Monday 29 September: Europe can’t afford to be timid in the face of Russian provocation

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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613 thoughts on “Monday 29 September: Europe can’t afford to be timid in the face of Russian provocation”

    1. Good morning, Citroen1. Yours was the first post, made 4 hours ago?!? Geoff must have decided on a well-deserved lie-in today.

  2. First time for a long time that Ihave been in a position to be the first to post.

    Geoff, welcome to your first morning as a retired organist.

    A nice end to the Ryder Cup although it was a lot closer in the end than anyone imagined.

  3. Good very early morning Geoff and early risers,

    I woke early realising that I had not provided enough information about my boiler's activity to the installer prior to finding working in thr middle of the night without my permission.

    It was clear that my boiler had developed some form of intelligence in that it was programmed to having to do something to maintain its integrity about which I no knowledge.

    I had to turn it off at its main switch because whilst the timer was not showing a call for heat it waa still on and keeping MOH awake in the middle of the night.

    My biggest problem was not having evidence that this ever happened.
    I couln't report that the boiler wouldn't turn itself off in the middle of the night without my sayso.

    In my attempts to recreate this anomalous situatiom I established a boilrr state where it would start up by itself from cold without ny intstructions stored in the timer. I recorded evide

    nce of this boiler status and called the installer for investigation and restoration of normal function.

    I've been keeping a record of events since then on disqus because, after the technician's visit and his swapping out the CH valve and actuator head , a second error status was recorded on the boiler's user interface panel lights – the boiler would start under timer control bur after five minutes it would cease heating and throw an error status. I have video recorded that status as fault evidence.

    In summary, after the techncian's visit, the boiler can now starr under user progamme control but turns itself automatically in an error state after five minutes without gettng hot enough to do anything,

    I cannot now replicate the boiler status when it failed to turn itself off in the middle of the night.

    I shall read this again later in the morning becauss the technician who is in charge of fixing the boiler appears to have made things worse and I'm not sure that it may be something I've done has caused the problem in the first place.

    This comment hss been prompted after reading that AI EV is being developed to adapt cars to act as an agent between the driver and the car's behaviour:

    https://www.gbnews.com/lifestyle/cars/british-car-brand-ai-powered-electric-vehicle

    This will make it even more difficult to diagnose design fault and recover from programming errors when an EV ignores driver control inputs.

    I shall now try and go back to sleep and realise that the non functioning boiler is not my problem and MOH will just have to do with having a noise free night and no central heating.

    Wow! I've managed to write all this without my WiFi turning itself off unsolicited.

      1. The problem was it was working but I could not provide the evidence that the boiler would not work under certain circumstances.

        It took me a week to replicate a non working situation that I videod as evidence.

        The technician is coming again this morning to investigate the problem that his previous ‘fix’ which now means that the boiler won’t finish heating up at all and finishes in an error status.

          1. He was obviously a bit cagey about the viability of his first fix when he was called away to another job.
            I think he must have realised the possibility of the boiler not heating up properly after draining down the system and not verifying full circulating water flow to the boiler.

            The boiler was however in a good enough state to throw a diagnostic error code of insufficient flow.

            He had taken the risk of not leaving an air lock in the system to save time but he unfortunately had to come back after my request and spend an hour getting rid of circulating air bubbles.

            Let’s see what the bill is for the additional time for his return visit to finish the job.

      2. Good morning Elsie.
        I was so tired when I woke too early this morning I didn’t realise what I was clicking on,

        I think Fallick_Alec has just commented on the same situation that was recoverable from the boiler’s user interface.

    3. I had a similar problem which the plumber couldn't fix. The boiler would continue operating even when timed to stop. I got round it by having the 'Hot Water' continue for 3 minutes after the 'Heating' was turned off. Don't ask me why but it worked

      1. Thanks for commenting on your solution.
        I was trying to work out from the wiring diagrams and boiler sensors whether it was me or the boiler system that was in control.

        The reordering of the CH and HW sequence is an important clue as to why .a boiler system will take over control.

        This could also be a clue as to why the Air India 787 crashed – a user input sequence to a system could determine whether the automated plane or the pilots as users of the system take control.

      2. I reckon that by running hot water demand after the central heating you were allowing the heat stored in the rads and boiler heat exchanger to dissipate in the hot water system which would have less thermal capacity. This would prevent overheating of the heat exchanger – c.f. heat soak in car combustion engines.

        Does that make sense?

          1. I was beginning to think tha it was my timer that was faulty. However, I unscrewed it from the wall and the heat demand light on the boiler still came on lshowing that the boiler was telling itself to ignite and turn on heat flow despite the timer not being in control.

            I thought: “Why is the system overriding my controls” – just like the Air India crash!

          2. Sorry, gave the wrong reason -(senior moment), it was a faulty microswitch in the motorised valve actuator

    4. 'This will make it even more difficult to diagnose design fault and recover from programming errors when an EV ignores driver control inputs'.

      This is one of the suggestions that doomed flight 171. The flight architecture ignored pilot input.

      1. One of the questions raised in last video I posted was the possibility of AI being involved in the possible overriding of the pilot controls.

        We know AI is involved in driver assistance in EVs so as you say this is going to make diagnosing software and hardware faults very difficult.

    5. Firstly, who downvoted your info about your boiler!

      AI in cars is idiotic. It's not sodding AI, it's just programming. Besides, having auto drive in one car is silly. A far better approach is to network all cars and then each one knows where the other is going and can adapt appropriately.

      This should also stop morons blocking up roundabouts because 'they' the selfish driver; wanted to go first and didn't care that they'd jam up the exit lane.

  4. 'Morning All
    Funny Old World
    "Farage and Reform's policies are racist and will tear the UK apart" screams the Starmfuhrer in the same MSM headlines his Mudslime Home Secretary promptly steals Reform policies to win back voters
    You couldn't make it up
    Meanwhile Monday Medley
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/cfb3e479fb9091b3f490f24f49235db4d491c19e842ee29005bf091c86f40f1e.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/735fe387727adf61969b60a0ffc6fd707f0a6d6bf44edc3aa507a9114e962776.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/55e85b81e3d08485f046f358afe8ceead7c4185f3f47d36f949d9e98cc82bbc9.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/484c62515e0bf7d5ebcbb691cdb50cba3cbe0da466a2ac50b51e0fcae94f4ad9.jpg
    https://m3.gab.com/media_attachments/5c/eb/c2/5cebc2676551c713a5536b1886449d81.jpeg?width=568
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/92d6ad4cdbdb8f138ccd9a545bd17ab6a45dcb9b98c397a590f193fa188dc0dd.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2d03e16b3eb75328a7c29f34d4008df087e56920bd8a481246b03b46c2d999cf.jpg

    1. Good morning, Rik-Redux. With regard to Lord Sumption's quotation, once it all kicks off the British public will all start moaning and saying "Why didn't anyone warn me?"

      1. More likely half the population will complain that he should never be allowed to have said it and arrested for fear he say other things that frighten them.

    2. Professor Sowell is right. The diversity are given a free leg up and that's immediately exposed in the workplace.

      Starmer – Leftists generally – have pushed for control freakery their entire careers. They want it to apply to others but not to them. That's why they are such advocates of the ghastly thing. Like all socialists they assume they'll be ruling, not suffering,

  5. See that red bit in Bootle.. that's it. That's Labour.

    Hang on.. even friggin Bootle, the lifelong since 45 'Red Wall' voters are fed up with Sir Keir Starmer.
    'sick of the small boats' and that most of her friends are talking about Reform now.

    Taliban commander's nephew granted asylum in UK can be joined by seven family members even though none can speak English, says judge Gaenor Bruce.

    Sir Keir Starmer has said he believes his government can still "pull this round" .     LOL
    .
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6aca7ec63bd13bfd3bfb0b41a564b4720b7cf171e9bd83a31eecb26d440cbc3d.jpg

    1. When I read the Register articles though all I hear is endless Lefty vitriol about why gimmigrants must be allowed in, why it's unfair that there's no legal (i.e unfettered) routes for them to just arrive here, about why 'da wich' should pay more, why they hate Farage.

      It's all very tedious.

    5. Is it possible he just forgot about it?

      As it is, all this 'tax on property' from a man who pushed a mandate to protect his pension is a bit rich.

  10. Sorry folks – this is farewell from me as Roughcommon.

    That Nom de NoTTL has just been locked out of Disqus, which is now insisting that a verification email will be sent to a much earlier Sky.com email address which has been hacked and is no longer accessible.
    I have tried four or five times to change passwords and amend that old Sky address but to no avail. I’m pretty resourceful, having been several Webmaster(s) and a Wide Area Network Manager before I retired. It seems to be a new Disqus ‘feature’. I’ve even tried creating a new alias but Disqus won’t let me reuse my preferred gmail address.
    Anybody know how I can get in and bypass the red prompts that insist on using the old Sky email address for validation and not the gmail one I have been using for at least 10 years?
    I have tried everything I know, but I don’t want to appear here regularly with my real name now that the Plod are knocking on more and more doors, so it’s goodbye from me after many years reading and posting on Geoff’s wonderful NTTL blog. I suppose I could reappear under a new Nom de NoTTL and using one of my other email handles.
    As a parting gift as Roughcommon, here is my final trio of Monday Chuckles. Goodbye all, it’s been fun.
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Good morning Geoff and any NoTTLers who may be awake. Lots of early birds this morning.
    Today's trio of Monday Chuckles may have to have Trigger Warnings. You'll see what I mean…

    A boy was brought up to lead a sheltered life by his very strict parents. They never allowed him to meet any girls, except his own relatives. He was so naïve* that when one day he saw a school friend kissing a girl, he went straight home to his mother and asked her what they were doing. His mother told him: “It’s called kissing, and any boy that does that to a girl will be instantly turned to stone!”
    On the boy’s twenty-first birthday, he was introduced by a friend to a sweet girl who knew that he had never been kissed before. When she got him alone, she tried to kiss him, but he resisted. “Why won’t you let me kiss you?” she asked. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” “There is!” he said. “My mother says that if I kiss a girl, I’ll die that very minute!”
    “That is nonsense,” said the girl, and she proceeded to plant a full kiss on his lips. He instantly recoiled in horror. “Oh no, I’m going to die!” he exclaimed. “No, you’re not.” “I am,” he insisted. “I’ve only just kissed you and already one part of me has started to get stiff!”

    A guy joined a dating agency but went on a series of unsuccessful dates. So he went back to the agency and said to its female proprietor: “Have you got someone on your books who doesn’t care what I look like, isn’t concerned about my personal hygiene and has a lovely big pair of boobs?” The woman checked the computer database and said: “Actually we do have one. But it’s you.”

    A group of young men were talking about what their girlfriends were like in bed. One said: “My girlfriend snores really loudly.” “That’s a bit of a turnoff,” said the others. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Apparently she had her nose broken when she was younger. But it didn’t teach her a lesson, she still snores.”

    * For pedants among you, yes, I know that the masculine form should be naïf, not naïve, but most folks don't know that.

      1. Good morning, Herr Oberst. You are a good person, giving such detailed help to Roughcommon. I sincerely hope that I never need to use your help, because I am not that computer literate and your detailed instructions are just frying my brain. (Good morning, btw.)

      2. Morning Herr Oberst. Wow! I've just come back in to NoTTL after being busy elsewhere. I will try ALL of your suggestions.
        Muchas gracias in anticipation. I'd hate to leave. RC

          1. Herr Oberst – just sitting down to work through your detailed instructions. With a lot of painful experience of losing vital data, I immediately copied and pasted your instructions into WORD so I have them in case there might be two NTTL threads today, one of which may have tobe sacrificed. If it all goes to plan I can continue as roughcommon and publish a little weekly humour to cheer readers up in these increasingly dismal times.

          2. Hi Herr Oberst,

            I eventually had to change my Posting name to Roughcommoner to recover things.

            As you'll see, I went through the suggested procedures one by one, but the NoTTL name still kept showing my real name, not Roughcommon. There IS a way around that one, go to Profile > Name and DELETE your name, which will display your alias as your Posting name. Image below:
            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/cb428623b73d76fe0eade0926e66035fe0c0bb1e9cc0e218d22630a128ebc8ed.jpg
            Thanks again for your considerable help. RC

          3. Herr Oberst – just sitting down to work through your detailed instructions. With a lot of painful experience of losing vital data, I immediately copied and pasted your instructions into WORD so I have them in case there might be two NTTL threads today, one of which may have tobe sacrificed. If it all goes to plan I can continue as roughcommon and publish a little weekly humour to cheer readers up in these increasingly dismal times.

    2. Disqus no help, but ChatGPT suggests the following – posted in open forum, others may have use for this.
      Yes — this is a known limitation in **Disqus** accounts. Here’s what’s going on and the possible solutions:

      ### Why the problem happens

      * Disqus only allows **one account per email address**.
      * If you already have an account registered with an email, you cannot create a new ID (username) with that same email.
      * Trying to link a new identity to an existing email will cause errors or simply fail.

      ### Solutions / Workarounds

      1. **Recover the old account**

      * If you’ve forgotten the login, use the password reset option on Disqus with that email.
      * That way, you can sign in with your existing email and then change the username (ID) if desired (see below).

      2. **Change the username on the existing account**

      * Go to **Disqus Settings → Account → Username**.
      * You can update your username there (as long as it’s not already taken).
      * This way, you don’t need a new account — you just rename the old one.

      3. **Add another email to your account**

      * In **Disqus Settings → Account → Email**, you can add a secondary email.
      * Once verified, you can make that your primary email if you want to free up the original one.

      4. **Use a different email for the new account**

      * If you truly need a separate identity (e.g., for different communities), you’ll have to register with a different email.
      * Many email providers allow “aliases” (for example, `youremail+disqus@gmail.com` is treated as the same inbox).

      👉 Bottom line: **You can’t link a brand-new account to an existing email**. You either recover/rename the old account, or you use a different email address.

      Do you want me to write you a step-by-step guide on how to change the username on the existing Disqus account?
      Great — here’s a **step-by-step guide to change your username (ID) on Disqus** so you don’t need to create a brand-new account with the same email:

      —

      ### 🔄 How to Change Your Disqus Username

      1. **Log in to Disqus**

      * Go to [ https://disqus.com/ ]( https://disqus.com/) and sign in with your existing email address.
      * If you forgot your password, click **Forgot Password?** and reset it.

      2. **Go to Account Settings**

      * After logging in, click your profile picture (top-right corner).
      * Select **Settings** from the dropdown.

      3. **Find the Username field**

      * In the **Account** tab (default view), look for the **Username** field.
      * This is your current Disqus ID.

      4. **Enter your new Username**

      * Type the new username you want.
      * Disqus will check if it’s available (it must be unique).
      * If it shows ✅, you’re good to go.

      5. **Save Changes**

      * Scroll down and click **Save Changes**.
      * Your username will update across all Disqus sites where you’ve commented.

      —

      ⚠️ Notes:

      * Changing your username won’t delete your old comments — they’ll just show under the new name.
      * Your login email stays the same unless you update it under **Email** settings.
      * You can only change your username occasionally, so choose carefully.

      —

      Do you also want me to include the steps for **freeing up your old email** if you’d prefer to attach it to a different account later?
      Perfect 👍 Here’s how you can **free up your email on Disqus** so that it can be reused with another account later:

      —

      ### 📧 How to Free Up Your Email on Disqus

      1. **Log in to your existing Disqus account**

      * Go to [ http://Disqus.com ]( https://disqus.com/) and sign in with the email you want to free up.

      2. **Add a new email address**

      * Click your profile picture (top-right) → **Settings**.
      * Go to the **Email** tab.
      * Click **Add Email Address**.
      * Enter a different email (it can be a real secondary address or a Gmail alias like `yourname+disqus@gmail.com`).
      * Confirm the new email via the verification link sent to your inbox.

      3. **Make the new email your Primary email**

      * Once verified, go back to **Settings → Email**.
      * Set the new email as your **Primary**.

      4. **Remove the old email**

      * Now that your account has a different primary email, you can delete the old email from your Disqus account.
      * This frees up the old email address.

      5. **Reuse the freed-up email**

      * You can now create a **new Disqus account** using that old email address.
      * Just sign up fresh at [ http://Disqus.com/signup ]( https://disqus.com/signup/) .

      —

      ✅ This way, you keep your existing account (with a new username and new email), and you also free up your original email to register a brand-new Disqus ID.

      —

      Do you want me to put these steps together into a **single combined guide** (username change + freeing email), so it’s one clear workflow?

  12. Good morning, chums. And thanks, Geoff, for today's new NoTTLe site. Plus enjoy your first day of "retirement". Today's Wordle was a Par.

    Wordle 1,563 4/6

    ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜
    ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜
    ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    1. Good morning Elsie!
      I must confess, I only got it because I deduced the fourth letter from your post!
      Wordle 1,563 5/6

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

    1. Morning, Geoff!
      We know, thanks.
      Posted below some steps that apparently help to recover NoTTL ID and emails. Hope they work – Roughcommon looks like he's leaving if they don't 🙁

  14. In summary:

    # 🔧 Full Guide: Changing Your Disqus Username and Freeing Up Your Email

    ## Part 1: Change Your Username (ID)

    1. **Log in to Disqus**

    * Go to [ http://Disqus.com ]( https://disqus.com/) and sign in with your current email.
    * If needed, reset your password.

    2. **Go to Account Settings**

    * Click your profile picture (top-right).
    * Select **Settings**.

    3. **Update Username**

    * In the **Account** tab, find the **Username** field.
    * Enter your desired new username (Disqus will check availability).
    * Click **Save Changes**.

    ⚠️ All your existing comments will now appear under your new username.

    —

    ## Part 2: Free Up Your Email

    1. **Add a new email to your account**

    * In **Settings → Email**, click **Add Email Address**.
    * Enter a different email (real secondary or Gmail alias, e.g., `name+disqus@gmail.com`).
    * Confirm it through the email verification link.

    2. **Set the new email as Primary**

    * After verification, go back to **Settings → Email**.
    * Mark the new email as your **Primary**.

    3. **Remove your old email**

    * Once the new primary is active, remove your original email from the account.
    * Your old email is now freed up.

    4. **Create a new account with your old email**

    * Go to [Disqus Signup]( https://disqus.com/signup/) .
    * Use the original email to register a completely new Disqus ID if you want a second identity.

    —

    ### ✅ End Result

    * Your **existing account** now has a new username + a different email.
    * Your **old email** is free to be used for a brand-new Disqus account.

  15. Good morning all.
    A cool, almost cold but dry start today with a tad over 7½°C on the thermometer.
    The sun has not quite risen sufficiently to light the valley side opposite, but a blanket of mist is clinging to the trees on the valley top.

    I missed Geoff's announcement yesterday and wish him all the best.

  16. Clear skies; mist in the valley; lovely sunrise.

    Here's a gem,

    Albanian who beat man with umbrella before smashing his face on the pavement wins right to stay in UK after judge says attack was a 'one-off'

  17. The mist on the valley top referred to in my 1st post has spread down to the valley floor now! 1st one of the autumn.

  18. Husband of Labour MP lied about being a Royal Marine for political gain

    Greg Brackenridge faces calls to ‘do the right thing’ and resign after exaggerating military service

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/briefs/2025/09/19/TELEMMGLPICT000397534231_17582881308930_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqKYmB98HZXF6i9bLiBqfC-Z6uidE99MidmRNnhf65tEE.jpeg?imwidth=1280
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/briefs/2025/09/19/TELEMMGLPICT000440802807_17582879176080_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqQAeOIgmXonXXtGmEJsRHov4Xpit_DMGvdp2n7FDd82k.jpeg?imwidth=680
    Walter Mitty marries Marxist.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/briefs/2025/09/19/TELEMMGLPICT000440802329_17582879547610_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqqnebFgVWo7MZUWqD0JQ3jICrOP9cVvvqUqqjxL0v78k.jpeg?imwidth=680
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/d58d8556f17b267f

    Walter Bell
    9 days ago
    As a former Chief of the General Staff, and a damned good brain surgeon, I wonder why politicians need to embellish their credentials. I haven't.

    P G Jones
    9 days ago
    Reply to Walter Bell
    Let's hope you don't have to sell your VC to make ends meet.

    1. Lefties lie about everything, don't they? It's as if their achievements are so utterly inadequate.

  19. 413635+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    Monday 29 September: Europe can’t afford to be timid in the face of Russian provocation

    Priorities,priorities,priorities
    Should read,

    Monday 29 September:England cannot afford to be timid in the face of invasion provocation.

    The one issue that holds steady through ALL these
    deflecting issues is that there is no let up in the invading numbers coming ashore daily.

    We are now witnessing surely corporate manslaughter
    via english / french governing political overseers, in the shape of kids & adults dying, victims of the invasion campaign written off as collateral damage, plenty more in the pipeline.
    Ps,
    I would not be surprised if President Putin raised a BFC he would be inundated with the response.

      2. 413635+ up ticks,

        Morning EB,
        British_Free_Corps
        The British Free Corps was a unit of the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II, made up of British and Dominion prisoners of war who had been …

  20. What shifty, dirty, nasty people these people are… Normal rules do not apply to them.

    Starmer’s tax adviser did not pay tax for 17 years – because bosses footed the bill

    Baroness Shafik’s employers paid tax on her behalf while working in senior roles at World Bank and IMF

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/briefs/2025/09/28/TELEMMGLPICT000375157636_17590854208650_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq-pEY-cSY_9NjnALDSIsB7eC_WB09gS7_u_clj0AzNYU.jpeg?imwidth=1280 Baroness Shafik was appointed to a key role in Downing Street this month

    Camilla Tominey
    The Prime Minister’s new tax-raising economic adviser has not paid tax for 17 years because her employers footed the bill, a Telegraph investigation has found.

    Baroness Shafik, 63, a crossbench peer who was appointed to the Downing Street role by Sir Keir Starmer on Sept 1 ahead of the autumn Budget, has repeatedly called for tax rises.

    “I am not just a person who wants to raise taxes and share out more. I want everyone to pay their fair share of taxes,” she said in a 2022 Guardian interview in which she also claimed that it was “pernicious” to suggest hard work leads to success.

    However, a Telegraph investigation has found that for almost half her 35-year career, when she worked at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), her employer paid her tax for her. Even when she was employed by the London School of Economics (LSE), the tax on her accommodation was paid on her behalf by the LSE.

    High earner in government department
    After completing a doctorate in economics at Oxford University, Lady Shafik joined the World Bank in 1990 and worked in various roles before becoming its youngest ever vice-president, aged 36. She remained there until 2004. Although pay band information is not available for that year, in 2008, vice-presidents were paid $206,000 to $274,000 (£154,000 to £204,000 net of tax) with average benefits of $150,000 to $200,000 (£112,000 to £149,000) on top of salary. Lady Shafik paid no tax on her pay and benefits, since tax was paid on her behalf by the World Bank.

    She then spent four years as permanent secretary to the Department for International Development (DFID), where she was in the “high earners” band, £190,000 to £194,999, by the time she left in 2011. She also enjoyed generous civil service pension benefits worth between £34,000 and £58,000 per year.

    She then moved to the IMF, where as deputy managing director from 2011 to 2014, her pay was $399,240 (£298,000) per year according to the 2013 pay scale. Additional benefits including pension contributions amounted to $70,000 (£52,000). She paid no tax on these sums, since tax was paid on her behalf by the IMF.

    As the Prime Minister’s chief economic adviser, Lady Shafik wields a significant amount of power in No 10 and her appointment has fuelled fears that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will announce punishing tax rises on Nov 26.

    Lady Shafik co-chaired an inquiry set up by Torsten Bell, a Labour minister who is helping to write the next Budget, which called for a series of tax rises.

    In an article published in December 2018, titled “A new social contract”, Lady Shafik called for wealth taxes to address intergenerational unfairness, adding: “We should explore taxing wealth such as inheritance, land and real estate.”

    During a speech in May 2023, she suggested levying redistributive taxes on “those with comfortable pension pots” and owners of more valuable properties.

    In recent years, the British taxpayer has given about £1.5 billion to the World Bank and £150m to the IMF.

    In 2017, Lady Shafik moved to the LSE, where she served as president and vice-chancellor until 2023. She was paid £533,000 in the 2022/2023 year, including pension contributions and other benefits. Her accommodation was a taxable benefit, but the LSE paid the £39,000 tax on her behalf.

    Accused of failing to tackle anti-Semitism
    The World Bank and IMF tax arrangements are standard practice for these international institutions. There is no suggestion that Lady Shafik has avoided paying any taxes due throughout her career.

    Lady Shafik went on to become president of Columbia University from July 2023 but resigned in August 2024 amid accusations she had failed to tackle anti-Semitism on campus in the wake of the October 7 terror attack. In an email to staff informing them of her resignation, she said it had “been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community”.

    Information on her pay at the university is not yet available but her predecessor Lee C. Bollinger received between $3.38m and $4.45m (£2.5m and £3.3m) according to US government filings.

    A government spokesman said: “We do not comment on individual members of staff.”

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

    MS

    Mr Sensible
    6 hrs ago
    Reply to David Walker – view message
    Let me bet that the Blair millions, the Brown millions, The Starmer millions, The Reeves millions, The Rayner millions, The Milliband millions. . . . Are all already in Trust and will attract NO inheritance tax

    This is probably why Liar Reeves kept the loophole in the budget.

    Reeves household income is over £400,000 a year yet she thinks we should pay inheritance tax for the audacity of having a home combined with life savings and everything we possess worth more than £325,000 as this makes us what she calls the “Wealthy Elite” !!!

    Cruciate Ligament
    9 hrs ago
    Egyptian-born, lived in America most of her life. What the heck is she doing in the House of Lords, advising on our taxes?.

    FLM Kendall
    44 min ago
    Reply to Cruciate Ligament
    She's a member of the WEF Davos mob

    1. World Bank and IMF – what a terrible CV.
      The worst part is not that she paid no taxes, it's that she has no concept of genuine wealth production, i.e. working in the private sector. She lives in a world where money is created out of thin air to benefit the ultra-rich and their lackeys (of which she is one) get the crumbs from the table.
      The rest of us get taxes and higher prices. She is one of them, not one of us, parachuted in no doubt to make sure that Reeves and Starmer understand their instructions.

    2. As a contrast, in the open society of Norway, your tax and income details are visible to all – earnings, tax paid, "fortune" value.
      If you're not embarrassed by it, what's to hide?

    3. This is a woman who has never had a real job, never earned anything, never built anything and just been paid to pontificate hypotheticals.

      She is the prime example of '[beeep] floats.

    4. Gerard Manley Hopkins was appalled by the sheer grubbiness of mankind. This poem of his calls the current sordid and slimily putrid government to mind! But let us hope his optimism in the second stanza has some foundation.

      God's Grandeur

      The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
      It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
      It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
      Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
      Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
      And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
      And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil
      Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

      And for all this, nature is never spent;
      There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
      And though the last lights off the black West went
      Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —
      Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
      World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

  21. What shifty, dirty, nasty people these people are… Normal riles do not apply to them.

    Starmer’s tax adviser did not pay tax for 17 years – because bosses footed the bill

    Baroness Shafik’s employers paid tax on her behalf while working in senior roles at World Bank and IMF

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/briefs/2025/09/28/TELEMMGLPICT000375157636_17590854208650_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq-pEY-cSY_9NjnALDSIsB7eC_WB09gS7_u_clj0AzNYU.jpeg?imwidth=1280 Baroness Shafik was appointed to a key role in Downing Street this month

    Camilla Tominey
    The Prime Minister’s new tax-raising economic adviser has not paid tax for 17 years because her employers footed the bill, a Telegraph investigation has found.

    Baroness Shafik, 63, a crossbench peer who was appointed to the Downing Street role by Sir Keir Starmer on Sept 1 ahead of the autumn Budget, has repeatedly called for tax rises.

    “I am not just a person who wants to raise taxes and share out more. I want everyone to pay their fair share of taxes,” she said in a 2022 Guardian interview in which she also claimed that it was “pernicious” to suggest hard work leads to success.

    However, a Telegraph investigation has found that for almost half her 35-year career, when she worked at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), her employer paid her tax for her. Even when she was employed by the London School of Economics (LSE), the tax on her accommodation was paid on her behalf by the LSE.

    High earner in government department
    After completing a doctorate in economics at Oxford University, Lady Shafik joined the World Bank in 1990 and worked in various roles before becoming its youngest ever vice-president, aged 36. She remained there until 2004. Although pay band information is not available for that year, in 2008, vice-presidents were paid $206,000 to $274,000 (£154,000 to £204,000 net of tax) with average benefits of $150,000 to $200,000 (£112,000 to £149,000) on top of salary. Lady Shafik paid no tax on her pay and benefits, since tax was paid on her behalf by the World Bank.

    She then spent four years as permanent secretary to the Department for International Development (DFID), where she was in the “high earners” band, £190,000 to £194,999, by the time she left in 2011. She also enjoyed generous civil service pension benefits worth between £34,000 and £58,000 per year.

    She then moved to the IMF, where as deputy managing director from 2011 to 2014, her pay was $399,240 (£298,000) per year according to the 2013 pay scale. Additional benefits including pension contributions amounted to $70,000 (£52,000). She paid no tax on these sums, since tax was paid on her behalf by the IMF.

    As the Prime Minister’s chief economic adviser, Lady Shafik wields a significant amount of power in No 10 and her appointment has fuelled fears that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will announce punishing tax rises on Nov 26.

    Lady Shafik co-chaired an inquiry set up by Torsten Bell, a Labour minister who is helping to write the next Budget, which called for a series of tax rises.

    In an article published in December 2018, titled “A new social contract”, Lady Shafik called for wealth taxes to address intergenerational unfairness, adding: “We should explore taxing wealth such as inheritance, land and real estate.”

    During a speech in May 2023, she suggested levying redistributive taxes on “those with comfortable pension pots” and owners of more valuable properties.

    In recent years, the British taxpayer has given about £1.5 billion to the World Bank and £150m to the IMF.

    In 2017, Lady Shafik moved to the LSE, where she served as president and vice-chancellor until 2023. She was paid £533,000 in the 2022/2023 year, including pension contributions and other benefits. Her accommodation was a taxable benefit, but the LSE paid the £39,000 tax on her behalf.

    Accused of failing to tackle anti-Semitism
    The World Bank and IMF tax arrangements are standard practice for these international institutions. There is no suggestion that Lady Shafik has avoided paying any taxes due throughout her career.

    Lady Shafik went on to become president of Columbia University from July 2023 but resigned in August 2024 amid accusations she had failed to tackle anti-Semitism on campus in the wake of the October 7 terror attack. In an email to staff informing them of her resignation, she said it had “been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community”.

    Information on her pay at the university is not yet available but her predecessor Lee C. Bollinger received between $3.38m and $4.45m (£2.5m and £3.3m) according to US government filings.

    A government spokesman said: “We do not comment on individual members of staff.”

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

    MS

    Mr Sensible
    6 hrs ago
    Reply to David Walker – view message
    Let me bet that the Blair millions, the Brown millions, The Starmer millions, The Reeves millions, The Rayner millions, The Milliband millions. . . . Are all already in Trust and will attract NO inheritance tax

    This is probably why Liar Reeves kept the loophole in the budget.

    Reeves household income is over £400,000 a year yet she thinks we should pay inheritance tax for the audacity of having a home combined with life savings and everything we possess worth more than £325,000 as this makes us what she calls the “Wealthy Elite” !!!

    Cruciate Ligament
    9 hrs ago
    Egyptian-born, lived in America most of her life. What the heck is she doing in the House of Lords, advising on our taxes?.

    FLM Kendall
    44 min ago
    Reply to Cruciate Ligament
    She's a member of the WEF Davos mob

  22. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for an end to online anonymity, demanding that every social media profile in Europe be linked to a state-issued "European Digital Identity Wallet."

    He compared the internet to public streets, arguing that just as one cannot drive without a license plate, one should not post online without a state-verified ID.

    Dirty Ryder Cup retaining EU Communist

        1. Me too, if you subsume that into Acrophobia. Can't even cope with being near windows on the first floor of a building let alone anything higher. Oddly, planes are O.K.

          1. I'm similar.

            I suppose on an aircraft you feel less exposed.

            I felt okay at the top of the Eiffel Tower too. Though it has heavy duty metal grids.

            The idea of walking across a glass floor at the top of a skyscraper like that have in the U.S would have me catatonic.

          2. I visited the Grand Canyon, years ago. I stayed in the car while everyone else went to stare into the abyss.

          6. At the age of 10, I went to Bristol on a school trip. We went to the Clifton suspension bridge and dropped pennies into the mud 350ft below. Wot a larf! Kids, eh?

            Forty years on and I went to Cornwall to visit a friend from university days. We went for a walk along the SW coast path near St Agnes – but not very far. Five minutes in and I went back to the car. Here's a typical scene. Not for me, thanks.

            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/067bfa3ba45006d27ce23571a377fa7f9ae35115dbad14590c5c1ec500347b11.png

          7. WS, I was in Bristol last Friday and Saturday and the walkway of Clifton Suspension Bridge was/is just 250 feet above the mud. Had you climbed up to the top of one of the towers?

            Sorry to be cheeky but I lived in Bristol from 1946 to 1966 and spent a lot of time in Clifton, including rock-climbing up the wall of the gorge. They say that if you fall, it's just the last 10 feet that kill you.

          10. I know what you mean Pip. There is a couple of things that I like to watch on You Tube in which climbing is involved. I have to close my eyes during those moments and sort of peek until the horror is over. One of them is called The Trek Planner’. It’s this young man searching around in the desert for the ruins of the Anasazi Indians. It’s fascinating to see 1,000 year old ruins but they had this habit of building in rock crevices on the side of cliffs so a bit unsettling.

          11. MB freaked out on the glass viewing sections on Tower Bridge. I gritted my teeth, told my brain to stop being so daft – and strode across (v, quickly!).
            Grandson and his chum were lying on it, taking selfies of themselves and the traffic passing below.

          13. Apparently that’s because when you are in an aircraft there is no physical connection with the ground. The brain copes with it.

        4. That's a pity. I really enjoyed standing in the open door of the aircraft watching the countryside fly by while waiting to parachute. Usual height was 800 feet, first aircraft, 1000 feet second aircraft and 1200 feet third aircraft. It was even more exhilarating on moonlit night descents. I was often placed No 1 because my boss didn't like having anyone near him when he exited the opposite side door and I gave him an extra half second before I jumped. There were about 60 paras in each aircraft.

          2. I don’t know what to say! The thought of jumping out of an aircraft that doesn’t have a problem fills me with dread (and yes, I’ve worn a parachute and been through the drill in case of emergency).

      1. Aside from the physical builders being Chinese, it was designed by us. However, the dodgy concrete and steel is common place in China.

        However, life is cheap there. If a few thousand people die from a bridge collapse they'll just rebuild the bridge.

      2. Aside from the physical builders being Chinese, it was designed by us. However, the dodgy concrete and steel is common place in China.

        However, life is cheap there. If a few thousand people die from a bridge collapse they'll just rebuild the bridge.

  27. https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b7b2a61cf7c9612f714a49e04eaf81b2cacec0e3/0_0_4784_3189/master/4784.jpg?width=880&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=658d623a37c3ad974cda2550b790a1a7 Bear 901, as he is known, hunts for food in preparation for Fat Bear Week.
    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/279aef200eb2e44b328b88ce68276f952bcf1db8/0_0_8256_5504/master/8256.jpg?width=880&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6153895dbaac82f735a3ae8d467ba194 Bear 32 Chunk, as he is known, hunts for food in preparation for Fat Bear Week. The National Park Service in Alaska, US, holds an annual event highlighting the preparations made by the brown bears of Katmai as they get ready for hibernation

  28. https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/7e10cb12ec698f66c954fee8b6434924afbd1858/0_0_2000_1269/master/2000.jpg?width=880&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ddcd396cfdf2beea1bfd3a790739551d A female crab on a submarine power cable. Scientists from the University of Portsmouth’s Institute of Marine Sciences have found that female crabs show “significantly greater sensitivity” to electromagnetic fields from underwater power cables than males, which could affect how they migrate and where they lay their eggs

    1. Outrageous. Lock both of them up and throw away the key.

      Bet lots of the towel-heads in the audience are thoroughly unsavoury as well.

      1. yeah, notice how "we" will be constantly monitoring citizens.

        In the evil old Babylonian religion, a small elite indulged in sxual vices, worshipped the earth and had a god that had both male and female characteristics. The common masses were regarded as animals and treated as such.

        Ring any bells?

  30. My apologies for closing the other thread for today, but this one has more comments and having two threads doesn't work well.
    Beef to me or another Mod if this is a problem.

        3. Just read about his escape. Everything crossed for a quick return. Is the cattery far from your home?

        6. Oh goodness, I have been away so much that I didn't realise. You must be feeling terrible but where's there's life, there's hope and you have all the lookouts for LC. I cross everything and pray LC is found.

    3. Whole of our internet connection was down, Paul…only just returned last half hour, now catching up. Perhaps outside your/others control…course could be TMA Blair……..

    4. It's one of the things Mods are for………..I guess Geoff just forgot he'd already put the new page up last night.

      1. No worries, Geoff.
        Wondered if it was some kind of master plan… I’m easily confused these days!

  32. Good Morning!

    After a few days of digital depression and 5G gloom we need something a bit less likely to raise blood pressure, so here's a funny parable, The Man from Historical Accuracy , about how history gets like it is and how it is kept that way.

    But make sure you read Mark Steele claims about serious illness, surveillance, crowd control and even de-population being the goal of the The 5G Death Ray Plan and about the related sinister plan to introduce a totalitarian surveillance state by means of digital ID in in Digital Dictatorship: Why We Must Reject Digital ID .

    Energy Watch: Over the last 24 hours: Britain's average power requirement was 28.3 GW, sourced from Gas, 40%; Solar, 6.5%: Wind 9.6%; Imports, 20.9%; Biomass, 10.7%; Nuclear 8.9% and Miscellaneous, 3.4%.

    Digital ID, as proposed by our evil government, is a sinister move towards totalitarian oppression. Please sign the petition opposing it; https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/730194 and ask all your friends, colleagues and family to do so. Over 2,400,000 have.

  33. Morning All 🙂😊🤗
    Sunny but a rising damp feeling.
    I bet the euro golfers were getting a bit damp around the neckline yesterday. What a relief in the end. Nice putt eh.
    It's difficult to understand what the Russians are trying to achieve, or what might be going on behind the scenes of it all. It's not as obvious as the capitulation of the west has made to Islam.
    I've got to go out for another course of knee physio this morning. And hopefully we can get the okay from an NHS doctor who might give me permission to fly soon. Life isn't that easy I can assure you of that. But I suppose most of us Nottlers already know that.

  34. I am incandescent with rage — well, actually, I’m a tad pissed off — at the use of the idiotic EU flag as the emblem of the victorious European Ryder Cup team. Europe is not the EU and the EU is not Europe! One is a continent: the other is a conglomeration of twats with delusions of grandeur but an utter cluelessness when it comes to politics and economies.

    Moreover, only five of the twelve successful golfers in the European team are actually nationals of an EU-ruled country:

    Sepp Straka — Austria
    Rasmus Højgaard — Denmark
    Shane Lowry — Republic of Ireland
    Jon Rahm — Spain
    Ludvig Åberg — Sweden

    The majority of the team come from free and independent countries:

    Matt Fitzpatrick — England
    Tommy Fleetwood — England
    Tyrell Hatton — England
    Justin Rose — England
    Rory McIlroy — Northern Ireland
    Viktor Hovland — Norway
    Robert MacIntyre — Scotland

    Time is well overdue, methinks, to adopt a politics-free new flag to commemorate the continent of Europe, and its sports teams.

    I shall design one and forward it to the clowns running Europe’s Ryder Cup team and organisation.

    2. Yeah , yeah , do it now , they need telling .

      Moh was glued to the TV .. daren't tell you his response to several incidents .

      The crowd was grunty , rowdy and thuggishly rude .

      Good morning George .

    3. How about flying the flags of all the participating countries, as in acknowledging nation states?

      Good morning!

      1. Good morning, Sue.

        I did muse, privately, yesterday why the competition involves one country (USA) playing a continent. I know that the Ryder Cup was historically a tournament between just the USA and the UK but things have moved on.

        Why can't it be a contest between North America and Europe? Or would that take the shine off the Yanks with their delusions of grandeur if Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama were invited to join them?

        For too long the golfing world has tacitly permitted the USA to hijack the sport (intrinsically a Scottish game). They have three of the world's major tournaments in their country and are permitted to field half of the competitors list in all four majors. Too many Yanks in all competitions is both unfair and unhealthy.

        Time is ripe for a reset.

        Rant over!

        1. They normaly just play their own sports and then cause mayhem when they play ours. They had to have the larger golf ball. We all had to change to suit them.

          3. "But we have DOL-LARS". I remember travelling on Inter-rail 50 years ago and I met up with an American girl on a train from Florence to Paris. She was OK until we decided to sit for a while in a first-class compartment. The inspector came in and she started whingeing – I said "come on let's get back where we were" and she was going "but I've GOT DOL-LARS". Not that she actually offered to pay any difference, just the fact that she had them was enough, she seemed to think.

            I couldn't help thinking that she thought that that was her get out for everything in poor little ol' backward Europe. I couldn't get away from her fast enough. Except that she latched onto me. Mary-Ann.

    4. The blue flag with twelve yellow stars was originally created for the Council of Europe in 1955. Its adoption (or more properly, appropriation) by the EU has never been officially ratified, so although it is seen as the 'flag of the EU', it has no formal meaning within that organisation. However, it would seem to be a fait accompli, so perhaps a new flag should be designed to represent the continent of Europe.

      1. The old European monarchies used the symbol of the double headed eagle, which Russia has revived.

      2. It was based on the crown of stars , the halo of Our Lady Queen of Heaven. Anything more inappropriate for the EU would be hard to imagine.

        1. I beg to humbly disagree; without wishing to sound anti-Papist, there's a measure of quasi-Catholicism in the EU's DNA.
          E.g authoritarianism, dogma, privilege and a need for everything to be translated.

    5. It was also noticeable that when celebrating their success, after lifting the trophy each of the winning competitors draped themselves in the flag of their own respective country. Not a bloody EU flag in sight.👍🏻

  35. Good morning all ,

    Fine chilly morning , golfer golfing .

    Son and his best pal visited us for a few days , very enjoyable .. What on earth has happened to train services , cancelled trains create great inconvenience .. They caught the train from here to B'mouth .. because son was messaged that there were no trains after B'mouth , so they had to be bussed to Southampton to catch their ferry back home to the IoW .

    Thank goodness they left yesterday because trains from here this morning to Waterloo have also been cancelled .

    Unbelievable mess travel in the UK has become .

    3. The rail franchise spreads over 4 sheets of A4 and is a rats nest of nonsense, all of which lead back to the department for transport which could never really allow true privatisation.

      We should have done what the Swiss do: one, arms length body that runs the network. You cannot compete for railway space – only one train can use it at a time.

        1. Suction, dear boy, suction! 🤣😉
          [Actually one doesn't 'fill' something with a vacuum, that vacuum already exists inside that skull, filling it from ear-to-ear!]

          Morning, Paul.

          1. Being a vacuum in the skull, if I remember correctly Newton's third law of motion means if an idea is pushed into it, that idea will go on and on. Like the idea that they built the civilised world and rebuilt Britain (especially England) after WWII. Oh, and that we owe them £billions for stopping slavery (except in those African states that still persist in it).

      2. Waaaaaycist! These people built/rebuilt civilisation. If you don't agree, you are even more Waaaaycist!

        1. Of course I’m a Waaaaaycist. I once made a full explanation why it is the default setting for all mankind.

          1. We are all primarily attuned to our own kind. Waaaaycism is an insidious invention of evil would-be control freaks, and largely shouted by the hard-of-thinking.

          5. I nearly suffered the same fate. The email I used for this ID hadn’t been used for years and I had forgotten the password. Fortunately the recovery emails linked to each other came up trumps and lo! Here I am again.

          6. Disqus wouldn’t permit me to log on with my normal username, t’other day, until I re-confirmed my email address. Catch-22.
            That email address, Dukke, is long-defunct and Disqus would not permit me to change to a new email address on my Grizzly avatar and username.

            After half a day of faffing about — fruitlessly — with some other old email addresses, out of the blue popped up Olaf. Olaf hasn’t been used
            in a decade (it stems from the old DT letters’ forum). Until I can find a way to extricate Grizzly from that old email address, then Olaf will have to suffice.

            [Olaf was also the inspiration for Auntie Elsie Bloodaxe.]

    1. Johnny, your clip suggests that the pub has not been re-named "The George Orwell" but instead is now known as "Ministry Of Truth"!?!?

    1. Morning Rastus! Pretty standard behaviour for Islam. The extremists hate the Sufi's more than they hate Christianity. It is actually the first thing that Islamic zealots go for, before Christianity or even the Jews. The reason is that most Sufi's are about peace and reconciliation, even unification between religions. I have to say not all Sufi's follow that path but enough do to represent a considerable threat to the fanatics. So followers of Sufism are often martyred.

      As for Islam or Christianity, which triumphs? It has to be Christianity. It is a matter of the future of man being an evolving species toward peace and civilization. Islam represents devolution and the stifling of peace and civilization.

        1. I think so, yes. As the Islamic world is becoming more educated the defections increase. Not all turn to Christianity, many go for atheism or agnosticism. But the point is that in the face of progress Islam is being diminished. As I pointed out a little while ago. Islam is a minority belief in Iran and in Malaya, Christianity is the fastest growing religion in the country. You will find in varying degrees, that Christianity is advancing and Islam falling back. Islam is not increasing its members by conversion but by birthrate and that is falling in all Islamic countries as people become richer.

          1. The birthrate isn't falling here. One day perhaps Iran and Malaya will be far ahead of the new Dark Age that our unspeakably vile politicians are foisting upon us.

          2. I take it by “here” you mean the UK? If so there is an easy way to stop that. Force these people into work and stop giving the Muslim mans three wives three separate houses and welfare. If that doesn’t work, kick them out.

    2. Islam and anything else are not compatible, full stop. In fact, Islam and Islam aren't doing too well (depending on which Islam is where).

  40. Good morning all. Sunny and cool today, 50f.

    What Russian "provocation"? I think what Trump was saying the other day was something to the effect that you lot (Europe) want to be loud mouthed and bellicose, determined like Zelenskyy, not to find peace, that I'll leave you to it rather than waste my time. He knows, as well as those of us who keep a close eye on what is going on over there, that Russia is winning despite Western propaganda to the contrary.

  41. Got here eventually. Blue sky but cold. Smell of burning coming from the kitchen – again. Bloody timer!
    Wordle 1,563 4/6

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

    1. The next 100 days will be noticeably improved by the absence of you and your band of vindictive losers.

  43. King ‘saddened’ by Prince Harry’s sabotage accusation
    Duke of Sussex claims details of reunion with father were leaked to the press to scupper reconciliation
     https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2025/09/28/king-saddened-prince-harry-sabotage-accusation-aides/

    There must be a forgiver and a forgivee. Prince Harry may say he wants reconciliation but he is not prepared to admit that he has erred in any way and does not feel he needs to be forgiven.

    Both the Idiot King and his younger son should accept that a happy father/son relationship is no longer possible. Things cannot be unsaid. Harry should return to his wife in America.

    BTL

    "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

    And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants."

    [Luke XV xviii – xix]]

    Harry feels no remorse and lacks all humility. He cares not a jot for the hurt he has caused his family and especially his father. The prodigal son was given a warm welcome (which did not please his brother) but The King would be well justified in keeping his second son at arm's length.

      2. Totally agree.
        Most families have dramas of some sort or another, but fortunately they are not dragged out for public delectation.
        This situation is absolute manna from heaven to MeGain.

  44. Just imagine how much can be creamed off for guanxi 关系.

    London’s Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan has agreed to spend £66 million on woke cultural projects over the next three years.
    The projects include Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month and an event called ‘Black On The Square’ in Trafalgar Square. Black History Month will also form part of this expensive extravaganza, along with a series of LGBT events.

      1. Mayors and GLC.
        Thatcher was concerned about what she saw as "Marxist experiments" by Labour councils from Hackney to Liverpool, and Mrs Thatcher condemned them as "big spenders of other people's money".. "each sought to supplant parliamentary government with direct action and threats of violence".

        Thatcher promised to abolish the GLC, "a wasteful and unnecessary tier of government". The House of Lords forced a delay. But in 1986 it met for the last time.

      1. Have you not heard that NASA recovered an assegai from the lunar surface? Thought to be a ricochet from Rorke's Drift.

        My statement is no less believable than the claims made by some black people that they invented just about everything or that the white race does not have a culture.

    6. If Muslims stone homosexuals to death or throw them off high buildings then why doesn't an imam issue a fatwa on Sadiq
      Khan for aiding, abetting and supporting homosexuals and homosexuality?

      1. He's too useful to them at the moment. And the Khant wants the other "minorities" on board, just in case…

  46. Remember yesterday's gang rape.
    Here's today's headline:

    Police launch hunt for 'white man' who was part of group who 'gang raped woman in churchyard'

    here's a statement:

    Thames Valley Police (TVP) Cherwell, the local force covering Banbury, has confirmed 'one of the offenders is said to be a white man'.

    The force has not revealed descriptions of the other men – or how many were involved in the 'horrific' attack.

    They say they only have one description relating to the white man and are 'working tirelessly to identify the offenders and will share more with the public as soon as we can'.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15143877/Police-launch-hunt-white-man-group-gang-raped-woman-churchyard.html

    1. The last gang banger grape trial in Banbury were also 'white'.. Patryk Kubacz, Damian Sidor, and Jaroslaw Szklarski.
      As British as a rodeo in Tamworth.

      1. Perhaps it’s a “come-on”
        Witnesses who say they saw diverse individuals won’t be branded racists for reporting the fact.

        1. The first two didn't stop the parents having more, did it? There's no cure for really, really blinded/thick

          1. I believe they were triplets and lack of medical facilities led to them all receiving brain damage.

      1. Boris appeared to encourage the non-EU invasion. Of course Ms Patel was delighted – well she would be, wouldn't she? Just like Sunak making thast deal with India which allowed so many more Indians to come here – he would, wouldn't he?

        No person whose family does not go back five generations in this country, brought up in English, Scottish, Welsh etc. households (ie not like Lammy in his "West Indian" home in England) should be allowed anywhere near public office. That includes second generation immigrants like Boris Johnson, Ed Miliband and several peers).

        1. No, because they are being secretly imported in even greater numbers by other means. Has no-one in government yet realised how damaging the imbalance of the sexes is and will be, over and above the cultural imbalance? And if this is (as it looks to be) intentional, just what is the intention?

    1. Watch out for the Labour delegates in the wings. The party’s radical left-wing goons that think/know they have the answers, and will grow in power & influence from the fringe. Labour know they are going to lose the next election so they are going for a scorched earth policy.. spend Trillions now on any thing every thing and keep the borders open for millions of future Islamic voters.

      1. I think that you're on to something. This shower are symbolically "salting the earth" as far as the farmers are concerned. No farmers, no food.

    1. There is neither freedom nor democracy in the EU. It's a communist bloc that only exists due to massive wealth transfers from richer nations to poorer ones.

    2. "claims of Russian interference"
      Utter Bullpucky
      The headline should read "Massive EU ballot box stuffing and voter denial"
      See Romania for the template

  54. I was listening to a repeat of the 1990 Ken Burns documentary series, The Civil War, about the conflict between the Unionist and Confederate states of the 1860s. I was struck, once again, by the eloquence of what was written and said by those who played their parts in the conflict, whether politician, soldier or civilian. The prose was inspiring, uplifting, almost poetical.

    Then I thought about the dullards who inhabit our political, commercial and civil institutions. The dreary clichés; the deadweight of lifeless, monocultural artificial unintelligence; their dependence on a withering, shrinking vocabulary. Do any of them say or write anything which will be revered and repeated in 160 years' time? The only thing they can inspire is reaching out for the mute or off button.

    1. Year ago, I watched a programme on the Civil War.
      They read out a letter from a soldier to his wife. It was so heartfelt and literate that it reduced me to tears. And I suspect he would have been educated before schooling became compulsory in the USA.

    2. The “Civil War” really is a classic example of how to make a superb, balanced and informative documentary. I lived for a number of years slightly below the Mason-Dixon line and visited many of the Civil War battlefields. I confess that my sympathies are with the South; I cannot support its institution of slavery but it has an undeniable sense of honour, deep loyalty to State, military panache and readiness to oppose bullying by the North. What I find sad is the campaign by academics to portray the South as a bunch of racist, red-neck incompetents who don’t deserve one iota of sympathy, understanding or realism. Robert E Lee was offered command of the Northern Forces but turned it down because he had greater loyalty to his home state of Virginia; he did not win all his battles but won more than he lost and against far superior numbers of men, materiel and equipment. His memory is now being subjected to scorn and derision.

      1. Shelby Foote's trilogy is the best history of the war that I have read.
        If you don't know it (I suspect you do) I recommend it very highly

        1. I know of Shelby Foote (sadly, now departed) as an expert on the Civil War and he appears in a number of documentaries about it. However, I confess to not having read his trilogy. On your recommendation, I shall seek a copy.

  55. Good morning, all – just. Slept in till nearly eleven! Going out after lunch so will not be around much.

    2. I woke at 3 needing the facilities and didn't get to sleep again until gone 5, and that was mucked up so came to at 9 and multiple sleep timers later to be a groggy and useless now.

  56. Been taking advice on re-workking our charging. To date, we've charged for time. From the first tenner I earned for plugging in someone's modem to today when we configure kit and install it on site. We don't tend to charge a premium on kit as that's easy to look up and, personally I don't want to rip people off by saying that £700 quid switch costs you £1000 and we cream off the diff.

    We spec it up, agree it with customer, and buy it. We always buy manufacturer support warranty and offer our own support as well. That covers the kit and configuration costs after sale. For installs we charge per port, which covers time. It's more if there's making good to do and that depends on the degree of making good. If someone is installing into pre-existing wiring trays it's obviously much less than repainting/plastering.

    Increasingly we're being encouraged to charge premium on top of devices, but that'd make devices really expensive – except at the low end. If we install a £500 router the customer is basically saying 'charge me £2000 and do it all for me, and give me someone to call for 6 months afterward.

    We can't really do that, as our time is what we sell and smaller customers need a lot more support than the bigger ones who have on site bods. The smaller guys don't really understand the principles in the documentation, even though we pass them through a proof reader who is non-technical (or they just don't RTFM at all).

    Again, I get this, but getting shouted at for charging £200 for a support call that involves an on-site visit to Sturminster to completely re-set their device loses us money. Especially if it's the 4th call out. We've tried the 'we'll manage it for you' route and the customer has refused that, but they keep breaking things. We've had the 'we can't keep doing this' discussion and referenced out contract that they agreed to, both verbally and on paper for the support options and we've gone as a matter of decency because, well, I give a stuff but this client immediately threatens to sue for loss of service which means lawyer which means time and money wasted not making more and we simply cannot afford it either way.

    Our legal fellow is going to talk to them later on. Normally Mrs Clarke would field these calls and put the client right but she's retired. It seems so frustrating to turn our business model on it's head for so little return.

    1. We've had the 'we can't keep doing this' discussion..
      Ha. The memories. We would be called out on a Sunday or Saturday middle of the night to a Macao casino.. that's a country next door.. out of spite with nothing to fix. Keeps you on your toes and teaches you to bow lower next time.

  58. Our precious sceptred Isle has lost its Mojo , how do we recover it , will we ever recover it .

    Why the hell are we allowing bloody heathens into Britain , why why why ..

    Over 1300 arrived by small boats over the weekend ..

    Who are these people , don't they understand there is nothing here for them?

    2. Brilliant. Like Xi Jinping.. the progressives liberals will never never never never change their ways; rigid. zero empathy. plough on regardless. ruthless.

    3. There is a fascinating exhibition in Dol-de-Bretagne called The Cathédraloscope which shows how medieval cathedrals were built and the tools which were used to build them. We occasionally take our students to this.

      https://www.cathedraloscope.com/
      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/13c2311e47f2d73c6a5c0d81cc090ad45e837e7e33261b4dc27d238fb651bef3.png
      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/614d84d6c4be6ee12492f1b831fe8ad765c15c4ea40a9671675c6c63d7f5677e.png

      1. There is a superb museum at Trocadero Paris on French towns, architecture and monuments part of a trio of galleries.
        I've spent many pleasant hours wandering around them.

      2. One of my delights 50 years ago was discovering the section "Plans et Reliefs" at the Invalides. Many of Vauban's wooden models were up in the attic – and one could wander through. Now, it's all "curated" and different.

      1. I give you:
        HS2…
        Or Hinkley point…
        Or West Coast Route Modernisation…
        Or The Scottish Parliament building…

      2. Yes, the Nigerian and Congolese architects often complained about the poor work ethics of the idle British peasants.

      4. Reims took about 100 years from start to completion. Many of the sculptures were added after essential completion. This was a relatively short period compared with some other cathedrals.

        Others have originated as abbeys and been rebuilt to eventually become cathedrals over several centuries. St Denis for example.

  66. Why am I here doing this , because since this morning I have had several sets of bedding to wash, and dry, vacuumed the house , tidied up after my visitors went home to the Isle of Wight .

    Last Friday I received an NHS letter that had taken ten days to reach me .. with the results of my MRI scan on my lower back that I had been subjected to on the 6th of August!

    Nothing dreadfully amiss .. lumber region a bit iffy , but life's wear and tear affects us all .. so I can cope I hope , no mention of my hip , why I don't know.

      1. Hello J.,

        My pain comes, and goes the front of my shins burn .. and my right sacra iliac joint aches .. I can bend down , touch my toes , walk about a couple of miles or so lift my leg to tie my laces , but I find I cannot walk upstairs comfortably and scared of coming down stairs, hideous pain when I am a passenger in the car , getting out , but fine in the drivers seat .. sudden movement jars me ..
        All because of lockdown and walking around the village on uneven pavements instead of my grassy walks .. no mention of my hip though . They only deal with one thing at a time !

        Sister is driving after five weeks / new hip / she is amazingly athletic and strong and younger than me , no2 youngest sister also needs 2 new hips .. she is also athletic and so strong and acrobatic .. wear and tear!

        The beauty is , their private healthcare packages , and the magnificent care and after care they receive over in SA.

        They have never experienced our NHS , and thank goodness they haven't .

        1. It sounds similar to the problems Conway has with his sij. Yet you seem quite mobile otherwise, dog walking etc. Stairs can be a problem – I do make sure I’m holding on when I go up or down. It’s so easy to misstep and fall.

          Glad to hear your sister has made a good and rapid recovery.

          It seems the NHS is good for emergencies – and I couldn’t fault the rapid response to J’s crisis on 9th September – we had to wait a long time in A&E to see the dr, but when we did, she was good, and thorough.

        2. I met my neighbour who has had a hip replacement when I was hobbling round the block with my dogs . She was driving and looking remarkably spry.

    2. Barrister: Did you say you got shot in the woods?
      Witness: No, I said I got shot in the lumbar region.

      1. Yes. I also found it interesting that as soon as the boats capsized they left their customers and ran for the bank.

        1. Did they? Saving themselves then but not the punters who paid them.
          The fierce elephant was more likely to be the matriarch than a male, as elephant herds are all females with their calves. Males are generally solitary, or with a small group of male buddies.

      1. Apparently ir causes serious offence to those whose allegiance is to a foreign land, despite the obscene level of profit they take from this country, which they regard as their due

  70. Afternoon All
    Don't bring a knife to a gunfight…………
    J k Rowling gives the brat Emma Watson both barrels
    "I'm seeing quite a bit of comment about this, so I want to make a couple of points.

    I'm not owed eternal agreement from any actor who once played a character I created. The idea is as ludicrous as me checking with the boss I had when I was twenty-one for what opinions I should hold these days.

    Emma Watson and her co-stars have every right to embrace gender identity ideology. Such beliefs are legally protected, and I wouldn't want to see any of them threatened with loss of work, or violence, or death, because of them.

    However, Emma and Dan in particular have both made it clear over the last few years that they think our former professional association gives them a particular right – nay, obligation – to critique me and my views in public. Years after they finished acting in Potter, they continue to assume the role of de facto spokespeople for the world I created.

    When you've known people since they were ten years old it's hard to shake a certain protectiveness. Until quite recently, I hadn't managed to throw off the memory of children who needed to be gently coaxed through their dialogue in a big scary film studio. For the past few years, I've repeatedly declined invitations from journalists to comment on Emma specifically, most notably on the Witch Trials of JK Rowling. Ironically, I told the producers that I didn't want her to be hounded as the result of anything I said.

    The television presenter in the attached clip highlights Emma's 'all witches' speech, and in truth, that was a turning point for me, but it had a postscript that hurt far more than the speech itself. Emma asked someone to pass on a handwritten note from her to me, which contained the single sentence 'I'm so sorry for what you're going through' (she has my phone number). This was back when the death, rape and torture threats against me were at their peak, at a time when my personal security measures had had to be tightened considerably and I was constantly worried for my family's safety. Emma had just publicly poured more petrol on the flames, yet thought a one line expression of concern from her would reassure me of her fundamental sympathy and kindness.

    Like other people who've never experienced adult life uncushioned by wealth and fame, Emma has so little experience of real life she's ignorant of how ignorant she is. She'll never need a homeless shelter. She's never going to be placed on a mixed sex public hospital ward. I'd be astounded if she's been in a high street changing room since childhood. Her 'public bathroom' is single occupancy and comes with a security man standing guard outside the door. Has she had to strip off in a newly mixed-sex changing room at a council-run swimming pool? Is she ever likely to need a state-run rape crisis centre that refuses to guarantee an all-female service? To find herself sharing a prison cell with a male rapist who's identified into the women's prison?

    I wasn't a multimillionaire at fourteen. I lived in poverty while writing the book that made Emma famous. I therefore understand from my own life experience what the trashing of women's rights in which Emma has so enthusiastically participated means to women and girls without her privileges.

    The greatest irony here is that, had Emma not decided in her most recent interview to declare that she loves and treasures me – a change of tack I suspect she's adopted because she's noticed full-throated condemnation of me is no longer quite as fashionable as it was – I might never have been this honest.

    Adults can't expect to cosy up to an activist movement that regularly calls for a friend's assassination, then assert their right to the former friend's love, as though the friend was in fact their mother. Emma is rightly free to disagree with me and indeed to discuss her feelings about me in public – but I have the same right, and I've finally decided to exercise it."
    Mega Oof

  71. Going out now to Upper Sheringham Church – to learn about "church recording" and then make a start. Nice to discover something new at 84.

    Back later. Play nicely.

      1. When our elder son, Christo, was at Gresham's he cycled from Holt to Sheringham each Sunday to attend mass.
        The priest came to the school to give Christo his confirmation classes before he was confirmed.

  72. Is another Epping demonstration by 'far right' mothers on the way?

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/def4307bd1bf3cb6cc133c9ceec57df865ce1f02ef9a49de347bdd749d96a6aa.jpg
    The Whately Hall Hotel in Horse Fair Road is used to house illegal immigrants. It is just two minutes walk away from St Mary's Church where a young woman was gang raped over the weekend. The police have said that one of the gang is white but have not yet disclosed the ethnicity of the other rape gang members.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fe53e49d18840d49c01e04205a41daf800636a0ccc3d386022111bac3597d98f.png

      1. Difficult to get completely clear information.

        The 2022 hoohah was about the existing hotel staff being sacked and not properly paid because the hotel had been taken over to house migrants.

        Some accounts on the Internet today say that migrants are still being housed there but information from many sources – especially the government – is not entirely reliable!

          2. I believe there's a Best Western nearby. Best Western Group has taken in migrants.
            However, the government, who are responsible rather than the local authorities, are allegedly cutting back on hotel invasion.

    2. The last lot were all Polish..

      Patryk Kubacz, Damian Sidor and Jaroslaw Szklarski subjected a young woman to a string of horrific rapes sexual assaults

    3. An old Yiddisher saying: "Nit kein Entfer ist oich ein Entfer!"
      No answer is also an answer.

    4. Oh I'm sure they pumped that out, but probably a romanian, bulgarian or other 'caucasian' but certainly not a Briton. Just another diversity rape. Only when the entire front bench is made to suffer these assaults will the invasion end.

      1. You'd have to pay people to have a go at the females on the Labour front bench. Ben Franklin comes to mind:

        The Face first grows lank and wrinkled; then the Neck; then the Breast and Arms; the lower Parts continuing to the last as plump as ever: So that covering all above with a Basket, and regarding only what is below the Girdle, it is impossible of two Women to know an old from a young one. And as in the dark all Cats are grey, the Pleasure of corporal Enjoyment with an old Woman is at least equal, and frequently superior, every Knack being by Practice capable of Improvement.

  73. Druin Burch
    Starmer’s ‘racist’ Reform remark is his ‘deplorables’ moment
    29 September 2025, 7:08am

    Reform’s proposal to scrap indefinite leave to remain for foreigners is racist, according to Keir Starmer. ‘I do think it’s a racist policy,’ the Prime Minister told the BBC yesterday. ‘I do think it’s immoral – it needs to be called out for what it is.’ Removing people who were here legally, he said, was wrong. That’s a reasonable stance for a lawyer, but odd for a PM, whose role isn’t compliance with the law but deciding what new laws should say.

    Supporters of Reform are not themselves racist, Starmer was quick to say – merely ‘frustrated’ by 14 years of ‘Tory failure’. But the Prime Minister could soon regret his remarks.

    Hillary Clinton called Donald Trump supporters a ‘basket of deplorables’ during her 2016 election campaign – an election she went on to lose. A close ally of David Cameron described Tory activists as ‘mad, swivel-eyed loons’ in 2013, opening a chasm between the then prime minister and his party’s grassroots. Starmer has been more careful with his language, but his thinking appears to be the same. By calling Reform’s plan ‘racist’ and brushing off voters’ concerns as mere frustration, he’s making his own statement about the British people being deplorable, swivel-eyed loons.

    With his suggestion, Starmer is wrong about Britain. We live not only at the least racist point in history, but in one of the least racist countries in the world. Those points are too valuable to be cheapened by neglect. Our country can be unfair, cruel, fretted with ignorance and misery – but it is kinder, fairer, and more tolerant than ever before. Racism deserves to be taken seriously, which means taking our progress seriously.

    France is more racist than Britain. Italy is too, as are Germany and Spain. I have no knowledge of Ireland beyond its current ghoulish anti-Semitism. Scandinavia appears worse than we are, although I judge from a distance. Russia is horrifically racist, and China and Japan not much better. I have worked in several African countries and each has been a world worse than ours when it comes to judging people by their skin or their ethnicity.

    North American racism makes ours look tame, and while I have no direct experience of Central and South America, I see no reason to suspect either of being an oasis of open mindedness.

    About the Middle East it is better not to think. But we don’t need to rely on impressions alone. The World Values Survey asks people if they would object to having a neighbour of a different race. In Britain, the number consistently falls below 3 per cent. Figures are often two or three times higher in Western Europe, higher still across Eastern Europe and Asia. A comprehensive 2023 study by King’s College London confirmed this, ranking Britain as one of the most tolerant societies in Europe on a key metric of racial acceptance. From North America to the Far East, few nations demonstrate such a high level of stated public tolerance. Britain has become a better place because brave people have fought to make it so and because kindnesses have accumulated. It is distasteful, in the extreme, to minimise such achievements.

    We’re not just amongst the least racist nations, we’re also not stupid – and any politician who presumes voters are is on the road to either authoritarianism or failure. When I was born, 6 per cent of those in Britain had been born elsewhere. The figure was 4 per cent when my parents were born. When their parents came into the world, it was 2 per cent. Today, it is 17 per cent and rising. Worrying about this figure is not stupid. Who are the people who are coming to our country? What are their values? What will they do to our culture, our economy? These are not contemptible concerns. Writing them off as racist or stupid is insulting. Proposing that the reasonable response is the introduction of mandatory ID cards for all is unhinged.

    I don’t deny that scrapping indefinite leave to remain would cause profound harm to many people, including a large number of residents who enrich our country. The real question is whether the policy will do more good than harm – and that depends on whether its consequences are worked through intelligently and humanely. In our own interests, we would want to maximise the immigration that helps our country. In the interests of decency, we would wish to reduce the number of lives any change destroyed.

    Our progress has been real and it remains fragile. We did not always have an innate sense that signs reading ‘no Irish, no blacks’ were so unthinkably foul as to be both criminal and un-British. There was a lot of hard graft to make progress, and conservatism did not lead the way. But when the progressive left ignores people’s reasonable concerns – or, worse, dismisses them as racist or stupid – they breathe life into the far right they so eagerly hallucinate.

    There are serious issues to discuss here, but they merit a serious response. When Starmer insists on treating immigration anxiety as racism, he mistakes Britain. People are not deplorables, nor loons, nor fools. They are citizens of one of the most tolerant nations on earth, and they want their leaders to take them seriously. Politicians who misjudge them not only insult their electorate; they obscure one of Britain’s quietest but greatest achievements – that here, more than in most places, racism has steadily lost.

    1. Black GIs who came here during the war were segregated on US camps but they were welcomed by the Brits. If we’re racist we’ve been made so by having diversity thrust down our throats and being made second class citizens in our own country.

  74. Major concerns are rising as Labour's Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy confirms that *all UK citizens will be required to obtain a digital ID*. During a challenging interview, Nandy emphasized that without this ID, individuals could face significant barriers to employment, essentially mandating compliance. This rollout is set to occur by the end of the current parliamentary session, prompting urgent questions about the implications for citizens choosing not to participate.
    Lisa Nandy: All UK citizens will have to have one.
    Interviewer: What if I don't?
    Lisa Nandy: Well, the plan is that we're going to roll this out by the end of the parliament.
    Interviewer: No, my question is what if I don’t? What if I’ve got my job so I don’t need to show this to anyone, so what if I just don’t do it?
    Lisa Nandy: So if you don’t have one, then you'll have a problem if you want to get a new job.
    Interviewer: No, I’m saying I’m not doing that, so I’m not seeking a job. So why should I get the digital ID card? Why do I do it? Is there some fine for not doing it? Is there an incentive to do it? I’m just thinking I’ve got no reason to do it.
    Lisa Nandy: Look, this isn’t a heavy-handed approach. We’re not planning to go around fining people. But what we are going to do is make sure that everybody’s got one. In the same way, Charlie, as you’ve got a National Insurance number if you’re a citizen of this country, we’ll make sure that everybody has a digital ID.
    Interviewer: So help me with this. I know we’re plotting through this, but so everyone watching who’s got a job has got a National Insurance number. So when these digital ID cards exist, if I just go to my employer and show them my National Insurance number, is that not sufficient? Are they being precluded from employing me?
    Lisa Nandy: It won’t be sufficient. I just want to be really clear about that.
    Interviewer: So they can’t employ people unless they’ve seen one of these digital IDs?
    Lisa Nandy: Yes, that’s right. That is the plan. And the major benefit of that to the entirety of the UK is that we will therefore be able to disrupt the illegal market where people come to this country and work illegally and undercut British workers who could otherwise get those jobs.
    Interviewer: A National Insurance number would have the same effect because if you’re illegal, you can’t have one of those

    1. Clearly it's not about getting jobs…….. it's to make sure Big Brother can see the whole of your life, your financial records, health records, everything. No ID -no life. No privacy. Who will have access to all these records? Hackers? What about the oldies who are not online and don't use mobile phones? No pension?

      1. Our internet has been down for the last few hours. That's all they need to do, whilst keeping their own running.

      1. If they bring it in, they'll no doubt make it a prerequisite for claiming child benefit or the state pension.
        I am told that in Germany it's now necessary to get child benefit.

        1. Since Germany de jure won WWII (despite losing in battle and allegedly surrendering) it has been ridiculously indulged. We now have a fourth or fifth Reich, run by de facto Nazis. The EU is thus controlled. These are very, very bad people.

    4. Nandy talks utter tripe. She knows she's lying. She doesn't care.

      She knows this has nothing to do with stopping the invasion. She knows it won't make a jot of difference to the black market – the dindus in all the turkish barbers aren't suddenly bothered about national insurance numbers.

      Knowing that it will make no difference to the dindu invasion, make not a jot of diff to the criminals the end fact is it is simply a control system for the decent and honest. One day they'll slip up and admit this. They must be removed. Now.

      1. She is not Brain of Britain. She is very much an example of a well-meaning, very thick person, who is easily led by the nose by more malignant actors. Lammy is another such, as is Abbot…God, there are so many. But the maligns are the worst – looking at Hermer, Starmer and, of course, Blair.

    6. She has certainly put on weight recently but she has still some way to go if she is aiming to compete for the prestigious Parliamentary Cyril Smith Adiposity Prize?

      1. The public sector seems to think hiring the diversity is a good thing. They're just dangerous. This obsession with 'diversity' is just making everywhere unsafe.

          1. Don't forget Don ("My name is Basil
            my friend his name is Don
            when we're togethah
            they call us Basildon Bond…"
            All together now!

          3. I've got a friend called Basil
            And he's got a friend called Bond
            They're always seen together
            They're known as Basildon Bond!

            And we're all queers together……(cont'd p.94)

    4. "Employing over 6,000 people from a range of diverse backgrounds, we strive to keep Britain safe and secure by working with our partners Russia, China, Pakistan and the Hamas republic of Palestine. Strength in Diversity. GCHQ

      1. There was a time when anybody applying for a job there had to be British and undergo rigorous checks into their background, have British sponsors who were also thoroughly checked, etc.

        1. Years ago, there was a knock at our door, and there were two guys waving FBI badges. They wanted to question us about one of our neighbours who worked for a sensitive agency and was up for promotion. The usual questions, did we know them, was there ever any signs of strange behaviours or abnormal political views, drug use that we knew about, etc.

          We had not been here that long at the time, and similar has happened a few times since. Had them turn up at the office a couple of times asking about ex-employees who had applied for government jobs in certain agencies.

          The NSA here are basically paranoid about security — as they should be. A friend of a relative who worked there was told point blank to change where she lived as she had a non US citizen housemate. One of the things people with clearances regularly have to do is report all contacts with non US citizens, and explain the circumstances. Higher level clearances mean asking permission to travel outside the physical US. My poor SiL had a lot of form filling to do before we became citizens. Then he joked he even had a form to fill in to report that we were now citizens…

          The IRS is a stickler. Tax data is not allowed to be taken out of the building and accessing any data without an "authorized reason" results in immediate loss of job.

      2. II have a herd of 20 cats that need to be controlled

        If the 6000 can manage that, they may move onto people

    5. Bet he was a DEI hire. What a dummy to think that he could connect his phone and download data without anyone noticing. And what the hell is GCHQ doing allowing people to carry a high quality camera into work while they are accessing sensitive data anyway?

    2. And this time next week, those nineteen boats will be back in France, ready for another 1300 criminals.

      1. I know she leans to the Left and I've no interest in reading her books.
        However, I am a huge fan of her due to her campaign of kicking trannie weirdos into touch.

        2. Our boys started reading the Harry Potter books as they came out which meant that each time a new one arrived out they were a couple of years older and a little bit less enthusiastic than they had been for the one before.

          By the final book they had moved on to Terry Pratchett.

          Both our boys were fluent readers at the age of 4 and they are still voracious readers. A love of books is the best thing that parents can pass on to their children.

  81. Those w/o X.

    I'm seeing quite a bit of comment about this, so I want to make a couple of points.

    I'm not owed eternal agreement from any actor who once played a character I created. The idea is as ludicrous as me checking with the boss I had when I was twenty-one for what opinions I should hold these days.

    Emma Watson and her co-stars have every right to embrace gender identity ideology. Such beliefs are legally protected, and I wouldn't want to see any of them threatened with loss of work, or violence, or death, because of them.

    However, Emma and Dan in particular have both made it clear over the last few years that they think our former professional association gives them a particular right – nay, obligation – to critique me and my views in public. Years after they finished acting in Potter, they continue to assume the role of de facto spokespeople for the world I created.

    When you've known people since they were ten years old it's hard to shake a certain protectiveness. Until quite recently, I hadn't managed to throw off the memory of children who needed to be gently coaxed through their dialogue in a big scary film studio. For the past few years, I've repeatedly declined invitations from journalists to comment on Emma specifically, most notably on the Witch Trials of JK Rowling. Ironically, I told the producers that I didn't want her to be hounded as the result of anything I said.

    The television presenter in the attached clip highlights Emma's 'all witches' speech, and in truth, that was a turning point for me, but it had a postscript that hurt far more than the speech itself. Emma asked someone to pass on a handwritten note from her to me, which contained the single sentence 'I'm so sorry for what you're going through' (she has my phone number). This was back when the death, rape and torture threats against me were at their peak, at a time when my personal security measures had had to be tightened considerably and I was constantly worried for my family's safety. Emma had just publicly poured more petrol on the flames, yet thought a one line expression of concern from her would reassure me of her fundamental sympathy and kindness.

    Like other people who've never experienced adult life uncushioned by wealth and fame, Emma has so little experience of real life she's ignorant of how ignorant she is. She'll never need a homeless shelter. She's never going to be placed on a mixed sex public hospital ward. I'd be astounded if she's been in a high street changing room since childhood. Her 'public bathroom' is single occupancy and comes with a security man standing guard outside the door. Has she had to strip off in a newly mixed-sex changing room at a council-run swimming pool? Is she ever likely to need a state-run rape crisis centre that refuses to guarantee an all-female service? To find herself sharing a prison cell with a male rapist who's identified into the women's prison?

    I wasn't a multimillionaire at fourteen. I lived in poverty while writing the book that made Emma famous. I therefore understand from my own life experience what the trashing of women's rights in which Emma has so enthusiastically participated means to women and girls without her privileges.

    The greatest irony here is that, had Emma not decided in her most recent interview to declare that she loves and treasures me – a change of tack I suspect she's adopted because she's noticed full-throated condemnation of me is no longer quite as fashionable as it was – I might never have been this honest.

    Adults can't expect to cosy up to an activist movement that regularly calls for a friend's assassination, then assert their right to the former friend's love, as though the friend was in fact their mother. Emma is rightly free to disagree with me and indeed to discuss her feelings about me in public – but I have the same right, and I've finally decided to exercise it.

  82. We are now in the Costa del Sol for a fortnight.

    I can not help but notice, that more folk here talk in English, than they can in lots parts of UK

        2. Thank you.
          But your edit has made my response look very odd.
          When editing a post please let the rest of the readers know what you've changed.

          Enjoy your break. It sounds similar to Dordogneshire.

  83. It's enough to send an innocent person or two insane.
    Earlier I'm taking a 40 minute drive to my physio appointment for my knee.
    5 times my phone in the dashboard pocket rang. Twice I pulled to answer but of course the same caller rang off before I could even stop. Not everyone has their mobile phone strapped to the side of their head !!!!
    On arrival in the carpark I tried to ring back back, of course couldn't get through.
    I get home again later and still can't get through. My wife this morning spent at least two hours trying to get some satisfaction from our request for a letter from our gp practice, saying that the think that I am fit enough to fly.
    All we got was pushed from pillar to post. From the cardiology department back to the gp surgery. Talk about developing mental health issues??? We could stand out side and scream.
    Probably be arrested and locked up.
    And still it goes on she went out an hour ago chasing it up again.
    Is it worth it ???

    1. Driving home this afternoon, I said to the MR that it was just as well that we were joining the church recording group as foreign travel is going to be much more complicated and much, much less fun that in the last 60 years.

    2. Become a nuisance the next time you are in front of someone who can do what you need. No swearing mind. That just gives them an excuse to push you out.

      Become awkward and intransigent.

      2. We’ve tried all that Phiz.
        We’ve been redirected to the consultant I saw in hospital last week. Back to square one. He won’t remember me.

          1. I’ve checked it out by train bus and ferry Bill more than three days.
            Athens is quite a long way from here 🤗🤭

          2. Saw a YouTube video recently about a sleeper train across Europe, from a Paris station. Might that be a solution?
            From ChatGPT:
            Here are some possible routing-options for getting from **London → Athens** by train (and ferry), plus what works and what doesn’t at the moment. If you tell me your travel dates / how fast vs scenic you want, I can suggest a more precise plan.

            —

            ## What you *can’t* do (or not reliably, currently)

            * There is **no direct train** all the way from London to Athens. ([The Man in Seat Sixty-One][1])
            * Some international lines in the Balkans / Greece have been reduced, suspended, or are seasonal. E.g. Zagreb ↔ Belgrade, Belgrade ↔ Thessaloniki, some trains between Sofia & Thessaloniki or Sofia & Belgrade have been disrupted. ([The Man in Seat Sixty-One][1])

            —

            ## Viable routes (train + ferry) + approximate itinerary

            Here are a few established ways to travel overland / by train + ferry from London to Athens. These typically take **~ 2 days or more** depending on stopovers, schedules and crossings.

            —

            ### Route A: **Via Italy + Ferry**

            This tends to be one of the most reliable / scenic ways.

            1. London → Paris by Eurostar.
            2. Continue from Paris → Italy (e.g. Milan or Turin). Overnight stop is likely. ([Green Traveller][2])
            3. Travel down to Bari (on Italy’s east coast). ([Green Traveller][2])
            4. From Bari take an overnight ferry across the Adriatic to a Greek port (either **Patras** for Athens and southern/central Greece, or **Igoumenitsa** if heading to the north or Thessaloniki). ([Green Traveller][2])
            5. From the Greek port, travel by train or bus to Athens. ([ http://walkingplus.co.uk ][3])

            This route is fairly popular among “slow travel / train + ferry” enthusiasts. ([ http://walkingplus.co.uk ][3])

            —

            ### Route B: **Overland via Central / Eastern Europe (if services are running)**

            This is more complex, riskier in terms of service interruptions, but more scenic and more train.

            A possible / former route:

            * London → Paris → Munich → Vienna → Budapest → (then southeast via e.g. Serbia) → Belgrade → North Macedonia / Bulgaria → Thessaloniki → Athens. ([The Man in Seat Sixty-One][1])
            * But note: some legs are currently unreliable or suspended. For example, Zagreb-Belgrade line, some Belgrade-Thessaloniki services are not regular. ([The Man in Seat Sixty-One][1])

            If the seasonal / suspended lines resume, this gives more train-only travel.

            —

            ## Example Itinerary (2-day option)

            Here is a sample plan with approximate timings:

            | Day | Segment |
            | ———————— | ————————————————————————- |
            | **Day 1** | London → Paris (Eurostar), then Paris → Milan/Turin (evening) |
            | Overnight in Milan/Turin | |
            | **Day 2** | Morning: travel Italy → Bari; evening: ferry Bari → Patras or Igoumenitsa |
            | **Day 3** | Arrive in Greece (morning), then train or bus to Athens |

            Depending on connections / ferry schedule, could take ~48 hours or more. ([Green Traveller][2])

            —

            If you want, I can map out **a current timetable** for your specific date, with the fastest or cheapest option. Do you want me to plan that for you?

            [1]: https://www.seat61.com/Greece.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com "London to Athens by train | 2025 times, fares & tickets"
            [2]: https://www.greentraveller.co.uk/train-ferry/london-greece?utm_source=chatgpt.com "London to Greece | Green Traveller"
            [3]: https://walkingplus.co.uk/all-aboard-the-slow-train-from-london-to-athens/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "All aboard the slow train from London to Athens – Walking Plus"

          3. I Iooked into that as well Obs, it might be okay if we were in our twenties or so, but two elderly partly disabled pensioners carting luggage around Europe…….

  85. Back from preliminary meeting for the church recording group. Looks fascinating. The MR and I have signed up to cover "woodwork". Then we discovered what it entailed…!! Fortunately, another member wants to do it, too. Phew!

  86. Wordle No. 1,563 3/6

    ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
    🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    Wordle 29 Sep 2025

    Gallant for Birdie Three

    1. Par for me.

      Wordle 1,563 4/6

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

    2. Well done – just a par here…..

      Wordle 1,563 4/6

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

    5. Well done, late on parade here.

      Wordle 1,563 4/6

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

  87. The presence of a colour named 'indigo' in the rainbow (or spectrum) is a load of bollux!

    The six primary and secondary colours that make up the spectrum of visible light are: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. Arranged in a 'colour circle' they each sit directly opposite their respective 'complementary colour'. Red – Green. Orange – Blue. Yellow – Violet.

    The nonsensical 'indigo' was simply invented in order to complete a memorable abbreviation ditty, "Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain", nothing more. And. in any case, the hue 'indigo' does not come between blue and violet. It sits on the greenish side of blue. Ultramarine is a violet hue of blue so that would fit better. Unfortunately no word commencing with a 'U' would fit in that rhyme.

    Vermilion comes between red and orange; golden yellow comes between orange and yellow; lime green comes between yellow and green; turquoise comes between green and blue (also maroon comes between violet and red). None of these are used since they do not fit the natty little rhyme.

    The spectrum (rainbow) has six clear colours. That's your lot!

        1. I doubt that.
          My older brother went to a Reform School.
          They teach you how to wash.
          How to comb your hair.
          How to make your bed.
          How to slip through those tight folded sheets and
          Rip Off Your Great Big Itchy Vest.

          Too much?

        1. Speak for yourself. I caught ADHD the other day, but a short course of antibiotics soon cured it…

          3. How is the woodwork class going? They never let people like you in my school use sharpened tools. No blades, just blunted pencils.

    3. You should watch 'The Devil Wears Prada' or even 'Mrs Harris goes to Paris' where those points you make are extremely important.

      Alternatively i could send you a box of frogs crayons.

        1. I liked what Streep's character had to say about the colour of the belt. Major put down.

          MY favourite is from Nigel played by Stanley Tucci…

          Andy, be serious. You are not trying. You are whining. What is it that you want me to say to you, huh? Do you want me to say, "Poor you. Miranda's picking on you. Poor you. Poor Andy"? Hmm? Wake up, six. She's just doing her job. Don't you know that you are working at the place that published some of the greatest artists of the century? Halston, Lagerfeld, de la Renta. And what they did, what they created was greater than art because you live your life in it. Well, not you, obviously, but some people. You think this is just a magazine, hmm? This is not just a magazine. This is a shining beacon of hope for… oh, I don't know… let's say a young boy growing up in Rhode Island with six brothers, pretending to go to soccer practice when he was really going to sewing class and reading Runway under the covers at night with a flashlight. You have no idea how many legends have walked these halls. And what's worse, you don't care. Because this place, where so many people would die to work, you only deign to work. And you want to know why she doesn't kiss you on the forehead and give you a gold star on your homework at the end of the day. Wake up, sweetheart.

    4. I completely agree with you about only seeing six colours in a rainbow, and regarding indigo as a non-existent colour. The story of its inclusion that I've heard is different, though. By my account, it was Isaac Newton who invented the first prism to refract light, and because he was a numerologist, in which scheme the number 6 is the number of imperfection, he refused to accept that there were six colours in the visible spectrum, and insisted that as light was perfect it must have 7 (the number of perfection) colours and invented the colour indigo to make the total to 7. This myth has been perpetuated ever since.

      What is even more mind-boggling is that colour does not actually exist in the natural world – it is an artefact generated by the retina of the eye in order to send nerve signals to the brain. In the natural world, light just has a range of wavelengths, and the colours are generated by different cone cells in the retina firing in response to the ranges of wavelengths to which they are sensitive. I need to re-read the chapter in my book on psychobiology to remind myself how three varieties of cone cells produce six channels of colour vision signals which are sent to the brain, but that is why we see six colours in a spectrum.

      1. Thanks for that. Even more interesting is the fact that, in art (for mixing pigments), the three primary colours are: yellow, red and blue [the secondary mixes being green, orange and violet (purple).] Yet in light wavelengths (physics) the three primaries are red, green and blue [with the secondaries being: yellow, cyan and magenta.] In art, the contrived hue ‘indigo’ is considered to be a fugitive colour since it can fade under differing atmospheric conditions; hence it is rarely used in fine art. The more modern pigments of Prussian blue (and the much safer Phthalocyanine blue) being much more stable.

      1. Hello Paul, saw you are current Mod and mentioning posts being duplicated. We couldn’t use internet here for a while, think there may have been an upgrade or similar. Perhaps not change any settings – tmrw may be back to normal? Kate

  89. Does anyone know what the "Conservatives" (remember them?) think about Digital ID cards?

    I have a feeling that they thought it was a brilliant idea but that they will do a U-turn … another U-turn…

    1. They are against them. If elected, they would repeal them. They have told us this, Scouts' honour, so we know that it is true.

    2. Alas, the GPO film unit is no more. The British Film Institute looks after the archive. They also have the nitrate films from the Imperial War Museum and British Pathe. And the original 16mm prints of the RKO films (Citizen Kane, King Kong, the Fred & Ginger movies etc) which belong to the BBC.

      1. I'm struggling to find that old film that used to be shown on BBC telly when I were a lad in the 1950s. The one taken from the cab of an express steam locomotive and speeded up about ten times. I can't find it on YouTube.

    3. Takes me back. A Patriot up to Crewe. and an LMS Crab coming in from Holyhead, and the train leaving behind a Jubilee, I think.

      Much the same locos were running when I lived in Liverpool,. At the very end, there's a quick glimpse of Royal Scot class Seaforth Highlander, a regular on the old Liverpool Exchange to Glasgow services in later years.

      When I was going to/from school in the 1950's, wheel tappers were still doing their job – a cracked wheel sounded quite different.

      I used to spend half the Licverpool to Exeter journey with my head out the window – except for the Severn tunnel of course. Happy days.

    1. Too bad, the kid is going to grow up to be upset anyway when discovering that his or her father is a rapist.

        1. I was about to say something similar. The big problem is that these children are steeped in the idea that the male is supreme and that if he rapes or kills it is the fault of the victim for inciting him (ie he has no responsibility at all for his actions, no sense of right or wrong). As a male he is incapable of self-control . A strand of hair, or an ankle, is enough to inflame his desires.

          That is absolutely not our culture. Here, males are taught to control their baser urges rather than women taught to cover themselves lest they inflame male passions.

    3. It's an administrative formality.
      The question begs.. what does it take to fail a hearing?
      Applicant submits a blank sheet of paper..
      Applicant says Mind your own business big nose farty pants..
      Applicant approaches female judge and slaps her.. shouting seis seis seis.
      Applicant sets off a hissin back pack at a concert then decapitates a poppy seller..

    3. Reminds me of watching the Aussie "fairy penguins" when we were visiting Melbourne all those years ago,

  94. That's me for today. Exciting investigative work ahead on the church recording front – team work with the MR; what's not to like?

    Have a spiffing evening.

    A demain

      1. My neighbours just arrived back from there. And brought me treats. Avoid high season obviously but they had the greatest time. Starry starry skies.

          2. We holidayed there as a family in the 60's.
            They used to hold swimming races in the harbour with monetary prizes.
            I won enough to pay for all my ice creams and beers!

          3. We might have competed against each other!

            The Water Gala was a good source of revenue and I also won money swimming and rowing. Diving For Plates, the Greasy Pole and spade races were the other events.

    1. That sounds familiar to how esteemed doctors and nurses and other professionals were treated over covid.

      1. My comment may be a bit off but i have learned that the first thing people from a weak position is to accuse you of from what they are guilty.

        They get the accusation in first and even weaker or easily influenced people accept the accusation as true.

        1. I think you're a jolly decent chap, worthy of adulation!!!

          Most Nottlers hang on your every word.

          Even your dogs do as they're told.

          Remarkable.

          OK I'm lying

          1. Get back to your bells before Esmeralda misses you!

            As you well know i am speaking of how people are prepared to accept the negative as opposed to the positive.

            Then bitch about it.

  100. During lunch yesterday in a small restaurant in the little seaside town in Valencia where we have been most of the summer a loud alarm on my mobile and those of everyone else on the premises. Heavy rains and floods beginning at eight o'clock in the evening.
    Indeed horrible floods in the Spanish interior where I live although more moderate in the city centre.
    Here in Valencia and part of Catalonia also flooding but although here in our village it rained all night, really only the misery of the seaside in the rain. People tell me we are in a microclimate normally affected less by these downpours.
    People affected 11 months ago have been targeted again. Some poor woman had just renovated her house and put in new furniture a few days earlier.
    They say to expect more rain tonight but it should be over tomorrow.

      1. Oh.thank you. We live quite high up on the 8th floor. In the thirty years we have been coming here we have seen some frightening storms, angry seas, and strong winds but as I mentioned we seem to be in a protected enclave.
        The weather has been so nice recently but the moment it changes it leaves you feeling vulnerable as our apartment is designed to enjoy summer weather. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

  101. You have to admire Trump, putting Blair in charge of Gaza, second only to nuking the place in destructive terms

    1. Trump/Netanyahu must surely know Blair and his capabilities. Do they really think Palestinians won't also be aware. Hope the peace is a true and lasting one – peace, last out of Pandora's box.

      1. I thought it was "hope"
        BUT
        Though she hastened to close the container, only one thing was left behind – usually translated as Hope , though it could also have the pessimistic meaning of "deceptive expectation".

        1. No, I think you’re correct sos – thanks 🙂 We could do with a bit more of both, current times. Just had a cheer-up – I still subscribe to Spectator, new young writer there Madeline Grant, gives me good cheer every time I read her. Final walk for dog, hope to swerve the ‘black cat’ or whatever it is.

  103. A goodnight thought from egyppius:
    "I think climatism was an ideology crafted for a world bereft of concrete villains – a world where industrial processes and gases were the only conceivable enemies. We’re not in that world anymore, and that is why climatism is finished."

    published on his substack

  104. Off topic
    I replied to Bill T the other day that the feral cat trying to adopt us had moved on.
    WRONG!!

    We were having tea on the terrace this afternoon and it appeared.
    Hunting.

    It's been yeowling all evening by the back door, we're going to have to get some food for it.

    To give it its due, it's a very pretty cat.

    On the minus side it's been eating the lizards that inhabit the walls of chateau sosraboc. We watched it in action and it has reaction speeds that have to be seen to be believed.

    It may die to regret that, there are also snakes that like to slough skins against the walls too, and some of those don't take prisoners…

    1. Brilliant in theory.
      It will be screwed by Hamas.
      And anything that includes Tony Blair is a disaster before it even leaves the starting blocks.

      1. Tend to agree. Hamas likely quiet for a while then false flag. Blair will be his usual insufferable self. Prayers with hostages, alive and dead, full release to families, ASAP.

  109. Thought for the day:
    If Nottlers formed the government who would you put where in the cabinet?
    I'm Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
    The rest of you can pick and choose.

      1. So, Secretary of State for the marginalisation of sport.

        That looks like a good post under a Labour, rather than a Nottler government

          1. Quite so. I’ll still be doing the printing for the Parish, since the church has just paid for four toner cartridges. I also have a shedload of church-purchased paper.

            Being on the Pilgrim’s Way, we’ve started to produce various pilgrimage-related leaflets. Surprisingly, they’ve been disappearing like hot cakes. So I’ll be churning many more of those out. I don’t mind – a man needs a hobby.

          1. Yo, Conners. Since my final service, I’ve almost overslept twice running. The phone alarm still goes off st 0530 (I used to listen to News Briefing on Radio 4 – my only BBC listening). That’s all changed now, and I wait until 6 am for Talk Radio.

            In 54 years as an ‘umble village organist, I’ve often asked myself whether I would bother to attend worship if it wasn’t also my job.

            I’m now clear that I’ll continue, but elsewhere. I aim to expolre Cathedral worship for a while. Ultimately, there’s a High Anglican vhurch, a short walk from Guildford Station. Prolly further “up the candle” than I am, but they seem to do things “proper, like”.

            I fully expect the various volunteers to fail, as does the Rector. But they need to be allowed to fail. I’m on speed dial for weddings and funerals, if needed.

            In the long term, I think theres a good chance I’ll be asked to return. But I have some pride. The Rector is hiding at least two sets of CDs called “No organist? No problem.”

            Should I be asked to return, I will do so. But in 36 months’ time, the Rector will be retired. regardless. Much re-organisation will follow, and I’m not interested. That will definitely be my final retirement.

          2. Thanks for the update. I concur that High Church tends to “do things properly”. It’s one of the reasons I now worship where I do. One thing about my vicar, although I am not a great enthusiast of women priests, is that she is meticulous in thanking everyone for any service rendered and we celebrate birthdays and anniversaries among the congregation.

    4. Put me in charge of the Royal Nay. I'd spend a week sinking every rubber boat in the Channel – then take pride in the total ending of the cross-Channel traffic.

    5. I suppose I had better be Education Secretary. Bring back grammar schools, assisted places and rigour.

        1. On every major building site where I was Architect the Tea boy was about the most important source of information. His observations cut through the crap and obfuscation of the site management and relayed precisely what was happening on, say, level 9.

          I have the greatest respect for those Tea boys, one such “Ginger” (of Harry Neal) on my site in Bessborough Gardens Pimlico comes to mind circa 1978-1982.

          1. When I started as design draughtsman at a small engineering firm I was alone in the office one day when the phone rang. It was from a company selling automated tea and coffee machines for businesses. I tried on numerous occasions to decline and explain that we were a small concern and were happy with our kettle and teapot, and that I could make much better tea and coffee than any of his expensive machines could. Eventually I got exasperated and sick of the repeated sales’ patter, I said to the sales chappie, “I’m sorry , I’m only the tea lad and I’m not very bright!”. He didn’t know how to respond to this and ended the call.

    7. I'll be Chancellor then I can bu**er off with all the money just like all the others before me.
      (that's after I've cancelled every welfare benefit available to the feckless)

    8. Promoting Architecture and a more enlightened approach to both conserving old buildings, appreciating the value of what we have inherited and planning new building developments with those lessons in mind.

      I would also wish to be involved in educating kids to appreciate our past and encourage engagement in any means by which we might seek to emulate it.

    9. Promoting Architecture and a more enlightened approach to both conserving old buildings, appreciating the value of what we have inherited and planning new building developments with those lessons in mind.

      I would also wish to be involved in educating kids to appreciate our past and encourage engagement in any means by which we might seek to emulate it.

    10. Promoting Architecture and a more enlightened approach to both conserving old buildings, appreciating the value of what we have inherited and planning new building developments with those lessons in mind.

      I would also wish to be involved in educating kids to appreciate our past and encourage engagement in any means by which we might seek to emulate it.

  111. There should be many signs around the country 'indicating the direction of' Islamabad, Kabul, Lagos and many more shitholes, with planes and boats and trains details enabling departures back home.

    3. Let us not forget that Starmer is the only Prime Minister to have his property burned in an arson attack by three Ukrainian young men, and whose Chancellor cried in the House of Commons but is still entrusted with running the country's finances.

  115. A wonderful day fishing today with 4 likeminded friends and a boatload of prime bass and pollack. I just took home the smallest bass for tomorrow evening. They would all make good Nottlrs.

  117. The police are behaving like an occupying force

    Our national flags should not be seen as dangerous or a provocation

    David Shipley
    29 September 2025 3:16pm BST

    Do British police see the nation's flags as a threat? Protestors in Newcastle have been asking that question after two incidents took place during protests in the city centre on Saturday. Both were filmed and shared widely on social media.

    One video shows a teenage girl standing exuberantly on a picnic table while waving a Union flag. A female police officer appears to tell the girl to climb down. Then a male officer wearing a blue "police liaison" tabard snatches the flag from the girl and crushes it into a ball. He leaves the area, apparently without returning her property, although a Northumbria Police spokesperson told me that the flag was returned later.

    The other video features a man carrying an England flag on a pole. A group of police liaison officers confront him, with one telling him to "put your flag away until you get [to the protest] then", before stating that "there's conditions in place" which mean he can only fly the England's flag in "designated areas". On the video, locals can be heard expressing astonishment that Palestine flags are being freely flown by counter-protesters.

    Nick Tenconi, Ukip leader and Turning Point UK chief operations officer, who was leading Saturday's demonstration, is outraged, saying: "We live in a country filled with two-tier policing aimed at demonising patriots. We saw a Union flag snatched from a young girl, meanwhile the counter-protesters waving the Palestinian and Communist flags never have them snatched by the police".

    Northumbria Police said that it is "aware of video clips circulating online in relation to an officer removing a flag from someone during protest activity in Newcastle yesterday", before going on to say that it "is important that these are put into context" and that "when a small number of people became close to a much larger protest group, action was taken to de-escalate tensions and help ensure the safety of all present".

    The police also acknowledged the other incident, saying they "are aware of a further video of someone being asked to lower a flag until they had reached the designated protest zone". The spokesperson seemed to acknowledge that these officers may have overstepped their duties, saying Northumbria Police "will be reviewing what happened to identify any potential learning" and that they "recognise the right to lawful process" which they "will uphold".

    It's worth pausing to consider what these incidents reveal. Some police officers believe that waving the flag of the United Kingdom might cause "tensions", and that these risks are so serious that they justify snatching a child's property. They also believe that the England flag is so provocative that they have a right, or even a duty, to ensure it is only flown in certain "designated areas". In even plainer terms, the police force of the British state are treating the British and English flags as though their display is a threat to public order. This is astonishing. To fear a nation's flags like this is more like the behaviour of an occupying force, than the police of a democracy.

    Those officers will not have decided to act like this on a whim. This behaviour is a result of training and of a culture within the police that treats normal expressions of patriotism and Right-wing beliefs as dangerous. As The Telegraph revealed over the summer the Government's anti-extremism Prevent programme considers "concern over mass migration" to be a terrorist ideology.

    Ian Acheson, the former Home Office director of community safety, said: "It is hard to reconcile the actions of the police liaison officer with his crucial role in de-escalating tensions and facilitating lawful protest. The Union flag of this country or the flag of England should not be regarded by police as a 'provocation'. While we must be mindful of additional context, in my opinion the actions of the officer concerned was more likely to inflame the protest than reduce tension."

    The flag-snatching in Newcastle occurred on the same day that the Prime Minister described Reform as "an enemy" which "is detrimental to our country" before concluding that "we have to win this battle". With the leader of the Government using such language, it should be no surprise that frontline officers might seek to suppress visible displays of British or English patriotism. If the police are to retain the support of our society, they need to ignore the PM, and remember what nation they serve.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09/29/the-police-are-behaving-like-an-occupying-force

  118. Well, chums, it's my bedtime now. So I Wish you all a Good Night. Sleep well, and I hope to see you all early tomorrow morning.

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