886 thoughts on “Monday 16 December: This election result underscored the value of parliamentary democracy”

    1. Good morning OB

      What a fine ending to a turbulent week.. and a fresh start , we all hope .

      Blueprint for Boris’s Britain: Prime Minister is set to put border control, the NHS and investment in the North at heart of his plans for government
      Boris Johnson will welcome 109 new Tory MPs to Westminster tomorrow
      Key new policies include £100billion Northern infrastructure fund, £34billion extra funding for the NHS and greater schools funding
      Home Office could be split in to with new department focussing on borders
      Will also complete minor reshuffle to fill Culture and Wales Secretary vacancies
      Huge shake-up set for February, with up to a third of existing ministers culled

      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7795239/Prime-Minister-Boris-Johnson-puts-border-control-NHS-Northern-investment-heart-plans.html

  2. Up early to take the DT to the station for the train to her mother’s, so just myself and the last SaH until Friday.
    Lovely start from BBC R3, 2nd movement of Gerald Finzi’s Concerto for violin and small orchestra. Beautiful.
    Now they’re playing Johannes Brahms, Der Gartner, Op.17 no .3

    1. ‘Morning, BoB. Yes, the Finzi was a delightful start to the day. Contrast that with the dreadful Toady – no contest! And I am so pleased to hear that the BBBBC (Bloated, Bigoted and Biased Broadcasting Corporation) may be about to have its collar felt by our new government. More power to their elbow!

  3. Good Morning, all

    SIR – I’m proud to be a Tory voter again. No longer will I have to pretend that I only take The Daily Telegraph for the crossword and the racing tips.

    Paula Atkinson
    Lutterworth, Leicestershire

    The DT’s racing tips are invaluable. Never put any money on Marlborough’s recommendations.

    1. Who remember Hotspur?
      I used his tips on the Liftshop Sweep at Eastleigh for a couple of months and never had a win!

          1. 😉
            Selective visual deafness, Bob.
            Morning – darker than the inside of a Cabinet minister here, even at 08:24…

          2. Good morning, B of B. I myself used to read the DT, but I never put the paper on a train to her/its mother like you just did.

            :-))

          3. The Dearly Tolerant, as I’ve said many times before!
            Hope you’re keeping well by the way!

          4. Never better, thanks, Bob. But the memory is gradually slowing down, hence my forgetting exactly what your DT stood for – I hope not to forget in future. I also struggle with some avatars, as I address them (e.g. Nagsman) as male when they are female (or is it the opposite). And however many times I read a post saying “Morning John” or “Morning Paul” I fail to remember their real name. One exception is Annie, who is obviously Anne Allen, but I may be mistaken; Bill Thomas seems to think her real name is The Pushy Nurse and that my real name is Harry instead of Elsie. I think I need to carry a little notebook and pen(cil) around with me to write these snippets of information down for future reference.

        3. Yo Ol

          and Adventure, Wizard, Wizard etc

          Alf Tupper, the Tough of the Track
          Wilson, who travelled by Time machine Double Decker bus

          They would be no good for the kids of today, it was all written stories… no pictures/cartoons

          1. As a small boy, I always looked forward to the monthly delivery of Playhour, rolled up, all the way from England to northern Nigeria. Noddy stories featured, as I recall – but then that was 50+ years ago.

          3. I seem to remember the secretive men in grey who went about killing bad people and often dying in the process.

        4. Compared to children’s comics today, the content of The Hotspur was quite advanced. Wasn’t it the one without picture panels for the stories?

          2. But of course, Annie (Good Morning, btw). It was the best of all comics ever. It came out in April 1950 almost 70 years ago, and dozens of avid readers will be celebrating on that special date next year at Southport in Lancs where Dan Dare was originally drawn by Frank Hampson and his team.

    2. BTL Comment on the Letters Page.

      Matthew Biddlecombe 16 Dec 2019 6:00AM
      Even though I voted Conservative in 2017 I didn’t return to the fold; I allowed myself to be conned by Theresa May and her claim that “Brexit means Brexit” and then watched her, along with the likes of Philip Hammond, Olly Robbins and John Bercow, try to destroy democracy and stop Brexit from happening. The election of Boris Johnson to lead the party after May’s resignation was a step in the right direction, but I needed more.

      Probably the two most important things for me, after Brexit, is for this government to repeal the Fixed Term Parliament Act (something I supported at the time but having witnessed how it made our Parliament so toothless and unable to move forwards with Brexit I now see that I was wrong to do so) and to enact the boundary reforms that should have been done years ago, but were prevented by Nick Clegg throwing his dolly, blankets and pillow out of the pram because he didn’t get his way on reformation of the Lords.

      There are other things too, such as the return of powers to local associations to select the best candidate for the job, not one that fits a particular gender, colour or religion. (John McDonnell has already said the next Labour leader should be a woman; no Mr. McDonnell, the next leader should be the best person available. If that is a woman then yes, but not at the expense of better qualified men). Also never again, when deselected by their local office, should Westminster over-ride that decision and allow the deselected candidate to stand in the subsequent by-election. The Conservative party, as with Labour and the LibDems, have become an elitist collection of London personnel totally removed from the people it purports to represent.

      This morning however, I wake up to the news that Conservative members are trashing Nigel Farage, accusing him of standing in the way of the Tories gaining a three-figure majority. For pit’s sake, what more could they have done with another twenty seats on their majority? That great footballer Matt Le Tissier was once asked why he turned down a move to Chelsea, where he could have earned two or three times more than Southampton could, replied by saying “what could I spend the extra money on? I can buy everything I want with what I get at my home club”. This news that some Conservative MPs are already laying into Farage is disturbing. Millions of voters were denied the opportunity to vote for The Brexit Party due to Farage pulling candidates out of areas where it was feared the Brexit vote would split. I wasn’t happy to be disenfranchised in this way, but I understood the reasons for doing so and begrudgingly accepted it (it still didn’t stop me from writing “The Brexit Party” across my ballot paper though!).

      The fact is, without Nigel Farage this country would now be heading down the road of federalism and, what I believe would end up being, destruction. I haven’t studied the results in those leave-[voting Labour constituencies, but I wonder how many of those Conservatives attending Westminster this morning are doing so thanks to the Brexit party taking Labour votes? The man has been immense in British politics for nearly two decades now, and those in the Conservative party would do well to contemplate that their position today is due in no small part to Farage and his refusal to be silenced or to walk away from his beliefs. It is not his ego that kept him going, but his love for the UK and his passion for democracy to be seen to b done.

      After reading today’s news of the attacks upon Farage, my return to the Conservatives has moved just a little further away.

      1. I thought that Nick Clegg threw a temper tantrum regarding boundary reforms because he didn’t get his way on changing the voting system from First Past The Post to Proportional Representation.

        1. It was actually because they wouldn’t agree to his proposals for politicising the House of Lords, so that it became a clone of the Commons. I’m pleased that neither “reform” went through.

          The whole point of boundary reform was to gerrymander the Commons in the Tories’ favour and deny Labour any prospect of ever again forming a Government unless they could break into the safe seats in the leafy Tory shires, previously the province of Liberals / Liberal Democrats (and has been so since 1974). The 2015 annihilation of Labour in Scotland and the 2019 Tory breakthrough with the Midlander and Northern working classes has now made this unnecessary.

      2. An excellent btl comment from Mr Biddlecombe, although I think he should give BoJo the opportunity to show us what he can (or can’t) do before he is condemned. We have much to thank NF for, of course, not the least of which was to set up a party that frightened the pants off Dodgy Dave…

      3. I do agree with you about Nigel Farage. He has done the Johnson Government no disservice by keeping the Labour Party over 200 MPs. Humiliation for the Opposition, certainly, but annihilation is dangerous and very much against the national interest.

        I argue that any Labour MP who can take on a Boris Northerner while under crossfire from Farage deserves their seat in the Commons. That goodness this election has weeded out the mediocrities dependent on their safe seats, at least somewhere.

        I also think we have been spared a traumatic experience for political YouTubers by keeping the Scottish Nationalists below 50 – Ruth Davidson in Loch Ness as a lesbian alt-Tory take on Santa Claus brings up horrible visions, and might even scare away the lake’s greatest tourist attraction.

      2. ‘Morning, Bob.

        You have to let them ripen in your fruit bowl for 2 – 3 days; then they are easy to peel.

      1. You mean like these:

        Two WPC dog handlers on the beat. One says “I’m cold I left my knickers at the station”. The other says ” Let the dog have a sniff of your fanny and he’ll fetch em”.
        The dog returned 20 mins later with her knickers, a truncheon, 2 broom handles and 3 of the desk sergeants fingers.

  5. SIR – Those of us who fondly remember Bernard Manning, Les Dawson and others on the northern comedy circuit will appreciate that their brand of comedy is sadly labelled politically incorrect nowadays.

    Po-faced, woke Labour supporters in London obviously don’t get it, but perhaps another reason for Boris Johnson’s success in the Midlands and the North is down to his occasionally risky banter and his sense of fun and mischief.

    Will Kenyon
    Nottingham

    It’s not just ‘comedy’ that is nauseatingly, stiflingly politically strangled by the left.

    https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1200×675/p02bzxyc.jpg

    2. Morning Z,
      This “left” is equally shared by the lab/lib/con coalition I take it, as they all
      adhere to the unwritten rulings of
      PC / Appeasement especially when applied to a certain ideology.

    3. Pantomimes have changed as well – we took the grandchildren to Robin Hood at Salisbury and it seemed to be all singing to pop songs, with very little of the banter, innuendo etc. that made it entertaining for the adults. I concluded it was because there were too many groups that could be offended. I think one of the characters may have been intended as transgender (not the dame) but I’m still not quite sure.

      The Messiah at Salisbury Cathedral was a much better way to end the day.

        1. No – the principal boy (Robin) was indeed male, it was his mate Alan/Ellen, (maid Marian’s sister) who appeared to be uncertain about her gender.

    4. The problem is the Left think they’re funny.

      The great thing about the British is we laugh at ourselves constantly. We like having men dressing up as women pretending to be men. It’s funny.

      Now of course people think such sacrosanct.

      1. You only have to catch ‘Have I Got News For You’ to understand that for the Left, sneering at Old, White Racists is the ultimate in humour and all that their tiny brains (Hislop and Merton) can manage.

          1. Which is why, Anne, I say if you ‘catch’.

            It only takes a glimpse in passing to peep and see if it’s got any better. The answer is always FUBAR.

    5. The strange things that come to mind; ‘twixt waking and sleeping, the thought came to me that we don’t see repeats of Dave Allen.
      Maybe he committed the cardinal sin of actually being funny.

    5. One could compare it to starting a new job in a junior position and then putting yourself forward to be the MD

      1. Unless she brings some very special skills to Westminster having a New MP as Leader does not seem very sensible. She will have little to no knowledge of the working of Westminster and no experience

  9. Britain’s trade with Russia to rise to huge £11billion

    TRADE between Russia and the UK could reach £11billion ($15billion) by the end of the year, the Russian Trade Representative to the UK announced today, despite the uncertainty surrounding the economy.

    According to Boris Abramov, the trade between the two countries should see a rise of eight percent by the end of this year as reported by Russian news agency, TASS. Speaking at the Russian-British Business Forum (RBBF) today, Mr Abramov made the announcement of the boosting bilateral trade between the two countries although he also added that this could be improved in the future.

    1. You JB

      Can you have a small £11billion

      Can you have a medium £11billion

      Can you have a averagel £11billion

      1. At present it is in part down to being in the EU but we go beyond what the EU requires

        If an EU national that have been in the UK for less then 6 months we are not required to give the free health care or any other benefits for that matter. They can though be treated on the NHS if they have a valid EHIC card. The NHS then should charge the cost back to that country. In practice the NHS does not it does not even ask for the EHIC card it just treats them the same as a UK Nation. It has been costing the NHS a fortune

    2. Accurate to 5 minutes! Wow, that’s clever.
      5 double Scotches… I couldn’t manage that any more :-((

      1. THat is very dangerous advice they are giving out there. Best to ignore it. If you have had a drink dont drive

    3. Pretty dangerous advice there. As it point out every one is different and all sort of factor can influence it. There is also a curve. Immediately after a drink the level be quite low. It then increases over a period of time and then starts to decline. You should not rely on that table above to determine if it is safe to drive the best bet is if you have had a drink to not drive until the next day. If you have been on a real bender into late night early morning though you are likely to be still over the limit in the morning

      1. ‘Morning, Minty, I too have been so pissed that, if I didn’t have the car, I don’t know how I’d have got home.

      2. Pre- Breathalyser presumably?

        If you need to drive the following day the answer is of course to start drinking much earlier in the day!

    5. When still working I used to avoid alcohol within 10 hours of starting a shift.
      But then we did have a sensible drugs & alcohol policy that Parliament could do well to copy.

      2. Morning Bob,
        Going on k vaz I do believe
        parliament to be more into the supply & demand department.

  13. Military cuts put Putin on war path: Russia sending submarines to UK at ‘Cold War levels’. Sun, Dec 15, 2019.

    VLADIMIR PUTIN has been sending submarines to waters surrounding the UK, and a former Admiral has told Express.co.uk that defence cuts and a lack of hard power have emboldened Russia to encroach on British seas.

    This is a “Vlad ate my Poodle” story. Unaware that the UK now owns the North Atlantic he has sent his submarines into the Ocean of all places. Who would ever have thought of it? Submarines/Ocean, non sequiturs.

    They have even rooted out a former Admiral; Lord Alan West to bemoan the state of the UK’s defences, “That’s why I believe we need robust forces to be able to counter this. We need to be able to track, monitor and show these Russian submarines that we are on top of them the whole time . Where was West one wonders when the cuts that led to this situation were mooted? Where were the rest of the Admirals when those two gigantic white elephant aircraft carriers were commissioned? What was required were resignations to express the Navy’s refusal to countenance such a policy. Alas the lure of office overcame any concern for the country’s security.

    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1217563/army-news-latest-uk-armed-forces-military-defence-cuts-navy-russia-vladimir-putin-spt

  14. How can we solve our Housing , NHS & Schools problem if we continue to allow totally uncontrolled migration to the UK. At the moment with housing we have somewhere between a 1M and 2M shortfall that is going to be a massive problem to overcome if we had zero net migration but with the current 400,000 a year it becomes an impossibility if we take non migration population growth into account we are looking at about 750,000 a year. Factor in high divorce rates and more single parent families etc and it is even worse

    1. It shows one sharp divide in politics in the real world. Those on the right disagree with others who don’t share their opinions and get on with life. Those on the left imprison, re-educate or exterminate those who won’t submit to their views.

      Yet they still wonder why so few people like them or vote for their ideology.

    2. Well, they have to be up against the wall, as there aren’t any seats (First Class or no First Class).

    3. I have always said the Swedes are more Teutonic* than the Germans.
      *An alternative spelling of fascist.

      1. I was married to one for 13 years and spent some time working and visiting Sweden.

        Although the language is close to German, the outlook is as Communist as you can get, without actually being run by the Politburo.

  16. A friend of mine from Basildon was Christmas shopping with his wife at Lakeside last year on Christmas Eve and the centre was packed.

    As his wife walked through the centre she was surprised to look up and see her husband was nowhere around. She was quite upset because they had a lot to do. Because she was so worried, she called him on her mobile to ask him where he was.

    In a calm voice, the husband said, “Darling, do you remember the jewellery store we went into about 5 years ago, where you fell in love with that diamond necklace that we could not afford and I told you that I would get it for you one day?”

    The wife, all choked up started to cry and said, “Yes, I remember that jewellery store.”

    He said, “Well, I’m in the pub right next to it.”

    1. 🙂 I would much rather be in a pub than sporting a diamond necklace.
      Many years ago, MB had a session of buying me jewellery; gradually, I got it through to him that there were other presents I much preferred.
      Books, for a start.

    2. War queen and I went shopping the other day in the tescos. Some woman drove a trolley in to me.

      I don’t know how the flip flop it happens. I’m 6’4 and about the same across. I am *impossible* to miss. It was packed, full of imbecilic halfwits vacantly wandering around aimlessly. Yet I fi get truly fed up and start pushing people aside rather than trying to slide past them it is somehow my fault.

      Aaarrg! I hate humanity! That seething mass of wailing, unfocussed raisin brained fools!

      1. Oh dear. I guess you to be about 8 years old. ANyone older knows better than to go grocery shopping this close to Xmass with all those women multi-tasking and on a tight schedule to get all the shopping done, turkeys, Cranberry sauce, mince pies and enough food and necessaries for a 6 month siege by the vikings. In such circumstances they have no time for men dithering about and a loaded trolley is an excellent bulldozer. I am pretty sure the extra staff Tescos etc have on are poised for the “Clear up in Isle 6” call knowing full well some poor bloke has strayed into what could literally be called “no Man’s Land”. Indeed, a year or so back some poor bloke was lucky to get away with merely a fractured hip.

        Of course, all this multi-tasking shopping frenzy doesn’t mean they will be any quicker remembering that they have to pay at the checkouts and will still take the mandatory 5 minutes to search for their purse, the clock starting only once they have arranged and re-arranged all their purchases in the trolley.

  18. Good morning, all. Late on parade. Decent night’s sleep for a change. Grey but mild in Laure.

    Bad losers still whinging, I gather. I honestly thought that that phenomenon would go – first seen in June 2016 – would disappear once we were back to normal elections. Just shows how little I know….

    1. ‘Morning, Hugh.

      Even better indeed. She’s like a constipated parrot constantly repeating left-wing sound-bites with not a single original thought in her head. & those glasses betray how dim she really is.

  20. So if I understand it correctly Extinction Rebellion want so called Green Energy and they want lower energy costs there is a basic contradiction there

  21. Police warning after man blows out car windscreen by lighting up a cigarette

    A smoker had a lucky escape after blowing out his car windscreen when he lit up a cigarette.
    Witnesses reported hearing an “enormous bang” as the car windows shattered and nearby buildings shook from the impact.
    The man had been spraying air freshener inside his vehicle, which was parked on a busy street in Halifax, West Yorkshire, before reaching for a smoke.
    Luckily, the driver managed to climb out of the battered car.
    He was treated by paramedics at the scene and escaped with only minor injuries.

  22. Christine Keeler drama will not give osteopath ‘easy way out’ as fact is he ‘groomed’ victims, James Norton says. 16 DECEMBER 2019.

    But a BBC drama about the events will no longer provide Ward with an “easy way out”, painting the society osteopath as someone who was generous and charming but who was guilty of “grooming” young women for sex with older men.

    Here is one of the many paradoxes of feminism. On the one hand women are autonomous beings fully equal to their male counterparts and on the other brainless morons who fall in with the plans of a louche poseur without so much as a “I don’t think so”.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/16/christine-keeler-drama-will-not-give-osteopath-easy-way-fact/

    1. ‘Morning, Minty.

      Looking forward to the drama. Let’s hope that the Beeb has the sound sorted.

    2. I think this a subliminal ‘See! We do/have done it too!’ manipulation from the bbc. It never stops trying, it never gives up painting the picture of no difference between the behaviour of Christian and muslim cultures. There is a very big difference though which they ensure we never observe – our Christian culture deplores the grooming of young women for sexual use by its own and when discovered it is judged and punished accordingly; muslim culture celebrates it with no judgment at all from its culture and scarcely any from ours.

      1. Worse, it will spend any amount of energy promoting the white molester where it took a vertiable fight to have them even acknowledge the grooming gangs. Even today there’s almost no coverage of the extent and mechanisation of the events, nor any critique of the public sector apathy, police arrogance – not a word.

        The BBC is completely biased.

    3. The whole “Me too” scenario has me getting hot under the collar.
      It represents men as the predators on delicate fragile vulnerable females but ignores the realities.
      Firstly, how do they account for so many marriages between people who were at school together or who worked together without some kind of flirting etc.

      And secondly men are not the only predators.

      I think that while many men might be out for a bit of fun the female of the species is a far more determined predator with a more long term objective. I expect there are a few blokes out there who ended up married without ever quite understanding how it happened.

      I can recall many incidents where if the truth were told I was the “victim”.

      Indeed, what really irked was once being hauled over the coals by the HR manager because I had said something in a presentation about being surprised that the girl Friday had got the point well ahead of the “sales engineers” (who should have been expected to get the point rather than the girl Friday, which was my point, if badly expressed). Now, I may not have been exactly tactful but the real issue was twofold. Firstly the Girl Friday was the object of one blokes obsession and outright sexual harassment and an over the top stereo type for the sort of behaviour women claim they are subjected to, but she never seemed to complain about that and secondly, the HR manager was a woman whose husband (who also worked there and that’s how they met) was also a notorious womaniser. But at a corporate do when we were at some restaurant with all the senior free-loaders (CEO etc)and seating was limited in the bar, she chose to sit on my knee (uninvited) – astride and , how can I say, wriggled.

      I can recount a good few such incidents but suspect that had it been me as the initiator I would have been locked up but the ladies could get away with pretty much anything.

      Now don’t get me wrong, I was not offended or upset at the behaviour just at how differently the behaviour would be treated. A classic case of some being more equal than others i suppose. To be honest, it was often enjoyable, if confusing to be trapped in the photocopier room with a very attractive blonde who chose to tell me all about how she had bruised herself at dance class and pulled up her blouse to show me her apparently unblemished ribs……
      I could understand if I were George Clooney or somesuch, I assure you I am not, and thus suspect that this sort of behaviour is far more prevalent than is admitted. Oh, and it doesn’t seem to change all that much as one gets older and theoretically less attractive……thank goodness.

    2. Good Lord, Maggie! By my calculations, this means that if the North Magnetic Pole keeps moving at its current speed then by the year 2433AD, it will have reached the South Magnetic Pole.
      :¬(

        1. True_Belle – There are things in life to worry about, but this is not one of them. The Planet is not tilting over because of the magnetic fields. 🙂 The magnetic poles have changed direction before and it is not the apocalypse that some doom-mongers portray it as. Even back at school I can remember one of our science teachers saying something about the iron in our planets core generates the magnetic field by moving / spinning and this changes over time. I’ve just looked it up from a more recent source:

          “Many times over our planet’s history, Earth’s magnetic poles have reversed, meaning that sometimes a compass pointing north will be aimed at Antarctica rather than the Arctic. This might sound strange, but it’s a relatively predictable quirk. Powered by the machinations of the planet’s spinning iron core, this process of geomagnetic reversal has been doing its thing without much fanfare for eons.”

          https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/01/earth-magnetic-field-flip-north-south-poles-science/

          1. Morning Meredith. It looks as if it’s going to reverse again in the near future (geologically speaking) but there are questions about its effects on humans!

          2. Well, it would explain the huge increase in the number of people being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

            ……. I’ll get me Lithium …..

          3. I can remember watching the great Sir Patrick Moore many years ago talking about the Magnetic Fields around the Earth and how they protected the planet from the Sun’s ionised radiation by deflecting it around us. When the fields flip and what we call “North” becomes “South” it will affect some things, a compass will point the other way for example. But few people use them, and the effects should be minimal.

            As one man pointed out, the fields will still be there to protect the planet. If they weren’t then the planet would have become a sterile ball with no life on it at all each time the poles flipped, and that has not happened. 🙂

            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bb302ab8ca7eec51edb5a9a6336c439dd81ac7b9240a1fd21799e30df437ef9f.jpg

          5. Of course everything went wrong when Eve ate the apple and then subdued Adam’s judgement which led to him eating the apple too – not because he did not know it was against God’s will but because he loved Eve so much.

            Of course Milton’s view was that Adam was not ‘bad’ in the way that Eve was but he was weak and uxorious and that men should never allow their superior judgement to be compromised by women.

            Imagine what tremendous fun it was teaching Paradise Lost to intelligent girl “A” level students in a class of boys and girls!

            Anyway, here is Milton’s account of the tilting of the Earth

            The Poles of Earth twice ten degrees and more
            From the Suns Axle; they with labour push’d
            Oblique the Centric Globe: Som say the Sun
            Was bid turn Reines from th’ Equinoctial Rode
            Like distant breadth to Taurus with the Seav’n
            Atlantick Sisters, and the Spartan Twins
            Up to the Tropic Crab; thence down amaine
            By Leo and the Virgin and the Scales,
            As deep as Capricorne, to bring in change
            Of Seasons to each Clime; else had the Spring
            Perpetual smil’d on Earth with vernant Flours,
            Equal in Days and Nights, except to those
            Beyond the Polar Circles; to them Day
            Had unbenighted shon, while the low Sun
            To recompence his distance, in thir sight
            Had rounded still th’ Horizon, and not known
            Or East or West, which had forbid the Snow
            From cold Estotiland, and South as farr
            Beneath Magellan. At that tasted Fruit
            The Sun, as from Thyestean Banquet, turn’d
            His course intended; else how had the World
            Inhabited, though sinless, more then now,
            Avoided pinching cold and scorching heate?

        2. The magnetic north and south poles are actually closer to the geographical poles than they were 100 years ago. They are always having a wander and magnetic compass readings have always needed to have a correction applied which is updated regularly. Those corrections are different locally and world wide.

          1. I taught map reading in the Army and calculating the difference between the map grid and the wandering magnetic north was a simple equation, as the necessary information is printed on the map.

    3. Yo T_B

      Down to Boris un Brexit and us ignoring Exstiction Revolution

      If Corbynski were now PM, the Pole would have moved UK back to where we were before the Industrial Revolution

  25. Boris’s is set to put border control, the NHS and investment in the North at heart of his plans for government

    He will carry out a minor reshuffle today to fill gaps left by the departures of former culture secretary Nicky Morgan and former Welsh secretary Alun Cairns.
    But he is already planning a more radical shake-up in February, which could see up to a third of existing ministers culled and a major overhaul of the Whitehall machine.

    Tory sources said last night the PM is considering splitting up the Home Office to create a new Department for Borders and Immigration to deliver on his pledge to cut the number of low-skilled migrants coming here.

    The new department will focus on putting in place an Australian-style points-based immigration system and toughening up the UK’s borders – leaving the Home Office to focus on the fight against crime.

    1. BJ,
      We have had years of rhetorical sh!te
      deceit / treachery from these very same politico’s, let us SEE some HARD CORE action.

  26. Water bills to be cut by £50 in industry crackdown

    The report is due to be released later today and will show how much each water company will be able to charge

    Water firms in England and Wales will have to cut the average bill by £50 over the next five years, under plans published by the industry regulator.
    Water regulator Ofwat is also forcing firms to invest millions of pounds, aimed at improving their performance.

    The regulator also wants water firms to cut water lost to leaks by 16%.

    Ofwat chief executive Rachel Fletcher said its plan was “firing the starting gun on the transformation of the water industry”.
    “Now water companies need to crack on, turn this into a reality and transform their performance for everyone,” she added.

    There has been widespread dissatisfaction with the performance of many water companies over the past few years. Criticism has centred around some high profile pollution incidents as well as leaks, water quality and high bills.

    Ofwat’s five-year plan, which comes into effect on 1 April 2020, has been hammered out over the course of this year. The draft determinations were set out in July.

  27. Lord Grade:

    “Politicians are not at the beck and call of broadcasters. Producers can beg and plead for interviews, and exert every pressure short of blackmail – but they do not have a divine right to demand attendance.”

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7795229/LORD-GRADE-writes-TV-bosses-overstepped-mark-election-campaign.html

    I really do hope that our new government means business when it comes to the funding of the BBC and Ch4, but I hardly think that Whittingdale is the man to do it, bearing in mind his capitulation at the last Charter renewal in 2017. He is the very last person I would expect to get tough and to do what is required.

    1. And it is a snake, isn’t it? A poisonous, venomous reptile that crawls on it’s belly, insidiously waiting to kill without care or compassion.

      The only ‘treason’ is the hard Left. When you read their tweets and articles you realise how utterly twisted they are. It’s like a mental patient seeing enemies everywhere, evil they cannot eradicate, as if they, and only they can make the world right again! They are vainglorious fools more interested in their own ego than doing the right thing.

      1. Afternoon W,
        This venomous treacherous snake found an abode within the lab/lib/con parties & for
        years has be nurtured via the ballot booth all on equal footings in that department.
        the remedy will be found within the ballot booth only after the voting pattern puts country before party.

  29. For them wot’s confused about this UTC time and whether they need to buy a new watch and clock, here’s the answer.

    P.S. Why it’s not CUT and whether the shop will take this new watch back are questions for later.

    1. I think Scientist worked out that GMT was one second out so they came up with UTC for most normal purposes UTC & GMT can be regarded as the same . Why they did not cal it UCT I dont know perhaps that means something else

    2. I had a correspondence with a helpful chap at the NPL about this: UTC was deliberately chosen because of the connotations of TUC or CUT.

      UTC differs from GMT because of the slowing or the earth’s rotation, which is why we have the occasional leap second .

      1. Thanks, although something like UT would have made more sense to most people than ‘Universal Time Coordinated’.

  30. Taking advice from NoTTLers, I have today composed a letter to Mr Johnson as follows:

    Good Morning, Prime Minister,
    As you gather your troops around you today, may I make a few suggestions as to the Parliamentary Timetable:

    Please ask the EU negotiator (whoever that might be) to a meeting in London at your earliest convenience and instruct him:

    i) Britain is leaving the EU;
    ii) We shall not pay you anything to do so;
    iii) We offer you a tariff-free trade deal. This is better for you than for us as we buy more from you than you buy from us;
    iv) If you impose tariffs on us we shall reciprocate with the same tariffs on you;
    v) That’s it;
    vi) Take it or leave it.

    The same afternoon, please ask Ms Sturgeon to attend the Scottish Office to be told YES to the Scottish referendum and state the rules:

    All UK citizens can vote
    If the vote is ‘YES’ for independence:
    Scotland cannot use Sterling as its’ currency
    No UK defence contracts will go North of the Hard Border
    Our Armed Forces will be evacuated
    RBOS (owned by the UK Taxpayer) will move south
    Not a penny in tax is given to them
    Scots living in the rest of UK will be treated as foreigners and cannot sit in UK Parliament

    The Shetland and Orkney Islands, the Hebrides etc., may decide BEFORE the referendum, if they are to be part of Scotland or the UK.

    During the next week, I suggest that you instruct your Education Secretary to cut out all this sex and trans-gender nonsense in Primary Education (those children are too young for such a concept) and that sex education for Secondary Education pupils will only deal with normal, heterosexual facts. To also emphasise the difference between sex and that grammatical construct, gender. There will be no political teaching within education – that is a parental responsibility.

    Meanwhile your Health Secretary will have drastically reduced the Administration layers of the NHS and removed the need for ‘graduate’ nurses, instituted on-the-job nurse training under ‘Sister Tutor’ and reinstated Matron as the disciplinary head of the hospital.
    Your Home Secretary will continue the recruitment drive for Constables (non-graduate and Christian) and remove the so-called ‘Supreme Court’ because, in your reformation of the Lords, you will have restored it to hereditaries only plus the bishops and law lords.

    Now you will have the rest of January to mull over your reform of the Civil Service and the review by the Boundaries Commission with a view to reducing the Commons to 450-500 Members.

    I hope this helps.

    Yours sincerely

    I shall have to send it as a letter since the ‘contact’ route restricts one to 1000 characters and that is over 2,300 with spaces.

      1. Thank you Tim and Good morning, the Christmas Letter to Santa wasn’t you, unless your name is Timmy Jones.

    2. ‘Morning, Tom.

      Scotland cannot use Sterling as its currency.

      They should be made to swap the Pound Sterling for the Poond Stirling.

      That’ll shew ’em! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍🏼🤣

        1. No, our new currency will only have large coins – about the size of the old 5/- pieces – no notes.

          They’ll be made out of scrap metal and they’ll be called ‘Krankies’ because they’re cheap and nasty and hard on the pocket.
          :¬(

    3. NtN,
      Totally agree with the request but to unravel what has been condoned over the decades by lab/lib/con
      supporter / voters is a pretty tall order.
      Especially asking any current politico
      in parliament to carry out, ALL being of such a dubious nature.

    4. I don’t see why anyone outside Scotland should vote in indiref2. That said, a lot of us south of the border might just vote for partition.

    5. Move schools to a voucher model.

      As soon as the school starts teaching nonsense then the parents – the customers – stop funding it. They’ll soon start to realise their job depends on the outcomes rather than state wishes.

      That then renders the department for education irrelevant – or schools and families, whatever it is now.

      Close the department for foreign aid. It has always been a brown envelope approach to giving the EU more money.

      On the EU question – a WTO Brexit is the most sensible one yet I fear Boris will force the Brino on us. As it is we should gather back our seats at the top tables that we gave up to the EU. By doing that we neuter their ability to control issues such as water and fisheries.

    6. We should be more concerned about what sort of Brexit Boris will now deliver.
      back when he had a coalition and minority government, when the remainer cross party majority awas in full cry he was constrained to make promises to the remainers in theparlaimentary party that would allow him into Number 10 and then his best bet was to drop the backstop, something he could reasonably and rightly hope to achieve and which he thought could pass through parliament … in other words, as close to an appeasement of the remainers as he could get. He may claim he has a mandate for the WA “Lite” but that is becuase it was the only option on offer to take us out of the EU. But I note he and his ministers did declare that planning for a No Deal exit was on and that No deal was not off the table.

      He is now in a position of considerable strength with the power to discipline his own MPs…. with an 80 or so majority he can sacrifice a good few by withdrawing the whip something he could only do previously once it was clear the rebels were out of control anyway.
      He could easily now tell the EU that the WAA lite is no longer acceptable given the strength of the leaver response in the GE and he could even go fiorst to the WTO Exit (managed, of course) and then negotiate a new trade agreement from a position or freal strength.
      However, I suspect the EU will, as ever, use the trade agreement to reinstate many of the conditions they would have imposed had we remained members. for example, harmonisation of corporation taxe, the usual free movement and reciprocity agreements etc etc.

      His firts priority should be to conclude as many external trade agreements as possible and give them time to deliver.
      The Trouble is, this is Boris. He is probably more than content with the WA Lite. He is a “One Nation tory…. wasn’t that the gorup AMber Rudd ran? and a Progressive warmist etc. I doubt he was ever a true believer in brexit, it was just his path to Number 10.

    7. Good morning, No to Nanny

      This has been lifted verbatim from my post a couple of days ago. (It was my summary of what Julia Hartley-Brewer had said.)

      “i) Britain is leaving the EU;
      ii) We shall not pay you anything to do so;
      iii) We offer you a tariff-free trade deal. This is better for you than for us as we buy more from you than you buy from us;
      iv) If you impose tariffs on us we shall reciprocate with the same tariffs on you;
      v) That’s it;
      vi) Take it or leave it.”

      Mind, you what is a bit of plagiarism between friends!

      What is more important though is that Mrs Johnson takes Ms Hartley-Brewer’s advice about the EU and the Nottlers’ advice on another Scottish Independence referendum.

      1. ‘Morning, Richard, that is why I have credited NoTTLers universally, I neglected to maintain the by-line when I copied and pasted into WORD for imminent use.

        Thank you for the implicit permission for use.

      2. On Scottish independence remind Ms Sturgeon that she has the ability to affect the Scottish economy and could raise taxes to fund her spending. That was a devolved power. Keep reminding her of that.

        If the argument is ‘it’s not enough’ then suggest she cuts some of her spending plans. Offer to keep the Barnet formula the same if she cuts and a 2:1 if she increases. That’ll shut her up as it’ll make her responsible. Something no one has so far.

  32. Supreme Court to decide if NHS should pay for woman’s surrogacy abroad in historic ruling

    Britain’s highest court will hear the case of a woman who is asking the NHS to pay for her to have surrogates birth her child in the US after the health service’s failure to spot her cervical cancer left her infertile.

    The High Court initially declined to pay out compensation for the woman to undertake four commercial surrogacies in California as the practice is illegal in the UK – however the court of appeal said the woman was entitled to as much as £560,000 in additional compensation to cover the fees.

  33. Morning Each,
    Working in the garage yesterday channel 4 play came on “this is your country now” refugee children intake, can only be softening up propaganda after just reading
    the breibart article, refugee camp child tells UK reporter
    “we will slaughter you”
    Will this boris chap still condone the use of the training manual they swear by in parliament ? or is it covered by the PC/Appeasement unwritten rulings ?

    1. WE cannot cope with the number of children in care now and there is zero chance of that situation improving

      The answer is there charities setup children homes in that region

      1. Now that has the makings of a good thread to keep you two and your unintelligible maunderings in one place.

  34. Doubling down on the “Quotas” “It must be a woman this time” surely it would be racist to elect anyone other than Dianne Abbott as the new Labour leader??
    She should be a shoe in………….
    As long as her campaign doesn’t get off on the wrong foot

  35. Good morning, my Nottler Friends,

    From DT LIVE

    A Labour shadow minister has claimed the BBC “consciously” helped Boris Johnson win the general election and the broadcaster can no longer claim to be impartial.

    I suppose he has a point. By allowing any representative member of the Labour Party on the television or radio the BBC was helping the Conservatives and by seemingly pushing an anti-Conservative, anti-Boris Johnson line on all their programmes they were, once again, helping the Conservatives.

    1. It’s unaminous then,we on the right want the Al-Beeb defunded and destroyed and so do the Left
      HOORAY !!

      1. War of Attrition.
        Equal first: decriminalise those who fail to pay their licence and all government ministers and MPs to boycott the Beeb.
        Then, Komrades, we nuke their bloated edifices – here in London, there in Salford and anywhere else where we find the weevils cowering under their news desks and lecterns.

        2. I’d offer a suscription model.

          If there are certain shows you want to watch, you can grab those. Perhaps make it a licence for public viewing like pubs?

    2. They really are crackers.

      AS you say Rastus, the constant propaganda probably put everyone off so much they voted Boris to stick one to Al Beeb.

    3. My hunch is that this new “right wing bias” approach is merely a ploy to show that the BBC must be balanced because both sides think it isn’t; so leave well alone.

      Rather like the post someone made yesterday about the reformer being told by the independent channels that the BBC was a national treasure when in fact what they were really doing was trying to protect their advertising revenue streams from BBC competition.

  36. Greater Anglia Rural Lines Chaos Continues

    The chaos following the introduction of the news bi-mode trains continues. Greater Anglia had issued a release stating that service would be back to normal today bar one line. It sounded though more like desperation from the management who felt they needed to be seen to be doing something. The problem is though they have not a clue as to what is wrong. The new trains will not reliably work with the signalling system which of course is a critical safety issue

  37. Thursday is the State Opening of Parliament followed by a couple of days of votes on it. I would guess the WA will be up for vote probably on next Monday . I dont think they can vote on it until the Queen Speech has taken place

    1. So brave of Laurie Penny to delete her tweet when someone other than her scowling, bitter, hate-twisted friends has read it. She might as well grasp reality with both hands and type:

      “While the people of this country are educated, while they have a sense of morality, while they are not driven by the “government owes me everything” mentality, then we will never be elected. The United Kingdom is simply NOT socialist and will not elect us until we hide what we really are. In the meantime let’s continue brainwashing the children.”

      1. She is an extremely unpleasant young woman with a chip on each shoulder and a tattoo on her back.

  40. Perhaps Boris will lean on Open reach to speed up the roll out of full Fibre at the moment it is going at a snails space. The priority should be in my view the Non Cabled areas of the UK (The cabled areas uses a mixture of Fibre & Coax & Coax will deliver very fast speeds compared to BT’s mixture of Fibre & Twisted pait

  41. Greece says it’s ‘reached limit’ as arrivals of refugees show no sign of slowing. Mon 16 Dec 2019.

    Sometimes en masse, sometimes alone they keep on arriving: in rickety boats carrying men, women and children looking for a freedom they hope Europe will offer.

    Despite winter’s limited daylight and whiplash-heavy storms and rains, the number of asylum seekers landing on Greek shores shows no sign of abating. Not since Europe’s historic agreement with Turkey to curb migrant flows at the height of Syria’s civil war in March 2016 have arrivals been so high.

    Why would it slow or abate? You hang a big sign on the door saying “Free Stuff Here” you can expect to see them queuing up down the street. It is a literally unquenchable thirst. There are tens of millions wishing to drink at this bottomless well of stupidity!

    https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/dec/16/greece-says-its-reached-limit-as-arrivals-of-refugees-show-no-sign-of-slowing

    2. I have told this story on this site before so I must apologise in advance to Peddy.

      About a dozen years ago when we were sailing from Turkey to the Greek island of Symi we passed through a very narrow passage between Symi and Nimos, the uninhabited island to the main island’s north. A group of about ten dusky people were holding up a banner with the word HELP emblazoned upon it and shouting at us. Clearly they had been dumped on Nimos by traffickers but as it would have been most unwise to have picked them up ourselves we indicated to them that we would radio the Symi port authorities to help them. Of course the Symi port authorities did not respond to our radio call as they were not bothering to monitor the VHF radio so we had to contact them in person when we had berthed in Symi Port.

      The Port Authorities were very laid back and assured us that the stranded people were perfectly safe and said they would be sending a boat out to Nimos later in the day to collect them and any other people who had arrived. Apparently at least 100 illegal immigrants arrived each week – about 5,000 each year.

      We then learnt that illegal immigrants had become a useful part of Symi’s economy. EU rules stated that all illegals should be sent to Athens where the formalities could be attended to and so they were put onto the Symi to Athens ferry. The standard ferry ticket cost 120 euros but the Symi authorities negotiated a ticket for just 20 euros per head but put in an expenses claim to the EU for 120 euros per head.

      5,000 x 100€ = Half a million euros a year. Not a bad little earner for a small Greek Island’s Harbour authorities.

    4. With the global spread of mobile phone technology the news of the “Land of Milk and Honey” that is Western Civilisation has reached every tiny corner of the world
      Faced with brutal corrupt societies coughAfricacough where there are damn few opportunities unless you are a WaBenzi despite untold billions in aid I too would attempt to flee to the West
      But we are the wealth creators,the lifeboat of civilisation,if we allow too many to try and board the bloody thing will sink and ALL will drown in the sea of misery and poverty.
      “Me,Mine,then the rest of the world”
      ‘Morning Minty

    5. Correction:
      Sometimes en masse, sometimes alone they keep on arriving: in rickety boats carrying men, women and children, men, and more men looking for a freedom life on benefits they hope Europe will offer.

    1. Strange that. There was a period of, maybe thirty years, when Women Only (or rather, Ladies Only) carriages and waiting room were very de trop.
      Has there been some sort of social change?

      1. They had them on the Metropolitan Line to Aylesbury. I once got into one by mistake at Moor Park – hastily alighting at Northwood, the next stop!

        2. As did they have third class. The Met also had the last Steam hauled trains on the Underground I think hat went on until about 1965

      2. I think they were only o the Suburban lines . I dont think they had them on the mainline

        Mind you to comply with current equality legislation they would have to have men only compartments or rather carriages as compartment trains no longer exist mind you what good any of it does I have not a clue as all modern trains have corridors as doe s new rolling stock om the underground

          1. No Ladies only om the Post Office Railway jut baggage class. Postal volume falling though closed it down. A bit of it is now open as a tourist attraction. It was probably the first driver-less service in the UK

        3. Really, Bill. While men only clubs, including Golf clubs, have become outre the equal opportunities do not extend to obliterating any womens only clubs e.g. the WI…. where is the Men’s Institute? (Down the pub instead I guess but that’s not the point. If there was an MI it would be banned just as the boy scouts must now take girls. Not sure about the Girl Guides though.)

          2. Mens sheds are a necessary part of survival once retired. Indeed, i suspect they are the wife’s idea. ALl that time when the man is at work when she can have book club meetings, flower arranging classes etc and then to find that the silly old man is going to sit around the house all day watching football and getting in the way? No, its the wife who encourages “hobbies” and a shed to do them in.

      1. This article below was from 2 1/2 years ago and the idea of women only carriages in the UK was around even back then. The article itself is disgustingly wishy-washy and liberal saying that such an idea sends out the “wrong message” when you would think that the story should be focusing on women’s safety instead. Although that could best be achieved by not allowing certain people into the country in the first place.

        “Now, the spectre of women-only train carriages, a suggestion that seems to be mooted about once every six months, has once again reared its head. Labour MP Chris Williamson has suggested a consultation on such carriages as a possible way to create a “safe space”, in response to recent figures showing a jump in the number of reported sexual offences on trains over the past five years.” – Wednesday 23 August 2017.

        https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/women-only-carriages-london-underground-tube-trains-labour-corbyn-chris-williamson-insulting-a7908131.html

      2. This article below was from 2 1/2 years ago and the idea of women only carriages in the UK was around even back then. The article itself is disgustingly wishy-washy and liberal saying that such an idea sends out the “wrong message” when you would think that the story should be focusing on women’s safety instead. Although that could best be achieved by not allowing certain people into the country in the first place.

        “Now, the spectre of women-only train carriages, a suggestion that seems to be mooted about once every six months, has once again reared its head. Labour MP Chris Williamson has suggested a consultation on such carriages as a possible way to create a “safe space”, in response to recent figures showing a jump in the number of reported sexual offences on trains over the past five years.” – Wednesday 23 August 2017.

        https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/women-only-carriages-london-underground-tube-trains-labour-corbyn-chris-williamson-insulting-a7908131.html

        1. I do know one of the reasons the wife hates her commute is because of the leering she gets from youths of a certain colour. It started out with white lads looking and being a bit rude but they don’t ‘do’ anything. The others are a lot louder and more vocal, especially in groups.

    3. Surely no?

      However, rather yes, what do they do if a bloke in a dress gets on and says ‘I’m a woman?’

    4. They have women only carriages on the Metro in Dubai.
      Does this mean the Parisian authorities have given in to the muzzies?

    5. Hang on a second , in the late 1960s , there were women’s only carriages and a guard .. to protect service women from servicemen who were hell bent on molesting them!(Waterloo…. Portsmouth line )

      1. We airmen had too much national security on our minds to molest service women – on that line, I’d suggest it was the Mate A Lots that were the danger.

      4. Yes and they even had smoking and nonsmoking carriages. I loved the slam dunk doors and that peculiar smell of the carriages.
        They had ladies carriages on the mainline from Horsham to London back then too.
        Re the servicemen.
        There was a pub somewhere in Surrey (Elstead) called The Woolpack which was full of service men but my mum told me that when she did her landgirl bit in her holidays (the war was a great time for her) it was known as The Wolfpack.

  43. Call me “they”, but I sometimes listen to Woman’s Hour by accident. They’ve just been banging on about what a wonderful place Finland is, but then complaining about its lack of diversity. Cause-effect, anyone?

    5. Diversity? Ithink they need a more divese cabinet. I hear the latest is pretty much dominated by women. Poor oldFinland. By the way, couldn’t they like to take T May off our hands? She make a fitting addition.

      1. The European Union will not “cut its own throat” with a post-Brexit trade deal next year if Boris Johnson refuses to align Britain’s economy to single market rules, senior Brussels sources said yesterday.

        Michael Gove, the cabinet minister tipped to become Britain’s lead negotiator on a future trade deal in February, has committed the government to concluding it next year.

        “What I can absolutely confirm is that we’ll have an opportunity to vote on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill in relatively short order and then we will make sure that it passes before January 31,” he told Sky News yesterday. “We will have concluded our conversations with the EU about the new framework of free trade and friendly co-operation by the end of next year.”

        The government’s plan is for Britain to leave the EU 47 days from today after the Commons and European parliament ratify the withdrawal agreement in the coming weeks.

        A reshuffled cabinet will then agree a British negotiating mandate in February with the aim of immediately beginning talks with the EU, whose team will again be led by Michel Barnier, the French former European commissioner.

        At that stage Britain will be in a transitional period, involving continued membership of the single market and customs union, which is due to end on December 31 next year unless it is extended until the end of 2021 or 2022.

        A senior government figure told The Sunday Times that the prime minister would reject Brussels’ demands that Britain align itself with European rules on competition, the environment and workplace rights in return for tariff-free access to the single market as the price of a trade deal.

        “If Johnson will not move on alignment then there will not be a zero-tariff, zero-quota deal and certainly no chance of one being agreed in double quick time,” a senior EU diplomatic source said.

        “We are not going to open up our single market to a big competitor who undercuts European economies on regulations. In the age of Donald Trump and the rise of China it would mean cutting our own throat.”

        Following a meeting of EU leaders at the end of last week, President Macron of France insisted that “in the absence of regulatory convergence we will not be able to conclude an ambitious trade deal” because it would mean the EU “accepting dumping on its borders”.

        A trade deal with the EU would be possible by the end of next year only if Mr Johnson accepted a more limited agreement, a report to be published today by the Institute for Government claims.

        Striking a deal that eliminates tariffs and quotas but avoids trying to agree market access for service industries is the most likely way to meet Mr Johnson’s timetable, Raoul Ruparel, the Europe adviser to Theresa May when she was prime minister, concludes in his report.

        He urges Mr Johnson to scrap the Department for Exiting the European Union and bring control of the trade talks into a beefed-up Cabinet Office. Such a plan is likely to form a key part of a reordering of central government operations expected early next year.

        However, Mr Ruparel also warns that Mr Johnson will have to be honest with the electorate about the trade-offs required to strike a deal, saying: “The risk of the UK leaving the EU at the end of the transition period without an agreement is still very real — and too little recognised.”

        The timetable is very tight, with 11 months to agree the sort of free-trade deal that usually takes at least three years. Additionally, the UK and Brussels will have to decide by July if the deadline can be met.

        Many in Westminster assume that Mr Johnson will end up asking for an extension but in a section of the report setting out his personal view Mr Ruparel writes: “Contrary to popular belief, I believe negotiations in 2020 can return a clear outcome by the end of the year.”

        1. This always assumes (presumes from an EU point of view) that without our money, the EU will not implode, if it doesn’t next year it very well might within the next 5.

          1. The timetable is very tight, with 11 months to agree the sort of free-trade deal that usually takes at least three years. Additionally, the UK and Brussels will have to decide by July if the deadline can be met. – copy ‘n paste the one with Canada.
            1 day signature ceremony.
            Sorted.

          3. Who knows? But the process still stands.As long as it’s acceptable to the UK, it’s obviously OK for the EU since they signed the blessed thing, so why take years over jaw-jaw?

          4. I presume both are also acceptable to the UK otherwise wouldn’t we have used a veto?
            There must be a veto, otherwise how can France et al threaten us with their vetos?

          6. We do not need a trade agreement in 11months (an impossible timescale for EU trade agreements even when all they do is hand the partner their demands and someone like Mrs may rolls over to have her tummy tickled. We can happily trade on WTO terms for as long as we like and so we should. Our focus should be on concluding trade agreements with everyone else not in the EU.

          7. That is one of the key points of this Withdrawal Agreement – the EU will tell us each year how much we must pay them for “ongoing commitments” and we will be forced to pay them. The UK will also be liable for little ideas such as “debt sharing” where our money will be used to bail out other EU countries and German banks which are too big to be allowed to fail.

            The EU will keep getting paid as long as the Transition Period lasts, which is why they won’t voluntarily end the process for years if they can avoid it. At the moment they can extend the period for a limited period, but they can just change that provision at the drop of a hat. Which they will. Barnier has already said the transition period will take 3+ years and the British CBI has said yesterday not to be “boxed in” with artificial deadlines.

            But there is nothing that we can do about it now but grin and bear it. Once Boris gets the Withdrawal Agreement through he will be signing a treaty under International Law. He cannot walk away from what is in it, and it was written by the EU to entrap the United Kingdom.

          9. Someone did talk about the Political Declaration on another channel about 10 months ago, but I cannot remember the finer points he went through. I do remember the end comment though as he said the wording was meaningless and only there to provide political cover as a smokescreen. It was “aspirational” and a statement of intent, it was not legally enforceable so could say anything it wanted to with no consequence.

            The Withdrawal Agreement was the important bit because it was legally binding and that was why the lawyers took 2 years to get the wording right.

          10. That’s odd, because my recollection was that it was the political declaration that was the “tricksy” bit precisely because Brussels could use that to interpret and enforce the WA to their advantage if by any chance the WA wasn’t as watertight as they thought and it was the PD that effectively left everything ope-ended at Brussels’ whim.
            Edit
            https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/revised_political_declaration.pdf

            Latest PD

          11. That is the opposite to what that guy was saying months ago, but he was the legal guy and its not my field. 🙂

            I remember from a few months ago when Boris was tinkering about with the Northern Ireland part of the Withdrawal Agreement, the EU minions said something about needing time to adjust the wording in the W/A and putting what was said into legal language, and that might delay any announcement of the changes.

            They did helpfully point out later that the changes were only to a tiny part of the W/A and did not affect the main parts already decided.

            At the same time they were writing the Political Declaration on the back of a cigarette packet and changing it from day to day depending on what the latest fad was. They are still making changes to it now that don’t need to be put into the legally binding framework of the Withdrawal Agreement. It is just a “covering document” that will be used as they see fit and ignored if it is inconvenient.

          12. “It is just a “covering document” that will be used as they see fit”

            Quite.

            Unless your source was Martin Howe, or a similar staunch leaver, I would not trust it. Although even Howe had come round to taking the “accept” route just to get us on the way out, because there was that fear that the old parliament would fanny around for another two years and a new parliament could change to firmly remain.

            Now that the PM has a proper majority I would be very interested to know if Howe’s views have changed.

          13. Alas, I feel that Boris will use this majority to nail us inside the EU for as many years as possible. Which is quite achievable in so many ways. If he really wanted the United Kingdom to be free of the EU we could stop this absurd “withdrawal process” and be trading with the EU and the rest of the world on WTO terms as a Nation State by the end of next month.

            Boris is deliberately choosing to pass a deal that was described as being “so bad for the UK that no nation in history would ever agree to it unless they had just lost a war.” But there is nothing we can do to stop him taking us down this path now. We could be free, but Boris says no. He is not playing a “clever game” either, as even 1 year under EU control will massively damage the UK. It is not necessary at all.

          15. The expectation is that the £36 billion will be pocket money compared to the amounts we will have to shell out to prop up the Euro, even though we are not members of the Euro nor, technically, at least, members of the EU. Figures quoted, conservatively (pardon the pun), suggest over £450million.

        2. ““We are not going to open up our single market to a big competitor who undercuts European economies on regulations. In the age of Donald Trump and the rise of China it would mean cutting our own throat.”” – in other words, they recognise that the regulation is strangling their economy, and don’t want to undo any, nor be competed out of existence.

        3. Easy peasy.
          “Dear Barndoor.
          We’re leaving. We’ll see ourselves out.
          Toodle pip.”
          Sit back for the next 365 days and play Candy Crush/fail to finish the DT cryptic crossword/run through Games of Thrones box set …..

    3. Probably. Even if it were true the only people to be concerned would be lefty nutters, as the majority, I think, would be as pleased as punch.

    5. Ah yes, winter. When the asylum seekers return to their villas in hot countries cos the weather is cold here.

  47. “All the stupid people, where do they all come from?
    All the stupid people, where do they all belong?

    In the Conservative Party raising two fingers to the far left libtards and Illib Undems….

    1. Mr Thomas – are you 100% certain that that comment came out the way that you meant it to? 🙂

    2. BT,
      The peoples must acknowledge that the very near complete downfall
      of this country was a joint shared enterprise over the years betwixt the pro eu lab/lib/con coalition party and, although I am glad to say it is sorely damaged , it is still in place.

    3. If our MPs are truly representative of the electorate then, by definition, 50% of them will be of below average intelligence. that could explain a lot, and even more so if the below average intelligence are overly represented.

  49. Have there been any changes to the Cabinet? Has Mr Johnson confirmed who is in his Cabinet?

        2. Perhaps another program of “detoxification” which will leave the Tory party even less like the tory party the membership remembers and loves.

    2. He will be making some minor changes as some are no longer MP’s so some gaps. AS bigger change is planned for next year

      1. There was one unpleasant little man reviewing the papers last night who said that the bigger reshuffle was needed, after the Withdrawal Agreement came into effect, so that the members of the ERG could be cleared out of cabinet and sent to the backbenches again. That Boris would need to bring in “one nation Conservatives” to remove the stranglehold that the ERG had in the party.

        I suspect that the reviewer is not a fan of Brexit happening in any meaningful way. We will see how many “remainers” are brought back into the fold.

        1. Isn’t it a bit worrying that the “One Nation Tories” was originally that group commanded by Amber CRudd?

  50. “But to the people, this election was about their dignity and those left behind by two generations of politicians selling them out to Brussels. They don’t trust Johnson anymore than I do.”

    A quotation from this article.

    WARNING: The article uses the word “uppity“.

  52. Must be Christmas. Two cars in the station carpark, and one of them is mine. Who knows, might even get a seat on the train…
    Edit: Yup, got a seat! Must be due to Boris’ win last Thursday!

  53. Email from Brexit Party.

    Dear Minty.

    After the June 2016 EU referendum I wrote as Branch Chairman of my then Party to all Members saying, “we have won the battle, but beware the forces of darkness, this war is not over yet”. I’ve spent the last three and a half years continuing the battle against rabid Remainers who so disrespect and disregard democracy.

    Having led our successful European Parliamentary campaign and assisted our fifteen General Election candidates I sat down to watch the exit poll announced just after 10pm on Thursday, as I expect did you. One of my emotions was relief and another was awe of the electoral enigma, Boris Johnson.

    Of his equal is the political campaigning genius of Nigel Farage. Nigel called it absolutely correct. By standing down against sitting Conservatives we avoided splitting the vote. By contesting Labour held seats we took huge chunks out of their vote that would never have gone to the Tory candidate. In two East Midlands constituencies we gave Boris Johnson the seat. In Gedling and High Peak our number of votes was greater than the difference between the Conservative and Labour candidates. Without us Labour would probably have won in both constituencies.

    Without winning a single seat we had a huge impact on the election, but we must continue to be vigilant. One of the very few mistakes Nigel Farage has made was to ride into the sunset after the 2016 Referendum thinking “job done”. I am delighted to read that he is going to keep a very close watch on proceedings over the coming weeks and months, and so must we.

    Nigel Wickens.

    Morning everyone. I suspect that when Wickens wrote this his predominant emotion was disappointment. I am not in”awe” of Boris Johnson at all and much as I admire Nigel Farage it is not for his “campaigning genius”. It may very well be true that the decision to give the Tories a free run was the reason for their success but it is still one strangely devoid of satisfaction for Brexiteers. The Brexit party now no longer has any leverage over Johnson. They have abandoned the fight. He may do as he wills without reference to Nigel Farage or indeed anyone else. How this may work out we have yet to see but whatever it is it will be his vision alone.

  54. The breibart post,
    The muslim fraternity beginning to leave the UK after boris win, if this is so could they arrange to take a HOc
    Mp under each arm with them, as a form of repayment
    for their welfare whilst in situ.

    1. Not a chance until benefits dry up. Anyway, there are a beach load in France awaiting the tide to replace any leavers.

  56. I just keep chortling at the daft quotes from the Toynbee woman.

    Listen, sweetheart, when you can tear yourself away from ordering about the
    gardeners and indoor staff at your Tuscan estate, just tell us where it all went wrong.

          6. Please do not post such pictures.
            I am innocently browsing and the significant other does a quick check on what I am doing and boy, am I in trouble.

          9. Privacy and trust are important in a relationship. Suspicion exposes a flaw. Unless the sig other has reason. :o)

          10. No, she just doesn’t like me on the PC all day or on Youtube looking at car restorations, dog rescues 9some bad people out there) or woodworking. She seems to think I should spend time actually listening to what she says.

          12. Won’t wash. It might if it were an Italian MP or even French (that Rachida Dati for example) but she thinks most women MPs in the Uk look like the white van lady or the Abbotopotamus or Anna sourpuss… and you know, I think she has a point. the sort that if you woke up in bed next to one of them, sod cutting off your arm, you’d be tempted to cut off your head.

      2. It would be a big bath and not much room for water, I suspect. A couple of pints at most.

          1. Out of what?
            My bad, you wanted the crow bar for the old crow Thornberry…. I thought you meant Mathilde…

  59. Good morning all ..

    BBC breakfast are still interviewing the losers.. still spreading their malice.. they still haven’t got the message !

    Twerp glove puppet kid Kinnock … the BBC just cannot shut up … there is no joy in their hearts.

    Hindsight is a wonderful thing !

    Labour’s Emily Thornberry quits over ‘snobby’ tweet
    21 November 2014

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30139832

    Emily Thornberry has resigned from Labour’s front bench after sending a tweet during the Rochester and Strood by-election which was branded “snobby”.

    The shadow attorney general apologised for the message, which showed a terraced house with three England flags, and a white van parked outside.

    UKIP said she had “sneered, and looked down her nose at a white van in Strood with the cross of St George on it”.

    Labour leader Ed Miliband was “angry” at her, a senior figure told the BBC.

    The resident of the house, Dan Ware, said Ms Thornberry – the MP for Islington South and Finsbury – was a “snob”.

    Mr Ware, a car dealer, said he would never vote for Labour in the future, adding that it did not “matter” who was in government.

    “I think they (Labour) need to get out of their mansions and visit the working class. Her and Ed (Miliband) should come and say sorry to me.”

    Ms Thornberry posted the image on Thursday, while voting was taking place in the by-election in Kent. Alongside the picture, she wrote: “Image from Rochester.”

    Labour came third in the high-profile poll behind UKIP, which won the seat and saw its second MP elected to Westminster.

    1. ‘Morning Belle. Lady ‘Fivebellies’ Nugee typifies everything that is wrong with Liebour. Long may she reign!

  60. Yo All

    Celebrities attack social media and BBC over Tory election landslide

    Letters are to be sent to all Returning Officers, ordering them to ignore votes for any GE Candidates, not endorsed by the Tw4tterati, who are to be the acknowledged ‘Power Behind Parliament’ in UK.

    To that end, the heroic Mr Corbyn, defender of the faith, ‘British’ standards, Defence Expert and buinessman without parallel (and finacially unstoppabe, when coupled with the world famous Mathematician and sums expert Ms Abbot) will become our Prime Minister

    At least one ‘Tw4t’ has made the promise to stay in UK, to administer the change of the political scene

    All Garudian/Gruniad subscribers are taken to be Tw4t.

    It will be a long hard fight and some Tw4ts will have give up their off shore accounts

  61. Wouldn’t it be great if news channels stuck to reporting the news as something based on facts, rather than speculation as to what might happen, or consultancy advice as to what should, or should not, be done? You want to be a doer rather than a spectator, then get a job in that sector and do it.

    1. They don’t know any other life. It’s just the way they have been brought up. That is why it is a good thing that they should be brought to the West to learn how to live a better life. *

      *sarcasm alert.

    2. Of course the champagne leftards live in million pound homes in places like Putney, where 22,780 people voted Labour. They love multiculturalism in the same way that Marie Antoinette loved to play at being a milk maid.

    3. Not sure what is going on but, for several days now, there have been blank spaces where pictures or whatever should be!

    5. Slaughter us, or someone else in the camp? As it is, they’re in Syria, we’re in the UK. Perhaps we could send Lily Allen as an ambassador?

        1. No, I think she i undergoing treatemnet… she apparently had a twitter meltdown over the election result. China Syndrome aint in it.

  64. ‘Morning again.

    Dellers has highlighted something that has worried me (and probably many of you) for some years now – the quiet but deadly indoctrination of pupils and students in all things leftie. In my school days our teachers were scrupulous in their avoidance of politics in the classroom, but not so now. Many in the teaching profession seem to think it is their duty to turn out politically correct, Grauniad-reading clones whose time would have come if the voting age had been reduced to the ludicrously young age of sixteen. That danger has not gone away, but it is hoped that, by the age of eighteen, some of our youngsters may have seen through this state-sponsored conspiracy, although there is so much more to be done if we are not to be engulfed in a red tidal wave:

    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/12/15/if-boris-doesnt-tackle-red-academe-conservatism-is-toast/

    1. Morning HJ,
      Yes we have as a nation been taken to the very edge of the abyss of bottomless sh!te by the lab/lib/con
      pro eu coalition party no doubt of that.
      This has not just happened as with many issues it has been nurtured over the years by the politico’s / peoples.
      As in prior post we could never have got to where we are today as a country without the input of the toxic trio, and the peoples adhering to the
      keep in / keep out voting pattern.

    2. Which is why parties such as Labour , Lib Dems & Greens want the voting age lowered to 16. It gives them nice supply of voters and they are pretty much unaffected by the higher taxes and higher interest rates those parties would cause

    3. Kids take their country for granted. They think money is magical – as they’ve never had to earn it. Debt had been normalised as a condition.

    4. This mimics the problem in the US. It is why the Democrats are indistinguishable from marxists.
      Indeed, Hilary Clinton is even known as “The Daughter of Alinsky”.
      This goes back to the days when Hitler came to power in Germany and banned the Frankfurt School who took refuge in the USA, established themselves on the University campuses and the rest is history, as they say. One only has to review the programs advocated by the Frankfurt school and compare to her policies to see just how much they are aligned. But I wonder how many democrat supporters in the US realise that the democrat philosophy is pretty much that of the Frankfurt School? I am surprised McCarthy missed out on this… but [perhaps he didn’t recognise the link between Marxism and Communism.

      In the UK we once thought our educational system pretty neutral, politically, apart, of course from the LSE, a hotbed of left wing ideology, and Cambridge University a recruiting ground unfortunately harvested by both the UK and the Soviet security services…. a mischance (?) that lead to quite a few recruits working for both.
      But I guess the problem begins at the teacher training colleges wher they first indoctrinate the teachers and they go on to indoctrinate the students, and that would be a good place to start. .

  65. Boeing Weighs Suspending or Cutting Back 737 MAX Production

    Boeing Co. is considering either suspending or cutting back production of the 737 MAX amid growing uncertainty over the troubled plane’s return to service and could disclose a decision as soon as Monday,

    Support for halting production comes days after US regulators warned the aerospace giant it had been setting unrealistic expectations for when the jet would be allowed to fly again,

  67. Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill planned for Friday

    The government plans to ask MPs to vote on Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill on Friday, Downing Street has said.
    The PM’s spokesman said the government planned to start the process in Parliament before Christmas and will do so “in discussion with the Speaker”.
    The withdrawal agreement bill is the legislation that will enable Brexit to happen – the UK is due to leave the EU on 31 January.
    It comes as the PM prepares to address his new MPs in Westminster later.
    Many of the 109 new Conservative MPs won in areas traditionally held by Labour in Thursday’s election, which saw the Conservatives gain an 80-seat majority.
    Mr Johnson is also expected to carry out a mini cabinet reshuffle.
    He needs to fill posts made vacant by those who stood down ahead of the general election, including the culture and Welsh secretary posts.
    The prime minister has also cleared a parliamentary report into alleged Russian interference in UK democracy for publication.

  68. Emily Thornberry confirms legal action against Caroline Flint

    The shadow foreign secretary said she is “having to take legal action” against former Labour MP Caroline Flint.

    In an interview Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme Ms Flint, who lost her seat in the former stronghold of Don Valley to the Tories, claimed Ms Thornberry told a colleague: “I’m glad my constituents aren’t as stupid as yours.”

    Ms Thornberry denies the accusation which she says is “simply untrue”.

  69. Labour leadership battle descends into acrimony amid pleas to ‘not sink into the gutter’ days after historic election defeat

    It is more a battle forr control of Labour with Momentum wanting to remain firmly in control

    The Labour Party’s leadership battle has descended into civil war, with accusations of falsehoods and pleas to “not sink into the gutter” just days after the historic general election defeat .

    Jeremy Corbyn’s successor could be announced by the end of March, according to an email reportedly sent by party general secretary Jennie Formby.

    The current leadership gave their backing to shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey. However, some parts of the party are keen for a leader not of the Corbynite wing, such as backbencher Jess Phillips

    1. Sounds pretty good to me, but perhaps we could also have a real “Bonfire of the Quangos” and include leftie “charidees”?

    2. They appear to have left out leaving the EUSSR with no deal – and starting on WTO rules….

    3. Why are the Left bothered by such a demolition of abusive organisations?

      Sounds good to me! Let’s stop holding back and return this country to some semblance of common sense!

      Stop the Hard Left infiltration and cut away the snake pit.

  72. Nicky Henson, EastEnders and Fawlty Towers star, dies aged 74

    Actor Nicky Henson has died at the age of 74, a friend of the star has said.
    The sad news was revealed by Henson’s fellow actor Ian Oglivy, in a Facebook post shared on Monday morning.
    A statement from his family said: “Nicky Henson has died after a long disagreement with cancer.”
    Oglivy wrote: “After an illness which started twenty years ago, and which was born with great fortitude and good humour, my oldest and dearest friend, my mate Nicky Henson, has gone.”

  73. So This Is Christmas……..

    Company Memo

    FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director
    TO: All Employees
    DATE: November 1, 2019
    RE: Gala Christmas Party

    I’m happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take place on December 23rd, starting at noon in the private function room at the Grill House.

    There will be a cash bar and plenty of drinks! We’ll have a small band playing traditional carols… feel free to sing along. And don’t be surprised if our CEO shows up dressed as Santa Claus!

    A Christmas tree will be lit at 1:00 PM. Exchanges of gifts among
    employees can be done at that time; however, no gift should be over
    $10.00 to make the giving of gifts easy for everyone’s pockets.

    This gathering is only for employees!

    Our CEO will make a special announcement at that time!

    Merry Christmas to you and your family,

    Patty

    Company Memo
    FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director
    TO: All Employees
    DATE: November 2, 2019
    RE: Gala Holiday Party

    In no way was yesterday’s memo intended to exclude our Jewish employees.
    We recognize that Hanukkah is an important holiday, which often
    coincides with Christmas, though unfortunately not this year.

    However,
    from now on, we’re calling it our “Holiday Party.” The same policy
    applies to any other employees who are not Christians and to those still
    celebrating Reconciliation Day.

    There will be no Christmas tree and no Christmas carols will be sung.

    We will have other types of music for your enjoyment.

    Happy now?

    Happy Holidays to you and your family,
    Patty

    Company Memo
    FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director
    TO: All Employees
    DATE: November 3, 2019
    RE: Holiday Party

    Regarding
    the note I received from a member of Alcoholics Anonymous requesting a
    non-drinking table, you didn’t sign your name…

    I’m
    happy to accommodate this request, but if I put a sign on a table that
    reads, “AA Only”, you wouldn’t be anonymous anymore. How am I supposed
    to handle this?

    Somebody?

    And
    sorry, but forget about the gift exchange, no gifts are allowed since
    the union members feel that $10.00 is too much money and the executives
    believe $1000 is a little chintzy.

    REMEMBER: NO GIFTS EXCHANGE WILL BE ALLOWED.

    Patty

    Company Memo

    FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director
    To: All Employees
    DATE: November 4, 2019
    RE: Generic Holiday Party

    What a diverse group we are! I had no idea that December 20th begins the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which forbids eating and drinking during daylight hours.

    There
    goes the party! Seriously, we can appreciate how a luncheon at this
    time of year does not accommodate our Muslim employees’ beliefs.
    Perhaps the Grill House can hold off on serving your meal until the end
    of the party or else package everything for you to take it home in
    little foil doggy baggy. Will that work?

    Meanwhile,
    I’ve arranged for members of Weight Watchers to sit farthest from the
    dessert buffet, and pregnant women will get the table closest to the
    restrooms.

    Gays are allowed to sit with each other. Lesbians do not have to sit with Gay men, each group will have their own table.

    Yes, there will be flower arrangement for the Gay men’s table. To
    the person asking permission to cross dress, the Grill House asks that
    no cross-dressing be allowed, apparently because of concerns about
    confusion in the restrooms. Sorry.

    We will have booster seats for short people.

    Low-fat food will be available for those on a diet.

    I
    am sorry to report that we cannot control the amount of salt used in
    the food . The Grill House suggests that people with high blood
    pressure taste a bite first.

    There will be fresh “low sugar” fruits as dessert for diabetics, but the restaurant cannot supply “no sugar” desserts.

    Sorry!

    Did I miss anything?!?!?

    Patty

    Company Memo
    FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director
    TO: All F*%^ing Employees
    DATE: November 5, 2019
    RE: The F*%^ing Holiday Party

    I’ve
    had it with you vegetarian pricks!!! We’re going to keep this party at
    the Grill House whether you like it or not, so you can sit quietly at
    the table furthest from the “grill of death,” as you so quaintly put it,
    and you’ll get your f*%^ing salad bar, including organic tomatoes.

    But you know, tomatoes have feelings, too. They scream when you slice
    them. I’ve heard them scream I’m hearing them scream right NOW!
    The rest of you f*%^ing weirdos can kiss my *ss. I hope you all have a rotten holiday!

    Drive drunk and die,

    The B*tch from H*ll!!!

    Company Memo
    FROM: Joan Bishop, Acting Human Resources Director
    DATE: November 6, 2019
    RE: Patty Lewis and Holiday Party

    I’m
    sure I speak for all of us in wishing Patty Lewis a speedy recovery
    from her recent nervous breakdown and I’ll continue to forward your
    cards to her at the asylum.

    In the meantime, management has decided to cancel our Holiday Party and give everyone the afternoon of the 23rd off with full pay.

    Happy Whatever!

    Joan

    Merry Christmas to y’all from Jack and Jill on the hill!

  74. The postcodes where up to half of home sales fall through

    Deals are most likely to collapse in the SW1V 1 postcode in Belgravia, which includes streets around Eccleston Square, where flats cost an average of just over £1 million.
    In the 12 months to the start of August 2019, 48 per cent of sales in the area fell through, according to data compiled by online estate agent Nested.com.

    1. It’s the new legislation where the money launderers have to explain where they got the money from.

      1. Oh, like that lady who spends £5000 a day in Harrods and whose husband, a banker, is banged up in Azerbaijan for some sort of mucking around with the banks money? She seems incensed that the authorities wont accept her word that it is all honestly come by and doesn’t need explaining.

  75. What’s the word on the street then ?
    The WA once again enters the parliamentary aren this week.
    Is it admitting to submitting to the brussels mafia via another ” we need a nine month delay” as there are some minor issues to “tidy up”

    Brexitexit could come about by default as in boris wanting to put the party before country as has always been the way and keep the ersatz tory party in power.

    Total severance & we are home & dry, so is he.

    Then again what will brussels offer him personally ?

  76. We’re now living in Brexit Britain – and this is what it means for our place in the world. Indy Mary Dejevsky.

    Within the seconds that it took for the exit poll results to sink in, Brexit quite suddenly became inevitable. But are Britons now becoming reconciled to the UK’s position as a medium-sized power in the modern world?

    Our problem is not that Britons do not believe that we are a medium sized power but that the Elites do not. Hence the ludicrous Foreign Aid budget that we cannot afford and the meddling in Foreign Wars that we are not equipped to fight.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-general-election-boris-johnson-result-conservatives-a9245011.html

    1. AS,
      Trust NO current MP/PM politico’s as in, never cast a doubt until we are finally, total severance OUT.

    2. Would that be the referendum result in 2016? As that was when the decision was made. It wasn’t somehow refutable.

  77. “We note the EU has recently concluded a trade deal with Japan acceptable to all members”
    No 39 Billion
    No Ongoing Payments
    No Freedom of movement
    No Ongoing Liabilty for the Euro
    “This deal is perfectable acceptable to the UK,signing all round next Thursday??”
    What do you mean no?? I thought we were all friends??

    1. Ah, but how long did it take?
      Most trade agreements can be made in a couple of years but those with the EU, because of their usual conditions, can take 10 -20 years. Oh, and just as they are about to sign along comes Macron and vetoes the Americuso deal…… Bojo will need to be in power for about 20 years to get his trade deal unless he does a Mrs May and accepts whatever they offer.

        1. Yeah but they will never admit that now, will they. Doesn’t matter how much the German automakers cry and shout, Merky and the other EU autocrats don’t seem to care.

      3. ‘Afternoon JMW “…unless he does a Mrs May and accepts whatever they offer.”

        He also has the opportunity to either refuse any deal and walk away on January 31st under WTO rules or the quick-fire route is to:

        a). Revoke Article 50
        b). Repeal the European Communities Act 1972

        Then we’re out and it’s up to the EU what trade deals might be effected. We can always say no.

        1. For what its worth , and no one seems to have commented on it or noted anything different, Steven Barclay signed the commencement order ending the European Commuities Act back in AUgust and set to end on 31st october…. make of that what you will.

          https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/brexit/brexit-secretary-signs-commencement-order-to-trigger-end-of-eu-law-on-31-october-495627
          I would guess no one told Gina Miller which is probably why no one really knows what has happened and what it means. Had she known dopubtless she would have tried to put a stop to it and made it into headline news.

      1. Yes and they are safe for some years yet till the EU decides to invite Asian nations into the EU. At the moment they are more focussed on absorbing the Mediterranean countries by their usual stealth measures of trade deals and trans national agreements..

    3. Yo Rik

      May I fiddle with your post

      It’s time to end the vitriolic attacks on by the BBC

      Sorted

    5. And his bank manager is having conniptions at the thought of the Beeb being made to stand on its own feet and Huw Boyo being a bit short of the readies.

    6. There was a long article in the Radio times last week about H Edwards, probably written by himself as it says much the same as the Spectator article.
      As far as “journalism” in the BBC is concerned he spouts nonsense. Spend ten minutes looking at the BBC website in depth and one would realise that most top level articles of the “Home” and “News” pages are social media garbage. Clicking through to the local news, one is connected to local newspaper sites (which the BBC specifically disowns any responsibility for and for which you have to try and prevent the cookies). Remove the adverts, reruns, and previews of BBC TV programmes, and the “stories” that are quite clearly PR handouts for commercial business, ginger groups, activists, lobbyists and political agitators and there is not much left at all. Possibly the sports stories are from the BBC. I doubt it, but cannot be bothered to check.
      Amongst the 33,000 employees of the entire BBC, BBC News apparently employs 2000 “journalists”. I would guess that if one employed 200 real journalists one could turn out more informative, more in-depth, and more accurate news programmes.
      As for Mr Edwards, he gives himself a better write up than I would expect to see for a member of the Royal Family who won several Olympic medals, converted the world to Christianity, gave a fortune to charity, and spent most of their life working in a leper colony.

  80. DT Story

    Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal to be put to Parliament this week – latest news

    Will Boris Johnson now go for a really ‘brilliant ‘deal’- a deal which is better than Canada Plus and better than a WTO Brexit – and if he did would the MPs still try to wreck it?

    (Would you believe it – before becoming a gloomy and cynical old sod I used to be cheerful, jolly and optimistic)

    1. No.
      As far as he is concerned not only is he now secure in number 10 for the next five years even if he does in fact recall the FTPA but given that labour has fallen off a cliff and even if they do elect someone less lunatic than Corbyn, he is probably safe for the next two decades.
      so he sees no reason to pander any more to the demands of the leavers. The WA Lite is as good as it will get depsite hinting, in the campaign, that WTO Terms were back under consideration. No, he’ll move on to trade talks and the EU will use them to reinstate ssome of the controls they will lose (not many) if we leave with the WA.
      Sorry. A confirmed cynic and with zero trust in Bojo. I wouldn’t trust him as far as the corner shop.
      that he is now in such a position of strength that he can tell the EU tyo jump in a lake and deliver, if he chose, the WTO does not mean he will. he is far more likely to claim that what everyone voted for was his WA Lite. A bit like Cameron claiming, in 2010, that we actually wanted and voted for a coalition… with the lib dums. That his WA Lite was the least bad option on offer doesn’t mean that anyone really wants it.

          1. Please could you let me know what the red car is in your signature picture? An MG TD or an MG TC or something else?

      2. Afternoon J,
        If it is less than total severance
        then there is treachery still afoot as with a political testicle
        attaching a pilot tentacle to brussels with a build up to follow.
        Regarding the eu if our wallet
        closes then they are finished IMO.

      3. That is why a far better result in my view would have been a Conservative government dependent on the Brexit Party. But that, alas was not to be.

        1. Yes and why boris refused to deal perhaps judging that farage would, in the end, do something most politicians are incapable of; the right thing for the country. He ensured the labour crash and the Tory win. But Bojo will not admit that even to himself. he certainly has never given farage any credit for brexit taking all the credit to himself and he certainly won’t give him credit for anything else. Still, the electorate know better.
          But I would have hoped that having fallen off a cliff the labour party would attempt to detoxify and become a truly credible and electable opposition party to keep Bojo honest. Alas, the odds on favourite to replace Corbyn is a Corbynista woman. That’s the labour party going the was of Sweden and now Finland.

  81. Has anyone been listening to the Radio 3 Christmas carol competition entries. No 5 has a phrase in the music that makes me think it is going to morph into an old pop song (probably early 70s era) and it’s really annoying me not being able to place the song, except that I think the words included the phrase ‘a long time now’ . So I’m hoping there are some Nottlers who listen to R3 who will be able to spot & name the song.

      1. Yes that’s the one and about 33 seconds in it reaches the snatch of tune that reminds me of the pop song that frustratingly I can’t name.

    1. Those supporting left wing politicians appear to be terrified of losing their National Cheerleader hence their protestations that the BBC is a Nazisumbagracistfascist organisation and therefore should be kept and everyone should pay the TV tax…..

  83. (Reposted from very late last night):

    I hope that Boris Johnson will have the testicular strength to reduce the size if the House of Lords dramatically. If he does then there will no longer be any refuge or sinecure for failed politicians once we are out of the EU and they can’t be sent to Brussels either.

    1. Implementation of the already defined boundary changes is much more important. If they wait, they will be accused of gerrymandering, even though unjustly. If they do it now, so it’s all settled long before the next election, then it gives plenty of time for everyone to work out who the good new MPs are, and who are simply lobby fodder. Then the reduction in numbers can take place sensibly at the next GE.

  84. National Newspapers continue their circulation plummet Figures for November

    You have to wonder for how long some of them can justify a printed paper

    Metro FREE 1,421,309 -2%
    The Sun 1,217,029 -13%
    Daily Mail 1,133,268 -7%
    The Sun on Sunday 1,032,959 -13%
    The Mail on Sunday 966,299 -6%
    Evening Standard FREE 816,378 -5%
    The Sunday Times 653,340 -10%
    Daily Mirror 454,685 -12%
    Sunday Mirror 371,540 -14%
    The Times 364,936 -12%
    The Daily Telegraph 309,167 -14%
    Daily Express 297,920 -8%
    Daily Star 288,819 -15%
    Sunday Express 258,856 -8%
    The Sunday Telegraph 246,910 -13%
    Financial Times 163,324 -8%
    Sunday People 143,517 -15%
    The Guardian 129,053 -6%

      1. To think that a few decades ago many of them sold 2 or 3 Million copies. I can remember going into newsagents on Sundays and there would huge piles of papers o the flloor not now though it is more like a few dozen

      2. The circulation of regional papers is even worse. I am surprised that they are any regional evening papers left because of the much higher costs as they need to be printed locally and need their own distribution vans

    3. 1980 Circulations

      The Sun 3,741,000
      Daily Mirror 3,625,000
      Daily Mail 1,948,000
      Daily Express 2,194,000
      Daily Telegraph 1,439,000
      The Times 297,000
      Daily Star 1,034,000
      Daily Record 732,000
      The Guardian 377,000
      The Financial Times 197,000

  85. So when is Corbyn going to stand down to spend more time on his allotment and less time with his vegetables?

  86. Any NoTTLer with a feather, please stand by to knock me down.

    The agents brought two chaps to view this afternoon – at 3 pm (Frog). They spent nearly an hour, then stood in the kitchen. I expected them to say, very nice we have lots of other places to look at. No. Cheque book appeared – we want to buy now – (can we pay in cash). They want to move in as soon as possible….

    The MR signed her part of the deal – and we are now in a state of delayed shock…. I notice she has put a bottle of fizz in the fridge.

    Many thanks to you all for your encouragement.

    1. So pleased for you. We had little interest for weeks when we sold our last place. Then we had 3 viewings on one day and all made offers. We took the best but had to be out asap. Best of luck to you.

        1. My mother’s house has now been on the market for just over a year. few viewings and no offers.Untilit sells we can’t upgrade.

    4. Be sure to insist that the property reverts to you (and you keep the dosh) if the authorities discover that this is bought with the proceeds of crime…. who pays cash? Russian oligarchs? Chinese business people?

      1. That’s what I thought – but it means that we have had 35 years of joy and friendship without it costing a penny.

          1. Do you ever travel from Dinard Airport or St Malo Ferry Terminal? If so then please give us a call.

          2. That is very kind of you, be careful what you let yourselves in for, we used to use St Malo FT!
            We tend to use the Tunnel now, and Bergerac has a very good regional airport.

            I reciprocate the offer should you ever be in this area.

            We’ve offered similar to BT but even though he passes close, he declines.

            I think he’s worried that we might ask for free legal advice or for him to dig my potager.

          3. People coming on the overnight ferry from Portsmouth used to come to breakfast with us on their way South

          4. You may not recall, but BT put us in contact with with you both about a chap who wanted to do what you do, but for the French in the UK.
            Nothing came of it, but we now have some very good French friends off the back of the episode.

    8. Well done!

      We hope you will sometimes use us as a pied à terre when you are travelling to France. Even though Brittany isn’t on your best route we would always give you and Carolyn a very warm welcome.

      1. Thank you, Richard.

        Once the sale is done and dusted, we shall be free to visit lots of other parts of France. You and Caroline will be high on the list.

    11. Wow. Excellent news. Congratulations! Hope it all goes through now, hassle-free. Make sure the cheque doesn’t bounce before you hand over the keys… 😁

  87. For those who wonder what living in Greece is like consider this and ask how it would have played out in London.
    The wife went to see a friend who insisted of her drinking glass for glass souma. Only the 45proof commercially available, not the 55 proof we get in the mountains, but enough that she had to be poured into one of the worker’s cars and driven home.

    I discovered her collapsed at the bottom of the stairs but at around 2am it occured to her to wonder where her handbag and phone were.
    No rest till solved so I fired up “Find my phone” and plugged in her phone details. It revealed her phone some distance away in the new town and not either where she had been or on route. It didn’t seem to move and so I called the police.
    Now you can imagine how far that would get me in the UK but after being passed from one department to another i was taling to a detective and explained. I told him where Google said the phone was and agreed that it was probably within a radius of about 30meters (not as accurate as the GPs would position it, I wonder why?)
    I said that I could use the ring function to make it ring for five minutes at full volume. OK, he said. Wait ten minutes and then do that.
    I did and got call asking if there was anything esle I could tell him. Yes, I said, its probably with my wife’s mauve handbag. Mauve? he asked seeming a bit excited. I’ll get back to you in the morning.
    Of course, the sig other had left her bag and phone in the workers car, the man who drove her home so the next morning I arrived at the police station and discovered they had located her bag in his car, learned who he was and where he lived and gone to get him in the morning.

    I explaned that there was no com[plaint, the wife had simply forgotten what had happened.
    Sadly what should have been one of those clear up stats the UK police are so keen on but not inclined to work on, he will have gotten no credit for slogging it out at 2-3am to remote parts of the town and listening out for her phone. In the Uk that wonderful computer they have that prioritises which crimes they should focus on (a bit self fulfilling i guess because they probably only get to go out on those that show a good clear up rate and thus a chance of being resolved and those they don’t go out on boost the unresolved and hence get pushed further down the stack of what to respond to. And of course, they love spending time on hate crimes, especially in this weather….. it was once said that rain was the policeman’s friend. is suspect bad weather is now the criminals friend.

  88. KATIE Price has lost her £2 million “Mucky Mansion” just weeks after being declared bankrupt.

    Not really news as her bankruptcy mean the Trustees take control of all her assets. She will probably be allowed to stay there until the property is sold. They will probably put it on the market with agents initially and if it does not shift it will go to auction

    If she had any sense she would have tried to get planning permission to build houses on the land. To late now though

    Price was declared bankrupt in November after the High Court found she had failed to stick to a plan to repay her debts, estimated to be £800,000.
    Land Registry documents seen by the Sunday People confirm that her Sussex home, purchased for £1.3 million in 2014, was made the subject of a bankruptcy charge on December 3.

    The 12-acre site, whose value has now risen significantly, includes a swimming pool, tennis court, and horse stables.
    Price took out a second mortgage on the property in 2015, but faced monthly payments of £12,300, and is now thought to be £100,000 in arrears.

        1. Nope!
          Brainless Wannabe who neverwillbe getting too much sympathy for her own stupidity.

  89. Elderly neighbours on damp-riddled Finsbury estate feel like they are ‘living in cave’

    The cladding would be largely cosmetic and there is no reason its removal should cause damp. Possibly could be down to quite a number of people being moved out whilst the work was carried out so the heating would not have been on. I suspect after a week or so with the heating and the flat ventilated it so should clear up

    Peabody’s removal of potentially combustible cladding on a Finsbury estate has allowed damp and mould into flats, causing elderly neighbours’ health to deteriorate.

  90. Oh.Oh,it’s almost as if cutting down forests,chipping them,kiln drying them and shipping them halfway around the world on diesel freighters wasn’t the brightest solution to “renewable energy”

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5cc246a67c2a8625caa6475d7817ed9fb7397380c1106377ae6817082b6e8c65.jpg
    Who could have possibly guessed………………….
    Edit
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/16/converting-coal-plants-to-biomass-could-fuel-climate-crisis-scientists-warn

      1. ‘Morning, Sos, they grew thousands of years ago and then fell into swamps – so I was told at school.

      1. They weren’t any cuddly wuddly creatures in those days Phizzee … a walk on the beach and a quick paddle was something else!

        One wonders what happened and why creatures like that GREW so large .. what the hell did they eat.

        Are we living in a new dinosaur human era where everyone is eating themselves to death?

        2. Lots of CO2, resulting in fantastic vegetation producing vast amounts of food and resulting in very large herbivores and carnivores. There’s a similar thing going on today as a visit to any town centre shopping mall will demonstrate….

  93. Boris is considering having an independent regulator to supervise the BBC. Currently it regulates itself and that does not seem to be working well

  94. The dramatic irony! Labour finally achieved its ambition to empower

    and politicise the working-class: Keith walked 15 miles on Thursday, but

    he’d have crawled over broken glass to keep people like Corbyn from

    winning seats like Barnet. Not quite what Hardie had in mind, but there

    you go. I love Keith, of course: I’m only just beginning to understand

    why.

    There’s so much more to be written – how to deal with Sturgeon, the

    BBC, the re-centering of power out of London and into the North, how to

    renew our misdirected Academy … but that’s not for today, and probably

    not for me.

    Today, I’m just a guy who’s feeling humble, but proud. Proud to live

    in a nation where working-class and middle-class, North and South, stood

    in solidarity against a common threat.

    Humbled to be married to a man called Keith, who saw Corbynism for

    the wicked filth it is, and so did what he does every day of his life:

    he rolled up his sleeves and went to work. To keep Barnet, our home,

    safe. Keith (who will be mad at me if he sees this) would probably call

    it his “duty”; an inability to comprehend that word is just one more

    reason why Labour deserves this extinction.

    https://unherd.com/2019/12/does-labour-understand-why-it-lost/
    Powerful piece,whole thing worth a read

    2. He referred to the vanishing readerships of the left supporting press.

      If the BBC loses its licence fees and has to rely on becoming more commercially P&L driven and generating advertising revenues, I suspect that its profligate support of the Guardian might disappear and with that the Guardian itself might too.

  95. Signing off – in a state of shock. Contract to be signed at 4 pm tomorrow.

    Have a jolly evening.

    4. Bon Chance monsieur!

      Earlier in the year you advised me (pro-bono – for the avoidance of doubt!) to put our house up for sale to escape the joys of having a young family move in next door. After a few months we’ve had an offer but the prospective purchases, having sold one property are waiting to sell a second before we can say “sold subject to contract”.
      The next bit is a tad trickier because where we want to move to there isn’t much on the market below eye watering price levels so I’m keeping my Mr Micawber fingers crossed that something will turn up.

    1. You really do think they’d actually start to ask ‘where did we go wrong?’ and do some sincere navel gazing and realise that they are the problem.

      But ah yes! The Left can’t do that.

      1. Labour could really do with a proper ‘period of reflection’ to try and get back to its roots, when it was the party of the working man in parliament. But no, they’ll carry on blaming the media, Brexit and Israel and calling all their natural supporters thick racists.

        Let them carry on I say! Hopefully they’ll be out of power for a generation.

  97. Health worker accused of lying over Ailsa Hospital knife ‘attack’

    A health worker accused of stabbing herself outside a hospital in South Ayrshire has denied lying to police.
    Donna Maxwell was injured in the grounds of Ailsa Hospital, in Ayr, last year.
    The Ailsa site, the neighbouring Ayr Hospital, and nearby Queen Margaret Academy, were placed on lockdown as police investigated.
    Ms Maxwell entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of wasting police time.
    The incident on 22 November led to teams of uniformed police officers being drafted in to patrol the hospital grounds.
    No one was allowed to enter or leave for about three hours.
    Ms Maxwell spent two days in hospital recovering from a serious knife wound to her abdomen – but was arrested three weeks later and charged by police.
    The 43-year-old had previously appeared before Ayr Sheriff Court in private but this was her first public appearance.
    She is charged with wasting police time between 22 and 27 November last year by lying to police about what happened.
    Prosecutors claim that – “on a number of occasions” – she informed officers she “had been assaulted and struck on the body with a knife” when she had not.
    The single charge against her states that she lied to police officers at various addresses.

    1. Amazing how nice Jeremy looks when he puts some proper clothes on. Can’t change the face, though.

    3. The Orangutan was probably an orphan because of the destruction of habitat and murder of its parent.. Would have had a better life in a Russian apartment. At least there would have been someone to care for the poor little thing.

  99. A Brexit activist who left former MP Anna Soubry afraid to travel in public alone after subjecting her to a campaign of harassment has been jailed for 28 days.

    Amy Dalla Mura, who calls herself ‘Based Amy’ on social media,

    branded Ms Soubry a “traitor” during a confrontation in the central

    lobby of Parliament during a BBC Newsnight broadcast and disrupted a hotel question-and-answer session the politician was holding with journalists.

    https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/brexit-anna-soubry-amy-dalla-mura-jailed-harassment-a4314951.html
    Silly girl should have stuck to burglary or drug dealing no prison for first offences there

      1. Wasn’t that the one where Soubry handed over something to her special twig agent to get a conviction?

        1. How the Labour Party has changed. It now has almost 40% of its MP’s in London & the South East. The main other areas they are present in any numbers i the North West around Manchester & Liverpool and along the M4 Corridor in Wales

    5. WE were not properly informed and were lied to during the campaign we should be able to have confirmation peoples vote to confirm that we really meant to return a Conservative government and Mr Rashid is now back from his overseas holiday to assist with voting

  102. With a bit of hindsight, i seems that all the vicious ant-Boris propaganda and pro-Corbyn promotion from the BBC and the Guardian has just been like water off a duck’s back, and whether or not Farage was around at the right time at the right place, was irrelevant. The populace seemed to have carried on using not loyalty but gut reaction, and most of the pre-election garbage was pretty well a waste of space.
    If the media had just stuck to the facts and left out the lies and bias, the result would have been the same.
    Democracy at work ?

    1. T,
      What went wrong with that gut reaction immediately post referendum
      victory, & to the tune of “job done ,leave it to the tories” ?

  103. Parliament on Friday

    It will be interesting to ee the approach Labour & the Lib-Dems take to the WA bill on Friday. Will they carry on with their old approach of Brexit is wrong or will they tome it down? They cannot now block the WA. They could suggest amendments though. The Lords will no be able to do anything as it will be in the Queens Speech that the WA will be a part of the new government program

    1. BJ,
      It will be more interesting to see what the peoples reaction is, that is other than the tribal, regardless of
      consequences, lab/lib/con coalition
      members.

  105. “Scrapping the Department for International Development (DfID) would be a mistake, a group of aid charities has warned.

    The
    leaders of 115 charities – including Oxfam GB, Unicef UK, WaterAid and
    World Vision UK – have signed a statement amid speculation Prime
    Minister Boris Johnson is planning to merge DfID with the Foreign
    Office.

    The sector warns such a move could lead to less aid
    reaching those who need it, less transparency about how funds are spent
    and less efficient use of resources”.
    Quite right those CEO salaries wont pay themselves you know

    2. Scrapping the DFID seems a brilliant idea,
      Oxfam ? Unicef ? Water Aid ?
      We all know what they do with our money. Missed they would not be.
      World Vision ? What channel is that one on ?

    3. It i a pity we have almost no transparency with the charities. Lots of glossy brochures and PR blurb but try finding project plans and time scales and budgets and nothing meaningful. Goodness know how long Water aid has been claiming to install village water pumps. What wrong with Africa doing it themselves with just a bit of technical help. The UK managed it in medieval times

      I suppose Africa take on it is why do it your self when a Charity will do it for your. In my view charities are doing more harm than good and have created a dependency culture in Africa

      1. He was right. Did you see how much Mugabe’s estate amounted to? Yet his people were starving.

        The aid agencies have created this dependancy , they have saved far too many children , when what people needed was contraception and decent governments.

          1. All the Africans I have met on various trips to various African countries have been courteous, civilised, and excellent linguists. The fact that their governments are so corrupt is not really the fault of ordinary people.

          2. Is it not?

            Why don’t they overthrow the governments?

            Look back at history, so many countries that are now successful did just that.

          4. Well I guess those are the ones who can’t earn a living in their own country. Not much in the way of benefits in most African countries.

          7. Yes, there was an excellent BBC series (yes, I know saying that in this day and age is tantamount to Heresy, but….) by Jonathan Meades which nicely explored the differences between British and French colonialism/empire.

    7. Less transparency? who are they kidding? Most of this money is squandered and why hand any to India who have a nice economy going.Goodness knows whether any of it at all does any good.

    8. The leaders of 115 charities – including Oxfam GB, Unicef UK, WaterAid and World Vision UK supported by Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Nissan etc

    9. Actually, scrapping charitable status all round would do. As for foreign aid we could cut that to zero until we have rebuilt the RN.

  106. Well, Quelle Bloody Surprise.
    Hugh Welshman and the Beeb have managed to rake up lotsa, lotsa naysaying talking heads to interview.
    Nary a true Conservative – let alone any of those ghastly Northern Oiks – allowed on the programme.

  107. ‘Christmas dinners may be affected’: huge brussels sprout spill after crash in Fife

    This must be a sign to Queen Nicola Krankie, that the Scots want nothing to do with Brussels (and the EU)

    Have Brexit (Brussel Free) Christmas dinner

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/dec/16/brussels-sprouts-spill-crash-fife

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f791d3657733673622ec64df68113f8eecec697b/1045_0_2455_1473/master/2455.jpg?width=1920&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=df3701f158ac91202dca9fc5d0df8391

  108. Oh Dear I dont think this was quite what Soubery meant for the Independent Group for Change. They were not intending it to mean a change of employment

  111. BREAKING NEWS RE SHUFFLE UNDERWAY

    It i only filling i the gaps i the ranks

    Hart named Welsh Secretary

    And here it is. Conservative MP Simon Hart is the new Secretary of State for Wales

  113. There are moments online when your mind slows down as it attempts to process the image that you are seeing:

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1e1ca8b5e7267f7220704189148b6fc701b7e82ae7e9e0d303fff002e15aaed0.jpg

    I did look it up and “Ironized Yeast” was a real thing. It was back in the days of the American Depression when food itself could be scarce and people became quite thin. Those who whine about “austerity” now could learn something from reading some reports from back then. This product claimed to “fill out a woman’s figure” although how it would work in the real world without actually providing calories is unclear.

    I also found this page about the product, but the image above tells you all you need to know.

    https://phil-are-go.blogspot.com/2011/10/ironized-yeast-tablets-so-there-used-to.html

    1. It’s strange but the people who are most likely to be obese are the poor, who can’t afford decent food.

      1. We certainly have far more fat and oil in our diets these days. They had it really bad 100 years ago. That was real austerity.

        1. There weren’t so many obese people in the 50s when I was growing up, either. In fact I remember one girl, whose mother was also huge. they stood out because they were the only ones in the village.

          Rationing after the war continued until 1954.

          4. I think after 1979, when we left – even then though, they were using an inner layer of clean paper.

          5. Very few fatties immediately post WWII. Food rationing will do that. My grandfather reckoned anyone who was fat during the war was a black marketeer.

          6. Foor makes one fat.

            I’ve always suspected that that was the real problem.

            Your grandfather was almost certainly right.

          7. …fixed. Out of practice typing. Took a break from all the politicking – no skin in the game any more. A bit surprised at the outcome though. I was thinking another hung parliament was more likely.

        2. Same in Colchester. The town was smaller then, but there was still only one obese family; a matriarchy that, since no men were evident, appeared to breed prolifically through parthenogenesis.

          1. They had it really bad 100 years ago.

            Wow, you remember what it was like 100 years ago?

            Respect!

          2. No, I expect he has some unredacted history books. The lefties have a huge task in changing the history books and may have let a couple slip through, and perhaps some old story books with Biggles and “Ginger” (prohibited these days) but I think they have succeeded in changing all the Enid Blyton books as racsit and there is probably no Fat Controller in the Thomas The Tank Engine books anymore.
            I’d like Robinsons to put the Gollywog back on the marmalade jars please.

          3. From my observations the men in such families are so small they are vestigial. Their sole purpose in life is to act as sperm donors & nothing else.

        3. Us postwar kids didn’t seem to have any real fat problems but then about the only Burgers on offer were Wimpys. (now part of Burger King). And I don’t recall TV dinners or any shop sold prepared foods back then. I wonder if that has anything to do with it? That and that post war rationing was worse that wartime…. some things went on ration that had never been rationed in the war.
          But don’t tell anyone or the food narsies will want to start a war.

      2. I think they can afford decent food but buy a lot of processed food and crisps, pappy while bread and sugary food. Decent food doesn’t have to cost a lot.

      3. I agree, but at the same time I would take issue with that. Good food is actually relatively cheap; the problem is that they don’t know how to prepare it.

        Edjacation eejjucasion education.

        2. There are no left wing cookery classes anymore… sorry, Domestic Science. I doubt of boys do woodwork or technical drawing either. Too gender stereotyping. But I could be wrong. School has changed a lot since my day.

      4. Like I mentioned recently, about all those poverty-stricken nurses that have to use food banks to stop them starving: I’ve yet to see any skinny nurses. All of them look overweight, some of them grossly overweight, which they shouldn’t be if they really can’t afford enough food, and are on their feet all day. Methinks some of them are telling porkies. Methinks they’re also eating the porkies…

        1. I had a pre-op appointment a few years ago with a diabetic nurse. No – not a diabetes specialist nurse: just a nurse with diabetes. Built like a brick outhouse, she was…

    3. To judge by the size of some women these days 9and yes, men too) I would suggest it was only too successful.

  114. Sara Wollaston did no get mentioned. She was another MP that flitted from party to party, She ended up with the Lib-Dem’s . She was elected i 2017 as the Conservative MP for Totnes. She stood in 2019 as a Lib -Dem candidate but got booted out

  115. OK Mods, why did Jill’s comment re the Christmas Party from this morning get removed for being “spam”?

    1. That looks suspiciously like our resident malevolent troll spamming it, because it was up for ages and I’ve “refreshed” several times and seen it by following new comments.

      1. Thanks. Just concerned it was not some troll randomly flagging things. Funny that all the replies got left – I thought they cleaned all the “dependents” out when they removed a post.

        2. Just seen it! Funny but true…….. At least 10 years ago, while I was still working, Christmas leave was called “Religious Festival leave”.

  119. Bye for now folks – off to dish up the beef skirt. Might open a bottle of red to go with it……… see you tomorrow maybe.

    2. Phizzee writes:

      Bye for now folks – off to upskirt the beef. Might open a bottle of red to go with it……… see you tomorrow maybe.

      sorry P, open goal, too tempting

    1. Did he remember to take the light bulbs with him one wonders? it is just the sort of pettiness that could be expected.

  123. Off topic

    Gales coming in, the shutters are banging and the pine trees are swaying like palms in a hurricane. On the downside power goes on and off but on the upside free wood for the stove.

    1. You ought to get a back up generator – the hardwired automatic kind. We put one in when we built the house. It runs off the propane supply for the heating system. Great investment when living out in the sticks.

      1. I’ve got a petrol generator but it isn’t worth having it “hard wired” to switch in automatically.
        I just need to sack barrow it from the garage and start it, everyting is set up to go from the moment it fires.
        Plug ‘n play…

          1. Yeah, but you are out in the middle of nowhere. (aka the USA)

            I’m only a few minutes from civilisation (aka France)

      2. You may jest (but you being a lawyer I doubt that; a humourless profession, they only appreciate their truth. Nearly as bad as actuaries and accountants)

        };-))

        the communes down the valley have been hit with outages for days now and they are getting those massive portable generators installed all the way along their side of the Vezere/Dordogne connection (confluence isn’t quite right) where there has been a lot of flooding. We pay our taxes, they don’t, allegedly.

        So far we’re fine, touch wood, though the lights have been flickering for the last few hours.

  125. Nicky Morgan remains Culture Secretary in spite of no longer being an MP/. Personally I am not keen on that in my view Ministers should be elected MP’s.

    1. Why is she considered so important ? I looked her up on Wikipedia – a pretty poor biography – just a jumble of unconnected things she has done – she just reads as an opportunist who jumps from post to post and changes her opinions to suit the weather. Why should she be elevated to the Upper House ? She’s nothing like a Dame.

      1. I dont like the idea of anyone being in the cabinet that is un-elected at all . It is the minister that have the most power

          3. I have leaned from the politicians. Dont answer the question but keep repeating the answer to another question

          4. This film is totally messed up when shown on German TV where they dub everything. “All those very British phrases just don’t sound right in German and “Achtung, Achtung Meserschmitt” really does make you think you are in the Twilight zone.

      3. She was poor on HIGNFY. She just giggled or looked embarrassed whenever Boris or the Tories were slagged off.

  127. Brexiters are thick

    I would suggest it is the other way around . Lots of Momentum Labour kept saying debt under the Conservatives had increased and that is indeed true but the same momentum Labour voters where fully supportive of Labours huge amounts they intended to borrow. The Lib-Dems pretty much took the same view and would say things like interest rates are low so we should borrow lots of money because interest rate are low. That is indeed the case currently but it will not stay that way and more importantly you have to be able to afford the debt and thats a big problem. If we borrow lots more money our debt increases ever faster

    It shows a basic lack of understanding of finance they fail to understand that if you borrow more money you increase the deficit you increase the debt, The more you borrow the faster debt goes up

    1. Yes but the libdems said it would amount to only 50p on income tax. Not, I suspect, that anyone believed this bit of Abbotopotamus accounting.

  129. Happy Monday all Nottlers!
    Some possible good news for the UK if it comes to fruition!
    British Muslims prepare to leave UK after Boris Johnson wins election
    Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/15/british-muslims-start-leaving-uk-boris-johnson-wins-election-11911078/?ito=cbshare?ito=cbshare

    Manzoor Ali, whose charity has provided food parcels to those living in poverty in Manchester, says he is looking to leave the country
    https://i0.wp.com/metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/PRI_111099964.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&zoom=1&resize=540%2C600&ssl=1

    https://twitter.com/Salmamahomed/status/1205409900152709130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1205409900152709130&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmetro.co.uk%2F2019%2F12%2F15%2Fbritish-muslims-start-leaving-uk-boris-johnson-wins-election-11911078%2F
    Salma Mahomed
    ‏ @Salmamahomed
    Replying to @WajahatAli

    Brown, immigrant, Muslim here… considering my options for leaving the UK. The vote has just cemented that we are surrounded by self serving bigots and the right wing agenda is very terrifying for minorities.
    12:51 AM – 13 Dec 2019

      1. But if you take away their main reasons for being here…. no postal votes and benefits only for British citizens who have a history of contributions that might turn this fakery into reality. And we could do it if only Bozo does take us out of the EU and its “reciprocity” rules (reciprocity not harmonisation when the member state over rewards the idle).

        1. Well, if when we voted, it had been made plain that it was a case of voting Conservative to project the Jewish community form Corbyn, or voting Labour to protect the Muslim community from Johnson, would the end have been any different ?

    2. I’ll believe it when I see it. It strikes me as just political manoeuvring, to get sympathy and the Tories bending over backwards to appease them and show the world (i.e. the far left) that they’re nice people really.
      If they do leave, I hope the door doesn’t hit them in the a*** on the way out.

      1. Oh i doubt they are that silly. Germany needs another 1.7million and macron will be happy to take a few million. And what could be more fitting than they go where they are wanted. heck, even with all its problems, Sweeden is a great place for immigrants.

          1. Cheers, Hatters. Can I ask a favour? Being a Mod on Thecoconutwhisperer may be an honour, but it’s also a bloody nuisance. Would you be so kind as to delete me from the Mods list, please? Many thanks…

  133. Gosh the TV companies must be getting a bit desperate. THey have an advert about advertising on TV

  135. Boris Johnson
    will attempt to mark his election promise to “get Brexit done” by
    writing into law that the UK will leave the EU in 2020 and will not
    extend the transition period.

    As MPs begin to be sworn in at Westminster on Tuesday, the prime
    minister’s team is working on amending the withdrawal agreement bill so
    that the transition, also known as the implementation period, must end
    on 31 December 2020 and there will be no request to the EU for a further
    extension.

    A Downing Street source said: “Our manifesto made clear that we will
    not extend the implementation period and the new withdrawal agreement
    bill will legally prohibit government agreeing to any extension.”

    1. With an 80 seat majority, is this necessary? Oh wait, I guess the remainer cross party majority is still intact. In which case it doesn’t matter what sort of majority he has as government, the remainers can still cause endless trouble once they get over the shock of the election results and realise they are all safe for the next five years…. and can do as they like once again.

      1. The Guardian the source of the above, begins with the famous words ” will try to “, implying that victory will turn to defeat very quickly.
        Hopefully the potential troublemakers can now see which side their bread is buttered on.
        Yes, it’s necessary, though.

        1. That he hasn’t suggests he is content to deliver any deal that the remainers will accept rather than what th epeople, where the leavers are in the majority, want. Looks like the WA Lite then.

    2. Why do I feel this is only half the story. If Johnson was of a mind to capitulate to the EU in all future negotiations I am sure he could wrap it up by the summer with no difficulty.
      I will feel more optimistic when I see the UK negotiating team take a different approach to what has gone on before and echoes of Thatcher’s “No, No, No” heard in negotiations.
      Johnson May have won the election, he still needs to win my trust!

      1. He should still keep the Hartley Brewer approach very much in mind:

        We’re leaving. No charge for us leaving. We offer free trade and will only apply tariffs if you do. That’s it.

  136. I am somewhat dismayed by the fact that Boris Johnson is copying Blair and using the epithet ‘The People’s’. He has just announced the fact that he considers his new government to be ‘The People’s Government’.

    Blair’s most cynical use if this epithet was to refer to the Princess of Wales as ‘The People’s Princess’.

    I wonder if Boris Johnson will now have the bottle to dub the Duke of York, the late Princess of Wales’s ex-brother-in-law, ‘The People’s Prince’!

    1. Sorry, but Blair was quite right in his description of Diana. All the muck-raking in the media after her death cannot change that..

  137. Should the Ambulance service be split into two parts. The 999 Service and the 111 Service ?

    1. You have got to admire the manufacturing abilities of the United Kingdom to be able to produce 109 shock-collars to control the new intake so quickly, to make sure that they do “what is expected of them.” Unless they keep a large number of them in storage in the cellars.

      A 5-year job with expenses, subsidised bars and meals, invitations to TV studios to plump up your ego and a nice untouchable pension at the end of it. You can see why those with no real talent are drawn to applying for the position. They will not get such a good one stacking leaflets in the local constituency office.

      Sometimes you get a good one such as John Redwood or Kate Hoey, and it will be interesting to see if any of this new crop will live up to serving the voters wishes so well.

        1. Because I think technically we have No MP’s at present. I dont think they can be sworn in until after the Queens Speech

          3. They cannot be. Until Parliament is opened we have no MP’s nor as far as I know can they be sworn in until the session is opened

            All e have at present is the Ministers from the last Government as they remain in post until the new government is officially formed

          5. IT appear Boris has appointed a new Minister, not sure he can really do that yet. Ministers remain post until a new government is formed
            So technically this new Minister is not a Minster until after the Queens speech or at least that is how I think the rules would work

        2. LOL – It would be hard to have voted on anything before Parliament starts. 🙂

          I was referring to the stories from local Conservative party organisations of those people being parachuted in over the heads of trusted local members in good standing. I can only see one reason to overrule a local party candidate and put in someone who “can be trusted” and it is what the teenagers in Conservative Central have been doing for years.

          We did not get all of those Liberal Remainer “Conservative” MP’s by accident.

          1. How many have been parachuted in?

            Give them a chance. You’ve written them off before they’ve started.

          2. William – You also appear to have been “whooshed” as I was commenting on MP’s in general from the way that standards have fallen over the past few years. Those who do as they are told and follow any party line are the standard now in all parties. 🙂

            Their first act will very probably be to vote for Boris’s Withdrawal Agreement, and Conservative MP’s who voted for that when Theresa May brought it (minus the tinkering around Northern Ireland) were held up to ridicule and for betraying the Conservative values of the party. I suspect that this new batch will wave it through.

            But there is nothing that can be done now about that, unless they all stand up and say with one voice: “No! We demand a real WTO Brexit Boris! That is what we were voted here to deliver.” That would get me opening the good wine. 🙂

          4. William – As you will citizen. Don’t take life too seriously.

            It is nice to think that your trust in Boris will be rewarded in the way that you think it will be.

          5. Back off, sonny. This is at least the fourth time you’ve created friction where there wasn’t any. Bizarre really as we’re on the same side of the EU argument. It’s also the second time that you have completely misrepresented me as ‘trusting Boris’. If you interpret my opening remark as support for Johnson then you clearly have a problem with comprehension.

            Leave your sly sign-offs for the Guardian.

          6. “Sonny?” – I am stopping this conversation now as it is reflecting poorly on you and that is not my intention. Have a good night.

          7. Don’t turn it around and then run way. This is of your making.

            And as for ‘LOL’ – really?

          10. Ndovu – Sorry for the delay in replying, I was not ignoring you I was elsewhere and did not see your comment. 🙂

            I stopped talking on this strand an hour ago as it was going nowhere. I am off for the night now. I have decided to go to the supermarket tomorrow as it has suddenly started hammering down with rain here. Have a good night. 🙂

          12. The vote on the WA i on Friday, Probably a good choice of day as most make off home in the afternoon

          14. Yes – So we are doomed. 🙂 Talk about stacking the deck in the governments favour with the single most important issue that will happen in the next 5 years.

            I cannot remember that happening in the past. “You will pass this policy above all else, or you will not be allowed to stand.” They could always choose to vote for something better, such as leaving the EU and trading with the world on WTO terms at the end of January, instead of this Withdrawal Agreement.

            We are not really doomed. It will just be much harder than it needs to be and puts Brexit with the rest of the world “on hold” until the EU agrees to a trade deal. We could easily negotiate that deal OUTSIDE of the EU, while we are making deals with the United States, Australia and New Zealand and so on.

            We would not need to paying the EU every year for the privilege of making a deal with them either.

          15. After WA, there will be “no deals OUTSIDE of the EU, so we won’t be making deals with the United States, Australia and New Zealand and so on.” unless the EU agrees. I don’t think that they will agree.

          17. Yes but Boris thinks his Xmas, sorry festive season, has come early. Not only have labour fallen off a cliff but it seems the favourite to replace JC is an ardent Corbynista woman. He is safe from the electors for at least 10 years if not longer no matter what he does and having an 80 seat majority means he can now afford to sacrifice a few, make examples of them if they step out of line and listen to what the electors want. I mean, i suppose, simply on the laws of probability, that some at least might of slipped through who understand something of what a democracy is supposed to be and that MPs are supposed to represent their electors, not themselves or central office.

        1. Not guaranteed if there’s an election. We’ve had three in the last four years, in spite of the FTPA.

  141. Wow, the Irish are warning us..“Ireland has warned the UK if it doesn’t agree on a free trade deal with the European Union within 12 months, a hard Brexit is inevitable and would be an “unmitigated disaster” for the Irish fishing industry.” (One of the smaller pieces on this timeline.)

    Well, Teaspoon, you threatened us, you joined the EU as our adversary (yes, thanks for bailing your banks out a few years ago), and now you warn us that Ireland will suffer if we have a Brexit in the way that many of us want. Tough titty. As if you deserve any thought on our part whatsoever…we’ll do negotiation as different states do, but why should we care if you have an unmitigated disaster through not being able to sack our waters?

    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1217740/Brexit-latest-Boris-Johnson-cabinet-reshuffle-jacob-rees-Mogg-leave-eu

    1. Breath, slowly, in and out. Stop laughing. Must stop laughing. After all, what a shame. Hahahahahaha! Stop! They might have to decommission their fishing boats like we did, Hack them to bits with chainsaws. What a shame. Hahahahahaha! Oh,dear. Karma is so awful. Hahahahahaha.

  143. How old did you say?:

    A dog walker has claimed he discovered a 65 million-year-old skeleton on a Somerset beach after his sharp-nosed dogs sniffed it out.

    Jon Gopsill, 54, was on the coast near Stolford, Somerset, with his two pets when he stumbled across the five-and-a-half foot long fossil, which had been exposed by recent storms.

    It is thought that the prehistoric fossil is from the Jurassic period and was a porpoise-like sea mammal known as the ichthyosaur.

    Amateur archaeologist Mr Gopsill has reported his findings Somerset Heritage and the Natural History Museum.

    Jon said: “I often go to the beach walking with my dogs and when the tide goes out we go out to the rocks because they like playing there.”

    …

    “I realised straight that it was amazing, museum quality stuff, as soon as I saw it I knew I found something special. I was just blown away to see it there. It really is incredible that is has survived for such a long time and is now just there for everyone to see.”

    With its own Jurassic and Triassic rocks, West Somerset’s northern bays are known for their fossil finds.

    Last year, part of the lower jaw of a 85-foot ichthyosaur was found in the Somerset village of Lilstock, thought to be 235 to 200 million years old.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/16/dog-walker-discovers-65-million-year-old-fossil-pets-sniff/

    2. It wasn’t a ‘porpoise-like sea mammal’ either.

      The clue is in the name, particularly the ‘-saur’ part. It was a reptilian.

      Modern journalists. Not a grain of knowledge between them.

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