczwOgDJaNNqDQ

    1. My three siblings were chewing the cud over EV vs Diesel vs ICE at great length and in technical detail in our family zoom yesterday evening. I much prefer it to covid talk but I have little to contribute after the first half hour or so on this topic so excused myself on account of it being passed my supper time.

  50. Afternoon all,

    Latest news today on UK car production has revealed an undisclosed level of Government support for EV manufacturing in the UK. Motor manufacturers of ICE cars are facing a stark financial outlook as the two volume manufacturers of EVs, Tesla and BYD, are the only companies that can make electric cars and still maintain a profit.

    Will the world market in EVs still be big enough in a few years time to support profitable electric vehicle production or wll Germany progress with their call to the EU to make efuels acceptable as a substitute for fossil fuels.

    Electric Viking reckons that volume production is the key to making profitable EVs and in future China will be involved somehow in every EV produced in the world.

    https://youtu.be/uRiKi8MDgvI?si=N5CczwOgDJaNNqDQ

  51. Moh and I had a hospital appointment last Friday.

    A complicated breathing test, post-Covid, etc.

    Spirometry is the most common type of pulmonary function or breathing test. This test measures how much air you can breathe in and out of your lungs, as well as how easily and fast you can blow the air out of your lungs. Your doctor may order spirometry if you have wheezing, shortness of breath, or a cough.

    Our local Dorset cottage hospitals are wonderful, valuable NHS jewels in the crown. Long may they remain so.
    After quite a lengthy breathing test, probably lasting nearly an hour each, we decided to enjoy a visit to the beach.

    Our weight and height were checked and registered .

    Moh is slender , always has been and was 5’9″ when he was younger .. What a shock.. he is now 5’7 and a half

    My weight has yo yo’d for a few years , and my height used to be 5′ 4″ .. my previous registered height … I am now shrinking in height .. 5′ 1″.

    I knew I has having problems reaching up to my kitchen shelves , but to lose 3″ is terrifying .

    Have any of you measured your height recently? and are you amazed/ happy/ shocked or what?

    4. I was 5′ 4″ in my prime and now no more than 5′ 2″. I used to wear high heels too and now mostly wear flats except for the high heeled boots which live in the church crypt/vestry these days as my cassock is now too long.

      2. 6′ 2½” was the highest at which I was measured. I am now 6′ 0″ on a good day and have lost at least two inches.

        Rather reminds me of the scene in Antony and Cleopatra when Cleopatra’s handmaids – Iras and Charmian – are joking with Mardian – the eunuch – and the Soothsayer. Charmian is trying to get her fortune told so she asks the Soothsayer about how many children she will have to which the Soothsayer says:

        If every of your wishes had a womb,
        And fertile every wish, a million.

        which makes the point that Shakespeare could write some pretty witty lines when he wanted to!

        On the subject if ‘”inches” this exchange in the same scene always amused those members of my class with a prurient sense of humour:

        Soothsayer (To Charmian and Iras): Your fortunes are alike.
        Iras: But how, but how? Give me particulars.
        Soothsayer: I have said.
        Iras: Am I not an inch of fortune better than she?
        Charmian: Well, if you were but an inch of fortune better than I, where would you choose it?
        Iras: Not in my husband’s nose.

    5. A long time ago a relative had to handle an inquiry about NHS cutbacks as the complainant’s new prosthetic legs were 4 inches shorter than his last pair (presumably to save money.) Enquiries were made and the explanation given was the new prosthetics were commensurate with the chaps change in body height……

    7. Last time I was measured, I was only 5′ 3″. I used to be 5′ 4.5″ (I am the runt of my family, other members being over 6′ and even my mother was 5′ 8″). I expect I will have shrunk further since then, given I have severe degeneration in my lower vertebrae. That means I am even shorter for my weight than before!

      1. My waistline has expanded, not so much for gaining weight as for losing height. There’s less of me to squeeze the weight into.

    8. When my height was last measured a year or two ago I was about 2″ shorter than I had thought. I thought young people were taller these days. No, it’s that I’m now shorter.

    9. I haven’t measured my height or weight – I used to be 5’4″ but I’m probably less than that now. Last measured when I was having radiotherapy treatment I think, about 25 years ago, or maybe the second bout about 12 years ago. I had bone density scans at that time as well. They were normal.
      My mother certainly lost a bit of height in her last years. Here’s the final photo of my mum with me, but you can’t see the difference in height there as she’s closer to the camera. We used to be the same height. I’ve lost some weight since I cut down on carbs earlier on this year and I feel much better for it, but how much weight I don’t know. My size 14 trousers are very loose fitting now.

      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8316fd695c34f54521725e041fc1fcbddf5cf39f3e07614f14480a39f0f6c3b5.jpg

      1. Bugger! Reading this thread I thought I’d better check on my current height. I’ve been 5′-10½” all my adult life. Just discovering that I have now shrunk to 5′-9½” (bare-foot, of course) makes me realise why I thought my younger siblings were on growth hormones. I now know they are not. I look forward to them eventually shrinking down to my (new) level.

        1. I think this height reduction must be a normal part of ageing. Probably compression of the spinal discs and membranes.

          1. I remember mum telling me that her dad was a ramrod-straight tall chap in his youth. I only knew him as a hunched, chimp-like old man.
            I wonder if I have inherited some of those simian genes?

    10. I had a spirometry test a couple of months ago and when measured had lost 4cm. I used to be 6’6” (198cm) but now am about 6’4” (194 cm). My breathing difficulties started in June 2020 when they’d stoped doing any test involving breathing. I’ve had a couple of CT scans in the past 5 months, x-Ray, Echo cardiogram and an assortment of inhalers but to no effect. It transpires that when I had my atrial ablation it in 2014 the X-Ray showed I had mild scoliosis and degenerative vertebrae in the thoracic spine. I was never told about that.
      The Respiratory Consultant, probably the most informative and enquiring I’ve ever seen, is asking radiology if they can determine if the scoliosis and degeneration have worsened. He also found I had a 12mm ‘glass’ nodule in one of my lungs which he’ll monitor everyb6 months.
      He cannot find any reason for the shortness of breath and has referred me to cardiology. I await the call.
      Meanwhile I’ll carry oh breathing if not as well as I should.

    12. I have lost one and a half inches. I have gone from 5’5″ and a half to 5’4″. As we get older the spaces between our vertebrae compress.

    13. I had a somewhat heated discussion with the nurse at our doctors surgery when she took two of my height inches and added them to my girth inches.

  52. The West can no longer rely on the global South. 11 September 2023.

    Again, just as the African Union is largely a collection of states vehemently silent on Russia’s war against Ukraine, whilst also increasing trade and security dependencies to Beijing, the new Brics – Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE – are all largely supporters of Moscow, with varying defence agreements, pacts, weapons sales and strategic agreements already long established.

    Thus both the recently enlarged G20 and the Brics are no longer representing the shared values many in the west hold – the respect of the rule of law; human rights; and liberal democracy. These institutions are increasingly coming under Russian and Chinese influence, and as such, the west must start to relearn how to act unilaterally of these institutions when its shared values and interests are being threatened.

    This is just a roundabout way of saying, these people have woken up. They no longer believe what we say. They see what we have done to the Middle East and they don’t want it for themselves. Ukraine to them is just another exercise in hypocrisy.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/09/11/the-west-can-no-longer-rely-on-the-global-south/

    1. I agree, but the BRICS thing is much over-stated. Apart from India, the rest are going nowhere.

        1. I don’t think that we need to commit ourselves to any one nation. There are loads out there. Add up the trade with the smaller ones and they come to a fair sum.

  56. You must authenticate the user or provide author_name and author_email In red box

    Any ideas, how to defeat it

    1. I’ve had that occasionally and it’s very annoying. I think I managed to get out of the cycle of Capchas only by shutting down my laptop and reloading everything including disqus.

      I don’t get emails from disqus – you can turn them off in settings.

    2. Shutting down and opening a new session tends to settle that. Sometimes it seems to be because I have other things open in Safari and it stops when I shut everything else down. I don’t think it’s possible to authenticate the user etc?

    3. You can subvert by pressing the ‘read in discussion’ button, (which from memory is just next to the ‘reply’ button) which will take you to that point on the blog, and you can reply on the blog page as you normally would.

  57. Afternoon, all. It’s a case of ave atque vale, I’m afraid, as I have to go to the PCC tonight. Fight the good fight! I’m getting a lift with our former director of music for mutual support. Thanks to everyone for their good wishes for my birthday (Saturday).

    This govenment is timid because it’s following orders not to be bold (and, indeed, not to do anything that would, in any way, shape or form, benefit the UK).

      1. And from me Conners and also 365 Happy Unbirthdays in the coming years, for you, the horses and the pack of hounds

        1. Thanks, OLT. The dogs are curs, not hounds, though 🙂 The (race)horses have been quite successful lately, I’m pleased to say. A winner and a second on Thursday.

  59. Please will you all take a positive view of last nights weather’

    It was not “A Thunderstorm”, it was a “Free Car Wash”

  60. A race to the bottom with a boxed ticked virtue signalled blek in the driving seat.
    https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-12498989/John-Lewis-losses-set-narrow-despite-triple-whammy.html?ico=mol_desktop_money-newtab&molReferrerUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fmoney%2Findex.html&_ga=2.116048257.68697844.1691909260-376012276.1636833822&_gl=1*1o3rrmm*_ga*Mzc2MDEyMjc2LjE2MzY4MzM4MjI.*_ga_XE0XLFFF16*MTY5NDQ0NTc4Ni4xNzY2LjEuMTY5NDQ0NTg5NC4wLjAuMA..

    1. Clearly this person is too young /ignorant to know that a Royal Commission is defined as: a good way of doing nothing slowly…..

  63. NHS envy of the world?

    I’ve just had a consultant examination late this afternoon. All is well, but he’d like to double check something to be certain, so prescribed an MRI scan.
    On the way home I went to the clinic to try to book, thinking it would be months ahead and was pleasantly surprised to be offered the first week in October. And because it isn’t the NHS that’s this year, not next.

    All the paperwork and instructions and prescriptions for necessary blood tests were produced there and then. I can get them filled in good time.
    As soon as it’s done I can arrange a follow up with the consultant directly.

    I’m convinced that being proactive, as they are, that it actually reduces waiting lists by nipping problems in the bud.

    2. I registered a complaint with my GP practice. It has taken well over a month for a response. They didn’t address the complaint only my last prostate test. Which was clear.
      The letter states that i have been added to the triage list for today, whatever that means. No suggestion i turn up or that they will phone.
      The complaint was that i was put on a list and a Doctor would call. I was put on the wrong list and didn’t receive a call. I called again and the receptionist apologised and then did absolutely nothing.
      This has been ongoing since May.

      I feel a brick through the window with a note attached might wake them from their slumber.

      1. As I can’t walk far, I’ve been trying to obtain a blue badge. It was impossible on line I printed a letter and handed it in for my GP to try.
        A month later nothing but an acknowledgement of my request.
        You/one, must also remember that this situation is an arranged NHS government plan to implement FOAD.

        1. You have to keep pushing, Paul. Ring up the county council that issues the things. Insist you have an assessment (once the professionals get a look at you, you should get a badge within the hour!).

    3. Are you in the UK ?

      Our neighbour has been back in the UK for MRI and consultation.
      She’s been told she needs a hip replacement. She has private medical insurance.
      But she doesn’t have time at the moment she’s booked in for January 2024. Off to her home Cape Town for most of December.
      Meanwhile her neighbour, has had two appointments cancelled this year was told 3 years ago he needs a knee replacement. But because he had underlying health problems the private sector on behalf of the NHS were unable to carry out an operation.
      Appointment this Friday. I expect the excuses bible will have been studied.

          1. Indeed.
            But even here there are grumblings as in many areas getting onto a GP’s books can be difficult, due to a shortage of generalists.

          3. Logically, given that the major part of the increase is in the under 30’s, the pressures should not be so great.

    4. My GP requested an MRI scan and was told I can only have an X ray! No doubt eventually, if I keep pushing, I’ll get a scan, but the problem will be a lot worse by then.

  64. Alas, folks, con te partiro’. I have to go and gird up my loins for the fray this evening at the PCC. May be back later.

      1. Praying is a bit of a sore point, given I’ve had a spat with the rectorette about the “act of worship” we are supposed to lead at the start of the PCC meeting. I’ve just checked the minutes and it says a “short act of worship … this could be creative“. This bears no relationship to the rectorette’s email diktat.

        1. One sort of “creativity” might be to suggest how the parish could run WITHOUT an incumbent…

          That’d larn her!

          1. We have already pointed out that during the interregnum we managed to pay our full parish share, but now, under her “leadership”, we no longer can.

          1. We’ve had a rather stormy meeting, but the finances are dire and unlikely to improve until the situation is rectified – or rectorified, perhaps. We didn’t get through all the agenda (again) because 5 minutes were spent in the rectorette show prayer. Neither did we end with the grace, as is customary. We had the modern Lord’s Prayer (which I ignored and said the traditional one) plus more rectorette showboating. I did point out as a point of order at the beginning that an act of worship wasn’t on the agenda so we shouldn’t be doing it and was ignored for my pains of trying to keep to the protocol. Apparently, a group of parishioners are meeting together to pray that she’ll move on! The Lord works in a mysterious way, but his mills will have to grind rather faster or we’ll be bankrupt.

          2. Hopefully the dear lady will get the message/be given the message and move on. I loathe all this modern stuff within the church which is why, after my teenage rebellion which lasted 30 years I never returned to the church – I returned searching for solace and comfort in tradition, and was met with jarring language and modernity. All part of the Marxist plan to ’empty the churches’ – is that perhaps what your rectorette is all about and the possible bankruptcy on the horizon, I’m not saying it is deliberate on her part but was she chosen because of her annoying, stubborn manner and her ineptness, I wonder?

          3. It did make me wonder if that were the Bishops’ intentions – to close the church and decommission the listed building. Even she (not known for perception of others’ feelings) did acknowledge that there was a feeling of “us and them” in the PCC! Ironically (because she wanted to do away with the BCP services) she had to admit that the Wednesday BCP service had increased its congregation. She wants the church to be “everything to everybody”. It’s more likely to be nothing to nobody. She came over as a different person at interview. She’d researched it well and performed well. It turns out it was all a lie; despite being told we had a strong musical tradition, almost the first thing she did was get rid of the choir and constructively dismiss the Director of Music. Next, she ditched the trappings of traditional church (despite admitting at a PCC meeting that it was a traditional church). She “binned the chasuble”, didn’t take the bible into the centre of the church and didn’t turn to the east for the creed. Consequently, she has alienated about three quarters of the congregation with the consequent loss of revenue.

  65. That’s me for this day of relaxation after two days driving. Back to the real world tomorrow – guess what? Seeing nurse at 8.30.

    Have a spiffing evening.

    A demain.

  66. Has an unwanted kiss ever received as much publicity as that at the Women’s World Cup football final in Sydney, Australia over three weeks ago? It’s still a major topic of conversation on Sky Sports News right now.

    1. I’ve got loads you can have, they mostly go to waste unless passers by pick them……………………oh I get it now!

          5. Down the cracks between the containers, plenty of room.

            Is the freezer organized right down to the bottom or is that just organized on the surface? Impressive!

          6. Underneath is full of meat, frozen veg and milk oh and more GF bread (I make loads when the sun shines and lecky is free)

          8. Yessss…… I do see what you mean…. but I can see a couple of gaps there you could shove a few in, inside polybags…. shoving being my preferred method of organising the freezer, closing the door quickly before they try to escape! Yours does look a very well organised freezer though. Our freezer is a third of the fridge size and is an integral part on top of the fridge. It is surprising how much it will contain when persuaded.

          9. I could always just drop them in so they mix with all the peas and sweetcorn lying in the bottom 😊
            Yes most containers are stews etc and are dated so I use them in order

    3. I’m just starting to capture apple’s for my annual cider making process. Problem is mobility. Deliveries welcome.

    4. I’ve finally got around to freezing the damsons a friend gave me on Wednesday. Some of them were no longer useful, shall we say. I did, however, manage to salvage some to freeze, so when the Rayburn is lit jam making will be on the agenda for a while (I have plum, damson and raspberry to deal with).

  68. Haven’t seen any Wordlers posts, so…

    Par today.

    Wordle 814 4/6

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

    1. Five here

      Wordle 814 5/6

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

    2. Me too.

      Wordle 814 4/6

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

    3. OK. Here you are

      Wordle 814 4/6

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

      I was right off track on my third guess.

  69. I’ve just seen the COVID BA 2.86 virus on BBC TV News.
    It has green spikes some of which are flashing flourescent orange. 🤔

  70. Rishi Sunak says he told China actions to undermine British democracy are ‘completely unacceptable’ 11 September 2023.

    UPDATE: Sunak said:

    The sanctity of this place must be protected and the right of members to speak their minds without fear or sanction must be maintained.

    We will defend our democracy and our security.

    So I was emphatic with Premier Li that actions which seek to undermine British democracy are completely unacceptable and will never be tolerated.

    I also emphasised the UK’s unyielding commitment to human rights and I was clear on the importance of maintaining stability and international law as the basis for stable relations.

    It so the home of a gang of Liars, Thieves, Cowards and Traitors!

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2023/sep/11/china-spy-suspect-downing-street-government-rishi-sunak-keir-starmer-latest-politics-updates-live

    1. Strange statement from Fishy because Premier Li was not in attendance as far as I have read.

      The take away from the summit of the G20 was surely that Modi and his ministers exhibited diplomacy, something the UK, once supreme, has lost since Blair.

      The other lesson I suppose is that the UK is in serious decline both in diplomatic relevance but also in terms of its relevance as a world power either militarily or economically.

      A once great nation has finally been traduced under a supposedly conservative government. I level my hatred at our politicians and hope they meet justice for their betrayal of our great country.

      The obvious mistake has been the attachment of our politicians to the worst US administration in its entire history and blind adherence to its mad policies. Foremost of these has been the stupid decision to supply our armaments to Ukraine.

      The pretence that the offensive in Ukraine is sustainable is a lie. There is to be no pause just a Russian victory and submission by Zelensky (if his own people have not executed him by then).

    2. I’m not sure, particularly after the past 20 (?) years, that the Chinese need to bother themselves with undermining British democracy.
      Our own politicians have made pretty good fist of it.

  71. Just back from a wonderful, relaxing, break with family in N.Carolina, now back to reality!!
    Has anyone heard from Ann (Lotl) this past week? Have been wondering how she is doing.
    Now to catch up on all that I have missed, such a peaceful time being without news media or laptops blathering all over the place!!

  72. I have received the following from the Electoral Commission following my request to have a ‘None of the Above’ box on the bottom of every ballot paper.

    The Commission considered the issue of positive abstention in 2014/15 as part of our review of Standing for election in the United Kingdom.
    Our position as set out in our 2015 report remains that while including a positive abstention option might increase participation, it could also undermine the electoral process the purpose of which is to elect a candidate to elected office by discouraging engagement with the candidates standing for election.

    We do not therefore believe that positive abstention be included as an option on ballot papers, nor do we have any immediate plans to revisit the issue. Our corporate plan highlights the areas of work that the Commission will be prioritising in the five year period between 2022/2023 – 2026/2027.

    The Electoral Commission has a statutory function to keep electoral matters under review and to make recommendations about potential improvements. However, responsibility for UK electoral policy and legislation rests with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). The form of ballot papers used at UK general elections is prescribed in legislation, which would need to be amended by the UK Government and approved by the UK Parliament if a positive abstention option were to be introduced.

    Contact details for DLUHC are shown below.
    Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
    2 Marsham Street
    London SW1P 4DF
    United Kingdom
    Tel: 030 3444 0000
    correspondence@levellingup.gov.uk
    Kind regards
    Mark Nyack
    Public Information

    We know that Parliament will never vote it through because they’re all terrified of finding out in black and white what the public really think of them

    3. Can you imagine the confusion when the house majority is “None of the Above”?
      With disillusioned voters everywhere, the hold your nose and vote for the least obnoxious approach might be best.

      In a recent survey, the only demographic group supporting Trudeau was apparently the over seventy fives. They must have been Pol.ing in dementia care homes.

  74. Good evening all.
    After Saturday night at Ribblehead and last night at Garsdale, I’m now in Appleby.
    Done a little bit of walking and taken a few photographs.
    Saturday evening stroll to Bleamoor Signal Box:-
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c3ec8f8c07a363ec4683ba99e09305776f5a9bb46052c8aaeb82ffb2bae0a721.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/70cbd37ef882b82d184dcfe795cb7bf272255738dec0846cb911400a3f5886ab.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/23519eda503e07631b520f0b079d4527cb4d026efd32f2bafed69119aa289dae.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1eef04104ba262c1c7532c5414b0222d8f5c709213082e7606b6d1e659819412.jpg

    Got up to pump bilges at 01:00 and was greeted by this:- https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/58b7f7de359bfacc5c1a374409354098c69290d6f6bd90e5c6fce5d5182669d2.jpg
    And an absolutely clear star studded sky!

    And when I did get up:-
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a5161653fe840419152290e6ccdf0ab1cef2e1611ae8db738a47f76b14310b1b.jpg

        2. Hundreds of railway builders (“navvies”) lost their lives building the line, from a combination of accidents, fights, and smallpox outbreaks. In particular, building the Ribblehead (then Batty Moss) viaduct, with its 24 massive stone arches 104 feet (32 metres) above the moor, caused such loss of life that the railway paid for an expansion of the local graveyard.

          Memorials along the line, especially those at St Mary’s Church Outhgill and St Leonards’ Church, Chapel-le-dale commemorate the lives of some of the men who died building the line.

          I am so shocked by the death toll .., really and truly shocked , male population must have been decimated .

  75. At 18.30 this evening , Jack my 15 years 6 months working cocker spaniel entered a gentler space , and joined many other friends over the Rainbow Bridge .

    He has declined in health greatly over the past week, and last night had a terrible time gasping for breath and drinking water excessively .

    We kept him cool during the heat wave , fan and cool areas of the house .. He was on heart medication and antibiotics , but sadly he deteriorated and this evening we let him go. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e917e72a6382e529259f4cce5ce6d3be69a7e5542d165c4cb1538eab1c5872b2.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d451c0ce87993dc5c7fd4748672ee098f732376611274ad349fe90fd012ea89f.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0d8a8994f69651abddfeb6bd946ebce171cd9aaa4e4b15940c7281f21e433af6.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/77ec2e2b6592db9a27ab80263d90f3232d67aac73cece34415e4d060b9c91ef6.jpg

    1. My sympathy, Maggie.
      I know how devastated you’ll, no matter how much you’ve been expecting it..

    4. So sad to hear Maggie, 15 years and sixth months is probably some sort of a record. They are such lovely dogs, so appreciative and tuned in to human life.
      xxx.

    5. Oh Belle, I am so sorry to hear this, you must be devastated. The next few days and weeks are going to be so difficult for you. The worst time is entering the house for the first time without the beloved companion. Once you get over the immediate, raw grief you will come to realise that though he is not here, he is everywhere you are.

      I think the heat gets to them, makes their bodies work harder and less efficiently. We lost Poppie at the end of the hot week in mid-June. My condolences on losing your faithful, much loved family member.

    6. Maggie, so sorry to read that, they do become such loved members of the family. Memories of every pet we have had over the years have always remained with us.

    8. Sorry to hear this Maggie, that’s a good age and although he’d been bad for some time it must still be hard for you – be strong, our thoughts are with you

    12. Sometimes it is for the best – not that it is any easier for you.

      My poor old cat was part of our lives for ten years, I still miss her.

      1. Charlie was with me for 17 years. I’m still sad and miss him. Kadi is doing his best to take over his mantle, but it’s not the same. Oscar couldn’t care less and is his own dog.

    15. Oh, Maggie! How sad. Still you gave him a lovely life and gave him a peaceful end. Remember the good times. RIP

    16. Our thoughts are with you.

      To adapt and borrow from Elvis Presley:

      And if dogs have a heaven there’s one thing you know
      Old Jack has a wonderful home!

    19. So sorry Belle – not unexpected but still a sad loss. Did he go naturally at home or at the vets?
      We’ve all had to make that sad decision – it’s never easy but you’ll never forget him.

      1. Our Vet tenderly guided Jack ‘s journey into eternity .

        We all knew it was time to say goodbye , and I really believe he thought , please now .

        Jack was finding it very difficult to move around in the last 24 hours , and his lungs were so congested , his tumour had expanded in his pleural cavity , lumps and bumps , and the antibiotics hadn’t really worked in his sinuses .

        He had a strong heart to the end , but his lungs were finished .

        We kept him cool in the heat wave , he was sleeping longer , still eating and loving a chopped up strawberry and cream as a treat, or licking a yoghurt pot , enjoying cooked salmon or chicken .

        Pip is very quiet , too quiet , he has been looking for Jack.

        He was reluctant to go out in the garden on his own this morning , the pair of them would sniff out the cats or hedgehog movements from the night before .

        Oh well, so be it , and Amen and all that.

    20. Oh Belle, I’m so sorry to hear that. You must be devastated. He had the best life and he’ll be much missed. The pain of the loss is terrible, but the memories of his 15+ years will live on in your hearts, and eventually make you smile again. Thinking of you and sending my love and best wishes. 🌹

    21. I’m sorry, Belle. That’s really sad. But he had a grand life, living with somebody who loves him as much as you do.

    22. It’s so sad to say good-bye to a much loved pet. I’m sure he had a good life with you. Condolences.

    23. What lovely photos, especially the last one – what a lively pair! He did live to a good age, didn’t he. You must be heartbroken to have lost another faithful friend.

      1. Hello BB2,

        Jack was my shadow , he wasn’t clingy , but he was always there , by the loo door , waiting at the gate , cocked his eye open when asleep next to my chair , was stoic, clever , not a fuss pot, honest , had a sense of time , breakfast and supper time , hinting to me , come on get on with it .

        He wasn’t yappy. He was good fun and a great companion .

        Pip the younger dog( 10 years old) is very confused , he is searching for Jack, and seems very unsettled, both dogs were the best of friends , no squabbles or jealousy .

        I feel so empty at the moment .

  76. Northbound Flying Scotsman about to go into Bleamoor Tunnel:-
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bf3e6b176ffbe24a4af55d3c8f3b04e34d42ce66604f36c9af1b7256337b6067.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/65ceb1d81a14886248d522449dae9e63885eab505ad37309b618fac52ff45288.jpg
    And the Southbound approaching Ais Gill Summit:-
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d393179e33248a8d067b3e094adf75ac680e2a6faf21cf8aa3f071aa9e5afaa0.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6bf0c5f36809043d338755661285a5fc0637d6315d63fee3828100c552b78699.jpg

    And a couple for Grizz:-
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e379951ba3c8ddd43b4703584d1b139a025077264526d23d1d2a75fd14fb47b4.jpg
    That was at the aqueduct just before the tunnel.

    And this bugger followed me for a quarter mile on my walk from Pendragon Castle!!
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1c9e389eb72548801d30365ec737b9e6e6cbebf82245e35a6649369d233c18c9.jpg

  78. Well, prepping for the end of another year of my life that seems to have passed very quickly.
    And I won’t be standing outside at 19:30 tmz taking my clothes off.
    I’ll leave to yall to work out.
    Good night all. 😉

  80. Dogs are better company than the bourgeoisie

    The sheer awfulness of our progressive middle class is on full display at the Albert Hall this time every year

    TIM STANLEY • 10 September 2023 • 8:13pm

    The Last Night of the Proms has become a study in middle-class neurosis. But before I mine that lucrative seam, let me tell you about the Wallace Collection, in London.

    The Wallace has put on a lovely exhibition of dog paintings – which is to say, paintings of dogs, not by dogs, though I’d pay to see that – including David Hockney’s sausages and various royal companions. The inscription introducing the latter contains this now obligatory bit of politics: Queen Victoria was presented “with a Pekinese named Looty, which had been plundered from Beijing’s Summer Palace by British soldiers in 1860”. The dogs that were once carried in the voluminous sleeves of Chinese eunuchs “became souvenirs of brutal colonial conquest”.

    I think they’ve done rather well out of it, don’t you? It’s not as if we sent them up chimneys. The average Peke is now overfed, underexercised and running rings around a wealthy owner called Edith or Blanche, and there’s no obvious means of reparation for their historical kidnap. What does the Wallace want us to do? Send all our Pekes back to China by return of post?

    There is neither logic nor comfort in liberal guilt, for it is the bottomless panic of people who have lost confidence in themselves and their society. Yet it’s always present at the edge of public life, interrupting our pleasures like a wasp at a picnic. The Last Night, for instance, is now difficult to enjoy on its own terms. The music was sublime; the broadcast, irritating.

    The BBC is riven with anxiety about its purpose, yet convinced it is indispensable as the interpreter of culture to the masses. Hence, it plugged the minutes between performances with commentary by the appealing Sandi Toksvig, who entertained us with facts of the “Tchaikovsky had a beard!” variety, interspersed with warnings that she might cry or even dance. The BBC will love that: it’s sold on the theory that viewers are so witless that they must not only be told what a piece of art is, but how to respond to it. I gave up on the Wallace audio guide when Mary Beard starting talking about how the hounds of antiquity make her feel.

    Meanwhile, expectation was building in the Albert Hall for The Speech. You know it’s coming. You know what’ll be in it. It could be about the environment or race, but it’s always the same. We’ve heard it at sports events, royal concerts and ordinations; I’m sure it has replaced the clown at upscale children’s parties.

    Conductor Marin Alsop told us that the classical scene “has made strides towards a more inclusive experience”, but that we still “live in a world where in some places women are denied an education [and] basic human rights”. Don’t be “depressed”, she said, for now is the moment to “link arms” and celebrate “equality, art, diversity, representation” and “joy”.

    Music, of course, has always been political; the politics goes in and out of style. Had Alsop spoken in 1860, she would have congratulated Queen Victoria on rescuing those Pekes from Fu Manchu. Were it Moscow in 1930, she’d have urged us to work harder towards the Five Year Plan.

    Groupthink pushes us to see everything through a narrow lens of contemporary obsession, but is the history of art really a celebration of equality and diversity? I’m not sure Wagner was very interested in how many transvestites there were in his brass section – and there are other motivating passions in life; religion, sex, money, or madness.

    Yes, there is a tragic lack of women’s rights in some countries, but what does Alsop want us to do about it? Arm the BBC Symphony Orchestra and invade Afghanistan? America tried that. Didn’t work. If the middle class feels guilty about how unequal humanity is, that’s partly a tribute to its diversity – for Islamists, Chinese communists and African warlords have their own local takes on human rights, and we wouldn’t want to go all colonial and tell them what to do.

    Moreover, name-dropping equality and diversity at every cultural event can actually erode one’s joy. Just when we’re starting to lose ourselves in the brushwork or the bowing, The Speech drags us back into the psychodrama of the bourgeoisie.

    The saddest thing is, they think we are listening. Most of us use The Speech as an opportunity to put the kettle on or slip out of the theatre to catch an early train. But someday, someone will start to give The Speech and the audience will boo – because they’ve paid good money to listen to Mozart, not your views on renewable energy.

    The Speech ended, the audience sang Jerusalem, and out came the European flags. Apparently, activists distributed them to audience members as they arrived, which explains how they got there, but not why any sane individual would wave them. They didn’t do it when we were in the EU. What is the relevance now we are out?

    And why can we not just have a moment of mindless patriotism without it being compromised by the fixations of the overeducated?

    Perhaps because one of the qualities of the bourgeoisie is that we do overthink things, tangling ourselves up in our theories and fashionable causes, unable simply to be.

    This is why I prefer the uncomplicated company of dogs to my own class of people. As Hockney said of his dachshunds, they have only two interests: “Food and love. In that order.”

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/09/10/dogs-are-better-company-than-the-bourgeoisie/

    The only conductor in the last 30-odd years to properly enter into the spirit was Andrew Davis. If he ever thought it was a load of old cobblers he didn’t show it. One year he gave the speech in song to the tune of G&S’s ‘Modern Major General’. There was a man who knew what the Last Night was about – or, perhaps, who it was for.

    1. “we still “live in a world where in some places women are denied an education [and] basic human rights”” I don’t suppose for a moment that the dominating force in those places was mentioned.

    2. “once carried in the voluminous sleeves of Chinese eunuchs “became souvenirs of brutal colonial conquest”.”

      I suppose there was nothing brutal or wrong surrounding the eunochs…

  81. Bonsoir, mes amis, me voici de retour, sauf et sain. It was a lively meeting. Even the rectorette (who is not known for appreciating how other people feel because she has no empathy whatsoever) sensed that we were hostile!

      1. Alas! I suspect it will be a Pyrrhic victory. We need the rectorette to go before she bankrupts us and we shan’t be able to recover from the scorched earth policy.

    1. Thanks for the birthday wishes and mention.
      It’s early for me one hour before sunrise 🌅 before the 6:30 sunrise.
      But I can whole heartedly assure you all, I will not be standing out side at 19:23 this evening taking my clothes off.
      Thanks Richard and Caroline for presentation.
      I have a very old Eddie Cochran LP somewhere.
      I always liked his song about raising a fuss and a holler,
      because he had to work all summer just to raise a dollar.
      And will it rain ☔ on my birthday?
      Oh yes my family 👪 don’t call me rainman for no reason. 🤗

      1. Happy Birthday Eddy and of course happy 365 Unbirthdays, ’til the next Anniversary of your arrival

        1. I was born in a nursing home right at the top of Hampstead Heath. Now a gated private residence. My parents lived in Hendon.

    2. Thanks for the birthday wishes and mention.
      It’s early for me one hour before sunrise 🌅 before the 6:30 sunrise.
      But I can whole heartedly assure you all, I will not be standing out side at 19:23 this evening taking my clothes off.
      Thanks Richard and Caroline for presentation.
      I have a very old Eddie Cochran LP somewhere.
      I always liked his song about raising a fuss and a holler,
      because he had to work all summer just to raise a dollar.
      And will it rain ☔ on my birthday?
      Oh yes my family 👪 don’t call me rainman for no reason. 🤗

  83. More than 23,000 migrants have now crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year, according to official figures.

    It comes after 1,034 people were rescued in 18 dinghies in just three days from Friday to Sunday during the September heatwave before being brought ashore in Dover, sending the total for this year to 23,103.

    Images show young male asylum seekers queuing today to go into the Atrium Hotel in Feltham next to London Heathrow. Numerous former hotels have been taken over by the Home Office to house asylum seekers.

    On Saturday, 425 people crossed in seven boats, suggesting an average of around 61 people per vessel.

    On Sunday, six inflatables carrying 389 passengers arrived in temperatures of above 30C, with an even higher average of around 65 people in each dinghy.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12505431/Now-23-000-migrants-crossed-English-Channel-year-asylum-seekers-seen-queuing-hotel.html

  84. Good night, chums. Today I managed some washing whilst the weather was still dry. For the rest of the day I took it easy. Sleep well.

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