Saturday 7 September: The Government’s approach to immigration reflects its dearth of ideas

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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454 thoughts on “Saturday 7 September: The Government’s approach to immigration reflects its dearth of ideas”

    4. From Coffee House, the Spectator

      Agatha Christie and the curious truth about Miss Marple
      Comments Share 7 September 2024, 4:33am
      If we are to believe Agatha Christie, then the author was not at all like her creation Miss Marple, the spinster sleuth of St Mary Mead: ‘I never can see why anybody thinks that I resemble Miss Marple in any way,’ she once complained. Instead, Christie – who was born 134 years ago this week – felt that she was much more like her recurring character Ariadne Oliver, an apple-munching writer of crime fiction who despaired of making her most famous detective a Finn (Christie’s own Hercule Poirot was proudly Belgian), and whose complaints often mirrored those in Christie’s own life, including problems with taxation and disagreements over adaptations of her work. But was Christie right in her assertion?

      There was something of the author in Miss Marple, even if she didn’t always recognise it
      The most convincing evidence for Christie’s claim is a simple matter of age. Miss Marple first appeared at the end of 1927, when Christie was just 37 years old, and so clearly some obvious points of comparison fail here, with Miss Marple at least three decades older than her creator. And yet, there are a few parallels. After the breakdown of her marriage and the loss of her mother, both in 1926, Christie needed to be an independent woman who could make her own way in the world without the support of a husband and parents, just as Miss Marple needed to. Miss Marple also had to contend with the difficulties of people ignoring or overlooking her, just as Agatha Christie sometimes had to, thanks to her shyness.

      At the beginning of her career, Christie had battled with a ‘dragon’ at her first publisher, who insisted that cocoa should be spelled ‘coco’, and would not be convinced otherwise. Christie lost this fight, and it rankled with her for decades, inspiring her to be more confident when she felt something was wrong. This may have just been a disagreement about spelling, but we see similarities with Miss Marple, a character who, while polite and quiet, knows what is right and what is wrong and is not afraid to speak out about it when needed.

      Most popular
      Alexander Larman
      Ian McKellen’s comments about the Queen are a step too far

      Although Agatha Christie was not Miss Marple, as the author grew older St Mary Mead’s finest aged only very slightly over the course of four decades. This meant that author and character started to grow closer together, both in age and in experience. An early version of the 1957 novel 4.50 from Paddington put Miss Marple’s age at 90, which was felt to be a shock too far for readers, and so the mention was excised from the British edition. In the 1960s, Miss Marple’s age seems to settle down to around 70 years old again, approximately the same age as when we first met her – although by now Christie had turned 70 herself, in September 1960. This explains why some of Miss Marple’s memories are now the same as Agatha Christie’s: Christie biographer Laura Thompson has noted that several things remembered by Miss Marple in 1965’s At Bertram’s Hotel, are experiences shared by Agatha, such as the details of theatre trips and shopping at old Army and Navy Stores.

      But perhaps the most convincing example that Christie became more like her creation came later in the decade, when the author suggested a solution to a real-life murder. In the earliest Miss Marple stories, a group of friends and acquaintances each shared a mystery, to be solved by the others, despite the information being second-hand.

      In a 1968 edition of the Sunday Times Magazine, Christie did precisely the same, at the end of an article concerning the 1876 murder of British lawyer Charles Bravo. The Bravo story had clearly fascinated Christie (it is mentioned in three of her books), but the strange case had never been solved: Bravo was poisoned but took three days to die, and yet he refused to share any information that would identify the murderer or method of poisoning. No-one was ever arrested for the death, and theories included an unhappy housekeeper murdering her master, or even Bravo accidentally poisoning himself. However, for Christie, it was a combination of the facts and her understanding of human nature that allowed her to offer a solution to the crime, just as Miss Marple had done. As far as Christie was concerned, it was the lure of a love affair with Bravo’s wife that led to a local doctor committing the crime. This was a common motive in Agatha Christie’s mysteries, and indeed it is not unusual to find that a seemingly trustworthy doctor is the villain in a Miss Marple mystery.

      Like any creation, there was something of the author in Miss Marple, even if she didn’t always recognise it. Perhaps that is why she took such pleasure in revisiting her expert on wickedness throughout her life. Miss Marple was an original creation, but also a conduit to Christie’s past, as the character allowed her to remember her grandmother and her friends, who had made such an impression in a bygone age.

      1. Cocoa and coco reminds me of my boss at the Ministry of Truth back in the 90s who insisted that cows do not produce milk because they have calves. They produce milk because they eat grass. Time to start milking all those vegans. She was an otherwise intelligent woman and good at her job.

  3. Good morning, chums and thanks, Geoff, for today's NoTTLe page.

    Wordle 1,176 5/6

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    1. Par 4 here

      Wordle 1,176 4/6

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  6. A 12:00 train home today and the weather looks a lot better!
    Sun rising through broken cloud is visible and looks rather nice!

  7. 'Morning All
    Saturday Laffs
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    1. When every single country in the western world is doing the exact same things at the exact same time.. that's a sign it's coordinated & planned and not mere happenstance. It's a deliberate policy.

      All of a sudden for the first time like ever.. "We cannot manage the borders, it's impossible to stop migrants.. yeah, impossible. Honest."

      1. Poland, Hungary and Denmark seemed to have managed, and they're not even surrounded by a hugh moat.

        1. Yes, it's choice to ensure the gimmigrant arrives. They could easly change the law but don't want to. The state is simply raping the country with this invasion of utterly alien foreigners.

      1. 392623+ up ticks.

        Morning O,
        If I may,
        A very big bit, bit slow.
        Since the Mrs Thatches (RIP)political demise

  10. Good morning all, a second day in a row starting with clear skies and sunshine. Our summer has arrived.

      1. I expect we will pay for this, we have had a very short spell of decent weather followed by a fortnight of games and rain. Terrible summer all round.

  11. MI6 and CIA warn of 'reckless campaign of sabotage across Europe' being waged by Russia. 7 September 2024.

    On Russia, the heads of MI6 and the CIA said Russian intelligence was waging a "reckless campaign of sabotage across Europe".

    They did not list examples but there has been a spate of mysterious sabotage and arson attacks on infrastructure in the UK, Germany and in the Baltics.

    US intelligence also reportedly foiled an alleged Russian plot to assassinate the chief executive of Germany's leading arms manufacturer.

    Unfortunately the latter accusation is one of the more credible since absolutely no evidence whatsoever was offered to substantiate it, though why the Russians would think the assassination of a manufacturing executive would have any effect on arms production was not explained. The list itself (not given here) comprises even more unlikely scenarios An attack on a shopping mall in Poland, an Ikea store in Lithuania and anti-semitic graffiti in Paris.

    Now one has to sympathise with the spooks here. If you are going to posit a sabotage campaign then you have to give examples and no one is going to allow you to actually kill anyone or blow something up on their territory, so you have to make use of what’s available. Accidental incidents fall naturally for use. All this said the main thrust of the campaign is against “disinformation.” i.e. people saying things that the PTB don’t like.

    In effect the security services as their agents are engaged in a war, not against Russia, but the ordinary people of the West. It is quite common to be accused of being a Russian Troll or bot. I am frequently charged with being such on the Telegraph threads, ironically by their western counterparts and deletion of really awkward posts when this is insufficient. As this program fails (since truth will always be sought) Blogs like FreeSpeech and Nottl must eventually come under direct attack. We must prepare ourselves for that.

    https://news.sky.com/story/mi6-and-cia-warn-of-reckless-campaign-of-sabotage-across-europe-being-waged-by-russia-13210838

    1. 'reckless campaign of sabotage across Europe' being waged by the Progressive Liberal libtard and their fanatical belief in the religion of the Commie-woo-woo settled science.

    5. Владимир передает наилучшие пожелания по случаю Вашего дня рождения.

      And so do I, I hope you continue to turn smoothly well past 78 rpm

    6. I realise that, like all countries, Russia has its fair share of stupidity.
      But has it become so westernised that the ruling cadre wastes time undermining a West that is successfully destroying itself without any help? Unless we assume all western public concerns and big businesses are employing undercover Russian agents.

    7. Ah, when your incompetence, deceit, lies and treachery stop working to control the public, blame the Russians.

      It's boring.

        1. I remember from the time I lived in Aberdeen. Beautiful sunny day a short way inland (half-way to Dyce, for example) but dank damp & cold in the city becaause of the haar. You could even see the sun shining on the tops to the tower blocks, but not a beach level.

  13. Morning, all!! Managed it for once due to having just got in from dancing, and thought I'd pass on the laugh that is still bubbling up inside me…

    I was just asked to dance by a nice man I've danced with a couple of times before. His first words to me constituted a rather urgent-sounding question which I completely failed to understand.

    (I generally reckon that my Spanish is such that whilst I might not recognise something a stranger asked me in the street, small talk at a dance is pretty much an open book to me now because it's so predictable.

    Not this time.)

    After several tries I finally deciphered what he was saying:

    "Do you have a recipe for curry?"

    Something about its glorious randomness has tickled my funny bone. What better way to start the day? (Well, apart from sleeping well first, which I haven't got around to yet so here goes, see you all later… 🤣🤣)

      1. He wouldn't know the difference if it bit him. Given that it evidently didn't (late 30s and first time tasting curry!), I guessed Not Vindaloo…

      1. Best pick-up line for a very long time! Followed by "Would you come round to my place and help me taste it?"

        1. If so, he might have been rather put off by my somewhat mangled recital of the various spices needed, and where to buy them… 🤣

          1. If your description is mangled then probably better to demonstrate the preparation of curry in your apartment

      2. LOL – that never even occurred to me! Given that he's at least a couple of decades my junior, and drop-dead gorgeous, I have restarted my day with a grin. Thank you! 🤣🤣

    6. "Do you have a recipe for curry?"

      A. Come round later and i will show you how to make it. Bring beer !

      1. I gave him a lecture on the various spices needed and where to buy them in Buenos Aires (definitely not one of the spice capitals of the world).

        And I wonder sometimes why I am single… 🤣🤣🤣

      1. The *only* thing I dance is tango. I dipped a toe in flamenco once but actually broke said toe practising… 🤣🤣

          1. I do my best! Interestingly, it’s still OK for a woman to want to look pretty and feminine here. Even the cool young things dancing in jeans sport sparkly high heels.

    8. One of the delights of Jeremy Clarkson on 'Millionaire' is the way he sends up the commercial break. Immediately after the ads and the sponsor announcement, he comes out with a few words of surrealism that gives a suggestion of a strange conversation he was having during the break with the contestant so rudely interrupted by the resumption of the show.

  15. I wonder which politicians refused to listen when they were told that the State education couldn't cope with the numbers of children displaced from the private sector if it was abolished or made impossibly expensive? That seems to be showing up already, in reports about the inability to get children in, and it's barely started!
    Assuming private education collapses, what will the State do?
    There aren't physically enough schools for all the displaced children, nor enough teachers.
    The state doesn't have the money to build new schools (put life on hold for over 10 years whilst they fail to get on with it?)
    The state doesn't have the money to buy the existing school buildings and transfer them to State owndership
    The state doesn't have the money to pay all the teachers needed for the "new" state schools, even if it appropriated / stole them.
    Hell, the state doesn't even have the money to run their system, as it is now, even adequately.
    So far, this looks like being the clusterfuck of all clusterfucks.

    1. This shower have their reasons for attacking private schools and education isn't one of them.

      1. They are all without exception viscously vindictive and very far left.
        But live the selected lives of pompous mid-right. The opposite green benches and the Lords.

    3. The last time that the closure of private schools was suggested most private schools decided to move to Southern Ireland.

      Perhaps the same will happen this time?

      Good for net zero as there will be much less employment in Britain.

    4. I posted above a link to a story in the DT yesterday saying that a state school would not accept a refugee from a private school unless the parents could show that they had not got enough money to pay the fees!

    5. Overall the entrenched Political idiots are too stupid and focused on their own adgenda, beliefs and benefits to take notice of all the damage they inflict
      on everything they touch.

  16. Not so funny………
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  17. It was with great relief that I was told that my tenants have found themselves another flat – one run by a big housing association better suited than an old bloke letting out one flat to eke out his pension. I can then put the place on the market without having to go through the rigmarole of Section 21 while this be still available to me.

    Sure enough, as a parting shot by society against the social pariah I have been, my tenants' neighbour reported a gas leak, which they traced to my tenants' boiler flue. They barged in, shut it off and then put a DANGER notice on it, just before the estate agent was due to come in to value the place.

    I rang up Cadent for more information, but they threw Data Protection at me, and refused to accept a tenancy agreement dated 2017 (when my tenants moved in) was valid proof that I was the landlord, so they would not release to me their report. I did manage to find out though that they had found raw gas coming out of the flue. Eventually they did say I could get the report in ten working days.

    I have sent the following enquiry to their help bot:

    "Good morning

    Thank you for sending me the report in due course, although a little late to call in an engineer to make the urgent investigations or to enable me to go into the report in detail.

    It seems that the issue may be the release of gas through the flue, which is a normal occurrence each time a gas boiler using a spark generator (as opposed to a pilot light) fires up. There is a short lag between the release of gas to the burners and ignition which would certainly be picked up by anyone passing within feet of the flue, as the neighbour does when getting to his front door.  It is safe if, should the ignition spark fail, the gas supply is cut off immediately, but a small amount of raw gas being released through the flue cannot and should not be avoided.

    Was this considered?

    Best regards
    Jeremy Morfey"

    On 06/09/2024 09:33, WeCare wrote:

    "Good morning,

    Thank you for your correspondence. In response to your email below I have raised an enquiry for a job report to be written and emailed to you. This enquiry will be picked up and investigated by the emergency supervisor for the area.
    For your records your enquiry reference number is xxxxxxxx

    Please note that job reports can take up to ten working days to generate and send out. If you have any further questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0800 389 8000  and quote your reference number.

    Kind regards, 
    Rosemary"

    My Gas Safe engineer is coming out on Tuesday to investigate, and will no doubt charge me the normal fee for this and say I need a new boiler.

    Obviously if the gas to the burners is not being shut off, forcing a reset, if the spark fails, then this is serious and needs attention, but it has never done this.

    My own boiler at home had its ignition lead fail on me, but that is an easy fix and costs a fiver to replace, which involved one screw and one push-on spade connection.

    Is this a scam by the industry?

    1. I deliberately ignore any chatbots. Companies are using them to avoid doing their jobs of actually speaking to their customers. They're always useless.

      There should be a law that for every minute you're on hold you can charge the company money. That'll stop the 'we can't be bothered to hire enough people to answer your call and as we're saving money and it's your time, we don't care' messages. Very quickly you'd find the phone answered rather than you fobbed off.

      1. To be fair to Cadent, I was reasonably certain that I was speaking to a well-programmed human being on the telephone. I managed to get that information about the flue when I said that I could not do a security check on them when they barged into my tenants' flat, and I only had their word that they provided them with proper and valid ID. They also had the case up on their system, which was reassuring up to a point.

        When I did a quick web search, I found other gases of unexplained gas leaks which when investigated led to a system working normally and safely.

        They are right to be cautious, since there have been a few big bangs that were not all battery powered vehicles blowing up, but I too have been victim to gas engineers trying it on to make business.

  18. Good morning all

    Murky weather , 14c , no breeze ..

    This popped up , as a Dorset link ..

    How Right-Wing Governments and Political Parties Capture Low-IQ Voters
    By Dorset Eye -5th September 2024

    The Role of Authoritarianism and Conservatism
    Research on authoritarianism and cognitive ability has suggested that individuals with lower IQs may be more prone to authoritarian tendencies. Right-wing ideologies often encompass an authoritarian streak, emphasising law and order, deference to authority, and the maintenance of social hierarchies. For those who feel threatened by societal change, the promise of a return to traditional values and strong leadership can be reassuring. In this sense, low-IQ voters may be drawn to right-wing ideologies because they provide a sense of stability and certainty in an unpredictable world.

    Moreover, conservatism—whether political or cultural—tends to resist change. Studies have shown that people with lower cognitive abilities may prefer the status quo and be more resistant to new, complex ideas. Right-wing parties often play into this by advocating for a return to “traditional” ways of life, reinforcing the notion that the past was a better, simpler time. By romanticising history and positioning themselves as the defenders of this lost era, right-wing movements can create a strong emotional appeal to voters who may be wary of the fast-paced changes brought about by globalisation, multiculturalism, and technological advancement.

    Economic Insecurity and the Promise of Simple Solutions
    Economic insecurity has long been a driving force behind political preferences, and right-wing parties have adeptly used this issue to their advantage, especially among lower-IQ voters. Many individuals with lower cognitive abilities may find themselves in lower-paying, precarious jobs, or even unemployed. These voters are often more susceptible to populist rhetoric that promises quick, simplistic solutions to their financial difficulties, such as “taking back control” from external forces, cutting taxes, or “fixing” the economy through deregulation and nationalism.

    Right-wing parties frequently exploit these insecurities by shifting the blame for economic woes onto external scapegoats—immigrants, foreign countries, or liberal elites. This narrative is easy to grasp and emotionally resonant, as it provides a clear cause for voters’ struggles. By contrast, more complex and systemic explanations for economic disparity, such as technological shifts, global market trends, or structural inequality, require a higher level of cognitive engagement and may not resonate as well with low-IQ voters.

    The Media and the Decline of Rational Discourse
    In the age of mass media and social networks, the nature of political communication has drastically changed. Right-wing movements have been especially effective in using media to reach voters, including those with lower cognitive abilities. Television, radio, and especially social media platforms have allowed for the wide dissemination of simplistic and emotionally charged messages. These platforms often prioritise engagement over accuracy, meaning that polarising and sensational content is more likely to go viral than well-reasoned, fact-based discourse.

    Right-wing leaders, from Donald Trump in the United States to Nigel Farage in the United Kingdom, have mastered the art of “politainment”—the fusion of politics and entertainment. These figures often deliver their messages in an accessible, charismatic manner, appealing to a sense of identity, grievance, and nostalgia that resonates across wide swathes of the population. This style of communication is particularly effective at capturing the attention of voters with lower cognitive abilities, who may be more prone to forming opinions based on surface-level impressions rather than in-depth analysis.

    https://dorseteye.com/how-right-wing-governments-and-political-parties-capture-low-iq-voters/

      1. Indeed, Lefties are group thinkers as all the left wing organizations demonstrate. The fact that this left wing government cannot come up with a single 'Right Wing' organization for all the unrest we have been seeing, tells me that those on the right are far more individualistic and far less inclined to act like sheep. 'Right wing thug' and variations thereof simply strikes me as a euphemism for indigenous or native white person, a person whose ancestry goes back into the mist of ancient time in these islands. We are the Right because we will not comply with our home being stolen from us or our history being erased for mythical Britons who hail from the sub continent, Africa, or the Middle East and who practice a religion antithetical to our well being. The left being habitual liars label us with a lie.

    3. Who is this "Dorset Eye" that cannot even give a name to this ill-informed bilge?

      I would expect this to come from a fourth-former (or rather Year 10 as it is called now) in an essay that would pass muster with Ofsted, but is so full of logical holes, it is hardly the work of intelligent life.

      For a start, natural conservatism and romantic attachment to the familiar and the reassuring can be claimed just as much by those of high intelligence, who only want a quality of life they feel at home with. This defeats the entire argument of the article, and therefore "Dorset Eye"'s contribution is worthless.

      I am not a rightwinger, and actually recognise the need for State intervention for the public good, and have voted Liberal or Lib Dem more times than for any other party. I am emphatically anti-authoritarian. By today's standards though, I am a social conservative, and also recognise the worth of the traditional family unit, borne of my own bad experiences with the alternative. I am also deeply nostalgic for a time when my country actually made things, and had a national identity it could be proud of. Does that make me a thicko?

      [edit for corrections]

    4. Talking about "resisting change" — Marxism is about 150 years old, and has never been successful.

      Perhaps high-IQ voters could recognise this fact and cease abusing sensible up to date voters?

      1. It is odd. isn't it? That highly intelligent people actually fall for the Marxist nonsense. I'm a firm believer in using 'By their fruits shall ye know them, as a criteria for the success of anything and with Marxism 94 million dead due to executions, deportations, and artificial famines, strikes me as a failure.

    1. Well done TR not the sort of thing we see on our nation or even local news.
      They are too busy pumping out propaganda.

    1. I really don't understand why he didn't ship the rioter off to Botany Bay, after the requisite 100 lashes, of course.

    1. Reminds me of the old shaggy dog story which starts: "It was a dark and stormy night and forty robbers sat around a campfire and the first robber stood up to tell his story: "It was a dark and stormy night and forty robbers sat around a campfire and the first robber stood up to tell his story: "It was a dark and stormy night and forty robbers etc. …….. " " "

      1. Was trying to find a suitable William McGonigal, poem but came up short so, "Dark and Stormy Night", it was. Still can't complain, that 28c was making me ill. I do hope we are at the end of that sort of heat this year. And. Good Morning Rastus 😊

        1. The nearest may be The Tay Bridge Disaster.

          "Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay!
          Alas! I am very sorry to say
          That ninety lives have been taken away
          On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
          Which will be remember’d for a very long time.

          ‘Twas about seven o’clock at night,
          And the wind it blew with all its might,
          And the rain came pouring down,
          And the dark clouds seem’d to frown,
          And the Demon of the air seem’d to say-
          “I’ll blow down the Bridge of Tay.”

          When the train left Edinburgh
          The passengers’ hearts were light and felt no sorrow,
          But Boreas blew a terrific gale,
          Which made their hearts for to quail,
          And many of the passengers with fear did say-
          “I hope God will send us safe across the Bridge of Tay.”

          But when the train came near to Wormit Bay,
          Boreas he did loud and angry bray,
          And shook the central girders of the Bridge of Tay
          On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
          Which will be remember’d for a very long time.

          So the train sped on with all its might,
          And Bonnie Dundee soon hove in sight,
          And the passengers’ hearts felt light,
          Thinking they would enjoy themselves on the New Year,
          With their friends at home they lov’d most dear,
          And wish them all a happy New Year.

          So the train mov’d slowly along the Bridge of Tay,
          Until it was about midway,
          Then the central girders with a crash gave way,
          And down went the train and passengers into the Tay!
          The Storm Fiend did loudly bray,
          Because ninety lives had been taken away,
          On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
          Which will be remember’d for a very long time.

          As soon as the catastrophe came to be known
          The alarm from mouth to mouth was blown,
          And the cry rang out all o’er the town,
          Good Heavens! the Tay Bridge is blown down,
          And a passenger train from Edinburgh,
          Which fill’d all the peoples hearts with sorrow,
          And made them for to turn pale,
          Because none of the passengers were sav’d to tell the tale
          How the disaster happen’d on the last Sabbath day of 1879,
          Which will be remember’d for a very long time.

          It must have been an awful sight,
          To witness in the dusky moonlight,
          While the Storm Fiend did laugh, and angry did bray,
          Along the Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay,
          Oh! ill-fated Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay,
          I must now conclude my lay
          By telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay,
          That your central girders would not have given way,
          At least many sensible men do say,
          Had they been supported on each side with buttresses,
          At least many sensible men confesses,
          For the stronger we our houses do build,
          The less chance we have of being killed."

          1. His most magnificent poem. Should have been the Poet Laureate on the strength of that alone.

  23. I have never known such a split in our country between the few and the many. Its a pity the many cannot get their act together and vote them out. or are the elections fixed.? Nothing would suprise me .

  24. I have never known such a split in our country between the few and the many. Its a pity the many cannot get their act together and vote them out. or are the elections fixed.? Nothing would suprise me .

  25. Reposted from last night

    Saturday 6th September, 2024

    ARAMINTA SMADE

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/94d8139ded26aaaadaa10168b60927e0aa54c69c56bc72a788098c412f6e2e83.png

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f15108925be65a9a2608d8e25edca14c950fe7218c958fddb1d38927a117d0b9.png

    Another Shellac Seventy Eighter to join our ranks!

    (Old gramophone records were made of shellac and rotated at 78rpm)

    With very best wishes,

    Caroline and Rastus

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/529918aa96e3f29257591c829915b535d750916c017f1193f11f9f6da3ad6dd6.png

  26. No comments allowed on this story by the intrepid guardian of Truth, The Telegraph, So comments are free on good old NOTTLERS. Here to fulfill a need that the paper is only selective about, as it suits them.

    I was just trying to help, says 81-year-old charged over riots
    Keith Edwards, accused of using abusive or threatening behaviour, tells court he was trying to assist officers in making an arrest

    An 81-year-old man who claims he was arrested after standing on a protester’s leg to prevent him from getting away from police has become the oldest person charged in connection with the far-Right riots.

    Keith Edwards, who is accused of using abusive or threatening behaviour with intent to cause fear or provoke unlawful violence, appeared on Friday at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court, where he pleaded not guilty.

    His solicitor said Mr Edwards had “no involvement” in the pre-planned protest in Nottingham and was actually “assisting” the police by putting his foot on the leg of a man they were trying to arrest.

    The defendant, of Kinglake Place, Nottingham, was granted unconditional bail by District Judge Michelle Jeffreys, who set a trial date for October 7 at the same court.

    Violent disorder
    Meanwhile, an arsonist who took part in rioting in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, has been jailed for nine years.

    Painter and decorator Thomas Birley was handed the longest prison sentence so far following the rioting in early August

    Birley was part of a group which smashed windows and added wood to a fire against the building at a Holiday Inn in Manvers, Rotherham, in South Yorkshire.

    He previously pleaded guilty to a charge of arson with intent to endanger life, violent disorder, and possessing an offensive weapon.

    Recorder of Sheffield Judge Jeremy Richardson KC told Birley, 27, his case was “unquestionably” one of the most serious of the dozens he has dealt with in the past month concerning the rioting outside the hotel on August 4.

    Sheffield Crown Court heard how Birley, of Swinton, Rotherham, was involved in many of the worst incidents on that Sunday afternoon, including adding wood to the fire in the large industrial bin which had been pushed against an exit and helping place a further bin on top of the one ablaze.

    Endanger life
    Birley was also filmed throwing missiles at the police, squaring up to officers while brandishing a police baton and throwing a large bin which crashed into a line of police with riot shields.

    The defendant became the first person to be sentenced for arson with intent to endanger life following the 12 hours of violence in Manvers which left 64 police officers, three horses and a dog injured.

    Judge Richardson heard how 22 staff in the hotel barricaded themselves into the hotel’s panic room with freezers and “thought they were going to burn to death”.

    He said he needed to pass an extended sentence due to Birley’s ongoing dangerousness, which included an extended five-year licence period.

    1. Err…"intent to cause fear or provoke unlawful violence" how on earth is that concluded? It's an opinion, not an actual crime. You intend to cause fear…. how do you know? You intend to provoke violence…. how? What evidence do you have of that?

      All this 'intent to' is just thoughtcrime.

    2. "ongoing dangerousness"?
      Edit: nine year sentence for setting fire to a wheelie bin, sounds like Sir Starmer has introduced a Diplock court by the back door.

  27. Morning all 🙂😊
    I've decided to 'hang on in (here) there' a bit longer.
    Very misty earlier this morning, almost sprawling fog.
    On the other hand. Quite clearly the British government as usual, have backed away from their responsibilities. As in taking notice and effect from the overall majority of public opinion. It's a shame that we can't all withdraw our financial support we are all forced to make. Given the choice and wiithout forced public financial support, most of them in Wastemonster would be on the streets begging. Where in reality they should be. They haven't got a clue, are totally useless and not fit for purpose.

  30. Tom Tugendhat

    Tom Tugendhat gets huge leadership boost with support from 100 Tory councillors

    Question. Does anyone see him as a leader of the Conservative Party? Honestly, I don't see him as the leader of anything.

    4. I first heard of him when attending a Save the Parish conference in York a couple of years ago. A woman decided to sit next to me for the day and introduced herself as a lay deacon and active lesbian living with her partner. She raved about Tugendhat as the next big thing.

        1. She wanted it known that she has a settled relationship. It’s an issue for gay people in the church.

        1. She felt the need to tell me. I didn’t ask. For her, it’s an inclusivity issue . I mention it because she made an issue of it and it informs her politics.

          1. The prefix of “As a [insert identity category here]” immediately puts me in doubt as to to genuine content of the speaker’s thinking.

    6. He happens to be a Remainer, though that is not entirely surprising, what with his having a Jewish refugee paternal grandfather*, a French mother, and being married to a French lady (a senior functionary) and their having a couple of children who are effectively 75% French.
      * Dr George T set up Manchester Oil Refinery Ltd in 1936, producing industrial lubricants, specifically for transformers.

      1. All that continental influence make me mistrust him along with his interest in Islam. Sorry, veto, veto, veto.

    9. Tom Tugendhat
      "He was educated at St Paul's School, London, an all-boys private school, before studying theology at the University of Bristol. Tugendhat then did a Master's degree course in Islamic studies at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and learnt Arabic in Yemen.[5] Following university, he briefly served as a journalist at the Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star.[6]"
      [Wiki]
      Well qualified to be our next PM?

        1. Trying to look on the positive side at least he is better positioned to understand the Islamic mindset.

          Good afternoon, JR.

          1. A belated good afternoon to you too Pip, belated though it is on a Sunday Morning. If his motivation is to oppose Islam, then I’m all for him. But as far as I know he has said nothing that indicates that at all.

  31. Dame Angela Eagle ,the border security and asylum minister,

    Surely, her areas of control are a dichotomy:

    a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different.

    If Border Security did their job, the Asylum sector would slowly disappear

    Who can get Aslum?

    As long as you are not Wight or Christian, come and live here, in the UK : Housing, Benefits, Education (although learning English is optional), Health Care etc provided for life.

    Extended families welcome

    1. A ditch-otomy don't give her any more ideas💡.
      The British public are in the ditch already.

    2. Watching her being interviewed on the subject, it was easy to discern that she is hopelessly out of her depth. Sadly, she doesn’t seem to realise.

    3. It is very simple. We revoke those laws that demand we treat gimmigrants in the same way as citizens. Then we repeal all ghastly legislation Blair dumped on us such as the HRA. That would permanently sever us from the hated EU though, so the Left wing state won't do that. Remember the intent is to force us back under the EU thumb, not to allow us to diverge away from it.

      We're trapped by the state machine wanting ever more dangerous criminals in the country because it suits their agenda. They want to punish those who said no to them.

      2. No NI number – no bennies, no housing, no health care, no fucking anything. You have to pay – like the rest of the world (used to<9 have it.

  32. Dame Angela Eagle ,the border security and asylum minister,

    Surely, her areas of control are a dichotomy:

    a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different.

    If Border Security did their job, the Asylum sector would slowly disappear

    Who can get Aslum?

    As long as you are not Wight or Christian, come and live here, in the UK : Housing, Benefits, Education (although learning English is optional), Health Care etc provided for life.

    Extended families welcome

  33. Prove you can’t afford private school fees, council asks parents
    Buckinghamshire council asks mother for evidence of her financial situation in order for her daughter to be considered for state school
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/09/06/parents-asked-prove-afford-private-fees-buckinghamshire/

    There was a story in the DT yesterday saying that a state school would not accept a refugee from a private school unless the parents could show that they had not got enough money to pay the private school fees!

    When President Mitterrand proposed banning private schools in France all the teachers announced that they would resign from teaching rather than work in the state system and those who owned the private school premises said they would not allow the state to use these premises.

    Mitterrand may have been a thoroughly nasty man but he was a pragmatist with a brain and so he realised the state sector woud be swamped and he would have to abandon his private school.

    Starmer is also a thoroughly nasty man but he is neither a pragmatist nor a realist and his intelligence seems to be very warped so he will press ahead with his destruction of private schools by imposing VAT on the fees regardless of the disastrous effects this will have not only on the displaced children from private schools but also on the children in state schools.

  34. Prove you can’t afford private school fees, council asks parents
    Buckinghamshire council asks mother for evidence of her financial situation in order for her daughter to be considered for state school
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/09/06/parents-asked-prove-afford-private-fees-buckinghamshire/

    There was a story in the DT yesterday saying that a state school would not accept a refugee from a private school unless the parents could show that they had not got enough money to pay the private school fees!

    When President Mitterrand proposed banning private schools in France all the teachers announced that they would resign from teaching rather than work in the state system and those who owned the private school premises said they would not allow the state to use these premises.

    Mitterrand may have been a thoroughly nasty man but he was a pragmatist with a brain and so he realised the state sector woud be swamped and he would have to abandon his private school abolition plans.

    Starmer is also a thoroughly nasty man but he is neither a pragmatist nor a realist and his intelligence seems to be very warped so he will press ahead with his destruction of private schools by imposing VAT on the fees regardless of the disastrous effects this will have not only on the displaced children from private schools but also on the children in state schools.

    1. Perhaps 2TK is looking at this backwards, Rastus….and all state schools should be run on private school lines..might even up the exam grades. Wonder if he's thunk about that.

      1. It won't. Private school pupils lumped into dysfunctional over sized state classrooms are forced down, they don't lift up.

        1. Why I said state schools should be run on private school lines. A number of state schools now have a female head, whilst we’re different (ahem), perhaps that’s something to do with boy behaviour in some cases.

          1. All three schools that I wrote to had female heads; at one time only one – for obvious reasons – had a headmistress rather than a headmaster.
            The feminisation of teaching, especially at secondary level, has not been a Good Thing.
            (Oh, and so, far, only one has had the grace to make any sort of reply to me.)

          2. I only went to two schools – little village one with three female teachers including the head; and local girls' grammar with female head and mostly female teachers.

    2. This is fundamentally wrong. The state must provide education (it doesn't, but it should). It should prove it hasn't got the money to provide that and then those individuals responsible for the lack be sacked.

      The citizen need prove nothing to the state. It is for the state to provide. That's it's damned job. It seems to think it is master, not servant.

    3. Can this be legal? If so, perhaps a trick is being missed as we all could be threatened with no NHS treatment unless it can be proven conclusively we don't have the means to go private.

  35. HMCS Raccoon.
    Armed Yacht.

    Complement:
    37 (37 dead – no survivors).

    Completed in June 1931 as Halonia for Charles A. Thorne, Chicago. In March 1940 bought by the Canadian Government and commissioned in June 1940 as the armed yacht HMCS Raccoon in the Royal Canadian Navy. From Spring 1942 she was assigned to the naval base at Gaspe to patrol the river and Gulf of the St. Lawrence and to escort convoys of ships sailing from Quebec to Sydney, Newfoundland or Halifax.

    During the night of 6th – 7th September 1942, U-165 (Eberhard Hoffmann) attacked convoy QS-33 in the St. Lawrence river and reported the sinking of three ships with 19,000 grt. In fact, the Aeas and HMCS Raccoon were hit and sunk.
    The HMCS Raccoon (LtCdr J.N. Smith, RCNR) was reported missing after she left convoy at midnight to engage the U-boat. Only debris and one body was found some days later.

    Type IXC U-Boat U-165 was sunk on 27th September 1942 in the Bay of Biscay south-west of Lorient by depth charges from a Czech Wellington aircraft (311 Sqn RAF). 51 dead (all hands lost).

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c2ddc8bbc0c1ff9a1fccb3e948f97355ac021eeb3dc426f6753c814abfcef15b.jpg

  36. Michael Deacon in the Tellygraff.

    "The hypocrisy of trans activists has just been hilariously exposed

    There’s a new online trend called ‘transfishing’ – and it’s driving gender ideologues mad

    7 September 2024 • 7:00am

    Now here’s a trend I didn’t see coming. According to an article in Metro, there’s a shameful new phenomenon known as “transfishing”. This, apparently, is “when cisgender people (those whose gender identity aligns with their sex at birth) pretend to be trans for personal gain”.

    In case you’re still in the dark, here’s an example. The other day there was a furious uproar online after two female models on OnlyFans – a pornographic subscription service – were accused of pretending to be trans women (who are biologically male). In a caption, they described themselves as “two boys”. Meanwhile, they both appeared to have stuffed objects down the front of their knickers to create a bulge.

    In short: here, it seemed, were two females trying to look like males trying to look like females.

    Naturally, this made a lot of trans activists very angry. The two models were told that they were “fake” and “disgusting”. One trans commenter wrote that it was “incredibly disrespectful and frustrating to see them profit off our bodies”. Another thundered: “Don’t get in our space.”

    I’m sure we can all sympathise. It must be distressing when members of another group invade a space traditionally reserved for one’s own group. Equally, it must feel insulting when they insist that they actually are members of one’s own group, when anyone with eyes can see that they aren’t.

    None the less, I think we should defend the two models. If they say they’re trans, then they are trans, and that’s that. Because, as we all know, anyone who questions someone else’s gender identity is a hateful bigot."

    1. Cripes, this mating lark seems far too difficult these days. At least you know what you were getting if you went for that old favourite, the grab a granny night. Nowadays, you might get a prickly pair…

    2. yeah well.. an absurdity reveals itself to be absurd. Who knew?

      What's more of an absurdity is.. the absurd slowness of the absurd wet Tories & absurd Labour voters to realise that the Labour, Tory parties & civil service have been captured by an absurd minority with absurd ideas.. and they are in charge for a decade.

    3. yeah well.. an absurdity reveals itself to be absurd. Who knew?

      What's more of an absurdity is.. the absurd slowness of the absurd wet Tories & absurd Labour voters to realise that the Labour, Tory parties & civil service have been captured by an absurd minority with absurd ideas.. and they are in charge for a decade.

  37. David Starkey has said that the Labour Party has lost the working class forever but has he overlooked the deputy leader of the party?

    But she is, of course, despite her pride in her social status, a traitor to the working class.

    1. …the Labour Party has lost the working class forever…

      I assume he means the White Working Class?

        2. I was a supporter of the Conservative Party for most of my life. After Cameron became leader my support weakened and when the Bumptious Bonker completely cocked up Brexit I became very anti-Conservative but without a political home to go to.

          1. Pretty much the course my views went.
            As soon as I realised CMD was little more than Bliar MK2 and he was prepared to jump into bed with Clegg I knew it was time to find someone else.

          2. Very similar here, Rastus. I quite liked Sunak, at least he has a numbers brain and uses it. Heck I even liked some of Truss' policies. Not voting Cleverly, going for Badenoch. Perhaps you'd like Reform for your next vote? Myself, I'd just like the Conservatives to find their focus once again. Gal can dream…..

          3. Sunak seems a decent chap. I just didn't care for his politics or his strategic ability. As for the Conservatives they are done in my book.

          4. Agreed A A. Too naive to be a politician, let alone a leader, a numbers person you know where you are with them. Fast learner tho. Yes, for the time being at least, don’t have much hope in the coming ‘contest’.

          5. I voted Reform in the recent election. We got a local GP as a Labour member. The Conservative girl worked hard on things for local people but she was out on her ear.

          6. Hear you re Reform. Wonder why the GP did that…hmm…shame about the CP girl, hope she tries again 🙂

          7. She'll probably fall back on her earlier legal career. She was pushing for improvements to the local station and getting a closed one reopened for travel to Bristol, and also campaigned for the maternity hospital. It was clear from all the Labour posters everywhere that they were more organised.

        3. Me too. "We’ve always voted Labour". Absolutely mindless. With any luck that mindset will change after this lot.

          1. Know what, Harry…somehow doubt it. Bit like me always voting Conservative, no matter the leader, no matter where/how I think they're going wrong. As I say, brain cell thing….

          2. One can but hope. My father was a Labour Party member until the strikes, power cuts etc in the 70s and from there on he voted Conservative. Mother always voted Conservative, because her father did. He was a gamekeeper so spent his days among landed aristocracy.

          3. Was your grandfather a gamekeeper in the North..Sue?

            When my very elderly Aunt died 11 years ago , I attended her funeral , her obit was in the DT , but what was so amazing was over 200 attended her funeral and all the gamekeepers from everywhere , and I mean everywhere virtually turned out in their formal kit as a mark of respect . She was very well known in all the gundog/ shooting circles ..

            She lived in North Yorkshire ..

    3. A hate filled vicious piece of baggage with the morals of an alley cat, and indeed the intellect of one.
      Ghastly woman.

    4. Raynor is the epitome of Labour. A grasping, uneducated hypocrite who has benefitted from Conservative policies combined with a low cunning to profit from the state by getting a free house through back handers and corruption. Never having worked or built anything she is a parasite on society, always living off other people's effort.

      She's vermin, just like Starmer, just at the other end.

    5. Why is Rayner considered Working Class? She was banging on about being a Union rep the other day and she has seen that sweet politician payroll for years. When was the last time she was on minimum wage? Is it because of her accent?

  38. 'Our' National Health Service is becoming a cesspit of hate

    The NHS spends c.£40 million a year on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. But this inclusivity does not seem to apply to Jews

    NICOLE LAMPERT • 5 September 2024 • 4:31pm

    Some like to joke that the NHS is Britain's national religion. But it is no longer a secular one. Sectarianism has become rife across the health service and perhaps the most frightening thing is that people are no longer hiding it. Some, like the Labour MP Jess Phillips, even revel in it.

    "I got through quicker," the Birmingham MP said last week of being whizzed through A&E, apparently because of her political views. "The doctor who saw me was Palestinian … and he was sort of like, 'I like you. You voted for a ceasefire'.''

    It is probably best for her that she stepped away from X (Twitter) last month after a post in which she appeared to justify scenes of masked men intimidating a journalist. Because she may have been asked about a two-tier NHS and what might have happened had she dared to – God forbid – speak against the terrorist group Hamas. Or what her treatment might have been if she was a well-known Jewish MP.

    The NHS – like the university, arts, charity and trade union sectors – no longer feels like a safe space for Jewish people. It is an organisation in which people like Dr Wahid Shaida, who gloried in the October 7 massacre as a "welcome punch on the nose", is allowed to work as a GP. Where the Health Workers for Palestine hold demonstrations outside hospitals. Where nurses wear Palestine badges – with complainants told it is a free speech issue.

    The General Medical Council has reported that the number of complaints about doctors subjecting Jewish colleagues to anti-Semitic abuse after October 7 jumped from eight to 60. According to one poll, three quarters of Jewish healthcare workers have suffered at least one anti-Semitic incident since October 7 – and half reported feeling unsafe at work.

    Jewish doctors and NHS workers have told me of their fear that, if they complain, it will only make things worse. One told me: "I wouldn't tell any doctor or nurse treating me that I'm Jewish because I hear what is said 'behind the scenes' and its frightening."

    Jews often have their ethnicity on their records because certain genetic diseases are more prevalent in the community. But some have become so frightened of experiencing anti-Semitism when they are most vulnerable that they have asked for their religion to be erased.

    The NHS is aware of the problem but even its attempt to fight it causes problems, as it emerged this week. Online anti-Semitism training at the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust was subject to an attack before it had even started when an "important notice" in its weekly bulletin warned staff against attending, saying: "We have determined that this training and its content may be inappropriate". Its chief executive Claire Murdoch later apologised.

    Something has gone very wrong if the NHS – which controversially spends around £40 million a year on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at a time when it can ill-afford any wastage – is no longer safe for Jewish people. It is hard to say whether well-paid DEI executives are blind to the problem, or simply not up to the job of addressing it.

    The NHS's noble history includes the time of the Troubles when, in Northern Ireland, Catholic doctors worked on Protestant Unionists and vice versa because politics was left at the door. No longer. Our healthcare service has a sickness, but is anyone willing to talk about a cure?

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/09/05/our-national-health-service-is-becoming-a-cesspit-of-hate

    It's not just Jews who are perceived badly by the NHS…

    1. We all had to do 'active bystander' and 'diversity awareness' training for a project at a big university.

      It is so monumentally insulting. The desperation to label people, to refuse to see them as individuals but just as an ethnicity is denigrating at a fundamental level. All such nonsense should be scrapped permanently.

      1. Race Marxism or historically Ethnic Socialism. I see the same thrust of thinking. So does John McWhorter. McWhorter advises just say no. I agree with John with the caveat of joining the Free Speech Union then saying no.

    2. As Rod Liddle would say 'thick as mince', or perhaps 'dumb as soup'. Saw her on a programme with JRM some years ago, batting her eyelids at him.

    3. Anyone over 50 years of age , especially English women are dissed and treated like second class citizens , why, because many hospital doctors are foreigners , and don't look you in the eye.. These doctors are abrupt and lack charm , mind you so do white doctors , but that is another story .

      Years ago , I had an appointment with a consultant .. you know , re my lady parts , and HE was a Nigerian .. wearing a flash suit , tie and what looked like a large bone maybe a baby's tibia on a lanyard around his neck.
      I considered his presence to be very intimidating , loud and strong .

      I declined an examination and made my excuses ..

      1. I believe ladies can ask for a female chaperone now, given the circumstances you did the right thing TB.
        On Thursday in the waiting room a family of four Africans came in, Father, 4 year old son, baby asleep in new push chair and wife in her Islamic regalia, not face covering. Not a word of English spoken. But made lots of noise. This must be happening all over the UK, I have certainly come across this in my Local GP practice. People who have not contributed to the system should not be allowed to take advantage of it. Perhaps a charge to receive NHS treatment would lessen the amounts of people in the boats that need to be stopped. before Brittan goes completely bankrupt.
        And due to our idiots in 'charge' this has been going on for many many decades. Another Moving and rapidly increasing in size Black Hole.

        1. You get Lefties wailing that immigration is good but then you look around a Doctor's surgery and see… lots of people who are not white and who are breeding.

      2. You refused an examination by a witch doctor?

        They are changing the medical qualifications in Ontario to allow traditionalhealing methods to count towards certification. We could soon be expected to see a medicine man instead of a real doctor.

        1. After being discharged from hospital I never saw my cardiac consultant again and in subsequent outpatient follow ups I never knew witch doctor I would get.🤔

          2. But you do have do be careful about witch doctor gets the bone through his/her/its nose.

            edited for pansexual reasons

    2. What percentage of Lincolnshire is farmland?
      DEFRA's 2009 survey estimated that 81% of Lincolnshire County is farmed, and that 71% is ploughed annually (arable, horticulture and temporary grassland) – compared to 39% for England.

      Anyone who has been to or heard about Lincolnshire knows that it is renowned for its arable farming. In fact, Lincolnshire produces one eighth of the UK's food and processes 70% of its fish. In addition, Lincolnshire also grows large amounts of barley, wheat, oilseed rape and sugar beet.

      Not anymore thanks to milli twat

      1. IIf It's not solar panels it will be housing.
        The last time we were in Spalding they were showcasing their plans to cover many of the surrounding farms with new estates. Never mind that it is extremely productive farmland that is low lying and floods frequently.

  40. Are any of you thinking about leaving dear old Blighty? If you are, you might consider Thailand. Coincidentally, Free Speech has an article by reader Mark Smith about life in Thailand, the Land of Smiles, fresh up today.

    freespeechbacklash.com

        1. They may be beautiful from the waist up but you need to be careful if their feet are larger than yours (as explained in the vid).That may also be true of another appendage!

      3. As many an ex-Serviceman can affirm, the best-looking birds in Bugis Street were the kai-tais.

        2. The elderly, like some of us are 🙄, are most likely to be on anticoagulants because there are some areas of our circulation that are prone to pooling of blood. Pooling increases the likelihood of blood clots dislodging and causing a stroke in the, brain or an arterial heart blockage.

          Anticoagulants cause an issue during the taking of blood samples for analysis and also administering drugs though a cannula using a vein in the hand. They also result in extended bruising after receiving knocks or falling.

          1. Husband is Type 2, goes for regular blood checks. They can no longer get sample from back of his hand, take it out of inner elbow instead.

          3. Some medics are better than others. I have had horrible bruising when blood was taken and other times none at all. Try to get a nurse to do it as they have more experience. GP's…not so much.

          5. I know, Angie. I have clots and also Secondary Polycythaemia. The thinners help. In fact i can now walk again without pain.

      2. I'm in my late mid-late70s, physical skin overall is much thinner than it was, use E45 quite a lot. Also, my dad used to have various transfusions through veins on back of his hand when very old, ill, and in hospital. Perhaps something to do with it.

          1. I'm not so bothered how I look, Belle, including hands (a question I often hear is 'what on earth are you wearing'), tell myself it's how I behave (no I don't, that's a fib….)

          2. Snap, the current trend for nicely manicured nails and all the lovely nail polishes .. I thought how nice to have the lovely green nails/ or turquoise / light purple would look pretty , boo hoo , nope .. no hope whatso ever .

          3. If you want to do it, do it Belle…..nil carborundum….(you can always wear gloves, or use remover, before you go out…and you won’t know which is your favourite until you do….)

          4. I'm not keen on brightly coloured nails – in fact I haven't worn any kind of nail polish for donkey's years.

          8. Wouldn't a face powder dull the blotches? Having your nails done is pampering. You should try it more often.
            I feel like a million dollars when i have my hair done….because i'm worth it. :@)

          1. Thanks Eddy…yes I have that too. Chiropodist friend recommends Flexitol for feet, lather on at night, use an old pair old socks. If that isn’t romance, I don’t know what is..:-D

          3. Several degrees better than my Mothers remedy! She used lard and cotton gloves! Soooo sexy!

          4. It’s similar consistency so she had a point. Flexitol smells slightly better I think, but not as good for roast ‘taties…

  45. https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/blairs-government-cant-escape-blame-for-the-grenfell-disaster/

    "Blair’s government can’t escape blame for the Grenfell disaster

    7 September 2024, 12:17pm

    ‘This is a difficult thing to say, but it’s the honest truth – however good your system is and however well-intentioned it is, and however hard people work, they’re going to make mistakes.’

    So said former prime minister Tony Blair on Sky News on Thursday – in response to being asked whether the Grenfell Tower fire represented ‘a failure of leadership’ by government.

    It’s possible that Blair – who spends his time these days trotting around the world representing his modestly named ‘Tony Blair Institute for Global Change’ – doesn’t really know much about what caused the Grenfell Tower fire and what the landmark report into it revealed on Wednesday.

    But if that is the case, he might have been better advised to avoid the question than to give a statement which is so categorically wrong.

    Grenfell was not a result of mistakes within a good system. It was a result of a failed system, easily gamed by those acting out of dishonesty and greed and not robust enough to prevent straightforward incompetence.

    And this was a system which Blair’s governments had more than a small hand in creating.

    In fact, it was Blair’s government to whom the most direct warning about the looming danger of a cladding fire was delivered in 1999, and Blair’s government which disastrously failed to act.

    A Select Committee of MPs investigating two earlier cladding fires had discovered a problem: fires were spreading via combustible plastic on the walls of the buildings and threatening residents in flats beyond the one where the fire started.

    The committee had received worrying evidence from experts that the official standard in government guidance permitted the use of some of these materials.

    This needed to be addressed, the MPs said, before a catastrophe. ‘We do not believe that it should take a serious fire in which many people are killed before all reasonable steps are taken towards minimising the risks,’ they said.

    And so they recommended a change to the regulations to ban all combustible cladding materials, unless a system had passed a large-scale test. And they recommended checks on existing buildings and further monitoring and risk assessment of any cladding systems to be installed in the future.

    But Blair’s ministers did not do this. The ‘large-scale testing route’ was implemented, but the worryingly low basic standard was left where it was. This was arguably the birth of the messy, deranged free-for-all we had before Grenfell.

    Not only that, the further recommendation of checks on existing systems was booted out entirely. The government felt it was not right to exert this kind of control over landlords, so it advised them to check their buildings, but did not force them to do so.

    It’s hard to overstate the importance of this missed chance. In 1999, when this warning was issued, cladding was still new technology. Almost all of the thousands of buildings with cladding on, which are currently causing misery for residents around the country (not to mention billions of public money to repair), had not yet been installed.

    Blair’s government was on duty when this chance was missed.

    This was directly singled out in the inquiry report in its very first paragraph on the failings of government, and described as a ‘failure’.

    At a similar time, the UK was supposed to be aligning its building standards with Europe and introducing the ‘CE’ marking – which provides additional assurance that something meets relevant safety standards. The government was warned in the early 2000s that we would become Europe’s ‘dumping ground’ for combustible materials if this wasn’t done.

    But it wasn’t. Why not? Wednesday’s report didn’t reach a conclusion, but the evidence suggests that cladding manufacturers didn’t want the CE standard because they then wouldn’t be able to sell their combustible products anymore.

    Foam insulation lobbyists had – for example – warned some of their products would be ‘prevented from continuing’ on the market if the new standards were implemented and said the move to European standards therefore ‘should not happen’.

    It didn’t. In fact, the UK government only announced it was implementing CE marking for construction products last Monday.

    Many of the products that would have been ‘prevented from continuing’ if this change had been made under Blair are now being stripped from the walls of our high rises.

    It still does not stop there. In 2001, Blair’s government paid for a series of tests on popular cladding products – a result of the changes recommended by the Select Committee.

    One of the materials tested was later used on Grenfell. It failed so drastically it nearly set the test lab on fire and the test had to be halted for the safety of those present. Officials were warned this product could be used under the current regulations. They did nothing to toughen the rules. Instead, this testing – according to Wednesday’s report – was ‘shelved and entirely forgotten’.

    There is more. Which government introduced the lax system of fire risk assessment where anyone with a clipboard could sell their services to assess a high-rise building? Blair’s.

    Which government fragmented the fire service and abolished the training college that previously provided a consistent level of professional performance? Blair’s.

    With all this in mind, you might think the leader of this government would be rather conciliatory in his comments about the fire and report – which marks another damaging blot on his legacy.

    The honest truth – to use Blair’s own words – is that a deregulatory government in the 1980s set the scene for Grenfell, and a deregulatory government in the 2010s missed the last chances to stop the fire from happening. But the government Blair led continued and supported this system, and missed pivotal chances of its own to put things right.

    This was not a good system let down by human error. It was a bad system which utterly failed its citizens. If Blair wants to speak about Grenfell, the first thing he should do is apologise."

      1. He should shut up and go away. Unfortunately grooming what he hopes will be the next political generation through his TBI.

        1. On TV this morning Blair said that now there is a thousand people working for TBI "we can really make some big changes"

          Anybody know what changes he intends to make?

          Anybody know who is paying the wages of the thousand people?

          1. That’s his aim. Read TBI website for the gist if not the detail. Best guess Soros. Let us know what you think, janetjH?

        2. On TV this morning Blair said that now there is a thousand people working for TBI "we can really make some big changes"

          Anybody know what changes he intends to make?

          Anybody know who is paying the wages of the thousand people?

    2. At the time, a friend (now deceased) told me that the cladding had not been correctly installed. He maintained that there should have been additional metal components which are difficult to fit, so they were quietly missed out. I have no evidence. In any case, with an external air gap the whole saga comes under the expression 'greenwashing'.

  46. More troubles for Trudeau:
    His national campaign director has resigned and said that Trudeau has no chance of winning the next election.
    There is a by election coming up in Montreal but most of the ministerial support staff are refusing to work on the campaign.
    His coalition partner has ripped up the agreement to support the libs.

    Word on the street is that he intends to prorogue parliament to avoid any non confidence vote.

    It really couldn't happen to a nicer guy!

      1. Some of his latest imports seem to be keen on killing off whitey which will achieve the same result. Maybe once a week we hear about another thwarted terrorist killing spree by a Toronto resident.
        One day the French Security Service and the FBI will fail to alert the local police in time and then al he'll will break loose.

  47. I was just trying to help, says 81-year-old charged over riots. 7 September 2024.

    An 81-year-old man who claims he was arrested after standing on a protester’s leg to prevent him from getting away from police has become the oldest person charged in connection with the far-Right riots.

    Keith Edwards, who is accused of using abusive or threatening behaviour with intent to cause fear or provoke unlawful violence, appeared on Friday at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court, where he pleaded not guilty.

    How can you be so old and still so dim? Has he learned nothing in eighty years?

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/09/06/arsonist-jailed-nine-years-riots-southport-knife-attack/

  48. The government doesn’t have a dearth of ideas it has plenty,.
    The trouble is they are all about finding ways to keep people streaming into this country whilst pretending they want to stop it.

  49. I'm back:
    Wordle 1,176 4/6

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      1. I think he died in 2020.

        I bet John and Maggie have been to his wine bar !

        I liked the comment about the pizza delivery guy delivering pizza with pineapple on it by mistake. :@)

  51. SIR – I was interested to read about scientists’ discovery that saline nasal drops can relieve and shorten the symptoms of children’s colds (report, September 6).

    As a child I was particularly susceptible to colds during the long, hard Peak District winters. However, my mother had a successful remedy – a palmful of warm salt water for me to sniff, which gave great relief and cleared both nasal and chest congestion.

    I still rely on this remedy today.

    Christine Hoskins
    Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire

    So true , and it does help.

  52. Major solar project given go-ahead by government

    The solar farm has been approved by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

    Eleanor Maslin BBC News Published
    6 September 2024

    A major solar farm project in Lincolnshire has been given the go-ahead by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband despite local objections to the plan.

    The 600MW Cottam Solar Project, which will be located east of Willingham by Stow in West Lindsey, was granted development consent on Thursday, the government announced.

    Local councillors had previously rejected the plans, citing concerns over the impact it would have on farmland and traffic and a lack of supporting infrastructure.

    However, Mr Miliband said: "Solar is one of the cheapest sources of power and we must take advantage of the clean and secure energy."

    The project will consist off four ground-mounted solar energy generating stations, four sub-stations, a battery energy storage system and associated infrastructure.

    The proposed development will be spread across four separate sites which lie across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

    Ed Miliband said the Cottam Solar Project would help to provide "cheap, homegrown energy"

    Due to its size, the Cottam development is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).

    NSIPs are normally assigned to major projects including airports and major roads and bypass normal local planning requirements..

    In 2022, the former leader of West Lindsey District Council, Owen Bierley said: "If these NSIP proposals, and others like them, are allowed to go forward, driven by market forces and economic expediency alone, the impact on the countryside and rural communities would be catastrophic."

    Reacting to the news, Councillor Tom Smith, from Lincolnshire County Council, said: "I'm gutted for the local people, I think it's the wrong decision. It's in the wrong place and the wrong use of good agricultural land.

    "These proposed developments will be a huge harm to the local area in terms of agriculture and tourism."

    'Unstable markets'
    The application by Cottam Solar Project Limited was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration on 12 January 2023 and accepted for examination on 9 February the same year.

    Following evidence from the public, the local authority and interested parties, recommendations for the project were made to the Secretary of State on 5 June 2024.

    Mr Miliband said: "This government is determined to give families and businesses energy security by getting off the rollercoaster of unstable international gas markets that led to increased bills.

    “The only way to do this is to back cheap, homegrown energy which boosts our economy and supports us in lowering bills for good.

    “Today’s decision is one of four I’ve made in the last eight weeks, which provide almost 2GW of solar enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes."

    But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the (imaginary) midday sun!
    [Noel Coward 1931]

      1. Just another political thing, what can I do to be noticed ? Look at me 'I'm working hard' at this.
        Although the proposal had already been turned down. By effected local residents. Milliband would never allow one of those close to his precious property.

      1. The Council cannot stand by its decision: Due to its size, the Cottam development is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). NSIPsare dealt with under the Planning Act 2008.
        NSIPs are approved by a Minister – and overrule local authority decisions.

        1. I expect the usual Whitehall AHs have spent thousand of tax payer’s money investigating the possibilities to get what they want.

    3. It will be an industrial installation, built on agricultural land, but no longer belonging to a farm. The panels will be enclosed within a chain link fence(s) and strands of barbed wire, and covered by 24hr CCTV. Potentially a camp for interning the indigenous population should they ever decide to show their displeasure.

        1. I like the fact that you are only allowed out to exercise for an hour a day. More time to take drugs and appear on Only Fans. And screw the screws of course.

    7. 🎶They put their left arm in, their left arm out, they do the Dopey Wokey and they shake it all about……..🎶

      That's what it's all about.

  54. Starmer leads with compromise for new family pet – and gets ‘dog-like’ cat. 7 September 2024.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0477559da116a2c0fd1dfea0c86d1515012ac104aeb47f3eda10c29064e35c3f.png

    If the cat is a true breed, the Starmers would also appear to be lucky in getting a Siberian at a time when Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has caused some breeders in Britain to pause before importing new additions from Russia.

    Staveley said: “They have only really been here since around 2002 when someone imported one and, for most breeders, the basic stock is from Russia. The true, traditional Siberians are based on Russian breeding – and Russians are very guarded about anyone using anything that interfere with those lines.” She added that adverts offering Siberian cats for as little as a few hundred pounds should be treated with caution.

    I bet Vlad has sent it. It probably works for the FSB.

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/sep/07/starmer-compromise-new-family-pet-siberian-kitten-dog-like-cat

  55. Good morrow, Gentlefolk. Today’s (recycled) story

    A PASTORAL DONKEY

    A pastor entered his donkey in a race and it won. The pastor was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the next race, and it won again.

    The local newspaper read: PASTOR’S ASS OUT FRONT.
    The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the pastor not to enter the donkey in another race.
    The next day, the local newspaper headline read: BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR’S ASS.

    This was too much for the Bishop, so he ordered the pastor to get rid of the donkey. The pastor decided to give it to a nun in a nearby convent.

    The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the next day: NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN.

    The Bishop fainted. He informed the nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey, so she sold it to a farmer for $10.
    The next day the paper read: NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10.

    This was too much for the Bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild.

    The next day the headlines read: NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE.

    The Bishop was buried the next day.

    The moral of the story is:
    Being concerned about public opinion can bring you much grief and misery and even shorten your life. So be yourself and enjoy life. You’ll be a lot happier and live longer!

  56. Phew!
    Just walked up home from Cromford carrying my laptop rucksack and dragging my large wheeled bag!
    Just under 2h50m from St.P.!

    2. Hi, Bob. Decided to take the train to Farnham, and walk down to Sainsburys and back. Annoyingly they were out of Graham's Gold Smooth (no relation, but my only luxury). Still, there was no shortage of YT Shiraz…

      Arrived back at the station in plenty of time for the 16:04. Which failed to appear. As did the 16:34. Struck up a conversation with a fellow traveller, who it turned out was almost a neighbour. While the info display said the 16:34 was delayed, RealTimeTrains (a very useful app) was saying it was cancelled. Alton-Woking trains were still largely on time. A guard in Hi-viz sauntered past. I asked him when the promised 16:34 was likely to appear. His brusque and dismissive answer was "there are no trains to Guildford". Which somewhat contradicted the info display.

      At this point, my new almost-neighbour and I shared a taxi. I understand that points can fail. But the sizeable yard West of Farnham can surely divert trains around failed points?

      Rant over…

  57. Excellent, English ladies are giving the frog les a lesson in rugby union 26-7 just after half time.

    1. It's the same in the Armed Forces Bob.There's a myth that women are equal to men. What happens is that the standards are lowered to perpetuate the lie, but even that isn't sufficient. They almost always have to be supported by their male colleagues.

    2. The old boatie was rather large I doubt if the single male would have coped on his own.
      Some of the English ladies playing rugby against France today would have sorted him out.
      Back in the distant days my mother use to love going to Woodgreen to shop.

    3. Same scenario.. different location..

      Assaulted a woman & stole her mobile phone….Wood Green, London.
      Met assaulted a boy & stole his respect….Croydon, London.

  59. It's the same in the Armed Forces Bob.There's a myth that women are equal to men. What happens is that the standards are lowered to perpetuate the lie, but even that isn't sufficient. They almost always have to be supported by their male colleagues.

  60. It's the same in the Armed Forces Bob.There's a myth that women are equal to men. What happens is that the standards are lowered to perpetuate the lie, but even that isn't sufficient. They almost always have to be supported by their male colleagues.

  61. Just had a surprise. Firstborn's neighbour has a visitation from a number of girls / young women. They were playing in the stream that separates the properties, and came over to say "Hi!" and could they pick apples… suddenly, the garden was filled wih almost-naked pulchritude, all with massive nipples (from the cold water)… one didn't know where to look…

      1. Lammy will be a convenient scapegoat for Starmer when things go pear-shaped, internationally. Lammy's not just a useful idiot, he is a useful cretin.

  63. A proprietorial Birdie Three?

    Wordle 1,176 3/6
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    2. We couldn't get nearer, lacoste – so we moved over to the Spelling Bee all joined in 5 to 75 year olds, had a lot of fun….

    3. Oh dear, last again

      Wordle 1,176 5/6

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    4. Well done Rene, squeaked it here also….

      Wordle 1,176 3/6

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    5. Me too. Lucky second guess.

      Wordle 1,176 3/6

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    1. Very nice. I went on a Spa weekend recently. Lovely massage and nice plunge pools. A bit dark but plenty of waitresses offering titbits.

    2. The Met have caved in and facilitated a Pro-Palestine march 'The Palestine Solidarity Campaign' in Central London!

          2. The ones on the bedside, Rastus? Listening earlier to The Dark Side of the Street (you and me)…more my music….

    1. If only the EU had an army.. they could.. and would round up his sort.. faster than you can say "2TK is a fascist bullyboy diktator".

    2. If only the EU had an army.. they could.. and would round up his sort.. faster than you can say "2TK is a fascist bullyboy diktator".

  71. People keep asking why Carsley won't sing, God Save The King, it's quite obvious really, he must have a lisp.
    Especially while they keep winding him up by calling him the interim manager, when he is clearly overweight.

    1. Maybe he's like me – can't hit a note, can't hold a tune, and likely can't remember the words either.
      :-((
      Everybody tells me to shut up – so, I don't sing where people might be able to hear. Had a good few arias working the tractor hard, disc harrowing fields – I couldn't hear me, so no other bugger could have either!

      1. That's two of us (and not only when I sing), tend to sing alone….tractor a good idea. Luckily my dog spends most of his awake time with me, and he's deaf as a post…..

    2. Maybe he's like me – can't hit a note, can't hold a tune, and likely can't remember the words either.
      :-((
      Everybody tells me to shut up – so, I don't sing where people might be able to hear. Had a good few arias working the tractor hard, disc harrowing fields – I couldn't hear me, so no other bugger could have either!

    3. I used to watch him when he was at Blackburn Rovers, decent enough midfield 'stopper' but I never would have thought he would have the wherewithal to be a successful manager.
      Tough bugger though, I can understand why he doesnt care about the anthem…..

  73. BBC1, 6pm news:

    "It's five years since a British prime minister visited the Republic of Ireland after tensions over Brexit. Today, Sir Kier Sturmer was in Dublin saying 'the moment is right for a meaningful reset in relations."

    Bollocks. If relations were strained, it was because they were made so by the Bombay Bogshite, having his strings (and probably more besides) pulled by the Commissariat of the Rue de la Loi.

    Jesus, Max is a creep – and a bad actor too, posing for the cameras with an England football shirt. A visit today of all days, the oiling little cheapskate.

  74. OK I'll put my hand up. A while back I said that the weather would improve as the schools went back. I'm sorry to admit I was wrong.Just looked at the forecast for the early part of next week, wet, wet, wet….

    "I feel it in my fingers
    I feel it in my toes
    Rain is all around me…"
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3gEkwhdXUE

  75. Lifted from X.

    A Labour politician, a BBC TV reporter and a British SAS soldier were captured by ISIS…

    They were, as usual, sentenced to death by beheading.

    Unexpectedly, the ISIS leader said they could have one last request before their sentence was carried out…

    The Labour politician asked to hear a rendering of "Keep the Red Flag Flying Here".

    The BBC TV reporter asked that the beheading be television so that even when she was dead, her face was still on TV.

    The British SAS soldier asked to be kicked three times in the arse hard.

    As the SAS soldiers request was unusual, ISIS decided to carry his request out first.

    As the kick landed, the SAS soldier pulled a hidden 9mm Glock pistol out of his smock, shot three terrorists dead.

    He then grabbed one of the fallen terrorists AK47s and shot dead the rest of the terrorists.

    The other two prisoners were amazed, and asked why he requested to be kicked three times before he drew his weapon.

    "Because" said the soldier "When we get back to the UK. I don't want you fucking pair of politically correct clowns saying it was a 'Far right unprovoked attack'.

  76. Fine BTL comment:

    "Somebody wrote on this board: the US elections are not right versus left, sane versus insane. "

        1. He and his vile in house gremlins are being viciously vindictive for some reason.
          They are all public servants and they should show due respect to that fact and responsibility, or submit their resignation.

    4. If we had a proper press, they would be ridiculing him for wanting to ban jokes.
      Perhaps each joke will need a special permit under his law.

    1. I read a few months ago that it was costing the British taxpayers 10 million pounds a week to keep them.
      If that doesn't amount to a huge black hole what does ?

    2. I remember TY starting as Lockdown Sceptic (now Daily Sceptic) been a subscriber ever since, Free Speech Union too.

  79. That's me for this Saturday, I've been reasonably active. Moss killing on our drive way and between the oatio slabs and weed bashing, tomato plant trimming. Despite being informed that this has been a hot summer the old tommies haven't ripened yet. Weather forecasters seem to be taking a more political stance. Agreeing all the BS.
    Catch up tomorrow.
    Night all. 😴
    .

    1. Of course this is just a make work scheme for Lawyers as there will be more opportunities now to reoffend!

  83. I'm off to yer South of France tomorrow am. I'm staying in Folkestone tonight then going via tunnel tomorrow. Heading for Frejus, hoping to make it to Dijon for overnight break.

    A bientot tout le monde

    2. Bon voyage, Stormy. I was about to suggest you buy some jars of mustard as a souvenir, but I see that lacoste beat me to it by seconds.

    3. Bon voyage, Stormy. I was about to suggest you buy some jars of mustard as a souvenir, but I see that lacoste beat me to it by seconds.

    4. I spent a couple of days there some 50 years ago on my way to Italy. Nice town. Hope you have a good time.

    8. Hope you have a good time.
      I used to stay in the Clifton Hotel when doing Channel Tunnel Rail Link track inspection runs before I retired.
      A very quirky but enjoyable place to stay.

  84. Well, bedtime (10 pm) is fast approaching. So Good Night, chums, sleep well and I hope to see you all tomorrow morning.

  86. BBC’s bias lain bare will be sickening to British Jews
    Wide-ranging report shows extent of corporation’s failure to provide balanced journalism

    Danny Cohen : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/09/07/bbc-bias-sickening-to-british-jews-israel-gaza-hamas-war/

    BTL

    The BBC is clearly pro Hamas and anti Israel. And wasn't the BBC coverage of Brexit over 90% pro Remain?

    If the BBC is going to be biased in this way then fair enough BUT it must cease to be the National Broadcaster – it must stand on its own two feet as commercial channels have to do without the compulsory support of the licence fee payers.

    1. It's sickening to everyone that doesn't share its smug world view. I think the presenters genuinely don't realise how biased they are.

Comments are closed.