Sunday 4 February: The Bank of England is losing credibility under Governor Andrew Bailey

Posted on by Geoff Graham

An unofficial place to discuss the Telegraph letters, established when the DT website turned off its commenting facility (now reinstated, but we prefer ours),
Intelligent, polite, good-humoured debate is welcome, whether on or off topic. Differing opinions are encouraged, but rudeness or personal attacks on other posters will not be tolerated. Posts which – in the opinion of the moderators – make this a less than cordial environment, are likely to be removed, without prior warning.  Persistent offenders will be banned.

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

432 thoughts on “Sunday 4 February: The Bank of England is losing credibility under Governor Andrew Bailey”

      1. Indeed I am mi’Lady, I am a fugitive from the Blighty winter, and good morning to you!

  5. Wordle 960 5/6

    Did it in five today:

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

    Now off to do my jigsaw. See you all later this evening.

      1. I was heading for same, but my son rescued it by guessing the correct word!
        Wordle 960 5/6

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

    2. Steady par for me
      Wordle 960 4/6

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

    3. Likewise

      Wordle 960 5/6

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

  6. We must rise to the challenge of a ‘pre-war world’ – and quickly. 4 February 2024.

    Warnings of a possible Russian offensive against Nato are a wake-up call.

    We are at a dangerous point in history. The need to deter against the threat of an all-out war is more pressing than it has been for a generation. With the Defence Secretary stating that we have entered a “pre-war world”, where we must replace idealism with “hard-headed realism”, the vital importance of that deterrence has never been clearer.

    Across the Western world, the voices calling for us to be ready for war have grown louder. Some senior military figures have suggested that we may have as little as three years to prepare for a possible Russian offensive against Nato’s territory. These warnings are a wake-up call. We must rise to the challenge.

    A Russia, that cannot overcome Ukraine, is going to obligingly wait three years to attack the greatest agglomeration of military and economic power on the planet? The clue I think to these warnings is that despite them nothing changes. The UK is not rearming. It is in fact continuing to decline.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/02/04/armed-forces-west-nato-pre-war-russia/

    3. Undoubtedly the UK is in decline but any decisive war we will become embroiled in will be fought within the borders of this Country of ours. The sending of what troops we have onto the European mainland will be a disaster, it will make the BEF of 1940 resemble an all conquering force. Sending our troops abroad will denude the Country of any security we feel we may have. The Police, with woke ideas a major priority in the senior ranks, will not be up to the job of keeping the peace.
      Shapps is a disgrace. What experience does this person have to make such lurid pronouncements?

    4. It’s hard to rattle a sabre with any authority when it has no blade! I think it highly improbable that Russia will attack NATO, despite the incessant provocation of us supplying high tech weapons to Ukraine with, presumably, the support needed to operate them effectively? We have constantly interfered with the internal affairs of the countries that border Russia, Ukraine being perhaps the best, and most corrupt, example. I have noi faith at all in the “leadership” of Sunak and Shitts, and even less in Biden. God help us all.

      1. All the headlines about going to war against Russia are following the same pattern as before WW1 and WW2 – building up a presumption that it is inevitable – when it need not be. Why do these shits want to fight Russia? Everything will be destroyed, and in the aftermath, the survivng wogs will rise up and slit our throats before declaring a caliphate.
        I have quite a few firearms, and boxes of ammo, so will take many of them with me when they come.

  9. Good morning, all. Quite bright with broken high cloud and a light breeze.

    Excellent Redacted video with Clayton Morris interviewing Col MacGregor. The Colonel’s summary in the last few minutes is chilling as he exposes the risks posed by the infiltration of terrorists across the USA’s southern border. Of course, we have the same problem but outside of social media there doesn’t seem to be any concern expressed about the importation of thousands of young unaccompanied Third World men. The government are selling it as asylum/refugee status but we do know that the current political class are not exactly open and honest about what they’re up to.

    The video does not start. Click on the blue link to open the video in X.

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1753763516081995886

  10. Good morning, all. Quite bright with broken high cloud and a light breeze.

    Excellent Redacted video with Clayton Morris interviewing Col MacGregor. The Colonel’s summary in the last few minutes is chilling as he exposes the risks posed by the infiltration of terrorists across the USA’s southern border. Of course, we have the same problem but outside of social media there doesn’t seem to be any concern expressed about the importation of thousands of young unaccompanied Third World men. The government are selling it as asylum/refugee status but we do know that the current political class are not exactly open and honest about what they’re up to.

    https://twitter.com/TheRedactedInc/status/1753763516081995886

  11. 382902+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    Our enemies are prepared for the fight. It’s time to rearm to avoid World War Three

    Next General Election erase lab/lib/con/current ukip and NOTA replace with Daisy the COW.

    Open letter to parliament we the peoples are
    declaring a state of war with the governing political cartel.

    First thing the peoples will fully realise is the
    reasoning behind mass uncontrolled / controlled immigration.

    1. 382902+ up ticks,

      O2O,

      The RESET endgame regarding the peoples is,

      We the peoples won’t like it up us.

  12. 382902+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    Our enemies are prepared for the fight. It’s time to rearm to avoid World War Three

    Next General Election erase lab/lib/con/current ukip and NOTA replace with Daisy the COW.

    Open letter to parliament we the peoples are
    declaring a state of war with the governing political cartel.

    First thing the peoples will fully realise is the
    reasoning behind mass uncontrolled / controlled immigration.

  13. EXCLUSIVE Amid
    disbelief that ‘chemical attacker’ was allowed to stay in Britain… BBC
    editor who is paid to help 15 Somalian criminals stay in the UK quits
    the Beeb after shocking Mail exposé.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13042143/Amid-disbelief-chemical-attacker-allowed-stay-Britain-BBC-editor-paid-help-15-Somalian-criminals-stay-UK-quits-Beeb-shocking-Mail-expos.html

    The BBC. Home to paedophiles and rapists. Apologists for Somali criminals.

    1. They might well be at risk in Somalia- just like their victims are here. Why do we have to tolerate these people?

      1. A good point to make to all UK politicians:

        “Which is more important to you: the safety of innocent women or the safety of a vicious rapist whom you you refuse to deport?

    2. That is an absolute top end disgrace.
      What else might these bbc nasties
      been upto ?
      I can predict more licence fees being withheld.

  14. Good morning from a Saxon Queen with longbow and axe in handbag with marmalade sandwich . A cloudy dreary February day, quite mild but damp and grey.

      1. Happy Sunday. It’ll soon be Spring, just one more month to go, even Easter is earlier this year, next month I believe .

  15. Good morning from a Saxon Queen with longbow and axe in handbag with marmalade sandwich . A cloudy dreary February day, quite mild but damp and grey.

  17. Good morning all.
    A bit of a lie in and a delayed start due to getting distracted by the BTL Comments.
    A dull, overcast start, currently dry but the Met page says we’re having light rain. 5°C on the Yard Thermometer.

  19. Morning all 🙂😊
    Quite bright, could do better and evidence of recent rain.
    Well who knew the bank of England is losing credibility. The whole of England and the British Isles has been losing credibility for decades under our morons in Wastemonster and Whitehall.
    In Banking terms, a lot of change is required.

  20. From https://www.penarthtimes.co.uk/news/national/24095995.royal-navy-aircraft-carrier-cancels-sailing-propeller-issue/
    Sigh…

    The departure of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth to lead the largest Nato exercise since the Cold War has been cancelled at the last minute after an “issue” with a propeller shaft was spotted during final checks.

    The setback comes 18 months after sister ship HMS Prince of Wales broke down off the Isle of Wight after it sailed for the US having suffered a malfunction with a coupling on its starboard propeller.

    It will now be readied to take the place of the £3 billion fleet flagship on the major exercises which will involve more than 40 vessels. Announcing the latest problem, the Royal Navy posted on X: “Routine pre-sailing checks yesterday identified an issue with a coupling on @HMSQNLZ starboard propeller shaft. As such, the ship will not sail on Sunday.

    “@HMSPWLS will take her place on Nato duties and will set sail for Exercise Steadfast Defender as soon as possible.”

    HMS Prince of Wales broke down as it was heading to a diplomatic mission to carry out exercises with the US Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and the US Marine Corps.

    The carrier came to a halt off the Isle of Wight and was brought under tow back into harbour for the problem to be identified.

    Inspections by divers and engineers found the Nato flagship’s 33-ton starboard propeller – the same weight as 30 Ford Fiesta cars – had malfunctioned, with a coupling holding it in place breaking.

    Its sister ship had been set to lead a carrier strike of eight ships – four of them British, including frigate HMS Somerset and two Tide-class tankers from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary – supported by US, Spanish and Danish vessels.

    It was to be joined by its F-35B Lightning stealth fighters from 617 “Dambusters” Squadron at RAF Marham, submarine hunting and airborne early warning Merlin Mk2 helicopters from RNAS Culdrose, and battlefield Wildcat helicopters of 847 Naval Air Squadron from RNAS Yeovilton.

    Announcing the carrier’s sailing, Commodore James Blackmore, Commander UK Carrier Strike Group, said: “Steadfast Defender demonstrates the unity of the alliance, our commitment to it – and that the UK continues to play a leading role in Nato.

    “The exercise allows us to train with our neighbours in a truly challenging environment, especially at this time of year – but that is why we have to operate up there; the weather cannot put us off.”

    Before heading to the Arctic, the Carrier Strike Group was due to take part in the annual Joint Warrior exercise off northern Scotland before joining Exercise Nordic Response – the maritime part of Steadfast Defender.

      1. Makes yer proud, dunnit

        Britain’s warships have gym where land attack missiles should be

        Type 45 destroyers did not procure the weapons due to lack of funds

        Danielle Sheridan, DEFENCE EDITOR
        3 February 2024 • 4:10pm

        https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2024/02/03/TELEMMGLPICT000364811655_17069758379170_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqxuFCpqIkoGDfFd5rCzvUCl4RsAJjORnPdNlOYX45nIc.jpeg?imwidth=680
        The Type 45s ended up with a gym in a space designed to accommodate the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System

        Royal Navy destroyers have been fitted with treadmills where land attack cruise missiles should be, prompting warnings that the Navy is falling further behind the United States.

        The Type 45 warships were designed to accommodate the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System fitted in their bows, allowing them to fire cruise missiles.

        However, the space has only ever been used as a gym for crew because the Navy did not procure the weapons due to a lack of funds.

        It comes after The Telegraph revealed HMS Diamond cannot attack Houthi targets on land because it lacks the firepower, although the warship has had direct involvement in successfully destroying Houthi drones targeting shipping in the Red Sea using its anti-air Sea Viper missile system.

        The US has had to carry out the majority of strikes on Houthi targets with support from RAF aircraft based 1,500 miles away.

        The only weapons on destroyers that can fire at other ships or land are artillery guns at the front of each vessel. The US destroyers can fire Tomahawk guided missiles at land targets, however, the UK could only achieve such strikes through Typhoon fighter jets or submarines.

        The Type 45s will be enhanced with 24 Sea Ceptor missile cells, anti-air warfare that will upgrade the vessels’ air and missile defence capabilities.

        https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2024/02/03/TELEMMGLPICT000358274902_17069759534640_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=960
        HMS Diamond cannot attack Houthi targets on land because it lacks the firepower CREDIT: RN/Chris Sellars

        Last month, Carlos Del Toro, the US navy secretary, warned that “given the near-term threats to the UK and US”, investments in the Royal Navy were “significantly important”.

        Tobias Ellwood, former chairman of the defence select committee, said: “When advances in missile technology saw the phasing out of battleships with those mighty 16in guns that could strike targets at sea and on land, the Navy prioritised blue-water warfare, focusing only on defending against and striking air, surface and subsurface targets.

        “It is now clear the UK should have followed the example of the US and fitted the Type 45s with Tomahawks rather than only placing them in our submarine fleet.”

        Mr Ellwood has since written to the Defence Secretary recommending “consideration of short-term solutions for our destroyer fleet”, including adapting the latest model of guided multiple launch rocket system launchers.

        “In the meantime we should immediately dispatch our carrier group armed with F-35s,” he added. “This is what it was built for.”

        A defence source defended the installation of the gyms, saying that “space in any warship is at a premium” and that “available space is often used to house gym equipment that can easily be removed should that area be required for operational use”.

        ‘Subs can’t be everywhere’
        Dr Phil Weir, a naval historian, said there had been a view that land attack was covered by nuclear attack submarines, so surface ships did not require them.

        “The submarines can’t be everywhere,” he added.

        “They also have other jobs to do in terms of things like intelligence gathering, so that’s not always conducive to popping up and firing missiles.

        “This was an attitude we could get away with back in the glory days of early 2000s when there didn’t seem to be as much of a submarine threat from Russia.

        “But with the uptick from Russia and increasing threat from China you need to develop other options.”

        Pete Sandeman, director of Navy Lookout, said: “For years, many commentators and naval advocates have urged the Navy to add land attack capability to its surface ships.

        “For the majority of other top-tier navies this is a standard feature of major surface combatants.

        “Over the last 20 years, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, together with prioritisation of the carriers and assorted other pressures, have left this as an unfunded aspiration.

        “Only with increased likelihood of peer conflict recognised in the last five years or so, has the Navy very slowly started to address its lack of offensive weaponry.”

        A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “The Type 45 destroyers are optimised for air defence and this capability is due to be further enhanced by the incorporation of the common anti-air modular missile.”

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

        David Jones
        16 HRS AGO
        From what I know of MOD procurement the gym equipment probably cost more than the missiles would.

    3. The setback comes 18 months after sister ship HMS Prince of Wales broke down off the Isle of Wight after it sailed for the US having suffered a malfunction with a coupling on its starboard propeller.

      That’s probably better for the crew. It might have been sunk by a hostile Russian iceberg

      1. They had nothing to do with Royal Naval power, they were a Gordon Brown device to curry votes through employment in the Rosyth dockyards and the rationale was the British contribution to the naval component of the European Defence Force. They were entirely political gestures and had no British defence justification whatsoever. They still have no justification.

      2. They have already fulfilled their function, that of vote gathering on Clydeside, and now may as well be scrapped to stop even more money being wasted on them.

    6. I was confused about the aircraft carrier anyway. How were they going to sail the thing? As far as I understand it there aren’t enough sailors in the British navy to use the thing and no airplanes to put on it.

      1. They will take sailors from other ships and land U.S aircraft on it for the look of the thing. As U.S aircraft already have their own barges to land on.

  21. Am exceptionally grumpy today. Didn’t sleep last night and my feet are killing me.

    Not as grumpy as Pat Nagsman was yesterday. Her daughter had told her that she was ‘coming over to sort things out and tidy up’. Nagsman told me most emphatically that she ‘didn’t want things sorted out or tidied up’…so there!

    1. Oops!
      Must admit my four are becoming a bit anxious about the amount of sorting out that will need doing when DT & self shuffle off.

  22. Jail for protesters who climb on war memorials. 4 February 2024.

    Protesters who climb on war memorials face prison and a £1,000 fine under a crackdown in the wake of pro-Palestinian demonstrations, ministers will announce this week.

    Perpetrators will face three-month sentences and a fine under a legal change which James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, said would punish those intent on “insulting those who paid the ultimate price for their freedom to protest”.

    Campaigning by headline.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/02/03/law-against-climbing-memorials-to-preserve-honour-of-heroes/

    3. The problem is our freedom has died along with those who fought for it.
      The usual arm waving spineless murmuring will take place along with the wrist slapping..
      The proverbial plot and the people who purport to run our country are now many miles apart.

  23. Would William cut the C of E loose (and would it make any difference)?
    https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/would-william-cut-the-c-of-e-loose-and-would-it-make-any-difference/
    BTL

    If the Church of England ceases to exist Britain will no longer be even a nominally Christian Country.

    This will create a vacuum which will be filled by Islam, Westminster Abbey will become a mosque and British Common Law will be replaced by Sharia Law.

    If that’s what British people want – all very well; but if it is not what they want they will have to lump it.

  24. A BBC editor was hired as an expert witness to help at least 15 Somalian criminals fight deportation – including a vile offender who sexually attacked a deaf teenage girl.

    Last year, The Mail on Sunday exposed how Mary Harper, Africa Editor for the World Service, was paid to give expert witness evidence for Somali gang rapist Yaqub Ahmed during his five-year legal battle to stay in the UK.

    Now an investigation by this newspaper can reveal Ms Harper has given expert witness evidence in a string of other controversial deportation appeals by Somali offenders – including for another three sex attackers, three drug dealers and a career criminal who spent a decade in British jails.

    Following a series of questions from the MoS, the BBC last night announced that Ms Harper was leaving the Corporation, but refused to say whether she had been sacked or had quit.

    In one of the most shocking cases, Ms Harper warned that a Somali man who committed a horrific sexual assault on a profoundly deaf 17-year-old girl would be at ‘severely heightened risk’ if he was sent back to Somalia because he had committed a sex crime.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13042143/Amid-disbelief-chemical-attacker-allowed-stay-Britain-BBC-editor-paid-help-15-Somalian-criminals-stay-UK-quits-Beeb-shocking-Mail-expos.html

    1. At risk? I can only hope so, at risk of being separated from the goolies by means of a blunt rusty knife.
      What about the deaf lass? Did anyone care about her?

    2. Surely the first priority should be protection of the population in the UK – the safety of the deportee is nowhere near as important.

    3. Let us hope this blows up in the faces of our spineless politicians who are continuing to betray the indigenous population.

      But I am beginning to think that our rulers are so supine that even if a female MP or the wife of a member of the British government were viciously raped and beaten by a Pakistani rape gang that they still wouldn’t do anything about it.

      1. What did they do about it when David Amess was murdered, apart from that perp being locked up?

    4. I don’t care if these Somalis are at risk in their own country – they have no business being here and putting our people at risk.

    5. “would be at ‘severely heightened risk’ if he was sent back to Somalia because he had committed a sex crime.”

      Any normal British person would say, “That’s great, and it will save the cost of incarcerating him.”

  25. Good mornind Nottlers and the 77th,

    A dull morning at McPhee Towers and although and it’s not supposed to be, it’s drizzley. Wind in the West-Sou’-West, 10-11℃.

    It wasn’t dull in Cardiff yesterday evening though. I’ve been a rugby-head since my early teens and one thing I can say about the Six Nations is that, whatever the relative rankings and merits of the teams, there is NEVER a dull game between Scotland and Wales. Yesterday’s match can be summed up as Scotland scoring 27 unanswered points and silencing the Cardiff crowd in the process, followed by Wales scoring 26 unanswered points to a Cymric Crescendo with Scotland seemingly on the ropes before bouncing back and being denied a clinching try in the 81st minute to claim the victory by just one point – their first in Cardiff for over 20 years.

    The Welsh team is young and in not caving in they showed strength and character. They are only going to get better. But I don’t think either will trouble Ireland.

    1. Sounds a magic game, Fiscal.
      I recall, many years ago, walking past the Arms Park when Wales scored. The roar was like a hailstorm on a tin roof, and so loud you couldn’t think – followed by the singing… hair-raising, so it was.

      1. I’ve been to a game in Cardiff a couple of times. It has an electrifying atmosphere.

    2. Pity England didn’t play as well as Italy. And what IS the point of Dan Cole? Just asking…

      1. Dan Cole and Joe Marler: Dad’s Army.

        “They don’t like it up ’em, Captain Mainwaring Thomas!”

  26. Nothing finer. Today my meal will be four rashers of home-cured ‘green’ (unsmoked) back bacon, fried, and then served with a fried egg and a dash (or should that be a dot?) of delicious ••••/•–•. 😋

    1. Does your lovely lady follow the same diet as you?

      I eat normal bread but because of her Coeliac disease Caroline must only eat food which is gluten free so everything she cooks which I eat is gluten free.

      1. Not at all. The boss eats four small meals a day and can eat whatever she wants and still remains as slim as a whippet. In fact all her family have the slim gene. My weight rose slightly over the Christmas period (as one would expect) but I’m now back on song and I expect to reach my target weight by late March/early April.

        Marianne, our “sister-in-law” is required to avoid gluten so whenever I entertain I invariably make a gluten-free meal.

      1. I slice them at 5mm. I am on a diet, you know. Next meal (probably a Texas chilli) will be on Tuesday.

  27. There is a letter in today’s Telegaffe from the very aptly named Sandy Pratt – who confirms his idiot status by asserting that “Biden has not been a bad president” but then makes things worse by suggesting that Biden should withdraw to let a better Democrat candidate “take on Mr Trump”. Fine, except that the letter continues “My choice would be Anthony Blinken, a highly competent and accomplished politician, who has the hallmarks of a great statesman”. I can only assume that either Pratt really is a first class prat, or there is another Anthony Blinken that I haven’t hard of??

    3. Blinken is the opposite of a “highly competent and accomplished politician”. Blinken has no diplomatic skills as demonstrated by his farcical visits to UAE and Israel where he was ignored.

  28. Russia Has Massed 500 Tanks For An Attack On Kupyansk. Thousands Of Ukrainian Drones Await Them. 4 February 2024.

    It’s obvious what this army aims to do: retake a huge swathe of Kharkiv Oblast that the Russians briefly occupied in 2022—until a powerful Ukrainian counteroffensive liberated most of the oblast late that year.

    Everything east of the nearest major river is the goal. “The Russian Federation plans to seize the entire Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts and part of Kharkiv Oblast up to the Oskil River by March 2024,” the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies explained. The river threads through Kupyansk from the north.

    Why March? Because that’s when Russia will “vote” for “president” in a national “election.” In fact, Vladimir Putin is the only real candidate—and will maintain his brutal, dictatorial control over Russia and the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.

    Aside from observing that there is no evidence that Vlad maintains a “brutal, dictatorial control over Russia” my attitude to him and the war has morphed into the wish that he wins it quickly. I know that this is hard on the Ukies but I think that they are being played. They are sacrificing tens of thousands of their young men in a cause that is not their own. The sooner it is over the better for everyone.

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/02/03/russia-has-massed-500-tanks-for-an-attack-on-kupyansk-thousands-of-ukrainian-drones-await-them/?sh=406cbeae5afd

    1. Morning Araminta and everyone else. As I said months ago the Russians have won the war. All that is happening now is the criminal Zelenskyy is sending men into the meat grinder to be slaughtered propped up by financing from the Americans and NATO. The death rate of Ukrainian men is half a million, a devastating number that it will take decades for Ukraine to recover from, if it ever does recover. It will only stop when the Americans are done with it as a puppet for their political machinations.

  29. Visakhapatnam – 2nd Test

    “England left with a 2nd innings target of under 400 to win!”

    [399] {:^))

  30. Visakhapatnam – 2nd Test

    “England left with a 2nd innings target of under 400 to win!”

    [399] {:^))

  31. Morning all – just managed to crawl out of t’pit to a dreich view. The CH always seems to send back me to sleep

      1. If inflation falls it only means that prices might not go up as quickly as previously. It most definitely doesn’t mean they’re going to fall.

    4. Food is still expensive because the things that make food expensive are still expensive. Namely fuel costs, fertilizer – thanks to the idiotic climate change act, high taxes passed on to farmers, energy costs for production – heat, light, power for machines.

      Until the climate change nonsense is erased, permanently, food -and of course, energy – will remain expensive.

  35. This lady went missing for over a week a little while ago. It was feared that she had been murdered by Islamists. Here story makes it clear what side the police are on, they are our enemies, they are not on the English or Christian side.
    Tommy Robinson interview with Hatun Tash
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rd7yPOHf5Y

    1. So she was arrested for “criminal damage”, being in possession of a koran with holes in it.

      So the muslipolitan plod can now come and arrest me for writing notes in the margin of a book i own? Or putting holes in a book i own? How is this “criminal damage”?

      Now for the sake of argument, if i threw paint or soup at a valuable work of art, or smashed the glass of a building in London, or toppled a statue – i can see how that might constitute “criminal damage”.

      But if you own your book, what you do to it is your business.

      Now, from what I can make out, the Physical copy of the koran was full of holes as a metaphor for the whole thing being full of holes. But we don’t have a blasphemy law any more and even if we did I would argue this shouldn’t cover an imported religion.

      So, Plod, what is going on? Are you making things up?

  39. The tax cut that could still save the Tories
    Hunt must put clear blue water between this government and Labour before it’s too late
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/02/04/tories-must-cut-corporation-tax-beat-labour-election/

    The Tories are beyond redemption.

    Judging by many of the BTL comments it is immigration as much as tax which upsets Tory voters.

    BTL

    Sunak does not want to stop illegal immigration. In fact he doesn’t give a toss about it. He is equally indifferent to the level of legal immigration.

    He does not want to win the general election.

    He wants to renew and take his Green Card to the USA and work in the business he was in before his futile foray into politics.

    1. Two things which would win the next GE –
      1. Scrap Net Zero NOW.
      2. Start turning the boats back NOW.

      1. You are right – but Sunak is keen to get out of politics and back to the USA and nobody else in the Conservative government would do either of these two things.

        The Party’s over.

        https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=37f724872de16756&q=shirley+bassey+the+party%27s+over&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLVT9c3NExJq4gvzs7LUuIBcQtNs1IM4ssLtLSyk630c0uLM5P1i1KT84tSMvPS45NzSotLUous8ksyUosUylKLijPz84oXscoXZ2QW5aRWKiQlFhcDKaC0QkFiUUmlerFCPlAZAEGadKhtAAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi5waOaxZGEAxXkUqQEHVL4A4MQri56BAg-EAM&biw=1203&bih=589&dpr=1.5#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:ee70151c,vid:mhZWJKfIEfM,st:0

  41. Greta Thunberg is a ruffian masquerading as a latter-day saint

    Since Hamas’s invasion of and massacre in Israel, the fate of trees seems to have gone by the wayside for Thunberg and her crew

    ZOE STRIMPEL
    3 February 2024 • 5:12pm

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2024/02/03/TELEMMGLPICT000364952707_17069783994970_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=680
    Greta Thunberg arrives with other protesters at Westminster Magistrates Court in London

    There’s no other way to say it: Greta Thunberg, the feted 21-year-old climate activist and two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, is a ruffian.

    As she laughed mockingly at Westminster magistrates’ court last week, charged with a public order offence for disrupting a conference of oil executives at the InterContinental hotel on Park Lane last year, she wiped her eyes with insane jubilation. No doubt she was recalling fondly her troupe’s smoke flares or their deafening din of drums, or their refusal to budge even a few feet at the pleading of the police so that delegates could actually leave the hotel. The boorish swagger of the girl is a wonder to behold – and her acquittal will make her all the cockier.

    A few years ago, when she began her path to worldwide fame and adulation as a pearlescent-skinned teenager, her passion for righteous awareness-raising evoked, among the generous at least, a modern-day Joan of Arc.

    It was all a little over-zealous, a bit loony, but she was 17, and she was changing the conversation, albeit in a mixed direction, ennobling climate hysteria and malignant politicisation on the one hand, but on the other getting substantial numbers to rethink their use of plastics and fossil fuels. In Switzerland alone, according to a study from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, her legendary “school strikes for climate”, also known as Fridays for Future, resulted in a third of Swiss people changing their daily habits.

    She always had a taste for spreading disruption, which, to a certain degree, goes with the territory. Thunberg began skipping school to protest climate change in 2018, and by 2019 Fridays for Future saw four million pupils around the world do the same.

    The road from there to here is not all that hard to follow: most climate loonies diversify into a more explicit engagement with a wider constellation of nasty, connected ideas.

    I once debated Roger Hallam, one of the founders of Extinction Rebellion, who was soon ranting to the Cambridge Union crowd about genocidal racism, apparently connecting what he saw as Western climate complacency with ongoing racialised exploitation on a grand scale. This is the crude idea behind “climate justice”, a centrepiece of the cod politics yelled by Thunberg, Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil, Greenpeace and the rest of them. It means: “The West is evil, and everyone who hates it is good.”

    No surprise then that Thunberg has devoted herself since October 7 to ostentatious support for the Palestinian cause. Her court appearance in London saw her wearing a big keffiyeh along with a bizarre T-shirt reading: “hide a refugee and if that becomes illegal hide too”. Since Hamas’s invasion of and massacre in Israel, the fate of trees seems to have gone by the wayside for Thunberg and her crew. Demonising Israel is fast becoming a full-time job.

    Her boorishness has been on full display since she became a useful idiot for those who mean Israel harm. At a climate rally in Amsterdam in November, Thunberg’s 70,000-strong crowd chanted “Palestine will be free”.

    Later, after she invited a Palestinian and an Afghan woman up on stage, a man jumped up and, briefly grabbing the microphone from Thunberg, said with total rectitude: “I came here for a climate demonstration, not a political view.” Thunberg got the mic back quickly, and ordered the man to “calm down”. After a brief pause she started chanting: “No climate justice on occupied land.”

    It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a professor of political theory to realise that this slogan makes absolutely no sense. Especially given that the only occupier of Gaza has been Hamas – which certainly doesn’t care about the climate – and in the parts of the West Bank that Thunberg and co get their knickers in such a twist over, it is Israel which does.

    In fact, Thunberg was a fixture in Israeli schools’ learning materials until she began preaching “Free Gaza” after October 7, at which point she was deemed ineligible to be “an educational and moral role model”.

    And slips of land as tiny as those Thunberg and friends demonise as “occupied” could never obstruct any mission to save the planet – they are irrelevant to the cause.

    She doesn’t care. On January 26, as the International Court of Justice announced its judgment on South Africa’s false case against Israel, in which it accused it of genocide, old Greta was right there at the Hague protesting.

    The case was an insulting finger-wag at a righteous war against an invasion by an evil enemy, but Thunberg was miffed that the court hadn’t actually concluded Israel was genocidal. And so she wrote online that: “Israel – as well as those who support Israel’s brutal attacks and occupation – must be held accountable for their actions. We cannot remain silent during a genocide.”

    It’s not the first time a youth hailed as nobly focussed on the great cause of the day has revealed themselves in their true colours – the former surfer dude and tree hugger Jackson Hinkle, now a notorious “anti-Zionist” social media influencer, began as an exulted climate activist.

    How many more celebrations of Palestinian “resistance”, how much more wrecking-ball behaviour, must we endure before people stop seeing these brave young climate warriors as saints and instead recognise them for what they are: loutish emissaries of a destructive creed?

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

    Andrew Batty
    17 HRS AGO
    Can someone explain to me why she isn’t banned from the UK? She clearly is never arriving to look at the tourist sights or to go shopping. Every single visit is planned with criminal activity in mind.

    K Poole
    15 HRS AGO
    She’s a silly little girl, who has been granted sainthood by a deranged left desperate for victory.

    Mick Seed
    15 HRS AGO
    There is no one, literally no one, I would like to see take a greater fall than this horrid little Swedish goblin.

        1. Of course – but that all goes with her mental condition.

          Not that I am defending her. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see her banned from entering the UK.

      2. Yes. There was a time when wealthy families hid away their educationally subnormal offspring. Now they exploit them.

    2. I see she is wearing a keffiyeh. She should be made to watch the rapes and murders of the Israeli’s. And the beheadings of babies in their cots. On a loop.

    3. Citroen 1, please could you remove that image of a group of grinning thugs who demonstrate openly in favour of raping women and torturing them to death.

    5. She has always been bogus, a little actress for the cause, fame and celebrity created by her parents’ connections.

  42. Some Anglo-Saxon warriors may have been transgender, says academic
    Modern gender norms may not have applied in the Dark Ages, a study of seventh-century burials in Kent suggests

    Anglo-Saxons may have been transgender, new research has claimed.

    By applying “trans theory” to Dark Age graves, a University of Liverpool researcher has concluded that modern gender norms may not have applied 1,500 years ago.

    Some Anglo-Saxon warriors may have been transgender men, it has been argued.

    From studying burials in Kent through the “lens of transness”, it has also been suggested that transgender women may have enjoyed high status in Anglo-Saxon society.

    The theory has been put forward by James Davison, a PhD candidate and tutor of medieval history at the University of Liverpool, who also convenes the Trans*Historical Conference.

    His work comes amid a trend for re-examining historical figures using modern gender categories, which The Telegraph recently revealed had led one museum to label the Roman emperor Elagabalus as trans.

    ‘Discrepancies’
    Mr Davison’s work relates to seventh-century AD burials in Buckland, Dover, some of which contain either feminine or masculine grave goods, such as swords, which appear to be at odds with the sex of the person buried.

    These variations are usually recorded as “discrepancies”, but Mr Davison has suggested that Dark Age transgenderism could provide a more convincing explanation.

    He wrote: “Using approaches from trans studies – which acknowledge the potential for genders beyond a male-female binary in historical cultures – allows researchers to approach these burials more critically.”

    He has argued that using “the lens of trans theory and the 21st-century language of ‘transness’ has the potential to improve historians’ understanding of early Anglo-Saxon gender”.

    ‘Possibly female’
    The Buckland cemetery was excavated by Prof Vera Evison between 1951 and 1953, and is the site of around 170 graves.

    One burial contains the remains of a person designated as “possibly female” due to the poor quality of the remains, who died aged 35 and was buried with a number of typically masculine artefacts.

    Advertisement

    These include a sword, a spearhead, fragments of a decorated shield and fragments of a belt buckle, which suggest it was a warrior’s grave, it has been claimed.

    As there is a discrepancy between the sex of the person and their grave goods, Mr Davison argues that “this could be interpreted as the grave of a trans man who enjoyed a position of respect in his community, displaying his wealth, masculinity – and perhaps warrior status – through his shield, sword and spear”.

    Another grave contains remains with signs of tooth decay associated with the diet of a high-status individual, who was found by archaeologists to be “definitely male”.

    Mr Davison argued that by “taking a trans studies approach to the burial evidence, I can theorise that this could be interpreted as the grave of a wealthy trans woman”.

    Writing an article on his research, he conceded that it is not certain that these burials were those of transgender people, and that any theories will be only “speculative”.

    However, he has also argued that ruling out the presence of Anglo-Saxon transgender individuals in a “trans-exclusionary” way would depend on troubling “assumptions”.

    Attempt at character assassination
    His PhD research comes as the historical figure of Elagabalus has swept into gender speculation. The Telegraph revealed last year that the North Hertfordshire Museum classified preferences of the third-century AD Roman emperor as transgender.

    Elagabalus was given female pronouns by curators on the basis of classical texts that claim the emperor asked to be called “lady”, but some historians believe these accounts may simply have been a Roman attempt at character assassination.

    Information on museum policy states that pronouns used in displays will be those “the individual in question might have used themselves” or whatever pronoun “in retrospect, is appropriate”.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/02/03/anglo-saxon-warriors-transgender-liverpool-university/?fbclid=IwAR3mKG7gzAw19868HH4g0SxULYj_FTURYjXcljjho87pRECC-41buuu7eP0

    1. These Trans activists are desperate to find anything which might give credence to their beliefs. Failing that, invent the ‘evidence’.

      1. 382902+ up ticks,

        Morning S,
        He,she,or it was popular because his willy was 6″ longer than his/her/ its armoured skirt.

    3. How about Elagabalus instead of being “transgender” was just a screaming queen. Anyone who has had extensive contact with gays knows very well that the very effeminate ones often refer to each other by feminine pronouns and refer to themselves that way too. But, would be ready to scratch your eyes out if you suggested that they were transsexuals. They would regard that as stealing their self identity and insulting them.

    5. “Mr Davison has suggested that Dark Age transgenderism could provide a more convincing explanation.”

      We are re-entering the Dark Age.

    6. ‘studying burials in Kent through the “lens of transness”’ – as opposed to studying burials in Kent through the lens of sane, rational human beings?

  43. Just seen “far right” French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour on GB News. Our man Tice has much to learn from him.

  44. ‘This is not really about asylum’, says Gillian Keegan. 4 February 2024.

    Asked how Ezedi had been granted refugee status after he was convicted of sexual assault and exposure in 2018, Gillian Keegan told Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “My understanding is the Home Secretary has asked for all the details.

    “But this is not really about asylum, this is about obviously the attack on a mother and her children which was horrific and obviously impacted others as well, some people who went to her assistance and the emergency services.”

    Of course not! How foolish we are!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/02/04/clapham-chemical-attack-latest-manhunt-abdul-ezedi/

    2. Gillian Keegan is my MP. She is pro EU, fully supported the government over covid and, simply put, is a Labourite in disguise as are most Conservative MP’s now. I will not vote for her in the next election. But it doesn’t matter in this district. If you slapped a blue rosette on a rotting log it would get voted in. Other parties don’t stand a snowflake chance in hell. I probably will not bother voting this time round. Maybe Reform, if they are represented, but they would by lucky to get a couple of 100 votes around here.

      2. My daughter lives in Chichester. She says Keegan is reviled about the town, even among conservatives.

        1. The sad thing is Fiscal, around here anything that isn’t Conservative is dead in the water. Karl Marx with a blue rosette during an election would be a shoo in. Keegan is a foreigner, a bloody Northerner parachuted into a safe seat. Like a good sheep she has risen, with mediocrity, through the ranks of the laughable Conservative party. She and they deserve each other.

      3. My daughter lives in Chichester. She says Keegan is reviled about the town, even among conservatives.

      4. If Reform are only getting a couple of hundred votes please use your vote to stop them losing their deposit

      5. I shouldn’t despair; North Shrops was true blue for over a century (only once, at the beginning of the 20th century did it go elsewhere). Last time they voted in a Lib Dem (and I shouldn’t be surprised if she keeps the seat).

  45. Amsterdam’s plan to stop men drowning with their flies open
    On the famous canals many accidental deaths seem to begin with a ‘wild wee’. The city is looking to Britain for solutions

    On a bleak winter’s day, the glistening water of Amsterdam’s 165 canals flows through the city. It is beautiful, cold — and deadly.

    The aesthetic appeal of this Unesco world heritage site masks a danger hiding in plain sight. An average of 18 people a year reportedly drown in the city’s canals: often men, late at night, falling to their deaths while apparently taking a “wild wee”.

    Last week, councillors demanded answers to questions on water safety, prompted by the death of Sam van Grondelle, a 29-year-old Amsterdammer who disappeared in October and whose body was discovered three days later in the Veemkade waterway.

    As part of a multibillion-euro renovation of the city, the authorities are putting in extra ladders and grab ropes along 200km of crumbling canal wall. However, most of the walls remain high, are poorly lit and are often flanked by an ankle-high “car rail” to stop vehicles rolling in. They form a perfect trip hazard for distracted wanderers. Students, tourists and revellers are often the casualties.

    “It is a big problem,” said Juliet Broersen, head of the local Volt party, who has asked to investigate prevention techniques and safety campaigns in the UK and Ireland.

    She said: “What really shocked us was the death of Sam: this often happens to young people. The hard reality of an accident in the water is that after someone disappears, it can take days before they are found. The body may no longer be recognisable. Our party also heard the story of a woman who saw a homeless man fall in the water and tried to help him. It didn’t work and she saw the man go under. It is hugely traumatic.”

    Juliet Broersen is examining safety measures in the UK

    Figures on drowning deaths in Amsterdam’s canals are estimates although, according to Statistics Netherlands, 73 people died from accidental drowning, most in open water, in 2022.

    “The way people end up in the canals differs but we see that it often goes wrong when men are peeing in a canal,” Marijke Stor, a police spokeswoman, said. “Our urgent warning is: don’t do it. And the same goes for swimming in a canal.”

    Guido Reijnen, a forensic physician, said that about 10 per cent of the drowned men had their flies open. His research suggests that, as well as the danger of stumbling while drunk, taking a leak in open water while inebriated could pose extra risks: the alcohol could make your blood pressure drop, causing micturition syncope — fainting while urinating.

    Ivo Thonon, from the Toilet Alliance, which campaigns for more public lavatories, argues that this is another reason Amsterdam desperately needs extra facilities. Although the city is investing in about 50 self-cleaning lavatories, it is removing green “curly” open urinals following complaints from residents. “For this specific target group, drunk guys who want to pee in the canal, there will be less availability,” he said. “It’s like windmills. Everybody wants them until they come very close by.”

    Dr Bob Pierik, a historian at the Vrije University, said the trading city’s canals were always a cause of death — but also brought astonishing prosperity. “It’s actually quite a tragic history: a lot of people drowned from the Middle Ages onwards,” he said.

    “In the 17th century, the canals were famous for being ‘like a beautiful virgin with foul-smelling breath’. In the 18th century, the society to rescue people drowning in the canals [was established] and more people started learning how to swim. The canals have always been a very dangerous place but, at the same time, these are great arteries of opportunity, where all the goods come in.”

    • Amsterdam drives out British louts

    ADVERTISEMENT
    A fence, it was thought, would impede loading and unloading at the waterside, he said. Today, the idea of fencing in 75km of canals for safety reasons is still dismissed as impractical and unsightly. “The historic urban ensemble of the canal district of Amsterdam is [of] world heritage [status],” a city spokeswoman said. “Covering this heritage with fences is simply not an option. And, besides, fences are not a 100 per cent prevention solution. People can still fall in when they are drunk. Many people also jump in for fun, completely underestimating the risks.”

    Historians say the canals have always been a danger to AmsterdammersHistorians say the canals have always been a danger to Amsterdammers

    City councillors have called for more information and awareness campaigns, fences at major risk areas and even heat-sensitive cameras that can detect and locate a warm body in the cold water — something that Captain Brian Sheridan, harbour master of the Port of Galway in Ireland, said this measure brought a “significant leap forward in public safety” in his city.

    The ability of the population to swim is also an issue, even in a country where children are expected to start learning at the age of four. “Amsterdam is a city of water, so swimming is as important for your safety as wearing a seat belt,” Daan Wijnants, head of the local branch of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, said. “If you fall in, it’s pretty hard to get out, especially if it’s dark and cold. But it’s also important to campaign that the water can be dangerous.”

    The city’s fire brigade diving team is called out about 200 times a year for people, animals and cars that end up in the water. Most people get out alive and the canal renovation project includes safety improvements so the “worst-case scenario” is a 30m swim to an emergency ladder.

    “[In the renovated walls,] people feel the grip line or the grip stones when they fall in; you automatically grab the wall to get to safety and if you follow the grip stones or cables, you eventually meet a ladder to climb out,” Marvin Abdoellakhan, a civil construction manager for the municipality, said. “The ladders are applied at intervals of 60m.”

    However, Bernard Korte, chief executive of NIVZ, the Dutch institute for swimming safety, called for more research on danger spots, as well as life-saving equipment. “What’s most important is to give good information about the level of risk,” he said. “If you fall in the water, you can drown in six minutes. What would also help would be throw lines and buoys by the water. It’s better to throw something to someone than go in the water yourself because, in general, if that happens, there are two victims, not one.” https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/amsterdam-stopping-late-night-calls-of-nature-turning-fatal-n3xhgr7gk

    1. Making a mountain (not very apt for Holland I know) out of a molehill? Average of 18 drownings a year and 10% (ie 2) with their flies open.

      1. Well one young girl died with asthma in London and Khunt used that as an excuse to inflict ULEZ on everyone….(although of course now it comes out the cameras he’s put up will facilitate his pay-per-mile scheme, so who know what Amsterdam really has in mind).

    2. Eric Tabarly, the well known French yachtsman who competed against Sir Francis Chichester in the single handed races across the Atlantic fell overboard and drowned when he was sailing from Brittany to Scotland in 1988.

      His body was found with the flies undone as is the case with many men sailors who fall overboard when having a pee when they are not wearing a safety harness.

      Of course we always insisted that harnesses were worn when alone on deck and we had the strictly enforced rule for our boys if they wanted to pee: One hand on the boat, one hand on the willy and pee to leeward.

      1. Girls don’t have a willy to hold so they must be safer as it’s both hands on the boat for them.

      1. The burning flag photo looks phoney – look at the Arab’s left hand. Also, the flag looks fake.

      2. The most disturbing thing about the burning flag photo is not that it is probably a fake but that its theme is so alarmingly plausible.

  48. Apparently it is Yorkshire pudding day today.

    I’m having batter pudding with my roast beef.

    2. Don’t forget to smear it with Colman’s English before you ladle over the thick onion gravy!

      1. Too hot for this Southerner. I prefer German or French mustard. Has more flavour.
        I only do onion gravy for sausages. I do a roasted in its skin onion though.

          1. Still made with mustard seeds.
            If i have Colman’s it is the merest smear. With the French and German mustards i can have a big dollop.

  49. https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8bc790b90c3a6a54f67f029f06ec154770bd5896/0_0_7969_4781/master/7969.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=bd535fa99e04dbfc010e677c1a297d30
    Two giraffes compete to see who is taller in Nairobi national park, Kenya

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2aa3bd673a5d916e9f7d1cbddca9b6d0befe8351/0_0_1638_2048/master/1638.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=75383600fa7563725e56ee792be9a023
    A contemplative sloth makes its way up a tree in Costa Rica. The moss growing on its fur is actually beneficial: it acts as camouflage, and it provides a habitat for various species of fungi, insects and algae, some of which the sloth can feed on – a sort of built-in lunch box

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/5f1a1eef8be201fced33d80edf84b4d2892c0140/0_0_5608_3739/master/5608.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=28621c7e26b8275536d7705053684709
    Deer cross the River Derwent in the grounds of Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, UK

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a158a43469c6e3d56a2a2e10a06ed638e1b691b7/0_0_5028_3352/master/5028.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4d4e9e77e43c743e543c2ec7e5082aaf
    An owl named Puhu, who is spending time in a rehabilitation centre after a resident in Sivas, Turkey, found it injured in his garden. The Eurasian eagle owl will be released back into the wild after treatment

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8f573c01f41ae9f5cebab6f1bc427d97e5daf7fa/0_0_1662_1080/master/1662.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=74afcad2e3b3838a42c71aeb68cd60bc
    A waxwing sits in a tree in Rize, Turkey, on the shore of the Black Sea

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d39e20f3a09285e97eac4825e97ca38470428077/0_0_4000_2669/master/4000.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=17a904f6be825c3ea34bf68503fa1789
    Harlequin poison frogs seized at the El Dorado international airport in Bogotá, Colombia. A Brazilian woman was arrested after authorities found 130 of the tiny, critically endangered amphibians hidden inside film canisters in her suitcase

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4212c1775122126d3c5187d04327575bc6c6496a/0_0_6272_4480/master/6272.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8495a6a6fee95b4423df45d798ddf7fa
    A hippo gives a ride to a hitchhiking heron at the Kruger national park, South Africa

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4a4ebc220f5809377726c7550d825ad082c2dbf4/0_0_5678_3785/master/5678.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=e56242a52741ce2411c293570b2fbd86
    A black rhino also has an avian passenger in Nairobi national park, Kenya.

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/3f0e31662b0ead01e2c68d9ee2254e65270a1654/0_0_4400_3143/master/4400.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0590cbe2ed3e47abd34f24507f8a07d6
    A kingfisher perches on a frosty firethorn branch in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/de8affafbe7a4c7308bb0c6c511683b6242c5dd1/0_0_2975_1986/master/2975.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=81ada70eb31096729c403d058582d894
    A starling murmuration over the Skylarks nature reserve at Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham, UK, looks uncannily like a bird silhouetted against the sky

  50. How low can our NHS go? A friend of mine works for them but was unable to get to work one day because of the snow. The NHS demanded they took a days holiday whilst their supervisor who decided to work from home didn’t have to.

    1. It has always been the case that absence due to bad weather is taken as leave. Now that WFH is so established, that might have to be revisited.

  52. A guy called Simon Green signs himself as Flt Lt……….(ret). As far as I know it’s only Sqdn Ldrs (or equivalent) and above who can sign this way. Perhaps Fiscal can confirm

    1. I think so. It’s not something I’d do personally unless I was writing to a military or aviation publication.

      1. I’m only a low-life but I invariably give my rank when writing to newspapers. It’s my right!

        Grizzly, tea-lad (ret’d).

        1. Fie on’t! Oh fie fie! ‘Tis an unweeded garden
          That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature
          Possess it merely.

          [The Danish Play]

          1. Didn’t Willie write “Earl Grey Tea o Not Earl Grey Tea, that is the question”? Lol.

          1. Indeed. I made the huge mistake of ordering some of Twining’s inferior tea online. I’ve never liked their vastly overrated crap and drinking their Assam — which tasted of nothing but water — reaffirmed this belief.

            Tesco’s Assam had much more flavour but I’m trying to find a way of ordering some of Ashby’s superb tea online.

      3. I’ve never liked the use of titles in letters to the Ed, be they military, court medical peerage etc, unless relevant to the subject of the letter.
        I would accept it if the DT showed everyone the same respect and gave everyone their title i.e Mr, Ms (Not Mrs and Miss)

    3. I don’t think that there are any formal or official rules that specify whether or not ranks can be used on retirement. However, it is generally held that only field grade/senior officers (Sqn Ldr and equivalent and above) should do so. At least in the RAF, a Sqn Ldr would probably hold a Permanent Commission so would, I think, have a good case to continue using the rank. However, current custom seems to be that using one’s rank on retirement, unless it has a some particular relevance such as participating at a military function or liaising with a Service, is a bit old-fashioned. The man who signs himself as Flt Lt (ret) simply reveals himself as… well, you will know some choice descriptions.

      1. Yes self importance and arrogance springs to mind, there apparently is an exception for being a Capt (Flt Lt equivalent) in the Guards (or some other old pongo outfit) – Capt Mark Phillips springs to mind – because it makes them sound higher than they are.

        1. I had never thought about an exception for cavalry officers and found that Wiki says this: “Phillips continued to style himself Captain Mark Phillips, as it is usual for retired cavalry captains to keep using their rank if their civilian job involves working with horses in racing or equestrian sports”. However, I thought that “retirement” was only after serving long enough to earn a retirement pension (22 years non-commissioned service in the RAF or 38 years old /16 years service as an officer) and Phillips didn’t do more than 10 years.

  54. King waves to crowds in first public appearance since leaving hospital
    The King has been recuperating in the private comfort of his Norfolk home since leaving hospital
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2024/02/04/king-charles-waves-crowds-after-hospital-procedure/

    I agree with this BTL!

    One of the main problems for men with an enlarged prostate is that they sometimes have an urgent need to pee.

    Unfortunately there are far fewer public conveniences than there used to be and, in light of the fact that people can be prosecuted for urination in public, a campaign for the provision of more public lavatories would be an admirable one for the King to support wholeheartedly.

    1. Over here, the Swedes are not fazed by someone standing (or squatting) in a lay-by when the urge of nature comes to them.

      Pissing is as natural as drinking, and one consequently results in the other.

  55. Six Nations: the first weekend.

    Team ratings after one match each.
    1. Ireland.
    2= Scotland, Wales.
    4= France, Italy.
    6. England.

    England’s perennial problem is the fact that the RFU remains staffed by gormless, hapless, clueless, chinless wonders who routinely make brainless decisions.
    Permitting Shaun Edwards to coach in Wales and France was one of their worst. Permitting Andy Farrell to lead Ireland was another. Choosing coaches who fail to select the best players for each position is another. While ever the RFU remains the same old, pink-gin quaffing and prawn-sandwich nibbling old-boys’ network, expect this situation to continue sine die.

  56. Welcome to the UK where it’s now official government policy that you CAN’T publish “misinformation”, but The Guardian, the BBC, Disney and Netflix CAN.

    Yes, it’s true – the recently signed “Online Safety Act” brands the publication of “false information” a criminal offense punishable by up to a year in prison…

    …unless you’re an MSM outlet, when it’s totally fine.

    https://off-guardian.org/2024/02/02/uks-online-safety-act-officially-grants-msm-permission-to-publish-lies/

    3. …brands the publication of “false information” a criminal offense punishable by up to a year in prison…

      Had this law existed in the past it would have been illegal to deny that the Earth went around the Sun or that Witches existed. Silly me, there was such a ban. It was called the Inquisition!

    4. I think that canada is ahead of you with the suppression of not so false information.

      Thanks to a spat with the government over content, Facebook will now reject any post that includes a Canadian media reference.

      No prison time yet but doctors are losing their license by refusing to follow the official line on covid, Transgender recognition or free drug supply. It’s trudeaus way or no way.

  57. How the Trusted News Initiative sets the climate agenda. 3 February 2024.

    One reason that there is so little debate about this in the media in South Korea and around the world may be due to something called the ‘Trusted News Initiative’. This is a collaboration of the world’s leading media companies including the BBC, European Broadcasting Union and NHK (Japan); key news agencies such as Associated Press and Reuters; and largest technology companies such as Google, Meta and Microsoft.

    Its role is explained by the BBC thus: ‘Trusted News Initiative members work together to build audience trust and to find solutions to tackle challenges of disinformation. By including media organisations and social media platforms, it is the only forum in the world of its kind designed to take on disinformation in real time.’

    All is explained!

    https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/why-the-media-blindly-endorse-the-rush-to-net-zero/

  60. “The departure of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth to lead the largest Nato exercise since the Cold War has been cancelled at the last minute after an “issue” with a propeller shaft was spotted during final checks.”

    Can’t even build a bloody warship these days.

      2. 382902+ up ticks,

        Afternoon KP,
        One must stop being negative and one must start hammering plough-shares into long bows.

    3. Those bloody warships have been sat in harbour for how long and they find a mechanical problem at the last moment?

    1. A string of BTL responses:-

      RS R. Spowart
      7 HRS AGO
      Message Actions
      Sandy Pratt would appear to be well named.

      PP Party Pauper
      6 HRS AGO
      Reply to R. Spowart
      I can never understand the UK’s obsession with US politics. The choice of a president is entirely a matter for the citizens of the USA. I don’t get their obsession with electing old giffers who are way past their prime but hey, that’s their business.

      R. Spowart
      6 HRS AGO
      Reply to Party Pauper
      Message Actions
      Agreed, BUT!
      What happens in the USA often transfers here within a short time and, given that so many UK politicians seem determined to hang on to the shirt tails of the White House occupant, the identity and policies of that occupant are, perhaps, more important for the UK than you realise.

      Reply by Party Pauper.
      6 HRS AGO
      Reply to R. Spowart
      That’s down to our own elected politicians who are so feeble that they seem unable or unwilling to do anything but follow the herd. They are completely incapable of independent thought, action or deed – and that is down to us.

      R. Spowart
      6 HRS AGO
      Reply to Party Pauper
      Message Actions
      Again, agreed. But, until such time as the British voter wakes up to what is happening and clears the dross out of our political establishment, we need to be aware of what is happening in Washington.

      Reply by A Allan.
      4 HRS AGO
      Reply to R. Spowart – view message
      Nominative Determinism?
      I wonder if he enjoys seaside holidays?

      R. Spowart
      JUST NOW
      Reply to A Allan – view message
      Message Actions
      Quite likely to both questions!

    2. I think that most canadianswould disagree with that sentiment.

      Many liberals only see the brash trump who would harm Canadian trade with the US. This despite Biden starting his term by canceling an oil pipeline from Alberta and a recent increase in lumber duties.

      More important to Canada though, if Trump wins the election we are assured that our election will have the liberals doing their best to equate our conservative party with Trump and that could gain Trudeau votes.

  62. Police offer £20,000 reward in manhunt for Abdul Ezedi. 4 February 2024.

    Police hunting the Clapham chemical attack suspect have offered a reward of up to £20,000 for information leading to his arrest.

    Officers said they believe there are people who know where Abdul Ezedi is, who have not come forward, and warned anyone found assisting him faces arrest.

    This guy is dossed down in some Mosque.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/02/04/clapham-chemical-attack-latest-manhunt-abdul-ezedi/

    2. Amazing how, in a country with more CCTV cameras per head of population than everywhere but China, the man seems to have vanished.
      I mean, a chap with half his face missing/scabbed up something chronic is not exactly inconspicuous.
      Burkas R Us?
      Where is his car?

      2. As Clarkson said “Get mugged in the street and they won’t have anything. Make a cheeky Left and they’ll get you.’

          1. You would know what you is talkin’ about boy if you cut those damned chillis and had a pee…then wiped the tears from yo eyes.
            Rednecks and Muslims have lots in common.

          2. You would know what you is talkin’ about boy if you cut those damned chillis and had a pee…then wiped the tears from yo eyes.
            Rednecks and Muslims have lots in common.

    4. Isn’t he a Christian seeking sanctuary at Lambeth Palace with his old mucker, Welby?

  63. Good afternoon.
    After a week of wet weather and prevaricating, I have finally painted the fence.
    Well, part of it. As I started, I noticed other panels looking rather tired. Talk about the Forth Bridge.

  64. Two mile bike ride completed. With a 30 mph breeze – parts of it were quite a struggle!. Some rain expected, too.

    1. Does that mean that you are not working miles from home and are facing a two mile cycle back into the wind?

  66. @Fiscal, have you heard the news from South Dakota, where they are trying to put a bill through to restore registered ownership of investments to the purchaser, and thus thwart the great taking.
    Parallel Mike did a video on it yesterday evening. A bit off the cuff, one suspects that his glass was empty because he had drunk the contents….but interesting content especially his comments about tokenising everything. Sounds very plausible – and would have an end date.
    https://twitter.com/parallel_mike/status/1753861623570211009

  68. SIR – My late father loved history. I didn’t, but he did manage to teach me how to remember the all the Tudor and Stuart monarchs: Harry, Harry, Ted, Mary, Liz, Jim, Charlie, Common, Charlie, Jim, Bill and Mary, Anne.

    How I wish he had continued with the other monarchs.

    Ann Runacres
    Ullenhall, Warwickshire

    What were they?

    3. Bill, Bill, Harry, Tilda, Steve, Harry, Dick, Jack, Harry, Ted, Ted, Ted, Dick, Harry, Harry, Harry, Ted, Dick … Jud, Jud, Jud, Jud, Bill, Vicky, Ted, Jud, Ted, Jud, Liz, Chuck.

  70. ‘Night All

    very belated medley

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHbwYMxo8ZY

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/cbeb3ca1eabcf98de5c07fd971c0604cfd4ebba31722460079b899b84e6c18ec.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/80cab49978038ad5b151534e4a3895afd70d80a016d637d9a3b6565d171611ee.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/95e56118fd8b6d91b6e6b3ad71a0c1809f3ae180221c39be983c0e99ee3e80b4.jpg

    https://twitter.com/AMDWaters/status/1753722475240734979?s=20

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4c6aa202d3fc7e6e9892cd15fba60f25cc4add4aaeb55f7d28c1e700fa678450.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e83ea2b8d166ee88d1fe2f6751b6297e1ec0d98fc929e418425c994293856c9c.jpg

    2. That ‘former Labour MP’ standing as Rochdale’s Reform candidate is worrying. Surely some vetting must be in order.
      I’ll be certainly having a good look at the Reform candidate in S E Cornwall, if we have one.

      1. From comments to the BBC article:
        To quote Max Boyce “ I entered through the heavenly gate; I heard the heavenly band
        And there was John the Baptist, on Barry John’s right hand”

        Rugby heaven is putting a top team together this year with JPR and Barry John. An inspiration – wonderful to watch. RIP.

  72. A welcome Par Four!

    Wordle 960 4/6
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    1. 5 here, a bit of a stinker.

      Wordle 960 5/6

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    2. Five for me but as always, it’s better than a seven :-))

      Wordle 960 5/6

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      1. Metoo

        Wordle 960 5/6

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  73. That’s me gone. How sad that yet another great Welshman has gone to the great scrum in the sky. No age, either.

    Have a spiffing evening.

    A demain.

  74. Rather strange colour sky this evening before it got dark, almost lemon In colour, very strange.

  75. Talk about poking a stick in the cage!

    “Russian media outlet “Mash” reports that former Fox News host Tucker Carlson was seen at the Bolshoi Theatre (spelling correct for English English) in Moscow in recent days. On the social media platform X, there’s enormous interest in Carlson’s trip and speculation about whether he plans to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

        1. I hope he includes Assange in that. You know…the guy that exposed the U.S box of dirty tricks…

        1. Apart from a means of wasting time I’ve no idea why they bother to ‘scrum down’ these days?

          2. It’s merely an opportunity to get the opponents to commit a ‘foul’ because some arcane artificial rule has been broken

          3. Indeed – I hate the way that forwards will “congratulate” their colleague who managed to get the opponents to commit a foul (of some unknown kind).

    2. Ahhh – I was wondering what to do for carnival next week. Now you’ve given me ideas! 😉😎

  78. ‘The RNLI is here to save people at sea, no matter who they are’
    As the charity marks its 200th anniversary, it faces its most difficult moment as the migrant crisis brings fresh waves of critique
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/02/04/200-anniversary-of-rnli-lifeboats-channel/

    I have contributed to the RNLI for over 50 years as a Shoreline Member.

    The RNLI’s raison d’être is to save lives at sea. Fair enough. However it should not be to assist illegal immigrants to get to Britain.

    Those who donate to the RNLI should withdraw their support until such time as it is clear that the people whom they rescue in the English Channel are always taken back to their departure point in France. When they have done so supporters should then return their support to what used to be a magnificent voluntary service..

    1. The trickle becomes a flood. Frontex in the Med……………..a few hundred a day. I said at the time years ago it would become a flood. Now with free rail tickets to bring them to Calais we are seeing 1000 a month. That will become 5000 a month this time next year. The Rwanda deal is a smokescreen….only a few hundred will go that way. If at all.

  80. Look over there a squirrel….

    ‘A Record $10 Trillion In US Treasuries Coming To Market In 2024
    Someone will need to buy more than $10 trillion in US government bonds in 2024. That is more than one-third of US government debt outstanding. And more than one-third of US GDP…”

      1. It’s only a question of time. The really worrying thing is if it becomes obvious the game is up, the dickheads ‘in charge’ decide to pull a few triggers…..

        1. The big question is whether they will try to pull off the Great Taking and if they put their preparations into action, whether they will succeed…

          I’ve just listened to the Delingpod with David Rogers Webb. It was very interesting. One comment at the end “My family got through the Great Depression because they had no debt.”

          2. They are pushing back in South Dakota, let’s see how far it gets. Not a snowball’s chance in hell of getting those changes through in corrupt Britain.

            JD asked David Webb whether he thought it was worth selling out investments and buying gold, and Webb said he thought it might save you in the first round, but they would have to confiscate gold in order to prevent a parallel economy from developing.
            I have heard other people say that they think a confiscation is unlikely because so few people own gold these days. They won’t be able to confiscate jewelry anyway, so perhaps in that theoretical event, the best investment would be a handy jewelry-making kit!

    3. They did the same with the last planes taking off in Afghanistan. All those smiley faces as they clambered on the outside of the plane and ran alongside smiling and waving. Then a little while after we saw stick figures falling from those same planes. We didn’t get to see the result from that or the shocked faces….

  84. Andrew Doyle’s show on GB News is good so far tonight. Debbie (sic) Hayton has a new book out and was on defending the fact that men cannot become women; then Helen Joyce on the Newcastle United debacle over the fan Linzi Smith, banned from going to St James’s Park because of her gender-realist “beliefs”; and now Fraser Myers from Spiked on some “stickering” case. With the dog on the sofa🙂

    Edit. They now have someone on who is explaining how the CPS has been institutionally captured by Stonewall AND how the CPS is trying to cover it up. Extraordinary.

  85. I’m popping orff.
    Lovely Sunday, not doing much. But surely that’s what the day of rest is about.
    Good night folks.

  88. Well, chums, I am now about to have an early night so I will wish you a good night’s sleep – see you all in the morning.

  89. Catching up on the TR vid that Jonathan posted earlier today. Hatan Tash’s treatment deserves to be more widely known. She is a convert to Christianity from Islam. I have a dear friend who has done the same. We need to support genuine Christian converts.

    Anyway here is a copy of my paste below the video (as I feel very strongly about Ms Tash’s despicable treatment over the years at Speakers’ Corner to appease our Peaceful friends):
    “ So she was arrested for “criminal damage”, being in possession of a koran with holes in it.

    So the muslipolitan plod can now come and arrest me for writing notes in the margin of a book i own? Or putting holes in a book i own? How is this “criminal damage”?

    Now for the sake of argument, if i threw paint or soup at a valuable work of art, or smashed the glass of a building in London, or toppled a statue – i can see how that might constitute “criminal damage”.

    But if you own your book, what you do to it is your business.

    Now, from what I can make out, the physical copy of the koran was full of holes as a metaphor for the whole thing being full of holes. But we don’t have a blasphemy law any more and even if we did I would argue this shouldn’t cover an imported religion.

    So, Plod, what is going on? Are you making things up?”

    1. They clearly have an agenda – and it’s not good for anyone Christian or native to these islands.

    2. You are looking at it from the angle of “a book”. It isn’t, it’s the muslim book which must never be put on the floor or defaced (by putting holes in it).

      1. I know that is their argument. But in this country l, it is just a book. As is the Bible.

        1. That may be factual, but to the islamophilic PTB it is more important than the Bible (which, from biblos, means book).

    4. My Oscar’s from a rescue litter so he’s never known abuse, but we meet rescued older dogs and I’m sometimes reduced to tears.

  91. I’m off to bed.
    At least I got a start made on patching up the end of the woodstack shelter, if not much else today!

    1. Firstborn’s wood shelter is, we think, the original farmhouse, and dates from about 1630 or so. They built them strong back then!

    2. It’s becoming a sad place to live when foreigners with foreign religions can tell us how to behave in our own country, Belle.

    1. No farmers, no food – and the result?

      Civil war and the hanging of MPs from lamp-posts outside Westinfestedminster and shitehall. Be aware you stupid politicians.

  98. Another disturbed night.
    Will be back off to bed soon.
    Is this a relation of Rastus’s?

    Preserve the pips
    SIR – In the 1970s I worked as a freelancer in BBC local radio, where we were under strict instructions not to “crash the pips”, which were available on a fader every 15 minutes (“Time could be running out for Radio 4’s pips because of digital broadcasting delay”, report, February 3).

    I became adept at talking up to the pips, declaring, “This is BBC Radio Carlisle, the sound of Cumbria,” giving the time and announcing the newsreader, but some staff never got the hang of it and would fade music just in time, or indeed sometimes not.

    After 100 years, this is a national tradition that should be preserved, despite the problem of digital delay, as we have already lost too many of these.

    Patrick Tracey
    Carlisle, Cumbria

  99. And this week’s MRD Award goes to:-

    Asylum failures
    SIR – Your Leading Article (February 3) is right that the biggest failure of the asylum system is the long delays that leave men, women and children in limbo for months and years – at great expense to the taxpayer. It is chaotic and causes immense human misery.

    The Government’s solution – the Illegal Migration Act and the Rwanda Bill – is only going to make it worse. It is already resulting in tens of thousands being stuck indefinitely with nowhere to go. Rwanda will never have the capacity for them, nor should it. Some are already avoiding contact with vital services and face being exploited and abused.

    The Government needs to ensure that the claims of anyone seeking asylum are decided fairly and efficiently on UK soil, instead of pushing ahead with new laws that close down the asylum system. It risks simply creating another costly mess.

    Enver Solomon
    CEO, Refugee Council
    London E15

    1. Enver Solomon has long been a Professional Nuisance in the illegal migrant industry. He needs to be irrevocably deported.

  100. Wordle 961 6/6

    Up early today so I posted my results for Monday on Sunday’s site. Only just made it; I had six possible letters to insert in the fourth box after 3 tries, and by “Sod’s Law” it turned out to be my third choice, so I only just made it.

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  101. Oh Dear…but it’s been fun

    [Graun]
    3m ago
    01.04 EST
    Lunch
    The wicket means that’s the last ball of a pulsating morning. It was subtle at times, pugilistic at others, and it ended – like all the best sessions – with an affronted Jonny Bairstow giving somebody a mouthful.

    There were 127 runs and five wickets in 25.4 overs. England played brilliantly, they really did, but you can only defy this marvellous Indian attack for so long in the fourth innings.

    5m ago
    05.59 GMT
    WICKET! England 194-6 (Bairstow LBW b Bumrah 26)
    It’s all over now! Bairstow is plumb LBW to a nipbacker from Bumrah. He reviews, simply because England have three left, but deep down he knows.

    Ashwin celebrates in the face of Bairstow, who tells him where to go.

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