612 thoughts on “Saturday 30 November: Confected television coverage is distracting from real election issues”

        1. It was because I can’t recall seeing EB for quite a while, although I admit I’ve been posting less.

  3. Morning all, television should be a medium to take politicians to task and examine their promises, statements and manifestos.
    It seems however they are failing to be the impartial examiner they need to be, no serious questioning of Johnson and his reheated May deal, or no serious questioning of Corbyn and his promises and cost to us.
    The quest of viewer figures through pointless leader debates a la C4 says it all.

  4. DT Headline

    Boris Johnson’s predicted Commons majority slashed from 80 to 12 in a week, poll of polls reveals

    If Johnson had told the truth about his wretched surrender deal with the EU and had made a sensible and honest electoral pact with Nigel Farage committing his government to a proper WTO Brexit we would not now be heading for the possible terminal disaster of a Corbyn government.

    The arrogant idiot’s hubris looks as if it might well be about to destroy Britain for ever.

    [I made a similar post 20 minutes ago but it seems to have disappeared]
    .

    1. Thing is… who really controls the Conservative Party ?

      If, as I think is likely, the Conservatives have been dealing with GS, for example the Marriage Act 2013 looks to me a possibility, then there is no way off the carousel.

      Labour too thanks to Tony.

      I think both sides of the aisle are tainted.

      After all, what exactly is Open Society on Millbank for ? It received £52,000,000 from GS in 2018 to promote the ”values” of GS.

      My guess is that those ”values” have been well and truly promoted in government, and with the media too !

      Check out their website.

    2. Morning Rastus – It’s the last entry on Friday’s thread. You posted it after Geoff Graham posted that Saturday’s letters were available.

  5. Russian Jokes Tell the Brutal Truth. 29 November 2019.

    On a sunny morning, begins one late-Soviet-era joke now memorialized online, Brezhnev goes out on the balcony of his apartment, looks to the east, and says, “Hello, sun!” The sun replies, “Good morning, dear Leonid Ilyich, the beloved leader of our glorious socialist motherland, the hope of all progressive humanity, and the guardian of peace on Earth!” In the evening, Brezhnev admires the beautiful sunset and fishes for a compliment: “Hello again, sun!” The sun answers, “Poshyol na khuy—go fuck yourself—I am in the West now.”

    Morning everyone. Ah those were the days!

    https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/11/russian-jokes-tell-deeper-truths-about-putin-and-trump/602713/

  6. Russian Jokes Tell the Brutal Truth. 29 November 2019.

    On a sunny morning, begins one late-Soviet-era joke now memorialized online, Brezhnev goes out on the balcony of his apartment, looks to the east, and says, “Hello, sun!” The sun replies, “Good morning, dear Leonid Ilyich, the beloved leader of our glorious socialist motherland, the hope of all progressive humanity, and the guardian of peace on Earth!” In the evening, Brezhnev admires the beautiful sunset and fishes for a compliment: “Hello again, sun!” The sun answers, “Poshyol na khuy—go fuck yourself—I am in the West now.”

    Morning everyone. Ah those were the days!

    https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/11/russian-jokes-tell-deeper-truths-about-putin-and-trump/602713/

  8. Morning, all!
    What changed in the msm recently? The London Bridge knifeman is being called a convicted Islamic extremist in UK and Norwegian press. Being so clear about it is new, so what prompted that change? I confess to cynicism…

    2. Prisoners on day release were among the heroes with at least one who served time with him. Perhaps there was also a personal reason fpr the murders. [BBC Radio 4 news.]

    3. Morning Oberst. Simple policy change? Too much trouble to keep twisting the truth since everyone has seen through it?

    4. Yes he was a known convicted terrorist with links to terrorist groups and was supposed to be o the government watch lists, Apparently he was tagged as well.. One has to seriously question as to why he was released at all. I think we have serious problems with our political and judicial systems that seem to allow this thing to happen all the time. Even more worrying is they now seem to be allowing significant numbers of potential terrorists back into the UK

    5. ‘Morning Paul
      There is no change,this was just such an egregious fukup,releasing a convicted terrorist to kill and maim there was no room for the usual spin
      Normal Service will soon be resumed

  9. Good morning all
    A pleasant 24 degrees here and no cloud expected in the foreseeable future.

    1. Morning Grumpy. Any Christians rampaging through the golden souk stabbing innocent Muslims?

          1. I love Norwegian seasons, even the current (dark, cold, raining) because its so lovely when the snow comes. Then spring, when you see everything change almost by the hour.. Summer, when it never gets dark … And the gorgeous colours and smells of autumn.

  10. Scientific Breakthrough

    Researchers have identified a metal that conducts electricity without conducting heat – an incredibly useful property that defies our current understanding of how conductors work.. It could be a good few years though before it can be used commercially as much more research is needed

    The metal, found in 2017, contradicts something called the Wiedemann-Franz Law, which basically states that good conductors of electricity will also be proportionally good conductors of heat, which is why things like motors and appliances get so hot when you use them regularly.
    But a team in the US showed this isn’t the case for metallic vanadium dioxide (VO2) – a material that’s already well known for its strange ability to switch from a see-through insulator to a conductive metal at the temperature of 67 degrees Celsius (152 degrees Fahrenheit)

    Not only does this unexpected property change what we know about conductors, it could also be incredibly useful – the metal could one day be used to convert wasted heat from engines and appliances back into electricity, or even create better window coverings that keep buildings cool.
    Researchers already knew of a handful of other materials that conduct electricity better than heat, but they only display those properties at temperatures hundreds of degrees below zero, which makes them highly impractical for any real-world applications.
    Vanadium dioxide, on the other hand, is usually only a conductor at warm temperatures well above room temperature, which means it has the ability to be a lot more practical..

    Interestingly, when the researchers mixed the vanadium dioxide with other materials, they could ‘tune’ the amount of both electricity and heat that it could conduct – which could be incredibly useful for future applications.
    For example, when the researchers added the metal tungsten to vanadium dioxide, they lowered the temperature at which the material became metallic, and also made it a better heat conductor.
    That means that vanadium dioxide could help dissipate heat from a system, by only conducting heat when it hits a certain temperature. Before that it would be an insulator.

    Vanadium dioxide also has the unique ability of being transparent to around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), but then reflects infrared light above 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) while remaining transparent to visible light.

    A lot more research needs to be done on this puzzling material before it’s commercialised further, but it’s pretty exciting that we now know these bizarre properties exist in a material at room temperature.
    So that means it could even be used as a window coating that reduces the temperature without the need for air conditioning.

    1. Interesting; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanadium
      “Vanadium occurs naturally in about 65 minerals and in fossil fuel deposits. It is produced in China and Russia from steel smelter slag. Other countries produce it either from magnetite directly, flue dust of heavy oil, or as a byproduct of uranium mining.”

      1. If this material does live up to the claims it is revolutionary. It could change everything. In electricity and electronics heat is a major problem
        If you can get this material to work at a lower temperature you can changer power distribution . The best material for power distribution is copper but that is incredibly expensive and heavy so for power Aluminum tends to be used. It is light and relatively cheap but is not the best conductor of electricity so the cables get a bit warm . If this new material can be used the power loss will be lower and the cables can be smaller and lighter which could also mean smaller and lighter pylons

        1. I remember reading something very similar about Starlite some years ago but am still sat here waiting for the Central Heating to warm the room!

    3. Yo JB

      Now, if it could just insulate us from the EUSSR and evaporate Corbyn, I would be very happy

    4. Throughout time, there have been rumours of car engines etc being invented that would do 100’s of miles to the gallon, but the oil companies have ‘bought the patents’, to keep their profits

      Is vanadium oxide inexpensive fiscally, environmentally, heathwise and disposably

      and will its’ use stop Pikeys stripping copper from church earthing poles

  11. Morning all

    SIR – This week, Labour held a press conference for its 451-page document purporting to prove that the NHS would be “on the table” in a post-Brexit trade deal with the United States.

    During the television coverage we caught a glimpse of Seamus Milne – Labour’s communications director and Jeremy Corbyn’s closest aide – wheeling out Mr Corbyn and Barry Gardiner with a pre-prepared script designed to shock the public and distract from Labour’s desperate situation on anti-Semitism.

    It failed. We saw a shameless attempt by Labour to exploit NHS staff by having them hand out the documents (wearing scrubs and stethoscopes, in case we didn’t realise they were medical staff). They acted highly unprofessionally by agreeing to take part in this political stunt.

    Nigel Dyson

    Alton, Hampshire

    1. There was nothing at all in that document about the NHS being sold. I fact the NHS only got 4 mentions in the entire document

      Corbyns claim that the document showed the NHS was up for sale was just a blatant lie

    1. SIR – Professor Alan Sked (Letters, November 29) suggests the Conservatives should unleash Michael Gove on Labour. They tried. Channel 4 wouldn’t let them.

      Richard Fenn

      Wrenthorpe, West Yorkshire

      SIR – Michael Gove was environment secretary until this July. Would it not have made sense to let him speak at the Channel 4 News climate debate? He’d have had the answers at his fingertips.

      On second thoughts, that’s probably just why they didn’t want him.

      Maureen Fox-Davis

      Leatherhead, Surrey

      1. Morning Epi.

        I’ve switched off all the current political lunacy but the picture caught my eye after the energy-guzzling BBC news showed the climate-change protesters.

    2. Why an earth is Sturgeon even on this panel? She should not be on them. She is not a Party Leader in the commons and is mot an MP and is not standing as a candidate

      1. Morning Bill.

        My point is that all those promising to cut CO2 and the media pumping out the climate message do sod all to change their own behaviour.

        1. The time scales they are talking about are ludicrous and are not achievable in any case and there is no scientific evidence to link CO2 to temperature change which is why you see no published scientific data

          1. The whole premise that a trace gas to which mankind contributes a tiny proportion is the key to global temperature is ludicrous. What is difficult to understand is how indifferent we are to the threat of annihilation. It is as if we know in our hearts that it’s nonsense but cannot be bothered to reject it. Meanwhile huge amounts of money are being wasted.

      2. Bill, Sturgeon is an anti-Union and virulent anti-English motormouth from the political left. She’s eminently qualified.

  13. UK rail fares to rise 2.7% in January

    Quite why rail fares have increased so much when over the last 50 years railway cost have fallen dramatically or at least should have is a bit of a mystery

    When the railways used steam. The locomotives were very inefficient needling to be constantly filled with coal and water and needing constant maintenance. Steam Engines as well could only operate at speed in one direction so you needed turn tables to turn them around. They also needed a crew of two. The signalling system was mechanical needing thousands of signal boxes there were also many more level crossings that need to be manned. Huge engine depots were needed all over the UK which was another big cost

    The track was not welded and it was held in place by wooden wedges so needed constant maintenance to ensure the bolts were tight and the wooden wedges in place

  14. Morning again

    SIR – A general election centred on Brexit is under way. How many Leave voters did the BBC include on the Question Time panel this week? You’ve got it – not one.

    Three weeks ago there again wasn’t a single Leave-voting panellist.

    Sherelle Jacobs (Comment, November 22) highlighted that she was the lone Leave panellist on Question Time pitted against four Remainers by the BBC.

    Over the 178 weeks since the referendum, the BBC has only twice permitted a panel with more Leavers than Remainers (three to two). In every other edition it has been a Remain majority panel.

    The BBC is brazenly flouting its charter duty to provide balance.

    Martin Burgess

    Beckenham, Kent

  15. SIR – I am so grateful for the bravery of those who risk their lives to keep us safe each day. Prayers and thoughts are with those attacked at London Bridge by the terrorist knifeman, their relations, the civilians who tackled him, and the police who had to use ultimate force to prevent the harm an explosives vest could have caused.

    No officer goes to work to shoot anyone, but police, security services and Armed Forces go to work daily knowing it is a possibility. The incident will live with them forever, yet they do their duty.

    John Hillman

    Newport, Monmouthshire

    SIR – After the appalling and desperately sad incident at London Bridge, will Jeremy Corbyn condemn the very brave policemen for shooting dead the attacker with an apparent explosives vest on, rather then reading him his rights and escorting him gently to a waiting police car?

    Patrick Fuller

    Upper Farringdon, Hampshire

    2. No mention of Islam on the BBC nor likely to be given its indulgence of that faith where striking terror into the infidel is a demonstration of piety.

    4. E,
      Not just corbyn, keeping in mind that the lab/lib/con are a coalition joined by their mass uncontrolled immigration policies.
      When it comes to atrocities all are equally to blame.

  16. SIR – In 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired over 11,000 striking air-traffic controllers who refused to return to work. Needless to say, the predicted air-traffic paralysis did not materialise.

    Given the thinness of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers’ case in the dispute over guards on trains, which threatens to make December rail travel miserable for so many people, it is a pity our Government does not have similar powers, and is not even minded to acquire them.

    Still, at least we know from Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, that, if returned, the Tory government will pass further legislation to require more votes before strike action can be started. That’s OK, then.

    Tony Stone

    Oxted, Surrey

    1. I dont blame the student – the question doesn’t make sense. Does it mean to ask “…and asks for a quarter of the remaining bars”?

      1. I took it to mean 16 – 4 = 12; 12/4 = 3. 16 – (4 + 3) = 9 But surely the more important question for today is: ‘How do we know that Rachel or Tracey is a girl and whether each accepts feminine pronouns being applied to them?”

        My surname is Tracey and when I was a child no girls were called Tracey – it just wasn’t a Christian name anyone used or had even heard of. Indeed, at prep school, where we referred to everyone by his surname, we felt sorry for a boy whose surname, Jane, was a girls’ Christian name.

        The apostrophe! What does Peddy think? Should it be a girl’s Christian name‘ or a girls’ Christian name. If Jane is a Christian name for just one girl then the apostrophe should precede the “s” but of if Jane is a name for girls in general then surely the apostrophe would be better placed after the “s”.

        1. It isn’t entirely clear whether “she” is Rachel or Tracey, unless of course one of them has transgendered and is a he.
          Or perhaps quarter refers to the change that Rachel had after paying for the chocolate.

      5. Hence the reply. Maybe the teacher was exercising his/her Common Purpose methods.

        Good morning, Stormy.

  20. COFFEE HOUSE – Boris Johnson and the ‘piccaninny’ smear
    Brendan O’Neill – 30 November 2019 – 8:30 AM

    Boris Johnson likes to call black people ‘piccaninnies’. Everyone’s saying it. Even Stormzy said it this week in his endorsement of Jeremy Corbyn. It is ‘criminally dangerous’ to give the keys of Downing Street back to a man who refers to ‘black people as “piccaninnies” with “watermelon smiles”’, the grime superstar said.

    Whether Stormzy also thinks it is criminally dangerous to elect as PM a man who counts as ‘friends’ an organisation that literally wants to destroy the Jewish homeland is not clear. But hey, Jews don’t matter very much. We’ve all learned that over the past few years.

    But does Boris really call black people ‘piccaninnies’? Has he ever? The distinct impression we’ve been given by Corbynistas and Boris-bashers over the past few months is that ‘piccaninnies’ is Boris’s go-to name for black people. Owen Jones even thinks broadcasters should ask Boris: ‘Does he still believe that black people should be called piccaninnies with watermelon smiles?’

    Notice how Jones moves the ‘piccaninny’ accusation a step further — he wants people to believe Boris thinks black people should be called piccaninnies. Maybe Boris wants the whole country to use the p-word?

    It’s time we shot down this propaganda. This particular accusation against Boris is staggeringly dishonest. It is either being made by people who haven’t read the 17-year-old Daily Telegraph column in which Boris used that word, whose ignorance might be forgivable, or by people who did read it, whose cynical misrepresentation of Boris’s words absolutely must not be forgiven.

    For here’s the thing: the article in which Boris used the word piccaninny wasn’t a racist article. On the contrary, it was an anti-imperialist article. Almost the precise opposite of what we have been led to believe. The target of Boris’s flowery ire in that column wasn’t black people — it was the globe-trotting and imperious Tony Blair and even (sorry ma’am) the Queen.

    Let me explain. The column was published on 10 January 2002, at the height of the Cult of Tony Blair. This was pre-Iraq — but post-Afghanistan and post-Kosovo — so Blair was still being effusively praised by silly, soppy liberals for his rehabilitation of the ‘civilising’ mission of British interventionism and for his jetting around the world to fix other nations’ problems.

    Into this mix came Boris, flying the flag for those of us who thought Blair’s globe-trotting White Saviour act was a bit, err, racist. The column is headlined, ‘If Blair’s so good at running the Congo, let him stay there’. It is a stinging criticism of Blair for marching around the world while domestic problems in the UK were growing.

    Boris depicted Blair, in his taxpayer-funded jet, ‘descending to bring his particular brand of humbug to the trouble spots of the world’. He mocked Blair and his wife Cherie for shining ‘the light of their countenances upon the people of Afghanistan’. And then he mentioned piccaninnies.

    He landed a blow on the Queen. He said one of the reasons she loves the Commonwealth is because ‘it supplies her with regular cheering crowds of flag-waving piccaninnies’. And he said Blair, so troubled at home, is no doubt ‘similarly seduced’ by such crowds overseas, which is why he meddles so much in apparently lesser states’ affairs.

    The ‘watermelon smiles’ bit is even more striking. As part of his argument that Blair is seduced by the idea of fixing foreign people’s problems, Boris said the then PM was no doubt hoping for big ‘watermelon smiles’ when he touched down in the Congo. ‘Watermelon smiles’ for ‘the big white chief’ in his ‘big white [airplane]’.

    It is as plain as day: the target of Boris’s words was not African people — it was Blair, and the Blairite brand of moralistic interventionism and Blair’s view of himself as a big white chief saving the tragic peoples of the Third World from themselves.

    You don’t have to have a degree in critical analysis to see that Boris’s use of the words piccaninny and watermelon smiles was an attack on Blair and his imperial delusions, not on people in the Congo or anywhere else.

    He was satirising the elitist British expectation of being greeted by grateful people whenever they ‘descend’ to ‘shine the light of their countenances’ in their sad, tragic world. He used the p-word not as a racist insult against black people, but as part of a progressive critique of Blair’s ugly and archaic act as ‘big white chief’ come to save…well, ‘piccaninnies’.

    In short, what Boris actually said and what we are told he said could not be more different. The use of the ‘piccaninny column’ to attack Boris — constantly — is one of the most dishonest distortions of this election campaign. Everyone who is doing it should be ashamed of themselves.

    While we’re at it, Boris’s ‘letterbox column’, in which he made fun of the niqab, was not racist either. On the contrary, it was a classical liberal defence of women’s right to wear whatever they want — including the niqab — even if others find their garb offensive. It was a defence of Muslim women’s rights.

    What we have here is simple smearing; the relentless digging-up and distortion of things a public figure has said in order to shame and demonise him. It is such a low form of politics. And it is built, in some instances, on outright myth.

    So, Stormzy, Owen Jones and the rest — will you keep saying that Boris refers to black people as piccaninnies now that you know it isn’t true? Now that you know he was actually criticising Blairite imperialism? Will you continue to spread the piccaninny lie?

    2. Morning to you

      We used to sing country songs, folk music hymns etc at school .. something everyone did as part of the school curriculum. It was part of our choral training .. We just sang , and didn’t really question the words .. One of the shanties was Sally Brown, the other was the Wraggle Taggle Gypsies Oh .

      I expect these songs have faded from history !

      2. I don’t know if this is the “Sally Brown” song that you meant, but there are a series of games that have brought a lot of those sea shanties back. There are 100,000’s of people, many of them quite young, who know them and can sing along now thanks to these games. 🙂

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGdefrHTnuo

    3. It’s what the ‘permanently offended’ do – take a word or phrase out of context then use it to spread lies.

  21. Brandon Lewis, Security Minister (paraphrase), “The lowering of the threat level had no impact, none at all on how we operated.” What then is the point of a scale of threat? He’s not covering his arse as he’s not responsible for setting the level but covering the collective arses of the many Governments that have deliberately allowed this situation to germinate and grow.
    Johnson’s emphasis yesterday, post the attack, in stating that British values will prevail when he and just about every politician in the HoC is supportive of the mass importing of immigrants, many of them moslem, a move to change Britain forever and not for the better, is hypocrisy of the highest order.

    1. Who decides what are “British values” ?

      I wonder if it is Open Society London, 500 metres from parliament, the £52,000,000 pressure group dedicated to promoting the “values” of George Soros, and to stopping Brexit ?

      I wonder if that is possible ?

      I only ask because the government description of “British values” looks remarkably similar to Soros “values”.

    2. Who decides what are “British values” ?

      I wonder if it is Open Society London, 500 metres from parliament, the £52,000,000 pressure group dedicated to promoting the “values” of George Soros, and to stopping Brexit ?

      I wonder if that is possible ?

      I only ask because the government description of “British values” looks remarkably similar to Soros “values”.

      1. As the Moslem population grows, democracy will say that British values will be Islamic values. A ratchet mechanism with no reverse lever.

        1. If the democratic will of the people can be shown to have been traduced by parliament for decades, then democracy is no longer democratic.

          I think there’s an argument in there somewhere !

    3. The system is daft. There are actually 5 levels at most it should be 3 say Low, Medium & High. In practice the system seems to be reactionary so if an attack takes place they take it up to critical. If things go quiet for several months they take it down to Severe

      Critical: An attack is expected imminently

      Severe: An attack is highly likely

      Substantial: An attack is a strong possibility

      Moderate: An attack is possible but not likely

      Low: An attack is unlikely

  22. Bankrupt Katie Price ‘demands ex-husbands Peter Andre and Kieran Hayler pay her back the £2 MILLION she spent on them’… amid claims she is ‘begging friends for cash’

    Even if they did pay her some money it would not to her any good as the official receiver would claim the money. All she would get would be what was left after paying her creditors which would probably be nothing

  23. HELPING HAND Convicted murderer on day release was among group of brave men who heroically pinned down London Bridge terrorist

    A CONVICTED murderer out on day release was part of a group of brave men who took on the London Bridge terrorist, according to reports.

    James Ford, 42, is said to have tried to save a woman’s life after she was knifed by Usman Khan during a rampage that left two people dead.

    He was caged for life in April 2004 after murdering a 21-year-old with learning difficulties, The Daily Mail reports.

    Ford was given a minimum 15-year sentence after killing Amanda Champion, 21, who had the mental age of a 15-year-old,.

    She was strangled and had her throat cut in Ashford, Kent the year before.

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10454425/convicted-murderer-london-bridge-terror-attack/

    1. A random selection of passers-by on London Bridge, and a convicted murderer amongst them.I’m so glad I left the south east…

        1. “So, now, chaps, it’s time for our project work. I’m dividing you randomly into 2 groups, the murderers and the non murderers. Off you all go: murderers, find someone and kill them then report back to tell us whether, now you’ve had your rehab sessions, you feel worse than you used to about your murder. And non-murderers, do a presentation for us on whether you now have a golden halo of satisfaction having not murdered anyone.

          When you get back , we’ll have a break for tea and biccies and then a discussion about your feelings. Julia Middleton will lead.”

      1. No he’s not a goody-goody but he has better moral values, it would appear, than some of those now questioning the role of the police. It’s the politicians who are responsible for passing the laws that allowed the scum to be released to kill. The trial Judge realised that but the Court of Appeal overruled the Indeterminate Sentence and the ECJ says the Indeterminate Sentence is against their human rights.

      2. No he’s not a goody-goody but he has better moral values, it would appear, than some of those now questioning the role of the police. It’s the politicians who are responsible for passing the laws that allowed the scum to be released to kill. The trial Judge realised that but the Court of Appeal overruled the Indeterminate Sentence and the ECJ says the Indeterminate Sentence is against their human rights.

  24. ‘When Khan was sentenced in 2012, Mr Justice Wilkie said he was a “serious jihadist” who should not be released while he remained a threat to the public.

    The judge said Khan’s group were involved in a “serious, long-term venture in terrorism” that could have resulted in atrocities in Britain. Wilkie said: “In my judgment, these offenders would remain, even after a lengthy term of imprisonment, of such a significant risk that the public could not be adequately protected by their being managed on licence in the community, subject to conditions, by reference to a preordained release date.” ‘

    I don’t know who authorised Khan’s release, but they must have been aware of the sentencing judge’s comments. I wonder which bit they didn’t understand.

    1. The trouble is, Iffy, the Court of Appeal changed the indeterminate sentence to a fixed sentence of 16 years. Automatically released after 8 years in accordance with the LAW.
      The law makers, the politicians, are to blame. The buck should stop with them. vw has just read to me that the Indeterminate Sentence has been ruled illegal by the ECJ, who will decide or laws for the foreseeable future, as it’s against their human bloody rights.

  25. London Bridge: Police search Stafford home after terror attack

    The full story on this is one of unbelievably crass incompetence in my view. Why was he ever allowed to roam the streets of the UK. AS a result of this 2 innocent people have died. No doubt we will get the usual lessons will be learnt but of course they will not be. This terrorist attack was totally avoidable

    Even more worrying is the government is now letting in more terrorist and potential terrorists on the claim they are British citizens so these will be let loose on the stress of the UK posing a serious risk to the nation

    The suspected London Bridge attacker has been named as convicted terrorist Usman Khan.
    Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said 28-year-old Khan had been living in the Staffordshire area and officers were searching an address in the county.
    He added police were “not actively seeking anyone else” over the attack, which left a man and a woman dead.

    In a statement, Mr Basu said: “We are now in a position to confirm the identity of the suspect as 28-year-old Usman Khan, who had been residing in the Staffordshire area. As a result, officers are carrying out searches at an address in Staffordshire.

    “This individual was known to authorities, having been convicted in 2012 for terrorism offences. He was released from prison in December 2018 on licence and clearly a key line of enquiry now is to establish how he came to carry out this attack.”

    Khan was wearing a fake suicide vest when he was killed on London Bridge on Friday afternoon in full view of horrified onlookers.

    1. He is not a suspect, he’s dead and we don’t need an inquest because we know he was shot and killed lawfully. End of, as they say in modern parlance.

    1. Surely there can be no question that weather patterns are changing. Where I live we are seeing more storms with increasingly strong winds than was the case a few years ago, water levels in the great lakes are well over a foot higher than normal. Whether this is a sign of long term climate change or just a year over year blip in the weather, who can tell .

      I suppose that just dealing with increased flooding, maybe temperature change is too much to ask. All we are getting is talk based on their truth that co2 is to blame.

      Two billion trees? How about a trillion? That is what has been suggested in

      Canada.

    3. That will be counter-productive if the catastrophes don’t materialise. Like the boy who cried wolf.

        2. That depends, if the vegetation recovers.

          Particularly if it’s the type of vegetation that has adapted over millions of years to survive floods and wildfires.

        4. There were some far bigger floods when the ice age ended which was due to the coal fired power stations and 4x4s they had back then…….

          Ummmmm…

          Oh.

          1. Niagara Falls. Due to the sudden melting of a massive glacier and melt water. Yup, it was definitely those 4x4s wot did it…

          2. Peeps taking to the freeway to view the new spectacle melted the European glaciers and Antarctica….

    4. since people have gotten too used to the idea that climate is changing and need to be shocked into the notion that the world as we know it is ending.

      Of course the world as we know it is ending. Because of the people pushing this nonsense, not because of the climate, unless they’re referring to the possible cooling of the northern hemisphere. Now that will be a major problem due to crop losses, for example, which have certainly happened in north America this season.
      If they’ve got to constantly shock people with ever-more extreme language then they’ve already lost the argument. And with governments all around the world signed up to zero-carbon by 2050, i.e. destroying Western economies, because I don’t see India, China, Africa, Russia, etc joining in, I don’t know what else they want.
      Apart from the very young who know no different, I think they’re starting to repel ordinary people with their daft ideas and constant scaremongering,and predictions that fail to come true.

  27. A bit chilly & misty in Derbyshire this morning, -3°C in the yard just now.

    Just filled the wood crates, topped up the bird feeders and brought a tray of kindling into the house and my fingers felt as if they are going to drop off!
    Don’t know if it’s another sign of my getting older and more decrepit or if it’s the medications I’m on, but I’m certainly feeling the cold in my fingers this year!

    1. ‘Twas 2C here when I finally got up, to see bright sunshine and frost everywhere. All the fences were steaming nicely in the very warm sunshine. I’ve had to open one of our patio doors as the kitchenware already up to 24.5C purely from solar radiation. We have five-door sliding patio doors in terms kitchen, so the heat we get from the sun is considerable. Ditto the lounge.
      In the summer, we have awnings that we extend to block out some of the sun, but now it’s so low in the sky, the awnings are of no help.

      -3C is cold, so I’m not surprised you’re feeling it. I’ve been outside, where it’s windless and has warmed up a bit since first thing, and I’ve not felt particularly cold, but if it was -3C I most definitely would. Don’t write yourself off to old age just yet.

      1. just walked back from Cromford after a shopping trip to Matlock and the mist has thinned here, but not fully lifted.
        I think it’s going to be even colder tonight.

  29. Although the British voted to Leave in 2016 (so long ago !), the argument for leaving still needs to be made before Britain’s December general election.

    So much time has passed, people forget or change sides, and millions of new voters attain the register. It’s no good assuming the argument is done and dusted.

    Voters need to be constantly told the harsh reality about the European Union so that eventually the message sinks in. Namely that it intends, through salami slicing, to abolish nation states by 2030 and reduce them to regional government.

    Certainly the European Union fully intends to complete all the foundations for their new state by 2025 and to formally found the Federal State of Europe by 2030.

    The irony, of course, is that having spent decades destroying the only true form of democratic government known to mankind, the sovereign democratic nation state, the monolithic replacement will not be by any stretch of the imagination democratic. It will be governed exclusively by a self-selecting technocratic elite via the European Commission. This goal is now only two five year plans away, the first of which starts on Monday, December 2 2019.

    Yet there seems no serious desire on the part of Leavers to continually inform the British public of the harsh realities at this crucial time, but instead to cruise comfortably into an assumed election victory, which, thanks to uninformed Remainers, looks an increasingly tenuous proposition.

    1. Boris’ Leave is just May’s Leave with a few minor cosmetic changes.

      If Boris wins then we are in a BRINO situation, but without representation in Brussels.

      Apparently this is what the majority of British voters want..!!.

      1. They want it because they haven’t been told the harsh reality about the European Union over and over again until the message sinks in.

        One of my friends recently attaining voting age was mad keen for the EU and Corbyn…..

        …..until I pointed out all the harsh realities. Including those 72 meetings George Soros and his team had with the European Commision in 2018.

        Now she wants to vote TBP, but can’t because there’s no candidate.

        Few peeps seem to understand. I’m seriously thinking of hiring a venue for a tutorial !

    2. Boris’ Leave is just May’s Leave with a few minor cosmetic changes.

      If Boris wins then we are in a BRINO situation, but without representation in Brussels.

      Apparently this is what the majority of British voters want..!!.

    3. Totally agree with your post. It’s remarkable how everyone’s criticism of the EU has disappeared from the media.

  30. ‘Morning All
    “Not my fault guv,nothing to see here”
    The modern mantra for public life
    From social workers and police ignoring mass rapes
    Fantasy investigations and Police cowardice
    etc etc
    Today the Probation Board………….
    No-one is EVER responsible and pays a heavy price,in fact except in rare circumstances they are not even named and shamed
    I wonder what they all have in Common(Purpose)

  31. Oh the Irony
    The usual “don’t jump to conclusions”
    “speculation is not helpful”
    “We don’t know the motives”
    Were all going into high gear from the MSM,Basu,Khan and all the usual suspects,you could see the pain in their faces as the fact it was a convicted Moslem jihadi terrorist emerged and their spin wasn’t going to work this time

    1. Whilst they spoke those untruths on the media, they knew exactly who he was and the ideology that drove him.

      1. I would assume that “tags” are instantly attributable.

        If he was wearing it, they must have seen the tag within minutes of shooting him and known exactly who he was and his background established within a very short space of time..

        1. He was apparently taking part in the conference and the killings started there so drums must have started beating then. Maybe why the police were able to make suck a quick decision to fire.

    2. Ah … ‘their SPIN’ …. at first glance I read the word as ‘spine’ and thought ‘what a perceptive posting’.

  32. These leaders who love the EU are the death wish of the West.
    Merkel loves it, thinks it brings peace – so she imports colonisers from the pre-medieval world who are anything but peaceful; thinks they bring prosperity by chucking away €3000 a month on each new arrival as bait to lure more, and then wrecks German industry on the EU green altar.
    Johnson who pretends not to like it has overtly championed an invasion by same Merkel-preferred guests as good for the economy who have proven to be the opposite, non-EU migrants far outstripping the declining but still too many arrivals from the EU for cheap labour.
    No wonder Johnson told Merkel for the cameras on his last state visit “Wir Schaffen Das” thinking he was frightfully witty.
    What a pair of sickos. Johnson and Merkel together really want to”Get the West Done”.

      1. I know;-). I was sentenced to that depressing s-hole of a country for years, so fluent. I capitalised as journalists tend to do when quoting a slogan as in Boris’s Get Brexit Done.

  33. A festive thought. Anyone remember the Christmas carol “I Saw Three Shiites Come Stabbing In”?

  35. London Bridge attack: ‘I kicked terrorist in the head,’ says heroic bystander. 29 NOVEMBER 2019.

    “I was driving, I stopped the car and ran towards it,” he said. “I don’t know why I ran over.

    “There were about five guys there when we got there.

    “I jumped in and kicked him in the head to make him release his knife. A few others did so.

    “He was shouting ‘get off me, get off me’

    The police are seeking a man who was involved with others in a violent attack on London Bridge yesterday evening. It is believed the incident was Islamophobic in nature and a Hate Crime!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/11/29/london-bridge-attacker-kicked-head-tour-guide/

    1. Doesn’t sound much like a hero to me. On the ground with 5 guys on him when “I jumped in and kicked him in the head to make him release his knife. A few others did so.”

  36. Just checked the Moslem Council of Britain’s website for their latest press releases

    You know the ones condemning the latest atrocity

    https://mcb.org.uk/category/press-releases/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=66b87c1588e6d0e472c1d5491ad325fc7636b2fc-1575114323-0-ASKRqLxFY4fyGzXdsyhPzuyOqQkIY0lK47UndVLHrOlcDtyH61-VQsgzXeJsVmPz5EHpcwiugS9jhIGJQbbogbELf8m3RCE4CgU8jn3KKjcUKA35dCN-jjvmWr7Rm0KSo_iJ6mA7ZCeqvWUhtac4A3xvXJx9rVXgZxu3_GJCWD-4MNxWr0rTB9lu38vgdK0td1riL07p-VsUOYeWTE0LuXvvuJYp71fhrB3_lFPHO3f4C6lDvTReQ8D0grR2wr_ZDL4P_Ftl6xgNEOccODZrlVLtQcnuh-pfn7Rw3lPDRKDl

    https://media2.giphy.com/media/VqYyKYygtFvz2/source.gif

    1. Did you miss their official statement yesterday ?
      “The Muslim Council of Britain wishes the people of this country a truly islamic Black Friday”.

  37. Just something I would like to point out & that is, many
    peoples call UKIP far right, prefacing & omitting to include a small but important word and that word is, …………………….so.

    1. That stupid idiot Lennon. Makes you wonder why that obnoxious Yoko Ono didn’t keep his stuffed body next to the real mummy that they had. Pretentious twerps.

  39. Brendan O’Neil

    Why was he released? Who decided he was no longer a threat? How did they

    get it so catastrophically wrong? These questions must be answered. And

    these questions must not be separated from the broader issue of today’s

    cultural climate that refuses to treat radical Islam as a serious

    problem. The decision to release this man as if he were an ordinary

    criminal who had possibly changed his ways must be seen in the context

    of this cowardly climate that actively suppresses discussion of the

    Islamist threat and even demonises anyone who talks about it or

    organises against it.

    https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/11/30/its-time-to-get-real-about-islamist-terror/

  40. persephone25 • 28 minutes ago

    Update on The Hague stabbing
    Police
    have been searching all night for the assailant. They say the initial
    description – ‘lightly tinted, 45-50, with slightly curly hair, wearing
    scarf and grey tracksuit’ – is incorrect but cannot say what the true
    description is
    Which must considerably hamper their search 🙁
    Witnesses claim it was a man of North African or Middle Eastern appearance …
    The three victims are all teenagers; all have now been released from hospital
    Authorities are carefully avoiding any mention of terrorism
    Rumours that this was an attempted honour killing …
    The truth probably won’t out 🙁

  41. Now Mr Corbyn,tell me again how these terrorists must always be arrested and bought to trial……………..

  42. I don’t suppose that we will see a wave of official resignations following the preventable murder of two people and the serious injury of others?
    The security services, the Appeal judges and defence lawyers, the police in Stafford, all members of the relevant Parole Board, any psychologists/psychiatrists and social workers who spoke or reported on his behalf. No, I suppose not. If one of my relatives had been killed, my message to all of these people would be,”do not sleep easy in your beds”.
    Oh and Mr Basu, Head of Counter-terrorism, have you thought of changing your career to a job you actually might be able to do – bus conductor, that kind of thing?

    1. HP, a lady caller to Andrew Castle (LBC) this morning is the wife of a police counter-terrorism officer. She clearly did not know specific information of his role but enough to understand that he kept surveillance on suspects for days at a time in an effort to avert what happened yesterday. Her ringing complaint was that there just are not anywhere near enough officers doing this job. Basically, there are too many suspects in the system and the odds therefore of one being lucky are high. Next time it could be a massive bomb: it is going to happen sometime, somewhere.
      Our malign political class have a lot to answer for and I would like to live long enough to see the reckoning that is their due.

      1. Internment camps on a British Sovereign Territory far from here. Or rent space at Guantanamo.

  44. Bah

    And the root cause of letting the scum Islamic terrorist out of jail early to murder yesterday is…..

    “The
    European Court of Human Rights has today ruled that a controversial
    indeterminate sentence imposed in England and Wales is a breach of human
    rights.” 18th September 2012

    1. Afternoon Rik,
      First of the root causes is mass uncontrolled immigration linked with
      PC /Appeasement.
      Second is lack of deportation facilities
      & political will, to not only kick out the felon but also his family & friends.
      The political vermin & many of their supporters are even condoning the returnee participants from wars zones, & children of terrorist who will be used as latch lifters for relatives to follow.
      Third root cause too many bloody idiots
      entering a polling booth and voting in the party first manner, and sod any odious consequences.

    2. Even though we were the primary inventors of the ECHR post WW2, it has been taken over by Common Purpose and we should now be ignoring its rules, as we do with UN decisions. It is a separate body from the ECJ.

    3. “Lessons have been learned.”
      Khan – the other one, still breathing – has actually parroted that snippet.

    5. That may be true, but surely to God there must have been parole officers who were notified of his imminent release on Licence? Why didn’t they pass the information “up the line”?

      It seems to me that there is a systemic failure here and that those responsible for that systemic failure will be the head honchos.

      1. The probation service, maybe? The battery in the tag maybe needs changing from time to time.

        1. The tag should have an explosive charge that cuts off the foot whenever the wearer moves outside a controlled area. If the wearer is given permision to leave a controlled area his “minder” should be able to detonate it.

      2. The head honchos are the politicians who passed the law that prisoners should only serve half their sentence and the other half on licence (to kill?).

        1. Indeed, but by that token we are all culpable; for voting in the politicians.

          I’m not sure that the law referred to was set by the politicians but rather that the prisoner must be considered for release but that the courts had determined that it should become a right instead of a reward of rehabilitation.
          Either way, I don’t believe the parole board should be absolved of all responsibilty as they are trying to establish.

          Rik posted a comment earlier that the ECHR had ruled against indeterminant sentences, so it might have been linked.

  46. Who actually were the victims, please ? There was a reference to him knifing the guys he was on the course with. I haven’t seen anything in the news about them or pictures of their crying family members. Surely they were not all orphans.

    1. Wrong sort of families??
      More the “burn the bastards alive”
      Than
      “don’t look back in anger”

    1. “The head of the international Red Cross has sharply criticised Britain’s policy of stripping the citizenship of people held in Syria after the fall of Islamic State, saying it is “not conducive” to long-term peace in the region.”

      The only chance of long-term peace in the region would be the complete removal of islam. As they are the overwhelming majority, that will be problematic. We cannot send all of those who take islam seriously to one country to fight it out. Even though that would make the rest of the world a much safer place.

      1. So the International Red Crosses idea is to export the terrorists to the UK so Syria is marginally more peaceful and the UK is significantly less peaceful

      2. The only chance of long term peace in the region is to reduce it to a glass car park.
        They’ve been knocking seven bells out of each other for at least 5,000 years.

  49. Morning peeps.
    Off to the land of my fathers today to watch Wales v Barbarians and say goodbye to Warren and Nige.

  51. Only last week the UK Government brought back from Syria the “orphaned children” of ISIS jihadis. How sweet is that? They are now living with members of their extended families. Very, very sweet. Will our security services be monitoring these darling little jihadikins day and night for the next sixty years? If not, why not?

  52. Richard Tice’s look of disgust to Nicola Sturgeon ‘lying to the public

    BREXIT PARTY’s Richard Tice shut down SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon during BBC’s live election debate.

    Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice labelled SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon “pathetic” after she accused him of wanting to give away the NHS. An audience member had asked the candidates: “Donald Trump has recently confirmed his visit to the UK. If you had 30 seconds with him, what would you say?”

    Ms Sturgeon interjected: “And here’s our NHS.” Mr Tice added: “Oh, nonsense! Stop this scaremongering. “It’s pathetic

    . https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6a7b5846ccc587740962b85085d37561cc779144725766cff7569450f115f25d.jpg

  53. Well I’m off down town to buy an Extra Special Lasagne from Marks and Spencer. Hopefully I shall not be assassinated en route! Play nicely!

  54. Sorry if this has been posted earlier. What F*** does it take for our establishment to take these people seriously?

    Even before we have opened the first door on our Advent calendars, the season of Jingle Bombs has already started.

    “Usman Khan murdered two people and injured at least three more in the attack on London Bridge on Friday. But he was not unknown to police.

    In 2012, Khan became a convicted terrorist for his role in the Stock Exchange plot, a planned scheme for a Christmas bomb attack on the London Stock Exchange, the American embassy and the home of Boris Johnson, who was then the Mayor of London.

    At the time of his sentencing, the judge warned that he was a “serious jihadist” who should not be released while he remained a threat to the public.

    But police confirmed last night that Khan, 28, from Staffordshire, had been freed from prison on an electronic tag.

    Khan was wearing a fake suicide vest when he attended the Learning Together criminal justice conference at Fishmongers’ Hall on London Bridge. He than began stabbing fellow delegates with two large knives.

    The killer is thought to have attended the morning session, taking part in various workshops, in which he described his experiences as a prisoner, before launching his deadly attack without warning just before 2pm….”

    1. What bugs me is that the maxim of “if it only saves one life….” doesn’t apply when it comes to letting in Everyman and his dog or letting villains stay because they have a cat.

    2. Khan, along with two co-conspirators, originally received an indeterminate sentence for public protection but this was quashed at the Court of Appeal in April 2013 and he was given a 16-year jail term. In February 2012, Khan was ordered to serve at least eight years in prison.

      If we prosecute servicemen for past actions, then we should prosecute the Judge who made the above happen

      No Ifs: No Buts

      Judges must be responsible for their decisions

      1. One might also wonder how many fellow Muslims he radicalised while serving his sentence.

        The first target here should be the probation panel who thought he could be let out with a tag.

        1. The Probation service would have been involved AFTER the appeal for the sentence had been successful.

          No Appeal win…. no Probation

          1. “At least 8 years” suggests that the option should have been available to keep him behind bars for the whole 16 years and thus I still think the first knock should be on the door of the probation panel.

          2. Yup, after the succesful appeal, that removed the require him locked up until it wassafe to let him go: Enter ananymous appeal judge

      2. Morning OLT,
        Fact is you get what you vote for and if you don’t especially after numerous times shown over the years, then SURELY you rethink your voting pattern.
        I am not making a political point
        of what just occurred but pointing out a surely common sense fact.

      4. Oh, no, surely not. Unless we include sanctions such as prison sentences. The Appeal Court judges in this case should be fined the costs of the Appeal and also be jailed for life. Any Parole Board that releases a prisoner who then commits a crime should receive a term in jail equal to the maximum sentence that applies to the crime, and that should apply jointly and severally. That would be life imprisonment for every member of the Parole Board that released this jihadi.
        Police who fail to monitor tagged criminals should be jailed for criminal negligence, or collusion.

    3. Morning Anne,
      As you well know things are going to be very tight at this coming GE so every vote counts, party before country.
      My personal view is the islamic ideology followers rout would start today.
      We surely have the required number of dead to sate the PC / Appeasement brigade now.

    4. This problem will only get worse until the politicians are prepared to stand up to militant Islam and kick terrorists out of the country and reintroduce the death penalty

      Since this will not happen we shall have to remain supine and let our society be destroyed.

    5. It is unbelievable and the ultimate demonstration of where Common Purpose liberalism has led us over the last 30 years. And it shows no signs of retreating.

    6. How painfully ironic it is that the killer had been invited to attend an event designed by signalling academics as a way of bringing people together.

      2. Morning E,
        Do we not have these type meetings on a daily basis in the HOC held by the mass uncontrolled immigration purveyors ?

    7. I saw this on the BBC web page and my blood pressure rose accordingly – “The man who carried out Friday’s stabbing attack at London Bridge was a former prisoner convicted of terrorism offences. The attacker, named by police as 28-year-old Usman Khan, was out of prison on licence at the time of the attack, in which a man and a woman were killed and three others were injured.”

      1. Maybe we’re being judgmental.
        Given budget cuts, the coffee and biscuits halfway through the morning session didn’t include chocolate Hobnobs. After all, being served ‘Happy Chef’ Nice biscuits would turn anyone homicidal.

    1. How an earth can they say with a straight face that he was acting alone when they have on recorded that he has links to terrorists groups

    2. Met Police Commissioner Dick says investigation teams are “working very fast”.
      On the cover-up, getting the story straight, co-ordinating the lies, I would suppose?

    3. Does George Soros create these clones like a modern day Frankenstein. Yes alone, but with the unwritten support of the other 1.8 million across the globe that think that way, and of course whatever goes on behind closed doors in the mosque.

    4. Dear life. I forget who predicted, but they were right.

      All we’re waiting for now is an investigation and punishment of the police officers. After all, it’s terribly unfair to prevent his human right to kill as many innocent people as possible. It’s just a shame grieve, gauke, Soubry, Dick, Khan, Balir and Brown can’t all be shovelled into the same room and a man looking for a loo and a snack bar pushed in.

  57. Only a third of GPs are working full-time

    If the above figure is correct it goes a log way to explaining why we a serious problem with the GP service anything more than about 10% working part time is likely to be a significant problem

    Full time is defined as 37.5 hours a week

    Fewer than a third of GPs are working full-time in surgeries amid a crisis in appointment availability, NHS figures reveal.
    Just 27.5 per cent of family doctors are practicing full-time and this number has plummeted in the past four years.
    Instead, GPs are increasingly pursuing ‘portfolio’ careers, where they mix their surgery time with private work, teaching or running a business.

    1. A lot of GPS now are female – our surgery has no male GPs – and they eventually often like to work part time because of families. Also we worked out that no GP worked 5 days a week at our surgery. That may well be the norm due to CPD.

      1. What’s CPD got to do with it? Most CPD is done at home on the ‘puter, with just the occasional visit to a seminar. I don’t know what the hours are these days for GPs, but in my day GDPs had to do 40 hours/year of which 15 had to be verifiable. I don’t know anyone who actually did the hours – I certainly didn’t.

        None of the 6 GPs at my surgery works full time. It is more likely in the case of the females to be down to family commitments.

        1. No sooner do they complete their training then withing 5 years they go into semi retirement and only work a few hours a week

    2. I always adhered to the promise I made myself about working hours per week

      I never exceeded 168

      1. I have the same oath, with the same numbers.

        Difference is, I include a decimal point: 16.8.

        And that’s a long week.

  60. SIR – The television interviewer’s purpose is not enlightenment, but to catch the politician out, while the politician tries to avoid the “Gotcha!” by repeating safe phrases over and over. It makes for the most pointless viewing since the potter’s wheel.

    Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
    Northwood, Middlesex

    Ain’t dat de troof.
    p.s. She used to write v. enjoyable whodunnits.

    1. …and the Morland Dynasty books that gently explain history throughout 38 novels.

      ‘Morning, Anne.

        2. I think so, provided you can get over the minute detail in the description of dresses, the rest is good. Here is a list (I sit corrected, 35 novels):

          The Morland Dynasty[edit]

          The original idea for The Morland Dynasty series was a ‘history without tears’, fictional characters in a real historical background. The plan was for the whole run of British history from the Middle Ages to the Second World War to be covered in twelve volumes (Harrod-Eagles’ initial contract was for just four books). The series now comprises 35 titles (June 2016).

          1. The Founding (1980) Begins 1434 and covers the War of the Roses and Richard III

          2. The Dark Rose (1981) Begins 1501 and covers Henry VIII

          3. The Princeling (1981) aka The Distant Wood Begins 1558 and covers Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots

          4. The Oak Apple (1982) Begins 1630 and covers Charles I and the English Civil War

          5. The Black Pearl (1982) Begins 1659 and covers Charles II and the Restoration

          6. The Long Shadow (1983) Begins 1670 and covers Charles II and James II

          7. The Chevalier (1984) Begins 1689 and covers William III and Mary II, Queen Anne, George I, the Old Pretender (1715 Rebellion)

          8. The Maiden (1985) Begins 1720 and covers George I, George II, the Young Pretender (Bonnie Prince Charlie), (1745 Rebellion)

          9. The Flood-Tide (1986) Begins 1772 and covers George III, American War of Independence, Enclosures

          10. The Tangled Thread (1987) Begins 1788 and covers The French Revolution, the beginning of the Industrial Revolution

          11. The Emperor (1988) Begins 1795 and covers the Rise of Napoleon

          12. The Victory (1989) Begins 1803 and covers the Regency, Beau Brummell, Industrial Revolution, Battle of Trafalgar

          13. The Regency (1990) Begins 1807 and covers the Napoleonic Wars, the Peninsular Campaign, the Industrial Revolution

          14. The Campaigners (1990) Begins 1815 and covers the Campaign of 100 Days and the Battle of Waterloo

          15. The Reckoning (1992) Begins 1816 and covers the Post War Slump, Chartism, Pentrich Revolution, Industrial Progress

          16. The Devil’s Horse (1993) Begins 1820 George IV, the Factory Age, The Rainhill Trials, Liverpool and Manchester Railway

          17. The Poison Tree (1994) Begins 1831 and covers William IV, 1832 Reform Act, the Railway Pioneers

          18. The Abyss (1995) Begins 1833 and covers William IV, Victoria, the Railway Age, George Hudson

          19. The Hidden Shore (1996) Begins 1843 and Covers the Early Victorian Age, Philanthropy, Ragged School

          20. The Winter Journey (1997) Begins 1851 and covers the Mid-Victorian Age, The Great Exhibition, the Crimean War

          21. The Outcast (1998) Begins 1857 and covers the American Civil War, the Divorce Act, the first Underground Railway

          22. The Mirage (1999) Begins 1870 and covers the High Victorian Age, Franco-Prussian War, changes to medical training

          23. The Cause (2000) Begins 1874 and covers the High Victorian Age, Women’s Rights

          24. The Homecoming (2001) Begins 1885 and covers Late Victorian Age, Oscar Wilde, Prince of Wales’ set, Girls Education

          25. The Question (2002) Begins 1898 and covers Late Victorian/Edwardian, Automobile, Boer War, Suffragettes

          26. The Dream Kingdom (2003) Begins 1908 and covers Edwardian, Aviation

          27. The Restless Sea (2004) Begins 1912 and covers George V, Titanic, Cat and Mouse Act

          28. The White Road (2005) Begins 1914 and covers the beginning of World War I

          29. The Burning Roses (2006) Begins 1915 and continues World War I

          30. The Measure of Days (2007) Begins 1916 and continues World War I covering the Battle of the Somme

          31. The Foreign Field (2008) Begins 1917 and continues World War I, Passchendaele

          32. The Fallen Kings (2009) Begins 1918 and covers the end of WW1; Armistice; demobilisation

          33. The Dancing Years (2010) Begins 1919 and continues demobilisation and peace

          34. The Winding Road (2011) Begins 1925 and covers the Jazz Age; Wall Street Crash

          35. The Phoenix (2013) Begins 1931 and covers post-Crash depression; Hollywood and the Talkies

          …and all through these books they are centred around the doings of members of (descendants) the Morland Family

  61. What words mean to different people:

    Take the word “deradicalization”.

    To the official mind and snowflakes, this means a victory for a “hearts and minds” programme, which has a good chance of working because deep down we’re all decent and humane.

    To Usman Khan (and the other 7 convicted with him in 2010) and to a distressingly large number of imams and their muslim listeners, it means “PATIENCE! LAD”

  62. London Bridge attacker had asked for help to deradicalise – lawyer. Sat 30 Nov 2019

    The London Bridge attacker had asked for help to be deradicalised while he was in prison, but none was forthcoming, his solicitor has claimed.

    Vajahat Sharif told the Guardian Usman Khan had come to realise that violent extremism was wrong and accepted his understanding of Islam was deficient.

    Aghhhh. You see. He wanted to be good but those evil Brits stopped it! If they had let him see the good Imam he would have turned onto the path of righteousness and forsaken the route of Jihadism. Is there no limit to the perfidy of the Unbelievers?

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/nov/30/london-bridge-attacker-had-asked-for-help-to-deradicalise-lawyer

    1. That is a fairly blatant “It’s not his fault, it’s ours” comment, even for the Guardian. The family members of the dead will still be numb at this point.

      Those standing at the bedsides of the severely wounded will have other things on their minds.

  63. George Soros

    @georgesoros

    “Probation and parole can make the challenges of coming home from prison even harder. trib.al/K1uA5d0

    6:06 AM – 18 Aug 2017

    Are Probation and Parole Just Other Forms of Incarceration?

    While probation and parole can cut down on mass incarceration, when applied blindly, they can still tear families apart and cut off the formerly incarcerated from the love and support they need.”

  64. Interesting coincidence about who apparently supports early release and soft sentencing…

  65. An easy starter question for Andrew Neil to put to Boris Johnson:

    Do you think you have managed to do enough to win back the Conservatives who defected to join Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party by refusing to make an electoral pact with him and refusing to go into any details about your ‘brilliant deal’ which might set the minds of the defectors at rest and calm their objections?

    1. Trouble is there are so many questions that should be asked about his WA, too many, in fact. And all interviewers ask long winded questions that give the interviewee far too much leeway in what they actually answer as, indeed, I think your starter question above does if you don’t mind my saying so, hope you don’t think that’s rude of me.
      Perhaps ask BJ “why did you not enter into a pact with TBP to guarantee Brexit?” But then, you know, we all know the answer anyway really.

      I’d like to know why all the appalling aspects of the agreement (which we don’t need, BTW), haven’t been hammered home to the public. Is it the MSM refusing to publish any objections or is it that the so-called Brexiteers have all given up?

      1. Good afternoon VW

        I take your point. I am not a skilled television inquisitor as Andrew Neil is.

        Boris always deals in generalisations and is very keen not to be tied down to specific points – he is full of hot air and waffle. But it is important that he is tied down properly by someone with Andrew Neil’s gravitas because too many of us are going to sleepwalk into Boris’s ‘brilliant’ trap which is even worse than staying in the EU.

        ‘If only …’ are often the saddest words we say.

        But if only Boris Johnson had been honest rather than an opportunistic liar. If only he had kept his word about keeping ‘no deal’ firmly on the table; if only he had kept his word about leaving the EU on October 31st; if only he had been humble enough to make a pact with the Brexit Party when he had failed to leave the EU on October 31st with or without a deal. To be precise: IF ONLY Boris Johnson were a gentleman – but he is not: he is a dishonourable cad who deserves to be horsewhipped at the front entrance of No 10 Downing Street by those he has so callously betrayed.

        1. It’s a great shame, I had such high hopes when Boris was elected leader. I thought we had a Brexiteer for PM. But one by one the so-called Brexit supporters have fallen by the wayside and left us in the lurch. Ah me, such is hope!

      3. Morning Bob

        Sadiq Khan blamed the government and the removal of certain judicial edicts ( acronyms that I cannot remember ) He was interviewed on BBC Breakfast, and really used the full force of his law background to slag the government off.

        Of course .. as Khan always reminds us that London is open , and his relatives are the ones who have created terror and mayhem .. with the cockiness and dislike of our country that those sort of people possess.

        The weasel Khan seems to always have a smirk on his face .. I bet he cannot actually believe he is Mayor of London .

        The terrorist must have travelled on public transport with knives .. especially as he had travelled down from the Midlands and then through London ..What the hell is the purpose of a tag if it isn’t monitored ?

  69. I wonder why Open Society has a super well funded office just 500 metres from parliament, Whitehall and Downing Street ?

    Is it just a random coincidence, or is it to make lobbying for George Soros’ “values” more convenient ?

  73. Pleased to see a long established medical treatment for terrorism making a welcome comeback.
    It has been known for some time that a direct injection of a copper-lead alloy leads to a complete curing of all radical thoughts and has a 100% success rate in preventing re-infection. It is most effective when delivered direct to the brain as a high velocity injection at 340m/s, but works equally well if introduced through the skin to the left side of the chest by a skilled practitioner.
    To ensure a complete cure it may be necessary to administer several repeat doses in rapid succession.

    2. In that close situation would the police use high velocity rounds? What is the risk of a through and through ricocheting and being a threat to the innocent?

      1. The 340m/s is the approximate velocity for the standard Heckler & Koch MP5 machine gun, as carried by most armed UK police.
        High velocity would be from a weapon such as the SiG MCX assault rifle, carried by some Met Police Units, which can have a muzzle velocity of over 900m/s…..

      2. Depends also in whatt bullet type they have. Expamånding bullets reduce the through&through, but to be effective, need a high velocity.

        1. Thanks for that, OB. I know next to nothing about guns and ammunition but what I saw yesterday the officer who took the kill shot(s) was only a few feet away and some of his fellow officers were closer still. With concrete or stone right under the terrorist there did seem to be the risk of ricochet.

  74. If GS is an “adviser” to HM Forces as Trevor Coult MC claimed with supporting evidence, could he also be an “adviser” relating to the criminal justice system ?

  75. Is this man still in his job?

    Sir Craig Mackey?

    Cops call on ‘Commissioner Coward’ to quit: Police chief who stayed in his car during Westminster terror attack is compared online to hero officers who got stabbed taking on London Bridge jihadis
    Sir Craig Mackey witnessed Khalid Masood stabbing PC Keith Palmer to death
    He said he went to get out of his car but was told to ‘shut the door’ and locked it
    Former detective Peter Bleksley described the actions as ‘utterly unforgivable’
    Photo-shopped images mocking Sir Craig are being shared on police forums
    Others have also highlighted the actions of Lisa Potts and Bernard Kenny

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6259835/TV-detective-slams-London-police-chief-stayed-car-Westminster-terror-attack.html

  76. Has anyone noticed that even the computer spell check thinks the word Muslim is more important than the word christian!

    The word christian does not merit the initial capital letter but if you type the word ‘muslim’ it is highlighted as a spelling mistake but the word ‘Muslim’ with the capital letter is not highlighted as a spelling mistake.

    Ergo – the compilers of the spell check think muslims are more important than Christians. Nottlers may or may not agree.

    2. It also changes moslem to Moslem but isn’t smart enough to change Moslem to Muslim on account of the negative connotations of the former.

    3. I always use a lower-case i when writing that word. That cult is not worth a capital letter.

  77. Off topic. The election. Campaigning has been suspended, but we will not give in to terrorism. Hmm.
    Anyway the election matters not a jot. Consider this. Those who can change the interest rates are the ones in charge. Increase the interest rate to 9% and half the household finances in the UK will crash. Large numbers of businesses will crash. Who holds this power? Not the UK Government.

  78. Interesting indeed

    Examples of “controlled spontaneity” within the UK that MEE has identified include:

    a media campaign that was swiftly deployed after a number of British

    and American aid workers were beheaded by Islamic State militants in

    2014.

    the use of hashtags, posters and vigils after the London Bridge

    attacks of June 2017 in which eight people were murdered and almost 50

    injured.

    a Twitter, Facebook and mainstream media campaign that was employed

    later that month, shortly after a man drove his van into a group of

    people outside a mosque in north London, killing one person and injuring

    10 others

    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/mind-control-secret-british-government-blueprints-shaping-post-terror-planning

    1. I don’t suppose anyone has thought of doubling or tripling the sentence for acts of terrorism to say 80 years. If this were the case automatic release would only be after 40 years…..

      1. Not a problem if you run over a heart attack victim a couple of hundred yards from a mosque
        43 years if I recall correctly…………………………

  81. First London Bridge terror attack victim is named as Cambridge University worker

    The incompetence over Usmans release and the failure to properly monitor him is just staggering. Why were all those attending the course not properly searched. How an earth did he get in with two large knifes and a fake suicide belt. These failing seem to be the norm with our judicial and monitoring system. Clearly in my view there was no proper monitoring or Ursman

    The first victim of the London Bridge terror attack has been named as a Cambridge University worker who was a “champion” for ex-cons.
    Jack Merritt, from Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, and a woman were stabbed to death by Usman Khan in Friday afternoon’s rampage in the heart of the capital.
    Mr Merritt, 25, was a course coordinator for a prisoner rehabilitation program, Learning Together, that was attended by the convicted terrorist and other offenders.

      1. Ursman and his like in my view are highly dangerous and he should never have been released

        What bright spark as well thought it sensible to hold a de-radicalization course in the heart of Central London and without any security as well to compound it

        How an earth could they have thought it sensible to gather a dozen or so high risk terrorist in one place in central London with zero security as well

        Why were they not searched? How many more might have had knifes or guns on them ? Why was the building not secures whilst they were there ?/

          1. One would have thought they would have carried out a risk assessment but clearly not. I would have thought that if he was being monitored the Security services should have been informed about this course as well. It may even have broken the restrictions he would have as he was on a tag

          2. They do not live in the real world. I have met those (Cambridge academics) who did not know how to:
            a) arrange a mortgage;
            b) pull out a cooker to retrieve something behind it;
            c) negotiate with a neighbour to clear leaves out of a joint stretch of gutter, and
            d) change a light bulb.

            And yet they can pontificate on how we, and others, should live our lives in matters connected to, and concerned with, life and death.

          4. That as well! – although I have not encountered that one. Yet. These people are so rarified they have no idea how the real world works. Better by far to get a College
            Porter who knows how to do stuff, but gets a fraction of an academic’s pay. The tales I could tell….

        2. Why should we pay to keep them in prison.
          They should serve long sentences, then be deported straight from prison.

      2. THey will tighten up security in future , Those attending these course will asked to leave any weapons at home

      3. I’m not sure Khan was working class. Apparently he lived – when not in the hoosegow – on benefits. To him ‘work’ seems to have been a four letter word.

  82. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has said terrorism and security cannot be separated from cuts made to resources after two people were killed in an attack on London Bridge on Friday.

    No surprise that the useless Khan is trying to score points over this. It has nothing to so with cuts and the security services have in any case not been cut

    I seem to remember Khan was against long prison sentences

  83. Marriages which end in acrimonious divorce are often acrimonious and bitter because the partners feel betrayed, cheated and all the necessary trust and affection has been destroyed.

    It is trust that is the cornerstone of all relationships.

    We were prepared to forgive Mrs May her personality defects and her lack of human warmth as we judged that an efficient prime minister whom we could trust was preferable to an inefficient untrustworthy one – so we applauded her when she said: ‘No deal is better than a bad deal’ and ‘Brexit means Brexit.

    When we discovered that she had deliberately and repeatedly lied to us we saw that she could not be trusted and our approval of her turned to contempt and enmity.

    It is the same with our feelings towards Boris Johnson. His private life is a scandal and a disgrace and the way he has treated the women in his life is completely reprehensible. But we were prepared to overlook this if he was true to his word about Brexit.

    But he has broken his word and is not even prepared to admit that his bodged up ‘brilliant deal’ is almost identical to May’s WA and keeps us enslaved ti the EU for the foreseeable future.

    Boris Jonson has lost our trust – just as Rees Mogg, Baker and Francois have. We hold them in especially deep contempt because we trusted them to be honest and true and they have proved that they are not people whom we should trust. We cannot just feel indifferent to them – we have nothing but deep contempt and loathing.

    1. To VOTE – or not to VOTE. That is the question.

      Boris
      Corbyn
      Swansong
      Brexit
      Other
      Destroy voting slip

      1. Do we wish to be hanged, shot, knived, electrocuted, poisoned, disemboiled, drowned, starved – we have any number of options but in the end it comes to the same thing.

    2. Here is the harsh reality rastus:

      To ratify the Withdrawal Agreement we agreed to pay £39Billion to
      the EU (at least). We get absolutely nothing for that. Once out we start to
      negotiate a trade agreement. Unless we accept the Political
      Declaration in full the EU will not agree one with us.

      We have then the stark choice (again) of having to trade on WTO
      rules – the so called cliff edge – or accepting the absurd
      restrictions that undermine any point in Brexit.

      The whole thing is a cleverly constructed trap which gives the UK
      the straight choice of no Brexit or a pointless one. Millions
      would prefer to scrap the WA and face the “cliff edge” now.

      Only those without faith in this country’s ability to succeed as
      a free and sovereign nation can seriously think that accepting
      this “deal” is in our interest.

      The whole process surrounding the handling of Brexit has been a
      very British coup by the establishment against its own people and
      is simply storing up years of trouble and resentment.

      The very first time that a government minister says, “We would
      like to do that but we can’t because it is forbidden by the
      Withdrawal Treaty,” all the 17.4 million who voted for Brexit will
      realise that they have been betrayed.

      Utter madness.

      2. Well said. JanetjH

        An excellent post.

        This is why I am so keen for Boris Johnson to be put on the spot by Andrew Neil and forced to address the points you have made with such admirable clarity.

        I find his mendacious, waffly and evasive buffoonery is very deeply depressing.

        1. Buffoonery is good for relaxing the audience and getting people interested in your viewpoint, but it has to be supported by a clear straight thinking mind.
          The CEO at the company I worked for was renowned for extreme showmanship, he drew everyone into his vision for the company. However, heaven help you if you tried to pull the wool over his eyes on some project detail, he had an incredible ability to get to the heart of the matter and put you right.

          It seems that Boris still has to show his true inner self.

      3. Nobody mention Singapore. A colony the size of a postage stamp, with no resources and no population. The only advantages it had were its position on trade routes and the energy of the British founders. (Gin Sling, anyone?)
        It is now a vibrant self-sustaining, rich, safe and enterprising city-state.
        A pity that we now teach our children weird stuff instead of telling them who we really are.

  85. Last month I reported that in my locality we had received 225% of the average monthly rainfall for October. This month we have ‘enjoyed’ 260% of the average monthly rainfall for November. As you can imagine I can’t wait to see what December brings…

  86. Afternoon all. I see that the London Bridge jihadist had been let out on license after serving less than half of a 16-year sentence for conspiring to commit terrorist offences. And of course he was best buddies with Anjem Choudhary.

    Our laws are completely incapable of keeping us safe from these scum. We need our own Guantanamo Bay, to keep off the streets forever the people who would murder us in the name of their bloodthirsty god.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/11/30/london-bridge-terror-attack-usman-khan-know-suspect/

      1. What chance do we have when the courts place the human rights of murderers and terrorists above those of ordinary people to go about their business in safety?

  87. I share with you my latest review of Loch Fyne on Tripadvisor. Utter cock-up.

    PidgeonFeet

    Fareham

    7636

    Pending review

    Disaster
    area.

    The restaurant is
    pleasant. The servers are friendly. The
    oysters are delicious.

    Those were the only good things about my
    lunch on the 29th November.

    Large Gin & Tonic requested with no
    ice. It came full of ice. What was worse
    was they had garnished it with grapefruit.
    Older people taking Statins have to avoid
    grapefruit.

    The Turbot was dry and overcooked. The
    mash and the cabbage were cold. The
    Mussels were fine until i had worked my
    way down to the cream sauce. Heavily over
    salted and i had to leave half of my meal.

    I was given a more expensive bottle of
    Sauvignon than the one i ordered.

    I brought all of these faults to the
    attention of the server and the best they
    could do was offer a free dessert. No
    reduction for the wrong wine.

    The sticky toffee pudding lacked sauce and
    was a bit dry and cakey.

    I ordered two Americano and one Remy
    Cognac. I got one Americano and a
    Chambord.

    We were warned the kitchen was running 20
    mins behind because the restaurant was
    full. We arrived at 1pm and left at
    3.40pm. I wondered if i would manage to
    get home before dark and to feed my dog.

    My server brought my Bill which i hadn’t
    asked for before the Dessert and coffee.
    She had also forgotten to include the
    discount voucher.

    Pretty much everything that could go
    wrong, did..

    I dined with a friend using a 50’% off the
    a la carte menu. My Bill was still £107
    including tip. Which i chose to pay

    Date of visit:
    November 2019

    Review collected in
    partnership with Greene King

    Ask PidgeonFeet about Loch
    Fyne Seafood & Grill Restaurant

    Thank PidgeonFeet

    This review is the
    subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member
    and not of TripAdvisor LLC

    Write a
    reviewReviews (2,579)

    https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186298-d732591-r729795435-Loch_Fyne_Seafood_Grill_Restaurant-Portsmouth_Hampshire_England.html#

    1. It seems the good citizens of Guildford had already sussed LF. Tried to book a table there in September only to discover it had shut up shop….Had a super meal in Olivo instead.

      1. You need to take review on Web sites with a very large pinch of salt fake reviews are widespread

        1. They are, but Tripadvisor is useful for other things. You get a feel for the place from photos. Style of food and decor. Maps and directions.

      2. LF restaurants are now owned by Greene King but run as a separate entity. Standards are slipping. They are probably owned by the Japanese now.

    2. Owe, harsh, but if the issues are raised, fairly made.

      I have to admit though, as a rule I don’t tend to bother leaving reviews if somewhere is poor. We just don’t go there again.

      And really, where we usually go is dog friendly and they tend to eat better than we do. A bit silly I know, but hey.

      1. Harsh but all true. I made it clear to the server prior to pointing out all the deficiencies that i was not seeking money off or any sort of discount. I want them to be good.

        I don’t often leave a poor review but this is supposed to be a seafood restaurant. I agree with you about the dog and local to me i have discovered Cafes and Tearooms, real Ale micropubs and my local Olde worldy Hotel & restaurant allow Dogs.

        1. The realy daft one are where they ask you to reviews good that you may not even have received yet and even if you have them all you can really review is the service of getting the goods to you. Until you have had the goods several months you cannot really comment on them

          1. I ordered a luxury hamper for a friend from Loch Fyne & £95. They sell the goods but they are separate from the restaurant. More bollox.

            I got an email a month later that they were out of stock and would i like to choose something else. I said “No, your website is clunky and difficult to navigate and i had expected them to have what they were advertising for sale”.

            They tried to encourage me in another email to re-order something else. I told them i thought their site was bad and their customer service was worse.

            I cancelled the entire order in the region of £600 and told them if they didn’t refund me immediately and stop harassing me then i would sue them.

            They coughed.

          2. LF is terribly variable. When it’s good, it’s outstanding, when it’s bad it is dreadful, beyond parody.

            We no longer risk it.

    3. I gave you an up tick / like on TA , hope you don’t mind .

      What a shame the meal was a disaster .

      I spent that amount on a vet bill for youngest dog last week .. 2 injections , one for pain and the other anti sickness and anal gland clear out £110 .. I felt very upset by paying out such a huge amount for a little dog.

      Can’t/ daren’t claim on the pet insurance .. would be pointless.

      Turbot, what a pain , and waste of fish .. such a shame ..

      I have been watching Masterchef and feel shocked to see people calling themselves chefs .. perhaps the pressure of appearing on TV ruins all talent ..

        2. OMG… Plum really..

          It is a smelly horrible job, and my spaniels need to be held firmly, the youngest is very wriggly and would bite if need be.

          1. The mistake many make is to squeeze the gland. All you need to do is gently rub them. THe glands are designed to empty naturally so only need a bit of help if not doing so

          3. lotl has not been on for quite a while.

            I had a run in with her a few days ago, about Mormons and Muslims, so if she’s drawn stumps because of that, I apologise to all who appreciate her posts (as do I)

          6. Our vet squishes the anal glands as part of the monthly (Medivet) package we pay. Includes all normal annual injections (but not rabies), 10% off all other procedures, ops and meds. We do not have insurance as not covered for France. Incidentally, vets charge 50% less in France than here in the UK.

            Edit. sorry, I should have mentioned price – £13 a month.

      2. Thanks Belle.

        I don’t mind at all.

        Shame about your little doggie. I know how it feels when they are unwell. Last visit to the Vet they charged me £167 for a chat with their specialist about managing Dolly fatsos weight and some special food and a nail clip. I didn’t look too closely. Forgot me specs. Turned out i had paid someone elses Bill. I queried it the next time i was in and it came to light. I thought that £40 was a lot for a nail clip you see.

        Dolly went to Katerina the groomer today and because my accent is Hampshire Hog and hers is Turkish we had a bit of a mix up. I only wanted her nails trimmed this time and she thought she was doing the full works. I said to go ahead as she had made the slot available. Afterwards with Dolly looking like a skinhead, Kat told me that any time i wanted Dolly’s nails clipped between grooms she would do it for free.

        She said that Dolly is her customer and i was her friend. I invited her out for a drink and she said she would love to. :o)

        The Chef Lecturer is going to get a lot of ribbing from his students. Daft bugger.

          2. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1a79e10fe8d66295dae80f9e3bce4aa1f55734d44508042e8af82984c20ed6e8.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d2e1b99f8e79e82e23dc428cbc7eba43df5dd300d438f75e397681d8e4544f72.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3dcfbcfa50116f1415448c00d7741d7005717f4771a5793b8a279e9bfb9f2e2f.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/29c227390b57e01d4246e074cd1443c19b16debe39110f2809575541658cf833.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/803ce3cff1fae7cc9781b5c7ae9520f6c45a7dcd9d9452292c7c5f67cf0f0f7b.jpg

          4. My sitter calls her DollyWollyDoodles. The last time i went on holiday and phoned to to see when it would be convenient to pick her up she said ‘i have some bad news’. (breaks out in a sweat). She said she was keeping her. :o(

        2. Better off going to a dog groomer for a nail clip. For someone that knows what they are doing it is 10 minutes work and you don’t need a qualified vet to do that simple job. Get a pair of good clippers and you can do it yourself. With some dogs though it is not easy to see how far you can clip with most it is dont go as far as the pink bit of the nail

          1. Yes. But as she had to go for a check up and i needed other things i thought i would get her nails done at the same time. Busy, busy, busy.

      3. I doubt the insurance would cover the anal glands. £110 sounds a bit steep £50 to £60 pound sound more reasonable

    2. That’s a severe fashion disaster. I take it she didn’t check herself in the mirror before she went out.

    1. “Right to know”?
      Tut and forsooth. We have as much right to know as a sheep being led up to the sacrificial alter.

    2. JH-B has this completely wrong: these British men have the inalienable human right to pursue their cultural norms e.g. killing the infidel. Do I really need the tag?

      1. Yes. Because Jezza or Cressida Richard might be reading and take it as a serious suggestion to help these poor lost souls feel settled in their new country.

    3. Do our lawmakers actually want the indigenous white Christian population of Britain to be slain?

      1. I’m not sure they care one way or another. But I’m glad to see members of the public giving the latest follower of the Religion of Pieces a good kicking before he was shot dead. I guess the Canning Town/Extinction Rebellion public rebellion was the warm-up.

      3. Afternoon R,
        It is a form of culling and the governing parties do not suffer
        owing to the fact that a dead terrorist vote can be made up with the daily intake, but he will
        probably be still be in the aliens block vote.
        Don’t forget party first, hold the
        nose, best of the worst, keep in / keep out mode of voting still
        relies on peoples support we could not have got to where we are today as a nation without the lab/lib/con regular voters input.

  90. “Never in the field of British General Elections was so much offered to so many by so few…..and so few things debated of concern to so many” John Ward

  91. Good morning, all.

    Now the truth has emerged about Usman Khan, the terrorist who murdered two people and injured several others on London Bridge. It turns out he was a hard-line muslim extremist who had already been convicted of conspiracy to blow up the London Stock Exchange in 2012.

    The original trial judge described him as an extremely dangerous man and he was given an indeterminate sentence, meaning he would not be released until such time as he was no longer considered to be a threat to the public. Of course he appealed his sentence – the cost of the appeal being met by legal aid – and the Court of Appeal judges overturned his indeterminate sentence, ruling he should serve a fixed term sentence, followed by a period of extended licence. This allowed the unfit for purpose Parole Board to release him, a decision which cost two innocent people their lives.

    As usual, before the full facts were known, the MSM rushed to their default position and suggested Khan may have been mentally ill. Well of course he was mentally ill – he was a muslim. Anybody who believes that a mass-murdering, misogynistic paedophile camel-jockey was the ‘perfect man’, whose demented ramblings are the word of God, is certainly mentally ill ipso facto

    Make no mistake, folks, we are at war.with the death-cult of Islam and unless our politicians, our courts and the media wake up to the fact PDQ, it’s a war we’re going to lose.

    1. I think that a sadder and far more disturbing fact is that a lot of our politicians, judges and those who own the media don’t need to wake up to the threat.
      They are fully aware of it already and what is going to happen next, and they are working to make sure that it happens.

      Tony Blair was not trying to make the world a more stable place when he leapt into those wars in his day. They removed the hard men running those countries who had a stranglehold on “real islam” and killed any group that tried to take islam too seriously. Removing them unleashed the radicals to swarm across the region and to start spreading their numbers into Europe.

      The “Civilised West” has been under attack for centuries, and now the globalists have joined in and have been working for years to bring us all down. Our morality and democracy are barriers to these power-mad fanatics who want to rule us all. You do not need to look very far to see democracy under attack across Europe and the United States. As for our judges in the United Kingdom… You can see who they favour by looking at who they arrest and the sentences that are handed out.

      Our Supreme Court has also just showed their power by overriding a British Prime Minister. These people are awake and they are working against us. It will take some time for that reality to become apparent, but if fate is smiling on us then the penny will drop before it is too late. It will be hard enough to recover even now, without more years of reinforcements arriving.

    2. If the British Empire, slavery, colonisation and the like is to be forensically examined by today’s standards the least the Universities and MSM can do is to look at Islam and Mohammed in exactly the same way.

      Ain’t gonna happen of course.

    3. I think it has been what TR has been saying for some time. Trouble is, that you are not allowed to express those thoughts or you will be committing some sort of …phobia and banged up for it.

    4. It’s not mental illness. It’s upbringing and indoctrination. Mental illness lets him and all the rest of them off the hook.

  92. HAPPY HOUR – I Feel Fined…
    A traffic ticket slapped on Ringo Starr’s Mercedes in 1969 could fetch £1,500 at auction.
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7737159/Ringo-Starrs-parking-ticket-hammer-1-500.html

    It was issued in April 1969 outside Apple records in Savile Row, central London. Alan Herring, who was the driver kept the ticket along with a pair of John Lennon’s round sunglasses…..Baby you can’t park that car!

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8c98c6fd04edf9e1421809fad716bce74df013d73b883b5cc61486dc9513e61f.jpg

    3. Surely that ticket must have drummed into him that he can’t park anywhere that suits him.

  93. DM Story

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7741375/BBC-says-Boris-Johnson-allowed-appear-Andrew-Marr-Show.html

    BBC does a U-turn and says Boris Johnson WILL be allowed to appear on the Andrew Marr Show tomorrow despite refusing a grilling from Andrew Neil after the presenter’s demolition of Jeremy Corbyn.

    So Boris can add the word

    COWARD

    to his CV alongside, liar, bullshitter, buffoon, hypocrite, adulterer, abortionist etc. How low can this repulsive man sink? He has no credibility at all!

    I think that Nigel Farage should volunteer to show Boris Johnson up for the craven worm he is by putting himself forward as happy to be interviewed by Andrew Neil.

    1. Good morning Prime Minister.

      Due to unforeseen circumstances we are very sorry that Andrew Marr is unavailable, but Andrew Neil has kindly agreed to step in at short notice. We are sure you won’t mind.

        1. Almost.

          I would rather AN (and his excellent teams of researchers) questioned the decisions of those who run the country before those decisions are enacted.

    2. I was listening to that 7 way debate and the standard of most of them was dire. Richard Tice was the best followed by the Conservative guy whose name I cannot remember

    3. Postscript It is interesting that Boris Johnson is happier to be interviewed by a left wing anti-Brexit journalist such as Andrew Marr rather than by Andrew Neil who does not have the reputation of being either left wing or of being pro Remain. Might one not expect a Conservative PM who claims to be in favour of Brexit and who claims to be the person to deliver Brexit to prefer to be interviewed by Neil than by Marr?

      I hope Carrie Symonds uses a strong washing powder and has a top quality washing machine to cope with all the soiled underpants her cowardly, bowel- disturbed paramour must be giving her to launder.

    4. Afternoon R,

      🎵It’s only words and words is all I have
      to make you vote my way.🎵

      Trust no political hierarchy directly involved in brexit currently.

    1. I’ve seen a number of references to Mackey as an Assistant Commissioner, he was the rank above, Deputy Commissioner, from 2012.

      1. Evening Ims2,
        I would say it was hinting that you had to be
        loose in the canister to follow the islamic ideology to the letter,apologies to GB if I am amiss.
        The PC / Appeasement eraser in action.

    1. I haven’t seen the accounts, but the dividends could have been paid out of retained profits from previous years. They would have attracted uncomfortable tax bills.
      Withdrawing large chunks of cash from a failing business is not clever.

  98. Thought for the day.

    If the terrorist, Khan, had been screened on the way into the seminar and been caught with the weapons and the vest, how do you think the event would have continued?

    First speaker:
    “As you now know, one of our delegates, who we had thought was rehabilitated, has been caught with two large knives and a suicide belt, fortunately a fake.

    Having spoken with him, we now know that he was just showing us that the system works and that plotting terror attacks by himself and his cohorts has made Britain much more secure as demonstrated by his apprehension.

    We have already apologised profusely, paid him compensation and returned his knives and belt.

    We apologise for any temporary inconvenience but we know you would like to see Islam as the religion of peace that it really is.”

    Second speaker:

    As you will now know, from the screams at the back of the hall. Mr. Khan has been on a rampage, using the knives we returned earlier. We extend our sympathies to those stabbed.

    Third speaker:

    ” We are hearing that Khan is canned, it’s a shame, but we will be funding lawyers who are seeking compensation for Khan’s family”

    Fourth speaker:
    ” we are creating a twitter-storm telling the world that Khan should not have been shot and demanding a public enquiry and the prosecution of the police officer.

    Fifth speaker
    “Allahu akbar”

    2. “Just a little insurance to protect myself from all the dam filthy murderers and rapists at the conference”.

  100. Disqus is in a filthy state today. Jumps up and down the page, and can’t open notifications.
    I blame Labour.

  103. Darn it!

    Something went wrong while trying to load this feed. Try again in a little while.

    Please visit Discuss Disqus to learn more.

  104. Are people more likely to get stabbed in London than if they spent the night at the Bates Motel and had two showers?

      1. Err…
        I would have thought “only”, rather than “not”;

        but heigh ho, I’m Islamaware.

        That’s like Tupperware except your pantry explodes once you hit critical mass.

  105. There is one bright shaft of sunlight that overcomes the dark sickness in the head of yesterdays attacker. The normal people on the ground ran towards a killer wearing a fake suicide vest and brought him down. The people stopped him from murdering and maiming others, when there was the chance that they could be killed themselves. This is ultimately why we will win.

    “And they say that a hero can save us.
    I’m not gonna stand here and wait.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vey7qajd9lQ

    1. BBC
      “One of those who rushed to help during the attack was a convicted murderer who was attending the prisoner rehabilitation event on day release, the Times reported.
      James Ford, 42, was jailed for life with a minimum of 15 years in 2004 for the murder of Amanda Champion, a 21-year-old woman with learning difficulties.”

      1. molamola – I am aware of this fact, but I don’t see the relevance to all of the others who were not criminals who brought him down.

          1. Once again, I am talking about normal people. I don’t know who is pretending that a murderer is a “goody goody.” I have not used that phrase.

          3. Once again, I am talking about normal people. I don’t know who is pretending that a murderer is a “goody goody.” I have not used that phrase.

          4. It does not matter. Our heroes are not always saints. There is also the notion that attempts at rehabilitation might sometimes work.

        2. I’ve a feeling quite a few of them came out of the Fishmongers’ Hall after he kicked off inside and some of them actually knew him. I’m not putting them down but I think the circumstances have yet to be revealed.

          1. The reports that I heard this morning were of one man who came out of a market after taking a 5 foot Narwhal horn off the wall to use as a weapon, and another who jumped out of his mini cooper to run up to the man and restrain him. There was also an off-duty transport policeman who was the one who took the knife away. These are the people that I am talking about.

            There may have been some who chased after him from that offenders meeting, but jumping on an islamic murderer who has already stabbed people, and is wearing what looks like a bomb vest, takes some courage, whatever they were doing.

          4. It is possible that you are not focusing on the salient point of the bravery of the public who wrestled the terrorist to the ground. I cannot remember the name of the commentator who called it a market.

        1. That was the withdrawal of indeterminate sentences. Ironically, called ‘imprisonment for public protection’ (IPP).

  107. General Election.

    An interesting point of law when it comes to postal voting. The election is on the 12th December but postal votes go in before then so if someone who has voted dies before the 12th of December is that vote valid. ?.

    1. Given the statistically insignificant numbers, let alone the likelihood it might affect the result in any constituency, is it really worth checking out and does it even matter?

  108. I’m watching mealy-mouthed apologists for “the system”, apologists for Islam, apologists for the lack of support Khan (the terrorist not the piece of shít) and his ilk get.

    They make me sick. What about the victims and their families? What about the whole of society whose lives are disrupted?

    And before some disgusting piece of shít accuses me of “whataboutery” may I suggest that they volunteer to hunt out IED’s all over those peaceful istans that so blight the planet.

    The only support these terrorists need is that fraction of a second before the trap door of a scaffold opens and they are consigned to Hell.

  109. I was always on the ‘cock-up’ side of the ‘conspiracy or cock-up?’ argument.

    I’m beginning to think I was wrong.

    1. I tend to go for the Combined Theory.
      Begins as a conspiracy, then they lose control of events and it becomes a cock up.

    1. The Met are following up on this no doubt considering a prosecution for the theft of a Narwhal tusk and using it as an offensive weapon

          1. The pathway to the practice door had to be made good. When I returned from shopping there was a large puddle of fresh cement right by the gate. There was nobody else in sight, so I shook off my Croc & plunged my naked right foot right in. Nobody sussed whose footprint it was, but I had easily the largest feet in the practice. The print is still there today, as far as I know.

  112. The politicians seem to be all quoting different numbers the official figures show 43,000 so the 50,000 the Conservatives are promising. covers that plus another 7000 . The other dispute is over whether the near £1B is an adequate budget. Now in the private sector the normal financial convention is that if the vacancies are approved you also have the budget for them and HR are will also have a budget for the recruitment. so the additional costs are for the 7000 plus the costs of expanding the training places

    1. Right now at our NHS rally in Leeds…

      We’re doing our best to keep this child clear of Pakistani grooming gangs…

      1. A harsh irony. His own form of brainwashing was far too weak to counter what they get at the Mosque. Very bad of me to say so but i am glad it wasn’t a completely oblivious person like the Tea lady. His Liberal Lefty views brought him to this. You cannot rehabilitate someone that doesn’t wish to be rehabilitated. His death is Merritted.

      1. There is something seriously amiss at Cambridge University. I lived in the centre of Cambridge 25 years ago and had owned my property for ten years before that. I witnessed the stupidity of the students, expecting on each May Ball week to have a beer glass thrown through my windows.

        When the gypsies set up their ‘Fair’ on Midsummer Common I was fearful that my car, parked in the street outside my home, would either be vandalised or else stolen. The milk on the doorstep invariably went missing.

        I have never been impressed with Cambridge University. Their architectural school produced particularly arrogant and stupid offspring over decades. The city itself has been mostly ruined by a succession of truly ugly developments and those buildings commissioned by the colleges are almost completely devoid of intelligent design.

        The Arts courses have been relegated and the University now promotes bio tech and big pharma to the exclusion of all else.

        The poor devil knifed by the Muslim nutter was clearly well meaning but totally unaware of the threat posed by those people he was inadvertently appeasing.

        I hate to even visit the place now.

        Edit: Cambridge now boasts an enormous Mosque designed if you will by the late architect Marks, part of the team who designed the monstrous ferris wheel on the Thames and a Jew to boot. You really could not make this sorry tale up.

        2. Specially designed so that if they start reciting that bit from the Koran that tells them to kill Jews, the entire edifice will collapse on them.
          Clever.

  116. My favourite (retiring) Labour MP:

    Blimey, Kate Hoey is a tough cookie. I suppose she’s had to be as one of the handful of Labour MPs to campaign for Leave in the referendum and to vote with the Government ever since to save Brexit from castration by a thousand amendments.

    She admits she really likes Boris (she was his sports adviser when he was Mayor of London), and she doesn’t think Nigel Farage is a racist. For these wicked heresies, the former sports minister has been called traitor and received numerous death threats from far-Left trolls: “One wrote that he was coming to burn me.”

    But Hoey is from Ulster where intimidation was once a way of life. “I don’t think you should make a big thing of it,” she shrugs.

    Still, I can see that she is pretty emotional when we meet for afternoon tea in Westminster. Parliament has been Hoey’s place of work (and extended family; she never married) since she was elected MP for Vauxhall, in south London, in 1989. This is her last day. In a couple of hours, she will drive her beloved old Mini through the gates for the final time, waving goodbye to her mates in Security. (A natural chattiness and lack of airs means she has more friends on the staff than among MPs, many of whom she finds arrogant, “with very little to be arrogant about”.) Her last, most bitter quarrel with the party has seen Hoey sticking up for millions of Labour Leave voters. Famously, in 2016, she was photographed aboard the Fishing for Leave boat on the Thames alongside Nigel Farage. The Lib Dems, who ran “an absolutely horrible campaign” against her in Vauxhall, put the picture on their 2017 general election leaflets. Hoey was worried about the backlash, but reaction on the doorstep was surprisingly positive. “People on the estates don’t have that instinctive Farage aversion that snobbier people have,” she says. Amazingly, Hoey doubled her majority in a Remain area, a testament to how much she was admired as a local MP.

    She is disgusted that colleagues like Yvette Cooper, who represent strong Brexit constituencies, have done their damndest to scupper it. “They’re kidding themselves that they’re still honouring the vote because they haven’t actually revoked Article 50,” she says. “I think they genuinely believe they’re representing some nice, liberal-minded view on things and if you’re not in favour of staying in the EU, or at least getting a deal that more or less keeps us in, then you actually are beyond the pale.”Before she goes, she wants to talk about the conspiracy against Brexit, which she promised her dying mother would come to pass.

    “My mum was driving the day that she died in her 96th year,” she says. “Back home [at the small family farm in County Antrim], she had a massive stroke, and I happened to be there, which was lovely, because I wouldn’t have wanted her to go without me. It was just after the referendum and she’d been listening to the news and she was sad. ‘You know, Catherine, I don’t think they’ll ever let us leave.’ And I said: ‘Oh, Mummy, don’t be silly. We’re in a democracy, we voted to leave.’ Well, I think she’d be turning in her grave now.”

    Hoey wells up at the memory, but she quickly fans away the tears and musters a smile for the waitress. It may be 30 years since she first entered the Commons (she was one of only 41 women MPs), but with her delicate features and exuberant pixie-burst of curls, she looks amazingly youthful. Hard to believe she’s 73. Neither time nor gravity have taken their toll on the lithe frame of the 1966 Northern Ireland women’s high-jump champion. Hoey won the title when she was at PE college in Belfast. “But Mary Peters was injured, probably the only reason I won!” (Often, a surprising diffidence prevents her owning her achievements. Like most Christian-raised women of her generation, Hoey is afraid of appearing “big-headed”.)

    “I do not believe in banning things, if at all possible,” she says. “Coming from a farming background, I know foxes have to be managed and, to me, hunting was as good a way as any.” Labour didn’t agree: “They thought it was all posh people on horses.”

    Currently, she is fuming about hypocritical, Brexit-blocking MPs who are distributing election leaflets in which they try to hide their voting record from constituents. “Sorry, I just get so angry, Allison. Parliament has been awful. When I started, there used to be a dignity about the House of Commons which we’ve lost completely. MPs say there’s an impasse in Parliament over Brexit. Yes, I think, and who caused that impasse? You!”

    When Hoey made an impassioned speech about the danger to democracy if MPs failed to respect the referendum result, she was jeered by members on her own benches. Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman (whose constituency voted 61 per cent to Leave) cackled like a witch on laughing gas until Hoey coldly rebuked her. “You may think I’m talking absolute nonsense. There are 17 and a half million people out there who don’t think I’m talking nonsense!”

    In light of Jeremy Corbyn being mocked during this week’s ITV Leaders’ Debate, can Hoey possibly explain Labour’s current position on Brexit? “Well, the Labour Party has left me,” she sighs. “Labour simply does not have a credible policy on leaving the EU.”

    She retains many of the conservative-with-a-small-c values of her background. Last year, she said women MPs should stop dressing so casually; today, she is wearing an elegant tweedy suit with a nipped in waist. It has a jaunty, hunting air, which suits this sometime chairman of the Countryside Alliance. Foxhunting is one of the many issues on which the fiercely libertarian Hoey has clashed with her party. Grammar schools are another. A proud product of the Royal (her emphasis) Belfast Academy, she feels blessed to have had such a brilliant education alongside girls from “big houses and shipyard homes”.

    Although she admits this might not go down well with Telegraph readers, Hoey says she has a sneaking sympathy for Jeremy Corbyn. “Because I know Jeremy is genuinely anti-EU, always has been. We’ve walked through the same lobby for decades, voting against Maastricht etc, but he’s not been strong enough. He had a Parliamentary party that was stuffed with Remainers. They knew they couldn’t get rid of him as leader so they’ve used the EU issue to get at him. Jeremy’s allowed himself to be completely stitched up, particularly by John McDonnell.”

    The Shadow Chancellor, she says, “has become quite a nasty, devious figure behind the scenes”; McDonnell is the one pulling the strings now. “After a while, Jeremy realised that he was losing and he just seems to have given in.”

    Hang on, so the Labour leader doesn’t actually believe in the Brexit policy he’s currently out selling to voters? “Goodness me, no!” she laughs. “Jeremy can’t stand the EU. Shall we order more tea?”

    ….

    Hoey, who is headmistress of the Suck-It-Up school, clearly sees Soubry as a total drama queen. “Honestly, she gets someone shouting at her and it’s treated as if she’s the only one who ever got abused.” Hoey, meanwhile, was under constant “hateful” bombardment on email and social media from Momentum supporters, who hunt in packs. “I always felt you were giving into them if you made a big fuss. In retrospect, I should have behaved like Anna Soubry and been the heroine of the hour,” she says drily.

    Had the new Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, been in the chair, Hoey believes we would have had Brexit by now. Ditto Boris. “Such a shame. Instead, we got Theresa, who had no belief in the task and was soon taken over by civil servants and Remainers in her Cabinet.”

    Hoey is a big fan of the PM. They worked closely on the Leave campaign and, when he was London mayor, he enabled her to launch successful local sports initiatives while picking her brains for columns on football and the Olympics. “Boris is what a lot of people would call a One Nation Conservative,” she says. “He has a compassion there which never gets recognised because it’s not in the interests of anyone to paint Boris as anything other than this dreadful Right-wing extremist. It’s just outrageous, really. He’s very patient, he exudes a kind of warmth and good cheer that people feel is genuine. The media don’t like to show that he’s really welcomed wherever he goes, they show the one person who shouts at him.”

    A partisan media class is another target of Hoey’s ire. Parliament, she says, would not have been able to get away with their Brexit shennanigans “without the backing of a compliant media that has continually focused on the negative”. Why, she demands, “have there never been any proper programmes about the incredible opportunities that leaving the EU will give us? I suppose it’s because the higher echelons of the BBC are so biased against Brexit.”

    Appearing on TV the morning after the result, she noticed that BBC staff were “incredibly pale. Dimbleby, all of them, they were absolutely shocked. I wasn’t shocked. I was jumping up and down in my seat!”

    Hoey had spoken at a rally in Gateshead a few days before. Labour voters came up to her and said how lovely it was to see a Labour MP there. The “euphoria” of the crowd, “many who had never voted for anything in their lives before”, convinced her that Leave would win. When she said as much on The Daily Politics, her fellow Remainer panellists were incredulous. “You need to get out of London more,” she told them cheerfully.

    Could she personally vote for Labour now? “No,” she says firmly. “If Labour win, it will be the end of Brexit. This election is about whether we keep faith with the British people. I don’t believe that the Labour Party is going to keep faith, and I think they’ve done everything they can to try and renege on the promises they made in the 2017 manifesto. Therefore, I think every Labour voter who wants us to leave the EU has to recognise that this may be a general election where, perhaps reluctantly and with sadness, they will not be able to vote Labour.”

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/11/23/john-mcdonnell-nasty-devious-figure-behind-scenes-kate-hoey/

    1. Kiss her good night then, Peddy, and let her get a good night’s sleep. Otherwise Missy might get jealous.

  119. What a phoney baloney crock of merde

    Andrew Marr: my interviewing style
    Andrew Marr – 30 November 2019 – 3:42 PM

    My Sunday job is to ask questions; but in this campaign there is a line of criticism of television interviewing which makes me pause. The rise of misnamed social media (mostly Twitter) makes it all too easy to clip and post ‘Gotcha!’ moments, when a politician appears to be gasping for air at a particularly pertinent question.

    Two or three such moments now win the wearisome accolade of ‘a car crash interview’. So (goes the criticism) interviewers are under increasing pressure to skew their shows that way — go for cheap shots, get them online, and hope they go viral.

    I admit it’s a temptation. But as compared with fact-primed, carefully planned and constructed interviews — of the kind Andrew Neil does — to go for ‘car crash’ moments would be folly and a disgrace. It’s a temptation (just wallow in the Twitter applause) which must be resisted. If I’ve fallen into it, I hereby apologise.

    And after all, the single most watched and damaging television interview of recent times, Emily Maitlis with Prince Andrew, contained no showmanship on Emily’s part whatsoever. There is nothing more effective than the right question at just the right moment, calmly put.

    This article is an extract from Andrew Marr’s Spectator Diary, available in this week’s magazine.
    **********************************************************************************************

    BTL:

    Paul Rogers • 15 hours ago • edited
    Fine. Fair enough, an apology.

    But it’s too late. No one intelligent trusts you and your techniques now Mr Marr. You recognise a part of what you have become, but only a small part.

    You have no right to demand access to our leaders now.The BBC has lost its monopoly on our consciousness. Its behaviour has driven away millions, like me, who had been utterly devoted followers for 40 or more years. When I found myself repeatedly shouting with frustration at your content I realised it was not me that had changed, it was you.

    The BBC should now lose our funding. The damage has been done. I will not listen or pay any more.

    A real liberal Paul Rogers • 15 hours ago
    Spot on. As a wise old psychologist friend of mind used to say: ‘you can’t talk yourself out of a crisis you behaved yourself into.’ Marr was; is; and always will be a tainted left wing chaser of cheap thrills, at the expense of those who trust him to be fair. No non-socialist politician should take the risk.

    GaryMac • 15 hours ago • edited
    Then why does Marr struggle to contain his righteous leftie anger and manufacture set-ups against Tory politicians every time he interviews them?

    He was naked before us following his set up of Priti Patel, where he prepared his line of ‘I don’t know why you are laughing’ in an effort to get a Twitter run.

    The cameras rolled consistently on Patel’s face during that segment and showed that, for the first time ever, Patel was not even doing her default smile. She was deadpan.

    He set her up for a twitter ‘gotcha’ and humiliated himself before all fair-minded individuals.

    I’m still waiting to hear why Marr wasn’t sacked for that set up.

  122. Just tried to order something from Amazon – it’s now almost impossible to complete the order without getting a “free trial of Amazon Prime” which I don’t want – surely that must be illegal? I seen to have been signed up and have cancelled immediately – these people are ar$eholes (but convenient!)

    1. They are sailing close to the wind. In general you should have to opt in and not out but I think that is just guidance. The way they have it set up it is very easy to accidentally opt in

      What you need to do with the current Amazon set up is on the first page after you select checkout is to go about two thirds which says Order without Prime. It is easy to miss

    2. Press ‘continue without signing up’ or words to that effect. Not easy to see, but it’s there.

    3. I get that – just ignore and continue. It can be done, you just need to look at the wording quite carefully.

      1. Usually that is the case, but this time it was impossible – no opt out anywhere! I eventually continued, went straight to the account settings and discontinued my “free trail” – very annoying!

        1. Depending on how long the trial is, it might be worth going accepting the free trial and cancelling it before you get charged. I’ve done that a couple of times, and they will send you an email to warn you that the Cree period is ending and when the payment will be.

        2. I have found that after you place the order there is a big box that appears on the screen offering you the “benefits” of Prime, and in the middl / left of the box, in smaller text than the rest, is an option to decline. At least, it has been that way for the past few months.

          I placed my last order with them a few days ago, ordering a book that someone here had recommended, and it was the same then. They have have changed it in the past few days. I will no doubt find out the next order I place.

          They keep asking me if I am a business as well and if I would like to register as one. I suspect it is because of the high number of book orders that I send them.

          Edit – I see that others have already answered this. That will teach me to reply before the first mornings coffee has taken effect.

          1. Normally I have the same “Benefits box” and small print – nothing like that last night!

    4. There should be an obscure link at the bottom left to decline the offer. Last year I deliberately signed up to get free delivery on a load of orders, and then cancelled it before the month trial period was up. I now get e-mail reminders pleading for me to take it up again.

          1. Reminds me of a hack from not long ago.

            Order your grocery online but don’t check out. Log out and close screen and the following day you would get special offers. Always worth a try. Turn their crappy algorithms against them.

    6. The company needs the Prime cashflow to subsidise the costs of delivery. In return they allow you to watch thousands of hours of TV programmes and movies, offer a 24 hour delivery service and loads of other online stuff. For example, they will store all your digital photos securely while you are a subscriber.
      You could effectively share the Prime service with family or friends by installing various delivery addresses and restricting the payment card options (tedious but feasible).
      For anyone who wants to save time, Prime is affordable. One new windscreen wiper blade in Halfords, £18; two delivered to your door by Amazon, £26. Now factor in the drive to Halfords (or equivalent).

      1. I do take your point – some friends use Prime and love it. However, my complaint is the way Amazon left me no choice but to enrol – if I choose not to have Prime, then I should be able to shop with Amazon without being forced to opt in (presumably in the hope that I forget to cancel after the free trial).

        1. Yes, companies employ young staff whose role is to maximise income from punters by using marketing trickery on their websites. I temporarily subscribed to Amazon Prime abroad and it was difficult to unsubscribe.

    1. I guess yer slammers thought that the interactive workshop around 14.00 should include some sort of practical demonstration. And why not, it was yer stupid kuffir that set the whole thing up…. I guess in this case no lessons will be learned as Kahn will not be labelled a typical muslim.

  125. One of the problems, with Khan’s original Jail Sentence, was that it did not stipulate the number of years, that he had to serve, just that he should not be released, until he was no longer a (terrorist) threat

    The EUCHR, decreed, and we had to give ‘finite’ sentences: he was then given 16 years, …….then he was let out sooner

    See what happens in the real world

    Click and wish it happened here

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_prison_sentences

    1. The nicest was Abdullah Barghouti, 67 separate life sntences plus 5200 years. Fairly lenient actually. If any of you are thinking of donating to one of the pro-Palestinian charities,the Palestinian Authority has paid Barghouti a pension throughout his imprisonment.You can read up what he did on Wiki.
      He seems to be the only Muslim on the list, with the U.S.A. hosting most of the ordinary murders. Only one Brit ( Straffen the child killer who did 55 years before he met his maker, who was probably not pleased to meet him.

      1. Good evening Tony.
        Most contemporary Muslims who kill are/were prepared to die for their faith, thus they are less likely to be incarcerated; if one were to include those with de facto ‘indeterminate’ sentences, such as prisoners in Guantanamo, the Wiki list would be very different.

        Incidentally, I have a feeling that Labour Party anti-semitism is a red herring, but not easy to explain it on the web.

          1. Good morning Tony.
            Mr Corbyn believes that his party should be prepared to break a few bones in order to achieve socialism, just like in the old USSR. If the Jewish bourgeoisie are offended, what a pity, but the Revolution is his life’s work.

            I often ponder about my own prejudices; for example I admire ‘the Israelis’ but don’t have much time for people who (used to) throw stones at cars on the Sabbath. Who are also Israelis.

  126. Corbyns Plans to get rid of Gas Boilers

    This is one of his craziest ideas. Yo are looking at over £20,000 for a heat pump plus as they are not very efficient in the UK climate so you will need to install larger radiators. Heat pumps are also very noisy and very slow to heat the house so you would need to turn it on at about 4am to get the house warm for the morning, Another problem is they dont work well at temperatures below 25 to 30 deg F so not much good in the UK winter. You also need a super insulated house which makes little financial sense in the UK temperate climate. The other blow is they are expensive to maintain

    Trying to find meaningful technical data on heat pumps is also hard to find whcih tend to mean they dont want to tell you

      1. Looking at energy graphs at 32 deg F then the heat pump is useless, You are looking at around 50 deg F to produce any real amount of heat, To keep a house in the UK at a reasonable temperature in the winter would require supplementary heating. Basically they are a waste of money unless you like a cold house

        1. We have heat pumps. They work ok, but we’ve not had a very cold winter so far. We also have underfloor heating. It’s a pain, and difficult to control the temperatures. We go between too cold and too warm, depending on whether the sun is shining or not, i.e. we get so much solar gain through our patio doors, that yesterday, for example, the kitchen was up to 24.5C. I’d far rather have radiators and gas central heating, as it’s much easier to control, and works when it’s needed most, i.e. when it’s very cold. The heat pumps don’t work below -16C. It’s unlikely we ever get that cold, but if we did, they’d be useless.

        2. You could try ground source heat pumps if you have any land or a large garden. But the basic problem is the hazard of a single energy source, ie electricity from the grid. Anyone living in a rural area in the Northern Hemisphere would be daft not to have an alternative, be it gas, oil or solid fuel.

      2. Or not so smart smart meters. But that is what they are really for isn’t it. The heat and light will be on in their Dachas and we will be in darkness freezing to death.

    2. I’m in a Georgian terraced house, with a street at the front and another property behind me over which I have no control.

      Do I sink my heat pump into the roof?

      1. Cannot you just drill down directly underneath your floor?

        It might involve a few minor details like taking up the floor and I am sure that most commercial drilling rigs would not fit inside your house but they are mere details for the technicians to solve.

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