Monday 17 February: It would be a grave mistake not to boost Britain’s defence spending now

Posted on by Geoff Graham

An unofficial place to discuss the Telegraph letters, established when the DT website turned off its commenting facility (now reinstated, but we prefer ours),
Intelligent, polite, good-humoured debate is welcome, whether on or off topic. Differing opinions are encouraged, but rudeness or personal attacks on other posters will not be tolerated. Posts which – in the opinion of the moderators – make this a less than cordial environment, are likely to be removed, without prior warning.  Persistent offenders will be banned.

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

447 thoughts on “Monday 17 February: It would be a grave mistake not to boost Britain’s defence spending now”

  2. Good morning, chums. And thanks, Geoff, for this morning's new NoTTLe site.
    Wordle 1,339 4/6

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

  3. Good morning Geoff and NoTTL chums
    Another Monday, another Chuckle:
    At an out-of-town medical convention which both were attending, a male medic got chatting to a pretty woman. He asked her to dinner and they went to a smart restaurant. Before and after dinner, she made a point of washing her hands.
    The dinner was a great success and she invited him back to her hotel room. She slipped into the bathroom to wash her hands and then they made love. Afterwards, she washed her hands again.
    When she returned, he said: "I bet you're a surgeon."
    "Yes, I am. How did you know?” she asked.
    "Because you're always washing your hands."
    She said: "And I bet you're an anaesthetist."
    "That's right. How did you guess?"
    "Because I didn't feel a thing."

  4. Potentially putting Britons in harm’s way is a huge responsibility – but we must be ready to do our bit for Europe. 17 February 2025.

    The UK is ready to play a leading role in accelerating work on security guarantees for Ukraine. This includes further support for Ukraine’s military, where the UK has already committed £3 billion a year until at least 2030. But it also means being ready and willing to contribute to security guarantees to Ukraine by putting our own troops on the ground if necessary.

    It is? Is this the UK that cannot guard its own borders? Cannot keep its Senior Citizens warm? The UK political elites who hate their own people? The UK that prosecutes former soldiers? The Prime Minister that sends UK citizens to gaol for speaking their minds?

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/02/16/sir-keir-starmer-british-troops-ukraine/

    1. A British peace-keeping force in Ukraine would cost an awful lot of money. As Labour says there is a £22 billion 'black hole', where is this money going to come from? Quite apart from the fact that we haven't got the troops or the necessary equipment to supply them. Starmer is an even bigger fool than I thought.

      1. I don't believe that the £22Bn "black hole" ever existed before July – it's just an excuse for breaking all Labour's manifesto promises. Since July a massive black hole in our finances does exist – thanks to TTK and Reeves the complaints lady throwing vast sums that we don't have at Mauritius, Ukraine, climate change [including any schemes in Africa], WHO, public sector pay [including an above inflation increase for MPs] etc etc.

        1. It is puzzling, that with the mythical £22Bn black hole in the nation's finances, Mad Ed Milliband, the Secretary of State for Nett Zero, is permitted to splurge a further £22Bn on his lunatic carbon capture pipedream. It's almost as if #TwoTierKeir and his #KeirmerRouge speak with forked tongue.

      2. I don't believe that the £22Bn "black hole" ever existed before July – it's just an excuse for breaking all Labour's manifesto promises. Since July a massive black hole in our finances does exist – thanks to TTK and Reeves the complaints lady throwing vast sums that we don't have at Mauritius, Ukraine, climate change [including any schemes in Africa], WHO, public sector pay [including an above inflation increase for MPs] etc etc.

      1. If only we could conscript all illegal immigrants and asylum seekers and send them.
        The boats would stop and they'd leave in droves.

        It would kill (possibly literally) two birds with one stone.

    3. @StarkNakedBrief has a thread on the former Royal Marine and his handling off the back of the Southport carnage. #TwoTierKeir and his #KeirmerRouge attempted to bend the justice system to their will. Fortunately, the RM sacked his solicitor and got @SpeechUnion involved. We don't distrust this government enough!

    4. p.s. Any soldier who actually does a bit of soldiering will be hounded throughout his retirement by human rights lawyers.

  8. 'Morning All
    The Starmfuhrer (prefers Davos to Westminster) speaks……..
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9ca5cc76a252255993614a0de48670aae395c5384fe2ba1b1c857a93b7707181.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bc52c5fa29e4d72ad675f01d162235b59555be326ac95a09ffbce31a1247b001.jpg
    "Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, emphasized last week that no peacekeeping force can legally operate without a mandate from the UN Security Council. Senior Russian diplomat Rodion Miroshnik previously warned that “any contingent entering the territory of Ukraine without the consent and permission of Russia is a military target, with quite understandable consequences.”
    What could possibly go wrong??

    3. Just look at the toss pot all dressed up in a soldier suit. Not fit to lick a Tommies boot.

  9. Our best and most effective form of defence spending would be to stop the boats and the invasion and send them all back saving billions.
    When are our all our political thicko's in Wastemonster going to realise this.

    1. I've just read that the 'government' are also boosting legal aid spending by 14 million to help migration lawyers. Harmer starmer's old buddies.

  12. Good morning all.
    A rather dull and chilly start, at 1½°C, today, but at least it's not raining.
    Yet.
    Temperatures struggled to get as high as 4½C and dropped to ½°C overnight.

  14. That'll just encourage more to arrive Bob.
    On of my nephew's was aboard a naval vessel during the cod wars he's quite clear on how to stop this.

  15. Gang 'ambushes' Birmingham hospital A&E after 16-year-old boy stabbed in broad daylight..

    Authorities are actively searching for someone. The police are also looking into a disturbance.

      1. Jeff Taylor has a vid about it but does not say much as he doesnt have many hard facts. It seems the story is being tad suppressed, not dissimilar to the reporting of the Southport. Mustn't upset the natives, you know.

      2. Jeff Taylor has a vid about it but does not say much as he doesnt have many hard facts. It seems the story is being tad suppressed, not dissimilar to the reporting of the Southport. Mustn't upset the natives, you know.

  16. SIR – There is no doubt that we need to invest more in defence, even if it’s just to man and operate properly the systems we already possess, and to replenish stockpiles of ammunition.

    However, before we do so, the serving and retired generals who tell us that we can’t put 10,000 soldiers into operation and sustain this commitment from a pool of 70,000 (report, February 15) need to explain why.

    The taxpayer is generally sympathetic to our Armed Forces, but does have a right to know what exactly is going on.

    Colonel Mark Rayner (retd)
    Eastbourne, East Sussex

    Many of the troops that can be deployed are already deployed in African countries. Peace keeping, humanitarian and training exercises. 6 battalions a year in Kenya alone.

    The UK is supporting UN peacekeeping missions in Africa with deployments to South Sudan, Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mali.

    1. A total waste of manpower and masses of money Phiz. But what new in regard to our continuing pile of useless political classes.
      Usually when retired army officers comment from years of experience on world affairs, they are hardly heard of again.

      1. In reality our troops are supporting regimes from attacking rebels who are supported by Russia.

        We and the Americans have many bio labs in those countries.

        1. Gosh it is depressing isn't it. And that's before the wave of claims that our soldiers committed various misdeeds by people who want compensation or prosecutions (I know there was at least one very serious case in Kenya, but a lot of revenge-taking on men who were only serving their country too).

  17. Monday Medley
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/84b62eaf51f2835e8055e6355653c3442066b9bfb0235a0b91ba3ab6d7f230ae.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0306ef3372e7b6d84565543ca1df2c21355341662b218878af7ee9e4a8db76ba.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a0b258b56de5a52409877810862629672dd5c247593688cd9ac91a39435d34a3.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/08cbac509ba219fa47629e284a07358ea856737280dfe758c1e3d048835ec5eb.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2dc2da49dd42d062672df9abe9bcb632a0ee4073f8d4046f853485be922f203b.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/197c9d35dbf31f1f45ee68c5af4f1ea20f24be442a952b3ea5c23b1506236ef0.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/732ce556c3b6b59830cea20c866e8f881c500a56faff19183b138aa5caa90b1a.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/994f6669d386ebcb9cdf2915e96f9d89cca512050438aaeddc3dcb61f1da1c2b.png
    Has to be a Lab
    http://forgifs.com/gallery/d/931025-2/Kitten-vs-tail.gif

  18. We are disturbed every morning at first light , not by the milkman ( doesn't exist anymore ) but by the sound of a neighbours noisy car which crunches down the next driveway , as he goes off to his small holding nearby , to let out his goats and feed them .

    There are a couple of long driveways next to us where cars scrunch down their slope from.

  21. We never should have closed the asylums………..
    "A nurse who challenged a trans doctor for using women’s changing rooms is being threatened with the sack by the NHS after “misgendering” her colleague, The Telegraph can reveal.
    Sandie Peggie, who brought a landmark employment tribunal against NHS Fife and Dr Beth Upton, is understood to have been told to attend a conduct hearing on Friday which her employer has warned could lead to her dismissal.
    The nurse, who had a previously unblemished 30-year career, is accused of committing misconduct by challenging the presence of Dr Upton, who was born male but identifies as a woman, in female facilities at Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy on Christmas Eve 2023.
    At the centre of the allegation which now threatens to ruin Ms Peggie’s career is that she “misgendered” Dr Upton by using male pronouns, including when speaking to other NHS colleagues.
    Following an internal investigation, separate to ongoing employment tribunal proceedings, a NHS Fife panel will also consider two allegations that Ms Peggie compromised patient safety by refusing to work effectively with Dr Upton.
    What was said in the changing room is disputed by Ms Peggie, who accepts calling Dr Upton a male but denies claims of “cornering” or “haranguing” her physically larger colleague.
    Her legal team has accused Dr Upton of fabricating the two occasions in which she is accused of jeopardising patient safety, which were not made until months after they were said to have occurred. Ms Peggie insists they did not happen."
    Vicious bitter Tranny lies,shocka
    https://archive.ph/yWP9w#selection-2907.0-2953.235

      1. I was thinking exactly the same Phiz.
        And why were those morons not revealing the same with the so called trans doctor.
        What a terrible experience for the nurse and her colleagues. I really hope common sense will prevail.

    2. I don't care if someone is trans. Oddly, it's nothing to do with me. I think it's a bit weird but that's par for the course. What they can't then do is force their views on me to accept their life choices.

      Therefore if I ask to see a female doctor then he goes and a woman returns because, you see, he is a man.

  22. "If you're running in fear of your own voters.. there's not a lot America can do for you." JD Vance.

    Camera pans to audience of Euro Elites.. seen rolling their eyes..

    1. There must be a better and more appropriate and fitting description of these people than elite's.

      2. The parasite class. But the ones in that audience are probably just bootlickers to the parasite class…

    2. The eurocrats designed their system specifically to exclude the voter. They know this. Democracy terrifies the hard Left.

  23. Golly Gosh and wow!

    I expect the DT letters editor loved inserting this .

    SIR – Why should we pay any heed to J D Vance’s rant?

    As the saying goes, his nation is the only one to have moved from barbarism to decadence without passing through civilisation.

    Richard Goddard
    Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

    1. J.D. Vance just stunned world leaders at the Munich Security Conference with a speech they didn’t want to hear. His message? Europe’s greatest threat isn’t Russia or China—it’s itself.

      The elites sat in dead silence as he laid out the truth—but will Europe wake up before it’s too late?

      1. J.D Vance should repeat his speech again, and again ..

        The trouble is , Europe didn't suss out the pre war Nazi plan , they have cloth ears .

        They are used to being submissive, they didn't protest at Merkel's plans to bombard Europe with North Africans and their ilk , nah , it is too late , their mindset is solid.

      2. Political adviser to the Labour Party John McTernan doubles-down..
        "JD Vance is an insult to our country.. suggesting we change our laws. He is irrelevant."
        "There is no truth in his statement that there is no threat from Russia.. that there is an attack from within.. that there is no free speech."

        1. There is no threat to Europe from Russia. Putin doesn't really care about it.

          The real threat IS from the eurocrats and they are desperate to suppress freedom of speech. They're fascists!

        2. Russia has no intention of attacking its most lucrative market. Only a moron or political advisor would think that. In fact Putin is not even interested in subjugating Ukraine. He has taken the Russian speaking areas that are naturally part of Russia and gone no further. The sabre rattling lunatics here is the Soviet EU and the lunatic Zelenskyy.

      3. Political adviser to the Labour Party John McTernan doubles-down..
        "JD Vance is an insult to our country.. suggesting we change our laws. He is irrelevant."
        "There is no truth in his statement that there is no threat from Russia.. that there is an attack from within.. that there is no free speech."

      4. Nahh. Lefties ignore facts because they don't suit them. The entire point of the eurocracy is to ensure pointless, useless people cause great harm to no purpose at expense of others.

        If rational people set about creating the EU they'd stand about saying 'stupid idea' and walk away to let markets do their job.

      5. They acted as you would have expected of swine dwellers grubbing about in the swamp momentarily disturbed by an electric prod. They raised their snouts, squealed with outrage and then went back to snouts in the mud truffleing for goodies.

  25. Plainer train speak.

    SIR — Michael Hollands (Letters, February 15) describes an odd train announcement.

    Thameslink’s message concerning imminent arrivals at stations with shorter platforms talks of passengers wishing to “alight” there. What’s wrong with “leave”?

    John Tilsiter
    Radlett, Hertfordshire

    You must be one of the modern generation of undisciplined, miseducated offspring off the 'radical' 60s hippy crowd, Johnny.

    I have fully comprehended, used and assimilated the term 'alight' since I were a toddler. Back in those days, when discipline, proper education and rules of conduct were the gold standard, we all had a far larger vocabulary than the dim-witted of today could ever dream of.

    Vacuum-heads, like you, are all part of the reason the country is disappearing down the lavatory. Your forebears (look it up, it's in a big book called a 'dictionary') would all be aghast at how you — and all subsequent generations — have deteriorated; morally, educationally and disciplinarily.

  26. JD Vance is the VP of USA.. it's the official line of the USA.
    Euro Elite expecting nice comfy solution to Ukraine, then carry on as before. Instead they got a wake up call.

    1. The peace making doesn't need a fourth party to complicate matters, the protagonists and the US to knock heads together will be quite enough. If the EU wanted to be involved they should have stepped up sooner rather than being a key player in keeping the war going. I'm sure the Don can see the danger of letting the eurocrats meddle. All they have left now is deafening shouts that Vlad will be at our doors by next Christmas if we don't crush him now. Today they will be running around like headless chickens issuing meaningless threats of what they will do if DT won't let them play with him. Excellent….. Smithers, release the hounds.

      1. The EU is a pointless communist bloc that falls apart as soon as genuine problems confront it.

        It cannot cope with… anything. Financial shocks are managed through massive wealth transfers and protectionism creating problems further down the road and building up debt. The communist farming CAP creating massive surplus of unwanted goods and surfeit of needed ones. It wants a military desperately but the idea of giving communists control over weapons is laughable considering what they've done to energy.

      2. As I recall the EU has a major potion of responsibility for starting the events that led up to the war?

        1. It was the lunatic "Dame" Catherine Ashton who almost started World War 3 on her own when poncing round the Ukraine years ago threatening Russia and promising the crooked Ukrainian politicians the world (and lotsa money).

  27. Good Morning All!

    Xandra H is back with a very well-considered piece on the real motives behind the Labour regime’s plan to reorganise local government. Please read her ‘ Democracy Died Long Ago ’ and let us know what you think.

    Energy watch 08.00 Total generation: 41.381GW from: Hydroc
    arbons 46.3%; Wind 25.3%; Imports 4.4%; Biomass 7.6% and Nuclear 10.4. Solar: 0. Total demand: 41.3GW, UK generation 37.97GW.

    We are still importing electricity. It almost seems to be compulsory to import electric power from France, though today we are also exporting a small amount to France! And it seems that the percentage of our electricity supply generated from burning ‘biomass’ – shredded trees – is creeping up, devastating forests in the US and elsewhere . And the people in charge of all this want to ban wood burning stoves!

    Don't forget folk, FSB is always looking for writers if you fancy having a go.

        1. The idiotic idea that we can run this country on unreliables is a joke. Not only do they cost a fortune with all the costs lumbered on the bill payer but they only provide a quarter of our electricity – and that's intermittent.

          We need nuclear, coal and gas, because you don't rely on just one type of fuel.

          1. Agreed, and we need to produce as much of it domstically as we can – which would be just about all of it.

        2. Total demand: 41.3GW, UK generation 237.97GW.

          Which would indicate the UK is producing more than 5 times the demand.

    2. Good to see wind contributing 10gw of the 70gw capacity.

      Not good to see burning wood – something we should stop doing. I'm confused how the demented ideological drive to reduce 'co2' (it'll be another gas tomorrow) can be praised by doing so (burning wood) as trees consume vast amounts of it. There's an irony that 'carbon capture and storage' is being pushed mechanically yet we're destroying the things that do that.

      1. The whole thing is counterproductive. Trees do absorb CO2 much more quickly when growing than when mature, but it takes on average 60 years for a new tree to absorb as much as it releases when it is burned.

        Though the green/loonie mob would disagree, CO2 levels are at a low and we are in danger of slipping into another ice age, so more CO2 in the atrmosphere is better, though anything man can do is marghinal at best.

        1. If we imagined replacing all the diversity areas and overcrowded, filthy housing with forests we'd have far fewer problems.

      1. Hope you’ll look at tomorrow’s FSB article Mr Tastey, arguing that we are about to enter a Grand Solar Minimum in the next few years.

      2. I learn a couple of days ago that the fastest growing source for natural non-polluting energy in the world is gas obtained from fracking. We have an enormous supply, quote: "…tenth of the estimated 1,300 tcf of shale gas resources, that would translate into 51 years of gas supply."

        Personally I believe the present governments policy has nothing to do with energy as such but has the aim of destabilizing the country deliberately. It's either that or these people are incredibly stupid to a degree I have a hard time believing that they could possibly be so dumb.

  28. Good morning Nottlers, 2°C, low wind and small snowflakes coming to nothing. Layers is the answer for walking football this morning. 🥶

    1. Out of curiosity, how does walking football work? Do you get penalised for a sudden burst of speed?

      1. Yes. Basically, all players have to walk, are only allowed three touches on the ball, and there’s no tackling from the back. There are plenty of Max Wall impressions as players try to stay within the rules.
        The mob I play with on Monday/Thursday mornings normally make up six-a-side, no keepers just a small cone as a target, played across an 18 yard box.
        There’s a mix of ages from 60 to 75ish. Sense of humour required and some passes that wouldn’t have been caught 40 years ago.

    3. 401788+ up ticks,

      Morning N,

      Thought for a moment, for the enlightenment of supporting fools, the leading political S(TOOL)had openly declared he was at war with England's indigenous.

  30. A giant human sized pink bunny came shuffling out of our room this morning. As I passed it, it grunted at me and got in the shower.

    I know I've not been sleeping well, but I'm fairly certain it's too early for Easter.

      1. Junior had shot off to school by the time the Warqueen rises – she has Monday and Friday off work and eithers heads to the gym or potters around the house making a nuisance of herself before she beds down doing whatever it is she does.

    3. Harvey? Didn't read down and see molamola's post.

      We have a friend called Harvey who is an excellent yachtsman – indeed he and his twin brother, Richard, won the Fastnet Race in 1975.

      Another year, when he was crewing in an Admiral's Cup boat during Cowes Week, he was hit on the head by a boom and was, for a few seconds dead. Fortunately amongst the crew there were a couple of doctors who managed to get his heart beating again. As it was Cowes Week there were several helicopters in the Solent filming the regatta and they managed to radio one whose crew hovered by the boat and airlifted Harvey off in a stretcher.

      From being hit on the head by the boom and arriving on the roof of Southampton General Hospital – where a team of specialists were ready for him – took 8 minutes! Harvey now refers to himself as Harvey Boombanger!

      He is now 78 years old.

      https://littleshipclub.co.uk/news/fastnet-winners-1925

  31. Silly boy! left out known letter on second line -again.
    Wordle 1,339 3/6
    ⬜🟨🟩⬜⬜
    🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    1. At this point I find it comical more than depressing. It's just another example of this appalling government (we've had the same one for 30 years) refusing to do it's basic job: protecting the citizen.

      Some minister came on the wireless r4 complaining that every department wanted more money. Thinng is, they don't need more monney. They're refusing to do their basic jobs as it is and all of them are making everything worse.

      30 years of open borders inviting the sewage of the world here has led to massive pressure on energy, food, fuel, infrastructure (road, data, material), we need housing when we wouldn't have before (which this moronic government is making harder with massive hikes to council tax and stamp duty), organised and disorganised crime is perpetuated by dindu's on mopeds biking cash around to the fake 'barbers'.

      And what does the state do? It deliberately stops keeping statistics on it's failures to pretend everything is fine while the country drowns in human sewage.

      They want more money because they caused the problem. Stop causing the problem and reverse the damage and the problem(s) go away overnight.

      1. You could slow down a bomb from a plane with a parachute – but the bomb would still hit the ground.

    2. And he probably received free counseling and free representation.
      How effing stupid things have become in our islands.

    3. Beyond a joke. He, his kids and his drug dealing wife should be on the next plane back to Jamaica – after he has been whipped and castrated.

      There are a record 34,169 outstanding immigration appeals, largely on human rights grounds. What about the million who have ignored deportation orders and still claim benefits and housing? Send them to Ukraine with a mess tin and a steel helmet. They can eat out of one and defecate in the other. Don't tell them which, they would get confused.

  34. 401788+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    Monday 17 February: It would be a grave mistake not to boost Britain’s defence spending now.

    Otherwise how are we in the WEF / NWO / RESET cartel expected to get DOWN TO what we consider to be a reasonable number of earth dwellers without the culling potential of wars, and the lubricating, palm greasing, financial gains via arms sales.

    It would be a far greater mistake NOT to fully recognise the political enemy enemas within English walls with royal seal.

  35. Kiss goodbye to your sons, daughters, grandsons and grand-daughters. As I forecast a couple of days ago, they are to be conscripted and sent to the Ukraine so that the EU, NATO and BBC can continue with its destruction of the UK and the western way of life whilst filling their coffers and those of their fellow traitors.

    1. Don't worry. The army lacks the ability to do what Der Starmer intends. By the time it is ready he and the rest of the morons will be out of power.

  38. Good Moaning.
    Global Boiling going gangbusters this morning; given or the odd frozen windscreen and crispy white grass.
    Article on AI/ChatThingy by Quentin Letts.
    Get your wildest imaginings out there. Hours of fun.

    "The technology adapts. It alters its ‘mind’ when the facts change.

    What it lacks, however, is the gift of scepticism. It accepts ‘facts’ if told they are that.

    It asked me who was my favourite poet. ‘Dr Crippen,’ I replied, naming the early 20th-century wife-murderer who was executed at Pentonville Prison. ChatGPT expressed surprise and wondered, ‘are you testing my knowledge?’ No, no, I replied, claiming that at school we were taught a Crippen poem called ‘Cold Morning at Pentonville’.

    I even made up a verse of this masterpiece: ‘A distant church bell tolled/The prison walls stood bold/A thought of yesteryear/To still my plangent fear/A cell of biting cold/And marbled walls of mould/I miss you so, my dear/Yet death will bring us near.’

    Dear old ChatGPT replied that it was ‘quite an evocative and melancholic verse’. Minutes later my friend Simon asked his own chat website if Dr Crippen ever wrote poetry. Back came the answer: ‘Yes, surprisingly he did. His verses were reportedly reflective and melancholy. Some of his poems were written when he was in prison, awaiting execution.’

    If you’ll believe that, you’ll probably believe Rory Stewart is a giant of our days."

    1. It would possibly be the best wake-up call that the EU could administer.
      It's too short a step from that to civil wars.
      The people in charge are insane if they believe the general public would accept it.

    1. 401788+ up ticks,

      O2O,
      A treacherous lamb in wolves clothing.

      Starmer: I am ready and willing to put British troops in Ukraine
      PM’s announcement puts pressure on European leaders to do the same at summit in Paris

    2. Good Morning Ogga. I'm sure you are aware of the latest tactic with Tommy Robinson. They are now depriving him of food as well as having cut off all communication with the outside world. His "crime" this time was talking to his son on the phone whilst he was speaking to another family member. Where are the lawyers?
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPXB_xhkxSw

      1. Phase II of the baked-in civil war.. Martyrs & Latin American style dirty war & assassinations.
        Dr David Betz – Professor – War Studies, King's College.

      2. 401788+ up ticks,

        Morning JR,
        Duty of care is screaming loudly to
        be let into WOODHILL PRISON to check on the prisoner welfare issue.

        No GO for TOJO ….. tactics in British prisons.

      3. Should something serious happen to Robinson who will be the first to be thrown under the bus?

        "Just following orders", will that do?

  47. The so-called peace dividend has been squandered.

    Not squandered, deliberately spent on importing and supporting millions of immigrants, whose way(s) of life are totally different to ours

  50. Farage may not be the greatest danger facing the Tories
    The Liberal Democrats are stealing the Conservatives’ clothing on most issues. It’s hard to tell their MPs apart.
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2025/02/17/reform-may-not-be-the-greatest-danger-facing-the-tories/

    This DT journalist, Iain Dale, is as deluded as many of his colleagues are!

    BTL

    Ed Davey tries to out-Boris Johnson with his buffoonery but as we saw from the Bonker himself a buffoon does not make a good prime minister.

    A Buffoon with a personality as swollen as an old man's prostate was useless; a buffoon without charisma, charm or genuine humour would be considerably worse.

  52. I would note that, during the latter stages of the Second World War, the Royal Engineers constructed a 1,200-metre bridge over the Maas river in a week.

    The bridge was built, but, not 1,200 metres long

    Then, as now, the official (legal?) units of length in UK are IMPERIAL ie yards, feet and inches

    2. No, they're not. The standard is metric. We still measure some things in miles – speed limits, distances – but that's a hold over from the 70's.

      Try asking a plumber for items in 3/17th's or whatever weird number that is.

        2. As well as TV screen sizes, measured diagonally in inches. Tyres too, diameters are in inches.

      2. I do believe that some plumbing items are still measured in inches which even the French use eg. 1/2' & 3/4" ….

    1. Libtard audience breaks into spontaneous applause.
      What does this tell you?
      Libtards are deaf. Libtards will double down.
      Civil war boulder just moved another 6 inches closer to the slope of the hill.

        1. When is a rant not a rant?

          I thought Vance's speech was calm, measured and statesmanlike. They just didn't want to hear it.

          Perhaps if he had offered the Krauts a pig knuckle sandwich they would have been more amenable.

          1. Like the man said:

            If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
            Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools.

            We are now living in the age of mendacity.

          3. It was an excellent speech and only the Trump administration has the chutzpah to tell the liberal lefties in Europe what everyone else can see happening to their countries. They were shocked, particularly as he didn’t really mention the war at all! We have at least 4 years more of the wonderful Don.

          4. The Liberal Left have been patting each other on their backs for so long they can't see the tsunami about to engulf them. Being panicked into introducing new laws like Islamo blasphemy and banning popular groupings like AFD will only speed their demise.

    6. Such emotional hysteria, gawd luv a duck, wots happened to the krauts, they used to put up quite a fight.

          2. Yes, Phizz, there is something seriously perverted in all this. Maybe if our own men were not being systematically emasculated, then frustrated and hysterical women would not confuse murderousness and brutality for masculinity. I thought we had all grown out of that but clearly not.

          3. Sorry, SC – didn't read down before I posted! Agreed, though, especially with that cheeky little touch of green and "Death to the Jews" in Arabic on the delightful headbands. Just pop on the on-trend Pally headscarf and you're sorted for the season. What is the matter with people?

          4. I don't know, but a young member (her parents were with us so presumably that's why she attended) at the meeting this afternoon was wearing a Support Palestine badge. I doubt she had a clue about what was what.

        2. I suspect that Hugo Boss is designing the very fetching Hamas outfits we saw re-emerge following the "ceasefire". Certainly does the trick for sex-starved Islingtonians.

    1. Thankfully, I was unfit to join the RAF so I claim medical exemption (mind you, I am also some 50 years older than when I originally applied!).

    1. "One second after" by William Forstchen is an excellent novel on what an EMP attack would mean
      No UK transformers are "hardened" an EMP would utterly destroy us

  58. For those that like a "punt".. gold or silver..
    or btc and since one can buy a piece of the action for as little as 20p.. not much of a gamble is it?

    US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that in the next 12 months the Treasury will revalue its Gold inventory & monetize the asset side of the US balance sheet. Currently, the value of US gold reserves in the national account is priced at only $42.22 per ounce, established in 1973. If priced at the current value $2,900 per ounce, this would also cause Gold prices to soar along with other assets such as $Bitcoin (BTC.CC) that may be re-monetised at a later date.

  59. If anyone is interested the TV series The White Lotus aired last night. First episode of series 3.

    I find it compelling. Loved the bloody murder scenes in series 1.

    And for the ladies their is a full frontal nude scene with Patrick Schwarzenegger. :@)

      1. Yes he was poor lad , but not any longer . Younger son is the image of his father, and when he was just born , the staff knew just by looking at him.

        1. Hush you mouth. Belle is the belle of the ball. Even though both her sons are blue eyed blonds. The bastards !

  62. Good afternoon, all. Popped in and out here as I've been busy making a lasagne for the evening meal, washing up x3 and vacuuming and dusting the floors. I am quite domesticated and house trained.

    However, I did find time to write a couple comments on X re Starmer's insane idea of creating an Expeditionary Force to invade the Ukraine.

    Better to be busy than loafing around.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f102bac683f0cabcb1e4fd38af61ccbb4c769e9112f0dfea22b4fc735154777a.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0232bef9485be3897a85e2beaf39d5eb7683ea3f4acec139bf607fd9abafbf60.png

    Fame at last? Very unlikely, more like infamy – cue Kenneth Williams.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1ca0eb450b3681ad8c8bb0c2a1874aa73a5e9e2ea04f76435b4ca11c37717c57.png

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/18d23943e1e224c7be06c7f62fd0ab6b7bc53d2b1e063c3f9c75bac9fbe833db.png

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c8ad21929e97f4f91f20077192c6c225acb5e7449741c08fc3a6acb2d419ab14.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9f3dc2204aff5095ef20d1a630005c80c04c7457e0c61b0ff3bc886c0e284cb7.png

    A big finale, the rude one.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/15a711a42f914a1977176be131192b28068dbb174a17d97a160819a6a758a8ea.png

    1. Farm Foods (a bit like Iceland) were selling Maine Lobsters for £7.99. That's my lunch sorted.

    2. The Walmart notice isn't very daft. The incorrect notice obliges you to spend $10 in order to take advantage of an offer for what might be more Chips than you want, whereas the correct one requires that you only spend $5 for half the quantity. The same unit price, I grant you, but less demanding on the pocket/purse.

  63. Cans of Red Bull & flowers have been left in honour of mother-of-two shot dead outside the Three Horseshoes pub in Knockholt, near Sevenoaks in Kent.

    Stay classy, Kent.

  67. Huge plans for new 2,400-acre solar farm in Lincolnshire countryside It will be considered 'nationally significant' due to its size.

    A renewable energy developer has announced plans for a new solar farm which would be one of the biggest in Lincolnshire. The Leoda Solar Farm would cover around 2,400 acres of farmland north-west of Leadenham in North Kesteven – the equivalent of 1,360 football pitches.

    Millitwat MUST be made to live in the middle of it.

    My second

    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

    of the day

    Licolnshire is was the food provider county of England

    https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/lincoln-news/huge-plans-new-2400-acre-9850753

  72. Don't be fooled by the sunshine. It is bitter. Just finished pruning the third wisteria. Ice in the gutters (and potholes). Indoors for good!

    1. Bitter! It’s bloomin’ Baltic! I took the boys and Lucy, who is staying with us for half term, to the Kelpies and the huge play park. The snow was falling, the swans etc apparently have ‘avian ‘flu, and Lucy’s hands were sooo cold after about half an hour, even with gloves on, and a new jacket I had to buy her yesterday because Daddy forgot to bring hers, we had to come home!

        1. I wasn’t! Neither were the twins with their Guyanan heritage, but the farmers daughter from the Borders – well, she was complaining a bit!🤦🏻‍♀️

    2. I am a Quaker, born in New England in 1651. Why am I not being allowed Social Security?

      If George Washington can still claim it, why not me?

    3. Not sure what this means. US social security is the state pension scheme. Earliest age to join is 62 and what you get depends on what you put in.

      1. Nice to see you here, Jack! Have you been quietly lurking? Did you know our friend, Tom (Sir Jasper) died at the end of January? I hope you're ok.

        1. See reply to SOS above. I've been lurking a bit lately., but as a recipient of US social security in the form of a pension for some years now, I finally felt like commenting. One thing people may not know is the the US pension is a lot higher than the British equivalent.

          But them as we all know, everything is bigger in America….

      2. It's certainly a very strange table.

        Good to hear from you.
        I hope all is well and that you're coping on your own

          1. Pass.
            But unless they have left assets to the State that continue to produce income it seems a little unlikely at the older end.
            I wonder if Phizzee may be correct that maintenance of graves is included, it would certainly make sense and also leave some people looking very silly.

          2. I’m pleased you are.
            HG and I are only 55 years as “an item”.
            I used to enjoy the banter with jillthelass and I know you and I had our occasional differences of opinion but I always enjoyed debating.
            Take care, and may your memories improve with the recollection.

    4. Funnily enough.. there are people in Brazil & USA that got zapped by a UFO when they got too close.. and were transported into another time zone.. and are currently on disability benefits.
      I kid you not.

    5. Funnily enough.. there are people in Brazil & USA that got zapped by a UFO when they got too close.. and were transported into another time zone.. and are currently on disability benefits.
      I kid you not.

  74. From the Guardian

    Julianne Moore has said it is a “great shock” to learn that one of her books had been “banned by the Trump Administration” from schools serving the children of US military personnel and civilian defence employees.

    The Boogie Nights and Mary & George star wrote that she was “truly saddened” by the news in an Instagram post on Sunday.

    Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore
    Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore. Photograph: Bloomsbury
    Last Monday, the Department of Defense circulated a memo stating that it is examining library books “potentially related to gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology topics”. After access to all library books was suspended for a week for a review, a “small number of items” were identified and have been kept for “further review”, it said.

    1. I don't remember taking many books out of the school library. I don't know if there was a book banning policy but most certainly most of the books I read were from public libraries and not generally available at school.

      1. We had Biggles books in my school library (and in the public library). I think they were the only ones I borrowed.

        1. Nothing by W E Johns in our school library. Never liked Biggles but I did read the other ones about space travel. No John Pudney nor Jennings and when I was 14 and able to use the adult public library I found great books undreamed of in the school library
          Agatha Christie and Three Men in a Boat ( never could wade through that turgid story) more or less summed up the school offerings.
          Mysteriously I once found a copy of Riddle of the Sand written in 1903, the author had later been executed for treason I think. A good read and something only found in the school library.

          1. I never liked Worrals, but Gimlet and Co were okay, as were the space stories. I had a lucky escape; my parents were thinking of calling me Jerome (after the author of three men in a boat), but fortunately, changed their minds and called me after an Italian painter instead.

    2. Judging by the reviews on Amazon, the book is just a bit silly. Apparently having freckles is a disability that will mark you out for bullying but this book will help you learn to ignore your incurable affliction.

  75. Just popping in after a talk given by our Labour MP Pam Cox, which was very interesting, and which I shall report on first thing on Tuesday morning. Too busy with other things just now.

    1. NATO's budget is pushing $ 1.5 Tn, of which USA pays roughly 2/3.
      Russia's total GDP is roughly $ 2 Tn.

      How anyone thinks they can afford to march all over Europe is a mystery, so it would need to go nuclear. Troops in Ukraine will make zero difference one way or the other, the deterrents are financial and MAD.
      Time to force Zelensky to stop his war.

  78. I was quite good at Darts in my youth. Obviously not as good as Luke Littler but i did win quite a few fairground prizes.

    Considering the governments response to pointy bladed weapons i decided i would like to take up the sport of axe throwing.

    Just ordered one from Amazon.

    Let's see if they ask for proof of age……………..

    1. They did that at our village fete, no health and safety at all, there were axes bouncing off the targets or flying over them.

      Those that hit a target blade first embedded themselves quite deep into the wood; certainly deep enough to cause a person a very serious injury.

      1. I watched big beefy men attacking huge pieces of trees and watched in wonder with the art they created.

        Didn't feel threatened at all. Though i did stand well back.

      3. Yep – I had huge fun wellying axes around at a fair in Germany.

        British Elf'n'Safety bods must faint regularly when on hols on the Continong… 🤣🤣

        1. I know this guy! He trained the guys for Outlander, and is a pal of Russell Crowe! He’s very handy with an axe!

    3. I had throwing knives as a kid and got pretty good with them. If we're having a barbeque I'll sometimes scare the family by hurling my chef's knife into the oak tree.

    1. Will GB News respond positively?

      The way the channel treated Mark Steyn makes me doubt it. They are so terrified about Ofcom that they dare not say a word on the subject of Tommy Robinson.

      Jordan Peterson and Douglas Murray are not ashamed to state their views on the way Tommy is being treated – it is high time our PTB were interested in this gross injustice.

    1. I don't care if Nigel Farage does not want Tommy Robinson in the Reform Party – but if he is not prepared to condemn the inhumane treatment the evil state is giving him then he is not fit to lead the Reform Party and Rupert Lowe should take over immediately.

        1. Before anyone mentions the mistake in the last of those I deleted it and reported wit with the typo corrected.

      2. As I have mentioned many times before, Nigel has spent most of his political career so far just talking. He has never actually achieved much at all. Where as TR speaks volumes for many people. And is being treated like a vicious infection. In TR's case telling what he feels is the truth has stranded him in a very dangerous situation.
        I'm not a fan of TR, but as Nigel and many more are allowed to say almost what they think. Surely freedom of speech is or should be a dominant factor in UK life and politics.
        But more recently, blatant habitual and pathological lying seems to have taken precedent. This is why our once safe and reasonably comfortable country is now in dire straights and we really don't have anyone to stand up for British people's rights. And what has happened to TR has branded the current 'hierarchy' as very sadistic.

        1. That is all true, but he's brought it on himself to a great extent.

          Being in contempt of court gives judges enormous powers to treat you like dirt; and you can bet your bottom dollar that that is what some bewigged pufferfish of a judge will do.

  81. Wordle No. 1,339 3/6

    ⬜🟩🟨⬜⬜
    ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    Wordle 17 Feb 2025

    Byway for Birdie Three?

    3. Well done – just a workmanlike par here.

      Wordle 1,339 4/6

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

    4. Par again
      Wordle 1,339 4/6

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

  83. Well, that was a turnup for the books! A decent sunny day with the temperature reaching 5.6°C before the sun dropped below the side of the valley.
    About 4°C outside now.
    After doing a few indoor jobs, including dragging forgotten times forward from the back of the fridge, I've done about 5h up the "garden" and gotten a load of garden waste burnt in the oil drum I've converted into an incinerator.

    1. Mornin' Bob. A tad chilly (minus 28C) last night and today, but a metric shit tonne of snow over the last couple of days – rare to get this much in February as usually it's 'too cold to snow' – or in other words – no clouds means colder weather.

      Had the chance to put the little 40V battery chainsaw to good use cutting up the limbs brought down by snowload. Verdict? I wouldn't want it to be my only saw – it couldn't do a full mornings work on firewood duties – but it was damn convenient to Grab 'N' Go rather than pull one of my Stihl's out of winterized hibernation.

      1. We have a petrol Stihl for proper work, and a battery chainsaw for carrying around and tidying – with the same battery as the battery secateurs. Quite useful!

        1. This the way…. horses for courses.

          And yes, the 40V battery can do a bunch of stuff. This is the Ryobi, and their ecosystem of interchangeable tools is pretty good. This one will do an air compressor, a strimmer, etc etc.

          1. Our little mower, one-hand pruning chainsaw, and secateur are all Ryobi. Excellent kit, but for muscular tree-lopping, you can’t beat a Stihl.

          2. My purchasing logics is generally:

            Do Stihl make one? If so, buy it. If not, do Honda make one? If so, buy it. If not, then I guess I need to ask whether I really need it… 🙂

      2. I guess you don't have the bother of your power going off when it snows. It invariably brings the power lines down here when we have a few inches.

        1. Hey Rusty! Oh yes we do. Our over-ground lines go down a whole heap during winter, despite the best efforts of the lads and lasses on the roadcrews that do nothing other than pre-emptive tree-lopping. I think 18-days has been our longest outage since I move up here.

          We don't mind though. A good wood supply, some solar (thermal, not PV), and a Honda genny keeps us up and running.

          1. Eighteen days, that would be tough in winter. We had no power for about ten says back in the days of the big ice storm and that was quite an experience even though we could take a fifteen minute drive into Ottawa where there was still power.

          2. Hi, Richard! Yes – it was quite the adventure, especially because I was fairly new to the region when it happened. Two to three days is more usual, at least once a year. One of the Hydro crew chiefs told me she didn't worry as much for us as she did for other places because "You lot are pretty self-sufficient, eh?" 🙂

            I love this place.

          7. Good choice, Rastus. Mrs DC is a big fan, and I’d never heard of him till I came here. She’s been correcting this deficit in my musical tastes ever since!

  84. That's me gone. Nice day – apart from the bitter cold wind. Same tomorrow, apparently. I must get the support wires fixed – but one need bare hands so tricky when it is only just a few degrees above freezing.

    Have a spiffing evening.

    A demain. With luck.

  85. heh heh. I’ve been to a lot of places, but this was home the first time I found the place. Still is. Even cost me my Confirmed Batchelor status in the end….

  86. Shrimp sat in lime juice 'cooking' in the fridge.

    Seems a shame to have those part-squeezed limes go to waste.

    :eyes gin bottle and taps watch:

      1. Heh heh, Sue!

        Necessity was the mother of invention that weekend. I'm still not sure I actually got away with it. There's this nagging feeling it will be mentioned casually at some future date when I'm off my guard.

    2. I have some large raw prawns defrosting in the fridge. Tomorrow I shall fry them in lard and coat them in a little oyster sauce.

      I zested and juiced six limes at the weekend. I added a similar amount of water and a little sugar, heated it all together to make a lime-flavoured simple syrup which I then cooled, strained and placed into ice-cube containers. A couple of those lime cubes in a little chilled vodka or tequila makes for a refreshing aperitif.

      2. Lovely stuff – with both the prawns and the syrup!

        I keep a couple of boxes worth of lemons and limes in the freezer over the winter – bought back in the summer when ridiculously cheap. There might be a syrup in my future…

        1. I have just sliced up and minced about 3 kg of pork back fat. Tomorrow I shall render it down in the oven to make a supply of lard. I shall then salt the residual "scratchings" for nibbling on at leisure.

      4. Sugar! Mein Gott Grizz, what are you thinking of? Sugar is, as you have so often said, pure poison!

        1. Indeed it is poison. I used very little in the recipe (just sufficient to remove some sourness).
          And a couple of lime ice cubes in a drink contains a minuscule amount of the damn stuff.

  87. We've just had the largest group of cranes I've ever seen, flying across.

    I would not be surprised if there were over 1,000.
    The noise was unbelievable, we heard them well before they were visible, and long after they left.
    There were two extremely long V's plus multiple long V's off the main ones and minor V's off those.
    It's amazing how they hold the shape.

    There were other smaller groups following on; it really was rush hour overhead.

      1. As far as I can tell from Internet sites, they're heading towards Grizzly.
        I'm near Bergerac in the Dordogne, and we're pretty much in the centre of the migration route.

      2. Northwards at this time of year, en route to northern Scandinavia from Africa. Common cranes take frequent refuelling stops on the way where they rest and feed for days at a time (we have one such place just north of here where over 9,000 can be seen at once). We shall start to get them flying overhead in about a month's time.

    2. Had that experience last time I was in Poland, sos (only I think they were Storks. Am unsure as to what is the difference)

    4. I saw something very similar in the vicinity of Chateauroux one autumn probably ten years ago, probably heading towards Parc naturel régional de la Brenne (2000+ lakes and ponds). Great clouds of them in the sky, so high I thought they were trails of smoke. They seemed to go on forever. Oh, how I miss France, its rural peace and space and its gentle wonders of the natural world.

  89. How to survive a war zone.

    I was born in a war zone where the maternity unit in South London had an antiaircraft gun in the grounds aimed at incoming V1s.
    After arriving in a war zone I had no notion of what London would be like in peace time. After the war my brother and I played in the ruins and caught tadpoles in the tank traps.

    1. When we went on holiday we stayed with an aunt in Exeter, scene of the Baedeker raids; we played on bomb sites (1950s).

    2. My School – top of Telegraph Hill, South London, had an Observers Corp observation post atop the Gym. The Air raid shelters were used as the Music block. Mind you in the Mid 1960s virtually the entire 4th to 2nd Year 6th forms were members of the CCF and had use of the school's rifle range!

        1. I was only young when the 3-day week was rampant.
          The more I hear from Starmer, the more I'm glad we don't live in the UK – problem is, all parents and other relatives, also friends, do.

    1. Aye, I remember we chatted for a while the other week about Norway, when I mentioned I'd lived for a while when I Chef'd in a seafood restaurant. Loved the place.

      1. Can't get better seafood than on the (north) west coast here.
        Problem is, I never grew up with it, so whilst I have good technique in opening the things, I prefer meat.
        You couldn't get fish/shellfish that wouldn't poison you where I grew up in Northern Nigeria, so I never developed the liking for it.
        Now, goat that's too tough to make into shoes or belts, you're talking!

        1. I do like older goat! Learned to cook it in Guyana – and it reminded me (in taste, texture, and cooking-style) of mutton.

    1. I enjoyed this, BoB, especially the large number of NoTTLers taking place. At 32 seconds I spotted Mr & Mrs Rastus having a kiss, and could the lady playing the bagpipes perchance be our Sue Macfarlane? Then there is a bus conductress with her ticket machine next to Benjamin Franklyn with an early version of spectacles. Lol. But a great piece of music BoB.

    2. I will vote for them, unless a better alternative emerges, but given Farage & Tice's attitudes towards Tommy Robinson, I will not be joining as long as Farage is leader.

      1. I am already a member of a political party. I see no reason to change, although I am open to voting Reform (I did in the last election).

  96. Trying to find something to watch yesterday I stumbled across a film based on the true story of the compilation of the first Oxford English Dictionary. (I know I know). For those that have it free to watch it's on Amazon Prime. It's called 'The Professor and the Madman'.

    I think those that sunscribed to Wordle or do the Times / Telegraph Crossword puzzles (and Nottlers generally) will find it very entertaining!

  98. God. I am sick – absolutely SICK – of bloody cold, sneaky winds.
    The damn things follow you round corners.

    3. A bit like the breeze blowing the smoke from the rubbish I was burning!
      Everywhere I went near the thing, it followed me!

    4. My mother called them "idle winds".

      They are too idle to go around you so they blow right through you!

  99. Evening, all. Busy, but not at all productive!, day. Went to the ROCA meeting and it was a beetle drive – what a bore! I didn't go last year because I'd just had Oscar put to sleep. I shan't go next year because it put me to sleep! Then I had my teeth scaled and polished. Oh, joy!

    Winston (I transferred the details on his microchip this evening) was left in his crate while I was out. Still didn't stop him chewing the handle off the top! He will grow out of it; he's only two and a very immature two, at that.

    It's no use throwing money at the armed forces (in that respect, it's like the NHS). It needs to be spent wisely – I know! Ditch the DEI and go for elitism and the best kit available.

      1. He was exonerated from the second of the two as that was not his modus operandi. The first, I suspect he got sucked in, even though he probably didn't start it. He has previous in that respect when he was an only dog.

  103. From the effing DT:

    "The seven things only a sex therapist will tell you
    If your sex life is awkward, unenjoyable or simply non-existent, a sex therapist shares her top tips to improve intimacy"

    Most liked BtL comment:

    "Steve Barson

    "To add some spontaneity, last week I took my wife while she was bending over rummaging in the freezer. Not only was she furious I now have a life ban from Iceland."

  105. The latest series of 'Unforgotten' on ITV could have come from the BBC's School of Woke. It's almost satire, as though the writer had a good laugh sticking it to the 'far-right'. The suspects include:

    (1) A university lecturer whose husband is the victim. She's up before the management for recommending a 'racist' book to a female student. At the hearing, she tears a strip off the simpering ninny and storms out of the room, demonstrating to the audience that she's obviously a bit irrational. She was once a Labour voter so perhaps we are meant to believe she's been got at by wicked, racist Tories.

    (2) An Afghan refugee who is gay and can't go home because the Taliban will kill him. He's involved in an illegal immigration racket and brings into the country a young man who is, yes, a trainee doctor. He is living in the house of a soldier whose life he saved in Afghanistan. The soldier (who might be gay) is angry about the illegal immigrant in his house but calms down when the gay Afghan tells him how horrible everything is in the world, especially in the racist UK where the racist farmers pay slave wages to the brave fruitpickers and people drown in the sea in their desperation to get to this terrible island.

    (3) A young man in his 20s who is obviously autistic but somehow manages to convince social services that he is capable of looking after his bedridden mother, whom he has assaulted. He sits in his bedroom with its three computer screens, communicating with others like him and discussing all kinds of nutty things that clearly demonstrate he is a tin foil hatter. Yes, he is an incel.

    (4) A young woman who is a reporter/broadcaster whose fiancée is paralysed from the waist down (presumably a car crash and pivotal to the story) and can no longer perform his duties. She has it away with a village priest in Ireland where she has a bolthole (if you, er, see what I mean). She has a slot – a one-minute rant – on a cable tv news programme which is, unsurprisingly, a send-up of GB News. The name of the outfit? Britannia News Channel. I bet the producers had a good laugh about that (think Nick Griffin…).

    The victim, we are told was a good bloke from the East End, know wot I mean! Everybody loved Gerry, di'n't vey? Gerry was so nice that he ran a number of multiple occupancy properties i.e. slum houses for asylum seekers. It was a racket and Covid crashed his business so he got involved with the Albanian mafia.

    Gerry had rows with his wife. The team of detectives discuss the case. One says: "The rows were about everything you'd expect from what we're now learning about him. Immigration, lockdown, grooming gangs, vaccines. It's gammon bingo."

    "You can't say that!", say another. The rest of the team snigger.

    The six-part series is currently being shown on ITV but all the episodes are available for binge-watchers on the ITV Player. I have two still to go so I can't spoil the ending for you.

    2. I watched a film on BBC4 last night. Compartment No 6, was a joint Finnish/Russian effort, but what was refreshing was the cast were all Finnish or Russian. No arbitrary, "standard" and incongruous BBC black or Asian placements.

      There was some —now obligatory — lesbianism, but nothing else of a woke nature.

      1. In the dentist's waiting room this evening, every poster had a black or asian face on it. I began to think they didn't want my custom. The dentist and his assistant were foreign as well.

    3. Can I try to guess the ending for all NoTTLers, William? All the characters stand for Parliament, are successful, and elect Keir Starmer as their leader and thus he becomes the new Prime Minister?

    4. Can I try to guess the ending for all NoTTLers, William? All the characters stand for Parliament, are successful, and elect Keir Starmer as their leader and thus he becomes the new Prime Minister?

    1. 401788 + up ticks

      O2O
      A beneficial long overdue plague triggered in Liverpool.
      The Beginning, "When the English began to hate"

    2. I support the British patriots (note that the use of the word "patriots" kind of suggests how we should vote) but not the Islamist Muzzies, Oggie.

  107. OK I've got one for you (a topical one):

    "Why shouldn't you wear Russian underpants?
    cos Chernobyl Fallout

  108. OK I've got one for you (a topical one):

    "Why shouldn't you wear Russian underpants?
    cos Chernobyl Fallout

  110. Well, chums, I'm off to bed now. Good night, sleep well and I'll see you all first thing tomorrow. I'll just post a brief Wordle result to ensure it stays at the top, and then add my report on my local MP and what happened just as soon as I can.

Comments are closed.