Monday 23 June: With the US strikes on Iran, the old international order is under threat

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.

481 thoughts on “Monday 23 June: With the US strikes on Iran, the old international order is under threat”

  2. Good morning, chums. And thanks, Geoff, for today's new NoTTLe page. I did Wordle in 4 lines today (a Par) but alas when clicking on "Paste" nothing is shown. Computers – aargh!

    1. Good morning, Oggy. For once I can wholeheartedly understand and enjoy your post. Excellent, my friend.

  7. Good morning Geoff and all NoTTLer colleagues. Gosh, Midsummer's Day has passed and now we're heading for Christmas. Boo!
    Here are two little Monday Chuckles to tax your brains:

    Two women got chatting in the street. One said: “I’ve had a terrible time of it lately, Maureen. My sister Joan committed suicide last month, because she had run up terrible debts on her credit card.”
    “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, Helen,” said the other. 
“A friend of mine was very depressed, too. He owed £1,000 to a loan shark, and his family were going to be thrown out on to the street the following day. He was so distraught he drove to the edge of a cliff and parked there, his head resting on the steering wheel. But all the nice people there had a whip-round and they got him his £1,000. It was a good job his bus was full that day.”

    A guy met a girl in a bar and asked: “Can I buy you a drink?” “Okay,” she said, “but it won’t do you any good.” 

    A little later he asked her: “Can I buy you another drink?” “Okay,” she replied, “but it won’t do you any good.” 

    At the end of the evening, he invited her back to his apartment. “Okay,” she said, “but it won’t do you any good.” 

    They got to his apartment and he said: “You are without doubt the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. I want you for my wife.”
    The girl said: “Oh, that’s different. Send her in.”

  8. Good morning all.
    A cooler and duller start to the day after overnight rain. A tad over 13½°C.

  11. Good grief, it worked this time!

    Wordle 1,465 3/6

    ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨
    ⬜🟨🟩⬜🟨
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    1. Good morning Elsie and all
      A lot depends on the first word today!
      Wordle 1,465 2/6

      ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    2. Happy Birthday, Paul! Have a wonderful day and stay young! 🍺💕🍾🎂

      1. Yes, at least the ones here in Norway. Trip to pub then restaurant this evening.

      1. Thank you, Alf. Much appreciated.
        Needs revised lyrics… "Now I'm sixty four!"

    9. Now that you are 64 I suppose you've got 69 to look forward to!

      Happy Birthday!

  13. Morning all,

    Was the Air India crash due to an excessively complicated control system in the plane's wing surfaces?

    https://youtu.be/HbE7MpKv5xA?si=xx4vm2Wses-aSh_o

    As the level of automation increases in modern day life the likelihood of user error dimishes as we increasingly lose control.

    If my 'complete wifi' router hasn't automatically changed my SSID's channel allocation I shall be able to post this comment.

  14. Morning all,

    Was the Air India crash due to an excessively complicated control system in the plane's wing surfaces?

    https://youtu.be/HbE7MpKv5xA?si=xx4vm2Wses-aSh_o

    As the level of automation increases in modern day life the likelihood of user error dimishes as we increasingly lose control.

    If my 'complete wifi' router hasn't automatically changed my SSID's channel allocation I shall be able to post this comment.

      1. and a load of bollocks too – there was no uncontrollable bank to the left, a minute of this crap was enough for me

      2. and a load of bollocks too – there was no uncontrollable bank to the left, a minute of this crap was enough for me

    3. You lost me completely at:

      'complete wifi' router hasn't automatically changed my SSID's channel allocation

      Starmer should intoduce a law, that all Nottlers are provided with a 4 year old kid, for six months, with every new computer, phone and TV that they buy.

      Starmer can pay the wages for the kids, out of his back-handers!

      1. I was given a BT Homehub2 when my landline was terminated.
        Whilst it has a guaranteed 900Mbit/s download speed on hardwired ethernet connections, wifi connections are known to be erratic due to its intelligent channel allocations over the 2.4 and 5 Mhz wifi bands.
        This dual channel router is known as ‘complete wifi’ and has the same SSID identity whatever device you are connecting to it.
        My dual wifi band tablet can get dowload speeds of over 300Mbit/s but at times may have to be reconnected using the same SSID at 2.4Mhz at a considerably reduced bit rate.

  15. Morning all,

    Was the Air India crash due to an excessively complicated control system in the plane's wing surfaces?

    https://youtu.be/HbE7MpKv5xA?si=xx4vm2Wses-aSh_o

    As the level of automation increases in modern day life the likelihood of user error dimishes as we increasingly lose control.

    If my 'complete wifi' router hasn't automatically changed my SSID's channel allocation I shall be able to post this comment.

    1. Don't expect too much. Dominic Cummings revealed on the DT podcast that Whitehall is incinerating every piece of evidence they have.

  18. I see that Trump is now being criticised for being far too unpredictable with his tweets, but isn't being unpredictable, predictable in a way.
    Left wing people appear to have a problem with this for some reason.
    People on the Right just laugh when he wrong foots the Left every time.
    But not with Labour, now supposedly unpredictably changing their minds and U turning on issues such as taxing non-doms out of the country and now just this morning trying to lower energy bills for businesses by rowing back on the green energy madness.
    While we on the right instinctively know that this is just spin and all talk, one thing we can rely on with Labour, they never change their nation state self harming initiatives, because they really believe in them and they don't really want to make our country great again, because they didn't like it when it was great. Left wing supporters prove this with their posts on line every day and their marches in support for those behind Islamic oppression, I think they would like that type of tyrannical control over here.
    Trump now, far from trying to destroy Iran and bomb it back to the stone age, wants to make Iran Great Again, which means taking it back to the time before the Mullahs took over, the 1960s / 70s.
    When he has finished doing that, perhaps Trump can help us in the UK return to a time before the progressive madness set in.

    1. I am sailing through a social sea of TDS. I chuckle to myself when Trump is proclaimed as the worst President since Reagan, the last POTUS i had any time for. Meanwhile, in Blighty, we've had a production line of the human equivalent of dry rot since they evicted Thatcher. That's without including the devolved pygmies. It's a funny old world.

  19. 408066+ up ticks,

    May one ask,
    Any consideration or thought being given to our very own incoming foreign invasion at Dover ? and the plight of our hamlets,villages, towns and what's remaining of our cities from the already foreign elements.

    British bases on high alert for Iranian drone swarms
    Defence Secretary says UK Armed Forces protection at ‘highest level’ amid fears that US actions could escalate into wider conflict

    1. Morning Ogga,

      Well , that is so reassuring for those of us who live close by to the Royal Tank Regiment at Bovington, and Lulworth camp.

      There were security issues in the early 2000s, when the other ME conflicts were taking place , decontamination exercises , rescue exercises , and the locals were informed about the dangers of large containers for flowers, roundabouts , petrol stations etc , railway security ..

      The Blair years brought anxiety and genuine fear for everyone , including the armed services serving in this area.

      Spotting the raghead made everyone rather wary!

    2. Not long ago we were being told GRU agents were sabotaging substations and other infrastructure across Europe.

      If that were the case wouldn't our bases already be on high alert?

      Asking for an idiot friend.

      1. Dunno. Ask Group Capt. Bumps-at-the-Front.
        She seems well informed (or is that well connected?)

      1. 498066+ up ticks,

        Evening C,

        From a person with the power to be heard currently I very much doubt it.

    4. Happy Birthday Obs, I hope you have a lovely day today.
      Cheers 🥂 🍾🍻🍷

    7. Happy Birthday Oberst, I hope you're having a splendid day. 🥳🎂🍻🎶

    10. Happy Birthday

      It's a very good age, well apart from the eyesight and teeth deterioration, not to mention hair

    1. Put not your trust in princes…….
      (Psalm 146)

      I would not put any trust in the Idiot King either.

  22. DNA Screening.

    SIR – For more in-depth details on this, along with other related matters, might I suggest the reading of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, published in 1932.

    David O’Brien
    Weston-super-Mare, Somerset

    We know who the Alpha plus's are. They will want plenty of Epsilons/slaves.

    2. A really efficient totalitarian state would be one in which the all-powerful executive of political bosses and their army of managers control a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced, because they love their servitude.

        1. Yes indeed .

          In Brave New World, Mustapha Mond is described as a man of middle height, with black hair, a hooked nose, and full, red lips. His eyes are particularly piercing and dark. He is an Alpha, and the Resident Controller for Western Europe, making him one of the ten World Controllers who govern the World State. Despite his position of power, he is depicted as intelligent and complex, having once been a scientist who questioned the World State's values before becoming one of its enforcers.

          A Boris in disguise?

          3. I suspect Mr. Huxley was not totally disagreeing with Aydolph and the prevailing political winds in 1932.

  23. Good morning Nottlers, 13°C with grey skies and a stiff westerly breeze. Walking football will be a challenge, hope our jumpers for goalposts don't blow away.

  26. 408066+ up ticks,

    On par with the United Kingdom what Has puzzled me
    for these last three plus decades is why these types were given consent, via the poling stations, to enter these Isles time after time, via the lab/lib/con pro eu
    mass uncontrolled / party controlled / paedophile umbrella party.

    https://x.com/RadioGenoa/status/1936972616889475379

      1. He won't get a slapped wrist as that would be a physical assault and would violate his human rights.

        Mind you, he won't escape scot free – he'll get a severe ticking off.

  27. Good Moaning.
    Thankfully – sez Temperate Girl – the day has started fresh, sunny and not muggy.

    And talking of fresh starts, will the ridiculous farrago at Brize Norton (remember the days when returning fallen warriors were given a decent reception?) signal the death throes of DEI (DIE).
    If ever there was a Bumps-at-the-Front token, Group Capt. Henson is it. And she got an Other Buggers' Efforts gong.

    2. Reported as being a non-flying HR type, nevertheless, she had a number of ribbons on her left breast. Anyone know what for?

      1. Iraq war, GSM, Long service and good conduct medal, I suspect but I've not seen a photo

          1. Thanks Sue – I can see the GSM and LSaGC and what could be a coronation medal but the rest are unknown to me

        2. None of those ribbons is for valour. They will be for being in the services when various events took place – Platinum Jubilee, Coronation, etc.

      1. That's why I worry about the Armed Forces taking over.
        Their top chaps have been brainwashed with the same carp.

  28. A proper good morning ,

    Breezy , quite a chilly wind , 16c .

    Moh playing golf.

    No1 son cannot work , was given the push last week , because of his damaged hand, health and safety etc, and he works for himself for a contractor .. so no compensation for loss of pay . He could have supervised, but no , work means work.

    He is selling his super duper motor bike today .

    Things go wrong very quickly .. he can still run , but his hand is splinted , and has an appointment with bone people this week sometime .

    3. Oh dear, Maggie.
      I am so sorry. At times like that you feel so helpless. All you can do is be there.

    4. So sorry to read that, Belle! What a disaster all round. Sending hugs to you, and commiserations to your son on having to sell his bike. 🤗

  29. Reform will ensure non-doms contribute to Britain
    The lowest earners believe elites play by a different set of rules. As a party for working people, Reform wants to change this
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/06/22/nigel-farage-reform-non-dom-status-help-low-earners/

    BTL

    In 2009 Cameron promised to raise the IHT threshold to £1m.

    Since that time the value of the £ has fallen but the threshold today is only £325,000 – well under a third of what The Conservative Party promised over 25 years ago.

    And now Farage has completely lost his reason and is becoming more and more a candidate for the funny farm.

    1. It does rather smack of the "eye-catching initiative" (C) Charles Lynton.

      1. 408066+ up ticks,

        Morning JBF,
        " miranda" the political ghoul that haunts the park public toilets on cottaging missions.

  32. I wondered why Rod Stewart was getting so much coverage on mainstream media while slagging off Trump.
    Turns out he is appearing at Glastonbury starting later this week, will he I wonder, be the warm up act for Kneecap?
    I think he has TDS because Trump is more Scottish.

    1. Absolutely! Rod the Mod was born in Highgate! 🤣
      Not in Scotland last time I checked!

      1. Happy 14 Birthday (under my system) Herr Oberstleutnant and of course have 364 Happy Unbirthdays, until the next Anniversary

    3. I understand Rod Stewart has had to cancel this gig as his voice has got better

  33. Well, it's gone very dull here so I'm off up the "garden" to get some pottering about done before the rain starts.

    1. There is a theory that this is a hook for getting Reform elected so that Farage can bring in Palentir, just as Trump is doing in the US. Reason being that people would not accept the shackles of the digital id unless they felt that the country had been destroyed and the government is their rescuer.

      1. 408066+ up ticks,

        Morning BB2,

        In my book that “nige” cat has more ways to skin his trusting brethren.

        1. Mine too, but you can just hear the cries now “Let’s give Reform a chance” (a chance to call in Palentir)

          1. 408066+ up ticks,

            Afternoon BB2,

            The majority electorate have form, we would NEVER be where we are today without their input.
            As with the Exit Brexit result I was calling with every post, support UKIP as a safety net party,
            wouldn’t do i, I was told time & again no need of UKIP now,JOB DONE, we are ALL now reaping the odious rewards for their criminal stupidity, they are about to repeat their post 2016 actions again, BIG TIME.

    1. Go on, get Lord Hermer to block all US military flights out of Diego Garcia. He still has rights as a tenant. LOL

      1. I wonder if Trump ordered military flights out of Diego Garcia what the UK military would do to stop them.

        1. They'd obey orders.
          Rat to the Mauritians who would then tell their Inscrutible Besties.

  38. 😉
    Hair is still OK, mostly on front of the face… rest of me, best left unmentioned.

  39. Just a little note to say that Barry Gibb appears not to have died!
    Cue ‘Staying Alive’🎶

          2. When he finally does pop his clogs, nobody will believe it, reports of his death having been greatly exaggerated.

    2. inflammatory. contemptuous. mocking. terrible distressing. LOL

      Sooooooooo Stephen.. would you treat your son to go to Bangkok to be castrated as a 16th birthday present?

      Susie Green former chief executive officer of Mermaids took her child to Thailand to undergo SRS, which was carried out on the child’s sixteenth birthday.

      2. I hope he finds support to help him, and I hope she's prosecuted and spends decades in a prison being 're-educated'.

      3. Not having children “That’s probably the biggest hole in my life,” Said Fry – No Stephen, having a giant hole in your love life is the reason you don't have any children.

    3. That Joanne …. she does have a way with words, doesn't she?
      She really ought to take up writing for a living.

    4. I think the fox walloper is actually becoming even more unhinged by the day – he is obsessed with JKR!

    6. I really don't know why these leftie luvvies keep on attacking JKR. She just wipes the floor with them. They must be masochists.

    7. Sir Stephen Fry – Paedophile and poufter. Knighted for services to politicians and phone box performances.

    1. News unrelentingly negative today, Alec…thanks for smiles x it's very funny :-))

  48. Good morning, all. Back again. What did I miss? An Indian airliner crashed and, as there were two English people on it, the JWK (and others of the royal ilk) wore mourning. Funny how they forgot to do that after Manchester, and all other terrorist attacks.

    Iran being bombed to blazes. I am getting in some CH oil – it won't be cheap by the time this thing ends.

    We had a few days in Brittany – VERY warm. The billet was on the beach. One got out of bed, put swimming trunks and a T-shirt on and then did SFA day after day – the MR actually swam; I was deterred by a tribe of jellyfish…. Then back yesterday to two surly cats in the porch who muttered, "Oh, you're back, then…"

    Foolishly took a sandwich from the Eurotunnel "posh" lounge (= shed) and have been very unwell (euphemism….) since 2 am until – er – now. Hoping it will come to an end soon.

    Anything else go on in NoTTLand?

    1. Welcome back. Shame about the gippy tummy.

      There was an article in the Mail from a so called journalist who bitches about celebs. Behind the paywall but the comments were interesting.

      Cilla Black was universally loathed by everyone who met her and Terry Wogan including his wife were hated by everyone too. Michael Parkinson didn't fare much better.

      2. I met El Tel at 'The old Mid-Herts' as he called it. He use to park his Green Roller TW 1 out side the entrance on his golf days with one of the listeners. The who guy use to pay thousands of pounds to a charity for 'a round with Wogan'.
        Until El Tel and the golf buggy suddenly parted company.
        I also met up with Jimmy Tarbuck at the London Golf Club. Not a very nice person.

      3. Long before it became fairly general knowledge, I always sensed that Priscilla White was not a very pleasant person.
        Couldn't honestly say why, just vibes coming through the screen.

        1. She always struck me as a Scouse version of Lulu! A bit common tarty screechy women!

    2. Good to see you back Bill and I'm glad you had a good break in Brittany. Did you see the Tasteys?
      Sorry to hear you're not well today.
      The news is all doom and gloom these days but what's new? We're still alive.

    3. We tried to be more positive after you left, but the strain nearly killed us, so all is back to normal now.

      2. At least I wasn’t here on 21 June to remind you all that the nights will be drawing in….

    4. Loverly to see you back.
      That's probably a nicer welcome than you got from the Terrible Twosome.

    5. Welcome back Bill! We missed you, even if the ginger ones didn’t!
      Hope your tummy gets better soon!

    6. Good to hear from you, Bill. Trust you're recovered (apart from the catering induced ills).

  49. Morning all 🙂😊
    Much cooler today, still struggling with the medication and the weather. My op progress is, Improving very slowly. Acid reflux is the problem.
    Such a strange feeling, I don't think codeine suits my own personal implications. Not sure if that's the right description. But I'm certainly not taking any more.

    1. If you can manage the pain without it then i would leave it out too. Alternatively you could lower the dose by cutting the pill in half.

    2. Eddy, please look online – lots of info especially re diet to help control AR. Codeine isn't included 🙂 All the best, good luck x

  51. Hard work today:
    Wordle 1,465 4/6

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

    1. Failed to address? Failure implies will. They've endorsed it.

      Now's the time to leave the ECHR. The Irish would be behind it, only the political class are frightened of it. We abandon the Windsor agreement, push the border with the hated EU out to sea and make them do the work for a change. Make the Republic of Ireland effectively a third country for the EU to deal with and allow free trade from UK to Ireland.

      1. You fancy being PM, Wibbling? That's more sense in 2 and a half lines that in 2 and a half decades in parliament.
        (lower case "p" to reflect my contempt)

  53. Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds warned that Iranian activity in the UK was already substantial around Britain's military bases in the UK.

    However, not to be confused with our allies & brothers Palestine Action, who will still receive a free-ride.

    Huda Ammori & combo grifter Richard Barnard of Palestine Action claimed responsibility for more than 300 incidents at government buildings, universities and British-based defence sites, including RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

    RAF base vandalism not enough to justify Palestine Action ban, says ex-minister. LOL
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/21126be5f8a530129d865d36eda3786f2c37d4df98f7297f429a17182312a432.jpg

        1. :-)) I always wondered how they got up and down stairs…perhaps they had lifts? who didn’t love Tom Baker…x

          1. I liked Tom Baker.

            In the later Dr who i think the Daleks use some form of anti-gravity so they could float.

          2. Bit like hover-Daleks? Excellent. When the BBC had something about it. I think it should move to sub only. Bint broadcasting company may just get the jolt it needs.

          6. Apparently Tennant is the number one…x…just re-watching Better Call Saul (Netflix) have you seen that? x

          8. Guessing you won’t have seen Squid Game…all my family (except me) are very competitive, they love it. Think I may be a cuckoo…:-) xx

          11. Did I reply, Alec? thought I did, but seem to have had a few disappearing messages recently. So…who do you like? 🙂 x

    2. Serial wasters, both of the. Foreigners, with no interest or commitment to the values this country presents. They're freeloading wasters.

    4. Military bases should be put on alert, with armed guards and permission to shoot.

      1. I think they have just now belatedly gone alert in the UK.

        One would think after Greenham Common our airbases would have been secure anyway !

      1. When she is interviewed and puts on her concerned expression, she just looks as though she is constipated.

        1. Definitely something amiss there. Notice Milliband getting a bit of ‘rollicking’ for his Net Zero claims, bit of good news at least. (H/T Paul Homewood.)

    2. Fabians – socialists – love eugenics so they can enforce their view of the perfect society.

      That's one without white folk, as they're going.

    3. "Victims included those with physical or mental disabilities, chronic illnesses, or deemed "unproductive" to society."

      Looks like the present government and most of the MPs would be front of the queue.

      1. 408066+ up ticks,

        Afternoon Per,
        Precisely why they are frantic to keep control by hook, and most certainly, by CROOK.

  55. Thanks, Jules. It was a blessed relief to be ain a busy small fishing port, no slammers, no mosques. Just ordinary white people doing their thing. And not to wear shoes for most of the time!

    1. We had a day out yesterday with our swiftie friends in Bristol – chatting to people and taking photos in their lovely garden which was open for NGS. It's amazing what they've crammed into a suburban garden. We even saw some action by the swifts.

          1. The garden looks wonderful, and they seem to have a fantastic swift setup – as do you!

          2. They have 25 boxes and I think 18 are occupied. The house is a 1920s semi – with quite a long, narrow garden. It's absolutely packed flowers and pond at the top – with veggies and greenhouse down at the bottom. And also an allotment………

    2. But……. you wore socks and sandals, I hope? How else can the English be identified overseas?!

  56. https://order-order.com/2025/06/23/private-sector-employment-falls-for-ninth-month-in-a-row/

    We lost £1600 in contract renewals due to my being in hospital. Doesn't sound much in the scheme of things but it's the difference between profit and loss. It's our utility bills (which are up from last month).

    We're watching the numbers like hawks and are not recruiting at all, despite our solicitor man turning away work. We cannot countenance employing people when this incompetent, cretinous, evil government is hell bent on ruining the country.

  57. Did you know______As much as 85-90% of the Pakistani population follows Sunni Islam. Most Pakistani Sunni Muslims belong to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, which is represented by the Barelvi and Deobandi traditions. About 97% of Pakistanis are Muslims. The majority are Sunni (85-90%) while Shias make up around 10-15%.

    Did you know_____ The main religion of Iran is Shia Islam, specifically Twelver Ja'afari Shia Islam, which is the official state religion. The vast majority of Iranians are Muslim, and within that population, Shia Muslims make up the overwhelming majority.

    Official State Religion: The Iranian constitution designates Twelver Ja'afari Shia Islam as the official state religion.
    Muslim Majority: Around 99.4% of the Iranian population is estimated to be Muslim.
    Shia Dominance: Of the Muslim population, 90-95% are Shia Muslims.
    Sunni Minority: A smaller percentage (5-10%) of Muslims in Iran are Sunni, mainly found in specific regions and among certain ethnic groups.
    Other Religions: While Islam is the dominant religion, other religions like Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and others are also practiced by smaller segments of the population. However, these are not officially recognized by the government and face restrictions.
    Government Recognition: Only Islam (Shia and Sunni), Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism are officially recognized religions.

    So , there will be nothing to stop Iran doing the dirty because Pakistani communities in the UK are Sunni.

    I DO hope Starmer understands that fact when the bombs start to fly!

    1. The majority of Iranians are Shiite Moslems because they daren't be anything else. The Three Wise Men were Persian Zoroastrians. Starmer has as much sense as the communists who put the mullahs in power then were shot by them.

      3. I believe there is a single Zoroastrian representative in the present Iranian Parliament. There is also a representative for the Orthodox Christians and the Sunni Moslems.

        I doubt those representatives carry much clout with the Mullahs.

  58. Yes I understand that’s how the food delivery works. I was hospitalised many years ago, at that time dinner-type ladies would come round with trolleys, and patients made their choice. I suspect that stopped because people chose what looked good, some would even go without, and a lot was wasted (I suspect a lot still wasted). Have a dim n distant memory Prue Leith was going to try and sort it many years ago but decided against the sheer task of the job. Fortunately have spent little time in hospitals, but each time have seen Asian families bring food in for their relatives. Glad you’re doing OK:-) Kate

      1. I know. It's also a shame about the rain forests, acid rain, ozone layer, glaciers and Mrs Slocombe's pussy !

    2. This 'collapse' tale comes round about every twenty years. You're ALL going to DIE!

          1. As a child, I was given a vinyl LP of it. Not sure where it ended up. Narration by Peter Pears, if I recall a long time ago…

          2. My 78 rpm copy is narrated by Wilfred Pickles. I could well be listening to it in that photo in my avatar.

  61. I hope I have thanked everyone individually for their kind wishes. I'll be raising a glass to all Y'all later this evening!

      1. Aha! I see from Ndovu's reply that it is indeed.

        In which case, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR PAUL!! Sung as lustily as I can from the rooftops of Buenos Aires to the accompaniment of howling, freezing winds from the south. Hopefully my voice will persuade them to veer west and deliver the message pdq.

        Wishing you a year of good health and good cheer.

        K x x

        1. Thanks, Ashes. Very kind of you. Can't send warmer weather, as it blew away last night… Hugs in the post instead!

      2. I believe so. In any case, where there's beer and cake in the offing, who would say no?
        😉

      3. I posted it late last night and again his morning!

        I shall be putting up some more Birthday good wishes on 18th August.

        1. You are a darling for posting these!

          Between the time difference and being a night owl (OK, dirty stop-out 🤣) I occasionally miss the announcements. My own fault.

      1. Thanks, VW.
        Toast your Grandson first, that's a good one he's done. Lots of hard work…

    5. 🎵Happy Birthday🎵 Paul! 🎊🎈🎁🥂🍾🍨🍰 And may you have many happy returns of this day. They fly by so quickly these days.

  62. 408066+ up ticks,

    Would the human herd link the use of bovaer to mass birth / death control ? looking at the state of the current nation via the polling stations, I rather doubt it.

    Priorities, priorities, ALL the while the herd is thinking
    iran and mushrooms, they are being poisoned via the morning cuppa and, assuring the newborn to be stillborn, under the banner POPULATION CONTROL.

    https://x.com/PeterSweden7/status/1936764088459125080

    https://x.com/PeterSweden7/status/1936764088459125080

    1. From ChatGPT:
      **3-NOP** stands for **3-nitrooxypropanol**. It is a chemical compound used primarily as a **methane inhibitor in ruminant animals** (like cows) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock.

      ### Chemical Details:

      * **Full name:** 3-nitrooxypropanol
      * **Molecular formula:** C₃H₇NO₄
      * **Structure:** It contains a **nitrooxy (-ONO₂)** group attached to a **propanol** backbone.

      ### Mechanism of Action:

      3-NOP works by **inhibiting the enzyme methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR)** in the rumen. MCR is crucial in the final step of methane production by methanogenic archaea. By blocking this enzyme, 3-NOP **reduces enteric methane emissions** without negatively affecting animal productivity.

      ### Use in Agriculture:

      * Developed and commercialized under names like **Bovaer®** (by DSM).
      * Approved for use in many countries to reduce the carbon footprint of dairy and beef farming.
      * Shown in studies to reduce methane emissions by **20–40% or more**, depending on dosage and diet.

      1. I wonder how they're going to feed it to all those millions of wild animals in Africa and South America?

        1. Needs fed to all the volcanos blowing off just at the moment, putting back all that CO2 – and more.

  63. Good afternoon all.

    We’ve had some brilliant news this morning. Our grandson has been awarded a First Class Honours Degree in Pharmacy after four years of study. We are soooo proud of him. For a home loving lad who had never stayed away from home before (he had opportunities with football but preferred home), who then lived with total strangers, looking after himself in Birmingham, he has done a magnificent job. Can’t tell you how we feel – tears welling up etc. (As Alf says, daft old buggers!😉).

    2. Absolutely fantastic. Well done him ! And well done the both of you for raising such a clever and dedicated chap.

    3. Absolutely brilliant, vw! It’s a tough course and now that pharmacists give so much advice and can prescribe and dispense, it’s a very responsible job! Well done to him and to his folks! Special mention for the grandparents!👏🏻🥂

    4. Brilliant! Many congratulations to your grandson. Perfect excuse for a few proud tears x

      1. I think he’s going to be too busy extending his knowledge. He has, at present, a desire to specialise in oncology but has to get through this year of Registration first but the hospital he’s been working in when home from university is, apparently, interested in keeping him on. He’s still only 21 and we said that the world is his oyster.
        He would like to work in the NHS. If that changes over the course of the next year remains to be seen.

    9. Woohoo! Congrats boss!

      I was told today my niece got a first in her first year at Brum too in pharmacology!

  64. River Akiane Kramarik (Akiane) is a self-taught painter and says that Jesus spoke to her when she was four years old, encouraging her to draw and paint her visions. She began to draw at the age of four, was painting at six, and began to write poetry at seven. At the age of 8 years old, Akiane painted Jesus. Her first completed self-portrait sold for US$10,000. She painted this when she was only 8 years old. It sold for $850,000
    https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.ba4146ec00093ae1da5477c8c2653d98?rik=w%2ftxtId53JFkBg&pid=ImgRaw&r=0
    Remarkable young woman.

    1. I like frogs, those look like American bullfrogs. We are undergoing our annual froglet migration away from the Tamar. You have to be careful where you tread on the river path.

      1. The Frog : Hilaire Belloc

        Be kind and tender to the Frog,
        And do not call him names,
        As ‘Slimy skin,’ or ‘Polly-wog,’
        Or likewise ‘Ugly James,’
        Or ‘Gape-a-grin,’ or ‘Toad-gone-wrong,’
        Or ‘Billy Bandy-knees’:
        The Frog is justly sensitive
        To epithets like these.
        No animal will more repay
        A treatment kind and fair;
        At least so lonely people say
        Who keep a frog (and, by the way,
        They are extremely rare).

    2. Mongo saw a frog down by the swamp. It was sitting on a log as he was swimming about. It let out a ribbit and leapt away and you could see, almost in slow motion, his eyes flare open, his jaw distend and him leaping sideways to get away.

      The great daft pillock. He's fine with them now, but that first encounter was a doozy.

      1. I have one that comes into the greenhouse occasionally. It always makes me jump because I'm not expecting it.

      2. 408066 + up ticks,

        Evening W,

        He’s seen me going up the garden same actions, frogs galore,

  66. Princess Kate Middleton announced Tuesday that she is in remission from cancer. Good for her. Hope it never comes back.

    https://scontent-cdg4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/509431114_580408848453719_6254244896196136730_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s640x640_tt6&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=833d8c&_nc_ohc=cnCg1-Yr524Q7kNvwEOQWkT&_nc_oc=Adnm9c0mkOGqXwl83VtHsyB439JSe_-p65lJG0aYB4f2cn_W5GCjr1VE-1femtHn5yfUGWQTABnw0GdBHO-SGf4I&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-cdg4-3.xx&_nc_gid=_t3TgKzccYdSEM9rdgbNeA&oh=00_AfOu3o8r7IoZjGJHw70bJMgCNz6hblKkYi1OWXr4ga12EQ&oe=685F0E8A

      2. If Tommy Robinson had not brought this outrage to public attention then foul women like Jess Phillips, and her colleagues in the Labour Party, would have kept on sweeping it under the carpet and allowed the Pakistani rapists to continue to get away with raping children.

      3. Am i allowed to say (in my opinion) she is also pig ugly. She gives Brummies a bad name

    4. I realise we had no control over bone structure etc….
      But women in particular can ameliorate their appearance with make-up and careful hair styling.

  68. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14837919/Disneyland-Paris-fake-marriage-girl-British-man.html

    "Video shows 'guests' at Disneyland Paris wedding rehearsal ahead of 'fake' marriage of 'scared and confused' nine-year-old Ukrainian girl to a British man in his 20s before his arrest

    Eerie footage has emerged of an alleged 'wedding' between a 22-year-old Brit and nine-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris.

    The fairytale Sleeping Beauty castle was the backdrop for the £111,000 'social media' stunt, which featured musicians, a cake and chairs for hundreds of 'guests'.

    Disneyland Paris was hired out before it was open to the public early on Saturday morning. But it was not aware that a minor was involved in the event.

    Around 100 seated guests were waiting for the ceremony to start as a female violin trio played at dawn before a stage strewn with flowers.

    French broadcaster BFM shared the bizarre footage as well as an image of a pink ribbon bracelet that read 'Margo & Jack 21st June 2025'.

    The Brit was arrested after park staff were shocked to see the 'scared and confused' child turn up for the event wearing what was said to be a bridal dress and four-inch heels taped to her feet, according to Le Parisien.

    Her mother, who is believed to be of Ukrainian heritage and was later arrested, had reportedly said she wanted her daughter to feel like a Disney 'princess' for the day, according to DW.

    The girl is said to have been carried around because she could not walk in the extravagant costume.

    Around 100 seated guests were seen waiting for an alleged 'wedding' between a 22-year-old Brit and nine-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris this weekend, which French prosecutors have dismissed as fake

    Alongside her family, 200 adult guests and 100 children aged five to 15 had been hired online for what was bizarrely advertised as a 'chic and elegant' 'rehearsal' wedding, Le Parisien reported.

    They were allegedly paid €200 and had to 'enter the room, sit down, stand up, applaud and participate naturally and elegantly in this event filmed in a festive and classy atmosphere'.

    But organisers had booked the park for a function they said would be a genuine wedding ceremony.

    Police arrived and took the man into custody along with the girl's 41-year-old mother.

    The 'groom' – who the mother allegedly said was a 'friend' – later told police the aim had been to make a video for social media.

    A statement issued by the prosecutor's office in the nearby town of Meaux said: 'Four people were arrested and questioned: the groom, who was believed to be the organiser of the event and is presumed to be British and aged 22; the mother of the child, a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman; and two Latvian nationals aged 55 and 24.'

    The 55-year-old has claimed he was recruited to play the role of the bride's father for 12,000 euros but discovered last minute she was nine years old, local news reports.

    The prosecutor's statement added 'police custody of the British suspect and a Latvian national was also extended on charges of fraud and money laundering'.

    Disneyland Paris was reportedly deceived about the nature of the event, with the organiser assuming the 'identity of a Latvian national' and using 'false documents to secure the conclusion of the contract for privatising the park', BFM TV reports.

    The event costs the organisers $130,000 (£111,000), BFM added.

    However, Le Parisien reported that the man had presented himself 'as a future Irish groom living in Germany'.

    They highlighted that filming at Disneyland Paris is strictly forbidden and so 'the man may have devised this subterfuge to obtain images of the park'.

    Disneyland Paris told Le Parisien the event was immediately shut down by its team and that guests were stopped from entering the premises.

    The prosecutor's office confirmed today a criminal investigation has opened.

    Circumstances around the wedding remain unclear, but a medical examination of the young girl found she had not suffered any violence, the prosecutor's office said.

    Officials added they were not ruling out that the event may have been a prank, with the guests attending as possible 'extras'.

    The groom had said that he was the director of a production company and they were shooting a video, a police source later told Le Parisien.

    Disneyland Paris was reportedly deceived about the nature of the event, with the organiser assuming the 'identity of a Latvian national' and using 'false documents to secure the conclusion of the contract for privatising the park'

    A source who claimed to have been a wedding guest told Le Parisien: 'We all thought we were going to attend a wedding… Everyone was stunned, no one expected it. Disneyland did things very well.

    'They cancelled everything as soon as they realized the bride was a child. We were shocked to see that.'

    The extras said they had been driven from central Paris on buses at 5am and handed pink bracelets with the names of the 'bride and groom' printed on them.

    'Guests' were told filming was to remain strictly confidential – white chairs, a large cake, musicians and a castle were in place to make the ceremony look realistic, BFM reports.

    One extra, named Yeleen, who attended the ceremony with her daughter, said: 'I saw a little girl dressed in white. I saw her hair prepared with curls and a lady picking her up in her arms.

    'At that moment, I was shocked. I realised when I saw the child. It was atrocious.'

    The prosecutor's office later explained: 'So it wasn't a wedding, but a staged wedding filmed with around a hundred extras. They privatized Disneyland Paris, pretending it was a real wedding.'

    The prosecution has charged the two suspects with 'fraud and breach of trust' against Disneyland Paris.

    They will both be brought before the Meaux judicial court today as part of the opening of a judicial investigation."

    I realise that we've had some sunny (correct spelling?) weather, but the 'groom' appears well tanned. British as in "British"?
    Interesting choice of coloured pixels to obscure his face..
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c4bbc05770c67707557ed4140fdedb5ca463fcb11b675763fade2ebae403ec6e.jpg


      1. Think of the "help lines" where the chap on the phone claims his name is Simon or Jonathan.

  69. Israel blows gates off Iran’s notorious Evin Prison
    Jail houses Tehran’s political prisoners, and is where Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was held on bogus espionage charges
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/06/23/israel-blows-gates-off-iran-notorious-evin-prison/

    Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe had dual-nationality. She was warned not to travel to Iran.. She ignored the warning and was put in prison. Boris Johnson had to pay hundreds of millions to get her released.

    He shouldn't have bothered she was not remotely grateful. A completely foul woman!

    3. Could we ask them to get Lucy Connolly out of jail here? Along with the 4000 other folk locked away for hurty words against slammers.

  70. RAF Brize Norton was where I believe our dead soldier heroes came back to us. There would be patriotic people silently lining the streets as they went.

    For some reason our fucking government considered it might be a flashpoint because we were showing love and honour to those of us who died protecting us.

    So they anonymised their repatriation . Biden checking his watch anyone? when dead American soldiers came back…

    Now we have people promoted to levels of idiocy because of their woke political views on our Airbases.

    What next? A Trans Commander on a nuclear submarine not preparing for launch because the installations targeted might have some men dressed as women?

  71. Apparently yesterday's heat will last all week. It was 31°C when I got up this morning, and it is steadily rising. Forecasters say 100°F (38°C) is likely this p.m. along with high humidity.

        1. Correct – the bit where I live is about 70 miles NW of DC. And the whole area is under heat warnings.

  72. From Rafi Farber's substack:

    Worried About US Involvement
    —————————-

    We woke up Sunday morning hearing that Trump ordered the bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities. This does not sit well with me at all, because I very much understand the exasperation of Americans (and the rest of the world) in getting involved in yet another foreign war. I have no power other than to state my opinion. I can only hope that American involvement stops here and goes no further. The End Game will happen in any case. We do not need a world war in order to trigger it, so I'd rather do without one.

    Subscribe to EGI (End Game Investor) now before Trump does something even stupider.

    Upgrade to paid
    ___

    Rafi Farber is a patriotic Israeli and father of a young family. He refused the jabs and got fined for not complying with overbearing covid rules. I watched a podcast recently where another Israeli was talking about emigrating, and RF said that he would rather die among his own people if that was what would happen. I've also seen footage where he and his wife went to the synagogue to pray that that their country's enemies would be brought low. He is a stout conservative with a good sense of humour and although coming from a fundamentally different worldview in many ways, I like him.

    1. Sensible lady. She mentions the exorbitant cost of school buses and taxis.

      I have long thought that school children should be transported by means of suitably sized yellow buses as in the US. In rural north-east Essex on the Suffolk border I see wide and largely empty double-decker buses ferrying a half dozen small children to and fro schools.

      Our rural roads are heavily potholed and the verges collapsing. Many are very narrow lanes thus large double decker buses are unsuitable vehicles.

      The wretched bus companies must be making a fortune from this practice. I suspect there is a direct parallel with those Scot millionaires who provide and near monopolise national “empty bus” services.

      1. In Colchester, there are several lay-bys, where the school buses sit for hours between the morning and afternoon runs.
        A friend who relies on taxies, has learnt not to bother even trying to book one between 2 – 4 pm.

      2. Due to 'road works' the bus didn't go the same way home. Rather shouts the reason people drive cars. Point to point in 20 minutes of 20 minute walk followed by 50 minute bus and then another 45 home.

      3. I certainly hope she does well. An asset to any government position, current and recent governments excluded.

  74. Just back from a looking for new car' expedition, with SWMBO. We are still taliking to each other!

    1. But don't forget Macbeth's drunken Porter at Dunsinane:

      MACDUFF What three things does drink especially provoke?

      PORTER Marry, sir, nose-painting, sleep, and urine. Lechery, sir, it provokes and unprovokes: it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance. Therefore much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery. It makes him and it mars him; it sets him on and it takes him off; it persuades him and disheartens him; makes him stand to and not stand to; in conclusion, equivocates him in a sleep and, giving him the lie, leaves him.

      Or, in modern parlance: the thing that is provoked after a red nose, sleepiness and peeing is: Brewer's Droop

      (From a different play Bardolph was reputed for having a painted or red nose because he was a drunkard.)

  76. Wordle No. 1,465 4/6

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

    Wordle 23 Jun 2025

    A dubious Par Four?

    1. Golfed early, didn't help avoid bogey

      Wordle 1,465 5/6

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

    2. This looks like a very lucky guess, but, given the unusual 'structure' of the word and the fact I had the first letter, I could only think of two possibilities, and went for the one that seemed far more likely…..

      Strange Birdie!
      Wordle 1,465 3/6

      ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
      🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    3. A birdie. Guess two has an obvious mistake but it was useful.

      Wordle 1,465 3/6

      ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
      🟨🟨⬜⬜🟩
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    4. Managed a birdie today
      Wordle 1,465 3/6

      ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
      ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟩
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    5. Par here by chance having eliminated half of the alphabet.

      Wordle 1,465 4/6

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

  77. Evening, all. Summer is almost back – rain overnight, cooler temperatures, a slight breeze and overcast. Perfect for working in the garden, which I did when I got up the second time (I took the dogs out early in case it got hot then went back to bed).

    We live in interesting times.

  78. No rain despite clouds and humidity .

    I took Pip for a nice walk this morning , cool breeze , walked a couple of miles , yes , enough .

    There are some horses on the heath , they snorted and tossed their heads as we walked by (dog and I) the heather is starting to flower . It will smell nice later.

    Moh was playing golf .

    No son's motor bike was collected earlier nice high powered Aprilla , hope he got a good price for it , he didn't tell me , nor would I dare ask.

    It was a very fast machine , so many accidents recently re fast motor bikes and the roads are not particularly in good shape either , botched jobs re resurfacing .

    As his mother, I am relieved it has gone , he is a real motor head!

    1. Bet you’re relieved! Our daughter in law was, some years ago, thinking of buying our son a motor bike. So glad she didn’t.

      1. My father refused to sign a hire purchase agreement for my brother (who was under 21 at the time) to buy a motorbike, saying it was too dangerous.

          1. The irony was, not long afterwards my father bought a 250 BSA! I used to ride pillion. We wore cork helmets with peaks – like Heartbeat!

      2. Son is 56 years old , he has owned every type of broom broom bike , his favourites were the Harley type .

        I think he has come to his senses , and has ridden since he was 18 years old !!!!

        1. Reaction speeds fall off a cliff after the age of forty.
          Possibly a worse fate than death would be a motorbike crash leading to life changing injuries.

        2. Husband of Hedgehog Annie is a Harley nut! He retired last year year aged just over 60. Goes off on biker weekends and they did a road trip in the States a few years ago.

    2. As my mother used to say: “it’s not you i am worried about”.

      (When i told her i’d be careful. She was worried about all the other idiots on the road – a fact i didn’t appreciate so much at the time).

  80. Reform's deranged campaign to banish TR & his supporters continues.
    Latest Red Flag.
    Reform UK called for the sacking of a Labour councillor over his apparent support for Tommy Robinson.
    About a Tweet from ten years ago.     LOL

      1. One reason might be that you can't join now or re-subscribe without an automatic renewal in 12 months. You can cancel the following year but I don't like the principles of this change. I re-subscribed anyway, but it pissed me off.

        1. I just didn't renew – it took them a year to issue me with a membership card and a little sign to put in the window

          2. There’s a lack of professionalism that worries me, but for me at least, they’re the ‘forlorn hope’. It’s a do or die time.

    2. "Why would you even raise this issue? To be seen now as Mr Cancel-Culture? Is it because he's running scared of any movement by Tommy Robinson? Or is he being instructed to stick close to The Establishment?"
      Steven Woolfe

    3. The sacking of a Labour councillor for supporting Robinson?

      Wat the trousers has it to do with Reform? He's a Labour councillor!

      1. Think I've read Farage doesn't like TR and won't support him. Something to do with TR calling for insurrection, or perhaps something else.

  81. That's me for a very forgettable day. Definitely NOT the planned first full day home. The worst seems to be over – risking an egg on toast for supper.

    The Head Gardener picked the first lot of Cobra beans;

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/92393475c999de7ba98201fc6997791007888991b93f47fd8c2eab1d7b04175f.jpg
    Far more than expected. Read a slightly mediocre novel. Hope to be up to speed tomorrow – if only because the Trombetti need to go out.

    Have a jolly evening.

    A demain (if I am spared)

    1. Having the dindu invaders greeted by a gunboat would be a start. Simply say – turn back. If you don't, you'll be fired upon.

      That means leaving the ECHR, which also means renegotiating the northern ireland protocol and where the border is.

      It could be a huge win, to force the EU out of northern Ireland forever and kick them to the Irish sea border.

      Undo the useless Windsor agreement, utterly unrestricted trade with Ireland from the UK and make the EU treat Ireland as a third nation, with checks on their side.

      However, Starmer, being pathetic would just give the entire UK away and undo Brexit however he could.

        1. Late in the day but just noticed yours so a belated Happy Birthday. I trust you are having a good one.

          I am finding the years just fly by.

    2. Unfortunately, if Cummings told me it was Monday I'd check my watch. An utterly treacherous creep who would sell his own granny down the road if he thought it might benefit himself…. (twat)

      1. I think he was Gove's man at one time, that didn't seem to last. His missus is the lovely Mary Wakefield.

  83. Had a lovely dinner with SWMBO and offspring.
    Now utterly knackered after work, dinner & alcohol, and so many good wished from Nottlers! Thank you all; I'm utterly humbled. I never knew how many actually cared to remember my birthday.
    "When I get older, losing my hair…!"

    2. It's not losing your hair you should worry about Paul – it's losing one's marbles that's more concerning!

      1. Stopping the methformin has improved the brain fog and energy, so there’s some remission there!

    3. Many happy returns, Paul.

      I hesitate to say this, but vision seems somewhat clearer of late. I could have anothe retinal bleed any time, but stuff can be done, waiting lists notwithstanding. I have an appointment with the eye surgeon on Wednesday, so will not be surprised to receive a cancellation phone call in the morning. Again…

      3. All the best, Geoff…him in the woodwork shop/ garage changed his diet to basically low-carb/carnivore, seems to have helped keeping blood sugar low. Hope your vision continues to be clear x

      4. That’s right Geoff! Be optimistic!
        Hope it isn’t cancelled and things get sorted! Thinking of you!😁

      5. Lets hope you a)get your appointment, and b)keep getting clearer sight.
        Fongers XXed, Geoff.

  85. They wonder why we don't use public transport (they have a London mindset where there's a bus every five minutes). Here, if you miss a bus there may not be another until the following day. It takes far longer than walking, even long distances – I've walked from the bus stop to home (about two miles) and the bus still hadn't passed me. It doesn't go where you want, when you want and you may not be able to get a bus back (I had to return by train because the last bus from Shrewsbury left a quarter of an hour before the bus to Shrewsbury arrived).

      1. I'd say it's a fair guess looking at them and bearing in mind that it's a work day.

      1. I can never work out what they expect to achieve, especially nuts to glue your face to the tarmac….

        1. Call me harsh, Kate, but I would be temped to help them out with concrete or hot rolled asphalt, making them a more or less peranent feature…

          1. Definitely go for the hot rolled asphalt, Geoff..three in one. Good to see you, hope you're fit and well x

  87. I was very glad to see an earlier appearance by B. Thomas Esq. He really is a stoolwart of this parish.

  88. I was very glad to see an earlier appearance by B. Thomas Esq. He really is a stoolwart of this parish.

  89. Did Britain back the strikes? Lammy’s whispering campaign leaves us none the wiser
    David Lammy laid out the Government’s official view of Iran’s air strikes and after 90 long minutes, no one could tell you what it was.

    Will no one think of the fission? After Donald Trump’s reckless attack on Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme, so gentle it has to be hidden beneath a mountain, London filled with protestors outraged at this assault upon law-abiding atoms. “Let my missiles go!” cried Tamsin Butterweight as she chained herself to an ice-cream van outside St Martin’s-in-the-Muesli – then was dragged 60 feet at five miles an hour to the tune of O Sole Mio. Another martyr to peace!

    In the Commons, meanwhile, David Lammy laid out the Government’s official view of the air strikes. After 90 long minutes, no one could tell you what it was.

    Advertisement

    Lammy spoke slowly and softly as if hoping we wouldn’t hear. Leaning forward and cupping an ear, one could glean that Britain has not participated in Operation Shia Bliss and favours a diplomatic resolution, but remains firmly of the view Iran should never get a nuke.

    “Yesterday,” he whispered, “I had two conversations with Marco Rubio.” Impressive: but has Rubio had any conversations with President Trump? White House officials told us regime change wasn’t on the table, only for Trump to suggest it might be.

    Neither, I assume, does the president listen to Pete Hegseth – the hunky moron whose chief job is to open jars – nor to JD Vance, also name-dropped by Lammy as if having once shared a lift with a vice president makes him an unsackable asset. It was clear, watching the minister list Republicans who must have been as equally stunned by the bombings as we were, that Britain is out of the loop with an administration that is itself quite loopy.

    “We have been here for an hour,” said the SNP’s Brendan O’Hara, “and still the Foreign Secretary seems incapable of saying whether he supports or condemns America’s actions!” The Greens accused him of “obfuscation”; Tories cried, “What do you think?” The minister, lowering his voice to the point that only a dog could hear it, said that he was “not able to give an assessment at this stage”.

    Advertisement

    The only time he did make an unequivocal statement was monosyllabic. Noting press reports that Lord Hermer had argued intervention might be illegal, Bernard Jenkin asked if this proved Labour was “paralysed and divided?”

    “No,” said Lammy.

    In reality, the poor man is trying to hold together a party that has strongly contrasting views on nuclear weapons. The soft-Left thinks no country should have them; the centre says Britain should and Iran shouldn’t, and the hard-Left thinks Britain shouldn’t and Iran should.

    How else can one explain the fury of lifelong anti-nuclear campaigners at a military strike designed to prevent Tehran from building a bomb? Clive Lewis, while dubbing Iran “dire and despicable”, labelled Trump&Co “hard-Right authoritarians” who have made it “chillingly clear” that “might makes right”.

    Britain, by his calculation, must be righteous indeed, for we have no might to project. References to the Chagos Islands reminded the House that the UK is disposing of its assets, leaving us an irrelevant, post-post-imperial state that can’t fly its planes because someone painted “Kilroy was here” over them. Relax, comrades. Our role in World War III will be to watch it on telly. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/06/23/britain-back-strikes-lammys-whispering-campaign-none-wiser/

    John Gill
    1 min ago
    Lammy is an excellent example of this government’s prevarication, waffle & word salad. None of the front benefit could answer a direct question if their lives depended on it.

    Comment by Kevin Poole.

    KP

    Kevin Poole
    2 min ago
    Great send up of Lammy in the new series of Dead Ringers on Radio 4.

    Comment by Robert RobJ.

    RR

    Robert RobJ
    3 min ago
    He supports Islamic extremists

    Comment by John Elton.

    JE

    John Elton
    3 min ago
    90 minutes listening to tripe.

    Comment by Colin Redmond.

    CR

    Colin Redmond
    3 min ago
    Frightening that this man represents us on the world stage.

    Comment by Glen Bradshaw.

    GB

    Glen Bradshaw
    3 min ago
    We are governed by people who utterly despise us.

    Comment by Jason Price.

    JP

    Jason Price
    4 min ago
    Here’s how a Prime Minister with a backbone answered this simple question. The first sentences of Australian Labor PM Anthony Albanese on the question of whether Australia supported the US action from his press conference yesterday:

    “ Good morning. The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. And we support action to prevent that. That is what this is.”

    There you go Sir Kneeler and Mastermind Lammy. That’s how you answer a straightforward question about an ally.

    Comment by Lss Css.

    LC

    Lss Css
    5 min ago
    Let me be clear!

    It wasn’t us gov!edited

    1
    1 new reply
    show new reply
    Comment by S Broomfield.

    SB

    S Broomfield
    5 min ago
    Very unfair to ask the Foreign Secretary what he thinks. Does he? Can he?

    Reply by jeffrey adams.

    ja

    jeffrey adams
    3 min ago
    Let’s give him credit for standing up and looking like a complete dork.edited

    Reply by Jason Price.

    JP

    Jason Price
    3 min ago
    Well he does that every day.

    1
    1 new reply
    show new reply
    Comment by Jean jeanmr.

    Jj

    Jean jeanmr
    6 min ago
    Lammy – a complete blank and plank. Exit stage left, please.

    Comment by Andy Trott.

    AT

    Andy Trott
    6 min ago
    Fair play to Mr Stanley, that did make me laugh! Laughter (borderline hysteria) feels like the only answer at the moment.

    Comment by Dave Jones.

    DJ

    Dave Jones
    7 min ago
    Winker

    Comment by jeffrey adams.

    ja

    jeffrey adams
    7 min ago
    As long as that telly is in an air raid shelter. Oh, wait, we don’t have any.

    Comment by Nathan Mantle.

    NM

    Nathan Mantle
    8 min ago
    Always rely on Lammy for a giggle even in the most trying of circumstances.

    Incompetence personified.

    Comment by Stephen Phillips.

    SP

    Stephen Phillips
    8 min ago
    David Lammy, the proverbial rabbit lost in the headlights and he's our Foreign Secretary. Lord help us!

    Reply by jeffrey adams.

    ja

    jeffrey adams
    7 min ago
    Don’t think it really matters.

    Comment by Margaret Graham.

    MG

    Margaret Graham
    18 min ago
    Brilliant, the only thing missing is that we are beset by Starmer and Hermer whose hatred of Britain and passion for international law and lawyers is as overpowering as the dunnies that were once a feature of the back yard.

    Comment by Thelma Bee.

    TB

    Thelma Bee
    20 min ago
    Thanks Tim. I needed a chuckle today. Starmer is an empty vessel, hence their non existent position. The sooner they realise we aren’t a global superpower anymore, the better. Let’s just hope the sleeper cells they’ve let in stay asleep.

    Comment by Peter Brown.

    PB

    Peter Brown
    27 min ago
    Weak government ministers show a complete lack of the strong leadership required in a crisis. Starmer missing in action!

    Reply by Elizabeth Armstrong.

    EA

    Elizabeth Armstrong
    9 min ago
    Sad for us Lammy isn’t!

    3. Islam is incompatible with Christianity, so any Christian present should not participate in these prayers. If I were a Councillor, I would walk out whilst the Muslim prayer is being recited, and return when it is over.

        1. Isn't Christianity the cornerstone of Western Civilisation? That's why we're in such a state at the moment, because Christianity is being systematically sidelined, if not actively destroyed.

  91. Léon Krier obituary: Masterplanner behind Poundbury
    Architect known as the ‘Godfather of New Urbanism’ who masterminded the King’s controversial but successful Poundbury development in Dorset, dies aged 79

    Léon Krier once described himself as “an architect, because I don’t build”. As a minority voice in his profession who deplored the modernism that had dominated postwar architecture, Krier said he had made himself redundant. He assumed that he would remain a “utopianist” for the rest of his life. Then he met Prince Charles (now the King).

    By the mid-Eighties the Prince of Wales was the British architecture profession’s public enemy No 1 after a speech in 1984 in which he described a proposed extension of the National Gallery as a “monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend”.

    Charles and the London-based architectural theorist and academic Krier were destined to meet. They did so at an exhibition in 1986 to present Krier’s masterplan to restore a Georgian quarter of London’s Spitalfields that was under threat from modern development. Krier’s elegant drawings acted like catnip on the royal visitor.

    “He [Charles] said, ‘Let’s talk’,” recalled the Luxembourg-born Krier, who wore slightly dandified Edwardian-style outfits topped off by his trademark silk scarves and had the air of a central European intellectual. “And then he [Charles] said ‘Would you like to be my consultant on architecture and particularly on urbanism?’ and I said, ‘Wow, my God. How could I refuse.’ And then we’d meet at strange times and places. Like 3am with some Russian princess in Chelsea.” He remembered feeling touched by the “desperate, even tragic ring” to Charles’s voice when lamenting architecture.

    Charles had continued to blame architects for ruining postwar Britain, but in 1988 seized his chance to develop his own urban Arcadia on 400 acres of land, near the Dorset town of Dorchester, owned by his Duchy of Cornwall. The development would be planned in rigorous accordance with Krier’s “New Urbanist” principles of human scale. No building could be more than five storeys and would be configured in traditional street patterns. Houses and businesses would exist cheek by jowl. “Timeless” materials of stone, brick and wood would be used. No one could be more than 15 minutes away from all the amenities they might need and even their place of work. Car use would be minimal. To reduce the urban sprawl he so deplored, he proposed reintroducing terraced housing that had become anathema to the modernists.

    It was a social experiment to disprove so much of the postwar urban redevelopment that replaced traditional street patterns and market squares with dual carriageways through town and city centres surrounded by residential tower blocks and the zoning of residential and commercial uses that created car-dependent suburban sprawl. “Modernism is a totalitarian ideology which, like all dogmatism, is based on unprovable assumptions,” Krier said.

    About a year after starting on the project, Krier presented his masterplan for Poundbury, replete with Italianate piazzas linked by tree-lined streets. The plan was strong on details, from elaborate lampposts to wrought-iron fencing. Alarmed staff at the Duchy of Cornwall warned Charles that Krier’s plans would be far too expensive. Krier countered that the rise in values would justify the cost in the long run. According to Clive Aslet’s recent book King Charles III: 40 years of Architecture, the duchy appointed the surveyors Drivers Jonas to “rein Krier in”.

    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/leon-krier-obituary-architect-who-designed-poundbury-q0tz99d0k

    https://poundbury.co.uk/

    1. Poundbury is in its own way pure kitsch and as such an abomination. It is also built in the wrong place.

      Charles III has always been susceptible to moronic advisors and architectural creepers.

    2. Poundbury is in its own way pure kitsch and as such an abomination. It is also built in the wrong place.

      Charles III has always been susceptible to moronic advisors and architectural creepers.

    3. "No one could be more than 15 minutes away from all the amenities they might need and even their place of work"

      In the 1980s, Charles was already developing a 15 minute city!
      That slipped completely under the radar at the time.

  92. The science is settled. Some scientists are absolute morons.

    At least a third of deaths worldwide are caused by just four products, a leading British scientist has claimed.

    These are tobacco, alcohol, fossil fuels, and food, according to Professor Anna Gilmour, head of the Centre for 21st Century Public Health at the University of Bath.

    1. Not fire, flood, pestilence and famine – not to mention shooting and beheading?

    3. All humans have to breathe air, all humans die, therefore 100% of all deaths are caused by breathing. Fact

    4. Perhaps the good professor could inform us why so many people get lung cancer when they have never smoked tobacco?

    5. The daft bint should be asked to define Food.

      The University of Bath is a modern invention and should relocate to a less attractive city.

      Having said that, as a Bathonian, it seems my own city has gone to the dogs.

    6. The daft bint should be asked to define Food.

      The University of Bath is a modern invention and should relocate to a less attractive city.

      Having said that, as a Bathonian, it seems my own city has gone to the dogs.

    7. The daft bint should be asked to define Food.

      The University of Bath is a modern invention and should relocate to a less attractive city.

      Having said that, as a Bathonian, it seems my own city has gone to the dogs.

    8. I read that article in the Mail. One of the silliest things I've read in a long time – even for that rag!

  93. We have not hit 100F but are at 96! Or 35/36C. I have the external "dimming" blinds down on the big west facing windows, and with the house being exceptionally well insulated, the A/C has not had any trouble keeping the house comfortable. Normal design points for HVAC here are from a low of 0F to a high of 100F.

  94. And that is me off to bed.
    Did myself a treat for dinner, a bit of mashed potato reheated with liver, bacon and onion.
    Unfortunately I'm the only one here who likes liver so I don't do it very often..

  95. 408066+ up ticks,

    Pillow Ponder,

    The facts that cannot be denied,

    We the indigenous are in the process of losing everything there is to lose, to a treacherous political governing body that has succeeded in mounting a vicious coup using a foreign force that has nothing to lose only to gain, once triggered.

    The options, now very limited, are IMHO down to a massive mosque building campaign or………
    see below.
    https://x.com/Brit_Patriot369/status/1937194924358926447

    1. That's what happens when the Muzzies try to change the local ODEON cinema into a mosque.

      1. 408145+ up ticks,

        Morning EB,

        The odious starmer political tribe did worse
        🎵,
        They changed our local pally into
        a bowling …….

  97. Want to contribute to our Glorious Government’s definition of “anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia” (sic)? Now’s your chance-seize it!!!!! No email address required…

    https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=EGg0v32c3kOociSi7zmVqI6tIfR9NoRNi6VcrK9V665UQTdRVzRMM0I4UTA0R0ZCNzBJQ0s4TVNYMS4u

    “Islamophobia/Anti-Muslim Hatred Definition Working Group – call for evidence
    The UK Government’s independent working group on an Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia definition is seeking views from organisations and individuals on the Government adopting a definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia.

    British Muslims hold a diverse range of opinions, identities, beliefs, and backgrounds. This diversity helps to enrich the fabric of UK society. There are countless examples of Muslim citizens achieving excellence across society – from entrepreneurs to public servants, from sports men and women to musicians and artists.

    The UK Government has a responsibility to ensure that people of the UK receive equal treatment and can freely express their views, beliefs, and sense of identity. Sadly, this is not always the case; too many British Muslims have faced discrimination and hatred due to their religion.

    Anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia can also impact communities that are perceived to be Muslim. There are often cultural markers which are adopted by wider faith communities like Sikh, Hindu, Jain and Buddhists which are used to attack communities that are mistakenly identified as Muslim. This is also true of people of no faith. The Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group will provide advice to the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on appropriate and sensitive language to describe, understand and define unacceptable treatment, prejudice, discrimination and hate targeting Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim. This should include advice regarding the merits of government adopting a non-statutory definition of unacceptable treatment of Muslims and anyone perceived to be Muslim, including what a proposed definition should be.

    The Group’s proposed definition will be non-statutory and will provide the government and other relevant bodies with an understanding of unacceptable treatment and prejudice against Muslim communities. Any proposed definition must be compatible with the unchanging right of the UK's people to exercise freedom of speech and expression – which includes the right to criticise, express dislike of, or insult religions and/or the beliefs and practices of adherents.

    Any advice that the group gives to Government will be private and will not be made public. Further information on the group can be found in its terms of reference: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e12094d8e313b503358c7c/Anti-Muslim_Hatred_Islamophobia_Definition_Working_Group_Terms_of_Reference_March_2025.pdf
    Further information
    This call for evidence will help the Group to make evidence-based recommendations for Ministers to consider. This call for evidence seeks views on the following topics: 1. What terminology to use 2. The need for a definition 3. Whether racism should be a component of any new definition 4. What should be included within a definition 5. Examples of anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia.

    This call for evidence will run for 4 weeks and it will close on 13 July. All responses will be anonymous unless you choose to disclose information about you or your organisation.

    If you are unable to access the response form, for example due to a disability, please contact definitionsecretariat@communities.gov.uk for an alternative response form. “

    1. I doubt if anything other than positive responses to make the definition all-encompassing will be put forward to the government.

    2. I've just spent 20 minutes demonstrating my hatred for Islamism. The questions were ghastly and stupid. Hopefully, I be won't arrested too soon.

  99. Well, chums, another day spent mainly sleeping. Must be all these tablets the GP is constantly adding to my meds. So I'll now sign off and wish you all a good night's sleep. Hopefully, I'll see you all tomorrow morning.

  100. Goodnight, Elsie. I'm about to send the dogs out for their pre-bedtime wee and then I'm off to bed myself.

Comments are closed.