Monday 29 January: The public disconnect from military life puts the Armed Forces in crisis

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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483 thoughts on “Monday 29 January: The public disconnect from military life puts the Armed Forces in crisis”

    1. Like being the first to ski a newly prepared slope, being first on Nottl! Or put the first footprint on a beach now the tide has gone out.
      :-))

        1. I leaned to ski by the Army method.
          Stand on a slight slope, point your skis downhill, learn to keep your balance then progress to a steeper slope.

          4. Good morning, BoB. So now do you ski Army-style carrying a machine gun, or do you carry a chain saw in case you meet a fallen tree en route? Lol.

          7. I learned on the winter survival course at Oberammergau whilst stationed in Germany. Survival? that was the evenings in the local taverna

    2. Like being the first to ski a newly prepared slope, being first on Nottl! Or put the first footprint on a beach now the tide has gone out.
      :-))

        1. Good morning, Elsie.

          After my self-assessed 😎 success with Seville Oranges being marmalised, I’ve turned my hand to lemons. They cook more readily than the Sevilles and so may be a bit soft. However, the next 24 hours will be critical: either a success, of sorts 😎, or a learning curve 😒.

  6. The public disconnect from military life puts the Armed Forces in crisis

    Will they be wanting fewer white men?

      1. The closure of Armed Forces recruitment offices isn’t very helpful.

        Football matches should be a great arena for a recruitment drive, why don’t they get their ducks in a row and use a few mobile lorries to entice all the bullish youngsters into the armed services?

    1. If only I had been awake and read this before I would have not wasted 15 minutes of my life, Bob3. I’ll try again just now and then sign off until the end of a very busy day for me.

      1. And that is insulting eejits.
        Can’t remember the post he briefly filled, but whatever possessed the Biden administration to even consider he was suitable for it?
        Other, of course, a desire to outrage the American Right Wing of course.

        1. His position was in the safe disposal of radioactive waste. Not anything we need to worry ourselves about.

  11. Farming is in peril throughout Europe

    Bureaucrats are risking food supply security across the continent with little thought to the consequences

    TELEGRAPH VIEW
    29 January 2024 • 6:00am

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/opinion/2024/01/28/TELEMMGLPICT000364422318_17064757080420_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqqVzuuqpFlyLIwiB6NTmJwdYTTR51fT9VxUmcmfEva0A.jpeg?imwidth=680

    cross Europe the farmers are revolting. In Holland, their protests against new environmental regulations on nitrogen pollution forged a new political movement which looks set to be a key part of the next government. In Germany, farmers have been demonstrating against increased diesel prices as well as new rules on fertiliser use imposed by the EU. In France, the weekend saw thousands descend on Paris, blockading the roads into the capital with their tractors and farm machinery.

    The new French prime minister Gabriel Attal is seeking to defuse the protests with concessions, including pledges to enforce a law guaranteeing fair farm-gate prices and to be “pitiless” towards the supermarkets. However, this follows a period in which ministers have been urging retailers to cut prices to bear down on inflation.

    The cost of living crisis, low prices from supermarkets, and energy bill increases have conspired to make farmers fear for their future.

    These are compounded by EU regulations demanding changes to their way of farming that will merely hasten their bankruptcy.

    The push for “sustainability” through mandatory crop rotation policies and carbon reductions is being pursued by Brussels in total disregard to the economic hardships facing the farmers. British farmers will share many of the concerns for the future of their continental brethren. They are being asked to make reforms that render them uncompetitive with imports from countries that do not follow such strict rules.

    Bureaucrats are risking food supply security across the continent with little thought to the consequences. These protests will not end soon.

    ************************************

      1. https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2848e0467cf17431ba07dbd6aeef9516f2b75868/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=2435fb3009f44ad188e826f6d3cad8db
        Brest, France
        Farmers with tractors block the Iroise bridge during a protest over a number of issues affecting their sector, including taxation and falling incomes

        https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0d7714355d052b467b03127091b46f9a00a1dbd8/0_0_5568_3712/master/5568.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b89b7ea38f5ccb9d954624fa2c6af9b1
        Agen, France
        Farmers of the Coordination rurale union block the A62 motorway near Agen in south-western France as part of a nationwide day of action

      2. Good morning, Fiscal. After the way the French have treated us in the past, I doubt if many will want to travel to France to join in with the French protest.

        1. Makes perfect sense to the zealots because you not only increase the amount of green energy, you also reduce the pollution caused by farming.

          Two for one!

        2. Round here, they’ve built an enormous housing estate and a supermarket, all on green fields.

    3. ‘Bureaucrats are risking food supply security across the continent with
      little thought to the consequences. These protests will not end soon.’

      Farmers need to realise that these new rules come direct from the WEF. Their politicians and bureaucrats need to be thrown out of office if this attack on agriculture is to stop.
      It has absolutely nothing to do with saving the planet/climate change.

      Good morning.

        1. The new census form will ask about your diet:

          Carnivore
          Vegetarian
          Vegan
          Pescatarian
          Buggertarian

  13. G’morning all,

    A bit grey overhead at McPhee Towers, wind in the South, 9℃ forecasting 12℃.

    Joke of the day:

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d1193550b1f698a136079019340584a9406ed473b09cd5dfe3c75969b80a2430.png

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/28/oxford-university-irene-tracey-graduate-yearly-donation/

    Graduates should donate to their universities every year, the vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford has said as she warned institutions faced “falling to pieces” amid a funding crisis.

    Prof Irene Tracey, 57, said the public had to “get behind our British universities” and said people “should give back to them”.

    In an interview with The Telegraph, she said: “I keep telling my kids, ‘give back to your universities’. And even if it’s £5 a year, it doesn’t matter. It’s a vote of confidence. Because they need it.”

    Prof Tracey, a neuroscientist who was admitted as Oxford’s 273rd vice-chancellor a year ago, has three children, including graduates of University College London and Durham University.

    She said the “only real surprise” she had in her post last year was the realisation of “just how difficult the financial challenges” were for the higher education sector. She revealed her worries about some universities being overdependent on international students.

    One BTL comment says it all:

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8334457d8dd23670eb64d6744dfc7f147f369bf078732e78d7c03a7dae0f9d06.png

    1. Tyler Durden
      5 MIN AGO
      “Professor Irene Tracey, due to the current economic situation, has decided to take a lower starting salary of £390,000“

      Mr Jones
      11 HRS AGO
      Not a chance mate. You sold out to foreign students and ridiculous wokery. Reap what you sow.

      Tracyann Neville
      10 HRS AGO
      That’s the most tone deaf thing I’ve ever heard. Does this woman know what life is like outside the ivory tower? I told my university last year when the phoned asking for money, that I won’t give a penny until they can tell me what a woman is.

  14. Disposable vapes to be banned to stop children getting ‘hooked for life’. 29 January 2024.

    The Prime Minister said: “As any parent or teacher knows, one of the most worrying trends at the moment is the rise in vaping among children, and so we must act before it becomes endemic.

    “The long-term impacts of vaping are unknown and the nicotine within them can be highly addictive, so while vaping can be a useful tool to help smokers quit, marketing vapes to children is not acceptable.”

    More useless activity.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/28/disposable-vapes-to-be-banned-to-stop-children-getting-hook/

    2. Morning all. How very interesting. The Prime Minister says:

      “The long-term impacts of vaping are unknown …”

      Pity they didn’t think about that before injecting millions of trusting people with an experimental gene therapy.

      “

  15. Good afternoon from Bang Saray, just having a late lunch in a beachside restaurant overlooking a beautiful bay, 30C with a gentle sea breeze. I raise my glass of ice cold local beer to the health of all NOTTLers.

    2. “Niet kein entfer ist oich ein entfer” (Yiddish, I believe).
      No answer is also an answer.

  17. Good morning, all. Overcast with light drizzle here at the moment. Sunny intervals forecast for later.

    Umm, um, umm…

    Mandarin uses word salad in an attempt to explain CBDC to MPs. If this is the best we’ve got then it’s little wonder we’re in deep do-do.

    The MPs should also be asking “Who sold the idea of CBDC to you, Mr Bowler?”.

    https://twitter.com/juneslater17/status/1751220224974520784

      1. Politicians often do. The more effort they put into denying something the more likely that’s precisely what they intend.

        A digital currency not backed by blockchain is just a fiction. It has no value. It’s just something the state can manipulate to devalue, destroy, debase. It’s all solely for them.

    1. The difference being that the banjo-strumming Hillbilly boy in Deliverance had talent and skill.

      1. Well, not really. Grizzly. (Good morning, btw.) The Hillbilly boy sat on the roof with his hands out of view, whilst a proper banjo strummer lying flat on his back raised his hands and played the instrument, giving the impression that the boy was playing. But Anastasia’s Revenge is right, it does call to mind Joe Biden.

        1. OK, Auntie Elsie. I should have said,” … that banjo-strumming Hillbilly boy character in Deliverance had talent and skill.”

        3. The actor, Billy, couldn’t play the banjo, Philip, but the character, Lonnie, certainly could.

          2. In the article it said they modified the sleeves of his shirt and it was someone elses arms playing the banjo.

    1. My word that is all so true.
      What a terrible mess our government has made of everyone’s lives. Except their own and their close friends in Whitehall.

      2. It’s staggering to think that for every single possible decision they’ve made precisely the exactly worse, most damaging, most destructive choice.

  20. Good morning, chums. I overslept today, and then spent 15 minutes trying (and failing) to log in to Wordle. “The best laid plans of mice and men – and Elsie – gang aft agley” today. Enjoy your day.

  21. Good morning all,
    Dull damp day. Moh golfing .

    I have no idea where to find the weather or temp on my new Samsung laptop. My old laptop displayed many excellent features on the bottom banner .

    1. Good morning, Maggie. Sorry but I can’t help you. Also I need to get cracking with various jobs.

    2. You should find a menu of preloaded applications somewhere and be able to pin a weather app to your screen or task bar. Otherwise, the search function might bring something up. I’m no expert, I just have a fiddle until I get the desired results, maybe I should rephrase that…

    3. Right-click on the footer & see what options come up. Taskbar settings might do it for you.

  23. 382545+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    Monday 29 January: The public disconnect from military life puts the Armed Forces in crisis

    Seemingly the “disconnected public are ALL working for the “RESET MAN”

    Diversity in the shape of an internal standing army reclining in five* hotels given the choice
    report or deport.

    Hotel bills erased, indigenous gullible fools satisfied, illegals in the WEFs kings uniform
    diversity going great guns & talking of guns the NEW fully loaded WEF kings army will have to be tooled up, get the picture, ( you will) .

    Dover will then become possessers of a welcoming mosque / barracks as the new army builds daily.

    lab/lib/con/coalition / muslim brotherhood all
    parties satisfied.

  25. Morning all 🙂😊
    ( Mother all ????How did that happen)
    Bright ish but no sunshine. No frost.
    I’ve just been in touch with a friend in Toronto, she is hating their weather and is also quite frail and very nervous about going out. Poor lady, bad back now, ex nursing sister. Who now lives on her own. It’s happening all over the western world.
    And let’s face it Shapps wouldn’t qualify as one of the most popular ministers at this moment in time.
    Perhaps the very dangerous ‘They’ should have considered this before they started stirring up trouble with the Russian government. And made him ‘M’ of Defence. The blatantly obvious mistakes continue without much real consideration and any form of common sense.
    They stuff up everything they come into contact with and force the public to pay and clear up their ongoing mess.

    1. I like Candace. If Mr Trump is sensible he’d pick her as his VP (assuming she would accept the role).

      1. An intelligent black woman next to the President would be a vote winner. Biden tried that one and got a braying donkey.

        1. Candace has star quality. Married to a white Englishman too. He obviously knew a piece of gold when he saw it.

    2. OMG who were those people nodding along in agreement?
      It’s was if he’d open a page of a Thesaurus and got stuck in reading it out. Theo Soros ?

    4. What an inarticulate fool. Frightening that this mediocrity will have incredible power to influence countries and governments very soon.

        1. I’m actually getting to the point in thinking that people will become so frustrated and angry that assassinations of establishment figures, especially politicians, will start to take place.

    6. Clear, incontrovertible evidence of how no amount of money can purchase intelligence or common sense.

  29. Women in prison

    SIR– The authorities at Bronzefield Prison in Surrey are giving pregnant
    women personal alarms in order to call for help. In a recently built
    jail it is surprising that this should be necessary.

    Sadly this is this just one of the recent reports that have emerged regarding the
    women’s prison estate. Another even more troubling story is that
    assaults in women’s jails have gone up three times in a decade, with
    more violence than in male establishments.

    The truth is that very few women actually need to be in jail. Most female inmates have not
    committed any violent offence. Often they are there because of an
    unhappy past that has led them into trouble. They need support rather
    than incarceration.

    Andrew McLuskey
    Ashford, Middlesex

    They may not be in prison for violent crime but they obviously have a propensity for violence if assaults in women’s prison have gone up by a factor of three.
    The social experiment has failed. Commit crime…do time. Regardless of other factors.

  30. Morning all, what a change from yesterday – bright, hardly any wind and high wispy clouds in an almost totally blue sky

  31. And the media are ‘creaming their jeans’ again.
    More cold weather and snow on the way.

    1. Apparently mildish – 9-11 – up to Feb the 10th. It’s foggy without any sun at the moment though.

  32. Zelensky: Ukraine should distribute aid to Ukrainian refugees in Europe. 29 January 2024.

    “And that’s why I’ve always said that it would be much better for us if Germany supported Ukrainians by adding money to the Ukrainian budget. Then, Ukraine would redistribute this money depending on where this person is located.”

    Yes straight into the nearest Swiss Bank!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/01/29/ukraine-russia-war-live-moscow-drone-putin-zelensky/

    1. Maybe he could buy Buckingham Palace and give Prince Andrew a rent free apartment in it for life!

      2. The amount of times Bill Gates went to Epstein’s island. Noted in the log of the Jet he traveled on.

        1. Thank you both, Richard and Philip. To me he’s not recognisable as the founder of Microsoft.

    1. The staggering stupidity and hubris of the man is beyond comprehension. Of all the things that must be done, this is the least. Of the things that could be done, this is the least.

      I hate smoking. I hate smokers. I’d like them stuck in an air tight box which they can’t get out of until all their poison has been adsorbed.

      However I believe they have every right _to_ smoke if they want to. It’s a basic freedom.

      1. The PM has blood on his hands in every way , including the destruction and cruelty now being used against illegal bulliedogs .

        Some of the poor creatures are now being murdered by their owners and thrown off bridges .

        He says nothing about the people flocking here by boat , over a thousand this month.

        I was once a Young Conservative ,when I was in my teens , a bit like being a member of young farmers etc, I have worn shoe leather out campaigning, leaflet dropping , sitting in on the Count , interviewing PPCs, and the whole rigmarole of championing a party over the years .. and I became very disillusioned when the Coalition led by Cameron and Clegg messed up the country .

        I am ambivalent now. They can all go to hell.

    2. Had a call to my crazed Teacher friend in Dorset – she mentioned the 24/7 stink of cannabis being smoked, that drifts from outside into her house. I hate the smell of it, so was very sympathetic. But since when in the UK did anyone ever smoke the stuff sufficiently to bother the neighbours with the stench?

    3. I don’t know who is behind the future ban on smoking (for everyone eventually) but it is as stupid as the Prohibition was in the USA. I don’t smoke now but I sympathise with those who do. Banning it in public places is sensible but a total ban is stupid – people will always find a way of feeding a craving . . . and become de facto criminals – and that is just the start.

      British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has proposed banning younger generations from ever buying cigarettes, a move which would give Britain some of the world’s toughest anti-smoking rules.

      The proposals — if they pass into law — would make Britain the first country in Europe to ban cigarette sales to younger people.
      They could phase out smoking among young people almost completely as soon as 2040, a government briefing paper with details of the proposals said.

      “A 14-year-old today will never legally be sold a cigarette,” Mr Sunak told the Conservative Party conference of his proposed new rule, which would ban sales to those born on or after January 1, 2009.

      1. ‘”A 14-year-old today will never legally be sold a cigarette,” Mr
        Sunak told the Conservative Party conference of his proposed new rule,
        which would ban sales to those born on or after January 1, 2009.’

        They can smoke dope though. That’s fine.

    1. And did the person immediately make a complaint to the Chief Constable? If not, why not?

    4. What crime were they committing? Point out that plod have ignored muslim prayer before.

      But then, policing is two tier in this country. One side – the alien – gets away with it, the other – the locals – gets punished.

      The police do not enforce the law equally. They are actively encouraging civil disobedience.

      1. Wadda loada bolero.
        Gottcha…..They should have all walked out
        Unfortunately it shows how stupid our country has become.

          1. This country becomes more pathetic by the hour.
            We surrender to all the most obvious forms of culture undermining available.

    7. Unpaid volunteer in uniform. Yes, that will certainly attract the type of person who likes to order other people around. She would be well suited to being a bailiff, a traffic warden or TV licensing inspector.

        1. More busybodies. They need a smack on the nose. Not noticeable where i live. No police about either.

          2. I know. And TB is more rural than i am. Plenty of time to harass people but no time to investigate crime. Our local police and council didn’t overreact.

          3. Just because she took them for a run on the common instead of wearing out their paws on the pavement in the village.

            We were out one day taking some photos of a hedgehog on the common (as we do for the calendar) and a car stopped – I think they were covid wardens – but they were ok once we told them what we were doing and went on their way.

    9. It looks like a training exercise for her, with the “real” copper behind her marking her performance. Verdict: Fail.

  36. Oscar is barking. I’ve a headache.

    If you’ve ever been around a sonic boom that just keeps going, that’s what it’s like. I can’t see anything wrong with him, he’s not favouring a paw, he’s eating and drinking, yes, the building work is stressful and I know he can’t get to his bed as easily as he’d like to – and that change in routine is important as he’s a rescue, so territory is vital. I’ll let it run it’s course and see if he gets tired. If he stops then he’s probably just fed up – as are we all.

  37. OMG
    I just flicked through the morning tv progs. And Vine had a, what seriously resemble a live on TV Prostate examination. I had to move on although it wasn’t him, as I thought he wouldn’t need it, simply because his head is usually in view of the situation.

    1. If eating meat is racist and an expression of white supremacy where does bushmeat feature in this?

      2. And what about the millions of pigs killed by the Chinese for food. By the way, do you know that the Chinese define something as ‘vegetarian’ if has two thirds veg to one third meat! Arabs are also very fond of meat, delicious cuisine, by the way.

        2. Back in the day when we had a departmental works outing for Christmas Dinner, it was decided one year that the venue would be a (sadly now gone) veggie restaurant on Goldhawk Road. I was working with a Persian guy at the time and the look of horror on his face when it was announced was priceless. He had his revenge a few years later. His leaving do was at his fave Persian restaurant in Queensway. Both venues were actually very good in their different ways. He was equally fond of Kosher cuisine. As long as it was meat.

        1. Good afternoon.
          They try smuggling that shit into Aus and the fines are massive. We have no deterrent in the UK.

    4. Another 🤡 clambering on to the globalist bandwagon? What the hell is “Climate Space”? She’s spouting a steaming pile of potato peelings.

      1. This cannibal went on holiday. When he came back his friend met him at the airport and was surprised to see him in a wheelchair. He asked if he’d been in an accident “No” he replied “I didn’t realise it was self catering”

        2. 🤣🤣 It’s ladies wot are meant to lie about their age, not friends on their behalf!

  41. A tragic sign of the times. When I heard about the “stunning” English win in the Test Match, I immediately assumed that the result had been fixed.

    I do hope it wasn’t.

  42. Too bad not to share:

    https://youtu.be/fXsVThTHpDE?si=C1XX8hO_LvjE_xYR

    https://youtu.be/sDtyJyidhlc?si=bHvvm7txaVK3BXEF

    https://youtu.be/a54UBWFXsF4?si=jBPmxe8gV26XSY7h

    https://youtu.be/5JyQJIHRPoY?si=00F17Ese6izBBa9L

    https://youtu.be/rwN-gY06fH8?si=pAIQ3CnORyMLp0em

    https://youtu.be/lujybs2bhHY?si=mlFfgJ58_cxTJevu

    https://youtu.be/QckK4WzKGOk?si=3c1hBd1CSCXKJ2Wh

    https://youtu.be/-EOIYj4XYrU?si=oWoNmIBaHCg3kYUA

    https://youtu.be/nACvVlJMgts?si=gwOEGMEnQ0tYAjwi

    https://youtu.be/IuvAGJV5E-w?si=6xHviL5p-fcxA-AR

    https://youtu.be/60CoJgx1rVI?si=5WzhN5DUhexxw4L0

    https://youtu.be/6fpUeNVcUCM?si=4JGQ8SD0_ga33nrA

    https://youtu.be/jdN9gsX9dGA?si=Crz42rOuSgwWCYvf

    NOW THIS IS WHAT OUR ENEMIES LOOK LIKE…

    China:

    https://youtu.be/FSCPkRUE2xQ?si=v0cpVB4Kxqp8HQs3

    North Korea:

    https://youtu.be/rRfa93GiHVE?si=wP3D_GeZVSp0C1j0

    Russia:

    https://youtu.be/fNANDoCFBQQ?si=GxtpkpwD2aIXmINm

    1. Proxima Centauri (4 light years away) is the nearest solar system to our own solar system. That fact alone should tell anyone possessing even a hint of a brain cell that there can never be any “little green men” paying us a visit. Neither “anytime soon” or at “any time in the future”.

        1. Explain why it is ‘dubious’, Joey.

          Science explains it clearly, logically and succinctly.

          1. That would be current science, Grizz. We must not become embroiled in the “science is settled paradigm” as per the climate change brigade. Not knowing/understanding is what drives science forward. There’s some really weird stuff being proposed out there in the land of physics.

        1. That’s no dream. It’s worse than a nightmare. Being cooped up in a prison cell with no escape, no fresh air, no beach walks, for dozens of generations? May as well be a lab rat.

    2. Not sure I heard anything relating to climate on this new planet, let alone its atmospheric makeup.

      1. It will be a complete surprise when they get there and wonder if there is enough fuel on board for the return journey!

        1. Or perhaps a verdant paradise because of 500 ppm of CO₂, and so have to immediately initiate a New World Net Zero plan.

    3. Why would humans, evolved in the light of a ‘yellow’ star travel to a system around a red dwarf? The latter are long-lasting but unstable and often generate vast outbursts of extremely dangerous energy. Being close shouldn’t be the justification for the risk. If the Earth isn’t struck by an asteroid capable of creating an ELE then mankind has plenty of time to make a better job of space travel.

      One condition: we’ll have to dispose of the globalists and their political and military hangers-on. We could send them all to Proxima.

      1. We could tell them they are going to a new world and cryogenically freeze them. Then bury them in concrete and pull the plug.
        Follow me for more tips. :@)

    1. Close, no cigars for me.

      Wordle 954 4/6

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

  46. I suppose a pain in the arse is one of the occupational hazards of the chap in a homosexual relationship who does not take the dominant role.

    1. You’re not allowed to sing ‘church songs’ outside church grounds? What about carol singers? And what about Muslims blocking roads by praying in the street?

      1. 382545+ up ticks,

        Afternoon A,
        We came out of the hall after voting Batten in as the best leader UKIP ever had
        And walked into a beard with a bloke attached reading very loudly out of the qur’an, Birmingham city center.

      2. I said tonight (a friend rang me up and told me about that incident) that muslims blocking the roads would experience no problems

  48. Two howlers on page five: the HMS Diamond and the Book of Revelations. Wish me luck as I press on!

  49. ‘Afternoon All

    An alternative you say…………..

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0c8d395f2223b0d1bd2eeba5131431be760f299da05e4503635d917325317168.png

    Aye Right………

    Rest

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7aa0f4baa58ab60fa3938c346a211d76aa27338f97becccfcef066a2da49fd92.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3b6e688b89e6580a959c85bfc05820a48202e86feb23704e6400d6a5c5f8907f.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1a75eb4cd83ee2d4e20e254b60e0a9e8de0e62a0a2dd24eea79d41991c47e5ff.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/42d863d3b85bdedc084127062cfdf1d9ab461a266e1df2933a68fb88b95c09a5.png

    http://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f43b4d30750ff7fa45861fd7fc828fd8e27b63364e2870789dbd24921c134a85.jpg

    http://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/205d6098c095470dc5928f393b87f0f2f0de4da9eed44312fd4afe5094f4ee9b.jpg

  51. Well, I’ve ever been over fond of Michael Gove, but he is very gently annihilating Ms Turdgeon! A joy to behold!

  52. More recently, Murphy has worked to make his vision of countering misinformation a reality by joining a United Kingdom-based tech firm, Logically.AI, whose eponymous product identifies and removes content from social media. Since joining the firm, Murphy has met with military and other government officials in the U.S., many of whom have gone on to contract or pilot Logically’s platform.

    Logically says it uses artificial intelligence to keep tabs on over one million conversations. It also maintains a public-facing editorial team that produces viral content and liaisons with the traditional news media. It differs from other players in this industry by actively deploying what they call “countermeasures” to dispute or remove problematic content from social media platforms.

    The business is even experimenting with natural language models, according to one corporate disclosure, “to generate effective counter speech outputs that can be leveraged to deliver novel solutions for content moderation and fact-checking.” In other words, artificial intelligence-powered bots that produce, in real-time, original arguments to dispute content labeled as misinformation.

    In many respects, Logically is fulfilling the role Murphy has articulated for a vast public-private partnership to shape social media content decisions. Its technology has already become a key player in a much larger movement that seeks to clamp down on what the government and others deem misinformation or disinformation. A raft of developing evidence – including the Twitter Files, the Moderna Reports, the proposed Government Disinformation Panel, and other reports – has shown how governments and industry are determined to monitor, delegitimize, and sometimes censor protected speech. The story of Logically.AI illustrates how sophisticated this effort has become and its global reach. The use of its technology in Britain and Canada raises red flags as it seeks a stronger foothold in the United States.

    Logically was founded in 2017 by a then-22-year-old British entrepreneur named Lyric Jain, who was inspired to form the company to combat what he believed were the lies that pushed the U.K. into voting in favor of Brexit, or leaving the European Union. The once-minor startup now has broad contracts across Europe and India, and has worked closely with Microsoft, Google, PwC, TikTok, and other major firms. Meta contracts with Logically to help the company fact-check content on all of its platforms: WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook.

    The close ties to Silicon Valley provide unusual reach. “When Logically rates a piece of content as false, Facebook will significantly reduce its distribution so that fewer people see it, apply a warning label to let people know that the content has been rated false, and notify people who try to share it,” Meta and Logically announced in a 2021 press release on the partnership.

    Meta and Logically did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

    During the 2021 local elections in the U.K., Logically monitored up to “one million pieces of harmful content,” some of which they relayed to government officials, according to a document reviewed by RealClearInvestigations. The firm claimed to spot coordinated activity to manipulate narratives around the election, information they reported to tech giants for takedowns.

    The following year, the state of Oregon negotiated with Logically for a wide-ranging effort to monitor campaign-related content during the 2022 midterm elections. In a redacted proposal for the project, Logically noted that it would check claims against its “single source of truth database,” which relied on government data, and would also crack down on “malinformation” – a term of art that refers to accurate information that fuels dangerous narratives. The firm similarly sold Oregon on its ability to pressure social media platforms for content removal.

    Oregon State Rep. Ed Diehl has a led push against the state from renewing its work with Logically for the election this year. The company, he said in an interview, violates “our constitutional rights to free speech and privacy” by “flagging true information as false, claiming legitimate dissent is a threat, and then promoting “counter-narratives” against valid forms of public debate.

    1. Mr Jain is indeed British, but not a Briton. Sad that he disappoves of democracy and referenda. His ancestry is presumably Indian, and India has totally banned TikTok. Did I read that Meta is one of his clients? What a coincidence.

    2. Mr Jain is indeed British, but not a Briton. Sad that he disappoves of democracy and referenda. His ancestry is presumably Indian, and India has totally banned TikTok. Did I read that Meta is one of his clients? What a coincidence.

  54. Biden urged to inflict ‘crippling’ damage on Iran over US soldier deaths. 29 January 2024.

    Joe Biden must impose “crippling costs” on Iran over the killing of three US soldiers by Tehran-backed militants, the Republican leader in the Senate said.

    “The entire world now watches for signs that the president is finally prepared to exercise American strength to compel Iran to change its behavior,” Mitch McConnell said.

    “Our enemies are emboldened. And they will remain so until the United States imposes serious, crippling costs — not only on front-line terrorist proxies, but on their Iranian sponsors who wear American blood as a badge of honor.”

    You have to wonder where they get these ideas from. Entire air campaigns have been waged to crush resistance and done nothing more than intensify the struggle. Afghanistan, The Blitz, North Korea and Vietnam are witnesses to it. Iran will be a much harder nut to crack than Iraq or Libya. This said I think a general war is more probable than not now. If we are lucky it will be confined to Europe and the Middle East. Neither, even without a nuclear exchange, will survive in their present form.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/01/29/israel-hamas-live-latest-yemen-iran-houthi-biden/

    1. Ahem

      Is Tower 22 in Jordan or Syria?

      Tower 22 occupies a strategically important location in Jordan,
      at the most north-eastern point where the country’s borders meet Syria
      and Iraq. Little is publicly known about the base. It is near al-Tanf
      garrison, which houses a small number of US troops across the border in
      Syria.
      US troops still in Syria………..Awkward

    2. The Americans (backed up by the UK) don’t seem to have learnt that poking a hornets’ nest with a stick has consequences.

    3. Joe Biden must impose “crippling costs” on Iran over the killing of three US soldiers by Tehran-backed militants, the Republican leader in the Senate said.
      You mean, like the Israelis hammering the shit out of Gaza, an action that makes the whole world whimper with outrage? That kind of “crippling cost”?

    4. There will be no war in Europe. NATO lacks the military to fight and, still less, defeat Russia in a fight. We do not even have enough sailors to run our two ultra modern aircraft carriers nor the planes to put on them. Nor will the rest of the world sit idly by and let it happen and have their economies wrecked by us.

    1. With any luck they will topple the French Government and the rest of Europe will follow.

      1. Nah – there will be some burning and slurry dumping – then Toy Boy and his Pet will cave in completely ad it will all go back to square one.

      2. It seems that the UK IN SPITE OF BREXIT (! !) is about the only country in Europe that actually likes the EU.

    2. Blimey. Are all those mountains in your back garden? I thought i had trouble with mole hills…

    6. Don’t like the look of the rocket coming to earth on the right!!

      Bet it is a tad chilly today.

      1. That’s Isle Ewe I guess the inhabitants used all the trees – there were 18 families living there once, had its own school too. Only 2 families there now

  58. Bloody wonderful.

    I just lost a big chunk of filling from atooth just as we are about to start our vacation. Seeing the dentist this morning, we shall see how it effects plans.

    Luckily dentists are not part of the infamous health system or it could have taken forever to get an appointment.

  59. Well – I’m that choofed. Just cycled seven miles. And have lived to tell then tale… First bike ride since the back end.

      1. If only. Being out of condition (very) the slightest slope immediately makes ones thighs burn. There was a moment about a third into the trip (which was to buy eggs) that I thought of turning back…but determination worked.

        2. I know how that feels. I was cycling on Corsica and going uphill even on a ebike i just ran out of energy and just went over sideways. I was wearing a helmet !

          2. I don’t think i lost it. Just experienced it.

            It was damned steep and i was in the wrong mode.
            Don’t think i will go back there. Bloody French !

        6. I nip round to the local shop for my eggs.
          There and back, it gives Spartie and me at least 15 minutes of walking.

        7. I nip round to the local shop for my eggs.
          There and back, it gives Spartie and me at least 15 minutes of walking.

  60. Point to ponder [or not, take your pick]. This afternoon at 15:10 on Film 4 they are showing the excellent “Kind Hearts and Coronets”. That starts at 3:10 pm – before that Film 4 are showing “3:10 to Yuma” – wouldn’t it have been more interesting to have 3:10 to Yuma starting at 3:10??

        4. All the world’s a stage.

          And all the men and women merely players;
          They have their exits and their entrances;
          And one man in his time plays many parts,
          His acts being seven ages.

          Which Act is Bill in?

          Act I – The mewling and and puking baby;
          Act II – The unwilling school boy;
          Act III – The lover;
          Act IV – The soldier;
          Act V – The Justice;
          Act VI – The Slippered Pantaloon;
          Act VII – Second Childhood and near Oblivion?

          Which Act would the Nottlers say they were in?

        5. All the world’s a stage.

          And all the men and women merely players;
          They have their exits and their entrances;
          And one man in his time plays many parts,
          His acts being seven ages.

          Which Act is Bill in?

          Act I – The mewling and and puking baby;
          Act II – The unwilling school boy;
          Act III – The lover;
          Act IV – The soldier;
          Act V – The Justice;
          Act VI – The Slippered Pantaloon;
          Act VII – Second Childhood and near Oblivion?

          Which Act would the Nottlers say they were in?

    2. Gosh; with those two running things, I feel really, really safe.
      They won’t do anything about the invasions or the war already taking place in Blighty except sent Plod to arrest me for racism.

      1. 382545+ up ticks,

        Evening Anne,
        Looks like carol singing is out also unless you have a priest /vicar in tow.

    3. Gosh; with those two running things, I feel really, really safe.
      They won’t do anything about the invasions or the war already taking place in Blighty except sent Plod to arrest me for racism.

  64. This thread has the title “The public disconnect from military life puts the Armed Forces in crisis” but to me it is the Armed Forces in crisis that has caused the public disconnect. At one time in just about any area of the eastern side of England, the public could not have been unaware of RAF combat aircraft overhead or move far from an RAF station, many of which had open days for the public. Most town and cities had Army bases close by and which “belonged” to them. Almost every town had a “TA centre” or “drill hall” and the Royal Tournament was a high-profile event which showcased the Armed Forces. Although less visible to the public other than at naval ports, the RN had enough ships to somehow be in the news at frequent intervals. This has now almost all gone and our Armed Forces are, indeed, in crisis.

    If successive governments had used cuts in the Armed Forces to fund vote-winning projects, I could understand this a little but they haven’t. The country has wasted and continues to waste astronomical sums on vainglorious projects which have brought little or no benefit to the average person.

    3. Colchester used to have an annual Military Tattoo what was on a par with Edinburgh or the Royal Tournament.

          2. Sadly, in their backpack, each Roman soldier had his sponge on a stick; the Roman equivalent of a bog roll.
            Somewhat spoils the image.

    4. Colchester used to have an annual Military Tattoo what was on a par with Edinburgh or the Royal Tournament.

    5. Only a bunch of complete morons could trash an ancient culture, level laws discriminating against the native population, import millions of feral foreigners and make everyone poorer, and yet expect the public to rally to a call to fight for the country that clearly despises them.

    6. Once our drill hall was knocked down and our Company moved from a main road in Oxford to a remote corner of a Regular unit in Abingdon, recruitment was never the same.

    7. RAF Shawbury still has open days (family days they call them). Of course, it’s a tri-service station now.

        1. To the public, as far as I know. I was there on RAFA duty – I just needed to give my name (our RAFALO had organised it).

  65. I know that, Korky, but some things will not alter. For example, the speed of light is 186,282 miles per second [or, 670,616,629 miles per hour (more than six and a half million miles in one hour!)]. To travel from our solar system to the system of Proxima Centauri would take over four years … travelling at the speed of light! Nothing else can possibly come close to the speed of light, certainly not objects made of solid matter.

    Right, if a vessel could be constructed that would convey life forms, at astonishing speeds; that is, speeds that would not kill them; then such a craft would take thousands of years to make that (relatively short in interstellar terms) journey. Those life forms inside would need to be nourished, kept safe and fit, and ready to fight when they arrive, even if they were now thousands of years old. Not to mention they might need to breed hundreds of generations within the confines of that craft, having worked out how to feed themselves and dispose of their bodies and refuse while maintaining sub-light velocity!

    Four light years is the nearest system to ours, in our own local galaxy. There are galaxies out there a billions of light years away!This fact makes me more than confident that this planet will never be visited by any extra-terrestrial beings … from anywhere.

    Even if such a fabulously ridiculous feat of physics-defying nonsense were possible, what would they find when they got here? A barren life-free rock of a planet? Mankind will have self-destructed (and taken all other life forms with it) long before they even fire up the motors of their flying saucers!

    I, for one, will never buy into such a fantasy.

    1. Grizz, the physics indicates that the speed of light is unattainable, however, there are ideas that affecting the space-time continuum may be feasible, we just don’t know what could be possible in the future.

      As for speed, it’s the acceleration/deacceleration that is the killer: accelerating at 1g will be no different from living on Earth and that acceleration will get a ship up to a very high velocity in a few years if a suitable powerplant can be constructed. It will, of course, need to deaccelerate at 1g.

      Science fiction writers have often mentioned generational ships, immense vessels with the ability to grow food and recycle waste, including the dead. They never mention radiation, as I recall.

      So many ifs, buts and maybes. My general disposition is that of a glass half empty person but where science, and especially the science of space travel is concerned, I’m a bit of an optimist even as I know that I, along with several generations of my descendants, will not see the launch of an interstellar ship.

      I can’t argue on the evil and stupidity part of your argument. Awful to think that if mankind ever does leave Earth for the stars that a couple in the crew will spawn a psychopath who will ruin everything.

  66. EU agricultural crisis. Last week there was a protest in Spain by lemon growers. The supermarkets and distributors have stitched up the horticulturalists, with wholesale prices alleged to be below the cost of production. The Spanish cannot compete with South Africa; a picker in Spain earns about 75 euro per day, but in SA they get paid about 5 euro (reportedly) equivalent. Of course no-one has a right to expect a living from a few hectares of lemons, but why should the private sector in Europe be expected to pay for expensive politicians and functionaries? The UK could easily outsource the Prime Minister to someone in Bangalore.

    2. Many times we have received calls I thought were from this PM. Pretending he was from BT or that I had not payed my Amazon Prime or something.

    3. Many times we have received calls I thought were from this PM. Pretending he was from BT or that I had not payed my Amazon Prime or something.

  67. Lucky to get a hole in five!

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    1. Me too.

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    2. And me.

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    3. And me.

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  68. Putin vs the West: At War. BBC2. 21:00. Monday and 23:15 Thursday.

    Vlad’s faded a little in the MSM due to the Israeli – Gaza Business so I suppose this is to make up for it. I’ll record it and watch it at my leisure. You can’t go to bed on Propaganda Pie!

  69. Putin vs the West: At War. BBC2. 21:00. Monday and 23:15 Thursday.

    Vlad’s faded a little in the MSM due to the Israeli – Gaza Business so I suppose this is to make up for it. I’ll record it and watch it at my leisure. You can’t go to bed on Propaganda Pie!

    1. Chances of the programme being a balanced presentation of fact – pretty slim, I suspect!

    2. We all know that Putin is a bastard warmonger, but as the conflict goes on we need to strengthen our dislike by a closer familiarity with other aspects of his awful behaviour.

      Winning the last presidential election in a landslide several years ago has emboldened Putin to oppress his political opponents, the media and even the judiciary.

      Putin shut down four TV channels before the invasion, plus a couple more this month. He has even signed a decree obliging all Russian channels to broadcast a single telethon, presenting only one pro-governmental view on the war.

      To shore up his populist support, Putin launched the unconstitutional process of extrajudicial sanctions against his political opponents, imposed by the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC). These sanctions involved the extrajudicial seizure of property without any evidence of illegal activities of the relevant individuals and legal entities.

      Among the first to be sanctioned by the NSDC in February last year were two opposition parliamentary deputies – one was later arrested and shown on TV with his face beaten up after interrogation, and the other managed to escape from Russia – as well as members of their families.

      The process accelerated. In June 2021 alone, Putin put into effect an NSDC decision to impose sanctions against 538 individuals and 540 companies.

      In March 2022, 11 opposition parties were banned.

      The decisions to ban opposition parties and sanction opposition leaders were taken by the NSDC but they were put into effect by presidential decrees.

      After the head of Russia’s Constitutional Court called Putin’s unconstitutional reforms a ‘coup,’ Putin simply relied on the NSDC to push forward his unpopular policies. As for the ‘dissident’ judge, Putin signed a decree cancelling his appointment as a judge of the court – another act in violation of the Russian Constitution.

      A nationalist website was set up some years ago by an adviser to the Ministry of the Interior; it is part of the general strategy of intimidating opponents. It names ‘enemies of the people’ and helps would-be killers track them down; among the victims are a famous journalist, and an opposition deputy who was murdered in his own house. Also identified on this website, and later arrested, are a newpaper editor and the editor of a YouTube channel. Some others who have been named have managed to flee Russia. The government has not shut down this site, even after an international scandal when the website published the personal data of well-known foreign politicians.

      Right-wingers control the political process in Russia through violence against those who dare confront their nationalistic and supremacist agendas. One of the most popular bloggers in Russia living in exile is a good example to illustrate this point. Not only does he, along with his family members, permanently receive death threats, radicals constantly intimidate the
      activists of his party (banned by Putin in March 2022), beating and humiliating them. This is what Russian radicals call ‘political safari.’

      The current military conflict can hardly lead to any diplomatic resolution as Putin permanently repeats that the forces of good are attacked by the forces of evil, saying ‘you are either with us or with terrorists.’ Clearly, there can be no political solution for such an Armageddon.

      Asked by a French reporter on the tenth day of the invasion how his life had changed with the beginning of the war, Putin replied with a smile of delight: ‘Today, my life is beautiful. I believe that I am needed. I feel it is the most important meaning in life – to be needed. To feel that you are not just an emptiness that is just breathing, walking, and eating something. You live.’

      How can one adequately describe such a man?

      ______________________________________________

      CORRECTION AND APOLOGY

      Through some ghastly error, the wrong names have been used throughout the above piece. For all uses of the word ‘Russia’ please substitute ‘Ukraine’, and replace all references to ‘Putin’ with ‘Zelenskyy.’

  70. That’s me for today. Very pleased with my bike ride. Could become a habit….

    I see Altzheimers is contagious. That’s me done for.

    Have a spiffing evening – DON’T miss “This is Your Life, Vladimir Putin”

    A demain

  71. That’s me for today. Very pleased with my bike ride. Could become a habit….

    I see Altzheimers is contagious. That’s me done for.

    Have a spiffing evening – DON’T miss “This is Your Life, Vladimir Putin”

    A demain

  74. “King leaves hospital with Camilla”
    You catch some nasty stuff in hospitals these days.

      1. Good evening Bill.

        I cannot enter Nottler the conventional way , I had to track active Nottlers to access the forum , my PC says the net is down , but it isn’t .. is there a problem that others are experiencing .

      1. It says can’t find server. Can get back to Friday 26 January but that won’t open.

        2. I don’t think I’ve ever had that problem. Could try shutting down the computer and starting again.

    2. I had problems getting the page up. It said it was unavailable when I first tried. After I’d left it a bit it opened the page without my having to refresh.

    2. Four here
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      1. Only a 5 for me.

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  78. Well that was a tiring job!
    Left home 08:15, got to Derby picked t’Lad up and off again just the back of 9 to get to Corby at 11.
    Loading the thing was a job and a half!
    Basically, it’s a hand crane with a hydraulically operated jib worked by a hand pump mounted on a small 4 wheeled chassis.
    To counter balance the jib is a counterweight that must weigh a quarter ton.
    Using a couple of rather ropey thick planks as a ramp, suitable supported, after a couple of goes we actually got it into the van!
    When dealing with the paperwork got the crane, I noticed a rather beaten up10 drawer Bisley cabinet that had not been on the list of lots for the auction and asked if it was for sale. “Make and offer” was the response and after a quick look at it, t’Lad got it for £20.
    Rather a bargain as each of the drawers probably hold at least £20 worth of tools!

    Heading back towards Jn20 of the M1 we paused at Market Harborough for a break and found a lovely tea room where we fed on Welsh rarebit with poached egg, slice of black pudding and a shared bowl of chips, all washed down with welcome cups of tea!

    Got back to t’Lad’s not long after 4ish and after unloading, surprisingly easier than loading, had another mug of tea and got home just before 5.

    Wot we bort:-
    T’Lad plans using it to lift heavy tooling and parts onto his big lathe.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/89517d7e06c25279cc9ddd37893ddb83d9404ea8cabd7320f6b3201df6f500c2.jpg

    1. Nice piece of kit; very professional. Of course unloading was easier; gravity gave you a hand!

      1. Yo Conners,

        Gravity does not exist.

        Mr Newton was a white man and the only thing they ever did was buy and sell slaves

    2. Handy bit of kit, I could do with something like that to lift my keyboard into my boot

      1. He started volunteering at Steeple Grange Light Railway at 13 year old and began in Crich Tramway Museum workshops at 15.

  79. 382545+ up ticks,

    Let it burn bright as a warning signal that ALL such useless monstrosities are first and foremost scammers money mills.

    Wind turbine bursts into flames
    Firefighters called to blaze in west Wales

    1. They left if to burn out.
      Obviously the firemen thought the same as us.
      Not worth saving.

  82. Nottingham attacks: Triple killer’s sentence considered for review
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68102485

    This is three days old and most of you will have read or heard the news somewhere. That’s less than important than this part:

    Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, former head of the Crown Prosecution Service, backed calls for an inquiry into any failings that led to the attacks. He said he was “very worried by what appear to be a number of points at which action could have been taken that would have prevented this happening”.

    Just take that in for a few moments … then read this:

    Nottingham attacks: Police face probe over killer’s alleged assaults
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-68134496

    The families of the three victims met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Downing Street on Monday, as well as Home Secretary James Cleverly and Health Secretary Victoria Atkins. They also met [earlier] with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who they said was “very supportive” of their calls for a public inquiry.

    What?! I don’t know where the idea for a public enquiry has come from. There’s is no need for one at all. The problem lies very simply with a justice system infected with half a century of dangerously soft-headed liberalism coupled with a large measure of plain incompetence. That anyone should think that these murders justify many months of public expense so that the usual establishment types can stand in front of a judge and blame every one but those responsible is grotesque.

    I really hope that the idea hasn’t come from the families of the victims. Sadly, the media is now moving in on them:

    Nottingham attacks: Barnaby Webber’s family say their ‘world fell apart’
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-68082270

    1. That murder is every parent’s nightmare. I really don’t think I could cope after an event like that.
      The senseless killing in itself is hellish, but knowing that the British authorities – quick enough to criticise and even criminalise the law-abiding for expressing a bat squeak of doubt about modern governance – were ultimately responsible for this appalling tragedy would lead to a deep and terrible hatred.
      Three perfectly decent people, the sort that every country needs, sacrificed on the altar of political correctness.

    2. The sole purpose of a public enquiry is cosmetic. “Lessons will be learned” and the real causes will remain unaddressed.

      1. “Lessons will be identified” – quite easy as they are the same ones that were identified dozens of times earlier.

      2. “Lessons will be identified” – quite easy as they are the same ones that were identified dozens of times earlier.

  83. Evening, all. I think it’s more the politicians’ disconnect from military life which puts the armed forces at risk. The enemy is within!

  84. Yay I’m back. How very bizarre – just couldn’t log in. Thought I’d been rumbled by TPTB!

  85. “A Tory MP said he quit his ministerial role because he could not afford to pay his mortgage on a salary of £118,300.
    Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman resigned as science minister in November.
    In a blog post, he said he stood down: “Because my mortgage rises this month from £800pcm to £2,000, which I simply couldn’t afford to pay on a ministerial salary.”

    I suspect that’s a touch of WWB……

    1. If you check his expenses claims, his unlike many others are extremely modest. No wonder he’s broke.
      Goodnight all.

    2. You have to wonder why he is not able to rub along with what remains after mortgage and tax of around £55k.

      1. A waste of time and effort. A dozen or so MPs will debate it in a room outside the Houses of Parliament. The conclusion will be “The matter was debated”. This farrago was created by Tony Blair in response to complaints from the general public.

  87. Good performance of Shostakovich’s 10th just finished on R3, so I’m off to bed.
    G’night all.

    1. I know I had a glass of wine with my meal tonight, but I never expected to see double, Maggie. Lol.

    2. I know I had a glass of wine with my meal tonight, but I never expected to see double, Maggie. Lol.

  92. Urinating in the countryside is littering, council insists
    Hertfordshire authority that fined two men defends decision to issue fixed penalties, but lawyer says his advice on matter was misapplied

    Chelsie Henshaw
    29 January 2024 • 8:22pm
    Related Topics
    Local councils, Hertfordshire

    191
    Urinating in the countryside is littering, a council insisted as it fined two men for the offence.

    Michael Mason, who has a weakened prostate, was fined by Dacorum borough council in Hertfordshire after he pulled his car over into a lay-by to urinate, BBC News reported in December.

    Another man was also fined under similar circumstances.

    Mr Mason, who was 45 minutes into a two-hour journey, told the BBC: “I made sure nobody could see me and was very, very discreet.”

    Both men were stopped by an employee of District Enforcement, a private company contracted by the council to issue penalty fines.

    However, David Armstrong, the lawyer whose advice the council has based its fines upon, has said it was misapplied.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/29/urinating-in-the-countryside-is-littering-council-insists/

      1. It does. It’s a left over from the carting days when sometimes it was necessary to pee on the wheel if the block (a primitive brake) had made the rim hot. Anyway, how can it be littering? It would have soaked into the earth, one assumes. Gardeners pee on their compost heap because the ammonia aids breakdown into compost.

    2. Yet I saw people peeing in the street during the Notting Hill crimefest. No fines there?

    3. Men need to stop peeing everywhere. Prostate or no, if women can hold on, men need to learnt to, too or wear a men’s Tena pad.

          2. That is what my mother said to me when i asked her how i could stop wetting my bed. She had already tried shaming me in talking about it to everyone within earshot. Didn’t help much given the underlying cause was not addressed.

  93. Stolen copper cables behind 50 days’ worth of rail delays every year
    MPs discover metal theft is up 170 per cent in a decade, with gangs also stealing manhole lids and plaques from churchyards

    Martin Evans,
    CRIME EDITOR
    29 January 2024 • 7:01pm
    Related Topics
    Crime, Rail, Copper

    7
    Organised crime gangs targeting valuable copper are causing the equivalent of 72,000 minutes or 50 days of delays on the railways every year.

    Soaring metal theft from signalling cable and overhead power lines is adding to the disruption and costly delays being suffered by millions of commuters and passengers, a group of MPs has warned.

    Metal theft has surged in recent years, with a new report by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Metal, Stone and Heritage Crime estimating it has cost the economy more than £4.3 billion over the past decade.

    A string of examples highlighted in the report reveals the human cost of the metal theft epidemic.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/29/copper-cable-theft-causes-days-rail-delays-every-year/

    1. We all know who is stealing it but as they are a protected minority the police won’t investigate. Just the same with the lead from church roofs. I even believe that Welby would provide them the ladders.

    2. £4.3bn over the last decade? That’s nothing to how much HMG has squandered over the last 3 years, a mere drop in the ocean!

  94. Wordle 954 5/6

    At last I managed to reach Wordle and did it in five:

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

    And now I am off to bed. Good night, sleep well and see you all tomorrow.

    1. I snuck in a four just before the deadline

      Wordle 954 4/6

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

      1. Yes, when I look at old Movietone newsreel I always lament the loss of self respect. People used to take pride in how they presented themselves. They didn’t go out in public looking like they’d just crawled out of a dustbin, which is all too common now.

        Bedtime rant over! Goodnight all.

    2. Not a fleeting moment at all. It took nearly 2,000 years to get there and about 20 to destroy it.

  97. The first three paras are enough.

    Next big story – water flows downhill!

    BBC staff told not to hire candidates who are ‘dismissive’ of diversity

    Critics believe guidelines act as mechanism to maintain ‘groupthink’ and promote controversial ideas

    Steven Edginton • 29 January 2024 • 5:36pm

    BBC staff are being told not to hire candidates who are “dismissive” of diversity and inclusion, The Telegraph can disclose.

    A recruitment policy document says applicants should be asked to “explain what diversity and inclusion means to you and, should you be successful, what opportunities do you see for you to promote, celebrate or encourage diversity and inclusion in your role?”

    The guidelines, used in a major non-editorial department of the BBC, tell recruiters: “Don’t hire [candidates who are] unsuited to the organisation” if they are “dismissive or derisory of diversity and inclusion and surrounding topics”.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/29/bbc-staff-hire-candidates-dismissive-diversity-inclusion

    1. Also don’t hire anyone who says they love Great Britain and are patriotic because they are clearly racist bigots.

    2. Good night. I tried counting sheep but then my mind goes into overdrive on how to cook them. :@)

  99. Off to beddy byes. Early start in am – off to the land of my fathers for a funeral. (Cousin)

          2. They have given me something called moviprep. I have to drink a litre over 2 hours at 6pm and then the same again at 8pm. That alone is going to be bad. I will probably drown in orange flavoured laxative. :@(

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