Thursday 14 April: This feckless Prime Minister has demonstrated how fatuous his own Covid rules were

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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626 thoughts on “Thursday 14 April: This feckless Prime Minister has demonstrated how fatuous his own Covid rules were”

  2. ‘Morning, Peeps.

    Another lovely day to come (if the forecasters are to be believed) with sun filtering through the mist.  Off shortly with the camera…

    For me this letter says it all:

    SIR – I don’t give a damn about Boris Johnson lying to me: he is a politician, after all. But I do care about him lying to Parliament. He should resign

    B E Kerrison
    London SW4

    I would just add the word ‘repeatedly’ after ‘lying’.

    1. Good to see that they’ve kept the ‘home fires burning’ at Chequers rather than install a useless heat pump.

      1. I was going to say they’re burning £20 notes, but they’re plastic these days, with a lower carbon footprint than a paper note, despite it being a product of hydrocarbons. (So sayeth the BoE)

  6. SIR – Last February you reported that pensioners were having to wait up to 12 weeks for their driving licences. I applied to renew my licence in May 2021, and it is still not forthcoming.

    I had to apply by post as it was necessary for me to fill in a medical form. It took the DVLA from May until August to write to my doctor.

    My doctor replied within three weeks, and then I heard nothing for more than seven months. In mid February this year, in utter frustration, I emailed Julie Lennard, CEO of the DVLA. Within a couple of weeks I finally received a letter from Swansea. This said I would need a physical examination. The letter warned that if this did not take place within six weeks my licence would be revoked.

    When will someone sort this disgraceful department out?

    L E Davies
    London SW1

    SIR – I was required recently to renew my driving licence. Swiftly realising that my advancing years precluded a successful online foray, I decided to risk delays and applied by post.

    The new licence was received within a week. Perhaps it is the rarity of a postal application that enables so quick a response.

    Alan Quinton
    Eastbourne, East Sussex

    With the present incumbent pretending to be the S of S for Transport, I think we all know that it won’t be sorted out while he is in post. After all, arranging his home office with carefully placed flags and the ever-open red box with files that rarely move must be quite demanding for a useless narcissist!

  7. This feckless Prime Minister has demonstrated how fatuous his own Covid rules were

    We don’t need a demonstration that the rules were fatuous, we all knew they were and said so at the time.
    The people that are so annoyed and being so picky with the PM for doing nothing much wrong on the face of it are the very ones that were all fooled by it all and took a fascist approach to those that weren’t complying to the letter of the rules which must be obeyed.
    I can understand it in a way, nobody likes being a mug.

      1. We had evidence of that at a bowls club meeting on Tuesday.
        vw and I sat there dumbfounded at the crassness of, what would normally be, intelligent people. Carried their own sanitiser to wipe the supermarket trolly. We have automatic soap dispensers in the lavatories that need replenishing. I suggested hand pump soap. One came back who said you then have to touch the bottle. Unbelievable. I didn’t ask how he was going to turn the tap on as I didn’t want to shatter the fairy tale world he lives in.

        1. They do have sinks in airports where you just wave your hands under the spout. Same with the hand dryers. Besides this covid nonsense i think those are a good idea.

          Good morning.

          1. Good morning Phil
            Agreed but probably not cost effective for a small club like ours.

  8. Good morning all. A bright and slightly cooler start today with 2°C outside and a dry day forecast.

    1. ‘Morning, BoB. Pleased to see you use the word ‘forecast’. The current trend for broadcasters seems to be to talk about the ‘weather story’. Childish!

      1. I find that half the ‘forecast’ is taken up telling us what the weather was like earlier, even showing us photos that helpful people have sent in in case we don’t know what sun or snow look like,

        1. …and many of these (time-filling) photos are of poor quality, too.

          ‘Morning Stormy.

  9. The leading BTL on the Rwanda scheme:

    Martin Selves
    23 MIN AGO
    Priti Patel has a plan that will work. The idea of Process Centres for “ Illegals” overseas is not new, and it worked in Australia. Our WOKE Community will choke this one off. Personally I support it, but the heavy weights in the Legal Profession, blinded by their recent successes will not let this pass. If it gets through the HoC, the WOKE resistance will start in the HoL and then in the Courts.
    The HOC was stuffed with WOKE Lib/Dems even before the Cameron Coalition, and he allowed many more to enter as a sop to his Liberal Deputy. They will join up with Labour and the noise will be deafening. But Patel must not give in.
    We must stop this influx from France. Macron has no intention of stopping it, and is allowing his own Border Force, paid by HMG, to watch as 50 fit men carry a rubber boat to the shore line and sail away to our 4 Star Hotels.
    I believe this plan will work. These illegals have mobile phones, and the word will quickly get to the migrant community in France. If this gets off the ground, I believe within 6 months the Dover Crossings will have stopped.

    * * *

    This proposed scheme certainly has the BBC frothing at the mouth this morning, poor lambs!

        1. …or possibly Manston? The civvy operation closed some years ago and with rejection of a freight-only airport it is probably destined for housing/lorry park/accommodation for economic migrants by now, take your pick.

          ‘Morning N.

          1. Manston was sold to “someone influential” who wished to turn it into an housing estate.

          2. I used to belong to a Facebook group that was trying to save Manston and I thought it had been. I’ve given up F/B now, so I don’t know if there’s been a new development.

    2. The important thing is to stop them landing in Britain. Once here, they are virtually guaranteed to be allowed to stay.

      1. Yes. We shouldn’t being them here in the first place. It’s not complicated. Drag them back to france, destroy the boat.

        1. VOM, stop dreaming – it’s already 8.30 am. Time to wake up and get out of bed! Lol.

      3. Morning all.

        I read some time ago that “refugees” brought in by our RNLI/Birder apFarce, are automatically entitled to stay here. I repeat that – automatically. No ifs, no buts. It’s being done deliberately.

        1. Yep. If we pick them up and bring them in, they are no longer illegal! We are stuffed.

    3. Easily fixed: scrap legal aid for gimmigrants.

      2. Tie up the lawyers in endless red tape
      3. Deport them to foreign to continue the cases there.

      It’s very simple. When the illegal criminal gimmigrants get in their boat, when they call for help, drag them back to france, spray the boat with petrol, set fire to it. If any illegal iranians, sudanese, ethiopians, eritreans get caught, well, they’re surrounded by water.

      The problem will soon stop when the illegal criminal gimmigrants start screaming.

    4. I’m happy if the House of Lords is flooded with those sympathetic to the plan. I’d like to be selected!

    1. Does he realise that he’s a fascist, or is he still lying to himself? The terror he must have of people who disagree with him is bizarre.

      What next? Perhaps…. camps where he can put people who he doesn’t like?

      The Left never change.

  11. The Ukraine war and Biden’s push for a deal with Iran. 14 April 2022.

    This has come to light since the arrest in the United States of two men of mysterious origin who have been accused of subverting secret service agents with access to the White House. Almost no official information has been released by the authorities other than confirmation of the arrests and the suspension of four agents.

    However, court filings and media reports suggested the men, who posed as federal government agents, were part of an Iranian plot to revenge Soleimani’s death by killing officials who served under President Trump officials including his secretary of state Mike Pompeo, National Security Adviser John Bolton and Iran special envoy Brian Hook. All three have been named as enemies in the Iranian media.

    According to CBS news, the two arrested men, who were named as Arian Taherzadeh and Haider Ali, are US citizens but are being investigated for suspected ties with Iranian and Pakistani intelligence. In March, the Washington Examiner reported that at least two unidentified Iranians belonging to the IRGC’s Quds Force had been conspiring to kill Bolton.

    This is one of those rare informative articles that tells you what is happening behind the scenes. The very antithesis of propaganda and what the MSM should really do!

    https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/the-ukraine-war-and-bidens-push-for-a-deal-with-iran/

  12. Someone tell me why we are sending illegal criminal gimmigrants to Rwanda, at huge cost, to be a processed when:

    1. It’s not our responsibilty
    2. They have no right to be here
    3. Should never, ever, have got here in the first place

    Someone, anyone?

    When these ertireans, sundaese, afghans and so on get in a boat and try to get here, when they call for the taxi service, send out a gun boat, drag them back to France and when within sight of the shore, destroy the boat. if they get uppity, shoot them.

    Solve the sodding problem. Get rid of them. Hell, build a giant trebuchet and launch them en mass.

      1. Almost certainly, but why are we flying them? Put them on a P&O ferry, sail to African, tell them to walk the rest of the way. Rather than a hundred at a time, we can shift all of them at once. What’s that? It’s a multi day sail? So? Let the starve. When they defecate everywhere open the sea doors. They shouldn’t be here. They’re terrorists, criminals and rapists.

  13. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8ef761e63f90b550d283c54a8c6684d30939529c2f1bcf34d71fc1ffe844da62.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/eef89738bb97e88de356af3cdadf32da3c38cbdd43c06cd982abd5b3f7c4edc4.jpg SIR — No matter how amusing some archaic road signs now appear (Letters, April 11–13), at least the British level crossing sign shows a 20th century steam locomotive.
    Here in Sweden, the loco depicted on our road signs still hails from the 19th century.

      1. Thomas has ensured the legend will live on. Even though they added one of those diesel locos.

        1. The number of times I have heard not-very-educated mothers call him Thomas the Tank (omitting the word Engine). FGS he is not a tank.

    2. This modern day driver knows exactly what a steam engine is. They sometimes use the railway line at the bottom of my road.

  14. Who is Chris Mason? The BBC’s new political editor in profile. 13 April 2022.

    BBC News has announced that journalist Chris Mason will replace Laura Kuenssberg as its new political editor.

    Responding to the promotion, the 41-year-old, who has spent a decade covering Westminster for the corporation, said: “What a tremendous privilege to take on what, for me, is the most extraordinary job in British broadcasting and journalism.

    “I clamber upon the shoulders of giants like Laura, Nick Robinson and Andrew Marr with a smattering of trepidation and a shedload of excitement and enthusiasm.

    “To lead the best team of journalists in the business on the best news patch of the lot is something I’d never even dared dream of. I can’t wait to get started.”

    Sigh!

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chris-mason-journalist-political-correspondent-b2057281.html

      1. What size pygmies if Laura Kuenssberg, Andrew Marr and Nick Robinson are giants?

    5. He should have added:

      “I can’t wait to get churning out the lies and the bias.”

    6. They say that the Masons usually get the best jobs! Lol.

      PS – Drat and double drat! Reading down the page I see that Bob3 beat me to the joke by a full hour. Apologies, Bob3.

      1. The Canon from Chester spent a lot of time in his sermon going on about the chap they eventually found to play Jesus in the mystery play outside the cathedral tomorrow. “You will be surprised,” he said – I doubt it, I thought. He’s a skinhead with tattoos. The only thing that will surprise me, I thought, is if he’s white! They did, however, consider casting a woman in the part!

    8. “shoulders of giants like Laura, Nick Robinson and Andrew Marr”
      ?!!! What a curious view of the world these media people have…

    9. Is he white? Not watching TV I haven’t a clue who he is. More important, why isn’t he transgender African Chinese and paraplegic?

        1. Well, it’s yer Merkin, innit? I must say that I find most American twangs grates on the ears.

    2. Shows the power of ice and rocks to erode whole mountain valleys during ice ages.

    4. What a lovely jolly.

      “Science sometimes has an element of luck,” Norris said in a news

      release. “We expected to wait five or ten years without anything moving,

      but only two years into the project, we just happened to be there at

      the right time to see it happen in person.”

      Norris and his team

      began their experiment in the winter of 2011, when they devised a plan

      to monitor the rocks’ movement with a high-resolution weather station

      that could measure wind gusts in very small time frames. They also

      fitted 15 rocks — which they brought from outside their park, as

      National Park Service officials wouldn’t allow them to move any of the

      rocks already there — with GPS devices that tracked their motion.https://weather.com/science/environment/news/mystery-death-valleys-sailing-stones-solved-rocks-filmed-moving-first-time

  16. Good morning, all. Sunny just now. Cloudy later. Mist at 6 am.

    I commend a BBC4 prog in the “Storyville” series called “The Truffle Hunters”. Took our minds off the misery that is life today.

    1. Good morning, Bill. Skimming through YouTube to look at any information about “Operation Mincemeat”, currently about to start a nationwide cinema release, I came across an “expert” called Lord Hume who showed us a gravestone where the supposed “Major Martin” had been buried. Attempting to read the very clear inscription, this “expert” said that the inscription included the phrase – and I quote verbatim – “Dulce et Decorum est, pro Patricia more”. Aaaargh!!!

      2. ‘Morning, Elsie. The book is available in various guises on Amazon.

        Bought and read it in 2013. I find books are better than films – your mind is free to visualise the scenes.

        1. True, but then films are for that reason often such a disappointment after the books. As a reasonably recent example, the TV series The Pursuit of Love was acclaimed but I found it nothing like Nancy Mitford’s droll writing.

          However, when I saw the Harry Potter films with my children, they seemed to encapsulate much of the books…so it’s a matter of hit and miss I guess. Perhaps it’s because there is less actual personality and more magic in the Harry Potter stuff?

        1. And, of course, the final word was “mori” which is what I typed but which Spellchecker changed to “more”.

    2. Good morning, Bill. Skimming through YouTube to look at any information about “Operation Mincemeat”, currently about to start a nationwide cinema release, I came across an “expert” called Lord Hume who showed us a gravestone where the supposed “Major Martin” had been buried. Attempting to read the very clear inscription, this “expert” said that the inscription included the phrase – and I quote verbatim – “Dulce et Decorum est, pro Patricia more”. Aaaargh!!!

  17. Channel migrants to be sent to Rwanda. 14 April 2022.

    Channel migrants will be flown more than 5,000 miles to Rwanda to have their asylum claims processed in an “offshore” facility, the Home Secretary will announce.

    Priti Patel will set out the details of a landmark immigration deal that will mean thousands of asylum seekers are relocated to the landlocked east African nation.

    This I have to see! If I were to rashly assume that Common Sense has penetrated the Halls of Government I would suppose that this is a colossal bluff to deter crossings. It would require; at a minimum, that the first arrivals were escorted off the beach straight to the planes (cue screaming and shouting) without being given access to human rights lawyers and flown straight to Rwanda. This will cause the most unholy row and I doubt could last more than a few weeks at most.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/04/13/channel-migrants-sent-rwanda/

    1. I don’t hold out much hope. It’s probably a scam to use taxpayer money to keep British Airways flying, or something like that. They will be back.

    3. 351990+ up ticks,

      Morning AS,

      Look good fodder for fools
      keeping the May elections in mind.

    4. The problem is that the politicians haven’t the first clue as to what to do.

      Sending illegal immigrants to Africa is not the answer. Very strict prison camps with Spartan regimes, minimum rations and tough punishments so that people are terrified of going to them is probably the only answer other than sinking their dinghies and shooting them as they arrive on the beach but I doubt if this would be well received outside the Nottlers’ Forum.

      The French view is that the problem serves Britain right for making life too easy and too attractive for illegal immigrants.

        1. Our governments are too scared to do that – anyway it’s only our money they are spending…

        2. Rastus is right – for once I agree with the French – we give far too much away!

        3. They will still come if we continue to put them up in three and four star hotels with all meals included plus pocket money, free health care, schools and dentists.

    5. The problem is that the politicians haven’t the first clue as to what to do.

      Sending illegal immigrants to Africa is not the answer. Very strict prisons camps with Spartan regimes, minimum rations and tough punishments so that people are terrified of going to them is probably the only answer other than sinking their dinghies and shooting them as they arrive on the beach but I doubt if this would be well received outside the Nottlers’ Forum.

      The French view is that the problem serves Britain right for making it too easy and too attractive in Britain.

    6. I wonder how many countries will allow these ‘Conair‘ flights to use their airspace on the journey to Rwanda.

    7. Once border force officials start having to deal with the extreme violence facing them they might begin to realise these are not the cuddly people they thought they were.

    8. Not a chance of it happening. We are unable to remove convicted rapists and murderers to Caribbean islands, get yourself a refugee T shirt and you are bullet proof.

    10. The Human Rights lawyers will get a Court injunction against this.

      Why should they allow the Government to export a profitable business?

  18. How do we celebrate Easter in the shadow of war? Justin Welby. 14 April 2022

    Attending an iftar meal at the Old Kent Road Mosque, I was reminded how grateful I am for our relationships with those of different faiths. This year Lent and Ramadan overlap. Christians and Muslims should all be taking time to remember that the things of God matter above all else and are reflected in our love for others lived in action. Plenty for me to do a U-turn on – or as we say, repent. I don’t take these interfaith friendships for granted. In my travels around the world, I have seen the destruction that occurs when religion becomes an easy hook to hang conflict on.

    Of course. David Amess would probably say the same if he were here. And the rest who have been murdered as they were going about their daily lives. And the young girls in Rotherham et. Al!

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-do-we-celebrate-easter-in-the-shadow-of-war

    2. All those Christians killing and maiming youngsters attending a pop concert.
      Yes; these faiths have sooooooo much in common.

    3. “Christians and Muslims should all be taking time to remember that the things of God matter above all else and are reflected in our love for others lived in action. “

      How can Slammers remember love for others, that they never had in the first place? Religion is not a hook for the conflicts they cause here, they are it is (edited) the root of the conflicts.

      1. The policeman in charge of anti-terrorism was pleading for us to be nice…

          1. We need muscular Christianity for a change; fight the good fight with all thy might, soldiers of Christ arise and put your armour on, he who would valiant be, etc, etc.

        2. As it’s Ramadan, it’s time for another quote from the Holy Quran:

          Quran (47:3-4): “Those who disbelieve follow falsehood, while those who believe follow the truth from their Lord… So, when you meet those who disbelieve, smite at their necks till when you have killed and wounded many of them, then bind a bond firmly (i.e. capture the survivors)… If it had been Allah’s Will, He Himself could certainly have punished them (without you). But (He lets you fight), in order to test you, some with others. But those who are killed in the Way of Allah, He will never let their deeds be lost.”

          1. I would like to hear Justin Welby explain that this quotation from the Quran is quite acceptable and completely compatible with current Christian thinking.

      2. Every where they are and every where they go they cause trouble, it is their obligation, their raison d’être.

    4. In all the many reports concerning the trial of the killer of David Amess, I have not seen the word “muslim”, or “jiahdi” or any mention of the fact that what Ali did was follow the tenets of the quran.

    5. The Canon from Chester was mightily exercised about the Ukrainians and those having bombs dropped on them (he kept on mentioning them – in the prayers and the sermon). I’m more concerned about those who are being killed off by our government by various means (jabs, freezing to death, unable to get to see GPs, etc).

  19. How do we celebrate Easter in the shadow of war? Justin Welby. 14 April 2022

    Attending an iftar meal at the Old Kent Road Mosque, I was reminded how grateful I am for our relationships with those of different faiths. This year Lent and Ramadan overlap. Christians and Muslims should all be taking time to remember that the things of God matter above all else and are reflected in our love for others lived in action. Plenty for me to do a U-turn on – or as we say, repent. I don’t take these interfaith friendships for granted. In my travels around the world, I have seen the destruction that occurs when religion becomes an easy hook to hang conflict on.

    Of course. David Amess would probably say the same if he were here. And the rest who have been murdered as they were going about their daily lives. And the young girls in Rotherham et. Al!

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-do-we-celebrate-easter-in-the-shadow-of-war

        1. Was it because you had what you are going to do on your mind that you didn’t sleep well?

          1. Not really, Conners. I have found that it is best to plan the day over my morning cuppa rather than the night before when I am trying to drop off to sleep. Otherwise, I might have a lie-in for half an hour and then start the day “behind schedule” which just creates tension.

    3. I must have had your sleeps for you, Elsie. Slept like the dead, all through the alarm, too.

    1. Same here.
      Wordle 299 4/6

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

    2. A bogey 5 for me.
      Wordle 299 5/6

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

    3. #Metoo
      Wordle 299 4/6

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

  23. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c1b25f935935aa40c34ecd7b060b6e286ecb0857dda6f9e79f557458a82922d0.png
    Modern “police officers” doing their silly walk. Where is John Cleese?
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a09670f38bf768e2ca37f823ea249557a1dcf8b173ef2c39332186a6188b9845.png
    New commissioner to rebuild Met Police will have salary of £293k

    THE next Metropolitan Police commissioner must make the force “more professional” and rebuild the trust of women and girls, a job advert for the role has said.

    Released yesterday, two days after Dame Cressida Dick left the post, it said candidates will have to “address concerns around police conduct and tackling institutional culture”. Potential candidates include Dame Lynne Owens, ex-director general of the National Crime Agency, and Matt Jukes, the current Assistant Commissioner.

    Public confidence in the force has been damaged by events including the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens, a serving Met officer, and the publication of offensive messages between officers at Charing Cross. Two constables were also jailed for sharing images on Whatsapp of the bodies of murder victims Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry. The advert states: “Significant and sustained improvements need to be made within the Metropolitan Police Service to restore public confidence and legitimacy in the largest police force in the UK.

    “This will require inspirational leadership to deliver a demonstrably more professional police force that better reflects the diversity of London itself.

    “You will lead the service through significant change, role-modelling credible, visible and empowering leadership to address concerns around police conduct and tackling institutional culture. “The successful candidate will be responsible for re-establishing trust and confidence in policing among everyone in London, particularly women and girls and those from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.”

    With an annual salary of just under £293,000, the appointment is for an initial five-year term. The closing date for applications is May 4.

    Dame Cressida’s deputy, Sir Stephen House, has temporarily taken charge until a permanent successor is appointed in the summer. The Met has been heavily criticised by watchdogs the Independent Office for Police Conduct and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in recent months.

    HMICFRS found that the Met’s approach to tackling corruption was not fit for purpose, and described storage of evidence by some teams as “dire” with drugs, jewellery and money going missing and guns not properly secured.

    The new commissioner will be expected to work to reduce and prevent crime in the capital, as well as taking on the national responsibility of the force for counter-terrorism policing.

    ♦ Couzens has chosen to face trial by jury over allegations that he exposed himself on four occasions in the weeks before he murdered Ms Everard. He allegedly flashed victims in Swanley, Kent, between Jan 22 and Feb 27 2021.

    Can anyone remember the last time that the DT (or other national daily) did NOT publish a report of some member of the police (usually from that deplorable Metropolitan clique of ingrained scum and villainy in London) engaged in criminal activity? I certainly can’t!

    The entire police system in England & Wales (and in Scotland and Northern Ireland too, probably) is rotten from the top down. It is as far removed from Sir Robert Peel’s ideal as it is possible to get.

    Time to return to basics by clearing out the entire corrupt system and starting afresh.

    1. Jukes is part of the management who drove the Met to this sorry state, so must not get the top job.
      Aan outsider with a record of fixing defective police management should be hired on a 5 year contract to fix it, then hand over to someone with a good record in crime reduction.

    2. Number of bobbies on the beat plummets in past six years

      THE number of “bobbies on the beat” have dropped by a third in six years with just one officer for every 2,400 people, analysis has found.

      Data on police forces, provided by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services, show that in some areas, such as Cambridgeshire and Surrey, the presence of neighbourhood police has dropped to one in 5,000 people.

      The latest figures show there is only one police community support officer (PCSO) for every 2,400 people in England and Wales. In 2012-13, there was an officer for every 1,650 residents.

      Since 2015, the number of officers in neighbourhood roles have fallen by over 7,000, from 23,928 to 16,577.

      The Police Foundation think tank has described neighbourhood officers as the “bedrock” for British policing, but according to a recent report it has failed to gain recognition as a specialism for forces. PCSOS are able to tackle local problems such as anti-social behaviour, littering and underage drinking.

      In 2019, before lockdown, the annual Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated that more than a third of adults had witnessed or experienced anti-social behaviour in their community in the preceding year, the highest level for six years.

      Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, said: “Under the Tories, neighbourhood policing has been decimated – with fewer neighbourhood officers stretched to cover more and more people.

      “The Government is letting criminals off and letting communities down. Britain deserves better. The last Labour government brought in neighbourhood policing – now we will restore it, starting with community police hubs and local prevention teams to tackle crime at its source.”

      Yesterday, the Government announced its £2.6billion Shared Prosperity Fund, which will replace EU funding across the UK, some of which will be used to tackle anti-social behaviour and crime in local areas. England will receive £1.58billion, Scotland £212million, Wales £585million and Northern Ireland £127 million.

      The Home Office was contacted for comment.

      “The Home Office was contacted for comment?” And you expected to get a sensible answer? I’m convinced this is all part of a bigger agenda.

      1. Morning Grizz, not only do we need more police officers, they need better leaders, better (non-woke) judges and prisons which deter re-offending

        1. And now we have to spend around 3 million pounds (for life) housing and feeding that POS who stabbed the MP David Amess to death.
          I believe a single 9mm bullet would cost only around 2 pounds.

        3. They also need to apply the law impartially – one law for all and no special protected species.

      2. Morning all.
        The fungus known as Serpula Lacrymans AKA dry Rot set in after Heseltine and his gang of political cooks forced Thatcher out.
        As dry rot does, it silently and progressively works it’s way from the basement a fitting description in this case, to the top of the building. Even roof timbers can be infected. All supporting materials are slowly destroyed and collapse is usually the result. As has happened in the UK, sadly this country as we all knew it is finished.

        Two of Our lovely Grand (aged 2 and 6 half a crown ) children have arrived for the day …..slayders.

    4. I’m surprised the residents of Tower Hamlets don’t object to the name of the borough because it’s got the word ‘ham’ in it, and is therefore haram.

  25. Stephen Gledhill is wrong by saying the speed camera roadsign looks like a bellows camera which he used to use – it’s similar to a Hasselblad CM which I used to use

  27. Vegan is the winner when it comes to dog’s dinners

    Plant-based food healthier for pets than raw meat or standard off-the-shelf tins, research reveals

    IF YOU want to treat your dog, do not give it a bone – try a vegan alternative, a study suggests.

    Scientists have found proof that feeding your pet falafel, or other nutritious plant-based meals, can keep a dog healthier for longer over raw meat or conventional diets consisting of commercial, off-the-shelf tins.

    Vegan-friendly canine diets are becoming increasingly popular, and now evidence appears to support their claims that a meat-free diet is best for pet dogs.

    Scientists surveyed more than 2,500 dog owners to understand how diet affected canine health over time. They asked for information on veterinary visits, medications, diet alterations, as well as opinions from owners and vets on dog health and the percentage of animals with health conditions.

    More than half of the dogs followed a conventional diet, a third ate only raw meat and one in eight was vegan. Analysis of the responses linked the conventional diet with the worst health, as both vegan and raw meat performed better.

    The findings, published in PLOS One, the peer-reviewed journal, added: “Dogs fed raw meat appeared to fare marginally better than those fed vegan diets.” However, scientists rejected the idea that raw meat was better, saying dogs on a raw meat diet were considerably younger, and therefore more likely to be in better health.

    There are known drawbacks to a raw meat diet, with previous studies linking it to increased risks of pathogens and nutritional deficiencies.

    Prof Andrew Knight, a co-author on the study from the University of Winchester, said: “Statistical analysis of the survey results suggested, overall, dogs on conventional diets were less healthy than dogs on raw meat or vegan diets.”

    The study, which according to Prof Knight is the largest published to date to explore the health outcomes of meat and plant-based diets for dogs, found that half of those on a conventional diet had a health condition of some sort.

    The figure dropped to 43 per cent for raw meat, and to 36 per cent for a vegan diet.

    This, combined with previous findings, led the team to suggest nutritionally sound vegan diets as “the healthiest and least hazardous dietary choices”. The study said consumers often chose vegan diets to address concerns over traditional pet foods, “such as their ecological impact, perceived lack of naturalness, health concerns, or impacts on the animals that were used to create the food”.

    The research added: “Regardless of ingredients used, diets should always be formulated to be nutritionally complete and balanced, without which adverse health effects may eventually be expected to occur.”

    I can’t work out which is the bigger abomination: force-feeding a carnivorous animal with a herbivorous diet; or promoting the crass idiocy in a national newspaper.

    1. I wonder if Prof Andrew Knight and his collaborators are vegetarians? I find this impossible to believe considering that dogs are carnivores.

    2. Scientists have devalued their field of excellence and have now become bought and paid for whores to special interest groups.

      1. Yep. The wolves are woke and have transformed themselves from hunters to gatherers.

    5. “Formulated to be nutritionally complete” surely means chemical processing to artificially add nutrients not naturally present in plant based foods? I wondered about funding for this spurious research but all I could find is a Winchester Rotary Club article which name checks the university, Common Purpose, the Gates Foundation and the WHO. Who’d blame a doggie who supplemented its diet by taking a few bites out of its mad owner?

      2. I would – Oscar gets meat (Winalot Sunday dinners, no less) and he still tried to take a chunk out of me over chocolate! 🙂

    2. They sheltered Bin Laden too until the U.S needed a good news story.
      The Taliban have their second homes there.

  29. A couple of nights ago there was an interview on Sky News with a lady who was in some kind of Covid Association. She destroyed the PM, smiting hip and thigh, as it were. She tore apart his excuses and hypocrisy. She then told of the death of her father, and the inhuman restrictions imposed by the laws that the PM broke.
    I did not catch her name but it may be on youtube.
    Update: I was wrong about the parent, it was the lady’s mother. Why is there no mob of Tory MPs outside Downing Street demanding that he go?
    It is on youtube, here is the link:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nENw5OqgSYs

  30. Good morning to all! Beautiful day here, 53f and sunny. And the best thing in todays Telegraph is reproduced below. Lets hope that it is true and it happens fast. But I expect and I have no doubt, that the rest of you expect, that those who came illegally in the last few years be rounded up too and sent to Rwanda.

    Channel migrants to be sent to Rwanda
    Military to take charge of tackling illegal crossings as Priti Patel unveils ‘offshore processing’ plan
    Channel migrants will be flown more than 5,000 miles to Rwanda to have their asylum claims processed in an “offshore” facility, the Home Secretary will announce.

    Priti Patel will set out the details of a landmark immigration deal that will mean thousands of asylum seekers are relocated to the landlocked east African nation.

    It comes as Boris Johnson prepares to warn that “vile” people-smugglers are “turning the Channel into a watery graveyard”, with migrants “drowning in unseaworthy boats and suffocating in refrigerated lorries”.

    In a major speech on Thursday, the Prime Minister will unveil a series of measures aimed at tackling illegal immigration, including putting the military in charge of operations in the Channel.

    He will also signal moves to end housing asylum seekers in expensive hotel accommodation and unveil plans for the first purpose-built reception centre in England to hold illegal arrivals.
    The immigration blueprint is a key part of plans to relaunch Mr Johnson’s premiership ahead of local elections after a public backlash over “partygate”.

    The Channel migrant crisis has been blamed for exacerbating problems at airports by drawing Border Force officers away to handle it.

    Ms Patel, the Home Secretary, has come under huge pressure to cut the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats, which has already hit a record 4,600 this year – double last year’s figure. On Wednesday, 600 migrants reached the UK – the highest number in a day so far this year.
    Ministers have struggled to remove illegal Channel migrants once they arrive in Britain and have been accommodating them in hotels at a multi-million pound cost.

    They believe offshore processing will act as a deterrent to migrants, who are incentivised to cross the Channel by the belief that it is difficult for the UK to remove them.

    It is understood that under the terms of the deal, migrants who arrive in the UK will be flown to Rwanda to be processed and will be encouraged to settle there. The deal will initially cost £120 million, compared to an annual £1.5 billion bill for asylum seekers in the UK.

    A source said: “You are going to be met by the Army. They will drive you to the airport and send you straight to Rwanda. That is where you are going to end up in the hope that would be enough to deter migrants. That is why the military comes in, so you don’t have battles on the quayside.”

    Downing Street has stressed that Rwanda is one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa and is “recognised globally for its record on welcoming and integrating migrants”.

    The plans are modelled on the Australian offshore processing of asylum seekers in centres on the islands of Nauru and Manus, in Papua New Guinea. Ms Patel has flown to Kigali, the Rwandan capital, to announce the migration and economic development partnership.
    Ministers are also expected to announce the first purpose-built Greek-style reception centre in England, where migrants will have to obey strict rules or lose their rights to claim asylum.

    The centre, on a former RAF base, will be modelled on camps for asylum seekers being built by Greece, where migrants face routine checks on their movements and curfews to prevent absconding.

    Councils will also be given extra money to disperse asylum seekers as the Government tries to move away from housing them in hotels.

    Announcing the plans, Mr Johnson will say: “Before Christmas, 27 people drowned – and in the weeks ahead, there may be many more losing their lives at sea and whose bodies may never be recovered.

    “I accept that these people – whether 600 or 1,000 – are in search of a better life, the opportunities that the United Kingdom provides and the hope of a fresh start. But it is these hopes, these dreams, that have been exploited.”

    The announcement comes after Mr Johnson appointed David Canzini, a combative election strategist, in February in the wake of damaging revelations about parties in Downing Street.

    Home Office officials are understood to be braced for a major backlash to the plans, but will insist the UK will be better able to support those fleeing genuine persecution by deterring illegal entry.

    Britain and other European countries have previously been accused of “double standards” over the treatment of Ukrainian refugees compared with those from the Middle East.
    Earlier this month, a House of Lords rebellion cast doubt over the plans to send migrants abroad. Peers effectively demanded the right to veto any country they deemed inappropriate, unsafe or too expensive. The scheme could cost £100,000 per asylum seeker, according to some estimates.

    They backed an amendment to the Government’s Nationality and Borders Bill, stating that MPs and Lords must approve the “appropriateness, safety and cost” of the chosen countries.

    It is the second time the upper house has overruled the Commons on the Bill, which now has to go back to MPs to decide whether to reverse the amendment.

    Mr Johnson will say that the UK only has the capacity to resettle people from war-torn countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine through legal routes if the “parallel illegal system” is shut down.

    “The British people voted several times to control our borders – not to close them, but to control them,” he will add. “So just as Brexit allowed us to take back control of legal immigration by replacing free movement with our points-based system, we are also taking back control of illegal immigration with a long-term plan for asylum in this country.”

    The Refugee Council has branded the plans “cruel and nasty”, saying that it will fail to address the issue and “lead to more human suffering and chaos”.

    2. Sounds good in theory………………however-

      If the British government can’t persuade the illegal immigrants to wait in Calais to be processed, why do they think that they will

      willingly board an aircraft to fly to Central Africa?.

      If they were capable and willing to work they would have entered this country by legal means, so it means that Ruanda will have a lot of

      dissatisfied loafers hanging around. The extra costs of policing and security will eat up any financial aid offered to Ruanda.

      If they were capable and willing to work they would have emigrated to Canada, USA or Germany where the standard of living is higher.

  31. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10718071/Eco-mob-cause-rush-hour-chaos-clambering-Eddie-Stobart-fuel-tanker-busy-rounda.html#newcomment

    This lot need a beating. A thorough, unrelenting, beating. They’re outside a building making all our lives difficult, expensive and painful. Do those morons not realise the tombstone to failure is deliberately doing what they want, to the detriment and cost of us all?

    Stupid, spoiled, petty wasters, the lot of them.

      1. The brats should be dragged off by the police. If they’ve glued themselves there, keep pulling. Super glue is tough, but it will simply pull your skin off. Oh well.

        Once off, they’re beaten with a cricket bat until they stop moving. Then they are fined the drivers pay for the year.

        If they’re dead then their families pay the bill. Punish them.

        1. Nice thought, Wibbles, but I note the police farce standing in front of the tanker, thus not allowing it to move.

          I’d reverse very fast and then slam on the brakes.

    2. The driver should have asked the polis for written permission to go to the lavatory.
      When granted, he could lock the cab, take the keys and go home for a break.

    3. Good morning! They’re vain, narcissistic and profoundly ignorant but they’re the Useful Idiots for Mr Global, so nothing will be done. We needd to remove Mr Global.

    4. These protesters as with The Colston Four with names like Sage Willoughby, Rhian Graham, Milo Ponsford and Jake Skuse
      Clearly come from a particular demographic.

      A counter protest is needed. My suggestion is find out where they live (with mummy and daddy no doubt) and go and blockade their houses. See how they like it.

        1. I’m didn’t mean me. I have a gammy leg. I meant you ! You could read them the Riot Act.

          1. Quite – that’s exactly what it is. The fact that the PTB do sod all about these bastards confirms it.

    5. Good to see our security services are on top of their game.
      Presumably they don’t know the address of the Shell building or any oil refineries.
      Big roundabouts? What’s one of them then? Ask your chauffeur.

  32. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10718071/Eco-mob-cause-rush-hour-chaos-clambering-Eddie-Stobart-fuel-tanker-busy-rounda.html#newcomment

    This lot need a beating. A thorough, unrelenting, beating. They’re outside a building making all our lives difficult, expensive and painful. Do those morons not realise the tombstone to failure is deliberately doing what they want, to the detriment and cost of us all?

    Stupid, spoiled, petty wasters, the lot of them.

  33. SIR – I am not sure anyone cares any more about party fines at the moment than they do about the Wordle scores that some tone-deaf people continue to post on their Facebook timelines.

    Mark Lichfield
    Blandford Forum, Dorset

      1. I have never done one. Is there a site giving free Wordle puzzles on the Internet?

        There is an excellent site https://www.websudoku.com/ which gives free sudoku puzzles at 4 levels: Easy Medium Hard and Diabolic. I print several copies of the hard puzzles at a time and put them on a clipboard in the loo. The diabolic ones require some time for me to complete and would only be appropriate for those who are constipated.

    1. Believe what you like, Paul.

      Every single item from either side is propaganda – untested, unverified – but lapped up by a vacuous and biased Western MSM.

      1. I reckon it sank – confirmed by the Russians. Fire & explosions.
        The Ukraine claim to have sunk it, well… I’d say that the jury is out on that one.

        2. With US weapons a plenty, Ships sitting offshore are going to be err sitting targets.

  35. Fakenham Market very busy. Very few masks – just the nut-cases, now. Likewise in Tesco (ugh!) where we only went because there is a 25% off wine offer…..

    Cats went out last night as we went to bed – and remained out. In porch this morning, sulking!

    1. Loads of masks in M&S food dept very N.Hertfordshire this morning.

      Cats will be out several days at a time now the weather is improving, skulking. It will worry you to death.

  36. And, here’s one for you cold-warriors: I remember endless dire warnings that, were the Russians to come swarming West, they’d be in Paris by teatime. With much destruction aand death: UK Tankies expected to drive out of barracks and go to ground in Germany, and not come back.
    Then, we get “peace”, then Ukraine.
    Ex Soviet weaponry weilded by proxy Russians has stopped the Russians invasion, and arguably beat them back with huge loss of materiel. Where’s all that overwhelming, modern firepower we were promised? By the results, Russia looks to still be fighting with T-34s and PPSHK machine pistols. Now their Black Sea flagship is sunk…
    Are the Russians really just amateurs who talk backwards and we were all conned into fearing them back in the day, or is Putin fielding the under-11s “colts” team? WTF??

    1. In my final year at Blundell’s I started the season in the school’s 3rd XV rugby team. We then had a match against the 2nd XV and won convincingly so half of us were promoted to the 2nd XV and the hooker went quickly up to the Ist XV and represented Devon in the county’s under 18 team.

      The point I am making is: don’t under-estimate the under 11s Colts Team – there might be some surprises therein.

    2. In my armchair general mode, I try and fathom the military plan in Ukraine. But apart from a lot of wrecked appartment blocks, I dont see anything of great value having been achieved. Obviously, we are not given the full story but I suspect the Vlad may just consolidate in the East and then push for a settlement.

      1. As I have said before. All you have to do is listen or watch RT. They tell you exactly what Russia is doing and what they intend to do. They do not propagandize because they have no need to. Their behaviour is perfectly rational if you understand the intent. But, of course, the West doesn’t want you to know that because it ruins their false narrative that the Russian side is in some sort of quagmire of confusion, indecision etc etc etc.
        How man in the West, for example, are aware that thousands of Ukrainian troops surrendered in the last few days to the Russian army? Or that Mariupol was so difficult to take because it was full of members of the Azov Battalion, Neo-Nazis, using their own civilians as human shields to deter the Russians?

        So again, here is a link to RT that is not censored. Listen to what they say and then judge by what is happening. But with a more rounded picture because you will know what the Russian side is actually doing.
        https://odysee.com/@RT:fd/RTlivestream:8

    3. The Russians were obviously keeping their best regiments and equipment back just in case NATO did something outrageous.

      We are observing the second and third raters at war in Ukraine.

      1. You are right Janet. The serious troops in the Russian army have not been deployed in Ukraine.

        1. Yes johnathan, and if we can work it out I’m sure that the perceptive intelligence observers in the MOD must

          have worked it out months ago.

          1. All you have to do, as I have said below, is listen to RT. But perhaps the MOD doesn’t listen to that because they prefer their own foolish propaganda.

    4. During service with the Royal Air Force in Germany, the time for the Russians to reach Calais was 48 hours in my day (1967-1969). That was why I was trained to drive a ‘Maggie’ the awful Magirus-Deutz (War reparations, double-declutch up and down the gearbox) so that I could drive families to the ferry ports in the event of a Russian invasion. Operation ‘Doffer’.

  37. I watched the last instalment of the fake Ipcress File. WHAT A LOAD OF TOSH. A completely doolally story line improbably “acted” by children. The boy pretending to be Michael Caine got worse and worse. And his spectacles remained intact despite everything. Bollox.

  38. Have Your Say: NoTTlers
    Should the Queen step down and make way for King Charles and Queen Camilla?
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2810cd82b2d8cf721c66711d27162a39876e458e82b9a361fd88086a4483c96d.jpg

    THE QUEEN is increasingly delegating her royal duties to her son and heir Prince Charles, but so far she’s made it staunchly clear she has no plans to abdicate the throne.
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1595966/queen-step-down-prince-charles-king-abdicate-have-your-say-evg

    1. I can never understand why some people keep on going and will not disappear and enjoy retirement. I know, being Queen is not quite like yer normal job but I think there is a time and place to move on. Im not a great fan of Charles but he can not do too much damage as king.

        1. Within my life time, in point of fact pretty recently, 1968 I think (?) the Prince of Wales was entitled to a seat in the House of Lords where he could say what he liked. All previous princes were entitled to do the same thing. However, on coming to the throne they obeyed convention and became silent other than as “mouthpieces” for the government and country. I see no reason why Charles would be an exception.
          Being exactly the same age as Charles, I have followed him very closely and frankly, I believe the prejudice against him is irrational and grossly unfair. For example, we are supposed to believe he was responsible for the breakdown of his marriage to Diana. However, people forget that she was the first to be unfaithful and so neurotic she literally threw herself down the stairs in Buckingham Palace whilst pregnant. But simply because that vacuous woman was a style icon and pretty, he gets all the stick and that continues to this day. No rational male would have tolerated that lunacy in a wife.
          Furthermore he has had a miserable life in which he has often been forced to do what went against his grain. But people, rather than understand that, prefer to shove the metaphorical knife in deeper. As if the man was a scapegoat for their own discontent.
          By all accounts, in what he intends to do with the monarchy in terms of reform and modernization, is a good thing. But again, he gets no credit, just criticism. It is low and unfair and, as you can tell, It pisses me off.

          3. No they don’t for the reasons I give above. He is perfectly entitled to say as he pleases as a Prince. Once he becomes king it is another matter entirely. What really gets me is that his father said much the same thing and somehow, he was a “good” guy. And, as the blurb says, the Prince of Wales delivers speech at opening ceremony hosted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. So blame Boris because that speech would have been vetted before he gave it.

          4. He endorses The mad Green Agender, and is used as a front man like just Attenborough is used, who I’ve met and is a nice chap.
            Edit; Sorry about my agenda.

          5. My point exactly, he is already acting as a mouthpiece with the consent of the government. I lay the blame elsewhere and, I hope, that when he is king, he will correct it by reasserting the power of the monarchy, not neglect it. That power has been undermined and it is to the disadvantage of us all.

          6. ‘Afternoon, Johnathan, my major beef with him, is his insistance on becoming Defensor Omnium Fidei (Defender of ALL Faiths) rather than defensor fidei (Defender of THE Faith – a title conferred on Henry VIII by Pope Leo X in 1521. It was recognized by Parliament as an official title of the English monarch in 1544, and has been borne by all subsequent sovereigns.) in other words acceptance of Islam as a faith, rather than a murderous ideaology. i requiem meam doleat.

          7. I agree with you on that. But that would require a frank acceptance of what Islam really is. I would imagine that Prince Charles is only as good as his advisors on most subjects and that would strike me as a problem. Besides Islam what about climate for instance, does he ever get told or ever get the opportunity to speak to people that have the alternative views? Is he even aware of them other than as caricatures fed to him by his advisors? It would be interesting to know just how he acquires information and I doubt that it is given to him honestly. Many self interested parties involved I would suspect. I would imagine he has almost no time to read so he must rely on others for what he knows.

          8. No, Johnathan, that would require a complete denial that Islam is/was/ever could be a faith. It is nothing, more or less than a murderous ideology and Charles needs to recognise that.:

            As Janet has identified, earlier:

            Quran (47:3-4): “Those who disbelieve follow falsehood, while those who believe follow the truth from their Lord… So, when you meet those who disbelieve, smite at their necks till when you have killed and wounded many of them, then bind a bond firmly (i.e. capture the survivors)… If it had been Allah’s Will, He Himself could certainly have punished them (without you). But (He lets you fight), in order to test you, some with others. But those who are killed in the Way of Allah, He will never let their deeds be lost.“

          9. I know what Islam is I grew up under it in Libya. But that doesn’t alter the point what Charles is told about that it or anything else. In fact the answer is far more subtle than you think too.

          10. See, also – Laurens van der Post and Homeopathy.

            AND he has been seen at the WEF (along with Woker William)

          11. “His personal life aside, it’s his views on ‘end of the world’ climate change and so called green energy matters that make him a dangerous person brain-dead, useless idiot!”

          12. It’s his intention to become defender of the faithS that makes me distrust him. He will be head of the CofE, so there is only one faith he should be championing.

        3. The cancer of cultural marxism is already well established in society. Even a judge is OK with coming out in sympathy with ER. Slammers control the agenda because, if its not going their way, they cry racism and the establishment apologises and cowers. I might try Rwanda, I hear the weather is good and you can probably get a good deal on a slave.

      2. Brenda has done an excellent job and deserves a happy well earned retirement.

        Charlie boy ….safe hands…..watch this space.

    3. No. It is perfectly adequate to have a regency. And, in Britain, there is no precedent for a reigning monarch to abdicate on the grounds of age.

    4. She’ll never abdicate. In her view, it was the abdication of Edward VIII that did for her Dad.

    5. No, never.
      HMQ will be the final real monarch we have.
      There are enough virtue signallers already without having another at the top of the tree.

    6. The memory of her uncle’s abdication will be too strong for HM to even consider it. She does deserve a rest though.

    8. Step down? No! Charles is a useless wnaker. Anne would be a billion times better.

  39. What Boris Johnson must do if he is ever to recover from Partygate.
    This scandal is still far from over. The PM needs to get ahead of the game if his premiership is to survive

    DAVID FROST : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2022/04/13/boris-johnson-must-do-ever-recover-partygate/

    Top BTL comment:

    Henry Reid
    He also needs to back off on net zero, start fracking, bin the N Ireland Protocol, scrap the plan to ban diesel and petrol car sales in 2030, I could go on but that list would just about save his bacon.

    1. I agree with Henry Reid. Overnight, Boris could become wildly popular by taking the measures Henry mentions, and also especially if he actually did something to stop the flood of dinghy people landing on our shores.

    2. On climate change, no one but the green freaks take NASA seriously. They stack the decks and are politicised to such an extent that their “research” is useless. They will swear up and down that the ice caps are melting when their own satellites show they have increased in extent. They are a bunch of disingenuous frauds.

    3. Yet your job relies upon energy. Here. Let’s make you redundant. Now you’ve something to cry about.

  41. I guess Rwanda is a great idea .. a real deterrent .

    Rwanda is a country of few natural resources,[143] and the economy is based mostly on subsistence agriculture by local farmers using simple tools.[182] An estimated 90% of the working population farms, and agriculture constituted an estimated 32.5% of GDP in 2014.[68] Farming techniques are basic, with small plots of land and steep slopes.[183] Since the mid-1980s, farm sizes and food production have been decreasing, due in part to the resettlement of displaced people.[184][143] Despite Rwanda’s fertile ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with population growth, and food imports are required,[68]But in recent years, with the growth of agriculture, the situation has improved.

    Subsistence crops grown in the country include matoke (green bananas), which occupy more than a third of the country’s farmland,[183] potatoes, beans, sweet potatoes, cassava, wheat and maize.[183] Coffee and tea are the major cash crops for export, with the high altitudes, steep slopes and volcanic soils providing favourable conditions.[183] Reports have established that more than 400,000 Rwandans make their living from coffee plantation.[185] Reliance on agricultural exports makes Rwanda vulnerable to shifts in their prices.[186] Animals raised in Rwanda include cows, goats, sheep, pigs, chicken, and rabbits, with geographical variation in the numbers of each.[187] Production systems are mostly traditional, although there are a few intensive dairy farms around Kigali.[187] Shortages of land and water, insufficient and poor-quality feed, and regular disease epidemics with insufficient veterinary services are major constraints that restrict output. Fishing takes place on the country’s lakes, but stocks are very depleted, and live fish are being imported in an attempt to revive the industry.[188]

    Photograph depicting female adult gorilla with a baby on her shoulders, surrounded by green foliage
    Mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park
    The industrial sector is small, contributing 14.8% of GDP in 2014.[68] Products manufactured include cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles and cigarettes.[68] Rwanda’s mining industry is an important contributor, generating US$93 million in 2008.[189] Minerals mined include cassiterite, wolframite, gold, and coltan, which is used in the manufacture of electronic and communication devices such as mobile phones.[189][190]

    Rwanda’s service sector suffered during the late-2000s recession as bank lending, foreign aid projects and investment were reduced.[191] The sector rebounded in 2010, becoming the country’s largest sector by economic output and contributing 43.6% of the country’s GDP.[68] Key tertiary contributors include banking and finance, wholesale and retail trade, hotels and restaurants, transport, storage, communication, insurance, real estate, business services and public administration including education and health.[191] Tourism is one of the fastest-growing economic resources and became the country’s leading foreign exchange earner in 2007.[192] In spite of the genocide’s legacy, the country is increasingly perceived internationally as a safe destination.[193] The number of tourist arrivals in 2013 was 864,000 people, up from 504,000 in 2010.[64] Revenue from tourism was US$303 million in 2014, up from just US$62 million in 2000.[194] The largest contributor to this revenue was mountain gorilla tracking, in the Volcanoes National Park;[194] Rwanda is one of only three countries in which mountain gorillas can be visited safely; the gorillas attract thousands of visitors per year, who are prepared to pay high prices for permits.[195] Other attractions include Nyungwe Forest, home to chimpanzees, Ruwenzori colobus and other primates, the resorts of Lake Kivu, and Akagera, a small savanna reserve in the east of the country.[196]

    Thousands of single men Muslims asylum seekers will create as much chaos there as they do here ..

    1. Why are we wasting money sending them to Rwanda? What’s Rwanda done to deserve this?

      The expensve, the cost, the nonsense, the bureaucracy.

      They are in France. If France didn’t want them, France should have returned them to the country they came from and so on down the line. Why must *we* deal with problems another country hasn’t bothered with?

    2. Rwanda is ripe for neo-colonialist government. But like most African countries, they would rather grub around in the dirt than accept their governments are only out to fleece them. Look at the mess that even the most advanced country in Southern Africa has become since it was handed over to the acolytes of Nelson Mandala and the ANC.

    3. What are the odds on even a single plane load of migrants arriving in Rwanda? The professional protesters will be out in force blocking buses to the airport and there will be many legal challenges to the shipments.

      Maybe it wil bring the warring tribes together in their fight for survival.

      1. Take the illegals to an airport in or around Bournemouth or Eastborne or put them on ferries/cruisers/boats to sail – at great length – to a remote African beach and then…

  42. We had a delightful break away from the manifold unpleasantnesses of life last night as we watched “London Assurance” streamed from the National Theatre , £7.99 was the fee and it was the first time we’ve laughed out loud in ages. A typical restoration comedy, acted and set in style of the time (1820s) with no attempt at wokery ( probably because it was a 2010 performance.)
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b3d27591c0b208281ee9086d0a90740d6b081cbbd76a5891e4ff84154d6d1877.png

  43. Nazi hunter scolds Canada over Ukraine
    Azov fighters are neo-Nazis and Ottawa had to know this, Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Efraim Zuroff has told Canadian media
    The director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Israel has condemned Canadian troops for training neo-Nazi fighters in Ukraine, saying it was Ottawa’s responsibility to make sure such things did not happen. The Canadian military, however, denied any obligation to vet the training recipients.

    “The Canadian government didn’t do its due diligence,” Efraim Zuroff told the Ottawa Citizen on Wednesday. “It’s the responsibility of the Canadian Defense Ministry to know exactly who they are training.

    “There is no question that there are neo-Nazis in different forms in Ukraine, whether they are in the Azov regiment or other organizations,” he added.
    His comments came after a Radio Canada report on Monday that, back in November 2020, Canadian troops were photographed training members of the “Azov” regiment as well as a at least one soldier bearing the insignia of the SS division “Galizien,” a Ukrainian unit that fought for the Nazis in WWII.
    The Canadian military acknowledged the photos’ authenticity, the Ottawa Citizen reported. However, Canadian Forces (CAF) denied having an obligation to vet the soldiers it was training.

    Ukraine is responsible for vetting its own personnel, Captain Veronique Sabourin told the newspaper. All Canadian military members training Ukrainian troops were briefed on how to recognize insignia “associated with right-wing extremism,” and if they suspected such ties or “racist views” the trainees would be removed. However, “There is no burden of proof on the CAF to demonstrate this beyond a reasonable doubt.”

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has vocally supported Ukraine since February 24, when Russia sent troops into the neighboring country on a mission to “demilitarize and denazify” the government in Kiev. Governments and media across the West have since also begun to insist that claims about “Azov” and other units of the Ukrainian military having Nazi sympathies was “Russian disinformation.”
    It’s not Russian propaganda, far from it,” Zuroff told the Citizen. “These people are neo-Nazis. There is an element of the ultra-right in Ukraine and it’s absurd to ignore it.”

    Canada has reportedly spent nearly a billion dollars (US$794 million) on training Ukrainian troops since the 2014 coup in which Western-backed nationalists overthrew the country’s democratically-elected government. Neo-Nazi fighters were instrumental regime-change operation, and the Azov Battalion was used to suppress dissent afterward.

    According to the Citizen, Canada’s Joint Task Force Ukraine actually produced a briefing in 2017 noting that “multiple members of Azov have described themselves as Nazis.”

    1. Apologies, JR, I didn’t refresh until I had posted a duplicate.
      I still haven’t read that anywhere else. Interesting, question to Blackface Turdeau.

  44. As Russia continues to bomb Ukraine, are its weapons of choice getting worse? 14 April 2022.

    A Russian tank is filmed firing on apartments in Mariupol; evidence emerges that a cluster bomb was used to strike against the train station in Kramatorsk and concerns surface about the possible use of phosphorus in Ukraine’s cities.

    Moscow’s forces have been repeatedly accused of using indiscriminate weapons in cities throughout the seven-week-long Ukraine war, a disregard for civilian life that has already almost certainly led to thousands of unnecessary deaths.

    Perhaps they could use Bows and Arrows or failing that Boomerangs? Apartments are not targeted because the tank crews don’t like the wallpaper or because the turret is crowded with all that nasty ammunition, or even because of snipers; but because they provide Points of Observation from which the opposition may draw down Artillery or Air Strikes. Cluster bombs are banned by an International Treaty but neither Russia nor Ukraine are signatories while phosphorus is legal and freely used against troops that are dug in!

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/14/as-russia-continues-to-bomb-ukraine-are-its-weapons-of-choice-getting-worse

  45. Here’s an interesting one I haven’t seen aanywhere else. From RT:
    Azov fighters are neo-Nazis and Ottawa had to know this, Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Efraim Zuroff has told Canadian media
    Nazi hunter scolds Canada over Ukraine. The director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Israel has condemned Canadian troops for training neo-Nazi fighters in Ukraine, saying it was Ottawa’s responsibility to make sure such things did not happen. The Canadian military, however, denied any obligation to vet the training recipients.

    “The Canadian government didn’t do its due diligence,” Efraim Zuroff told the Ottawa Citizen on Wednesday. “It’s the responsibility of the Canadian Defense Ministry to know exactly who they are training.

    1. What do they sell?
      Why is it locked up? Roving bands of plunderers?
      A bit more info would be good – put it in context.

      2. Walgreens is a pharmacy. But like all pharmacies in the USA they sell almost anything from toys to shampoo. Liqueur yes. In San Francisco, guns, no.

          1. Really? Well that is surprising. Obviously they didn’t turn Boots into an English version of Walgreens. Pity really. Walgreens was always fun to go to because they carry such a wide verity of things. Used to go there to buy my bars of Cadbury’s chocolate when it was still made in the UK. The usual chocolate in the USA is Hershey’s and it is vile. But you can pick up your chocolate, fishing gear, plants, and your prescription all at the same time.

      3. Because they cannot legally detain shoplifters their shelves were being continuously plundered. Their Police are not interested either. Even if you have cctv, their names and where they live.

      4. Just normal stuff. As Johnathan says, a drugstore. This is the logical result when shop-lifting isn’t punished.

    2. All shops in California are magnets for Shoplifters who are quite capable of organising and stripping a place bare. It is no doubt racist to say so but they are invariably Black and Latin American. Coming soon to a country near you!

    3. Because shop lifting became such a massive issue – because the black looting mob squeal racism is you ask them to pay for things – this was the inevitable consequence.

      In a society so broken, everyone is punished for the behaviour of a minority.

  47. Elon Musk offers to buy Twitter for $43bn

    “Twitter has extraordinary potential. I will unlock it” declares the Tesla and SpaceX chief

    By James Titcomb
    14 April 2022 • 11:23am
    *
    *
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/04/14/elon-musk-offers-buy-twitter-43bn/

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

    Jim Smith
    1 HR AGO
    Oh dear, this is going to upset all the right people.

    David Arrowsmith
    1 HR AGO
    Buy it, shut it down, sit back and wait for a Nobel Prize.

    1. Oops. Just posted the same thing without seeing your post. So my apologies, difference is that yours and mine are from two different sources.

    2. Something he could do is to introduce mandatory delays in Tweets, so people have 24 hours to reflect on what embarrassing drivel they would have posted.

    1. I’m suffering an unusual symptom with Musk which I must guard against. It’s admiration in that I suspect he really is a Democrat and actually believes in Free Speech!

      1. I think he is a Pied Piper, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. At some point he will meet up with Russell Brand, or enter the WEF from a different approach.

        2. Not a wolf in sheep’s clothing at all. He is a firm believer in Free Speech and has said that if he gets Twitter it will be turned into an open platform in which free speech will be absolute.

          If anything he is the enemy of the WEF and all forms of coercion. He puts his principles and money where his mouth is, as it were. As I have pointed out before, all his inventions are uncopyrighted because he believes that if anyone can improve on them, it is all to the good for humanity. It is an attitude that seems to work in his favour. After all he is the richest man on earth, well on his way to becoming the first Trillionaire. His offer to Twitter only comprises one fifth of his wealth. So for him it is almost throw away money he can afford, to destroy the monopoly of the left, which he detests.
          His mind set is encapsulated in this quote: “I came to the conclusion that we should aspire to increase the scope and scale of human consciousness in order to better understand what questions to ask. Really, the only thing that makes sense is to strive for greater collective enlightenment.” You cannot have that when the worlds largest public forum is censored by the left.

          1. Thanks for putting me right. I have become so accustomed to those with big money working against us. I will keep an open mind.

          2. Cautious optimism from me. Been disappointed too often in the past. Let’s wait and see what he does next.

        3. They have nothing he wants. He’s richer than all of them. He doesn’t need power. They, on the other hand desperately crave power and control. If they try to make him poorer, they hurt themselves most.

      2. I follow him both on Twitter and on You Tube. I would not call him a Democrat because he isn’t interested in ordinary politics. He believes in free speech, regards it as absolute because it is the source of ideas and thus represents the potential of the future for good or ill. But if it is kept open then you are steering toward a good future, not a dark one. “For me it was never about money, but solving problems for the future of humanity.”

    4. Well. If you’re female and hoping to go to college on a sport scholarship, you now have a clear choice about where to apply.

  50. Yesterday a dozen old RMA Sandhurst friends and their ladies met for their annual lunch at the Boisdale of Belgravia. All are now 80+/- and all had seen active service under fire. One of their number (married to a doctor) cancelled at the last minute because Covid made it far too dangerous.Imagine the raucous ridicule.

    After lunch they repaired to the rooftop bar for coffee, brandy, and cigars. Nigel Farage and a group of UKIP pals were already in full flow. (Nagsman’s and my mutual friend) K hadn’t seen him since the Brexit Celebration Party in Parliament Square 31st January 2020 when she recorded him and others belting out ‘Rule Britannia’. All the UKIP types gathered around her ‘phone as she replayed the recording excitedly squealing “There’s me! There’s me!” and there was a hearty RMAS/UKIP reenactment on Eccleston Street before NF had to depart..

  51. Good Friday, wife’s bank Easter ball. Went for a fitting for the hateful suit. Was asked a question and shrugged my shoulders. The fabric tore along the jacket seam.

    1. I have also bought the wrong sized bulldog cliips and scalpel blades. £10 down the toilet.

      Well, I’ll find a use for both just annoyed that I can’t get to my usual tools.

        1. Don’t think I can – it was only £5 and I can always use the scalpels for things, and small grippers are handy for hobby stuff.

  52. All these politicians we elect to serve us appear not to want to serve us for the benefit of our country but people from all over the world instead.
    In what other job would people last five minutes if they did the opposite of what they are being paid to do?

  58. From Bloomburg.

    Elon Musk has made a controversial offer to buy Twitter Inc., saying the company has extraordinary potential and he is the person to unlock it.

    The
    world’s richest person will offer $54.20 per share in cash, valuing
    Twitter at about $43 billion. The social media company’s shares
    initially soared in pre-market trading before falling slightly to about
    $48, after investors began to assess how one of the platform’s most
    outspoken users will succeed in his takeover attempt.

    1. I hope he gets it and stops the stupid censorship they do – reinstate Trump and others who were silenced.

    1. Kelsy seems a bit dim. Why can she not punctuate properly? Heck, why has the internet led to a generation of stupid people who cannot write?

          1. They are being told that punctuation, capital letters and mathematics are racist. The full stop is a micro-aggression.

  63. I called the hospital and just had a call back- biopsy results are on their way via snail mail. A nice young woman and I asked if she could divulge anything- she was going to have a look but once the letter is mailed the site is locked. Eh? So as it’s a holiday weekend, if it doesn’t come today or Saturday, I will have to wait until Tuesday.
    MH in hospital having his torture- last time around I could go and sit with him but that’s not allowed any more. Will call him in a bit to see how he’s doing.
    At least the sun is out and it’s mild. Sunset at 8 tonight. Aberdeen Angus hamburgers for din-dins.

    1. For something like this the sooner you know the better. They could text or email even if the news is not so good. Better to know i think.

      Enjoy your burgers. I’m having M+S chicken KIEV.

      1. I’m positive- the follow up letter said it appeared to be benign but I can’t keep worrying. It is as it is- which was the motto of the Plantagenets.

        1. Good heavens, the things one learns on NOTTL. How very sensible of them.
          Fingers crossed that the follow-up letter was right.

          1. It’s true innit? We are from all sorts of backgrounds, education, jobs and interests… So you do find out some very interesting and bizarre things;-)

        2. Heavily in my Family Tree from Henry III (1207-1272) to Lionel of Antwerp (1338 – 1368). All Plantagenets.

          1. I suspect my family tree, the London side, would be mainly made up of pick pockets and cut purses;-)

          3. Funnily enough, and I won’t berate you for above comment ;-)) I have a small framed photo of my Dad on the wall and he’s in the pub. He has three pints in his hands but is still in his business suit. Has a big soppy grin on his face. Pub would be the Fox and Hounds which had the worst pub pianist ever. He had a pint mug on the piano for tips but it was always empty. I think people used to go the pub just to hear him he was so bad.
            Dear old Dad.

          4. Talking of which, Ann, there was a similar pub on Kilburn High Road (a hotbed of the Irish) and it was well known for the front window bursting out, due to the piano being thrown through it, followed, in very short order, by the pianist!

          5. On my natural fathers side, as opposed to my stepfather, Welsh horse traders who became Londoners just before Victoria. On my mothers side, French to which there is a story attached. It turns out that two siblings were the children of a French vineyard owner, they both became alcoholics and were chucked out of the family and ended up in England. Found this out due to my aunt Cecilia, who, inspired by the TV thingy called “Roots” decided to look into our ancestry. Now Aunt Cecilia was a proper straight laced Edwardian who, on finding that out, slammed the metaphorical book firmly closed and would look no further. Shocked to the core was she. She died over a hundred years old, knitting things for the “old folk”. Got up from her chair one day, declared she felt a little queer and bang, she was gone. Nice way to go in my opinion. There one moment, fully intact mentally, then gone the next without any unpleasantness in between. I think it is how I would like to go, if not most of us.

          6. One of my ancestors did do time in Marylebone Jail- he was 11. No doubt a pickpocket. Although, he did become a respectable citizen, married and had a family etc.

        1. Barry Humphries would pour a tin of Russian salad into a waxed paper bag. Get on a London bus and then pretend to be sick into the bag. He would then produce a fork from his pocket and begin to eat it.

          I’m going to see him this Summer at the Bournemouth Pavillion.

          2. He was on Saturday Kitchen a couple of weeks ago at 88 he hasn’t lost his sense of mischief. Or should that missed chef.

          3. Yes. I saw that. Which i why i then bought the tickets for his show. He easily discombobulated them all. Including the crew !

      3. Te NHS hasn’t moved beyond writing to you. No government department has. I asked the DVLA to email or text me if my licence would come back after my illness and they made the decision, wrote to me – a waste of a stamp, an envelope, time.

        1. I have been receiving texts from the hospital with a tappable code. No smartphone so i copied the link and googled it. It took me to an NHS site. It was a letter from my consultant. The paper version arrived in the post 3 days later.

    2. KBO Ann!
      And enjoy your hamburgers.

      The Dearly Tolerant is off to see Student Son straight from work this evening, so I’m just cooking for self & S@H tonight.
      As there is a hefty vanilla slice for his afters, I just plan doing a couple of cheese & bacon omelettes with a bit of salad.

          2. Don’t you need to keep your strength up for wall building and other such strenuous efforts?

      1. Thanks Mola. Guess we are both doing OK but it’s a nuisance when we have stuff we want to do- golf for him and swimming for me.

  65. Bollocks!
    White screening on upvoting appears to be occurring earlier and earlier in the day!
    Went to sympathise with Elsie’s lack of sleep and lost all the unread messages!

    That’s me with the next section of footings for the current terracing wall ready for me getting the concrete mixed and poured.
    Weather’s gone overcast and is fairly cool just now.

    1. Nice here- sunny and mild. I’ve been doing indoor jobs today but haven’t got as far as I’d hoped. Need an early night tonight and no early start.

  66. Pakis listen to Sony.
    Blacks prefer Panasonic.
    Wops like Bang and Olufsen.
    Chinks go for Sanyo.
    They’re all just racial stereo types.

  67. Gosh – it is warm. It was 39ºC in the greenhouse – I have had to come in to cool down!

    1. I got covid about three weeks ago, and had very mild symptoms for about three days (unable to concentrate, slight headache, sniffles for one evening).
      Then I got completely better – went running, did weight training etc so I know I was feeling 100% fit.
      On Monday, I got the exact same symptoms as before, which have cleared up now. The inability to concentrate is the worst thing, because it stops me doing my job. Yesterday, I couldn’t remember what the date was, and forgot numerous small things.
      I’ve had no vaxx or Pfizer-drug, just my normal Zelenko protocol supplements. A friend who got covid at the same time as I did, also tested positive, has had a similar experience.
      It has been predicted that the jab could lead to chronic covid infections, but have other unvaxxed people who tested positive for covid observed the symtoms going away and then coming back?

      1. Nope.
        Foggy mind, but that’s age / stroke effects. One small sniffle, and that’s been it for the winter.
        Statuesque Polish friend was vacced, got myocarditis and an endless stream of colds/mini-covids all winter. Crazed teacher friend just became dafter and crosser.

      2. I don’t know and can’t answer that one because I had the two AZ shots, now a year since the second one. I do remember the first time I had flu – I spent Christmas 1972 in bed for several days and then had a relapse about four weeks later. I had no medication or treatment apart from what was available at the time eg aspirins.
        I do take 4000 iu Vit D daily + 1000mg Vit C which may have had some effect on a faster recovery from the cold symptoms.

      3. Many years ago my gp said that that is exactly what a virus does, it keeps coming back for another bite just when you think you have recovered until your body overcomes it and wins the final battle, sometimes it can take many months. I have always been grateful for that piece of information, it has saved me from a great deal of worry about the state of my health.

        1. See my reply below to BB2 – I had a double dose of flu the first time round, Christmas ’72 and then January ’73. Never experienced that since then.

  69. Various utility elements have been acquired from the storage unit. I’ve also found my hobby brushes – not that they’ve seen paint in years. I have, however, found glues and bulldog clips, so the fly screen is back up.

    1. #MeToo, sweetie ! … x

      Wordle 299 4/6

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

    1. Yes indeed, the PC brigade like to forget there are White Africans and that in South Africa, at any rate, they were the first settlers not the Bantu. And yes I know that there were other African people there but they are sort of analogous to the Indian tribes of America and nothing to do with the Bantu who falsely claim they are the true natives of South Africa.

    2. Won’t be the ‘right’ sort of African in the wokers eyes. Their own hypocrisy will confuse them, but hey, they’re Lefties.

    4. Isn’t that interesting. The fact that he is African American had completely passed me by. I’m confused. I thought I was racist. Perhaps I’m not after all!

  74. Have any others experienced this sort of behaviour concerning Russia Ukraine? I mentioned that I preferred to listen to RT because I trusted them more than the MSM. Got a furious and angry response from the other person who claimed they listened to plenty of sources for their news. When I pointed out that all of them were playing the same tune with exactly the same stories. The individual stormed off, slamming the door behind him declaring the Russians were thugs and murders. I actually thought he was going to attack me! Has the propaganda been that thorough?

    1. Judging by the way I received a good screeching at by crazed teacher friend for suggesting that the covid vax wasn’t all Unicorn tears and love, it does seem that many otherwise intelligent people have lost their sense of reason and perspective.
      I too read RT, as I don’t like just the one side of a story. It gives one an opportunity to put a pox on both houses!

    2. Yes, it has. I’ve met with open disbelief, and any questioning of the hysterical media narrative is “Russian propaganda”, even when I’m telling them facts that came out of the UN.

    3. I have been accused of being ‘a Russian sympathiser’. When I replied ‘So?’ he replied he had made his point ‘and don’t ask questions…’!! No other opinion is to be tolerated.

    4. People are afraid of having their views challenged. The deviation from groupthink scares them.

    5. Don’t talk politics with friends, family, associates or business colleagues. And never ever at table !

      1. I agree Pip apart from your last sentence. That is precisely where my family would have their arguments about anything and everything under the sun. Daily occurrence politics at dinner time.

      2. The pub used to be a non-political space, but no longer. The polarisation appears to be mainly between those who watch and read mainstream media (and believe it 100%) and those who question it or look at other news sources.

    6. I don’t comment or discuss anything unless I know my stuff. I previously stated that I don’t/won’t comment on Russia-Ukraine because I don’t know enough about it.

    8. There are all sorts of raffles and afternoon teas in the village to raise money for the Ukraine. Blue and yellow flags here and there, plus, a local taxi firm drove a convoy of 3 cabs to the Ukraine with dry goods or whatever.

    9. Yep. I’ve just discovered my hunt has donated close to a grand to the Ukraine from a Strictly Come Dancing evening. Glad I didn’t go!

  76. I think the people sitting just behind me in the office today are running a competition to see how many times they can say like in one sentence. One young woman is especially good at it.

    5. Like: if yer lookalike likes you, you don’t necessarily like yer lookalike, however, like , if you dislike yer lookalikes, hey don’t necessarily dislike you, like, Eh?

  77. I repeat that I do not believe a word from either side (or, indeed) NATO) in the goings on in the Ukraine.

    Having said that, I am puzzled.

    Mr Putin is complaining that the Ukes have bombed (or shelled) places in Russia. As he invaded the Ukraine and – apparently – has done some damage – what grounds does he have for complaining about attacks on his own territory?

    Just asking.

    1. Russia has not declared war on Ukraine. It is what we in the West call a Police Action. Ukraine is playing dirty.

      2. I read somewhere recently that the reason the Russians call it a ‘a special military action’ is to circumvent their own law that bars conscripts from fighting in a war. Of course they still get burnt to a crisp in their tanks and APVs, whatever it’s called.

    2. Mr Putin is also supposed to have written his own version of Mein Kampf and in it the Ukrainians are the Jews. In other words, take with a grain of salt.

  79. Fool, Money, etc…

    “The buyer of a non-fungible token (NFT) of Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey’s first tweet says he “may never sell it” after receiving a series of low bids.
    Malaysia-based Sina Estavi has been offered just over $6,200 (£4,720), about 0.2% of the $2.9m he paid for it.
    Mr Estavi has compared the digital asset to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
    The tweet, which says “just setting up my twttr,” was first posted in March 2006 and was auctioned off last year by Mr Dorsey for charity.

      2. Definition of non-fungible token
        : a unique digital identifier that cannot be copied, substituted, or subdivided, that is recorded in a blockchain, and that is used to certify authenticity and ownership (as of a specific digital asset and specific rights relating to it)
        Non-fungible tokens … are electronic identifiers confirming a digital collectible is real by recording the details on a … database known as a blockchain.
        I know, it sounds like something to do with mushrooms.

          1. Something that would be easily reproduced but by having a specific key is now unique, thus maintaining a value.

        2. From what I read, it is proof that you own a website that may display a work of art – but you can’t prevent the creator from pulling it down.
          NFTs are now being listed as an art medium on artists’ sites, but I think that may say more about the average IQ of artists than anything else.

        4. “I know, it sounds like something to do with mushrooms.”
          I’m certainly still left in the dark about it.

      3. Non fungibles is what Dishi Rishi has asked the Bank of England to produce. So…………..obviously it’s a spiffing idea.

        Just another step down into Hell for bringing in Universal Credit. You will own nothing….because we have stolen it all. Smile !

        1. You will own nothing – well, you can own what you like, but we’re making sure it’s worthless.

          1. ‘They’ are delirious with the power they think they will wield. Bartering and black marketing will take over once they destroy fiat currencies. When they try to stop that, people will rise up. As we are beginning to see in Shanghai.

    1. Coming from a person who is regarded as next to a “terrist” (© Mrs Truss) – it is a bit rich. I wonder how much of his tax free ginormous salary he gives to the “deserving” poor in his own fetid country?

  82. Hospitals, not GPs, are at the heart of NHS failure

    GP services are in fact delivering more appointments than prior to the pandemic. The same cannot be said for hospital occupancy

    KATIE MUSGRAVE • 13 April 2022 • 3:21pm

    Reports abound of the chaos unfolding in A&E departments, with ever louder murmurings that the health service may risk becoming overwhelmed. In response, GP practices have quite reasonably been asked to open for longer to compensate for missed appointments over the Easter bank holiday. This period is always a particularly short-staffed (and therefore an even more dangerous) time in NHS hospitals.

    But the increasingly diminishing number of GPs means that such diktats may simply move appointments from routine hours to evenings and weekends. It is akin to shuffling the deck chairs. And even then, I am unconvinced the present crisis in hospital care can reasonably be laid at the feet of GPs.

    We are seeing a disturbing pattern of failure across acute trusts. Patients are waiting longer to start urgent cancer treatment, according to the most recent Nuffield Trust summary of NHS performance, and facing lengthy delays before elective treatment; A&E waits are longer than ever, and trolley waits of over 12 hours are sixteen times higher than they were in February 2021. A system that is renowned for “running hot” with exceedingly high bed occupancy levels when compared with other developed countries has now hit a jolt in the road. We are now seeing it veer off track.

    This isn’t because hospitals are overflowing. The occupancy rate in general and acute beds remains below 2019/2020 levels, and the most recently released data shows the total number of A&E attendances in January 2022 was 6.1 per cent lower than compared with January 2020. The number of patients arriving by ambulance to A&E departments is likewise lower than pre-pandemic levels. Ultimately, fewer patients are accessing secondary care, and still the hospitals can no longer cope.

    A commonly cited explanation is the need to segregate, test and isolate patients with Covid. Additional infection control procedures are also undoubtedly slowing down the delivery of care in acute and elective services. The challenges of safely discharging patients to an ailing social care sector will be another contributing factor.

    In contrast, GP services are delivering more appointments than prior to the pandemic. Demand for our appointments naturally increases when patients cannot access hospital care. We also have a traumatised and miserable population: mental health presentations have sky-rocketed.

    The problem, therefore, must first be solved in the hospitals. NHS Trusts are understandably reluctant to relax infection control procedures, fearful of the impact of increasing Covid rates. But they should take note of the fact that Britain has just weathered the largest Covid wave to date, and there was only a meagre rise in Covid patients requiring ICU beds.

    Waiting 12 hours in an emergency department following a myocardial infarction (or simply not attending at all) is undoubtedly far more dangerous than catching Covid. No hospital chief executive will be applauded for dispensing with extra hygiene measures or further reducing isolation rules – but it is time to recognise that, in order for the health service to survive at all, capacity levels must be restored now.

    Unfortunately, it is far more likely we will be having the same conversation next winter.

    Dr Katie Musgrave is a GP in Plymouth

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/04/13/hospitals-not-gps-heart-nhs-failure/

    1. Just like that, she chooses to give myocarditis as an example. It’s depressing that doctors have to sneak information out in this way, because they’re not allowed to say it openly.

    2. “GP services are delivering more appointments than prior to the pandemic.” Anecdotal evidence is the opposite, but are we talking about face-to-face appointments, or endless telephone appointments that are unsatisfactory and need repeats – thus further pushing up demand?
      Oh, yes, and a GP blames hospitals. Well, she would, wouldn’t she?

      1. It was the continuing preoccupation with Covid that caught my eye. BBC reports, national and local, still attempt to frighten the public, while some of the public sector unions continue to make a noise.

        Reports of experiences with GP services are mixed, even on here.

    3. “GP services are delivering more appointments than prior to the pandemic.” Anecdotal evidence is the opposite, but are we talking about face-to-face appointments, or endless telephone appointments that are unsatisfactory and need repeats – thus further pushing up demand?
      Oh, yes, and a GP blames hospitals. Well, she would, wouldn’t she?

    4. If GPs were paid by the patients they actually saw, rather than the numbers on their books, it would concentrate their minds and we would get a better service.

  83. That’s me for today. Nice day. Market – nice piece of fish. FREE meat pie (Tony’s Knock Off stall was giving them away because the sell by date expires tomorrow). 3 mile bike ride; greenhouse work; moved (laboriously) 50 yards of heavy hose to fill from well 1,000 litre cubi for vegetable garden. Then watered roses again – no rain expected until next Thursday. Asparagus showing… Two lines of washing done and ready to iron.. Cats at leisure all day – plotting their night work, no doubt. All is well.

    Have a smooth evening.

    A demain.

        1. I visited the Mark Twain house a couple of times when I lived in CT. It really is lovely and especially at Christmas when it is all decorated. Right next door is the Harriet Beecher Stowe house which still looks like a farm, which it was, even though it’s now in West Hartford.
          Terrific places to visit if you happen to be in CT.

          1. Many years ago Beeb radio serialised Twain’s biography. Sadly both his daughters pre-deceased him, The Beeb chose to introduce each episode with Dvorak’s ‘The American Suite’:

          2. The docents who do the tours are so knowledgeable and very full of fun anecdotes. I loved it.

  84. Blow me. Only yesterday I remarked on George Alagiah’s lengthy absence form the screen; this evening he has appeared.

  85. Why does the media persist in referring to that Isis piece of scum as British? He isn’t- he a piece of shit and should be either locked away for ever or shot. If he’s British then I really am a bloody penguin!!
    God, it makes me sick.

      1. https://res.cloudinary.com/teepublic/image/private/s–aHRuUwQj–/c_crop,x_10,y_10/c_fit,h_1109/c_crop,g_north_west,h_1260,w_1260,x_-136,y_-90/co_rgb:0195c3,e_colorize,u_Misc:One%20Pixel%20Gray/c_scale,g_north_west,h_1260,w_1260/fl_layer_apply,g_north_west,x_-136,y_-90/bo_126px_solid_white/e_overlay,fl_layer_apply,h_1260,l_Misc:Art%20Print%20Bumpmap,w_1260/e_shadow,x_6,y_6/c_limit,h_1134,w_1134/c_lpad,g_center,h_1260,w_1260/b_rgb:eeeeee/c_limit,f_jpg,h_630,q_90,w_630/v1477975061/production/designs/763939_1.jpg

      1. I will not refer to this scum by a cute nickname. He and his cohorts are terrorists and should be referred to and treated as such.
        Sorry, Paul, not getting at you at all.

        1. I’m with you, Ann, I just lack a reference as to which piece of scum who should be minced up alive and fed to pigs you are referring to…?

          1. I think the name you used is what some of the media have been using. One of those horrible Isis four some.

  86. Is anyone by any chance thinking of going to the Delingpod live in London at the end of April?

  87. Here in Norway, we have Easter public holidays Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, also Monday for good measure. Most places are closed for days, even the garden centres, and as most people take a few days off work to make a two week break, it’s all very quiet.
    SWMBO is in the UK until Friday next week, and I’m building a fence. Firstborn is farming… what are Y’all doing for Easter?

    1. After the last few weeks, as little as possible. We have plenty of grub and choices for Easter dinner and plenty of liquid refreshment. Need to do a few more jobs indoors but other than that…. just chill.

      1. Good plan!
        Bought a new box just for Easter, plus a bottle or 3 of something more sophisticated… sunshine forecast, hopefully fenced tomorrow, creosoted over the weekend.

      1. Two horizontal rails & palings. First paling on, just to check for appropriate length.
        Palings in “kit form”, ie 3-6 metre lengths stacked on the path.

    3. Visiting a local garden to chill out and get inspiration, then carrying on with work on my new seating area. The local hunt has a Platinum tea area category in their garden competition, so I’m minded, should I be able to finish it by the entrance deadline, to enter it.

  88. ‘Night all

    Nothing to say today it’s all so tiresome so have a laff to finish

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/10e7fdbf33ee10f6b60c0dbfd6873b2f34badbb94a6d008d9fe8b1e3c2caa25c.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b0372adb20e55fa397981200f36d3110a14e0c8dabbf83b48bf9626f83b9bbe6.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7b79491f093c935a8a6e86aa5320bd3167066a30c0d269df311700cf3775a5b2.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2b30be5886573c3044f6fe942412f94c36904d36facc87eabe8dbcd08030e9c8.png
    Edit
    Forgot this marvelous piece of gardening
    https://twitter.com/hike_charity/status/1514594342865936384?s=20&t=CdwX24bFPPcoo4QwNPG7Qg

  89. ‘Night all

    Nothing to say today it’s all so tiresome so have a laff to finish

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/10e7fdbf33ee10f6b60c0dbfd6873b2f34badbb94a6d008d9fe8b1e3c2caa25c.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b0372adb20e55fa397981200f36d3110a14e0c8dabbf83b48bf9626f83b9bbe6.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7b79491f093c935a8a6e86aa5320bd3167066a30c0d269df311700cf3775a5b2.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2b30be5886573c3044f6fe942412f94c36904d36facc87eabe8dbcd08030e9c8.png
    Edit
    Forgot this marvelous piece of gardening
    https://twitter.com/hike_charity/status/1514594342865936384?s=20&t=CdwX24bFPPcoo4QwNPG7Qg

    2. Love Bach but Vivaldi is as good and old Tony is what I’m listening to right now. Sheer joy and so relaxing.

      2. Since I came back from Compline, I’ve not been able to get Vivaldi’s Gloria out of my head. If it isn’t that, it’s Handel’s Messiah.

        1. Well now you’ve gorn and dun it….I know all of both. You must be on your alert for the opening part of the Gloria!

      3. I love Bach and Vivaldi. At present I am listening to Rameau: Les Fetes d’Hebe – La Danse. It dates from 1739.

        Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra under John Eliot Gardiner.

        Sorry about the lack of accents on the French words.

  93. Marine Le Pen: I would hold a referendum on reinstating the death penalty
    French presidential candidate pledges to ‘let the people speak’ on issues that matter to them
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/04/14/marine-le-pen-would-hold-referendum-reinstating-death-penalty/

    BTL

    Wouldn’t France be expelled from the EU if it adopted the death penalty?

    Come to think of it, might this not have been a more sensible route for Britain to leave the EU – by being expelled and not obliged to pay any leaving fees?

  94. I am calm enough now to relate this…. MH got a cab to the hospital at 9 and I called him about 2.45 to see how he was etc. He was getting ready to come home. Nothing was done except blood and a very useful talk with a doctor. Now get this! He was put in a private room because he was the only who had had a covid swab which obviously was negative- 3rd time in a row. The other 6 beds in the ward were full of blokes who hadn’t been swabbed!!
    If they tell him again to go for a swab- they can get stuffed. We don’t own a car and the only way for him to do this has been via a cab which round trip is about £12.
    The upshot is that it is indeed his shunt that is totally blocked with clots. Thanks for the jabs Boris. His organs are fine but now the issue will be whether to replace the shunt or adjust. Either way it sounds scary.

    Thanks again for listening to my moaning. It does help to download. Sorry.

    1. Lordy… No need to apologise, Ann. It’s bad enough having medical problems without being surrounded by fools and knaves… Fingers crossed for the both of you.
      Replace the shunt. It’s there for a purpose.

      1. And that’s my advice as a Doctor – and maintenance expert. People need maintained, just like equipment. If there wasn’t a need for the shunt, it wouldn’t have been fitted. Get it changed, or at least a packet of pipe cleaners!

        1. A small balloon was mentioned today, your comment made me chuckle- thank you!

          1. Balloons… they threatened to shove a wire with a wee grab on it up to my brain from the groin and tweak out a blood clot about 6 years ago. That was a scary thought…
            Now, on that note, bedtime.
            Happy Easter, folks! May the Son shine his smile on you and yours!

          2. Hang in there Lotl! Have a glass (or two, after your day) tomorrow is another day they say. Sending good wishes to you both and Happy Easter. And to re-enforce many here, you have a lot of concerned friends, even if we tend to say little!!

          3. Thanks Jill. I feel as though I do nowadays is bitch and moan. Must do better.
            Hope you and Jack and family have a very nice Easter with lots of chocky.

      2. Guess we have to go by what the medics say, they have been good with him before and seem to be fully aware now, it’s just all the inconsistencies. And we simply cannot afford all the cab fares at that rate. The cabbies are super but it does mount up.
        Ta Paul.

      1. Thanks so much. Life is rotten at times as you and your wife know all too well.

    3. So sorry to here this LotL. He is not alone, it seems as though half of Twitter and their relatives are coming down with blood clots, not to mention other problems. Unburden yourself here, not only does it help you to offload it helps us to know what is going on. We really all are in this together, one way or another.

      1. Thank you and yes, we must all share what we know . No use relying on the media or govt for real info.
        Hope you are well now Poppy and feeling OK.

    4. It’s a worrying time, Ann. I remembered you both (in between the Canon from Chester Cathedral wittering on about the Ukrainians) when it came to remembering the sick.

    6. Thank you for the update. I feel helplessly furious on your behalf. Hopefully the treatment will be successful – you are both in my prayers.

    7. Just caught up with this and it’s nice to know NOTTL does fulfill a useful function!
      Hope things get cleared up for you.

  96. Bbc clearly don’t like the Rwandan asylum offshoring plan. Rolled out Starmer and Davey to poo poo the idea.

    1. Do they get to keep their boats when they are sent to Rwanda? Poetic Justice that the boat people are being sent to a landlocked country.

        1. Not a chance of it happening. And what of the Navy in the Channel, are they going to stop the invasion, same answer, not a chance. Political posturing so that Boris can deflect the blame onto HR lawyers.

  98. Evening, all and a happy Maundy Thursday to you all. Just back from a lovely service with the choir singing the piece Mozart copied from only having heard it once – as one of the choir said, the first Wikileak 🙂 It was followed by Compline, a service I rarely attend, so that was interesting. The altars have been stripped and all is now set for Easter. As we sang the Gloria (not sung during Lent) I’ve indulged in all the things I gave up for Lent 🙂

      1. No, chocolate is bad for him. His scooping up the Mars bar from the pavement the other day was worrying enough. I’ve got one, though 🙂

  99. Goodnight my friends; am worn out. Thank you all for your good wishes and support- I can’t tell you much I appreciate it.
    Sleep well as I shall endeavour to.

    1. Good morning, Ann! I’ve just managed to read a bit of yesterdays thread (life is fairly chaotic!) and just want to send you and your OH my best wishes. I hope you both KBO and enjoy the Pinot!

  100. Good night and Good morrow for the dawn’s delight. May God bless you, one and all. Until tomorrow,

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