Thursday 30 May: Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour is still wedded to a tax-and-spend philosophy

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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545 thoughts on “Thursday 30 May: Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour is still wedded to a tax-and-spend philosophy”

  1. Good morning all.
    A dry but currently dull start with 7½°C on the Yard Thermometer.

    And just when you think she could not get any more Chavvy:-

    REVEALED: ANGELA RAYNER’S PORN STAR SON

    Rayner has always claimed that questions asked about her living arrangements were an invasion of her family’s privacy. She said to a room of journalists: “My family deserves some privacy.” Guido’s not convinced her family’s on board with that- some of them have their own “position”…

    Angela Rayner’s son, Ryan Batty, has starred in multiple porn films put on the internet site OnlyFans with his wife, Rayner’s daughter-in-law. The porn account is well-publicised on Instagram and Twitter – it’s been running at full “throttle” since 2022. Neither account is followed by Angela…

    https://order-order.com/2024/05/29/revealed-angela-rayners-porn-star-son/

    2. Ay, her son is Ry’ Batty; they say the apple never falls far from t’ tree.

    5. He may be her second son. Rayner was still at school when she was pregnant with her first child. Her son, Ryan is following the family tradition.

  4. 387855+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    Dt,
    Farage hints that he could be willing to make election pact with Tories
    Honorary Reform UK president says he would be open to ‘a conversation’ if Conservatives give him ‘something back

    Like replacing his 2019 marching boots, for starters.

    An open veneer maybe, but the conversation has already been had behind VERY closed doors IMHO.

    1. ogga1, a journalist asked him if he might consider leaving reform and joining the Tories and he replied in a sarcastic manner that “they would have to give me something really important in exchange”. This has been spun as his being interested in a conversation with the Tories. As with most stories with today’s “journalists” it is all spin. IMHO.

      1. 387855+ up ticks,

        Morning EB,

        By the same token
        his treatment of UKIP members that initially gave him a platform
        was NO spin that was reality in the raw.

    2. ogga1, a journalist asked him if he might consider leaving reform and joining the Tories and he replied in a sarcastic manner that “they would have to give me something really important in exchange”. This has been spun as his being interested in a conversation with the Tories. As with most stories with today’s “journalists” it is all spin. IMHO.

  5. Ukraine has one last chance to save itself. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon. 30 May 2024.

    Many European leaders seem cowed by threats of nuclear attack from the Kremlin. But Putin has cried wolf so often over the last few years, even the most cautious and timid leader must wonder if it is pure bluff and bluster.

    Finding out whether Vlad is bluffing is fraught with difficulties. Not least the end of the world if you guess wrong. Of course Hamish is totally unhinged but he has plenty of support Below the Line. Not all Nudge Unit trolls by any means.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/05/29/ukraine-must-now-strike-behind-enemy-lines/

    1. The yanks need to tell Zelenskyy to back off. They are behind this, it’s very dangerously stupid.

    2. Bannon on his War Room show has increased the options that the Democrat Deep State have to stop Trump serving another term as POTUS. First, is the current lawfare, actions are both current and in the offing but the latest one will to go to appeal if he is found guilty – of what, is debateable, but it is Blue New York.

      Second, is a repeat of the ‘steal’ in 2020 & 2022 – in addition to the earlier methods there are now illegal attempts to allow the illegal immigrants welcomed by Biden’s administration to be able to vote even though these people are not citizens of the USA.

      Third, the regime may arrange for a major problem to arise in October, one option in that scenario being an escalation in the Ukraine situation that pushes the World very close to the precipice of WWIII.

      Stupidity appears to be the order of the day in too many western governments.

  7. Good morning, chums, and thank you Geoff for today’s site. A second day when I only just made Wordle:

    Wordle 1,076 6/6

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  8. 387855+ up ticks,

    Have we got space for one more lie,

    Wall Street Apes
    @WallStreetApes
    We Have Been Lied To About EVERYTHING

    Testimony: Challenger Astronauts Allegedly Alive

    “I think we all remember the Challenger explosion that took place in 1986 that tragically took the lives of all seven astronauts on board. It launched not too far from where we’re standing here today.

    Well the interesting thing is a couple decades later this thing called the internet came about and someone allegedly found almost all of those astronauts alive and well, many using the same exact names.

    As you can see here, we have Challenger astronaut Judith Resnick and also a Judith Resnick Yale Law Professor. Michael J. Smith, the pilot of the Challenger astronaut, and also professor at University of Wisconsin, now retired, Michael J. Smith.

    Commander Dick Scobie, who is now president of cows and trees.

    Now if you’ll notice, (See video for pictures) they all have the exact same faces 30 some odd years later, the same exact name, and they are the same age. Now we all have a doppelganger out there, right? No big deal. But to have the same face, the same age, and the same exact name is extremely rare.

    So where I could only find one case in the last 120 years. And we’re supposed to believe that three people from one space flight have exact lookalikes have the same age and same exact names, this, ladies and gentlemen, is beyond statistically impossible.

    Miss Resnick was questioned at Yale by a journalist and she panicked and ran from the camera. Why?”

    I transcribed a very small potion of this testimony. Watch this video, this is nuts. NASA is laundering our money and feeding us lies.

    https://x.com/WallStreetApes/status/1795913954591731992

    1. There used to be stack of uploads on YTube called AstroNOT.. showing all the Space Agencies bloopers.
      The ones that I remember were the filming of a space walk.. with a rat nonchalantly appearing in the background, and the accidental capture of filming of British astronaut Tim Peake in a studio during presidential walkabout at NASA.. that looked identical to the press release days later.

      They’re all at it.. CCP, NASA

      1. 387855+ up ticks,

        Morning KB,
        Seemingly so, IMO a very successful criminal illusion is that the lab/lib/con coalition party is a
        pro British, patriotic political concern, just shows how easily the voting punters can be fooled again,again,& again.

    1. I couldn’t agree more.
      Fiona tried to shut her up as the Dopey Wokey bbc do when people in the audience make a very valid point.
      How much longer can this be allowed.
      It’s already costing us around 9 million pounds a day. I make that 3.285 billion each year. How can our country afford this? Financially It’s on its knees already.

      1. I can’t see ex-Twitter, but if it’s about importing infinite quantities of overseas criminals the money comes Dfid’s Foreign Aid budget; all dandy, except that there will be even less money for helping to educate or feed impoverished Christian children in faraway countries.

        1. It was a nurse pointing our how thousands of people are allowed to arrive in the UK and use the NHS. Having never contributed or likely to.

  12. Morning all 🙂😊
    Grey again as others have mentioned.
    I saw a long range forecast predicting 50 days of rain throughout the ‘summer’. I don’t know how they can say that, the met office hardly ever get it right.
    And Starmer’s labour might not get in if these Palestinian support protests turn into riots. 40 arrested last time, and police injuries.
    Labour seems to be on the side of this stinking destructive effect his fellow kneelers are having on our country.

      1. No rain here yet.
        I’m hoping it’s going to be dry enough for me to be cutting the grass again. Front and back.

  13. Europe on high alert after suspected Moscow-linked arson and sabotage. 30 May 2024.

    Investigators have already alleged potential Russian involvement in an arson attack in east London, an inferno that destroyed the largest shopping mall in Poland, a sabotage attempt in Bavaria in Germany and antisemitic graffiti in Paris.

    While there is no evidence that any of these incidents across the continent are coordinated, security services believe they could be part of a systemic attempt by Moscow to destabilise the west, which has backed Ukraine.

    There’s no evidence but they suspect a “systemic attempt by Moscow to destabilise the West”? “Shopping Malls? Antisemitic graffiti? God help us. The level of propaganda is sinking to infantile levels.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/30/europe-on-high-alert-after-suspected-moscow-linked-arson-and-sabotage

    1. This is reminiscent of blaming Israel for what’s happening now, because of what hamas attempted to do to the Jewish people.
      How anyone would link any of these incidents to Russia is ineffable.
      Oh yes it’s that well known guardian thing. ‘Could be linked to’.

  14. Good morning.
    Captcha is in wheel of death mode on my iPad this morning. If it is a more general problem, others may be having trouble logging in for comments.

      1. Hello – I have overcome the Captcha problem after a bit of research suggested I should delete all cookies. As I do that anyway after visiting websites I don’t really understand but I suppose I’m old and feeble.

  16. Did you know that Evin means “love” in Kurdish and “your home” in Turkish.

    Hunt for the motorbike hitman: Child and three adults fighting for their lives in hospital after being gunned down in a spray of bullets in ride-by shooting near Evin restaurant Dalston.

    3. And who was the boy ‘from’ Lancashire who stabbed two women on Bournemouth beach recently? More like the third world with each and every passing day.

      1. The youth from Lancashire was released, a 20 year old from Croydon is the new suspect.

        1. Ok. They just seem to be being very cagey about the facts of this story. It made me wonder if it was another murder being brushed under the carpet for the sake of this mystical ‘cultural cohesion’. Mind, we still don’t know the backgrounds of these suspects.

        1. They are just more and more emboldened and enabled by MSN and politicians. Makes me wonder if the House of Common Hoaxers is too large so sensible decisions can never be reached. Same with HOL. Too many cooks spoil the broth and all that.

    4. And who was the boy ‘from’ Lancashire who stabbed two women on Bournemouth beach recently? More like the third world with each and every passing day.

  17. Did you know that Evin means “love” in Kurdish and “your home” in Turkish.

    Hunt for the motorbike hitman: Child and three adults fighting for their lives in hospital after being gunned down in a spray of bullets in ride-by shooting near Evin restaurant Dalston.

  18. Good morning all and the 77th,

    Cloudy at Castle McPhee, wind in the West 13℃ with a forecast of 18℃. I was going to say dry but the forecast is wrong again; raindrops are trickling down the window panes .

    It’s difficult enough to maintain a cheerful outlook in the face of all the incompetence, corruption, malfeasance and sheer malevolence that permeates the British state these days without having one’s eyes alight on a piece like this.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ccf5706ab28ae526de8821edb5ac83d09e0204bab4ba4dccca4f126a02958c17.png

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/05/29/britain-has-become-the-welfare-state-for-the-world/

    What have we done to deserve this? Apart from not be involved in politics and be too trusting of those who are,.

    1. It’s the luxury class. So easy to be kind with other people’s (our taxes) money. They think they are charitable but they are charitable at our expense. And most of them will never even had so much as a conversation with the kind of people they wave through. They get a few industrious nannies from Poland and think the rest of the world is like that.

    2. What’s worse for the British economy is that the Bulgarians weren’t even living in the UK, so the bennies didn’t circulate, and there was not even any cash in hand employment or need to learn English.

  20. Good Moaning.
    I’m not one for generalisations …. but:

    A dine-and-dash fraudster from the traveller community lied about being pregnant to get bail before defrauding two more restaurants, a court has heard.

    Ann McDonagh, 39, and her husband Bernard McDonagh, 41, have been jailed for racking up large bills for food and drink from four restaurants and one takeaway, before leaving without paying.” ”

    BTL, it had been suggested that “Dine and waddle” would be more appropriate.

    1. I saw that on 5 news. They are going to be made to pay back the money they owe.
      Not sure how that can be expected, none of them actually work in any recognised official capacity.
      They also both looked rather over weight.

      1. A handful of grubby fivers and a quick tarmacking of the judge’s driveway.

    2. “Miss Capranini turns now to the defendants’ antecedent records. The court
      hears 41-year-old Bernard McDonagh has 27 previous convictions for 40
      offences including driving matters, affray, public disorder, violence,
      criminal damage, and possession of controlled drugs. He has 23 different
      aliases on the police national computer, and eight different dates of
      birth recorded.
      Ann McDonagh has 18 previous convictions for 36
      offences including 24 thefts and shoplifting matters as well as the
      fraudulent use of a registration mark, obstructing a police officer, and
      fraud by false representation. The 39-year-old has 20 different aliases
      recorded on the police national computer along with 10 different dates
      of birth.”
      Politicians are beyond incompetent; the Bulgarian fraud and the case above would be difficult to organise if the Westminster terrorists and Whitehall rapists were to introduce biometric ID. Authentic ID, with DNA, birth documentation, fingerprints etc. No birth certificate, no ID. No DNA check, no ID. No ID card, no benefits. No ID card, no business registration. No ID card, no employment. Of course, politicians and Civil Servants might well have something to hide, but that’s another story. Asylum seekers with no documentation? Out. (edited)

      1. And this is how they will.push the right towards digital ID, unfortunately. The rules would still not be enforced (same people, same mindset), but we would all be caught in the digital web.

    1. I think I have a phobia about political videos in the UK which are in a language I do not understand and without sub-titles.

      Or is it a phobia? Is it not a rational feeling of mistrust?

  22. Heavily laden Royal Marines of 45 Royal Marine Commando, carrying 140lb packs, enter Port Stanley after a remarkable 40 mile march across the Island. Their route from the west coast to the east took them through marshes and mountains, included night time marching and was at that time the longest march in full kit in the history of the Commando force.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2fcffb409c799f7ff2b30c037b7ef7fbfb6ec2af390e41f7c6cf7bfdcade4f13.jpg

  24. “A new volcanic eruption has begun on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwestern Iceland, the country’s meteorological office said Wednesday – shortly after authorities evacuated the nearby town of Grindavik.”

    No probs; send the Doom Goblin along to give it a strict talking to. She could drape her keffiyeh over it to put out the flames.

    1. Our pagan forebears would have pacified the earth gods by chucking her in?

          2. I’m just a lower case earthling.

            Chambers: earth ûrth, n the third planet in order from the sun (often with cap) …

            Oxford: earth /ɜ:θ/ n. & v. ● n. 1a (also Earth; often prec. by the) the planet of the solar system on which human beings live. (See note below.)
            ▪︎The earth is the third planet from the sun in the solar system, orbiting between Venus and Mars at an average distance of 149.6 million km from the sun, and has one natural satellite, the moon …

            [Grizzly comment: Interesting how both Chambers and the Oxford place ‘sun’, ‘earth’ and ‘moon’ in lower case initials but raise ‘Venus’ and ‘Mars’ to upper case (capital) initials.]

          4. But it’s the shape of this one that’s very unusual. Perhaps the land mass is splitting.

  25. Disqus made me log in this morning even though I’ve never logged out. Grrr!! Good morning! Corpus Christi today.

    1. That happens to me quite often.
      I wonder if it’s momentary power outages. Breaks the signal.

      1. Very rarely do I have to log in either here (laptop) or phone. But what a nuisance it is when it does happen! Captcha here we come!

    2. Went to church this evening for sung Eucharist. We did extremely well considering there were only a dozen of us and no organist!

    1. Criticising Corbyn and Abbott for semantics seems a bit lame and a cop out when debating.

      They claim to be socialists, and committed to human rights, including the right not to be bombed, to be universal. There should be no place therefore for “protected categories” of people. All people are equal, or one is not a true socialist. I wish someone would ask this of these two vanguards for socialism. Of course Starmer’s Labour Party is not socialist, and so can indulge in “protected categories” as they change the party back [edit – added this crucial word] into something apeing the Tories, with all their favourites and bogeys.

      I argued with a “Pride” reveller at New Street Station. They have this LGBTQI etc alphabet that sets out to include all variants of human sexuality, but deliberately excludes one – S. At a stroke, they defeat any claim to be universal and non-discriminatory, and exposes the whole ‘Pride’ movement for the hypocrites they are.

      I do not condemn Hamas-initiated attacks on Israeli civilians any less than I condemn Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians and aid workers in Gaza. There is the question of proportionality though, and here there is a difference warranting the use of different language. I do not believe this to be so though when comparing the attack outside mosques in New Zealand or North London with attacks in Manchester (or the burning of churches in France and throughout the Islamic world), which seem quite similar in scale and intent.

      1. Some of those aid workers in Gaza joined in the murders and rapes at the Supernova festival. Just sayin’.

        1. Hamas uses human shields because the more innocent people are killed the better the propaganda is for them.

          Israel warns where it is going to attack so that innocent people can get out of the way if they are allowed to do so.

          Is there any evidence of Israel using human shields?

      2. As the Jews have one state and the Arabs have twenty two, the proportionality argument boils down to resentment that the Jews are smart, organised and efficient while the Arabs are mostly not so smart, lazy and hate each other more than they hate the Jews, which is to say that their shortcomings make them disproportionately ineffective given the wealth and resources at their disposal. As a Persian friend observed, if the Arabs were united, the Jews wouldn’t stand a chance.

  27. Farage on the Muslim problem – what kept you, Nigel?
    https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/farage-finally-faces-up-to-islam/ May 30, 2024

    BTL

    ‘Islamophobia‘ – if this means ‘irrational fear, mislike or mistrust of Muslims‘ then it should not be a crime – it should be considered a psychological disorder such as acrophobia, agoraphobia and claustrophobia.

    In the case of acrophobia, agoraphobia and claustrophobia the best way of dealing with them is to examine the causes which means exploring WHY people have a fear of heights, a fear of open spaces or a fear of confined spaces.

    So why are not the causes of ‘Islamophobia‘ examined?

    Why are people afraid if Islam? Why do they dislike or mistrust it? If it is found that their reasons are real, evidence based and rational then should we not conclude that ‘Islamophobia‘ is not based on racism or prejudice? Should we not conclude the term ‘Islamophobia‘ should not exist?

    1. When my daughter was examined by a child psychologist in an attempt by her mother to present in court evidence of child abuse against me, in order to rid her of the inconvenience of a man who only wanted to be a father, rather than a treat uncle to be discarded as soon as legally possible, her “arachnophobia” was investigated. There are spiders in my cottage, and this was to be grounds for my daughter not to visit me there. He asked her “what would you do if you encountered a spider”. My daughter replied “I would stamp on it until it was dead”. The psychologist argued that a true arachnophobe would run a mile, reporting that my daughter simply did not like spiders.

      I have met an islamophobe. This was in Mindanao, in the Southern Philippines, a place very similar to Ireland, about the same size and a similar history of religious sectarianism, this time between the Catholic colonialists of the mainland and the older Muslim tradition beyond the Pale. I had a girlfriend there at the time, a devout Catholic same as me. We were at a shopping centre in Cagayan de Oro about to wander into the street when she saw a gentleman in a white robe and a head covering minding his own business and no threat to anyone. She gave a little squeak and bolted for cover in the shopping centre and refused to come out. Now that was islamophobia.

      It is rather different to a reaction to a gang of young men loitering with evil intent in their eyes, after having been indoctrinated into the jihad against the kuffah.

      1. I hope all is well with your relationship with your daughter now. Do you have other children?

        My wife too is a devout Catholic and she spends much of her time playing the organ in church and going to music lessons. We have two sons – both have entirely different personalities and sadly they do not like each other.

        1. No, we are completely estranged now. I do not even have her address – all I know that she is living somewhere in North Wales. The last time I saw her was ten years ago when I helped her set up her art exhibition in Wrexham. She will be 37 years old on Tuesday.

          I think I have a son, two years younger, whom I have not seen since 2001. He is the Head of Operations for the London branch of an American finance corporation and married to a barrister (I found out when I saw the wedding photograph on Facebook). Therefore very much in league with the Devil. He was born when his mother and I were still married to each other, but I have long had doubts about his paternity, since he is more like his younger half-sister (same mother, different father) than his older sister, and I was away one night nine months before he was born. I would love a DNA test to prove it either way, but it ain’t going to happen.

          These two have always got on well – when I was able to be with them, they were more of a conspiracy than a rivalry. Quite different in many ways, but they made the best of them. She finds socialising difficult and takes a while to thaw out, but when she does, she is very rewarding. She has been diagnosed on the autistic spectrum, but I do not believe this. She is mildly aspergic, same as I am, and in fact we have a great deal in common. At school parents’ evenings I used to have to gatecrash, the standard response from the teachers was “they are doing very well without you. Next!” It was considered “inappropriate” for me to remark how very much like me my daughter was.

          Her brother is very more outgoing and straightforward and gets on with anyone, especially of the opposite sex. He ended up as cox of a ladies’ rowing team at Cambridge University – photos of him at the time showed him surrounded by a number of lovelies looking very pleased with himself.

          I used to play “Crocodile and Monkeys” with them when they were little. It was something my father did, and I followed on the tradition. I was the crocodile, and my role was to catch the monkeys and eat them by snapping my arms, and theirs was to stop me. My daughter would shout to her brother “Quick, grab his beard!” thereby immobilising me. Maybe it was instinctive, but it may well have been a parental game to make children confident about tackling dangerous situations. My rule was always to match my strength equal to theirs, so that it was always a fair contest.

          1. That’s very sad, Jeremy. I don’t see much of my two sons, but there’s no estrangement.

      2. I’m an arachnophobe – but fortunately I have a husband who will safely evict the offending creatures for me without harming them. I’ve no wish to kill them. I know they are harmless.

      3. My mother was the same with nuns – for a reason which we could not extract from her

          1. She wasn’t a catholic though so how she came in contact with them we’ll never know

        2. She’s not Irish is she?

          Irish nuns are a fearsome example of scary womanhood, up there with Amazon warriors and Jewish mothers.

        1. Having a struggle posting this! 3 feisty fighting bobs at Loch Arkaig! Mum has gone to stretch her wings!

          1. I cannot imagine why birds migrate all the way to Africa , how dangerous , and then return to Britain to breed .

            Why is this and how do they survive in the heat of wherever they call real home .

            The cuckoo in particular , just here for weeks then off it goes again , any more examples of a very short stay bird?

          2. Swifts – they usually arrive in May and leave at the end of July. A few stragglers may be here in August. Some of the younger, non-breeding birds arrive in June or July and then leave.

            I’m a short-stay bird when I migrate to Africa for a couple of weeks and then come home.

          3. Swifts – they usually arrive in May and leave at the end of July. A few stragglers may be here in August. Some of the younger, non-breeding birds arrive in June or July and then leave.

            I’m a short-stay bird when I migrate to Africa for a couple of weeks and then come home.

    2. Brilliant, Belle! It’s a real joy to watch their bobble heads as they compete for Mums attention…and food!

  30. I liked this DTL comment , bit lengthy , but on message.

    NJ Ratnieks
    53 MIN AGO
    Voting Intentions
    Nearly 50 years ago when I worked as a riverman my initiation into this arcane world was greatly eased by some extraordinarily strong workmates. One called Ron, was like a “human JCB” and he had spent most of his life after being a paratrooper during National Service as a water main layer. He would say to me: “Listen, Sunshine, the Labour Party wants to keep working men like me on bicycles and they like controlling everyone.”

    Funnily enough, it seems now, that all parties want to get everybody on bicycles and controlling everything, while the nations once most known for this form of transport for the masses- China and India, aspire to cars. It was, of course, Labour that began this leap through the looking glass into Net Zero madness, while Conservative administrations subsequently made what seemed to be an aberration into an obsessive mania that defies any connection to objective reality.

    Sadly, Ron went back to main laying but I did see him from time to time- down a cold wet hole wrestling with leaks. One day, ten years on, he was at the end of my road. A friend asked me to ask him where our water came from and he helpfully replied: “Tell her, Sunshine, it comes from the other end of the pipe.”

  32. ILLEGAL BOAT MIGRANT PREDATOR who had only been in the country 2 months & was living at the CEDAR COURT HOTEL in Wakefield at the taxpayers expense after illegally arriving in England via a dinghy, GRINNED as he STRANGLED & attempted to RAPE a woman in a nightclub toilet in Wakefield

    AYMAN ADAM, 23, STALKED A NIGHTCLUB’S TOILET & TRIED TO RAPE A WOMAN AND SEXUALLY ASSAULTED A MAN

    He targeted the woman in the female toilets inside the Truth nightclub in Wakefield in November last year moments after sexually assaulting a man who was using a urinal in the men’s toilets

    The woman went down a set of stairs, Adam was stood at the bottom of them & he followed her in to the toilets. As she went to close the door of the cubicle she became aware of the defendant. He put his hand around her throat, nose and mouth. He pushed her towards or into the toilet, flinging her backwards and she hit her head on the wall

    The defendant kicked the door & pinned her over the toilet. He was choking or strangling her such that she was smothered. She managed to get one hand off her for a moment, however, he slammed his hand back on. She was struggling to breathe

    She said that the defendant was ‘grinning in a wild manner’ throughout the assault

    The court heard the woman described hearing the noise of Adam’s zip or belt on his trousers being undone before the voices of two women in the next cubicle stopped him

    The next thing she knew she could hear the girls outside shouting. She was still facing the toilet but the defendant was gone

    It was these two women who alerted security staff that the defendant was in the women’s toilets

    Security staff attended & requested Adam open the cubicle door, he was detained & arrested

    The court heard he was found guilty at trial in April this year of intentional strangulation, attempted rape & sexual assault

    The male victim told how the sexual assault offence committed against him had heightened his anxiety. It made him feel disgusting. The court heard he now has anxiety using public toilets

    The woman told how she has not had a full night’s sleep since the attack and wakes suffering panic attacks. When she sleeps she has really bad dreams, in particular of the defendant strangling & suffocating her. She experiences that over again

    She has gone from being a happy, sociable person, to someone who feels unsafe to go out

    The woman told how she feels that if the girls didn’t come into the toilets she would have died. She said she never understood why he was grinning the whole time while she was fighting to breathe

    Her nose ring had been ripped out and her lip and face were bleeding

    MOHAMMED RAFIQ, mitigating, said Adam arrived in the UK in SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR after passing through a number of safe countries. We know from his interview that he said he used to get overloaded with alcohol in his native country, but there is an issue & it is my submission that on the night in question alcohol was an issue

    He was clearly intoxicated & there I would raise the argument that it wasn’t planned or premeditated, it was opportunistic

    The court heard a pre-sentence report had been undertaken, & in it, the author described Adam as being VERY HIGH RISK OF SERIOUS HARM

    Mr Rafiq addressed His Honour Judge Marson KC & said

    There may well be a risk of some harm, but it is a matter for you, bearing in mind the offences occurred while under the influence of alcohol

    He urged the judge to pass such a sentence which will be manageable and give him light at the end of the tunnel for him to look forward to when he is released

    Judge Marson made Adam the subject of an extended sentence, made up of a seven-year sentence & a three-year extended licence

    The judge told Adam It is clear to me, had it not been for the intervention of others, within a few minutes you would have committed the full offence of rape

    He will have to serve two thirds in custody before the Parole Board determine if he is safe to be released
    https://x.com/ActivePatriotUK/status/1796087418367471788

    He has a huge grinning black face, a real negro .

    Why on earth are these creatures of the jungle not put on the first aircraft back to their own savage hellhole .

      1. 387855+ up ticks,

        Morning R,

        As things go, having been set up these last four decades via the polling stations
        through loyalty to a fake party name, to be called a racist is of no consequence.

        Currently it could even be accepted as being of a good honest stance.

    2. Why isn’t he deported straight away after fingerprinting and face recognition recorded so that he can never re-renter the U.K. and save us the expense of housing, feeding, clothing and providing medical care. Why, why, why.

  33. 387855+ up ticks,

    True,
    The tory (ino) party is a serious collection of anti British super treacherous political cretins, old kneel is about to add duper to the mix as in, super duper treacherous.

    Lofty,

    @LoftyLionheart
    Mad aren’t ya? This guy openly stated that he will serve Davos (WEF), not the British. He flip flops on absolutely every single proposal he makes and he defended nonces and rapists during his prosecutor days (Jimmy Saville). This guy will make things 1000x worse.

    https://x.com/LeilaniDowding/status/1796075611003256929

  34. Morning, all Y’all.
    Raining, dull, chilly today. Hope that doesn’t mean summer is over.

  35. Good morning, all. Overcast and breezy in N Essex.

    I have to admit that when I think of the ‘Grid’ I think of the system from generation to delivery at point of use. Apparently the ‘Grid’, much like the telecommunications network I worked on – the latter had a local network and a trunk network linked together to deliver calls within the UK – has something similar, a transmission network and a distribution grid to the point of use.

    Andrew Montford exposes of the real costs of upgrading the ‘Grid’ as a whole whilst the politicians are only talking about the transmission grid. Doing only half the job will not improve matters.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4f45c6c1127eb47bc0184aba7a8ee77f243596d1a7c0070364aeb070ed13977e.png

    1. About the same cost as building a railway linking a remote suburb in London to a railway station in Birmingham with no connections.

  37. A former SNP Minister went on holiday around Xmas 2022 – ran up a near £11,000 roaming bill on his Holyrood i-pad.
    He did not use the Moroccan Hotel wi-fi for some obscure reason. Bill run up watching 2 x Celtic football matches.

    Daily Telegraph Reporter spotted a £3,000 payment on Office Expenses (AKA Taxpayer Money) and started digging.
    The DT then found he had claimed and the bill of £11K was paid by Holyrood Finance Office.

    We had several utterances of Matheson’s confessions – it was an old / faulty sim card , it was constituency business, it was my sons who used it to watch football using it as a hotspot connection…….. Question – How did 2 kids know the Ipad Password?

    Yesterday
    After almost 9 months he was suspended for 27 days and docked 54 days pay! Still sitting as an MSP drawing £70K rather than his £110K Minister’s salary.

    If an OAP had duped the Council out of Council Tax Rebates /Rent to a value of £11K they would have been sent to jail.
    2009 Westminster expense scandal saw MPs & Lords stand down & some sent down for 12 months.

    So far no involvement of the Police or Procurator Fiscal. The Lord Advocate, Chief Law Officer in Scotland, sits in the SNP Cabinet

    2. He was our MP. Apparently he’s a nice chap! Yes, of course he is – well, the bit of him he puts on public display! The rest of him is a venal, lying, cowardly thief. And that doesn’t begin to cover throwing his two sons under the ‘bus!

  38. Phew!
    Wordle 1,076 6/6

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

    1. You’re not alone.
      Wordle 1,076 6/6

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

    2. How’s this for blind guesswork? Two guesses and no hits left me worried.

      Wordle 1,076 4/6

      ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
      ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
      ⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜
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  39. Have a question for you all, would appreciate some input from all your years of experience.
    A friend works too hard, much too hard, and this is causing cardiac problems with too low blood pressure, too slow a beat, and palpitations. Having damaged the heart with Covid vaccine, this isn’t good. The job is interesting, and exciting, and the friend enjoys huge commitment, but is also afraid it will lead to total heart failure and leaving the office feet first. And I hate funerals.
    My question is: How to persuade the friend that slowing down is not only a good idea (friend knows this already), but to actually do the slowing down, relax, take time out to smell the coffee (is that still a phrase that’s used?). I tried, got some traction, but suspect a deal of back-sliding. One suggestion I made was, when in the office, take the stairs not the lift – tiny amount of physical exercise (is good) and takes a bit longer than the lift, giving a small break – and you’d be crazy to catch up on emails whilst navigating staircases…

    1. I have a friend, a morris dancer, who gets worried when I put on weight and become grossly out of condition, due to loneliness, retirement, too much TV and comfort eating. His remedy is a route march, laden with sticks, lunch, water and musical instruments, up the steepest part of the Malvern Hills, leaving me puffing like a steam engine. There is this fiendish cackle as he sees me suffer, but I haven’t died on him yet.

      1. As we age we really need more gentle exercise, not hill climbing.
        I use to run for miles, play Football twice a week, squash matches, walking was a past time to enjoy.
        But ongoing problems occur from keeping fit knee and hip joints etc.
        And now Mowing the lawn is enough for me.
        Sitting back in satisfaction is the reward.

        1. Yes. These ones.

          Disqus was being flaky just now – I tried to post, but just got a greyed-out box with no response when trying to input. Is it being “upgraded”?

        1. Are you having trouble with Disqus? Most ways I try to comment, all I get is an unresponsive grey box with my generic avatar on one side. I am only able to type comments by replying to a response on ‘Notifications’. It won’t let me type new comments, nor reply to them in the usual way. This is also true on Discuss Disqus channel, so I cannot even flag up a bug. Also it seems that this comment may not show up on the main page. Please let me know if you see this message.

    2. Lift not stairs is excellent.

      Actually take a lunch hour, go outside and walk around for some of it. Without phone.

      Set an alarm to go off every hour or so, with a reminder to look at a photo on the desk – of things (preferably people) other than work to live for. Family, friends, bucket-list destinations – regular reminders that work is not everything.

      Good luck. It’s needed when a job is actually fulfilling.

    3. Much depends on what they do and what they’re ‘allowed’ to do at work.

      I’m surprised the work is causing a low heart rate. usually hard work causes stress, which causes hyper tension (been there, done that). If they’re enjoying the job that’s a good thing. How about setting an alarm for, say 11 and 3? Repeated daily as reminders to take a break?

    4. A quiet talk pointing out that pushing oneself too hard is counter productive? Call in and invite for a coffee and cake on a regular basis? That way, down time is more or less obligatory. Don't know what else to suggest.

      1. Thanks, Conway. I’m at a bit of a loss – don’t want the heart attack to be the warning that gets listened to.
        First part I did already; also advised light physical exercise whilst at work by walking the stairs rather than taking the lift – and not messing with the mobile phone whilst in the stairs! That’s started, and is apparently helping a bit.

  40. 387855+ up ticks,

    Whistleblower 🇬🇧 reposted
    @Talent_Keyhole 🇫🇰⚓️🇬🇧
    @UKVeteran_RN
    ·
    Nov 4, 2023
    Replying to
    @NNjournalism
    As a Veteran (Royal Navy 25 years served), who was sunk in the Falklands War 1982 (HMS ANTELOPE), and a person that joined as as Junior Seaman (non-Commissioned) and left as a Lt Cdr (Commissioned) – it deeply disappoints me – #Honesty & #Integrity out of the window! #WalterMitty

    https://x.com/UKVeteran_RN/status/1720841527352578133

      1. I don’t know if it’s apathy, disenchantment or simple disgust but I expect turn out to be the lowest ever. There is simply no point voting. The slogans are all there, desperate to catch on and push ‘change’ as if the singular word can disguise the absolute, determined continuation of the exact same policies but they’re all exactly the same.

        They all promise a pack of lies and yet ensure, steadfastly that nothing improves.

        1. Interestingly, Blair's 1997 win was one of the lowest turnouts for 80 years. Despite the talk of 'landslide' he wasn't that popular as supposed. In 2001 it was the lowest turnout since 2018 (59% in 2001 and 54% in 2018). Turnouts usually average in the 70% range. I think his popularity was over-hyped. I think there were a lot of quiet Thatcher supporters but the culture of the time (Ben Elton, HIGNFY etc.) shouted them down.

          Vote Reform. It won't affect tactical voting if you were going to stay home anyway.

          3. Prompted by your post I went back and altered mine. I’d forgotten the actual figures. 59% was exceptionally low and yet his acolytes talk of him as though he was immensely popular. For anyone interested google Statista Voting Turnout for the UK.

  43. Tax and spend Labour? Who knew? The only revelation is that the Conservatives would adopt tax and spend too.

  44. Back from t’market. Thin one today – weather/rain/gloom. Then spent half an hour unblocking the keyhole on the church notice board. Some vile person had stuffed it full of clay. I thought I’d have a word with the village policeman……(those were the days).

    Will shortly light the stove.

    1. Are you sure it was clay ?
      Super glue squirted on a number combination lock is worse.

      1. Yes. It came out with a lot of effort with some wire, a hoover and a screwdriver.

  45. “Now is a sense of change.. if you’re an oppressed puppy.. struggling.. struggling under this chaotic Tory government.. a struggling puppy wrapped in a union jack.. then this election is for you. A local government.. working with a national government.. working together for Wales.”

    The meaningless nasal gushings of Sir Keir of Rotherham addressing the Boyos in Wales.

    1. Sadly the tired ‘call to arms it’s all evil England’s fault’ works because when you’re down, you want someone to blame for it. The Tories closed the steel works, the mines and that will destroy industry.

      There’s nothing else there for young, uneducated – because Labour have run down education precisely because it’s a way out of socialist misery.

      If you don’t understand the problems and don’t have a future as a manual labourer you’re stuffed, stuck on welfare for life. Labour love that, it’s a guaranteed client class. Big state means possibly a job in the council, Labour guarantees a big state.

      That the climate change act is uniparty policy is irrelevant. Starmer has an easy sell to frustrated and unhappy people.

      This has less traction in the South because people are more educated and realise that changing sides won’t change the policies and are the ones paying for the perma-unemployed to have what they cannot afford themselves.

      1. Everybody will vote for free stuff – as long as they don't have to pay for it.

  46. Listening to R4 this morning it’s clear that voters simply don’t care. Most are utterly disenfranchised, none believe either side, few see any real difference between the two parties, they know they’re being lied to and do not see either party making the changes that need to be done. I imagine that’s because they don’t really know what those are.

        2. Yer average onrangutan has an IQ of around 65-75. It has been known for an orangutan in captivity to be given a screwdriver which it examined, hid away and then later used to disassemble its cage.

  48. OT – if you want to spoil an evening – watch (on catch up) ITV’s “Theresa May – the Accidental Prime Minister”

    The woman just lied through her teeth about anything she was asked. Unspeakable, vile creature. Even her (extremely oiky) “Chief of Staff” clearly did not care for her.

    1. Either May was appallingly advised or she was just incompetent. I had hopes she’d be tremendously boring and do almost nothing – which, from government is a good thing.

      Problem is, she called an election not able to read the national mood. She lost any majority she held, wasted masses of our time and money and then took on the party that was already trying to overturn Brexit and gave them a definitive reason to hate her for making them go out in the rain for their jobs for no reason.

      Her party fought her, her country was tired of her, she gave in to the EU – for her own survival.

      She couldn’t tell the difference between politics and government and rather than being the ineffectual bag of fertiliser she should have been she caused no end of damage.

  49. https://x.com/ProfKarolSikora/status/1796073435279352317

    Professor Karol Sikora
    @ProfKarolSikora
    I’ve been attacked by some for highlighting the obscene diversity costs within the NHS.

    My view is clear – this self-sustaining, divisive industry needs to be scrapped, with every penny directed into the pockets of frontline staff.

    When I was in charge of cancer services at Hammersmith Hospital, we treated all fairly and equally.

    Every patient was cared for with the same attention, and staff were hired based on their ability to do the job rather than the colour of their skin. Is that so controversial now?

    Meritocracy should rule.

    Politicians will all claim they’re the ones to cut this waste, but it keeps growing and growing. What can actually be done to stop it? Some of the wages for these diversity roles are quite frankly insulting, not forgetting the vast associated cost and the huge disruption they bring for medical staff actually doing proper work.

    The Conservatives will say they’re the ones to fix it – but who has been in power for 14 years? I am sceptical of new promises, at best.

    Critics of the diversity industry within the health service are hounded and abused as heretics. Sadly, it works and countless individuals within the NHS remain silent. The intimidation tactics are effective.

    In this election, we need an honest conversation about how the NHS is spending our money, because in many cases – it is not spent well.

    1. This is an updated version of the Hippocratic oath .

      I SOLEMNLY PLEDGE to dedicate my life to the service of humanity;
      THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF MY PATIENT will be my first consideration;
      I WILL RESPECT the autonomy and dignity of my patient;
      I WILL MAINTAIN the utmost respect for human life;
      I WILL NOT PERMIT considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing, or any other factor to intervene between my duty and my patient;
      I WILL RESPECT the secrets that are confided in me, even after the patient has died;
      I WILL PRACTISE my profession with conscience and dignity and in accordance with good medical practice;
      I WILL FOSTER the honor and noble traditions of the medical profession;
      I WILL GIVE to my teachers, colleagues, and students the respect and gratitude that is their due;
      I WILL SHARE my medical knowledge for the benefit of the patient and the advancement of healthcare;
      I WILL ATTEND TO my own health, well-being, and abilities in order to provide care of the highest standard;
      I WILL NOT USE my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat;
      I MAKE THESE PROMISES solemnly, freely, and upon my honor.

    2. Half the NHS is a government department: self serving, lazy, unnecessary bureaucracy. The other half is the healthcare side which the other, administrative bit would rather do away with – and the annoying patients because they’re a hinderance to their statistics.

  50. Have any of you noticed Cur Starmers crooked right thumb .. he must be a right handed texter.

    So interesting being a thumb observer , one used to notice firm round male bums , but a neat male bum is quite rare these days , so just examine thumbs , so many, male and female thumbs are at a peculiar angle , texting has ruined many nice fingers specially thumbs .

    I know , I am off topic , but you will be quite surprised by the amount of distorted thumbs in all age groups .

      1. Morning J,
        Neither have I. I have an old iphone 6 , I use it to take photos or use it to stay in contact with family or friends, ,my texting is hopeless.

        In fact typing away on here is a chore .

        Pelting down with rain here , but I am dreading the onset of very hot weather we have been threatened with in a few weeks .

        1. My Samsung phone is four years old and I do use the camera, and also use it as a mini computer. But very rarely do I ever make or answer a call on it.

        2. My typing ability is very minimal. That’s one reason I generally keep my posts short and to the point.

        1. Yes – I get Jonathan’s emails when he makes a new blog post. We didn’t go to the Oxford conference last November, but everyone said it was very good. We went to two in Bristol in earlier years. Oxford is easy to get to but parking is another matter. For the ones in Bristol we were able to park on the Downs and have a short walk. Jonathan is a very good artist.

    3. The Warqueen complains about my gorilla hands. My fingers used to be very long but when I grew up they became not stubby just like saucers.

      I tell her it just makes us better suited for the squeezies.

  53. S.S. Empire Protector.

    Complement:
    38 (5 dead and 33 survivors).
    2,250 tons of cotton, 4,200 tons of cotton seed and 1,252 tons of copper

    At 13.11 hours on 30th May 1941 the unescorted Empire Protector (Master John Cringle) was hit by one of two G7a torpedoes from U-38 (Heinrich Liebe) southwest of Freetown. The ship sank within a few minutes after being hit aft by a G7a coup de grâce at 14.07 hours. Five crew members were lost. The master, 29 crew members and three gunners were picked up by Arundo and landed at Freetown.

    Type IX U-Boat U-38 was scuttled on 5th May 1945 west of Wesermünde. Wreck broken up in 1948.

    https://uboat.net/media/allies/merchants/br/empire_protector.jpg

    2. My backpack (small rucksack) is more than 20 years old and the zip is getting dodgy but it’s served me well and I like it. It’s been all over the world with me as my cabin bag and day kit bag.

  55. 387855+ up ticks,

    Will His type of “politicing” find favour with the majority voter, IMO sadly, very doubtful.

    Andrew Bridgen
    @ABridgen
    I am no longer an MP. Parliament has been dissolved.
    On HS2, the Horizon scandal, infected blood, vaccine harms and much more besides, I have stood up for you for fourteen years.
    Will you stand with me on the 4th of July?
    If you crave REAL change, free thinkers must retain a toe hold in Parliament. Vote Independent.

    https://x.com/ABridgen/status/1796112155927847206

  56. I have a Tumi computer backpack, bought in US in the 90s when I was globetrotting. Not cheap, certainly not £750, but very good value and quality.

    1. He’s a dangerous dickhead. I do hope he suffers a painful/fatal injury during his quest to be noticed.

    2. Well it’s nice to see a little common humanity with others who have a different political opinion for a change.

    1. All personnel who work ‘airside’ are fully aware of the dangers of being near running aircraft engines. An engine can suck you in from quite a height depending on it’s power setting

      1. I would expect it to be a ground worker. Passengers would normally be aboard before the engines got up to any suction.

        I do bow to your superior knowledge of these things though.

      2. Yo Alec

        The RR Spey in the Phantoom could suck One Ton of air through its’ compressor, in one minute.!

        ‘They’ would stand no chance

    3. Should get together with Abbot and Corbyn to form the great “Unwanted by Party” coalition.

    4. Even the surrounding #muslim countries refuse to take them in. We already have enough #terrorists in our country with more arriving every day.
      Oh dear..
      Send this post to EVERY disgusting little runt who supports the #terrorists in #Gaza.
      Hardly worth a deselection?

    6. This kind of thing is hard to believe these days in upside down Clownworld.

    2. Only around 3-4 years ago the reporter on country file blamed a ‘pack of domestic dogs’ on the loss of young lambs in that area. The Plonker.

  61. Well – our new cooker is now installed – very efficient pair of young chaps and they managed to turn quite a large box van on our tight and steep hill. It’s now getting rid of the specks of dust inside. The crud underneath the old one after 24 years was disgusting but I managed to clean it up before they brought the new one in.

    Just have to learn how to use it now! It’s not an all-singing, all-dancing one so hopefully won’t be too difficult.

    1. My method is to press buttons and turn dials and see what happens. I only look at manuals when something goes wrong.

      1. No – we’d already ordered it from Appliances Direct when you mentioned AO. I was a bit pissed off by the wait for installation but they brought it forward from next week and they were very efficient getting the old one out and bringing the new one in. They’d already removed all packaging. All was done and dusted (and cleaned up from the old one) within half an hour. These installers were from Kaboodle.

    3. 387855+ up ticks,

      Afternoon N,

      No problem with ours we just put another log on.

    4. You could start with a can.. can. Soup might be best. I’ll get your apron…

      1. I’m planning a chicken casserole…. hopefully manage that without spilling any or dirtying the very clean new shelves and base.

  62. Sometimes one has to go to the darkest places to sense the mood of the nation (!). Here are a few offerings from a forum in which I like to poke a stick now and then. I couldn’t possibly tell you where it is but it’s not the Garudina.

    Mr A:
    I would have thought the key objective of embracing populism was to become popular. The shambolic Tory Party doesn’t even seem to be able to manage that.

    Mr B’s response:
    It’s right-wing populism. It’s the opposite end of the scale, from the left-wing populism that those associated with Corbyn and what he stands for. So that’s why you still get Owen Jones and Ash Sarkar getting airtime. On the right, Farage gets way too much airtime and the right-wing media seems to adore him. The hard right and hard left both wanted purity after we left the EU and it’s made the country poorer. I’m sure we’re going to see some sort of customs union with the EU if Labour wins big in the GE. The populists will hate this, even though it will almost certainly improve the economy.
    __________________________________

    Mr. C:
    There really has been a massive misjudgment by the Tories. With their rhetoric they have chosen to appeal to the lowest common denominator – the not-very-bright, bit racist, members of the D and E social groups. They have alienated much of their traditional demographic. I am absolutely certain many Tory-minded voters in the Shires are aghast at what the Tory party has become.

    Tories need to choose between being populist and being respectable. Do they give the rabble what they want or do they move back closer to the centre of politics? It certainly looks as if by trying to appease the rabble they have lost their traditional, more moderate voters.

    Populism is about appealing to the prejudices of the unthinking rabble. There just isn’t enough rabble to share out between Reform UK, UKIP and the Tories.
    __________________________________

    Mr D:
    Now it’s the turn of the Tories, but there isn’t really any other right-of-centre party espousing free marketism with social freedom. You’re voting for small-minded nationalism, economic contraction and removal of individual freedoms, or even further right policies.

    These people claim to be the rationalists. They have all thought it through very carefully, being considerate, tolerant and reasonable people. Yet when it comes to immigration, they are the reactionaries. To point out the dangers of large-scale migration is to be labelled a pound-shop Lee Anderson, a far-right knuckle-dragger. Funny that…

    The shires are indeed aghast but not because of the rightward movement that these morally conceited Labour supporters appear to see.

    1. As Mr Blair said in 1997 :

      “I’m a populist prime minister from a minor public school
      I love your adulation so I’ll make Britannia cool
      I’ll toady to your prejudices, wreck the House of Lords
      And if you vote New Labour – you’ll have joined my mindless hordes!”

    2. As Mr Blair said in 1997 :

      “I’m a populist prime minister from a minor public school
      I love your adulation so I’ll make Britannia cool
      I’ll toady to your prejudices, wreck the House of Lords
      And if you vote New Labour – you’ll have joined my mindless hordes!”

  63. Sometimes one has to go to the darkest places to sense the mood of the nation (!). Here are a few offerings from a forum in which I like to poke a stick now and then. I couldn’t possibly tell you where it is but it’s not the Garudina.

    Mr A:
    I would have thought the key objective of embracing populism was to become popular. The shambolic Tory Party doesn’t even seem to be able to manage that.

    Mr B’s response:
    It’s right-wing populism. It’s the opposite end of the scale, from the left-wing populism that those associated with Corbyn and what he stands for. So that’s why you still get Owen Jones and Ash Sarkar getting airtime. On the right, Farage gets way too much airtime and the right-wing media seems to adore him. The hard right and hard left both wanted purity after we left the EU and it’s made the country poorer. I’m sure we’re going to see some sort of customs union with the EU if Labour wins big in the GE. The populists will hate this, even though it will almost certainly improve the economy.
    __________________________________

    Mr. C:
    There really has been a massive misjudgment by the Tories. With their rhetoric they have chosen to appeal to the lowest common denominator – the not-very-bright, bit racist, members of the D and E social groups. They have alienated much of their traditional demographic. I am absolutely certain many Tory-minded voters in the Shires are aghast at what the Tory party has become.

    Tories need to choose between being populist and being respectable. Do they give the rabble what they want or do they move back closer to the centre of politics? It certainly looks as if by trying to appease the rabble they have lost their traditional, more moderate voters.

    Populism is about appealing to the prejudices of the unthinking rabble. There just isn’t enough rabble to share out between Reform UK, UKIP and the Tories.
    __________________________________

    Mr D:
    Now it’s the turn of the Tories, but there isn’t really any other right-of-centre party espousing free marketism with social freedom. You’re voting for small-minded nationalism, economic contraction and removal of individual freedoms, or even further right policies.

    These people claim to be the rationalists. They have all thought it through very carefully, being considerate, tolerant and reasonable people. Yet when it comes to immigration, they are the reactionaries. To point out the dangers of large-scale migration is to be labelled a pound-shop Lee Anderson, a far-right knuckle-dragger. Funny that…

    The shires are indeed aghast but not because of the rightward movement that these morally conceited Labour supporters appear to see.

  65. Poor old Beeb – all employees have been ordered to attend Diane Abbott Fan Club rallies and double the output of propaganda supporting her re-instalment as Labour MP for ‘Akney Norf’ and Stark Ravington. How could Starmer be so stupid as to oppose the return of a Marxist-Leninist Leftie with such a glorious career in denigrating White Brits, Christians and anti-gay scum with such vigour and determination? Beats me!

      1. Tom Lehrer is still alive and in his 90s.

        He wrote National Brotherhood Week over half a century ago.

        Oh, the Protestants hate the Catholics
        And the Catholics hate the Protestants
        And the Hindus hate the Moslems
        And everybody hates the Jews

        1. Just as a point of note, I am not prejudiced against anyone.

          I dislike them all equally as much.

    2. It’s a pity that Sir Keir Starmer has not allowed Ms Abbott to stand. Whoever the Labour candidate is will almost certainly be elected but, in the meantime and with Ms Abbott canvassing, it would remind voters of the awful nature of what they would get with a Labour government. Maybe Starmer isn’t stupid but quite astute in this case.

    3. I saw her on BBC Breakfast this morning giving a speech yesterday. Her hand was shaking badly whilst holding a microphone. It looked very much like Parkinson’s Disease.

  66. France stands as a chilling warning for the UK today
    In 1981, I made a terrible error by voting for the Left because the Right was tired. We’re still paying the price
    ANNE-ELISABETH MOUTET : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/05/30/france-stands-as-chilling-warning-for-uk-today/

    From her article:

    “Mitterrand …………. decided to abolish private schools: but there, he came across the brick wall of stubborn parents. In 1984, two million people marched calmly in the streets of Paris and other cities, and the reform was withdrawn. ”

    BTL

    There was rather more to it than that. The teachers in private schools decided that they would give up teaching altogether rather than teach in state schools and the owners of the school property said they would not allow the state to use their premises.
    Mitterrand realised that the whole French school system would collapse and decided to climb down.

    Let us hope Starmer and the British public learn from this and Starmer cancels his lunatic policy before irreparable damage is done to the British educational system.

    1. Starmer loves it because it appeals to his evil Left wing chums who all hate the idea of someone else benefitting from what they did.

      His voter base love it because it means that nasty whitey is punished.

      The state loves it because big fat state hates any form of competition or freedom of choice.

      Unions love it because it’s more hostages.

      The only losers are the children and big fat state hasn’t given a rats for them for decades. Children, like patients are an annoyance to the machine.

      1. His voter base love it because it means that nasty whitey is punished.

        In fact there are more and more non-whiteys in private schools.

        Soon they’ll become like four star hotels – exclusively full of non-whiteys!

    2. I think it is illegal to impose VAT on one charity sector and not on others.
      That should get OxFam etc…. screaming.

  67. 387855+ up ticks,

    Good question,

    We can begin by putting “The Beginnings” into action, that should have happened four decades ago.
    Old Kippo knew what he was on about I believe he was a founder member ( a fruitcake) of the genuine UKIP.

    It was not part of their blood, It came to them very late With long arrears to make good, When the English began to hate. They were not easily moved, …

    Jarl Clausen
    @ijclausen
    What do we do when they deliberately threaten our existence?

    It is fundamentally important to accept that the profiteers from the outdated fear-based biomedical model possess no mercy in their pursuit of needs. This requires that we if we are to meet them and stop their relentless appearance/behaviour, respond with the only thing they understand, and that is our relentlessness in stopping their destructive behaviour.

    If we do not dare to meet them with the only thing they understand, which is counter-power, then we ourselves are pushed into the senseless, and then we eventually give up.

  68. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/05/30/reform-migrant-tax-employers-national-insurance/

    Aaaaarrrgggghhhhh!!!

    These stupid people! Taxing folk who are hiring or have hired someone is stupid. It’s firstly a tax on customers, secondly will do nothing to solve the damned problem. We WANT people who work to come here. The problem isn’t them. It’s the ones who do bugger all except consume other people’s money.

    Address the problem – welfare. Stop giving them free houses. For the illegals revoke landing permission. Ireland’s done it, we should do the same. Don’t even let them get here. Tow the criminals back.

    Destroy the lure. Scrap child benefit. Just stop sodding well paying people to damned well breed. End housing benefit as well. House prices will fall when the state can’t buy half of them with someone else’s money and peple can’t buy them/rent them for £1200 a month but can for £800.

    Stop fiddling about with interest rates. Lock the currency to a precious metal or better yet, blockchain. That’ll force big useless government to radically expand energy production – in so doing close multiple government departments, cut taxes, raise the tax threshold sna sod the hell off.

    The solution is LESS state, not more.

    1. All very sensible, but nobody in the establishment is listening. With the likelihood of a Labour government there is absolutely no chance of change. Well change for the better.

      1. No one in government would bother to listen to me. I don’t blame them, *I* don’t listen to me.

        The problem is, good politics is bad government, good government is bad politics. We’ve bad government and appalling politicians.

        Our entire system of government needs to change to remove both. The state must be constrained, prevented, forever from doing anything without public approval. Conversely the public needs a damned good kicking to be reminded that it has a duty to be informed, aware and involved.

        I bang this drum but I do believe only net tax payers (past or present) should have the vote UNLESS you can prove social good. Folk who contribute to society should have a say in it. The house wife who supports her husband should have a say if she picks up litter from her road. Who shouldn’t is Kevin the Chav in his pringles tube broken fiat punto.

    2. All very sensible, but nobody in the establishment is listening. With the likelihood of a Labour government there is absolutely no chance of change. Well change for the better.

    1. No fat people there, either.

      I was 10 when I first saw a black person – she was a nurse and I was a patient. Just had my appendix out. I was reading Alice in Wonderland. She said “That’s a children’s book” I replied “I am a child”.

    2. Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive
      But to be young was very heaven!

    3. I was in Malaya, jungle training, felt very much at home.
      Not much diversity in those days was there.

    4. in the clip you’ll see a shop called Mates.. which then became Etam (Mates spelt backwards).. then along came Sir Philip Green and Hong Kong’s merchandising arm Arcadia. That ended well.

    5. Fun fact.. the accompanying tune didn’t have a copyright so the royalties went to the song’s “Arranger”.. and since six names couldn’t be crammed onto a 45 they opted to put one only, and following alphabetical order it went to A.. Alan Price. Who promptly legged it and has been counting the do$h ever since.

      1. I don’t think he legged it, but it did cause resentment! Eric Burden was the nephew of a lady we knew very well, as she started work at 14 as a housemaid for my grandmother! She was a huge part of my life, and lived in Sourmilk Hill Lane!

    6. I worked in Safeway’s in King’s Road on Saturdays in 1967. It was a sight to behold (the passers-by, not me).

        1. Red hat? I was only 15, so couldn’t afford to be as stylish as the people in the film!

  71. Just back from the Vet. Dolly has a heart murmer. She is having a scan tomorrow and may need meds @ £55 a month. :@(

        1. It is more common in small dogs. The scan will tell a lot. Thinking of you.💕

          1. Thanks. My neighbour recently spent £18,000 on rebuilding hers cats jaw after a road accident. Only £7,000 was covered by insurance.
            If Dolly need that sort of treatment it would be…bye bye Dolly.

            The Vet said the the meds from the practice would cost £55 a month. She also said that she could write me a prescription @ £23 for 6 months and i could get them online. The online price is £14.50 for 50 tablets.

          4. Just moggies. She got two from the rescue. She had only had them six months. If it were me it would have been lethal injection time.

          6. I would recommend either VioVet or Animed for your orders.
            My vet will only write a prescription for 2 months.
            Thanks to your comment, I have checked and it can be 3 – 6 months.
            I have fired off an email to our practice politely asking if this is a change of official policy.
            One of the locum vets did write a 3 month prescription, but that was frowned on and I was given to understand it was a mistake.
            Watch this space.

          7. Vets are allowed to prescribe for up to 6 months at a time, which means that if, say each pack of pills covers a month or so, you can order them a pack at a time from online pharmacies until the prescription expires (6 months from its issue, or until it is filled, whichever is earlier). Thus you can spread the cost without repeatedly paying the iniquitous sum charged these days for writing a prescription. You then have to shell out for a new prescription from the vet at extortionate cost to cover the next 6 months. Online medications are less than half the cost of those obtained directly from the Vet.

    2. Oh no – that’s not good news. Was it a routine check-up or was she poorly?

  72. OT – request for help.

    We have a touchscreen radio in the car. Worked very well until a few days ago. Now it doesn’t. Car is seven years old. One can buy replacement screens. Fitting is the “issue”. Various You-Tubes sow one just how straightforward effing difficult it is.

    Anyone who is NOT skilled tried to do it? If so – any tips most welcome.

    1. Is the touchscreen one that does all the other car stuff (satnav, display controls, car handbook etc.) I know it might be expensive to get a garage to deal with it but my advice is not to try it yourself. It will likely need to be programmed etc, which unless you have all the gear and software, is a nightmare for those not intimately familiar with it.

    2. If it is a Skoda, you could join the (free) user group Briskoda. Most other marques have user groups.

    5. I don't have anything as sophisticated as a touch screen, but I have had two pieces of equipment (laptop and iphone) that died and then, when I took them to be repaired, miraculously resurrected themselves! I felt a right prat.

  73. Perhaps Diane Abbott should “identify” as a slammer. Be no problem about her being an official liebour candidate then.

      1. John McTernan – Thick as porcine excrement – same IQ as his beloved Diane . . . single figures.

          2. Poking around looking for racism when he should look at dear Diane and her nasty race-baiting bigotry!

  74. I went to a facy dress party recently dressed as a harp,when I told the hostess she said “Impossible you’re far too small”
    Incensed I replied “Are you calling me a lyre”
    I’ll get me coat…………

  75. Biden ‘edging towards’ U-turn on striking Russia. 30 May 2024.

    Anonymous US officials told the New York Times that a change in Mr Biden’s position is “inevitable” as the views of Nato members gradually shift.

    The US president has long resisted calls to authorise Ukraine to use US weapons inside of Russia in retaliatory strikes, fearing it could escalate into a direct conflict with Vladimir Putin.

    Approving the use of US weapons would give Ukraine the ability to aim directly at artillery and missile sites, circumventing Russia’s upper hand.

    In the last few weeks I have turned to a sort of On the Beach attitude. The end is coming and there is nothing I can do about any of it so why worry? Just relax. Lean back and enjoy myself so far as is possible at my age.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/05/30/ukraine-russia-war-live-nato-has-just-5-of-air-defences-to/

  76. Biden ‘edging towards’ U-turn on striking Russia. 30 May 2024.

    Anonymous US officials told the New York Times that a change in Mr Biden’s position is “inevitable” as the views of Nato members gradually shift.

    The US president has long resisted calls to authorise Ukraine to use US weapons inside of Russia in retaliatory strikes, fearing it could escalate into a direct conflict with Vladimir Putin.

    Approving the use of US weapons would give Ukraine the ability to aim directly at artillery and missile sites, circumventing Russia’s upper hand.

    In the last few weeks I have turned to a sort of On the Beach attitude. The end is coming and there is nothing I can do about any of it so why worry? Just relax. Lean back and enjoy myself so far as is possible at my age.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/05/30/ukraine-russia-war-live-nato-has-just-5-of-air-defences-to/

      1. Afternoon Ndovu. I don’t think that we are going to be given a choice.

    4. These people are utter feckwits – sitting in the powder magazine, giggling inanely and chucking lighted matches around!

    5. Keep calling Putins bluff and someday soon someone in the chain of command will press the big red button.

  77. I’ve just noticed my repetition! Sorry Aeneas! I mustn’t sound board!

    2. "Jon Sopel: Car park enthusiast": does anyone know what lies behind this barb?

  82. A tacky Bogey Five?

    Wordle 1,076 5/6
    ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
    ⬜🟩🟨⬜⬜
    🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩
    🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    1. If you think, “surely not”, you can bet your life it is!

      Wordle 1,076 4/6

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

    2. A bit close here.

      Wordle 1,076 6/6

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

    3. Epic fail…. Bugger…. stupid effing word….

      Wordle 1,076 X/6

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

  83. 387855+ up ticks,

    What the hell has happened to my town ?

    Whats the problem, this is a fine example of a lab/lib/con coalition vote coming to fruition

    What has happened to Bournemouth? How series of horrific sex attacks and murders are casting a shadow over the once ‘enchanting’ seaside resort that has gone from jewel in the UK’s coastal crown to crime hotspot

    https://x.com/LeilaniDowding/status/1796203125776241101

      1. 387855+ up ticks,

        Evening Pip,
        I really don’t know what causes doctors, nurses, and nuclear scientist to act that way.

  84. – Just had three local farm sausages, mash, runner beans, broccoli and thick gravy.
    They were their Irish pork sausage recipe with garlic and black pepper they said, as they were out of their traditional variety.
    I’m now in a sausage coma

  85. Here’s Network Rail using a giant Meccano set last year to replace the steel spans of Barmouth Bridge. Lifting the spans into place from a boat or pontoon would have been very difficult and dependent on weather and tides. Instead, they were assembled on site and rolled into position on a specially constructed low-loading wagon. Genuinely clever stuff.

    Who says the UK can’t do engineering any more?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCyW_jtq27M

    More here with a longer video:
    https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/celebration-as-network-rail-completes-four-year-gbp-30m-restoration-of-iconic-barmouth-viaduct

    3. I find films like that fascinating.
      If it had been explained when we were at school that maths had a use (other than filling in 35 minute slot in the school timetable) I would have stuck at it.

  86. That's me for today. Raining hard – and Keith The Builder's lash up was only 50% successful. Water still coming in at one end of the gable. Bugger.

    Time to try to get over the visisiistudes problems by having a glass of something alcoholic.

    Have a jolly evening trying to stay warm (and dry).

    A demain.

    1. Prosit, Bill. There is a mug available that states, "coffee keeps me going until it's respectable to drink wine" 🙂

        1. Just watching Rick Stein in Palermo cooking Chicken Marsala. Very 70’s. Fancy a steak, Diane?
          Just increased my grocery order !
          Why don’t you add ink to the leak? You will see where it is coming from then. Obviously you will need to redecorate but..hey !

          2. I wasn’t old enough to go to restaurants in the 70’s but the dishes from that time remain firm favourites of mine. Rather than Marengo i prefer chicken à la Provençale. Love the herbs.

          4. I know. Watching some of his early TV he makes some fundamental errors. Pressure of filming i suppose and the people doing the editing didn’t know any better. Still, unlike Oliver, he’s an affable chap.

    3. Raining hard Bill, never .

      It rained this morning , for 20mts , then we have had to put up with a stiff drying warm wind , and Moh is busy WATERING the garden now . Plants are crying out for a drink .

      I blame our chalky soil , and also although we have thrown compost in and churned the soil around , I miss peat , it retains moisture and the plants in the pots and big containers thrived .

      If they can burn peat in Scotland and Ireland and Wales to keep warm , why can't we use peat to nurture our gardens .

  87. Evening, all. There is something missing from that statement of tax and spend policy. The missing word is "waste".

  89. Good evening from Audrey and I, I'm back from helping out and estranged relative, back for quite a few days actually. So I thought I'd pop by and say hello before dashing off hiding from general election stuff . I hope you're all in fine fettle.
    Has anyone seen the Squire around- i fear he's become like Mr Toad and has been enjoying driving in his car fast over the 20mph limits ) and has found himself imprisoned within Harlech Castle dungeon by mad lefties. Either that or he's just away and not online – but I prefer the idea of him in a dungeon battling cyclists and vegans 😇😁

  90. Been cloudy and raining all day, but solar panels have been working well; Batteries at 99%

  91. Watching England Pakistan T20 match on BBC, didn't know they were going to televise it. Amazing how many Pakistanis have flown over to support their team. Oh!

    3. I'm watching as I type this but you've got it wrong – it's being beamed in from Islamabad – it might get a bit tasty when we stuff them!

  92. Oh, how I larfed!

    Former Conservative MP Mark Logan has said he is backing Labour at the next general election, saying the party could "bring back optimism into British life".

    In an exclusive interview with BBC News, Mr Logan, who represented Bolton North East for the Tories until Parliament dissolved on Thursday, said Labour had been on a "journey" and now offered "centrist politics".

    A Conservative Party spokesman said: "Much of the association wanted him deselected for inactivity and his failure to be present in Bolton for extended periods of time. And he's been asking No 10 for a peerage."

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/…

    Meanwhile…

    Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of carrying out a purge of left-wing candidates ahead of the selection deadline for the general election.

    The Labour leader denies this but some in his party don't believe him.

    "This factional, vindictive behaviour is designed to humiliate socialist candidates as well as block them," said Beth Winter.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/…

    Even without Corbyn, Abbott and the other two that I've never heard of, the Labour Party is much further to the left than the Tories are to the right, an accusation made on the basis of the Rwanda nonsense. Everything else is straight out of the Blair era.

    2. So he’s a crook, on the take and has turned coat for the trough. Pretty much par for the course for the modern era of MP.

  93. Oh, how I larfed!

    Former Conservative MP Mark Logan has said he is backing Labour at the next general election, saying the party could "bring back optimism into British life".

    In an exclusive interview with BBC News, Mr Logan, who represented Bolton North East for the Tories until Parliament dissolved on Thursday, said Labour had been on a "journey" and now offered "centrist politics".

    A Conservative Party spokesman said: "Much of the association wanted him deselected for inactivity and his failure to be present in Bolton for extended periods of time. And he's been asking No 10 for a peerage."

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/…

    Meanwhile…

    Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of carrying out a purge of left-wing candidates ahead of the selection deadline for the general election.

    The Labour leader denies this but some in his party don't believe him.

    "This factional, vindictive behaviour is designed to humiliate socialist candidates as well as block them," said Beth Winter.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/…

    Even without Corbyn, Abbott and the other two that I've never heard of, the Labour Party is much further to the left than the Tories are to the right, an accusation made on the basis of the Rwanda nonsense. Everything else is straight out of the Blair era.

  94. Disqus has changed again. The input box applies formatting as you type. It also removes carriage returns from text you cut and paste.

    Beware!

  96. A bit of a good start this morning. DT & self were up and about early as the two S@Hs were leaving for a weekend at an event down near Ledbury, meeting up with t’Lad.
    After they’d gone and we had another mug of tea, we went shopping in Belper, mainly for fruit & veg at the greengrocer’s, then up to the Co-op for a few items.
    And then the weather could not decide what it was going to do, but at least I got some mushroom trays filled up with sticks from the chopsaw before the forecast rain eventually arrived.
    And after that, not a great deal more!

    1. Yes, very poignant – the pithead baths is a supermarket now…….
      Saw him live once – he was excellent value and very Rugby-centric which suited me!

  100. FINGERS CROSSED!
    Just had a phone call from Stepson’s phone!
    His neighbours have been getting worried so one with a spare key went in and found him conscious but unresponsive on the bed and called the ambulance and have just called me on his own phone.
    Just had a long chat with para-medic, who yet again are picking up the detritus from “Don’t give a fucking shite in the Community” and I’m hoping he’s about to be sectioned again.

    1. Oh, man, Bob.
      Don't know how to help… Fingers crossed you can get a good solution.

    2. Being taken into hospital for assessment.
      Apparently, the medications I picked up for him yesterday are untouched which surprises me as he’s a history of “binging” on his meds.

      2. Let's hope they'll keep him in and give you a bit of respite. At least you'll know a) where he is, b) what he's doing and c) (hopefully) that he's being looked after.

      3. Please settle down , have a mug of tea , listen to your music and relax .

        There is nothing you can do , and you have exceeded your self with care and kindness .

        Please let go for at least 24 hours , more if necessary . You have your own health problems , and what on earth will happen if YOU suffer from something unexpected .

        What will be will be .

        Let the NHS deal with him for a while .

        Sorry to sound harsh , but he is not a child . Compassion is there but you matter ..

    3. Oh … Jesus H …. what DOES it take for the NHS/Social Services to take these things seriously!
      And just bloody well keep him in an asylum.
      There was a reason WHY they were called asylums.
      The Victorians didn't pussy foot around with airy fairy theories.

      1. We think alike Anne , Bob's problems with his stepson are exhausting to read .

        The NHS need to take over and deal with him .

        I am sure as hell in my day , nearly every one who was mentally ill was given ECT or a lobotomy , or a series of injections .. but they were well treated , cared for and monitored .

        There were several "trick cyclists" who were well thought of but were an enigma to the rest of the medical profession.

    4. Without wanting to sound an arse, his neighbours did care and did respond. Care in the community was always a silly idea – my brother can't live outside of his little village (there's 7 little cottages and the wardens flat).

  104. AEP has had an electrode inserted in his brain…
    _______________________________________________

    What happens when a Labour Britain meets a semi-fascist Europe?

    Right-wing movements across the Continent are upturning the political landscape

    AMBROSE EVANS-PRITCHARD • 30 May 2024 • 6:31pm

    Europe is lurching angrily towards the hard-Right. There is a whiff of the early 1930s across the Continent.

    "Look around at the fascination for authoritarian regimes. Look at the illiberal moment that we are living. There is a bad wind blowing in Europe," said France's Emmanuel Macron this week in Dresden.

    The political centre is buckling everywhere. Marine le Pen's Rassemblement is running at 33pc in the polls in France, double the tally of his diminished Renaissance Party. A hard-Right coalition now runs the Netherlands, beholden to the incendiary iconoclast Geert Wilders.

    An anti-Davos front of Right-wing movements and culture warriors is expected to win a quarter of the vote for the European Parliament on June 9. "Unless the opinion polls have got it very wrong, next month's elections will trigger a massively disruptive blame game within the EU," said Giles Merritt, head of the Friends of Europe in Brussels.

    The convulsion will turn the political landscape upside down and shatter long-standing alliances. "Frantic searches for scapegoats threaten to change the face of the European Union in the eyes of the world as well as at home. This upset risks alarming consequences," he said.

    Britain's political centre has, by contrast, returned to rude good health. One mild-mannered gentleman will hand over power to another such gentleman in early July. The kingdom's cleansing constitutional system will then deliver five years of national political renewal from the centre-Left.

    Whether or not the politicians, professors, commentators, think tanks, tweeters and good citizens of the British Left realise it, their reflexive europhilia has become absurd. A profound realignment is going to reopen frozen pietistic debate over Brexit.

    "Hard-core Remainers are going to be very peeved about what is actually happening in their beautiful Europe," said Yanis Varoufakis, enfant terrible of the Athens Spring in 2015 and now campaigning on a radical ticket in Greece.

    "Europe is in a structural process of economic desertification and cannot even afford its farm policy any more. It is a black hole and the distance between the EU's propaganda and reality has never been so large," he said.

    Professor Costas Lapavitsas, an economist at London University School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and author of The Left Case Against The EU, says British progressives have never understood that the EU is a Right-leaning corporatist construct, which has hardwired anti-Keynesian policies into the legal Acquis.

    Nor do they understand that the European Court is a "veritable machine for the relentless application of neoliberal ideology". But a Right-wing landslide in the elections is hard to ignore.

    "Europe is entering a very dark place. There is an authoritarian drift everywhere and democratic institutions are becoming empty shells," said prof Lapavitsas.

    "A second lost decade is already shaping up to be even worse than the last one, and fiscal austerity has hardly begun. You are seeing the deindustrialisation of Northern France. The German car industry is being blown out of the water," he said.

    Britain is neither in a better nor worse economic shape but it has a superior political immune system. The country is starting to look like a reassuring liberal oasis, while Europe looks ever more like a menagerie of reformed fascists, proto-fascists, and actual fascists. Woe betide the woke.

    "Britain could become an example for Europe if Keir Starmer gets it right," said prof Lapavitsas. One might argue that a successful Labour Brexit poses a greater threat to the EU's ideological project than a Tory Brexit could ever do.

    The New York Times will have to change its tune. It cannot keep conflating Trumpism with the entirely different sociology of Brexit Britain. "Their coverage has been caricature. They have portrayed Britain as a horrible, extremist, anti-foreigner country when that is clearly not the case," said prof Anand Menon, director of the UK in a Changing Europe.

    "We do integration pretty damn well compared to most countries in Europe. The European Commission is very white, and it became even whiter when we left," he said.

    Hitherto, the EU's hard-Right parties have been no more than Balkanised protest groups in Strasbourg. They may soon coalesce into the second biggest bloc of Euro-MPs. Marine Le Pen and Italy's Giorgia Meloni are in tentative merger talks for a "big tent" alliance.

    The two dominant groupings would then be the Right (European People's Party) and the hard-Right, together dominating EU legislation and shaping the new Commission. You can kiss goodbye to what remains of Ursula von der Leyen's green deal.

    You can also kiss goodbye to eurobonds or fiscal union, needed to back up the euro. Monetary union will remain the same half-built structure, stumbling from crisis to crisis with each cycle until the Franco-German divergence in debt ratios reaches snapping-point.

    It has long been an article of faith on the British Left that this country needs European directives to curate our farms and forests, or to safeguard worker rights, or to prevent the roll-back of women's liberation, or to stop us misbehaving in one way or another. Can that mental framework survive what is coming?

    "I think the EU is going to start looking very foreign and unattractive to people in Britain. I'm actually quite worried about it," said Andrew Duff, a former Member of the European Parliament and doyen of British federalists in Brussels.

    Mr Duff said the EU has become "extremely introverted" as the world moves on. It is overinterpreting soft polls that point to a large Rejoiner majority. "They all take it for granted that Britain will have to come crawling back. I have to tell them, honestly darling, that is not how it is across the Channel," he said.

    Professor Menon said Sir Keir Starmer will ooze enthusiasm for the European Political Community at Blenheim Palace on July 18. He will seek stylistic deals on school trips and something on vet standards.

    But he will not rejoin the customs union, or the single market, or accept dynamic alignment under the European Court of Justice, for all the obvious reasons. The Norway model of EU membership without a vote will never fly.

    Labour will have to deal with Brussels on a string of intractable issues. Level-playing field clauses in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement deal could set off a dispute at any time. The accord comes up for review in 2025 and that will be an irksome replay of Brexit talks, with the EU still thinking it can behave like a hegemon.

    "The EU is not going to soft-pedal for Starmer. Labour thinks it can bend EU rules if it packages everything from data to climate and migration as security. But that is nonsense. There is going to be a sobering moment for Labour," said prof Menon.

    The difference this time is that Brussels can no longer play off the Tories against Labour. Britain's metropolitan elites will at last have skin in the game. It will be their leader facing Brussels – not Boris, not Rishi, not the Tories. They will have no incentive to keep talking down the British economy.

    The EU is itself now facing mortal danger from Russia, and front-line EU states know that it would be even worse had Britain not stepped in from the start when others were still playing footsie with Putin.

    Nor is the UK so vulnerable to pressure anymore. It has already been through the adjustment shock of Brexit. Supply chains have adapted. Britain has joined the Pacific trade pact (CPTPP), the world's biggest and fastest-growing free trade bloc, a regulatory rival that will not bow to EU dictates.

    Europe has in the meantime continued its economic vanishing act, trailing behind Asia and a resurgent America. Labour's Rachel Reeves takes her cue from Washington, inspired by the turbo-charged growth of the Inflation Reduction Act. She has yet to show any interest in the European stagnation model.

    Prof Lapavitsas said a new reality has crept up on Europe that is evident to anybody with a larger world view. The EU matters even less than it did a decade ago. "It is already irrelevant on the global scene," he said.

    Labour can find other fish to fry.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk…
    _______________________________

    1. A whiff of the early thirties? Look at your own repressive laws (and while you're at it, read the koran).

    2. The electorates in Europe are merely voting against the globalist control and agenda that has been inflicted on them through their mainstream parties, no matter if they are left or right.
      It's a big mistake to call voters far right for merely voting for nation state democratic self determination.
      It is the old establishment that has moved towards totalitarian extremism.

      Writers like Pilchard are the extremists

      1. The way the free world all reacted to Covid ( except Sweden) in a very similar way tells you all you need to know.

    3. Lefties are weird. They view anything that normal people want as fascist, yet ignore that they are the cause and source of all evil.

      1. I genuinely believe lefties are wired differently .

        They live in alternative worlds to many, they have not studied history properly , they know nothing about communism or socialism ..

        Socialism is, broadly speaking, a political and economic system in which property and the means of production are owned in common, typically controlled by the state or government. Socialism is based on the idea that common or public ownership of resources and means of production leads to a more equal society.

        The main difference is that under communism, most property and economic resources are owned and controlled by the state (rather than individual citizens); under socialism, all citizens share equally in economic resources as allocated by a democratically-elected government.

        (I love Google )

        1. There was a blithering idiot on GB News who openly said she wanted to destroy capitalism and push communism. She was supposedly on to talk about why she supported killing Jews but she, like the rest of the rentamob just want their own way.

          The interviewer said 'why don't you move to a communist country then'. She said 'because I want it here.'

          Which is about as insane as it gets. Destroying this country to force communism would not suddenly have her get more of other people's money to spend on shoes and frothy coffee. There would be no rich people and then there would be no shoes and she, like all her waster friends would die because they think food comes from Fortnum and Mason, not farms.

  105. Kneelalot wedded to tax and spend. Of course he is, he's a Socialist. Mind you, today the following from Hunt, the instinctively low tax Chancellor by his own admission:

    “I can’t predict exactly what’s going to happen on every single tax but if you look at my record as Chancellor I have started to bring down the overall tax burden… I’m not going to write every single budget of the next Parliament but I can tell you that our direction of travel will be to bring taxes down.”

    So, more tax hikes then…

    1. https://order-order.com/2024/05/30/tories-wont-rule-out-tax-rises-either/

      Guido’s not sure Hunt should be encouraging voters to look at his record:

      Increase in income tax rate in October 2022.
      Council tax measures Autumn Statement 2022.
      Income tax/National Insurance thresholds frozen Autumn Statement 2022.
      Inheritance tax threshold freeze Autumn Statement 2022.
      Income tax Dividend Allowance reduced Autumn Statement 2022.
      Income tax additional rate threshold reduced Autumn Statement 2022.
      Capital Gains Tax reduced annual exempt amount Autumn Statement 2022.
      National Insurance employer threshold frozen Autumn Statement 2022.
      VAT registration threshold frozen Autumn Statement 2022.
      Individual Savings Accounts: maintain annual subscription limit at £20,000 for 2023-24 Budget 2023.
      Starting rate limit for savings income: maintain at £5,000 for 2023-24 Budget 2023.

    1. Good for them. About time these idiots got a kicking. They cause trouble whereever they go.

      On a side note, I walked a friend's German Shepherd. Mongo is big and can easily pull, but this fellow was so much stronger and more active it wasn't funny. Junior can walk Mongo – he's that placid. The Shepherd was a struggle!

  108. So Piers Morgan on QT this evening made an argument against leaving the EU based on the fact that mass immigration has rocketed particularly since 2019 and that we do not have control of our borders.

    So how does he explain mass immigration rocketing within the EU over the same period and how would we be any different if we were still in the EU, they appear to have no control either.

    The only explanation for mass immigration here and in the EU at the same time must be that there is some higher supreme authority or agenda lording it over us all and neither of us has the political strength or will to put a stop to it, no matter who we vote for.

    It is almost as if immigration is no longer a power that is controlled at a nation state level and our parliaments are just like a local council of old.

    1. The state is using massive uncontrolled gimmigration as a weapon to punish those who voted to leave the EU. It's pure spite.

      The government knows there are laws that could be repealed to halt the flood and return the criminal vermin to france. They just refuse to implement them.

        1. Yes, so neerrr.

          Given the anti EU sentiment from the public it seems to eurocrats are desperate to bring in as many aliens as possible to create a grateful voting block. I don't know why the flood gates have opened so wide. I can only put it down to spite.

    3. Fiona Bruce is so woke and leftie , her bias is appalling , and that idiotic Bishop of Dover should shut her holy mouth .

      Wes Streeting is a weirdo , I reckon he has form .. seriously a dark past.

  109. The Disqus editor is ******. The AEP article I copied from the DT had a line missing. I put it back in and saved it, whereupon every line break disappeared. I copied the whole piece back in and applied block quote. The editor applied block quote to each line with a gap before the next.

    That's roobish, that is!

    1. Yes, there's clearly something truly nasty wrong with it. I looked at the javascript and it's a complete mess trying to do more than just show the text.

  110. Here we go with the "We woz robbed" reactions. The Jury in Trumps latest trial have apparently reached a verdict and are now doing the paperwork.

    Announcement due in about twenty minutes.

    1. – If Trump is guilty then more votes for him
      If Trump is not guilty then more votes for him

      1. So far guilty on 28 counts, not guilty on zero.

        More votes for Trump.
        Roll on the appeal. Democrats get their wish and keep trump away from campaigning.

        1. It was inevitable. The Left could never permit him to succeed. The entire farago was designed to stop him. The Left are that frightened they'll do anything – just as they always have.

    2. Considering the trial was deliberately held in an anti Trump city, the judge carefully ensured, the jury is going to be utterly biased and will find against him. He will not be getting a fair trial. The Left couldn't chance it.

  112. From Coffee House, the Spectator

    Donald Trump found guilty
    Comments Share 30 May 2024, 10:34pm
    Ajury delivered a guilty verdict Thursday on all thirty-four felony counts of falsifying business records in former president Donald Trump’s ‘hush money’ trial.

    The jury deliberated for just a couple of days before returning its verdict, although they did go back to the judge several times asking for a re-read of the instructions and testimony from former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and National Enquirer publisher David Pecker.

    Trump was in the courtroom when the verdict was returned, as was Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the charges. According to the New York Times’s Jesse McKinley, reporting from the scene, ‘He is largely expressionless, a glum look on his face, as ‘guilty’ has just been heard thirty-four times.’

    ‘This was a disgrace, this was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt,’ Trump told reporters outside the courtroom. ‘The real verdict is going to be 5 November by the people. They know what happened here. Everyone knows what happened here.’

    ‘I’m a very innocent man,’ he said, before pivoting to a stump speech. ‘This is far from over,’ he concluded. Immediately afterwards, a Trump campaign email blast announced, ‘I was just convicted in a rigged trial!’ It reads:

    BREAKING FROM TRUMP: I AM A POLITICAL PRISONER!

    Is this the end of America? I was just convicted in a RIGGED political Witch Hunt trial: I DID NOTHING WRONG!

    They’ve raided my home, arrested me, took my mugshot, AND NOW THEY’VE JUST CONVICTED ME!

    Trump is the first US president to ever be convicted of a crime.

  114. Good Night, chums. Sleep well, and hopefully see you all tomorrow, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

  115. Well take my trousers off and call me Shirley. I don't know why, or for what reason but I can now paste text and links.

    On that note I am going to bed. Night all.

  116. Good night All 😴 – it's been a strange day day. New cooker taking a bit of getting used to – dinner was a bit late by the time I got the temperature right (or nearly).
    I hate this new Disqus style – there was areason I stuck to the old one.

  118. Another day is done so, I wish you a goodnight and may God bless you all, Gentlefolk. Bis morgen früh. If we ae spared!

    1. ' Morning, Geoff and thank you for all your care you have lavished on us, on our behalf.

Comments are closed.