Saturday 8 March: Trump’s treatment of Ukraine casts doubt over the reliability of America as an ally

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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Today’s letters (visible only to DT subscribers) are here.

539 thoughts on “Saturday 8 March: Trump’s treatment of Ukraine casts doubt over the reliability of America as an ally”

      1. Not enough washing in the basket this morning so I've not put the washing on.

  5. The true scale of Putin’s threat to Britain has been revealed. 8 March 2025.

    One of the most dramatic Russian espionage cases in Britain has concluded with guilty verdicts. Three Bulgarian nationals associated with Wirecard fraud mastermind Jan Marsalek, who settled in Russia in 2020, have been found guilty of espionage. These convicted spies carried out a surveillance campaign against Bulgarian-born Bellingcat journalist Christo Grozev, who exposed grizzly details about Russia’s 2020 poisoning of opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

    I don’t suppose that it will surprise anyone that I am sceptical about this story. From its beginning with Bulgarian operatives I have regarded it with a jaundiced eye. I cannot prove that it is a fake but that is what I suspect. These people despite the headlines seem singularly unimpressive. Where is their interest in the military? Their penetration of Parliament? Their membership of sensitive organisations? If this really is the true scale of Putin's threat to Britain we have absolutely nothing to worry about.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/07/we-can-no-longer-deny-russias-war-on-britain/#comment

    2. Considering how many violent savages arrive here every day Russia doesn't need spies.

      With woke, DIE, the farce of ESG, the moronic 'climate change' hoax, crushing taxation, the stupidity of low traffic neighbourhoods where councils actively block off the purpose of roads, debt of 7 times our GDP, bank managers refusing to hire white men, almost no heavy industry, overstretched supply lines for fuel and food anything Putin can do pales into insignificance compared to the mendacity, spite and sheer evil of our our dictatorial nutters calling themselves our 'government'.

      Add to that grostesque thieves in government paying themselves telephone number salaries for what is barely more than a middle management job.

      Every single thing is back to front.

  7. Good morning folks.

    Now that Reform are exhibiting all the symptoms of the famous Norwegian Blue Parrot, will Nige suggest our only hope of redemption is to become the 51st State?

    1. "Most people do not want to buy a heat pump or battery car.

      If these things really were an advantage they would sell themselves.

    2. "Most people do not want to buy a heat pump or battery car.

      If these things really were an advantage they would sell themselves.

    3. It is solely about control and power over others. It's a tax hoax designed solely to restrict freedom and choice.

    4. But who in British politics takes any notice or is influenced By the truth and public opinion.

  9. Morning, all Y'all!
    Happy birthday to Geoff, the main man here, and I hope it's the best yet!

    1. Grattis på födelsedagen to yet another fellow-Piscean NoTTLer; top man, Geoff. Hope its a cracker, sir.🍾👍🏻🍷😊🎂🎹

    1. He's only 'done well' because he agrees with all the other mentalist communists in the hated EU and they all want more war.

      Easy thing to demand when you're not the ones facing the bullets.

    2. He can't even get the lid off his pen, there's a photo of him this morning on FB posing as writing, with the cap on his pen

  15. Saturday Laffs
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/31743c0cf74daad6a6a97c735775f31ac3763329f4cc75d2563209fd5e2ecdde.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3490c0ceed47e25202f62a8157c1c4ef8790f88549a7bc0827169484d3d23f5a.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e073db8e3fae6504d256794d0e72420bf555cc17e303d5bcbea8543cbfa5d05e.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c48509f3eb9e2b5f8beaedba712d59b9859d1d006e79ad2983ee6d15f0ebdabc.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8cba244edb8fa9353a276e93a8f9bc1c750346b8e88d938c24b98c4cd33e24c6.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/443e9f9cce48f9d263bcec2bbd5d7e9ff225e0494f0f8abd43047f53980bd062.jpg
    https://x.com/PunchingCat/status/1897789792307257765

    1. I woke up to that this morning. The monkey, not the girl. Well, sort of.

      Although what really woke me up was a very big dog jumping on the bed and snuffling into the gap between the warqueen and I.

  16. Good morning all.
    A mild start to the day, a tad under 5°C and a bright start to the morning.
    And, a much better sleep last night too!

    1. I feel that not enough sympathy and understanding is extended towards poor Jud. If he had been treated more fairly and with more kindness he would never have set fire to the hay-ricks.

    2. I feel that not enough sympathy and understanding is extended towards poor Jud. If he had been treated more fairly and with more kindness he would never have set fire to the hay-ricks.

  18. Good morning, chums. And thanks, Geoff, for today's new NoTTLe site.

    Wordle 1,358 5/6

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    1. Me too
      Wordle 1,358 5/6

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    3. It's a terrible state of affairs now.
      But here of course the prescription would be free to any patient.

      I've noticed in recent visits to our local A&E, several adults accompanying one child obviously of overseas decent. Six adults one small child. They take up not only a lot of space in the building but seriously confuse the staff.
      And I've seen a lady in the same waiting area within 3 hours with two four different people. Two couples obviously she was some form of escorting interpreter.

    1. Please watch/listen to Katie Hopkins latest (and no, I'm not her). Instagram, possibly on YouTube.

    2. I said — on here — from Day One of this party that it was only a matter of time before it all imploded. And I was roundly castigated for saying so.

      Rupert Lowe is a bright and clear talent. That immediately caused a problem for the preening self-interested megalomanics running the show.

      The only 'new' political party — in British political history — to become a major force is the Labour Party. They emerged back in 1900 and it took them a quarter-of-a-century to supplant the moribund Whig/Liberal Party. Since then there has been a succession of mice that roared and none of them fulfilled their early hollow boasts.

      1. Rupert Lowe is is not a pragmatic politician – indeed he is not really a politician at all. This is greatly to his credit.

        Nigel Farage has been in politics for over 35 years.

        We hear much from him about the fact that he worked in financial markets. We hear rather less about what actual triumphs and successes he had in that world.

        Having said that it cannot be denied that he is a great orator and rabble rouser and perhaps, as a sop to his vanity, he should continue have the nominal role of party leader while to all practical purpose the direction of the party is determined by the likes of Rupert Lowe and Ben Habib.

  22. Rupert Lowe MP
    @RupertLowe10

    I have been betrayed more times than I care to remember, but never by people I would have called friends. It’s not a very pleasant feeling, to be entirely honest.

    Business, football, politics. Dirty games, all of them. I have always tried to surround myself with decent, honest and fair individuals, who I feel I can trust. Loyalty to those people has not always come cheap, costing me my job on more than one occasion. That is something I would not change.

    Of course I’m not a politician. I’m 67, and am fortunate enough to be able to financially support myself and my family. My wife thinks I’m mad to trudge around my little wonderful corner of Norfolk talking about bins and business rates. I love it, I genuinely do. Give me a heated argument with a cantankerous local councillor over mojitos on the beach any day.

    It’s the honour of my life to be the MP for Great Yarmouth.

    Yes, I’ve been outspoken on issues. Immigration, rape gangs, deportations, the rapid way in which our country is changing. And yes, that has not been appreciated by some within Reform.

    Let me be clear – I do not care. I will say what I believe is right, even if that upsets certain egos.

    I’ve run businesses all my life. Some successful, some not. The one thing in common from all of the successful ones? Communication. Clear, honest communication.

    Does requesting regular meetings of MPs make me a monster? Is asking to even just see policy before it’s made public unreasonable? Is it fair to be insulted because I want people to finally talk to each other?

    I have torn out what remaining hair I have left over the last few months trying to talk. That’s it. Just talk. I have tried, and tried, and tried to resolve all of this behind closed doors. I can only smash my head against a brick wall for so long.

    My one hurried and immediate summons to Reform HQ, which I could not make due to prior commitments, was the first and the last invite I would receive from the leadership.

    Put simply, Reform has handed a priceless gift to those individuals who have presided over our country’s relentless decline.

    I am going to now repeat publicly an invitation that I have extended to Nigel Farage in private multiple times over many months. Every offer has been refused or ignored.

    Please, let’s have dinner and resolve this in a manner that our members, and the country, would expect.

    Any time, any place.

    You’ve got my number.
    7:12 AM · Mar 8, 2025
    ·
    61.3K
    Views

    I will cancel my Reform membership if this is not resolved .

      1. 'Morning, Ndovu…for those among us who have Instagram, might like to view/listen to Katie Hopkins latest (may also be on YouTube), absolute mustard – all Reform supporters among us take heed….

        1. Trouble is there is no other party fit to vote for. It was all going Reform ‘s way and Rupert was highlighting all sorts of things.
          I do find Katie hard to listen to though she is very astute. I’ll have a go at that later. I have Instagram but seldom use it.

          1. I’ll wait to see how this washes out before I decide, Ndovu. Another issue she supports is that of white South African farmers. (I tend to use Ig because it generally takes up less of my time.)

        2. You mean.. "this has all come about because Elon said Farage isn't up to the job.. and he's taken it out on Rupert"..?

    2. Who am I ?
      But as I have said many times before I do not trust Nigel Farage he has never done anything but talk and wave his arms around. Full stop.

    3. Please, let’s have dinner and resolve this in a manner that our members, and the country, would expect.

      Any time, any place.

      You’ve got my number.

      Will Farage have the wisdom, common sense and good judgement to have dinner with Rupert Lowe and sort things out in a civilised manner?

      Many people fear that Farage has too much arrogance to agree to this suggestion but if he fails to do so this will be the end of The Reform Party.

      1. There are a lot of people who think he is an agent of the 'deep state'. I don't buy that. But he certainly goes out of his way to aid the enemy by his behaviour.

    1. Meanwhile, in a doorway not a million miles away, 'sleeps' a man who unwisely joined the British Armed Froces.

    2. Chance of that being ever repaid – slim to nil, I suggest! Tricky to get it back from all those who have creamed off their 10%.

    3. The funds will help to bolster Ukrainian military capability and will be paid back using profits generated on sanctioned Russian sovereign assets.

      In a word, theft.

  24. 402837+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    Looking at the political debris left by the lab/lib/con
    well supported governing cartels of the past four decades, and still very actively going into the future
    we should be asking ourselves very seriously,
    DOES PRESIDENT TRUMP WANT US AS AN ALLY?

    I do not believe that he is one who would put up with
    "a little bit of an ally", but will need full commitment that will be currently impossible to obtain via the present political overseers allegiance being strongly
    islamic brotherhood & eu orientated.

    Saturday 8 March: Trump’s treatment of Ukraine casts doubt over the reliability of America as an ally

      1. 402837+ up ticks,

        Morning FA,
        Thanks to the polling stations input via the lab/lib/con coalition & supporters over these past forty years we are bent enough as a nation, maybe mandeson could arrange something

  25. Ahem,comments please
    Jonathan Wong

    "Do I trust the Englishman who donated his salary to charity and spoke his mind even when it was not politically expedient, or do I trust the foreigner who pay-to-played his way to become the chairman of a political party?"

    8. Thank you for everything you have given us all, and continue to do. Have a lovely day and many Happy Returns.

    9. Have a very good day and thanks for your site.

      It's a shame you don't join in more often.

    1. He's right
      Kellogs et al funding university "studies" showing oversugared carb only breakfast cereals as a "healthy" breakfast
      The best propaganda money can buy
      What will be served up in all these new breakfast clubs for our kids??
      Clue it ain't gonna be bacon and eggs……….

      1. We have been looking at the Zoe Harcombe Diet

        You can have unlimited meat, fish, eggs, vegetables (except potatoes/mushrooms), Natural Live (bio) Yoghurt, herbs, spices and one portion of 'safe' grains …

        I am fortunate, living in the countryside in Wales, to be able to eat meat, eggs and dairy from pasture living animals. I also eat fish

        https://www.zoeharcombe.com/about-2/

    2. [Sigh!] How long have I been attemtpting to pass on this message?

      Eskimoes — for so long tangibly the healthiest, most disease-free humans on the planet — THRIVE without vegetation, carbohydrates and sugars.

      You can lead a moron to the butcher's shop, but you can't make him eat meat.

          1. Which shows that people who are healthy in an environment that their bodies have evolved and adapted to and who have the right diet for that environment, doesn't necessarily mean that their diet would suit the requirements of people living in a different environment. Eskimos may be healthy and disease free for many reasons, of which their diet is one, but not the only, determining factor.

            That said, I also think that a high protein diet is beneficial, but various herbs and other pants also have benefits. I guess there is more of a consensus in relation to the drawbacks of carbohydrates and sugars.

    1. I said, the other day when this was first posted, that it will not happen.

      Where will the footsoldiers for this 'civil war' come from? Don't even think of asking 'Generation Z' (the millennials) to fight for you; they are simply nothing more than a coterie of undisciplined, self-interested nonentities who look forward to their next handout while 'working' from home!

      Don't make my arse laugh!

      1. They would just get there I-phones out and make abusive comments to, and about, the enemy!

        Yo Mr G

        1. Yo, Mr Effort.

          I despair for the future, and for those who would not fight for it.

      2. 402837+ up ticks,

        Morning G,
        The final two options will decide the endgame, fight or flight.

        Can’t see the young uns kneeling in the mosque five times a day.

        1. "Can't see the young uns kneeling in the mosque five times a day."

          No, they would cry to mummy for their 'gaming' and their pot noodles.

  31. Happy Birthday Geoff, Have I lovely day today and enjoy. 🤗😊🥂🍾🍻cheers all the best to you.

          1. Our number one is heading off the country of his birth today on a business trip. I think cyclone Albert could be passed by the time he and his fellow passengers land in Sydney.

    2. The same from me and of course 364 Happy Unbirthdays 'til the next anniversary of the event

    3. Happy Birthday dear Geoff!! Belting it out over the loud hammering of a rainstorm here in Buenos Aires x

  32. Good Moaning.
    Again!!! (Heavy sigh)
    Must brush up on my tin foil hat making skills.

  33. Morning all 🙂😊
    Another sunny start, leading to double figures later.
    Back in the garden later to trim back all the edges. 😏 or even 🤪

  34. As many of us predicted Nigel Farage's arrogance and hubris have been his undoing and the probable undoing of The Reform Party.

    Farage could not abide the fact that many of us have seen that Rupert Lowe was outshining him this was too much to cope with.

    If Lowe had been more politically street wise he would have realised that Farage cannot cope with a rival. But to his credit, Lowe is not in politics for personal gain – he does not even draw his MP's salary – but for the good he hopes to do in reversing the cataclysmic decline that has befallen Britain.

    A few weeks ago I posted here an extract from Antony and Cleopatra which makes the point that it is unwise to outshine your leader and become your 'captain's captain.'

    Who does i’ th’ wars more than his captain can
    Becomes his captain’s captain; and ambition,
    The soldier’s virtue, rather makes choice of loss
    Than gain which darkens him.
    I could do more to do Antonius good,
    But ’twould offend him, and in his offense
    Should my performance perish.

    1. Morning Rastus. He is simply repeating the same pattern of behaviour that he did in UKIP. I know that people like to think he is the great white hope of politics but, sadly, he will not achieve that but bring any decent movement of resistance against the British blob to ruin.

      1. He has always been nothing more than a preening egotist. He can certainly talk-the-talk but comes up painfully short when asked to walk-the-walk.

        1. To my mind he damaged himself irretrievably with his low behaviour in regards to Tommy Robinson. Creating a row entirely in his own head, having a fantasy fight with Tommy who's interest in joining his part was precisely zero and, on top of that, lying about him when Tommy not able to answer him. Perfectly safe for Nigel to do that when the other person is in solitary. Utterly cowardly behaviour.

          1. If Nigel cared about democracy and the rule of law, he'd have highlighted TR's treatment. He doesn't have to endorse his views, but there is no excuse for treating a prisoner like that.

          2. My point Conway. His behaviour demonstrates he has no moral or ethical principles.

  35. This is why we need our general's and their top regiments of the the British army to move in to Wastemonster and W(s)hitehall and clear out the obvious.

    1. You don't get to the top in the modern British Armed Forces by thinking for yourself.

        3. Oh my God. how humiliating! And disgraceful. I think my father would have resigned rather than endure that. Degrading.

  37. I am wearing a negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) dressing on my abdominal wound. It comes with a small, portable vac pump which clips onto clothing. It's supposed to hasten healing. At present, the flashing green light tells me it's working as intended. What I could do without, however, is the buzz it's emitting every few seconds. For the most part it should be silent, as has been the case on previous occasions. My next appointment is Wednesday morning. I do hope it's not going to buzz throughout the next 4 days.

    1. That must be like waiting for the second shoe to drop.
      Does the mechanism look different from the previous time?

      1. It's the same device I wore on Monday but which ceased to work by Wednesday as the dressing was saturated and leaking. I was supposed to wear it for 4 days but it had to be removed after 2 and replaced by a conventional dressing until reinstated by the surgeon yesterday.

      2. It has since returned to intermittent buzzing, a frequency I can live with. I don't know what prompted the frequent spell, but it lasted the best part of an hour.

    2. Sounds horrific. Hope you can be quit it very soon, because you are healing fast.

      1. I must have overstated my predicament, Paul. It falls well short of horrific. I’m fairly content with how I’ve been treated. It’s just the management of the dressings which I find a little frustrating.

  38. Morning all. Totally confused. This is the second time this week I have been going about my day only to find that I'm up an hour early. I think my clock is misbehaving. But anyway. Hallo bees, hallo birds, hallo sun, hallo NOTTLERS! Hallo looney world.

    1. That should even its self out when the clocks change.
      Emm, err, when DO the clocks go forward this month?

        1. Actually at 2 am on Sunday the 30th, Johnathan. Most people adjust their watches and clocks late on Saturday the 29th just before going to bed. Things like computers, laptops and central heating gizmos do that themselves overnight.

    2. I had to read the topline twice, first time i thought it said:

      I think my c ock is misbehaving.

    2. I think that Starmer is considering creating an addition to his cabinet:

      Ministry of Nappy Changing

      This department will seek to employ a team of well trained operatives and The University of Greater Meddling will offer B.Sc. (Hons) degree courses in Diaper Disposal and environmentally sustainable Dumping Guidelines.

    3. The Goverment is now responsible for telling children to brush their teeth?
      We are so fkd.
      Tomorrow's news: Government potty training programme launched, starting with Millennials.

      They are probably just looking for justification to mass medicate with fluoride. If they cared about children's teeth, all toothpaste would have xylitol in it.

  40. Ah! 3 weeks to go then.
    I wish they'd scrub BST and keep GMT the year round.

      1. And got God's Sake, DO NOT repeat the muck up of "British Standard Time" we tried in the '70s!!!!
        IT DID NOT WORK!!

    2. I'd give that five thousand upticks if I could! It plays havoc with my biological clock and I''m permanently jet lagged.

  41. 'Morning. Anyone know why I see several posts or replies of "Content unavailable"?

    1. You have been sent to Coventry by someone. Can't see why, but no accounting for other peoples foibles and bonnet bees.

  42. Er, Nige.. you've just lost 20% of your MPs.

    Nobody.. nobody says I'm the Messiah and gets away with it..

  43. Good morning, all. Very late on parade due to idleness. Sunny and dry out.

    I see Reform has destroyed itself – thanks to Farage aka Malcolm Tucker. I despair.

  44. 402837+ up ticks,

    This poster has a very valid point, many indigenous will not realise their plight until they are actually in transit to the Ukraine fighting front.

    For you
    Following

    See new posts

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    Your Home Timeline
    UNN
    @UnityNewsNet
    ·
    33m
    The Reform Party is an establishment ruse to sweep up disenchanted Tories but also ex Labour voters too.

    However, it is also the biggest opportunity to destroy the Labour/Tory system and shake things up.

    It is entirely funded by wealthy property guys with links to Gulf States
    Show more
    Stef Anthony Coburn 🗣 reposted
    Peter Sanford
    @realpetesanford
    ·
    1h
    Replying to
    @AlternatNews
    My antenna goes off the scale EVERY time I hear Von Der Liar, Stammerer or Zelensky open their mouths.

    Do I believe everything Putin says?

    No.

    But there is unfailing logic to this particular situation.

    And let’s face it, under Starmer this country has little reason for
    Show more
    Stef Anthony Coburn 🗣 reposted
    Toffee
    @IanDavi59299375
    ·

    Replying to
    @realpetesanford
    and
    @AlternatNews
    the war will be within our own borders how could you leave to fight someone else's fight while our own governments import 3rd worlders to kill you and your bloodlines off!

    1. Actually you can trust Putin on what he says. He has had the unusual consistent habit of announcing what he intends to do and then doing it. It is odd and of note because it is not terribly strategic.

  45. Log out and, if you can now see the posts it indicates that the poster blocked you.

    1. That's the advice I would have offered. I have a blocker who's a regular contributor. Why, I don't know. It might be unintentional as I cannot think of an occasion when I've caused offence.

      1. Would you want them to be asked? They might not realise that they have blocked you.

        You could ask here and someone would no doubt pass the message on.

        Or if you don't want the identity of your blocker to be public, if you write to me on hertslist@google.com I might be able to ask (if they are on our NoTTL nonline contact list). It seems a shame for you to be blocked and not know whether it is even intentional or not.

      3. I see a downvote. Do I have to slavishly pretend to agree with comments in order to curry favour with those who hold opinions I do not share? Perhaps this forum only welcomes sycophantic toadies.

  46. A Democrat finally dared to tell the truth about trans women – and the Left are furious

    Trump’s liberal opponents will remain in the political wilderness until they accept that Gavin Newsom is not a bigot – he’s right

    08 March 2025 7:00am GMT
    Michael Deacon

    No matter what Donald Trump may have said and done in the past week or so, I doubt many Americans regret voting for him yet. If only because the Democrats seem hell-bent on reminding them why they did.

    Take what happened on Thursday. Gavin Newsom – the Democratic governor of California – had just plucked up the courage to admit that letting trans women (i.e. males) compete in female sports is “unfair”.

    Well of course it’s unfair. And in contact sports, actively dangerous. Inevitably, though, almost the entire American Left reacted as if Mr Newsom had just called for an immediate cull of every kitten in the country.

    “Newsom Condemned for ‘Throwing Trans People Under Bus’,” reported the Guardian. Numerous activists furiously denounced him (“profoundly sickened”, “shocking and offensive”, “this is a terrible look”), and declared that his comments would severely harm his chances of being the Democrats’ next pick for president.

    Plainly these gibbering fanatics are still incapable of seeing why their behaviour is so damaging to their party. It’s not that voters necessarily care about trans issues, or even about women’s sports. It’s that they can’t take seriously anyone in politics who claims to believe that males and females are equal in height, weight, speed and strength.

    Naturally enough, voters think: “These people must be either lying, or mad. Either way, I don’t want them in charge. In comparison, they’ve actually managed to make Donald Trump look honest and sane.”

    Justice for gingers
    No doubt everyone in Britain will have eagerly welcomed the news that, under revised sentencing guidelines, criminals who are deemed to come from marginalised minority groups (for example, those who are black or Muslim) could be given sentences that are more “carefully considered” than criminals who are white. I’m sure we can all agree that this scrupulously fair plan will heal divisions in our fractured society, bring communities together, and end racism once and for all.

    None the less, I fear that it may yet prove to have one small downside. Which is that white criminals will cynically try to wangle softer sentences by claiming that they come from marginalised minority groups, too.

    Take redheads. Mick Hucknall, the singer with Simply Red, once angrily insisted that making fun of people with ginger hair (such as him) is akin to racism. Lily Cole, the redheaded model, has also argued that these two forms of prejudice are “not dissimilar”.

    If so, why shouldn’t a criminal with ginger hair demand that, during sentencing, the judge take into account the lifetime of cruel discrimination that he has been forced to endure, on account of his carrot top?

    He might even argue that his descent into criminality was a direct result of the understandable anger and alienation he felt in response to our society’s endemic anti-ginger bigotry. Ultimately, therefore, his crimes were society’s fault, not his own.

    Many liberal-minded modern judges, I suspect, would readily accept such an argument, and let the poor marginalised criminal walk free on the spot. Although of course they might end up regretting it, once every single defendant starts turning up to court in a See You, Jimmy wig.

    Meghan’s top tips
    Hey guys! It’s Meghan Sussex here, with another episode of my new Netflix series, filled with incredible tips on how to elevate your lifestyle so it can be almost as perfect as mine. So far I’ve shared some of my most amazing secrets, like how to put some pasta into a pan, how to put bits of food you aren’t going to eat into the food bin, and how to blow up some balloons. But today I’m going to share my most useful lesson of all.

    How to teach your grandmother to suck eggs.

    First of all, you’ll need some eggs. You can easily get these from one of the hens in the grounds of your beautiful Californian home, but don’t worry if you don’t have time to run your own artisan poultry farm – these days, eggs are also available in many local grocery stores, and even supermarkets!

    Next, you’ll need a grandmother. As a little girl growing up in LA, I always loved grandmothers. They truly are the most adorable little old ladies. My husband used to have a grandmother, and I was so hyped to teach her the secrets of how to suck eggs, but sadly, certain unnamed members of the Royal household chose to deny her that opportunity. I guess it’s not for me to say why they might have been so rigidly opposed to the Queen of England receiving some much-needed expert advice from a woman of colour. So I’ll just leave you guys to draw your own conclusions.

    So now you’ve got your eggs, and you’ve got your grandmother. What next? Easy. Just pop an egg into your grandmother’s mouth – and chant, “Suck it, Grandma! Suck, suck, suck!”

    This is the part my kids always love to help out with. They also have great fun decorating the eggs first, with colourful paints or felt-tip pens. And it’s great for Grandma, too, because sucking on an egg is so much healthier for her than sucking on a boiled sweet. Lower calories, and zero sugar! So you’ll be helping Grandma to watch her weight!

    That’s all for today, but tune in next time, when I’ll be showing you an incredible way to make money – using nothing more than a piece of old rope!

    3. In lawn tennis they have what is called 'mixed doubles'. I propose that all trannie boxers are invited to participate in 'mixed singles'. i.e. a male (XY) boxer vs a plastic 'female' boxer (also XY).

      Let's see how long the pretendy weirdos last in that sport.

  47. Puberty Blockers
    I read with disbelief the Telegraph letter from Dr Sabina Dosani this morning [proposing that more children are treated with PBs or a placebo, i.e. no treatment, for alleged 'Gender Dysphoria'] and thought: she is looking at this “problem” the wrong way.

    I presume that the names and NHS numbers are known of all the unfortunate children who have over the years been treated with puberty blockers.

    If no-one else, the clinics who carried out these appalling activities must know. So it would not be beyond the realms of possibility to contact the treated ones and interview them under strict anonymity.

    Has nobody thought to interview them in their adulthood to see whether they were happy with the change and would go through it all again? That is: to look at actual outcomes?

    There must be a large body of evidence already in existence. So why attempt a trial on yet more young children to see if there is a positive outcome to puberty blockers?

      1. That's a stretch as a tactical claim, but I agree as a logical consequence.

      2. It's all about the facilitation of the breakdown of society by the global elite

    2. When I was about 12 or 13 – I wished I was a boy – I grew out of that when I realised boys were fun to be with as a girl. All these puberty blockers (not to mention the surgery) do is treat a natural and passing phase, and cause lifelong damage.

    3. A mad-Left destabilisation of the individual. The result of the philosophical idea of radical scepticism, a product of mad-Left resentment and vengeance.

    4. Why not (potentially) ruin a whole lot more lives, and take another 15 years or more to find the answer – too late to punish the guilty.

    5. They probably know the results wouldn't be favourable. If you're starting a new trial you can probably get the result you want.

  48. Does anyone really think Russia needs spies to tell them the UK is f*cked. By the same token, 2TK and co hardly need foreign infiltrators to help them screw up. A threat to national security? We don’t need to import that.

    1. We already have imported a serious threat to our security and it has eff all to do with Vlad!

    2. It's part of the myth that Russia wants to invade us and take over our multi-culti problems!

      1. I didn't hear Vlad say it, but I imagine he would point out that as well as not needing our minerals, he didn't want the stabby stabby multiculti nutters, either.

          1. I my experience, the Russians have always taken life seriously. It's the Russian dusha' – or it could be the climate, of course!

    3. Given the location, the episode reminds me of Rising Damp with Bulgarian accents.

    1. US executes South Carolina man by firing squad for first time in 15 years.

      How did they execute him all the other times?

        1. Bludgeoned, beaten, battered, basted and finally, burgered. Only, Pip would have souffled him.

    2. Maybe it's small town syndrome where grievances seem amplified and inescapable. Aren't there lots of small towns in the US – surrounded by masses of empty land. Ozzy Osborne said in a newspaper, guns should be banned – at least less damage would be done if someone went berserk with a frying pan.

    3. In America the criminals and disaffected use guns. In this country they use knives. People are violent and will use whatever comes to hand.
      I'm wavering now on the death penalty – I was pro abolition, and there were too many innocent people executed – but now? I think it would have been appropriate for the likes of Rudakabana. What good does it do to keep this useless man in jail for 52 years?
      If you read the "Midwestern doctor" – he/she is convinced a lot of the mass shootings are done by people damaged by SSRIs. Banning those would be a good place to start.

    4. Death penalty by firing squad is rare in the USA. Only 5 states do it. And gun violence is not that common. It tends to be concentrated in certain places and amongst certain demographics. In 40 years I was only near one and that became famous for being so unusual. I worked right opposite the incident in the University Art museum. Watched the incident from one of the roofs. Fortunately that was built with huge concrete slabs. In fact I used to refer to it as Late 20th Century Nazi Bunker Architecture.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry%27s_Pub_hostage_incident

      And here are two picys of the Museum. outside and inside. You can see I'm not exaggerating about the architecture.
      https://s.hdnux.com/photos/33/62/23/7283944/8/1200×0.jpg
      https://www.enterprise.no/content/dam/ecom/utopian-travel-articles/headlights/headlights-amazing-buildings-berkeley.jpg
      Stunning! If you like to be stunned.

        1. Sorry whats the context? The architecture? Goes without saying that people hated it.

        2. Sorry whats the context? The architecture? Goes without saying that people hated it.

        1. With dull grey concrete walls; must double their lekky bills.
          And that horrible paternoster lift.

          1. I mentioned that today – with an armful of books, I used to take my life in my hands getting on and off! In the summer I used to bake because of the sun on the windows and in the winter I used to freeze because of the lack of double glazing. Whoever gave it an award for architectural design clearly never had to try to work in there!

    5. "Inmates will now have the choice to be executed via electrocution or firing squad; with electrocution being the primary method."

      South Carolina law. No option for lethal injection as big pharma refuse to supply the approved drugs.

  52. Our whole government and its main opposition are a threat to national security.

  53. We haven't imported them. They have imported themselves – with plenty of help from Border Farce, RNLI, and our treacherous governments.

    1. I agree that they have got themselves across the channel, but I used "imported" because of what seems to be the obvious connivance of various governments! Whichever way we view it, the appalling result is the same.

  55. 402837+ up ticks,

    They, the evil political instigators, will be only ro happy to stay in the "best we forget"mode right up to a pandemic MK two is called into play.

    Dt,

    Five years on, British officialdom remains blind to the Covid catastrophe
    We do not need a ‘Day of Reflection’ – we need a tough, hard-headed appraisal of how our pandemic response led to such tragic consequences

    Five years on, British officialdom remains blind to the Covid catastrophe
    We do not need a ‘Day of Reflection’ – we need a tough, hard-headed appraisal of how our pandemic response led to such tragic consequences as the truth seeping out, and a culling campaign began to be revealed, with all its little helpers.

    1. Meanwhile – we are spending billions on an "enquiry" which is no such thing and just a whitewash exercise.

  56. Good morning, all. Bright and mild start to the day. First off, sausage rolls to make for the club dance this evening and then a few hours in the garden to continue the post-winter tidy up.

    Emphasis is mine.

    Yesterday I received one of the political, we're doing such a fine job, pamphlets, this time from Labour. Now, I'm wondering how long it takes for a new orthopaedic department to be planned, funded and built. My Labour County Councillor writes:
    "As a County Councillor I have served on the health committee for some time, and I was privileged to see the Government funding this state of the art facility in Colchester".

    How does one read that statement, especially in a political pamphlet? Clearly, the Government funded it but unless it was funded and built since July last it was the previous Government(s) who were responsible. Credit where credit is due?

    Now, this is the Feb/March 2025 pamphlet and he writes re street lighting:
    "We rely on our street lights to keep us safe, especially now the nights are closing in".

    Many of us are concerned that some politicians do not know the time of day but this character hasn't noticed the lengthening of the hours of daylight.

    1. It was probably written six months ago but had to be vetted by numerous committees before publication.

  57. After the third line there were four or five hundred choices. I didn't pick the right one. I know the answer now, there is only one choice left.
    Wordle 1,358 X/6

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

  58. ‘This is what happens when you mess with Nigel’: The row ripping apart Reform
    A bitter feud between MP Rupert Lowe and ‘messianic’ Farage spills into the open, bringing the party’s honeymoon period to an abrupt end
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/07/rupert-lowe-nigel-farage-reform-row/

    Is it significant and appropriate that Farage chose Muhammad Ziauddin Yusuf, the Muslim chairman of the Reform Party, to wield the knife on Rupert Lowe?

    BTL

    I am beginning to wonder if Zia has decided that he has a conflict of interest. As a Muslim he might feel that Rupert Lowe's views on illegal immigration are hostile to those of his religion and so he has decided that being a Muslim is more important to him than the Reform Party.

    1. In my opinion no patriotic party should have a Muslim anywhere near a powerful position. But Farage has no intention to do anything about Islam even if he gained power. He sees himself as the curator until they take over the UK.

      1. It certainly appears that way. I don't know how much of the muslim vote he thinks he would get from Labour that way.

        1. He has actually said what I assert here only he didn't use the word 'curate'. He really thinks it is pointless to resist to which I ask. Then why do you bother to run a patriotic party in the first place?

    2. It's pretty insulting to suggest that working class people don't clean their teeth, I would have thought!

      1. Perhaps it's not the traditional British working class that is the target. The British working class doesn't defecate in the street either…

    1. David Lammy. Brain overloaded. Still stuck in the middle of Shibuya crossing.

  63. Another freebie I assume, why is that idiot in Japan and what good will he do for UK interests?

      2. Having spent a little time there, and entertained Japanese execs here in the US, I can say with some certainty they are not "rainbow" people. The darker skinned among us are not well regarded there.

        1. All around the world, in different populations, tribes, etc lighter skin is preferred over darker skin.
          It's not 'racism' because the preference is pervasive.
          The question remains, WHY do many, many humans discriminate against individuals with darker skin than themselves? Anthropologists do not know.

          1. Many orientals take the view that they are not very bright. Mind you , they are less than impressed by white folk too…

  65. This is a fabulous line from the "spy" story in The Grimes today:

    "….spy ring run in the UK from a shabby seaside hotel in Great Yarmouth…"

    Sounds like the Ipcress Fil!!

    1. Yes , and what did you think of the guided tour of the hotel , where on earth did they acquire the kit from?

      Every room was crammed with strange devices .. how and why and how on earth weren't they sussed out?

  68. I have a solution to everything re migrants feeling at home in the UK

    We must stop importing rice, bulgar wheat , sweet potato , cassava ,lentils, spices etc .

    If we stopped importing stuff like that for a year , they would all clear off , err, wouldn't they?

    If we also had a chicken crisis , well they would all soon scarper back to where ever they came from.

    This idea came courtesy of a waking dream I had this morning .

    1. Most British people eat and enjoy rice and spices. Do you want to kill their enjoyment too?
      Rice pudding has been a staple since rice was brought back from the orient by Europeans.

    2. According to the muzzies you can get rid of them by banning halal slaughter. Seems like a win win situation; end animal cruelty and cleanse the country at the same time.

  69. Good Day!

    FSB has two articles we would like you to look at today; a very thorough expose of the great foreign aid fraud, Drain The Aid Swamp by Nanumaga, which links it to the woke cultural revolution being forced upon us by the alien ruling Establishment, and a second short article, Reform's Split: Let the Membership Decide , which is a draft letter to Reform’s leadership on the appalling split in the party that many had pinned their hopes on. We would very much like your input on both pieces

    In When the British Begin To Hate David Bizley sends a message to Starmer and his puppet-masters that their day is coming to an end. Please help make it so, and read the article and leave a comment.

    Energy watch 05.00: Demand: 23.95 GW. Total UK Production: 18.7 GW from: Hydrocarbons 22%; Wind 32.1%; Imports 21.5%; Biomass 4.7%; Nuclear 15%. Solar: 0%.

    Even at very low load, we are importing over 20% of our electric power, expensively and unnecessarily so our gas generation plants could produce the total demand and more = all in the name of the false god of net zero.

    freespeechbacklash

    1. Let the membership decide on Reform's future? How unreasonably democratic. How will they know who's a member anyway? According to my friend who was thinking of joining, they don't even get a membership card (and Reform takes the money automatically after 12 months). It put him off.

  70. The secret life of the Congo rainforest – in pictures

    Using high-definition camera traps on trails in Congo’s Nouabalé-Ndoki national park, Will Burrard-Lucas, a photographer for the Wildlife Conservation Society, has captured Africa’s most elusive and rarely seen animals
    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/48ecc5d1514e6d3028737253a1feed5145df2d54/0_0_4851_3234/master/4851.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b026907bf9f0dba1400ffaef04434174 Critically endangered African forest elephants, which are smaller and reproduce more slowly than their savannah cousins.

    Full gallery here
    http://ardian.com/environment/gallery/2025/mar/07/stopped-in-their-tracks-secret-life-congo-rainforest-nouabale-ndoki-national-park-wcs-photographer-will-burrard-lucas

  71. London's most crime-infested neighbourhoods can today be exposed, as damning figures show thefts, assaults and drug offences have hit all-time highs under Mayor Sadiq Khan's watch.

    MailOnline can reveal Leicester Square, Covent Garden and the surrounding tourist-laden area is the hotspot for violent and sex crime.

    In total, there were 1,302 attacks, rapes or sexual assaults in the tiny Westminster district in 2024. It equated to a rate of 1,645 violent crimes per 100 acres – the highest across the capital.

    The same neighbourhood, home to luxury hotels, acclaimed restaurants and high-end boutiques, also topped the table for drug-related crimes, which can include simple possession of cannabis to bustings of multi-million pound dealing operations.

    Our analysis, consisting of the near-5,000 districts dotted across London's 32 boroughs, discovered a small zone straddling Oxford Street and parts of Soho tops the table for thefts.

    Almost 6,150 thefts were recorded last year in that small sector, a hotbed of scooter-riding phone snatchers who grab devices from unsuspecting shoppers and zoom off. It equated to a rate of 8,450 thefts per 100 acres.

    It comes as figures show all three categories of crimes have soared to record levels since Mr Khan was elected in 2016, although drug offences appear to be on the decline in what critics of the Labour Mayor have called 'Lawless London'.

    Teenagers have been stabbed in broad daylight, rampaging youths have hijacked police cars and brazen thieves have snatched smartphones in tourist hotspots.

    Powered with official statistics, our map breaks down crime rates by 'Lower layer Super Output Areas' (LSOAs) — communities consisting of around 1,000 to 3,000 people.

    The darker the red, the higher the crime rate per 100 acres.

    All alleged crimes reported to either the Metropolitan or City of London police forces and given a crime number are included in our database, regardless of whether anyone was arrested or jailed.

    Read More
    EXCLUSIVE
    London's most dangerous Tube lines AND stops revealed
    article image
    Offences committed on trains, buses and trams, or at train and underground stations, are excluded because they're dealt with by the British Transport Police, rather than the local force.

    Pop-ups on our interactive map are named by the electoral ward within the capital's 32 boroughs.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14438117/london-neighbourhoods-violent-crimes-thefts-drug.html

    1. And Sad Dick will probably still claim that London is safer than when he took over!

    3. I don't suppose they've got stats of who's responsible for these hot spots, have they? It must be all those holiday makers.

    1. Some of the pro-pally people are just smart enough to know that the real Philistines were Greeks not Arabs so they claim that the Fakestinians are not Arabs either. They are of course but if one accepts their clam, resistance to them is not anti-Arab.

      1. I have been into the DNA thing, as you know, because of interest in my own ancestry. I learnt that the so called Palestinians are not ethnically Arabs but mostly a mixture of people from Egypt, Syria, Bedouin, and Lebanon. Those people do not have an iota of Arabic blood in them.

        1. The Bedouin are Arabs, or they identify as Arabs at any rate. Assyrians and Phoenicians maybe not, though they are Semites. The Egyptians are presumably a mixture? The pharaohs were Greek?

          1. I understand that many people identify as Arab but they aren’t. The Libyans are a mixture of Carthaginians, Greeks, Persians, Romans, Vandals, Arabs, Turks and Byzantines. Might as well throw in Uncle Tom Cobly and all, but they call themselves Arabs. In that part of the world, the Maghreb, the only Arab influence is Islam apart from a very few real Arabs, descendants of the conquerors. Real Arabs are as rare as hens teeth. I can say in all honesty, living in Libya I never knew an Arab but I knew Egyptians who certainly aren’t Arabs either.

    2. Most "Arabs" aren't Semites. The ones in that particular area aren't. Most Muslims aren't Arabs.

  74. Integration is a futile delusion when people cannot speak our language

    Migrant communities need to stop self-segregating and learn English

    Rakib Ehsan – 7th March 2025, 5:12pm GMT

    With the recent discovery that more than a million people either have poor English-speaking skills or none, it is time to admit that modern Britain is not quite the paragon of migrant integration that some would lead us to believe.

    According to the 2021 census for England and Wales, 880,000 people could not speak English well. A further 161,000 don't speak English at all. Hotspots include the city of Leicester in the East Midlands and the eastern London Borough of Newham. Closer inspection reveals that in areas of Leicester such as Spinney Hill Road and Belgrave South, more than a quarter of the residents cannot speak English or speak it well.

    Leicester, once considered a jewel in Britain's multicultural crown, is fast becoming a failed city in terms of integration – with the large-scale disorder in its eastern parts back in 2022 a watershed moment for community relations.

    While Britain may be a more successful multi-ethnic democracy than European counterparts such as France, this is a spectacularly low bar. There is no doubt that there are ethnic-minority families which represent the best of Britain – serious about academic achievement, entrepreneurial, family-oriented and devoted to civic life.

    Many of these families will take an interest in their countries of origin and hold their non-Christian faith dearly – but they are also patriotic and appreciative of the freedoms bestowed by British democracy. I suspect it is these kinds of families and communities that the likes of Fraser Nelson have in mind when they refer to Britain as an "integration miracle".

    But the portrait of modern Britain is much more complicated than that. While recent studies show that segregation is at an all-time low in much of Britain (and certainly lower when compared to countries like the United States), it remains a problem in cities such as Leicester and a string of post-industrial towns across northern England. While there is much outrage over the unprecedented level of newcomers arriving in the post-Brexit era, there are people who have lived in Britain for decades and can barely speak English.

    It is true that previous governments such as the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition have slashed funding for English language classes – but integration is a two-way street. The reality is that there are ethnic "enclaves" which are separated from the mainstream – with their own specific cultural and religious amenities, as well as access to foreign-language media and entertainment.

    In some of these enclaves, there is little desire to integrate – even if English language tuition was readily available on their doorsteps. The residents of such areas may live in Britain in a physical sense, but their hearts and minds are elsewhere.

    While there is an unhealthy reliance on state-funded translation services when it comes to interacting with sectors such as education and healthcare, younger and British-born bilingual relatives can also be depended on for occasions such as parents' evenings and medical appointments.

    It could be argued that none of this really matters. If these enclaves are generally respectful of the law, who cares if the people who live within them don't speak good English?

    But segregated areas of Britain with relatively low levels of English language proficiency are less likely to have a sound understanding of social, economic, cultural and legal norms that underpin our country. This can lead to forms of anti-social behaviour which may be more acceptable in their place of origin, but rub others – including members of the white-British ethnic majority and well-integrated migrants – the wrong way. At its very worst, the people within these enclaves are susceptible to extremism.

    Integration is a two-way street, but the reality is that the British state has no robust strategy for it: a significant number of people are only too happy to exist in their ethno-religious silos. And the results down the road may not be pretty for the rest of us.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/07/integration-futile-when-people-cannot-speak-language

    1. Stop producing NHS and government leaflets in a multitude of different languages for a start. And make people pay for or provide their own translation services.

    2. Seems to me the USA has things about right on the face of it anyway. The people are ‘American’ overall whereas GB has never pushed immigrants to think of themselves as British. Suppose it doesn’t help that we are four nations in one. HMG should have made it compulsory for schools upwards to sing the national anthem every morning and everyngenuime immigrant should have to pass an oral English test before being allowed into the country. Unfortunately the Home Office is overrun by immigrants, as are many of our institutions and Parliament. There are certain people who will never integrate and, of course, far too many incomers all at the same time have overwhelmed us.

    3. Why would they bother? All the benefits literature is translated for them. Need a doctor? The taxpayer pays for an interpreter, ditto when they have to appear in court. The rest of the time they live as they did before they came here and speak their own language with others of their same kind.

    2. You don't have a clue just how apposite and apt that photo is.

      I've just come down the ladder from coppicing my hazel and my entire front and head were covered in white sawdust flakes!

  78. https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/1437173ba91c058c18df7a2ab7dcda65adec02d5/0_0_2756_1810/master/2756.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=238d77c9a06f5c08303d6ef50af24fe8 The Milky Way above Bamburgh Lighthouse, Northumberland.

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/bdd2972b06351843db571632f3b4a34f06cd93ab/0_0_5758_3730/master/5758.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8c249e9e79884f46f62ebc988fe90a21 Competitors from opposing teams the Up’ards and the Down’ards fight for the ball during the annual Royal Shrovetide football match in Ashbourne, Derbyshire.

    1. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bec248b0569ce135b92f8b2b12ce38438e2a993099758b8d897bff7c81950057.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e97910a2f3e0326ef3b6934cd2b47a6a18e9e2efb78f443f8c2fda4f69cd8d4e.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9a0ed5f3296c68d92d2a8c3c50092d6aa78eda6b75e2b16acf9812c9ffafdcb9.png I've had a hard job trying not to damage all the winter flora.
      Snowdrops with winter snowflakes are still resplendent.
      The dwarf irises are quite stunning.
      Winter aconites are now fading.
      Snowdrops at their peak and a few primulas are emerging.
      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/059c70ecf5ce098ea1fe68f881cea32f1c97d539ad0ecc5e50dc8c1431c712de.png

      1. All of them beautiful. But I have always preferred the simplest of them all, the snowdrops.

    3. Assuming you are allowed to have bonfires, it's much easier to cart the trimmings to the bonfire whole and strip out your usable kindling and firewood there.
      I made the mistake of doing it on site one year, I was barrowing bits that were easier to carry whole.
      Lots of journeys but ultimately much, much faster overall.
      I hate ladder work and the chap who does my pollarding insists on cutting things to smaller sizes than needed, he doesn't believe me when I tell him I can manage the weight.

      1. My friend at the farm has a use for all the cuttings. He will use the logs from the thick branches for firing his boiler and all the rest will go on a bonfire in his garden.

        1. There are times that I wish I could get rid of such cuttings that way.
          On the plus side, I never worry about firewood for the house.

    1. I am afraid that Mr Lowe is toast – and so is the Reform Party on which one pinned so many hopes.

      1. Mr Lowe might be toast but I think Reform will survive this minor spat, which will be forgotten in a week or 3. Having said that, Mr Farage does seem particularly prone to "personnel incidents".

        1. He is an excellent orator but not a politician nor, by any means, a team player.

    2. Farage sees many of the Tories' troubles of recent times as a result of rows over racism and sexism. In his desperation to avoid this for Reform, he's misguidedly hollowing out the party.

      1. I thought Ben spoke a lot of sense. Nigel did the same in UKIP. He couldn't get all his own way, never put any mechanism in place to bring on a successor and then walked out. In my experience, Ben is absolutely right; Rupert is being punished for his quite justified criticism.

    4. Welcome to the club, Rupert. Now you know what UKIP activists felt like after Nige flounced off and denigrated us.

  81. Theoretically and Realistically
    A small boy has a school homework question to answer, so he asks his father
    "Hey Dad, what's the difference between 'theoretically' & 'realistically'?"
    His Dad thinks for a while & then says; "Right-o son……go & ask your mother if she'd sleep with David Beckham for a million quid."
    The boy trots off and comes back saying "Dad, dad, she said she would! She would sleep with David Beckham for a million pounds."
    "OK son," says his dad. "Now go & ask your sister the same question."
    The boy toddles off, & comes back saying "Dad, dad, she said she would too!"
    So then his dad says "Right, son, now go & ask your elder brother if he'd sleep with David Beckham for a million pounds."
    The son comes back excitedly saying "Dad! Dad! He said he would too!"
    "Well there you have it, son," said his dad.
    Theoretically we could be sitting on three million quid.
    .
    .
    .
    .
    Realistically we're living with two tarts & a poof.

  82. Things must be really bad in the 'State of Denmark', another 29 people have joined Reform since early this morning!

  83. The Chase, ITV Quiz:
    Bradley Walsh: Which US President is said to have cut down his father’s cherry tree?
    David Lammy, contestant: Donald Trump.

    Was awarded the prize anyway because he knew Donald Trump was a president – which astounded most of the audience.

  84. Interesting
    The Neil Oliver video I posted earlier "Has been removed by the uploader"
    Ther was a lot of "noticing" involved
    I suspect someone's had a word in his ear threatening demonetisation
    Free Speech?
    Don't make me laff

    1. Interesting Rik. I watched one this morning. Was it a guy with an Irish or Northern accent talking to Oliver? Because I thought I would go into my history and post it back here for you. Oddly it seems to be gone!

      1. "Was it a guy with an Irish or Northern accent talking to Oliver?"

        Ivor Cummins, well known on here for his analyses during the covid madness.

    1. I agree with him. Its a con by the globalists with all their other scams.

  87. Look what's crawled out of the woodwork.

    Derek Hatton charged with bribery

    Former Liverpool politician and ex-mayor Joe Anderson among 12 people charged after police investigation into council contracts

    Amy Gibbons and Dominic Penna, Political Correspondents • March 2025, 11:18am GMT

    Derek Hatton, the former Liverpool politician, has been charged with bribery, Merseyside Police has said.

    The 77-year-old is among 12 people, including Joe Anderson, the former Liverpool mayor, to be charged after a police investigation into the awarding of commercial and business contracts from Liverpool city council between 2010 and 2020.

    Mr Hatton was deputy leader of Liverpool city council in the 1980s and a well-known figure of Militant, a Trotskyist group that infiltrated the Labour Party at the time. He and other members of Militant were widely blamed for making Labour unelectable and leading Neil Kinnock, the then Labour leader, to wage a prolonged battle to drive the hard-Left faction out of the party.

    The deputy leader was later ousted from the party and remained frozen out for 30 years until he was readmitted under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership in 2019. However, he was swiftly suspended again over comments he had made about Israel in 2012, with his return lasting less than 48 hours.

    Mr Anderson, 67, became the first directly elected mayor of Liverpool in 2012, having previously led its city council. He was first arrested in 2020 on suspicion of witness intimidation and conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with a long-running police investigation into fraud in the city. Labour suspended his party membership pending the outcome of the case.

    In a statement posted on social media site X, Anderson said: "I am innocent of charges and will fight to clear my name."

    Mr Anderson denounced his arrest as "bizarre" in an interview with The Telegraph in 2021, insisting the allegations were without merit. He said: "I want to say as much as I'm allowed to say and I want to actually let people know the absurdity of what I'm being accused of. The idea there has been a mass conspiracy to make things happen is quite frankly absurd."

    He accused Labour's leadership, including Sir Keir Starmer, of acting too hastily in suspending him following his arrest and considered running against the party as an independent mayoral candidate.

    Others investigated include Mr Anderson's son David, 37, of Wavertree, who has been charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.

    Mr Hatton's wife Sonjia, 49, formerly a planning officer on the council, has been charged with one count of misconduct in a public office.

    The council's former assistant director of highways and planning, Andrew Barr, 51, of Ainsdale, Merseyside, is charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office and bribery.

    Nick Kavanagh, 56, the council's former head of regeneration, of Mossley Hill, Liverpool, has been charged with two counts of bribery.

    Also charged are Phillipa Cook, 49, of Mossley Hill, Liverpool, who faces two counts of bribery, and Alex Croft, 29, of Aughton, Lancashire, who is charged with one count of bribery.

    Julian Flanagan, 53, of Crosby; Paul Flanagan, 61, of Knowsley Village; Adam McLean, 54, of Woolton; and James Shalliker, 38, of Downholland, Lancashire, and are all charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.

    A spokesman for Merseyside Police said they will appear at Preston magistrates' court on March 28. Robin Weyell, a deputy chief crown prosecutor, said: "The CPS has reviewed a full file of evidence from the Merseyside Police and has authorised the investigation team to charge 12 people with 12 offences related to bribery and misconduct in public office.

    "The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against these defendants are now active and that they have a right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings."

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/03/07/former-liverpool-mayor-charged-with-bribery

    3. Hahahahahaha. 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱

  88. I shall indulge myself watch Ireland v France. It could be the match of the championship OR a dreary one should both sides have nerves and seize up.

  89. The shore at Malahide last week: https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6eadab909b7df2d58b46e3b5e6e3320248010b5b43a2e6d760db51f6a2638f52.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/74fb807d3d81334cad6fa9f78daeb9b3d7401daf610fcc173524977e92d73b8b.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/94ba5bccf7c24a700944df3550bc6d008c334b2d17f3ca281560a9a79639511d.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/006844b19e449ca4b8573fcc9ddf0b831fd307fc956edeb6edec167768b88242.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/74b20f6dadc67f90614f0a552ecf799643957930ee12a7070cfd95087101d581.jpg

  90. 402837+ up ticks,

    Old digit dick ain't going to stand alone my monies on him being a porker,squealing every which way.

    Trouble is, the higher the perp. is politically the crime loses its sentencing value as in murder most foul, (jabs) becomes corporate manslaughter, becomes the deceased fell on a loaded syringe, etc,etc.
    https://x.com/NigelJohns60209/status/1898346749783167397

  94. Spring is sprung; https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7831dfaaef560941eb2adf8f53f5f9ab78283753ca108de09324e9dfdf6beae6.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f552340a85da9c2e99abc9881cb3b61d9b4ead7d95889871c837ab94ca2b07e8.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/81973af0d2a7a057193d6e02d13ccf55e53f9385b5ad9d3bfffbedb1acf406b8.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/466f33cc997af4545c4c1a149694afa144c7420494740296c844574b19bd5d20.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f5deccd3ed0d2b66b86e60b08f75034a0c59b533bd3c1b6e60a0663eacd3212c.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d53e61ecee6e5831af76c8dc7f86d064d326a1b6e588d4b9efebbf4ef3506b93.jpg

    4. Yes, where we would we be without all that delicious wonderful God-given green grass?
      One of the foundation stones of England's prosperity, grass has long been the most reliable crop, mainly as a result of the UK's moist climate. (precipitation sounds too pompous, even for me)

      1. “This royal throne of kings, this scepter’d isle,
        This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
        This other Eden, demi-paradise,
        This fortress built by Nature for herself
        Against infection and the hand of war,
        This happy breed of men, this little world,
        This precious stone set in the silver sea,
        Which serves it in the office of a wall
        Or as a moat defensive to a house,
        Against the envy of less happier lands,
        This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England,
        This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings,
        Fear’d by their breed and famous by their birth,
        Renowned for their deeds as far from home,
        For Christian service and true chivalry,
        As is the sepulchre in stubborn Jewry
        Of the world’s ransom, blessed Mary’s Son,
        This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land,
        Dear for her reputation through the world,
        Is now leased out, I die pronouncing it,
        Like to a tenement or pelting farm:
        England, bound in with the triumphant sea,
        Whose rocky shore beats back the envious siege
        Of watery Neptune, is now bound in with shame,
        With inky blots and rotten parchment bonds:
        That England, that was wont to conquer others,
        Hath made a shameful conquest of itself.
        Ah, would the scandal vanish with my life,
        How happy then were my ensuing death!”

        Those were the days…

    5. My big daffs are out now as well as the tete a tetes. I also have celandines a plenty and a hyacinth beginning to show colour.

    6. Spring is Sprung
      The Grass is Riz
      I wonder where the Birdie is?

      The Bird is on the wing….
      But that's absurd
      because the wing is on the Bird!

      Henry Gibson

      Spring is a time of a young man's fancy…
      Summer sees him even fancier!

      D Frost.

        1. Undoubtedly the best player in the world at present – I think his recent spell in Sevens has made him even better!

    3. Deleted – I posted the Sandie Shaw song before seeing that Aeneas had already posted it.

          1. "“I don’t think our attack is as bad as everyone is saying it is,” Itoje said."

            Yeah, right. Try watching the matches…..

    2. France should have kept Ireland out in the last minutes and not let them get the bonus point.

      Mea Culpa.

      1. Did Ireland get a bonus point? I thought it was for four tries, and they got three or losing by 7 points or less?

        1. I stand corrected:

          Four points are awarded for a win. Two points are awarded for a draw. A try bonus point is awarded for scoring four or more tries in a match. A losing bonus point is awarded for losing by seven or fewer points.

  99. After dropping off Welder son's book cases, he loaded a large steel radiator for me to take to the scrappies, so fist job today, after removing the brass fittings and draining a drop of water out of it, was to load the rest of my scrap, largely copper & lead, but including aluminium, brass and electric armatures ready for getting weighed in next week.
    Then after an hours lie down I cleared a bit of the bank behind the sheds of ivy and bramble runners.
    Now just has a light snack and a mug of tea.

    Looks like Farage has fucked up with Rupert Lowe. Reform is going to lose a LOT of support.

  102. Wordle No. 1,358 4/6

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

    Wordle 8 Mar 2025

    An unbuttoned Par Four?

    1. Who knows how there were not many options but it took a long time to uncover the word.-

      Wordle 1,358 3/6

      ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
      ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    2. It's four on the bounce for me with another birdie as my starter words keep on striking lucky! To think I nearly changed them recently after a very poor run…..

      Wordle 1,358 3/6

      ⬜🟩⬜🟩⬜
      🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    3. Me too.

      Wordle 1,358 4/6

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

    4. Well done, managed a 3 today.

      Wordle 1,358 3/6

      ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟨
      ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟨
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  103. Lurking in the internet undergrowth is a view that the injury to Dupont was deliberate….

    1. Hmmm, I'll have to look at it again – it seemed to me one of those unfortunate knee/ankle twisting injuries that are quite common in a tackle situation.

  104. Good afternoon, time for a chocolate éclair and cup of tea .

    2. Rupert Lowe has very strong views on Islamist immigration and very often fell out with Mohammed Zia Yosuf – surprise surprise a witch hunt .
      Rupert Lowe is a superb parliamentarian, he is intelligent, eloquent, serious and thoughtful and he speaks the unvarnished truth, he clearly had to go.

      1. Did you see my post earlier?

        Is it significant and appropriate that Farage chose Muhammad Ziauddin Yusuf, the Muslim chairman of the Reform Party, to wield the knife on Rupert Lowe?

        BTL

        I am beginning to wonder if Zia has decided that he has a conflict of interest. As a Muslim he might feel that Rupert Lowe's views on illegal immigration are hostile to those of his religion and so he has decided that being a Muslim is more important to him than the Reform Party.

  109. Evening, all. Have spent a long day at the Deanery Day; 10.00 – 15.15 (it over-ran). It made us realise what a lot there is to celebrate about our church, but a lot of the challenges are things that we can''t do anything about (geographical and topological, mainly).

    Trump has never hidden that he puts America first. Anybody who deals with him has to acknowledge that.

      1. No, but it got several mentions. There is talk of doing the training as a deanery rather than separately. Hopefully, my certificate is still current (albeit with a different diocese).

        1. Good heavens, no! You will have to requalify from the start…..

          I had to have several separate ones – for the school where the MR taught; for a professional body where I was an independent adjudicator and for our church. Daft.

          1. I did expect to hear that. Like DBS checks. To think I spent all that time teaching and never needed anything like that – but then, I'm not a paedo.

          2. My beloved spent 40 years in the classroom and was only once – for her last job in Monaco – asked to produce evidence of her degree and teaching qualification. I have been a solicitor for 60 years and have had various employers and done jobs for the BBC and Her Majesty’s Government – no one – NO ONE – has ever asked me to produce evidence that I was qualified!

          3. I haven't had to produce my degree certificates, but I have had a viva in the language I was to be teaching. One of the most difficult was to talk about my trip to Russia in French!

          5. On my first weekend as a student at UEA one of the first people I met was a chap whom I had met earlier in the year at a university open day. He subsequently became one of my best friends. He took up Rugby football at UEA and became quite good at it.

            When we were asked to produce our "A" level certificates I managed to convince him that I hadn't got any "A" levels and had lied om my UCCA form. This was a joke but three years later when we were awarded our degrees he said : "Well done Richard, I never told anyone about your "A" level results."

            Here he is with our boys at our home in France. He was an incredibly lovely man; very sadly he is no longer with us.

            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5e1376fcc874c3f2b908a4c81bd976f08393916bb7fbfb636c4e2579d969739f.png

      2. I’ve done the CofE safeguarding course. It’s sound enough in principle but course or no course you either have people in the parish who are sensible and caring and will do the right thing…or not.

        At my old church there was a woman who came to Evensong and would kneel in a pew and sob her heart out for the duration of the service. It was actually handled very well and in due course she received the help she needed and began coming to church smiling.

    2. Good evening, that was indeed a very long day and sounds very positive .

  110. Common vibe amongst the members.. concerning the spat.

    If I wanted Islam. I would have voted Labour or Tory.

    1. I’ll have you know that I’m old enough to have travelled 366 Billion miles through the Cosmos!

      1. How much fish were you given and did you work out that the answer is 42?

        1. Well I've always been at sixes and sevens and apart from a couple of species I don't care much for fish….

        1. One would need the mind of God to know the Cosmo; by which I mean to know the precise position of every atomic particle in the Universe at every point in time from the very beginning through to infinity.

    3. Do you remember the names of the two detectives Thompson and Thomson in the original French language Tintin bande dessinée stories?

  114. The thought that anyone might be patriotic and want their own country to prosper seems to be an entirely alien concept to those in office.

      1. Given the demographic changes Labour has accelerated, it may already be too late.

        1. The reason that Labour may win the next General Election is the same reason why they won the 2024 General Election – the split in the Conservative vote. If Reform continues to self-implode, it may be the the only way to kick Labour out is for everyone to hold their noses and vote Conservative in 2029 (or earlier, if Labour calls an early GE). Lesser of two evils?

  116. Last rugby comment. The pass that led to the admirable double-barrelled Frenchie* galloping down the touchline, grub-kicking and then being tackled off the ball – was FORWARD.

    One would have thought that the blazered busy-body TMO would watch the same match as the rest of us and tell the referee these things. I counted at least a dozen forward passes….(yawns, and drops off).

    I wouldn't put more than ten bob on England to win tomorrow….

    * Gosh he is good

    1. Agreed mostly.
      The camera angles are deceptive at times.
      If every forward pass gets called a scrum results, I'd rather accept a few forward passes than have endless scrums!

  117. Blimey; we're definitely all doomed. Sonny Boy Snr has advised me to wear sun cream for tomorrow's Frinton dog walk.

  118. That's me for today. A cracker of a rugby match. The ref was not any more annoying than most Southern Hemisphere johnnies.

    Have a spiffing evening. Should you wish to see what this government is like – I recommend "In The Loop" a film shown on BBC4 a couple of nights ago. Daft story but lots of very good one-liners and cameo performances. (Trigger warning: There is an enormous amount of extremely bad language – I am glad to add).

    A demain – the last warm day this year.

      1. One can, but I doubt that one would.
        Particularly having paid that kind of money!

  122. Why Trump's state visit could spark a constitutional crisis

    Large scale protests against the divisive president could drag the King into politics – and do serious damage to the monarchy

    Simon Heffer • 7th March 2025 8:00am GMT

    The day after Donald Trump and JD Vance ambushed Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, an American friend (who is no fan of the US president) railed at me by text message about what she considered the King's poor judgment in asking Trump to pay a state visit – and an unprecedented second one at that. Why was His Majesty bestowing this honour on a head of state who had publicly humiliated a supposed ally in this way?

    I explained that the King acts in all political matters (which include the diplomatic decision about a state visit), only on the advice of his ministers. This convention exists to keep the Crown above politics. That the King had written to President Trump – a letter the president joyfully flaunted during his meeting last week with Sir Keir Starmer – inviting him to Britain was, I told her, not because His Majesty wanted it, but because his Prime Minister thought an invitation was in the national interest.

    Once Starmer had told the King his ministers' wishes, His Majesty had to comply. "The King will not be dragged into politics. He will follow the advice of his Prime Minister. State visits are a vital part of soft power. And soft power is all we have left," says one senior politician.

    It might, of course, be the case that the King accepted the pragmatic argument for a state visit, which will doubtless help Starmer's efforts to court Trump as America's relationship with the rest of the world becomes increasingly uncertain.

    If the King did object, however, refusing would have precipitated a constitutional crisis – the resignation of the Prime Minister and the Government, and a general election on the issue. If, after such an election, Starmer remained in office and the King still refused, it could force an abdication.

    Happily, no monarch has tried to ignore the wishes of his or her government since the 17th century, which is why the monarchy attracts such respect.

    Perhaps the most controversial state visit in living memory was that of Hirohito, the Japanese emperor, whose throne had survived despite his country's defeat in 1945. Japan's economic power had persuaded the Heath administration that it was worth cultivating Hirohito. However, just a quarter of a century after that war, many veterans were still alive, including some who had suffered appallingly in Japan's bestial prisoner-of-war camps.

    Opposition to the visit was widespread. In October 1971, thousands of protesters lined The Mall as Emperor Hirohito and the late Queen passed by in an open carriage. They stood in silence and turned their backs on Hirohito. Some wore red gloves, marking the bloodshed for which they held him responsible. "We cannot pretend the past did not exist", the Queen said at the state banquet.

    Seven years later she tried to pretend the Romanian tyrant Nicolae Ceaușescu did not exist, when the Callaghan administration asked him and his wife to Britain to try to improve relations with the Soviet bloc. To avoid having to talk to them the Queen hid behind a bush in the gardens of Buckingham Palace while walking her dogs. Valuables were hidden to prevent them being stolen. Worse, the Queen was forced to give the dictator a knighthood (of which he was later stripped).

    Ceaușescu's barbarism and corruption were well known, as were Robert Mugabe's, who came in 1994. Putin came in 2003 and even then met protests. David Cameron's strategy of ingratiating Britain with China led to a visit from Xi Jinping in 2015, and human rights protests. The then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall missed the state banquet, disliking Xi's human rights record. However, princes have more freedom of action than monarchs.

    In addition to his recent transgression in the Oval Office, Trump is accused by his detractors of misogyny and racial prejudice. He has also described climate change – a cause championed by the King over many years – as "one of the great scams of all time." It is not difficult to believe that the King might privately take a dim view of the president's past antics and abhor the way he treated Zelensky last week.

    The King is not, however, powerless. The 19th century constitutional writer Walter Bagehot famously said that three rights had evolved for sovereigns under constitutional monarchy: the right to be consulted, the right to advise and the right to warn.

    The King would have been consulted about the Trump visit by the Prime Minister. What we do not know, and will only know when documents are released decades hence, is whether the King advised Starmer on how the invitation should be couched, or even warned him that it might have regrettable consequences. Starmer could decide to ignore such a warning. A courtier tells me that the King's style is very different to his late mother's, and that, if the situation deteriorated, he might issue a "trenchant" warning to his Prime Minister; he is "highly sensitive" to public feeling.

    After the Zelensky incident, politicians from various parties said the invitation should be rescinded. The Scottish National Party leader, John Swinney, said it was "hard to believe" it could stand; Alicia Kearns, a Tory MP, wanted it cancelled. There are rumours of disquiet in Labour's ranks, whose considerable cohort of Trump-haters have so far kept quiet. Calls to reconsider the invitation also came from Canada, which Trump believes should become America's 51st state. "I don't think Trump realises the King is Canada's Head of State too," says a former minister. "If he persists in trying to annex Canada, that would change everything." In an interview with The Telegraph this week, Danielle Smith, the premier of Alberta, Canada's wealthiest province, publicly urged the King to stand up to Trump over his threat to annexe the Commonwealth nation.

    Starmer refuses to withdraw the invitation. An unpleasant tone emerged from Washington, with hints of consequences for the UK/US relationship if the visit were stopped. Public feeling appears strong against the visit. A poll published five days after the Zelensky ambush showed 42 per cent of Britons opposed to it, and 51 per cent saying Trump should never have been asked in the first place. Two petitions demanding the visit be cancelled quickly attracted 280,000 signatures. A petition against his 2019 state visit garnered 1.8 million signatures, when the provocation was less.

    The poll was conducted before the president's decision to "pause" military aid to Ukraine. As it becomes clear that the Trump administration no longer shares the same stance on Ukraine and Nato as Britain or much of Europe, opposition to a visit meant to reinforce a shared commitment could increase. This shift could have significant constitutional implications, which the Prime Minister will need to address, with the King remaining vigilant.

    Serious public disquiet, or even civil disobedience, arising from the visit or even just from its imminence, could well drag the King into politics – the very thing the constitutional monarchy was designed to avoid. In 2019 a demonstration of an estimated 75,000 people filled central London for Trump's first visit; the public perception that Trump had bullied and abandoned Ukraine could provoke a far larger one. His Majesty, however unfairly, might be identified with the presence and the actions of the unpopular president.

    That might not merely damage the King's reputation; it could damage the institution of monarchy, something the constitution has evolved to avoid. These are delicate issues, as they always are when trying to renew relations with a head of state whose behaviour leaves much to be desired. The Government will have to decide whether more damage might be done by Trump's coming, or by his not coming. It could be one of the most important decisions Starmer ever has to make.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/07/why-trumps-state-visit-could-spark-a-constitutional-crisis

    2. Getting involved in politics has never bothered Charlie before. Perhaps this is the "wrong sort" of politics?

      1. Charles is "highly sensitive to public feeling"? Not of his Christian subjects, he isn't!

    4. So they are already blaming Trump for the hysterics that his visit will cause, then?
      I do miss having adults who know how to behave in public life.

    5. If it weren't such a long way and an awful place to visit, I'd go to Londonistan to personally wave a "Welcome to the UK, Mr President" placard. Why should the leftards have it all their own way?

      1. I haven’t been to London in eight years but I’ve always enjoyed my visits. Love walking from London Bridge Station along the Thames to the Tate and then over the bridge to St.Paul’s. It’s a lovely city.
        Trump is fulfilling all expectations. Brash and bullying. He seems to get everyone’s back up. Does he know what he’s doing and will it all work out in the end? Possibly. But I would never have voted for him and I reserve judgment. Most certainly I wouldn’t go to London to cheer him on.

        1. Of course he’s brash; he’s American. We shouldn’t judge people by our own ethnocentric values (which is why we shouldn’t attribute Christian tolerance to islam). The last time I went to London, just before covid, I was the only European and native English speaker on the bus into Westminster (I went to the Battle of Britain service). I’d cheer him on because he is the elected POTUS and those suffering from TDS shouldn’t have it all their own way. I don’t know where the misogynist tag comes from. By stopping men who think they’re women entering female only spaces and sports he’s done more for women than all the liberal lefties of the last few years.

          1. I'm not really concerned with his supposed attitude to women. The Clintons' treatment of Monica Lewinsky is now just an anecdote in the presidential tableaux and Trump is no worse.
            What concerns me is how his policies will affect world politics, what kind of future he is preparing for our children and grandchildren. Is he the lynx he pretends to be or is he just another dumb uninformed American?

          2. Perhaps only time will tell, but I remember lefty students’ heads exploding when Reagan was elected. According to them, he was going to start WW3. He didn’t.

          3. I remember the spoof Gone With the Wind posters featuring Thatcher and Reagan arranging WW3.
            As you say time will tell. I only hope we don’t live to regret the Trump years.

        2. Last time I went to London was in 2019 for a demo against trophy hunting. I'd certainly think twice before going there these days.

        1. You're probably right. Still, I wouldn't need to worry about my heating bills for a couple of years.

  123. Why Trump's state visit could spark a constitutional crisis

    Large scale protests against the divisive president could drag the King into politics – and do serious damage to the monarchy

    Simon Heffer • 7th March 2025 8:00am GMT

    The day after Donald Trump and JD Vance ambushed Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, an American friend (who is no fan of the US president) railed at me by text message about what she considered the King's poor judgment in asking Trump to pay a state visit – and an unprecedented second one at that. Why was His Majesty bestowing this honour on a head of state who had publicly humiliated a supposed ally in this way?

    I explained that the King acts in all political matters (which include the diplomatic decision about a state visit), only on the advice of his ministers. This convention exists to keep the Crown above politics. That the King had written to President Trump – a letter the president joyfully flaunted during his meeting last week with Sir Keir Starmer – inviting him to Britain was, I told her, not because His Majesty wanted it, but because his Prime Minister thought an invitation was in the national interest.

    Once Starmer had told the King his ministers' wishes, His Majesty had to comply. "The King will not be dragged into politics. He will follow the advice of his Prime Minister. State visits are a vital part of soft power. And soft power is all we have left," says one senior politician.

    It might, of course, be the case that the King accepted the pragmatic argument for a state visit, which will doubtless help Starmer's efforts to court Trump as America's relationship with the rest of the world becomes increasingly uncertain.

    If the King did object, however, refusing would have precipitated a constitutional crisis – the resignation of the Prime Minister and the Government, and a general election on the issue. If, after such an election, Starmer remained in office and the King still refused, it could force an abdication.

    Happily, no monarch has tried to ignore the wishes of his or her government since the 17th century, which is why the monarchy attracts such respect.

    Perhaps the most controversial state visit in living memory was that of Hirohito, the Japanese emperor, whose throne had survived despite his country's defeat in 1945. Japan's economic power had persuaded the Heath administration that it was worth cultivating Hirohito. However, just a quarter of a century after that war, many veterans were still alive, including some who had suffered appallingly in Japan's bestial prisoner-of-war camps.

    Opposition to the visit was widespread. In October 1971, thousands of protesters lined The Mall as Emperor Hirohito and the late Queen passed by in an open carriage. They stood in silence and turned their backs on Hirohito. Some wore red gloves, marking the bloodshed for which they held him responsible. "We cannot pretend the past did not exist", the Queen said at the state banquet.

    Seven years later she tried to pretend the Romanian tyrant Nicolae Ceaușescu did not exist, when the Callaghan administration asked him and his wife to Britain to try to improve relations with the Soviet bloc. To avoid having to talk to them the Queen hid behind a bush in the gardens of Buckingham Palace while walking her dogs. Valuables were hidden to prevent them being stolen. Worse, the Queen was forced to give the dictator a knighthood (of which he was later stripped).

    Ceaușescu's barbarism and corruption were well known, as were Robert Mugabe's, who came in 1994. Putin came in 2003 and even then met protests. David Cameron's strategy of ingratiating Britain with China led to a visit from Xi Jinping in 2015, and human rights protests. The then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall missed the state banquet, disliking Xi's human rights record. However, princes have more freedom of action than monarchs.

    In addition to his recent transgression in the Oval Office, Trump is accused by his detractors of misogyny and racial prejudice. He has also described climate change – a cause championed by the King over many years – as "one of the great scams of all time." It is not difficult to believe that the King might privately take a dim view of the president's past antics and abhor the way he treated Zelensky last week.

    The King is not, however, powerless. The 19th century constitutional writer Walter Bagehot famously said that three rights had evolved for sovereigns under constitutional monarchy: the right to be consulted, the right to advise and the right to warn.

    The King would have been consulted about the Trump visit by the Prime Minister. What we do not know, and will only know when documents are released decades hence, is whether the King advised Starmer on how the invitation should be couched, or even warned him that it might have regrettable consequences. Starmer could decide to ignore such a warning. A courtier tells me that the King's style is very different to his late mother's, and that, if the situation deteriorated, he might issue a "trenchant" warning to his Prime Minister; he is "highly sensitive" to public feeling.

    After the Zelensky incident, politicians from various parties said the invitation should be rescinded. The Scottish National Party leader, John Swinney, said it was "hard to believe" it could stand; Alicia Kearns, a Tory MP, wanted it cancelled. There are rumours of disquiet in Labour's ranks, whose considerable cohort of Trump-haters have so far kept quiet. Calls to reconsider the invitation also came from Canada, which Trump believes should become America's 51st state. "I don't think Trump realises the King is Canada's Head of State too," says a former minister. "If he persists in trying to annex Canada, that would change everything." In an interview with The Telegraph this week, Danielle Smith, the premier of Alberta, Canada's wealthiest province, publicly urged the King to stand up to Trump over his threat to annexe the Commonwealth nation.

    Starmer refuses to withdraw the invitation. An unpleasant tone emerged from Washington, with hints of consequences for the UK/US relationship if the visit were stopped. Public feeling appears strong against the visit. A poll published five days after the Zelensky ambush showed 42 per cent of Britons opposed to it, and 51 per cent saying Trump should never have been asked in the first place. Two petitions demanding the visit be cancelled quickly attracted 280,000 signatures. A petition against his 2019 state visit garnered 1.8 million signatures, when the provocation was less.

    The poll was conducted before the president's decision to "pause" military aid to Ukraine. As it becomes clear that the Trump administration no longer shares the same stance on Ukraine and Nato as Britain or much of Europe, opposition to a visit meant to reinforce a shared commitment could increase. This shift could have significant constitutional implications, which the Prime Minister will need to address, with the King remaining vigilant.

    Serious public disquiet, or even civil disobedience, arising from the visit or even just from its imminence, could well drag the King into politics – the very thing the constitutional monarchy was designed to avoid. In 2019 a demonstration of an estimated 75,000 people filled central London for Trump's first visit; the public perception that Trump had bullied and abandoned Ukraine could provoke a far larger one. His Majesty, however unfairly, might be identified with the presence and the actions of the unpopular president.

    That might not merely damage the King's reputation; it could damage the institution of monarchy, something the constitution has evolved to avoid. These are delicate issues, as they always are when trying to renew relations with a head of state whose behaviour leaves much to be desired. The Government will have to decide whether more damage might be done by Trump's coming, or by his not coming. It could be one of the most important decisions Starmer ever has to make.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/07/why-trumps-state-visit-could-spark-a-constitutional-crisis

  124. And, after a bottle of ale and a bath, I'm off to bed.
    Such a warm evening I've not bothered lighting the fire.
    Good night all.

      1. I didn't stoke the Rayburn this morning, but fortunately, I managed to revive it when I got back in.

  125. 'Evening, all.

    Just venturing out from hibernation to thank everyone for the birthday greetings.

    My prolonged abseence follows a series of retinal bleeds lasstr yeat in the "good eye" – rendering me somewhat visually impaired. I had the umpteenth laser session on Thursday, which wil fopedully stop any further leakage. Some blood remains, but imaging shows ir's reduced since the last photo. Sight is improving, albeit slowly. Windows high contrast and magnigier have been a godsemd, but they don'y help wiyh seeing the keyboard, which is rather tedious.

    Happily, the nttl new page script lives in a Word document with daye fields which automaticallu update. No typing involved…

    1. Glad to see, ho, ho, that you're still with us.

      Take great care and look after yourself.

    2. Good evening Geoff – it's good to see you here! Take care and I hope the sight will continue to improve. Hope the birthday was ok.

        1. Geoff does all the background work but we don’t often see him here with a comment!

    3. Ouch! Hoping the improvement continues and that you’ve had a pleasant birthday. I find all healing is a slow process these days but as long as it happens…

      1. It certainly takes longer the older we get. We simply don't bounce back as quickly.

      2. Thanks, Sue.

        Since I can’t read music at present, accompanying services (including Christmas carol services) has been a challenge.

        I’ve surprised myself, in that as long as I know what key I’m playing in, I can rattle hymns and carols off from memory. Voluntaries – not so much. Though I think I’m within a week or two of being able to read music again, God willing…

    4. Hello Geoff
      Sorry to hear of your trials and tribulations. You sound as though you’ve been through the mill. We would like to offer help but unfortunately we both have pretty severe chest infections and are coughing most of the day, and night. Add to the fact that we moved on Monday last week from one side of the village to here a bungalow. We’re closer to the Cricketers than the Red Lion but we’re still closer to both.
      Anyway perhaps we can get together in the not too distant future.

    5. So, what you are saying Geoff is that you aren't really up to playing I-Spy at the moment?

    6. So, what you are saying Geoff is that you aren't really up to playing I-Spy at the moment?

    7. I always tell friends that I frequent a site for sore eyes, hope your birthday goeth well.

    9. I wish we could offer vocal comments on here .. Just a few words of encouragement and empathy would do you the world of good x

      Things sound very difficult .. and your eye problems are a damned nuisance , and frightening

      We are all batting for you x

    11. Fongers croxxed for you, Geoff. Get well soon.
      Makes toping a butch, though.

    2. I'm pleased to say I have no association with the Reform Party. I did vote for UKIP and might have voted for Brexit had it put up a local candidate, but I wash my hands of the lot of them. Unless something substantially different comes along in my lifetime, I won't bother voting again.

  131. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/08/muslim-charity-described-jews-as-arrogant-investigation/

    An Islamic centre that described Jews as “arrogant” and some women as “shackles” and “vessels” for children is facing an investigation by the charities watchdog.

    The Charity Commission has opened an assessment of the Bedford Islamic Centre’s activities, after it received complaints it is abusing its charitable status by promoting extremism through its social media and organised events.

    It could lead to a full investigation into claims it is promoting anti-Semitism and misogyny, with the charity’s trustees facing questions over the way it is allowed to operate.

    One post on the Bedford Islamic Centre (BIC) Facebook page warns Muslims against “pride and arrogance”, which it says is the “way of the Jews”.

    Another cites a translation of the Prophet approvingly as stating: “May the curse of Allah be upon the Jews and the Christians, for they took the graves of their Prophets as places of worship.”

    Another post published on BIC’s Facebook account warns of the “Dangers of Music”, which it says is “haram [forbidden by Islamic law]”. The NSS says the charity appears to associate music with “Shaytaan [satan]”. A separate post advertises a weekly session on “black magic and jinns [demons]”.

    1. Because they are obsessed with gaining social approval.

      They'll run home, post that they were there, and gain many uplikes from their echo chamber.

      It's the same on the other side as well – with tractors and flags – but that's different somehow.

  133. Well, chums, it's now just turned 11 pm and therefore I'm off to bed. Good Night all, sleep well, and see you all in the morning.

  135. We have a cluster of clubs in the Premier League whose history in top flight football has been either brief or undistinguished. Nonetheless, it's a pleasure to see Brighton, Bournemouth, Brentford, Fulham and Crystal Palace do more than merely survive. They can begin to harbour ambitions of representing England in European football in the near future. Indeed, Brighton already have. With Spurs, Everton and Manchester United not finding life easy these days, it shows that the higher levels of football are no longer the closed shop they once seemed to be. Now we need to see promoted clubs not becoming relegation fodder in the following season. All three promoted clubs were relegated last season and it looks very much the case that the same will happen this time around. This isn't a healthy state of affairs.

  137. An Islamic centre that described Jews as “arrogant” and some women as “shackles” and “vessels” for children is facing an investigation by the charities watchdog.

    The Charity Commission has opened an assessment of the Bedford Islamic Centre’s activities, after it received complaints it is abusing its charitable status by promoting extremism through its social media and organised events.

    It could lead to a full investigation into claims it is promoting anti-Semitism and misogyny, with the charity’s trustees facing questions over the way it is allowed to operate.

    One post on the Bedford Islamic Centre (BIC) Facebook page warns Muslims against “pride and arrogance”, which it says is the “way of the Jews”.

    Another cites a translation of the Prophet approvingly as stating: “May the curse of Allah be upon the Jews and the Christians, for they took the graves of their Prophets as places of worship.”

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