Thursday 9 March: If Gary Lineker wants to be a political pundit, he should leave the BBC

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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

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

540 thoughts on “Thursday 9 March: If Gary Lineker wants to be a political pundit, he should leave the BBC”

  1. Good morrow, Gentlefolks, today’s puns.

    Punography – you want puns?

    You get puns.

    · I tried to catch some fog. I mist.

    · When chemists die, they barium.

    · Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.

    · I know a guy who’s addicted to brake fluid. He says he can stop any time.

    · How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it.

    · I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me.

    · This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I’d never met herbivore.

    · I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. I can’t put it down.

    · I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.

    · They told me I had type A blood, but it was a type-O.

    · A dyslexic man walks into a bra.

    · Why were the Indians in the USA first? They had reservations.

    · Class trip to the Coca-Cola factory– I hope there’s no pop quiz.

    · The Energizer bunny arrested and charged with battery.

    · The old man didn’t like his beard at first. Then it grew on him.

    · Did you hear about the cross-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn’t control her pupils?

    · When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble.

    · What does a clock do when it’s hungry? It goes back four seconds.

    · I wondered why that cricket ball was getting bigger. Then it hit me!

    · Broken pencils are pointless.

    · What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus.

    · England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.

    · I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest.

    · All the toilets in London’s police stations have been stolen. Police have nothing to go on.

    · I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough.

    · Velcro – what a rip off!

    · Cartoonist found dead in home. Details are sketchy.

    · Venison for dinner? Oh deer!

    · I used to think I was indecisive, but now I’m not so sure.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/afdcf8bf4eb98740fb881a3ce65b2b9e76152cd34819e8888e51a995d3772a52.png

    1. Loudmouth Lineker hurled ugly slurs at me and got away with it. So will the BBC now grasp the nettle and sack him, asks broadcaster NANA AKUA
      Nana Akua writes of her clash with BBC’s Gary Lineker after targeted tweet
      Ms Akua had shown support for Priti Patel’s migrants policy in autumn of 2021
      Mr Lineker posted clip online accusing Ms Akua of showing a ‘lack of empathy’

      https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/03/08/18/68478713-11836403-image-a-2_1678301263087.jpg

      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11836403/Will-BBC-sack-Lineker-hurled-ugly-slurs-asks-broadcaster-NANA-AKUA.html#newcomment

  5. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9ac6965681da964b2c16ccd813b9d6547e33431b30955a6f0fe6fb9374414450.png

    There is obviously a massive orchestrated MSM propaganda blitz in operation here. Like the eight o’clock BBC News last night all of these stories have something in common aside from the obvious. There is absolutely no mention of the United States at all, in any of them, let alone the possibility of their being involved in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. This is like discussing Pearl Harbour without the Japanese or Dunkirk absent the Wehrmacht. It is a complete nonsense. Even if you don’t believe the US was responsible they would have to be included in any list simply by virtue of being one of the very few who has the capability to carry out such an operation. The question is why after months of absolute silence on the subject do we have this sudden outburst of truly manic disinformation propaganda?

    Possibilities spring to mind. Scholz visited Washington last week. Did he say something? Did he tell Biden that they had proof that the US was responsible? That this would be released or leak soon and it might lead to Germany pulling out of the Ukraine business if public pressure became intolerable. This would be bad in itself. It would lead to a split in NATO and the collapse of the effort against Russia but it would be as nothing to its effect on the US.

    A Presidential Election is looming and it looks as though Trump will be standing. Opposition to the War, already a part of Public and Republican sentiment, will become more marked if it is generally believed that Biden authorised an attack on another state that was intended to coerce Germany into joining the war against Russia. Such an admission would probably torpedo it and Biden’s second term entirely. For that reason they would have to deny it to the last.

    1. Good morning Minty and everyone.

      On BBC Radio 4 yesterday around 6pm there was a piece with Frank Gardner OBE TD VR FRGS talking about the Baltic sea and Nordstream 2; scarcely a mention of the USA, let alone Seymour Hersh.

      Sadly, it reminded me of a former member of the Dutch Resistance who stated that they never used or trusted any people with disabilities. The logic was that the poor souls responded too easily to flattery and rewards from the occupying Germans.

  6. Good morning, chums. Today, like many in the Holy Bible, I came fo(u)rth.

    2. My Dad used to say ‘And God said “Go forth..” and he came fifth, and got disqualified’! ‘Morning Elsie!

    1. Rain forecast for all day long in my neck of the woods, Bob3. (Good morning, btw.)

  8. If Gary Lineker wants to be a political pundit, he should leave the BBC

    Is everybody sick of hearing about Lineker yet?
    I think he must have headed to many balls back in the day.
    Accusing people of dehumanising refugees then dehumanising people that want to stop this illegal trafficking by calling them Nazis.

    1. His arrogance might sink him this time around. He has 8 million followers on Twitfest which I don’t understand.

      https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/politics/2023/03/08/TELEMMGLPICT000328172382_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=680
      The football star tweeted a comment that read: ‘Gary Lineker is entitled to say what he likes’

      3,800+ comments on DT article
      https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/03/08/suella-braverman-criticises-gary-lineker-bbc-pressure-nazi-jibe/

      1. I have no problem with him saying what he likes, the problem is the BBC, they have cancelled so many people in the past for speaking out politically.

        If they leave Lineker in his job then it is proof that they a biased.

      2. Entitled is a good word for Lineker; so are leftist, pompous, smug, overpaid and twit [polite version].

      3. Entitled is a good word for Lineker; so are leftist, pompous, smug, overpaid and twit [polite version].

  9. Morning. Three good letters in the Terriblegraph (well, two good ones and we’ll come to the other).

    The splendidly-named Veronica Timperley says she has been banned for life from two “liberal” (spread: authoritarian) arts institutions for not wearing her mask properly (sic) during the mandates, and wonders if she might look forward to an apology and rescindement of the bans.

    A good letter on how Khunt was “elected” by about 3 1/2 people and not on a mandate to expand ULEZ (or implement a 20 mph speed limit either). As an aside, it was pleasing to see a couple of his cameras have been attacked, in Greenwich I think.

    And then there’s this. I wonder if the Terriblegraph made it up, as surely no-one really can know about the BBC’s impartiality requirements and write the following:

    “ sir – What is wrong with Gary Lineker expressing his opinion? He wasn’t on screen when he said it and didn’t state it as a BBC position.

    David Goodwin”

    All I am saying is – my company has strict rules in what I am allowed to say and if I breach it, I will be disciplined up to and including being sacked for gross misconduct. I accept these conditions as I want the money they pay me. If Gaza wants the money, he has to abide by the conditions. And if his politics is more important to him, he can take a moral stand and leave the BBC.

    Must dash will be late for work.

      3. 371913+ up ticks

        Morning B3,

        An urgent craving to support / vote lab/lib/con/current ukip coalition.

      4. Headache. Nausea. Vomiting. Muscle ache, joint aches, and stiffness.14 Dec 2022

        Last updated 12/22 – Patient Information Leaflet for Spikevax

        1. Headache. Nausea. Vomiting. Muscle ache, joint aches, and stiffness – Do people still drink Watney’s?

        2. Morning all.

          Why have they renamed the Moderna experimental jabs “Spikevax?” Is it so that we don’t associate it with fishy Rishi?

  11. 371913+ up ticks,

    Morning Each.

    Thursday 9 March: If Gary Lineker wants to be a political pundit, he should leave the BBC

    WHY ?

    He is tailored made for the broken biscuit co. leave well alone
    if you are still paying the licence fee ( his wages ) you have no cause to complain you are getting what is deserved , keep one thing in mind when he was kicking that animal bollock about the field he was not a patch on the real gents of football in yesteryear and they had day jobs.

    He, in type is on par with current political overseers of the lab/lib/con/current ukip paedophile coalition umbrella/orchestrated mass morally illegal immigration invasion, supported by the same dangerously blinkered brigade.

    1. Yo ogga

      I ceased buying anything made by ‘Walkers’ years ago: Turd infused Crisps

      I doubt if I am the only one.

  12. ‘Morning All

    The cats and dogs meant for last night….

    https://media.gab.com/system/media_attachments/files/130/986/102/original/b2a8560d353aa58f.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5a12584f45efc7b8142a918f27de6f1a459b6b52be576f476d8bc696ba2b4f2d.jpg

    https://weeklyhoroscope.com/images/cat-learning.gif

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1d0b94b324da88a43a234228e3332bafb1e9ecc8965dcacab8da171813edc68d.png

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/659ac6c5be9eb5341c97faa2c483c276c7284dd1b45b8ec9c8014b7b75aeb97f.jpg

  14. Morning, all Y’all.
    Beautifully sunny, first morning with some warmth in the sun. And a light sprinkling of snow last night, just enough to brighten the older snow and conceal the ice…

  15. Good morning, all. I wake to a lawn that has a scattering of snow upon it. Not much. It is mainly green. The drive and road are clear. But I was soooooooooooo glad to have had the “amber warning” from the Wet Office that the world was about to end.

    No news, I see.

    1. I used to have a very high opinion of Neil but his views on GBTV and Covid has sunk it completely!

  17. Good morning all.
    -2°C and a bit outside with about 1″ of snow and a very fine “drizzle” of rather wet snow falling.
    The road is clear and, surprisingly, so is the yard.

  18. Morning all, bloody miserable weather out in Norf Zummerzet this morning, at least it is not snow that’s coming down from above.

  19. Britain and France must now unite to save Ukraine and the rules-based order. 9 March 2023.

    France and the United Kingdom share a centuries-old history and a common geography, linked by the Channel. But most importantly, we share a vision of the world: an international order based on multilateralism, international law and respect for democratic values. As permanent members of the UN Security Council and as nuclear-weapon states, we have a responsibility to help navigate an unprecedented crisis of multilateralism and the return of high-intensity warfare on European soil. The connection between our two nations runs deep.

    Yes. They’ve always hated us and we’ve always despised them!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/09/britain-france-must-now-unite-save-ukraine-rules-based-order/

  20. Morning folks.

    Valuing Diversity Depravity:

    JPMorgan is suing former executive Jes Staley to hold him responsible for any damages which may stem from lawsuits accusing the bank of facilitating Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation.

    As Bloomberg reports, the bank filed a third-party complaint on Wednesday afternoon against Staley in Manhattan federal court. According to the filing, Staley should be held liable if allegations about his relationship with Epstein are found to be true. (i.e Not the Bank)
    The filing comes weeks after the US Virgin Islands revealed bombshell emails between Staley and Epstein from 2010 referencing Disney princesses, presumably in the context of girls procured for sexual activities.
    “That was fun,” Staley allegedly wrote to Epstein. “Say hi to Snow White.”
    To which Epstein replied: “[W]hat character would you like next?”
    “Beauty and the Beast.”
    Epstein also emailed Staley photos of young women in seductive poses, the filing continues.

    JPMorgan responded – claiming that the emails fail to show that minors were victimised, or that “force, fraud or coercion” were used against women. The bank has asked the judge to dismiss the case, in which the USVI and Epstein accusers say JPMorgan is liable for facilitating Epstein’s sex trafficking of minors, because they ignored obvious red flags while continuing to provide banking services to the prolific pedophile.

    The close ties between Staley, once JPMorgan’s private banking chief, and Epstein have been at the core of two suits claiming the bank knew or should have known about Epstein’s crimes and kept him on as a client anyway. But Staley himself was not named as a defendant in either suit. –

    As Bloomberg further notes, JPMorgan’s new filing could shift some of the liability to Staley himself.
    Staley and Epstein exchanged upwards of 1,200 emails over a period of several years. In 2013, Staley left JPMorgan to become CEO of Barclays, which he left in 2021 following a probe by the UK Financial Conduct Authority into his relationship with Epstein.
    Epstein, meanwhile, had around 55 accounts with JPMorgan between 1998 and 2013, which contained hundreds of millions of dollars. At least 20 individuals paid through JPMorgan accounts were “victims of trafficking and sexual assault in Little St James,” according to the USVI.

    Zerohedge assumes this filing means that there’s something big coming, and JPMorgan knows it.

    1. Clearly the bank was happy to provide services to Epstein while they could make money out of him.

    2. Bit risky working for JP Morgan, it seems. Three of their executives were recently convicted of various fraudulent manipulations of commodity markets.

  21. Just listened to some fat controller from the BBC called Richard (Dicky) Ayre wetting his knickers in admiration over Garry Spinnaker (or some such football reporter) who is being castigated for calling a Tory minister some sort of Nazzty person. I thought he was going to pass out in a passionate swoon in defence of his favourite hero, but he did say poor Gary should not be partial and he should follow BBC guidelines on political impartiality.
    In 2008 Ayres, a colleague and collaborator of Martin Basher, joined Ofcom, becoming chairman of its programme complaints board. He chaired the freedom of expression charity Article 19 and for 13 years had been freedom of information adjudicator for The Law Society. He left Ofcom to join the BBC Trust in 2010. Now retired, he now lives on the Isle of Dogs in East London with his partner, the artist Guy Burch. He still believes the BBC is truly impartial – and that pigs can fly.

    1. Oh! But he sounds like such an honest man, full of integrity and bullsh*t!

    2. Do none of the other Beeb presenters ever express their own political views on Tw@tter?

    4. BTL on DT’s article

      Carpe Jugulum
      11 HRS AGO
      Linekers wealth insulates him from the negative effects of unskilled and illegal immigration, his crass stupidity insulates him from the reality faced by British working families.
      Has Lineker ever had to live in bed and breakfast accommodation whilst a home becomes available?
      Has Lineker ever struggled to find a dentist to treat him?
      Has Lineker ever had children unable to get into a local school?
      Has Lineker ever even considered the costs his moronic stupidity and that of his liberal chums impose on vulnerable BRITISH people?
      No, of course not. He is swathed in a comfort blanket of ignorant self-righteousness.
      The simple fact is we now have housing shortages, water shortages, overloaded healthcare systems, overloaded infrastructure and societal divisions ALL made worse by mass unskilled immigration.
      What we are not short of is simpletons thinking they are otherwise.

      1. Whilst avoiding paying as much tax as he can, so that others are left to fund his socialist nirvana.

      3. Many retired football players have now been featured in scenes on TV regarding onset dementia. Caused presumably by heading footballs during their careers.
        This will never be a problem for GL, as he let his colleagues head the ball. As he’s doing now.

    1. I say this with some hesitation but I think that this clown would probably be worse for us than Jeremy Corbyn!

      1. He seems to have more ‘Zip’ Minty so it could be really damaging. Zippo the Clown?

    2. If Richard Tice does not amalgamate with Laurence Fox’s party, Laurence Fox should advise his supporters to vote for Tice’s Reform Party. Reform Party needs all the votes it can get. Those on this site who are not voting for the major parties should consider the Reform Party. Do not waste your vote.

      1. 371913+ up ticks,

        Morning CS,

        Surely once bitten twice shy really should apply.

        Fox would be courting contamination going in coalition with the reform party,

        Check 2019 and their PRO johnson / tory
        (ino) party actions as brexit under farage leadership, vote splitting, treachery and sending good patriotic peoples to the wall.

        Reclaim / L FOX build on that.

  25. Oooh look, here we go again.
    Yep, we’re all gonna die.
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11836211/DR-JENNIFER-NUZZO-H5N1-isnt-easily-infecting-human-pandemic-mutations-away.html
    Current betting
    1/10 an mRNA vaccine will be essential
    1/8 Lockdowns will be essential
    1/6 The NHS will collapse under the strain
    1/4 Masks won’t work but respirators will be mandatory to leave ones house for work
    evens Professor Fergusson will be the go-to guy and SAGE will be reconstituted
    1/100 A new cause for panic will be identified if this one proves to be a dud!

    1. Yo sos

      A new cause for panic will be identified if this one proves to be a dud!

      David Lammy-Lammy becomes PM

  26. Clive Lewis calls for UK to negotiate Caribbean slavery reparations. 9 March 2023.

    The Labour MP Clive Lewis has called on Rishi Sunak to enter negotiations with Caribbean leaders on paying reparations for Britain’s role in slavery, following the historic announcements by the Trevelyan family.

    Speaking at a parliamentary debate on promoting financial security in the Caribbean, Lewis said the issue of reparations could not be dismissed as an obsession among a small group of “so-called woke extremists”.

    He pointed to the recent announcements by the Trevelyans, an aristocratic British family, who made history by travelling to the Caribbean to publicly apologise for the ownership of more than 1,000 enslaved Africans and committed to paying reparations.

    The truth is that slavery reparations are an obsession among “so called Woke extremists”. No one else believes in them and there is no public support for such action . It has never appeared in the political manifesto of any party for this reason. The Trevelyan’s as private individuals can do as they like with their own money. Politicians are supposed to adhere to public sentiment.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/08/clive-lewis-calls-for-uk-to-negotiate-caribbean-slavery-reparations

    2. Yo minty

      Owsabouta we pay them reparation at 18/19 Century rates, then charge the present governments at all these places for the improvements that we have made since that time
      Education
      Gas
      Water
      Electricity
      Transport of all types, except Shank’s Pony and Camel
      Housing
      Industry.
      The list is endless

      Of course the history of each family must also be traced, to ensure that they did not come from tribes in Africa, that collected natives from different tribes and put the on the London Routemaster buses that took them to the ships, that took them to The West Indies

      Additionally, only those who ‘worked’ for British slave owners would be covered, ie NOT American, Dutch, French, West Indian etc

      1. How about we send them a bill for all the lives and money Britain spent in opposing slavery!?

        2. And for dragging Africa out of the stone age. I have actually witnessed mud huts being built when working in Mozambique.

    3. How about we give them all a one way ticket from whence their ancestors came.

    1. How very odd that the prize leftie erks of the world surround themselves with palatial homes and pools and many mirrors..

      What philanthropy have they bestowed on the football ticket payers , the TV license payers ,those who have contributed to the salary of such.

      What on earth has that man and all the other gabblers done for the good of the country … nowt.

    3. There are quite a few other ‘political annoyances’ that have homes like that. All paid for by the public purse.

        1. I am always amazed by how much brits pay for French homes.
          Some of the huge buildings they take possession of are magnificent. But when they get down to the ‘nitty gritty’ it often becomes pretty obvious why the previous residents had sold up.
          Yours being less expansive than the the multi towered châteaux is a better refurbishment option.
          And looks good.

  28. To market – if I make it through the snow drifts…. Back son. Play nicely.

    1. Morning Bill. Good luck! I’m not going anywhere until this horrible white stuff has vanished!

  29. ‘Morning, Peeps. Cold and wet here but it may dry a little later.

    Just one of the mostly anti-Lineker letters in today’s batch:

    SIR – If the Prime Minister sticks to his guns and stops cross-Channel boats while also returning illegal migrants to their own or a safe country, it will win him the next election.

    Anyone genuinely fleeing persecution would stop in the first safe country, not cross Europe to get to Britain. Or is it that we are a soft touch?

    Heather Remblance
    Gloucester

    A broadside from a BTL poster:
    Trevor Anderson
    3 HRS AGO
    Lineker is an arrogant, smug, self-satisfied, elitist leftie disgrace, displaying his ignorance and zero knowledge of the whole pantomime that is the illegal arrival of immigrants from far an wide,
    Heather Remblance in the Letters puts it well and accurately: “Anyone genuinely fleeing persecution would stop in the first safe country, not cross Europe to get to Britain. Or is it that we are a soft touch?”
    The answer to her question is so obvious – yes. We have most of these people arriving from safe countries, having been coached by criminals on how best to achieve residence and all important benefits.
    With a government that couldn’t organise a p**s-up in a brewery, unfit for purpose MP’s, a broken economy, Brexit failure, broken NHS, across the board strikes, energy shortage compounded by the insanity of Net Zero and idiotic Green zealotry, HS2, population bursting at the seams, etc, etc, we are in enough trouble.
    Lineker should be sacked, but the inward looking BBC – funded every year with 70% of their revenue (£3.8 billion) by a totally unfair national tax, probably feels it doesn’t need to. This gives us 56% repeats, generally naff programmes and arrogant, overpaid autocue reading presenters – and Gary Lineker.

    Well said!

    1. The unbiased Beeb last night featured a poor young man from Sudan last night. Said he would rather kill himself than stay in France.

        1. It was a bit bleak by his little tent. But I’m sure he was well looked after by Care4Calais

      3. We’re not surprised.

        There’s many more Muslims in France than in Britain [Yes, really]

      4. When my father was the governor of the Northern Province of the Sudan people wanted to stay in the Sudan as it was their homeland.

        But since the British left there has been: endless civil war, genocide, religious persecution, plague, famine, collapse of medical and educational services and infrastructure. And finally partition. Members of the Dinka Tribe have been slaughtered as well as Christians. Is it any wonder that so many people in countries like the Sudan are desperate to leave?

        But it is easier for politicians and the MSM to go along with the lie that kind, wise, civilised and competent people such as my father were evil racists.

      6. Frankly, and I’m not normally a violent person, I would rather see him killed than have him here.

    2. The GBC (Guardian Broadcasting Corporation) will never sack their putrid, vacuous and brain-dead standard-bearer.

  32. Another fine military aviator leaves us:

    Flight Lieutenant Francis Souness, airman awarded the DFC for his service fighting communists in Malaya – obituary
    He also served in the Malayan, Ugandan and Kenyan air forces, and was later a ‘tower of strength’ in RAF air traffic control

    By
    Telegraph Obituaries
    8 March 2023 • 9:00pm

    Flight Lieutenant Francis Souness, who has died aged 92, served as a navigator on transport aircraft during Operation Firedog, the campaign in Malaya against communist terrorists.

    Souness was training to be a navigation instructor when he was summoned to see his commanding officer “immediately”. Anticipating that he had transgressed in some way, he braced himself for a reprimand. Instead, he was congratulated on the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross for his “meticulous care and untiring energy” and for his “calm efficiency, courage and high sense of duty”, having completed 148 operational sorties in Malaya “while locating dropping zones deep in the jungle, often in foul and dangerous weather”.

    Souness arrived in Malaya in late 1952 to join 110 Squadron flying the Valetta transport aircraft based at Kuala Lumpur, which was heavily engaged in supporting the campaign against the Communist terrorists (CT).

    Initially, the security forces were able to mount patrols lasting only a few days, so the CTs felt safe while they remained in the jungle. However, with regular re-supply from the air, the ground forces were able to penetrate much deeper and to remain there for up to three months.

    In addition to supply drops, the RAF transport aircraft were able to insert special forces and broadcast surrender messages from a specially equipped Valetta (the “howler”), all completed at very low level.

    Inevitably, there were losses from extreme weather conditions over inhospitable territory, some of it uncharted. Yet Souness relished the challenge, conducting 10 “howler” missions in one eight-day period, each up to three hours in duration.

    Altogether, Souness amassed more than 1,500 hours in Valetta transport aircraft on his tour with 110 Squadron, including no fewer than 29 operational supply drops from Kuala Lumpur between September 11 and October 8 1954.

    Francis Scott Souness – always known as Frank – was born in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders on August 31 1930, to a future mayor and mayoress of Carlisle. He was educated at Carlisle Grammar School, then in September 1946 joined the RAF as an apprentice. For three years he was at Cranwell as a “Trenchard Brat” training to be a radio fitter.

    After completing his training, he was posted initially to RAF St Athan, near Glamorgan, where he met his future wife, an RAF telephonist, before heading for Kinloss in north-east Scotland, where he serviced equipment in Lancaster aircraft.

    In December 1950 he began navigator training. After being commissioned, and awarded his flying brevet, he trained on Valetta before joining 110 Squadron in Malaya.

    Returning to Britain, he trained as a navigation instructor before spending two years at No 2 Air Navigation School at RAF Hullavington in Wiltshire. He returned to the air transport role and flew in the Beverley transport plane of 47 Squadron ferrying troops to the Middle East.

    Unenthused by the role, he seized an opportunity to return to Kuala Lumpur on secondment to the newly formed Royal Malayan Air Force, created in 1958, a few months after independence.

    Back in the UK after three years, he converted to the new Armstrong Whitworth Argosy, expecting a posting to 114 Squadron, only to be poached as an instructor for 242 Operational Conversion Unit at Thorney Island in West Sussex.

    But the fledgling Kenya Air Force, founded in 1964 after independence, needed professional help, both in training navigators, and supporting army and police contingents who were fighting ethnic Somali secessionists in the so-called “Shifta War” in Kenya’s Northern Frontier District. Between 1965 and 1968, Souness put in more than 800 hours, including flights with vice-president Daniel Arap Moi on diplomatic missions.

    After a period as an air traffic control officer, he received an approach from a senior British contact in the Zambian Air Force, into which he was commissioned at the end of 1969, having taken early retirement from the RAF. He was attached to the Presidential Flight, recording many journeys with the “VVIP” on board.

    Next came a non-flying role in Uganda, under United Nations auspices, followed by attachment to the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force, primarily in an air traffic control role (with a SOAF rank as squadron leader), until family demands required a return to the United Kingdom.

    In June 1980, Souness was reinstated in the RAF to follow a career in air traffic control, at which he excelled. One 1982 assessment praised his “exceptional temperament for ATC”. His last posting was as deputy senior air traffic controller at RAF Leuchars in Fife, where his station commander described him as, “a tower of strength in the ATC squadron and an excellent example to all as a controller and as an officer”. He retired to nearby Cupar in 1987 after 41 years in aviation and 5,600 flying hours.

    Most of the following two decades centred on caring for his wife Pat, who lived with Parkinson’s disease until her death. Moving from Scotland to the New Forest to be near his daughter and her partner, a local MP, Souness enjoyed gardening, service commemorations and making close new friendships in retirement.

    Francis Souness’s wife Pat died in 2008 and he is survived by their daughter.

    Flight Lieutenant Francis Souness, born August 31 1930, died December 30 2022

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bf9bbe6ad6da61f023cc6783f7c9fb223ae4d2bef3fa3c1228cc70d222a3dc62.jpg

    1. After completing his training, he was posted initially to RAF St Athan, near Glamorgan,

      That is a bit like RAF Coningsby, near Lincolnshire or RAF Brawdy near Pembrokeshire

    1. No wonder that kahnt creature sneaked back in as mayor for the second time.
      Something needs to happen to stop this and pdq.
      But British politics in general has reach a stage of nowhere else to go except the sewers.

  34. Morning all 😉 😊
    Not as bad outside as expected today, raining just above 2 degs. Good for my pond and the Butts.
    But temp not quite as low in regard to Gary Line Acre, what is he still trying to prove. Everyone already knows that he’s a DH, so no further proof for his ongoing claim is necessary.

    1. IIRC, Gary Line Acre was ex-Southampton FC striker Mick Channon’s pronunciation for you know who.

      2. JRM deliberately mispronounced the chap’s name several times on GBNews last night.

        JRM claims to know absolutely nothing about professional football and to have no interest in it. How much more honest than so many politicians who pretend to be football fans hoping that the lie will boost their ‘street cred’.

        Don’t forget that Tony Blair warmly remembers watching his team, Newcastle, from a stadium which had not yet been built!

  35. I have a camellia i got from Burncoose called Cornish Snow. But I can’t see it from the house and it’s too damned snowy to wander down there, though I’m sure it will be in full white flower.

    This, instead, is Snow covered Debbie, poor thing…

    uploads.disquscdn.com/images/05d7cd065e9ee4436cf56c66eafce3da86304c63c08a6a8fc610e958271c41b0.jpg

    Here, we do NOT get snow at this time of year…There has clearly been an error somewhere.

  37. Our 55th wedding anniversary today.
    Wouldn’t change anything and would happily do it all over again. Two wonderful children and three wonderful grandchildren.

      1. We married in St Augustine’s Church, Highbury New Park, next door to the school where we met playing table tennis, when we were 15.

    7. Alf. I hope you have a wonderful day and that you have many more anniversaries.

    9. Very many congratulations.
      Both the modern and traditional gifts given on the 55th wedding anniversary are emerald. Like a marriage that lasts 55 years, an emerald is a very rare find. Emerald is a precious gemstone from the mineral Beryl. It is a beautiful deep green gemstone that the ancient Egyptians regarded as a symbol of life.

      2. WE have found emeralds on the shore of Lake Mjøsa, north of Oslo. Not big, not fine, but still, emeralds.

    14. Congratulations to the two of you, Alf.
      So, you reckon she’s a keeper? ;-))

  39. The upper classes’ approach to sex education makes today’s classrooms seem tame
    You can avoid all those awkward conversations just by watching the family dogs and horses

    Sophia Money-Coutts : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/columnists/2023/03/08/upper-classes-approach-sex-education-makes-todays-classrooms/

    BTL Percival Wrattstrangler

    Ms Money Coutts says that many of her set were encouraged to look at farm animals and see what they did and make the relevant connection.

    And Hamlet is being rather unkind to the innocent young Ophelia and refers to sex as “country matters”.

    Hamlet: [To Ophelia] Lady, shall I lie in your lap?
    Ophelia: No, my lord!
    Hamlet: I mean, my head upon your lap.
    Ophelia: Ay, my lord.
    Hamlet: Do you think I meant country matters?
    Ophelia: I think nothing, my lord.
    Hamlet: That’s a fair thought to lie between maids’ legs.
    Ophelia: What is, my lord?
    Hamlet: “Nothing.”
    Ophelia: You are merry, my lord.

    One thing that is ignored is that children are fascinated by sex. Most of my friends learnt bits of truth – and plenty of lies – about what it was all about at their single-sex prep schools. By the time they had reached ten they had all seen each others erect willies and measured them for comparison; some of the more precocious actually were able to orgasm before they went on to their single-sex public schools. But most of them were terribly shy of girls and so any chance of practising what they had learnt and failed to learn with actual, real girls had to be put off for several years.

    Apparently it is not just children who are fascinated by sex and, if reports in the press are true, more people over the age of 60 are becoming sexually promiscuous than ever before spurred on by divorce or separation. And, according to statistics, sexually transmitted diseases have never before been so prevalent in this age group.

    1. What an embarrassing article.
      “Oooh look at me, I’m rich and privileged. The End.”

    2. Shakespeare wrote of “country matters” because it sounded as though the O was missing.

      1. Looking at the substructure I think it is a bullock rather than a cow or a bull.

    2. Tucker Carlson has been onto the fact that there was no January 6th insurrection and what very little trouble there was was caused by Democrats.

      His clip showing that Hillary Clinton was one of the agitators has stirred up considerable agitation and the PTB want him and Fox News taken off the air. Remember the way in which they have got rid of Marc Steyn on GB News.

      The Truth is not politically correct.

  43. Top Ukrainian businessman investigated over links to Nord Stream attacks. 9 March 2023.

    Intelligence agencies investigating the Nord Stream gas pipeline attack are looking into possible links to a prominent Ukrainian businessman.

    The individual, whose name is known to The Telegraph, has been linked to the incident partly by a specific feature of the attack that appears to deliberately hint at his involvement, sources familiar with the investigation said.

    A European security source confirmed that the businessman is on the radar of investigators, but would not say whether he is a suspect.

    His name is unlikely to be revealed to help maintain Western unity at a time when the war in Ukraine risks becoming a prolonged, attritional conflict.

    Desperation in print!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/03/08/germany-claims-rental-ship-played-role-nord-stream-pipeline/

    1. You can be assured that this Ukrainian business man had no truck with the corrupt Bidens.

    1. When will our political idiots and civil service ever learn.
      Now he’s costing the taxpayers at least 50k a year.

  45. Rod Liddle
    What I make of Sue Gray
    From magazine issue: 11 March 2023

    Iam at a bit of a loss to understand the hoo-ha about the civil servant Sue Gray. She has been offered the role of Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, and many Tories suggest this implies that her investigation into those Downing Street parties may not have been wholly neutral. Where have these Tories been living for the past three decades? Of course it wasn’t wholly neutral. Almost the entire civil service – certainly in Westminster – loathes the Conservative party. Its members are, instead, hip and interminably liberal internationalist social-justice warriors. Sue Gray is probably among the moderates.

    One of the most important causes for the comparative failure, so far, of Brexit, has been the virtually universal opposition to leaving the EU from the people charged with seeing it through – the civil service. In 2019 a disgruntled (and necessarily anonymous) civil servant told the Sunday Times that he estimated the proportion of Remain supporters among his colleagues at ‘well over 90 per cent’. He added that ‘the entire culture creates a thickening cloud of negativity towards Brexit… I have witnessed first-hand civil servants doing everything within their power, subtly and under the surface, to frustrate Brexit and talk it down at every opportunity.’

    I bet you would be as hard-pushed to find a pro-Tory civil servant in Whitehall as you would to find one who is halfway competent. Their rancour and disaffection occasionally spill over into the public gaze – such as when the sobbing public-school woo-woos feel they are being bullied by Priti Patel, or complain that Dominic Raab was a little brusque during a meeting. My own view is that neither Priti nor Dominic bullied them anywhere near enough.

    The political migration of our mandarins over the past 40 years has been remarkable to watch. Back in the 1970s the civil service was small c and occasionally large C Conservative. Much as were, of course, the judiciary, the Church of England and even the BBC: all middle-class institutions which have gone the way, politically, of the middle classes in general over the intervening decades – stampeding towards the far-left on social issues and foreign affairs, although somewhat less vibrantly red when it comes to fiscal policy and their own inflated incomes, second homes, private education etc.

    You may remember a time when the C of E was called, slightingly, the Tory party at prayer and when all the popular entertainers of the day were on the right: Morecambe and Wise, the Two Ronnies, Bob Monkhouse, Jimmy Tarbuck, Cilla Black and so on. Britain now has fewer Tory-supporting light-entertainment slebs than Tory-supporting civil servants. But there is no indication that the rest of the population has travelled in the same direction. The lower-middle and working classes – the bulk of our citizens – remain socially conservative and thus averse to the fact that their lives are controlled by this relentlessly griping, hand-wringing elite, and wonder what on earth one might do to reverse the process.

    As I have pointed out many, many times, the wokery inflicted on us in the past ten years has come under Conservative administrations. It is not that the Tories have failed to reverse the process – they have, usually unwittingly, advanced it by leaps and bounds. The problem is very similar to the one which affected our Brexit negotiations. While the government is possessed of a general aim, the devil is always in the detail – and almost always it is the civil service that looks after the detail. Some half-witted Tory education secretary might wish to update sex education in schools a little, but what actually happens is that, via the civil service, odious organisations such as Stonewall or Mermaids get involved. Not long after that, PSHE lessons are taking up more than an hour a week, 11-year-olds are instructed in the pleasures of bondage and sadomasochism, and hideous drag queens are telling bewildered children that there are 73 genders.

    That, I think, is how it works. And I suspect it works like that across all departments. I heard a chap called Michael Barrington-Hibbert talking on Radio 4 about how firms should recruit people. Michael, who is black and was raised by a single parent in a one-bed council flat – as he helpfully informed us on several occasions – is the CEO of Barrington-Hibbert Associates, which aims to make Britain’s workforce more diverse. So big corporations that want a few woke brownie points – and they all do these days – call in his company and it advises them how they might go about their business. Very noble, you might think – until you look at some of the methods espoused.

    On the programme, Barrington-Hibbert said he was in favour of rifling through a candidate’s social media profile to see what he or she had been posting. It would not do, he implied, to employ someone who had said something homophobic. I wonder what he would consider homophobic? Being broadly against gay marriages, or opposed to single-sex adoptions? If those views are considered homophobic – and I reckon Barrington-Hibbert does consider them so, because I asked him via email and he hasn’t replied – then that wipes out around 20 per cent of the British population.

    And what if they don’t agree with the aims of Black Lives Matter? Should that disqualify people from getting a job? The irony, of course, is that far from creating a more diverse workforce, this policy ensures that the workforce is a monoculture. Barrington-Hibbert said he has also advised corporations to ‘work with’ suppliers that are minority-owned. Why? What about – God help us – white-owned businesses? I imagine our government has never heard of Barrington-Hibbert Associates – but there it is, changing our country under an agenda of its own.

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

    charlieray15
    5 hours ago
    I was looking into recent Cabinet Secretaries when I found this instructive little snippet about Lord “Gus” O’Donnell, Cabinet Secretary between 2005 and 2011.

    “O’Donnell supports a liberal immigration policy, saying in 2011 that “[w]hen I was at the Treasury I argued for the most open door possible to immigration … I think it’s my job to maximise global welfare not national welfare.”

    So there you have it, folks. They’re not working for the British people, the poor mugs who pay their lucrative salaries and pensions, they’re working in the interests of foreigners, who contribute nothing whatsoever. Which may go some way towards explaining why everything is going so well…

  46. For your amusement, my work laptop has a weather app which currently shows heavy snow fall in White City. My phone more accuretly states that it’s cloudy with a 5 mph wind and there is light drizzle due soon. It’s been raining here for two days now but no snow and in fact no “extreme weather” at all.

  48. Iran is gearing up to attack Britain and the West

    Tehran is close to attaining nuclear weapons as well as ballistic missiles capable of hitting the heart of Europe

    By Con Cufflink!

    The suggestion, therefore, that the Islamic Republic of Iran is now regarded as posing the second most potent threat to Britain in security
    circles shows just how much progress the ayatollahs have made in developing their military strength while the rest of the world has been
    distracted by the tragic events unfolding in Ukraine.

    The Met office is nearly right: looks like there is a storm coming

    We, of course, have given everything we Had, to Ukraine

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/09/iran-gearing-attack-britain-west/

    1. G’ Morning OLT

      “Oh threats of Hell and Hopes of Paradise!
      One thing at least is certain – This Life flies;
      One thing is certain and the rest is Lies –
      The Flower that once has blown forever dies.”
      ― Omar Khayyam, Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

    2. I expect there are already many ‘plants’ under instruction in our country already.

    3. Wait a moment, haven’t we heard this one before? Let me guess, Iran has weapons of mass destruction, and we’re going to be forced to invade them to protect ourselves?

  49. A little history of Matt and how he began.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43188960

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/93578f439a965e9a249d6d2d72a69ebb18705d46280ea0787b6f2677318d554d.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/edc5764f10380405d78b35befad6f329a22bd858460a758f7fc8aeeb045a065e.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/16102fc5b9133521ca0979946df9800ddfdef24e6690d794aae905e9741d575b.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f629443f2a5fb419179db19099586fdf99f276ae1bff499de6a30fd4dc49dd6c.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3c773c6941350020d2dae9b50710a331737cc485824e65074c59a97799b13eb0.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/939062c018927e3b3f8c0b4763f7349a1f7d91875d25f73629073ffadf5ec402.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/073913b8d512381697352ba47164068ff33270a4245d14b615479e30209e2bb6.png

  51. The snow has got heavier and has now covered the road, but is quickly being turned to slush by the traffic.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/217939b2de21c4dd35734de04c3fc74d29640c91f8a8987f37a0980f04d529ba.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8aee892aba3eb8882d1e1d4cc71e4b7a6e3a8ca839041f557ab89b9c7fc9ee34.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0ab4f31d7f66e5e18e5d84bdbe6a2eed37bc447e29d59ab0b099b79cda165c0c.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/775fe0f9d9bae29191b5c28fadb4b8a868154208664b40caed65635f18e160da.jpg

      1. No, we’re right at the bottom by the junction.
        If one of those HGVs coming down the main road fails to make the turn, it’ll be straight into my sitting room!

    1. Where do these poverty-stricken migrants get the dosh for their trips? They could afford to apply for a legitimate job and air ticket and visa.

      1. ‘cept the couldn’t get a regular job, since they barely speak English, let alone write.

      1. Should have done so from the outset. Turn back or we fire on you. If they don’t, shoot them.

    3. Ridiculous! They could club together and hire a private jet if they’re paying that much!
      They probably already do…..:-(

  53. Thank you all for your kind comments on our 55th wedding anniversary.
    It’s been a wonderful journey but there are still many more stops along the way.

    2. Wow Alf , well done to you both.

      With all our little turbulences , we are also 55 years later on in the year..

      It feels like 5 minutes !

      1. I am a year older than you but when you got married I still had 20 years of celibacy in front of me!

    1. Direct theft of a routine BBC period drama. Only needs Larry Ginniker as Lord of the Manor and the’ve stolen the lot.

    3. Yuk!

      Not a topic that boys like to think about but they did make up thoroughly tasteless jokes about the matter.

      Here are three I remember from my schooldays. PLEASE do not open the spoilers if you are easily shocked or disgusted. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

      Tampax: Vampire’s Packed Lunch.

      A Period: A bloody waste of fucking time.

      A couple of chaps found themselves in the same hotel on their wedding night. While the girls were powdering their noses they decided that they would have a little competition. At breakfast they would put the number of teaspoons of sugar in their coffee to show how many times they had made love the previous night. The first chap, who was rather bleary eyed, put five teaspoons of sugar in his coffee cup. The second chap, who looked thoroughly disgruntled, picked up the spoon and shoved it into the dish containing jam.

    4. It’s a good advert, but why are there blicks in it? There weren’t any here and certainly none in the aristocracy in that time period.

  55. Few people at market and in Tesco and Morrisons. Must have been put off by the dire warnings of snowdrifts and death from hypothermia.

    It was dry.

    Wet snow started about 10.30 – irritating, but not settling. Chilly – about 2ºC. Two more similar days – then a heatwave.

    Late back because I took the MR to the GP (of her choice) – she has a foot problem. Been putting it in it again….

  56. Hello all!

    Thank you so much for your prayers ans good throughts for my goddaughter. They worked! She’s coming out of hospital, so the worst is hopefully over. A long way back to health – it’s either glandular fever or viral meningitis (can’t differentiate without a lumbar puncture, and who needs one of those if it can be avoided?) – but it’s such a relief after a very worrying time.

    Sending sunshine and smiles to you all.

    Katy

    9. Thank you for the update! Very worrying time, but glad to hear she’s on the mend.

    11. What marvellous news, ashes! So pleased for you and all the family! 🍾💐

  57. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/uk-must-pay-reparation-to-caribbean-countries-for-hideous-slavery-say-mps/ar-AA18mXnc?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=74e13fb9d33f41fea5000df62c9648c8&ei=37

    There’s always some idiot with nothing better to do than trying to stir up trouble.
    How thick can these people be that they can’t understand how much better off they are.
    They can always trace their ancestors in Africa and move back……………oh do hang on a moment…..

    1. Tell you what. I’ll agree, but only if you pay reparation for my ancestors who fought against the Spanish and Dutch slavers who sold to America. Not the state, you personally.

      Ah, suddenly not interested? Historically ignorant, are we? Making a cheap talking point amongst your blick chums? Be silent, dog. You’re staff. Not ruler.

      1. What really ‘gets my goat’ is in the 10th and 11 th centuries when Islam had taken a firm grip on Spain and built the Alhambra Palace. They use to sail around the coasts of northern Europe and steal children. Take them back to the Palace and stored them in caves for the service of the imams.
        When they were finished with, the poor little kids were fed to the caged pet lions.
        That’s so terrible, but it never gets an open mention. Which is typical of the people who have taken charge of our country. Scared stiff incase there’s a riot.
        The people who arrive here have no obvious appreciation for the real history of this country.
        Or the people (our parents grand parents) who were quite determined to put ‘our own house’ in order. After it had been attacked. Which has now made our country attractive to the global lazy. i.e. Those who have since arrived here and do nothing to help themselves, but constantly moan whilst holding out their hands for freebies.
        Some have never carried out a day’s work in their lifetime.
        Which effectivly makes every working British tax payer a slave to the demands of the world’s lazy dross.

  58. If Russia wants Ukraine , why is it blitzing it to it’s knees .

    What is the point ..

    Why are we being reduced to rags and ribbons because of that war, when we should be appeasing Russia , talking to them and becoming more grown up , they are on track to fight tooth and nail because of their supposed masculinity and fearfulness of our Western interference ..

    1. We are not hearing the truth of the matter, Belle. Russia doesn’t want Ukraine, Putin moved in to assist the ethnic Russian-Ukrainians on the eastern Ukrainian border, who were being persecuted by what are now Zelensky’s nazis, formerly those of Poroshenko. This seemed to all blow up in 2014, and now information is filtering through that the Azov nazis were persuaded to move into the area by the US and cause trouble in order to draw Putin into the arena. Also the little matter of 46 US biolabs on the eastern border of Ukraine and the violation of the Minsk Agreement between Russia and Ukraine which stated that Ukraine would not allow NATO to put down base(s) and which Ukraine has violated. I used to wonder, in fact, what kept Putin so long to save the ethnic Russo-Ukrainians, now I realise that he was refusing to be provoked and drawn into a war. In the final analysis with the threat of the biolabs and NATO it became unavoidable and he had to act. Don’t believe a word of what you see and read in the msm.

      2. We actually used to hear and see reports of the bombardment of the people in the Donbas, but that stopped being reported some time ago.

      3. Here you are, Mum, something to copy and keep to throw in the face of any pro-Ukraine dumbar5e:

        Why Putin Invaded Ukraine Pt I

        Too many people obviously have no idea as to why Putin invaded Ukraine.

        Here is the first reason:
        It was Zelensky’s Azov Brigade, ruthlessly slaughtering over 14,000 Russian speakers in Donbass and other Eastern Ukrainian provinces, that made him feel that someone should endeavour to put a stop to this slaughter of his near neighbours by a despotic tyrant.
        The sad thing is that the US, the EU and NATO all joined in on Zelensky’s side.
        I take it they all agreed that the slaughter was a good thing!

        Why Putin Invaded Ukraine Pt II
        Russia invaded Ukraine (a part of its country) in order to expose and eliminate U.S. funded bio labs. We are referring to US funded ‘gain of function’ research into bio-weapons research.
        This exposure was the objective of the Russian ‘special operations’.
        The US ‘gain of function’ research laboratories were placed in Ukraine for the reason that Ukraine, neither a country nor an independent state, is not subject to international weapons conventions and control of weapons.
        The ‘vaccines’ are proven to be gene therapies produced by companies specialising in the introduction of specific known pathogens into the world populations. These ‘vaccines’ aim to infect every recipient with synthetic mRNA nano technology. This renders human recipients as trans human in much the same way that mice, rats and ferrets are rendered transgenic in our research laboratories.
        My own research evidenced that Malaysia has already convicted George W Bush and our own Tony Blair as war criminals. Regrettably Malaysia has no international clout and these two criminals are above our decrepit international law, a law, if properly instituted, would condemn these war criminals to a life of servitude in gaol.
        The Truth will always out. Just give it a few more months and these idiots will be exposed.

        1. No, not at all! I started my investigations, such as they were, back in 2005 as things were simply not making sense – I read the DT comments avidly in my lunch breaks and someone said to me – check out the Frankfurt School, Common Purpose.. so I did – I couldn’t believe it – aims of the FS were happening all around us, aided and abetted by CP. I have been on the case ever since. Once you get inside the mindset of these people it’s easy although I don’t know the nitty gritty. It is important to keep an open mind, be prepared to think the unthinkable and that all things, good and bad, are possible in life.

      5. Exactly. Of course Russia has genuine security concerns about the NATO encroachment on her borders but the US ambition is to break Russia into manageable chunks and plunder her resources. The ideology of the globalists pulling the strings is such that they have no comprehension of the depth of faith and commitment of the Russian people who will lay down their lives for God and the Motherland. The English were once the same?

        1. Exactly – it would seem to be about regime change, depose Putin, in order to get at Russia’s mineral and other wealth. Also so much of the West’s depravity operates and has been hidden in Ukraine which they do not want exposed to our eyes, the child trafficking and farming in every direction and all that goes with that, the money laundering. The West has certainly under-estimated the Russians’ patriotism – the only example they have to turn to is that of their own people – Russia holds up a mirror to the West and what the West sees it does not like of itself and therefore Russia must be destroyed whatever the cost. There is nontalk of peace on the side of the Us, it is all about more weaponry.

    2. We should have treated Russia as a potential ally back when the Soviet fell apart. It was clear even back then that there would be three major power blocks – the US, Russia and China. Now it seems that China and Russia are getting pally, which could be a real problem for the West.

    3. We should keep out of it, stop reducing our armed forces’ supplies and broker peace talks.

      2. But our politicians are among the worst for stoking it all up. BoJo for instance he’s been to Ukraine 3 times so far.

    4. We should never have got involved and should walk away and leave it to them.
      If America wants to fight let them do their own dirty work.

    5. “… when we should be appeasing Russia , talking to them and becoming more grown up…”

      That’s the key phrase, Belle. Our political class are children. Spoiled, stupid, goodies and baddies children. Led by the nose by the civil service which has used the conflict to enact all sorts of unnecessary restrictions and provided endless opportunity for blame.

    1. I have no problem recalling the dates of either of my parents’ birth and death. I have always had a facility for remembering dates.

      2. Yes, I remember numbers more easily than names. My mother died on my eldest brother’s birthday which makes it easy to remember.

        1. I like dates – but they are quite had to chop – for making chutney, for example.

          1. Easy to grunch up in a food processor for Sticky Toffee Pudding – until you hear the dreaded clunk clunk of the one missed stone.

      1. My father died in January 1984 – 2½ years before I met Caroline so he never met my bride or our children which is a great sadness.

      1. She was a grand old girl – but she had a very strong personality which meant she was not always easy!

      2. Reminds me of the post I made yesterday about having had a few egrets but too few to mention.

        The naff plastic bird was a present to my mother from one of my nieces because a kingfisher and a heron had eaten the goldfish and the plastic bird deterred other avian species from making raids on her pond.

      1. Exactly what I was going to say. Sometimes, when they’re blithering on about slavery you rather think – by their very actions they show how they should be treated.

      1. Quite – my view. The more they kill each other, the better for the rest of us.

      1. I find it interesting how, during the period of the greatest evil in South Africa, that of Apartheid, migration of black workers from other parts of Africa skyrocketed.

        1. Absolutely correct Bob.
          JHB was once a bustling metropolis.
          Most people had jobs. But now it’s a filthy crime, drug and prostitution and litter ridden shite hole. Many of the buildings and landmarks are burnt out. Or locked down.
          All the white people live in guarded gated communities.
          There was once a lovely life size bronze statue compiled of about 6 leaping Impala and a fountain.
          Now there’s a white plastic table and two plastic chairs.
          The ANC is currently changing the names of the towns and cities.

          3. That brings back a vision of MB in the hospital pantomime in a line-up of flappers dancing to that tune.
            Fetching pink frock and a wig made of string.
            Our sons were in absolute ecstasy.

        2. We have to, to be here….
          Are you snowed in yet? Beautiful day here, but on the cool side.

    2. I took the tube in to the City yesterday evening and the announcement that we would be delayed a few minutes at one staton was in a female voice so when as we pulled out of each station the train jerked, stopping and starting, I caught myself thinking, “Huh, women drivers”!

    2. My cooking apron has this on the front…Keep Calm and have a Glass of Wine.
      Bet no-one is surprised;-)

    4. Try everything once except for buggery, incest, cross country running and Morris dancing.

      We were compelled to do cross country running at school but the others were at your own discretion.

      1. I liked cross country running. Go slow at first and watch the PE teacher with an IQ of 10 vanish into the distance and then sit down enjoy the view and have a smoke.

          3. I actually do the same routes today with Spartie, but at a more civilised pace.

        2. 2 fags and 4 matches (spares for windy days) secreted away on my school cross country runs. Watched the teacher drive by in his car and then we used to hop over the hedge and light up. We used to stay there until he drove back on his return leg. Had a second smoke then hop back over the hedge and amble back, always aiming to be middle position, never a pathfinder.
          Happy days!

        3. I can remember our games mistress disappearing into distance, yipping enthusiastically at the twerps who actually took that sort of thing seriously.
          We then strolled along talking about sex and making sure we didn’t rouse suspicions by returning to base before the keen sporty ones.

        4. My school in urban Edgbaston was hardly in the country but one lazy sports master would send us to run twice around Edgbaston reservoir which, apparently, sufficed as “cross country”. Boys being boys, some figured out that if they hid behind the boathouses at the far side, they could rejoin the main group on the second lap, out of sight of the teacher “Adge” Cutler. He figured this wheeze out and on the next run went round to the boathouses such to prevent such cheating. In his car!

        1. Bloody good fun and damn good exercise!
          Especially when the pubs provide free ale!

      1. Bearing in mind this was only aired yesterday:
        1) I should imagine there will be an appeal against the sentence.
        2) Mr Carlson is possibly going to end up a victim of violence if not instigated by those with a lot to lose or by some ‘deranged’ individual (The two are not mutually exclusive)
        3) Mr Murdoch, owner of the Fox Channel, will arrange his departure (already old guard Senators have demanded Murdoch silences Carlson.
        4) Crickets?

        1. !
          “Crickets” was the name of the very nice house in Broadhempston (Devon) that my parents rented for two months in 1951 upon our return from Egypt.

          Not many people know that…

    2. I wonder if Tucker Carlson and Marc Steyn are bosom buddies? Both are much disliked for telling the truth.

  64. Just received an email from someone in Montenegro telling me that I must fill out a form to be able to continue using my Mastercard credit card. I’ve never had a Mastercard credit card and can see the source address of the message so obviously not tempted to respond. Deleted unactioned.

    1. I used to have an Access Card which was advertised as being a flexible friend. We now have a Revolut debit card which enables us to use it in different currencies without extra charge. It shows how very much Barclays, NatWest and others have been ripping us off for card use over the years.

      1. Revolut risks:

        No full UK banking license, which means your deposits are not covered by the FSCS guarantee.
        Low limits for fee-free cash withdrawals, including within the UK.
        Revolut is a British-Lithuanian neobank and financial technology company that offers banking services. Revolut Bank UAB is licensed and regulated by the Bank of Lithuania within the European Union. Headquartered in London, it was founded in 2015 by Nikolay Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko.

        I am always suspicious about such old English names…..

        1. I knew you would have an account of the situation. On balance, its worth keeping 50 quid with them.

        2. Bill, do you really believe in the FSCS guarantee, the tooth fairy and Father Christmas?

    2. About twice a week I get emails claiming to be our daughter-in-law sending photos. I knew right away that it was neither her style nor even the way she words emails.
      Someone appears to be piggybacking her address.
      Luckily my junk mail filter is very efficient.
      Younger Sonny Boy checked, and – quelle surprise – it’s a totally different person.

      1. I have had a nightmare with my bank not accepting its own one-time passwords, so had to ask my brother to do a Western Union money transfer for me. He came back asking a question to which only I would know the answer. Until then I hadn’t realised I was sending the standard scam email… 🤣🤣

    1. I really don’t see what is positive about Mohammed Farah in the UK. I have nothing against him, but he has benefited himself and nobody else. Despite what the BBC claims, nobody cares about athletics!

  67. Good Afternoon.
    (Actually I lie; it’s a cold, wet and dreary afternoon.)
    Feeling dead chuffed; yesterday I Freecycled some internal window shutters that we loathed.
    They have been scooped up by a grateful family and the sittingroom looks twice the size.
    Funny how a smallish change can be so invigorating. We both feel a renewed enthusiasm for yet more sorting out.

      1. Gradually. We thought we’d been pretty ruthless before we moved; but still ‘stuff’ gets in the way.
        KBO and all that.

    3. We have a disabled lady friend and a couple of years back, on a U3A day out to a Kent castle. I was helping out by pushing her in wheel chair.
      Due to the ancient cobbled pathways She mentioned that she’d had two orgasms. I think she was only joking.
      I just laughed…….what else could I have done.

    6. When cycling really took off, there were concerns about the effects on lady bits.

      1. My father had one of those.
        Does anyone remember the coal tar burners. Used at night when we were children with stuffed up noses and coughs. Night light lit under the small bowl of black liquid. Giving off fumes to supposedly ease nasal congestion.
        Can you imagine 🤔

        1. In the RAF if you reported sick with a cold you had to put your head under a towel and inhale the fumes of that same stuff. It seemed to do the trick

        2. My brother had to have one at night.
          He grew out of the problem as about the age of 7.

      2. Well, it says it works on Mozzies, but it doesn’t say anything about Muzzies.

  70. 371913+up ticks,

    This kowtowing business, the political top rankers have it off to a fine art

    act in an excessively subservient manner,regarding any minorities or foreign elements,

    The keir lab leader,and a multitude of footballers have the first appeasement stage in place, practising now on the nut hitting the
    deck second stage.

    Kneel and touch the ground with the forehead in worship or submission is part of the lab/lib/con current custom in regards to the great RESET.

    Kowtow: UK Govt Censored Reference to Wuhan Lab Leak in Health Sec’s Memoirs

  72. Well, the plumber arrived on time .. we needed to replace bathroom taps .. sink and bath .

    The turn twist handles had become old and stiff and rather shabby, so we had a look on line and chose some simple push pull peg like things with shower attachment . Very pleased ..

  73. If you’re thinking about buying an electric car, you need to know that they do not like Britain’s chilly winters and when temperatures drop they will not perform to the levels quoted.

    That’s according to a new study published this week – just as parts of the UK have seen degrees plummet and the arrival of snow.

    It found real-world ranges of popular electric vehicles (EVs) can fall by up to a third when it’s particularly cold outside.

    We explain why electric cars don’t perform so well in winter conditions.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/electriccars/article-11835971/Cold-weather-reduce-electric-car-battery-range-says-study.html

    2. Why is that news? It’s common knowledge taht el cars typically lose up to 30% of their range in a Norwegian winter… youse need to look at what’s published outside of your wee island.

      1. And understand that when you’ve got the heating and the lights on that they’re eating up your electric charge. Not exactly rocket scientist is it but it does require that, rare nowadays commodity, common sense.

      2. Is the Norwegian government pushing for everyone to change over to electric vehicles?

          1. I can see that’s going to go down really well with villagers when their expensive car loses a third of its charging power over winter. I suppose the snow ploughs too – oh well, snow ploughing was a quaint sort of twentieth century luxury wasn’t it.

    3. Same goes for solar panels when they are covered in snow or frost, thankfully the sun has melted it all and I’m back to making money

    5. I would have been stuffed today.
      Took elder son to the eye clinic for a check up; this involves eye drops so he couldn’t drive.
      I drove through p!ssing rain with windscreen wipers going gangbusters. I had the heating on and the CD player going.
      I’d probably have had to carry him home from the clinic.

    6. I have just completed my first full year with my milk float, cost per mile 9.8p. I lose a bit in the colder winter months but gain a bit in the warmer summer months.
      I will continue to see what this 2nd year of ownership costs me.
      I have just booked the ferry to Santander, motoring holiday in Portugal awaits at the end of May, not expecting snow but would no doubt cope in the milk float. 😊

  74. William and Kate busy sucking up to a foreign culture in the UK today, I see. Kate wore a headscarf, and accepted smilingly when a muslim man snubbed her offered handshake.

    2. The Princess quickly withdrew her hand, mirroring his bowing head and smiling at him as she greeted him.

      Placing a hand on the heart with a nod or slight bow is considered a polite way for a man to greet a woman in some Muslim countries.

      According to some codes of conduct, a man and a woman won’t shake hands unless the woman extends her hand out first and the man is willing to reciprocate the gesture.

      Others describe the idea of making physical contact with a female who isn’t his wife as ‘haram’, the Arabic word for a sin.

      Kate opted to recycle an Alexander McQueen black pleated dress, which she first wore to meet with well-wishers in Sandringham after the Queen’s death, for the outing.

      As a mark of respect the couple removed their shoes and Kate covered her head with a scarf, a black and white veil by Pakistani brand Élan, which is part of a set worn by the mother-of-three when she visited the country in 2019.

      During today’s engagement, the couple met with representatives from the centre who, through bucket collections and other donations after prayers, have raised over £25,000 for the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal.

      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11840297/Rare-awkward-moment-Kate-reaches-shake-hands-Muslim-community-leader.html?ito=push-notification&ci=t2XS-VZsAr&cri=hyjd8EIH8-&si=xYJ0MlrMyMmf&ai=11840297

      This is Britain… they should do as we do… Why should an English woman be regarded as an inferior and be submissive to those foreign infidels ?

      1. If the Princess of Wales chooses to kowtow to an inalienable culture, she must endure the consequent humiliation.

        Our junior royals are badly advised.

      2. She should be siding with those Iranian ladies who choose to defy Islamic crap.

    3. We have already surrendered to Islam.

      An autistic boy scuffs a copy of the Koran and his mother has to go to a mosque to grovel and beg that her son is not killed for blasphemy. And the British, yes the British police, endorse the humiliation heaped upon the poor woman.

      The questions are:

      Has the surrender to Islam gone beyond all recall?

      How long before Sharia Law replaces Common Law in Britain just as the ECJ has replaced British Law by Sunak’s Surrender in Northern Ireland?

    4. Of course she smiled, knowing that she didn’t have to wash her arm in alcohol afterwards.

    1. But Atlas holds bears the Heavens on his shoulders, not the Earth!
      Edit : says a pedant!

    2. But Atlas holds bears the Heavens on his shoulders, not the Earth!
      Edit : says a pedant!

  76. An insightful Par Four today.

    Wordle 628 4/6
    ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
    🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
    ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    2. I failed my first 8 attempts at wordle because I didn’t get how it works and just abandoned the early tries but my success rate went up to 98% today:
      Wordle 628 4/6

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

    3. Me too, but “Could have done better.”

      Wordle 628 4/6

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

  77. That’s me gone for today. After lunch the wet snow settled briefly on the grass – but has mainly gone as the snow turned to drizzle. More of the same tomorrow. And Saturday – ten heatwave for two (very wet) days. I expect the Wet Office will warn of the risk of heavy flooding next.

    Have a jolly evening.

    A demain

  78. I spent today telling everyone about the benefit of eating dried grapes.
    I was raisin awareness!

  79. I’d like to thank my legs for supporting me.
    My arms for always being by my side.
    And I can always count on my fingers!

        1. I think a raid more apt to confiscate his joke books and Xmas crackers 😉

  80. For every cigarette you smoke, God takes away an hour of your life, and gives it to Keith Richards.

  83. Here’s the BBC pretending to be impartial about impartiality. Its position is given away by this:

    Ofcom defines due impartiality, an important distinction from simply impartiality, as “means adequate or appropriate to the subject and nature of the programme”. To use the classic example: If someone says the earth is round, the BBC does not have to give equal weight to someone else who claims the earth is flat.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64889868

    And that is the stance of the BBC on ‘climate change’: believers are allowed on unopposed, ‘sceptics’ are not. That was made official policy at least 15 years ago (described by Christopher Booker in the Sunday Telegraph) and AFAIK it hasn’t changed.

    1. We (RAFARS) wanted to have a special Special Event callsign to commemorate the Berlin Airlift (GB75BAL). Ofcom said it couldn’t find any national celebration of it, not even on the British Berlin Airlift Association website, so we could only have it if we could identify one to which RAFARS might be attached. We’ve applied for a Special Event callsign instead, so we’ll be operating GB0BAL.

  84. Here’s the BBC pretending top be impartial about impartiality. Its position is given away by this:

    Ofcom defines due impartiality, an important distinction from simply impartiality, as “means adequate or appropriate to the subject and nature of the programme”. To use the classic example: If someone says the earth is round, the BBC does not have to give equal weight to someone else who claims the earth is flat.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64889868

    And that is the stance of the BBC on ‘climate change’: believers are allowed on unopposed, ‘sceptics’ are not. That was made official policy at least 15 years ago (described by Christopher Booker in the Sunday Telegraph) and AFAIK it hasn’t changed.

  85. 371913 + up ticks,

    Don’t you just like to see a plot coming into being, smooth as silk garrotte in regards to the strangulation of a Nation.

    Wife of Future King Dons Hijab to Visit London Muslim Centre,

    should that not read “To visit centre of muslim london”.

    1. In Nigeria Christians are murdered regularly by Muslim tribesmen. Christianity remains strong despite the Muslim attacks and has increased such that the population is presently 50% Muslim and 50% Christian in what was hitherto a majority Muslim population.

      I believe that in the UK a critical mass will be arrived at whereby the high percentage of pushy Muslims cause a violent reaction in peaceful Christians. I pray that I have left this bloody world, run by narcissistic morons, prior to that rebalancing.

    1. Love the last one! Canute was always maligned but it’s vital to remember that he took his advisors to the shore to show them he *couldn’t* turn the tide.

      1. Emma of Normandy’s toy boy.
        After her first marriage to Æthelred the Unready, I doubtshe could believe her luck.

        1. It is said that Ethel the Unready soiled the font at his baptism. Archbishop Dunstan said that the child had despoiled the holy water and would thus be cursed.
          (They used to totally immerse the baby in the font then.)

    2. The largest EU nuclear plant – owned by EDF – crashed?

      Edit: crashed Emergency shutdown.

      1. I don’t know.
        Usually, around here, it is due to maintenance on the power lines rather than anything at national level.
        Sometimes it’s storms, sometimes trees taking down power lines.

    3. We’ve had power cuts here, too, but at least the snow was to blame 🙂 I wasn’t affected, but it happened in the region.

    5. In rural Britain the same sosraboc.

      Only one month since last summer have we not experienced at least one power outage.

      Welcome to the 21st century where everything relies on electricity.

      1. And it will get worse the more we become hooked to wind and solar. I wonder how much power is being generated in the UK at the moment from those sources.

      1. The dog is the image of little Eric who is our opposite neighbours little fella.
        Plum is missed here, what happened ?

  90. I must apologise. Earlier I referred to levels of CO2 in the atmosphere as 4 parts per million. It should of course been 400ppm (actually currently 419ppm). That is a good thing. Indeed if it were to double to 800ppm it would still be a good thing:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0dbc51cb15b78ba14a79054ba65aec221dd1f912443140bb3429efa4df14fc21.png

    Source: ‘Challenging Net Zero with Science ‘- a downloadable pdf…and excellent read which I assume none of our elected representatives have read or challenged.

  91. Utterly off topic
    Completely and utterly off topic
    Absolutely, utterly and completely off topic
    BBC4 “The Blob a genius without a brain”

    .Documentary about leading scientists’ investigations into the properties of a one-billion-year-old, single-cell organism that could challenge the concept of intelligent life

    Watch it, you may be fascinated and horrified in equal measure, given how scientists are using current knowledge.

  92. ROYAL FAMILY
    King Charles praises British values as he marks accession to throne
    new
    Valentine Low
    Thursday March 09 2023, 6.00pm, The Times
    King Charles III
    Royal family
    The King met the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Hamza Taouzzale, during the presentation of loyal addresses at Buckingham Palace

    The King has said that the wealth of the nation lies in its values rather than its economy as he marked his reign with a historic ceremony that dates back to the 17th century.

    He received the “privileged bodies” — a group of 27 organisations and corporations that have the right to address the sovereign on significant royal occasions — in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace.

    The privileged bodies are described by the palace as “culturally significant organisations and institutions that reflect the United Kingdom’s diverse society”.

    Drawn from the education, science, arts and religious sectors, those invited included the General Synod of the Church of England, the universities of Oxford and Cambridge as well as of Edinburgh, London, St Andrews, Glasgow and Aberdeen, the Bank of England, City of London Corporation, the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Arts, the Military Knights of Windsor and the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.

    The loyal addresses, in the form of a short speech, came from individuals including the Archbishop of Canterbury; Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London; and the governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey.

    Charles heard addresses from members of the privileged bodies, including the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan

    During the speeches, the organisations and corporations gave their condolences to the King over the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

    In a response at the end of the ceremony, he spoke of his “profound loss” at his mother’s death. He said: “Much has changed since the privileged bodies and corporations of the United Kingdom last gathered over a decade ago to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. It has been a time of political uncertainty and a terrible pandemic.

    “Beyond our shores, war has returned to Europe. And globally, the challenge of climate change and biodiversity loss is more urgent than ever before.

    “For my family, our nation and the Commonwealth, the death of my dear mother and our late Queen was a profound loss. During her life, she remained a constant source of inspiration for us all, and I know what great support she drew from your loyalty and devotion.

    “She took particular pleasure in her association with each of your organisations, valuing and admiring the contributions you made, individually and collectively, to the fabric of our nation during her long reign.”

    The King also received Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England

    Charles said he read all the addresses with “immense interest”, adding: “Whether in the fields of education, science or the arts, or whether as representatives of the faith communities or of civic organisations, you advance our knowledge and our understanding of how we relate to each other and the world about us.

    “You underpin the very foundations upon which our country is built and help to construct a framework of excellence and achievement within which our civil society functions and our national narrative can be formed. In doing so, you are admired around the world for your contributions to public life.

    “You remind us of an essential truth — that a nation’s wealth and strength can be found, beyond the size of its economy or its place in the geopolitical landscape, in the values that it embodies — mutual respect, diversity, tolerance, fairness and friendship.

    “These are values that have been at the core of British life throughout our history, and which, with your dedicated support, I trust will remain so for centuries to come.”

    Charles also spoke at the ceremony, speaking of his loss at the death of his mother

    Expressing thanks, Charles concluded by saying: “I can assure you that your strong support will sustain me in the future, as it sustained my late mother and father in the past.

    “That is why, together with the Queen Consort, I wish to express my deepest gratitude for the generosity with which you have renewed your pledges of loyalty and affection today.”

    The ceremony marked the King’s accession to the throne. The late Queen received the privileged bodies on five occasions during her reign, including for her accession in 1952.

    The last time the ceremony took place was to celebrate Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, when Boris Johnson — then the London mayor — took the opportunity to present her with a commemorative Oyster travel card.

      1. I expect the sort of “British values” he’s been praising are “diversity” and “wokeness”. They aren’t the values I recognise.

    2. Lord Mayor of Westminster, Hamza Taouzzale

      For goodness sake. This country is overrun with grasping thieves.

  93. Evening, all. Snowed heavily all morning and most of the afternoon (about 3-4 inches). Then it rained, so now we have slush and it’s freezing. It will be a joy to slither around tomorrow – not!

    1. Pissing it down here- I had a lucky break when I went to the supermarket- dry when I went there and dry when I came home. After that, the rain came down and it’s still going. Mind you, it’s not all that cold, just yuk.

  94. Apparently it’s cold and wet in Calais where the gimmigrants live. An ideal time to send the ones here back there.

    We should also send all the hate not hopers, the calais carers and all the other dross over there and then slam home the bars of the channel and shoot anyone of them trying to come back.

    1. If you buy working dog food (meat and kibble) it’s VAT-free anyway. I’d like my vet services to be VAT-free, but the government needs more money to waste, so I can’t see it happening. I bet they’re still sending part of the VAT take to Brussels.

  96. Any one here waiting for a new knee?

    https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2023-03-09/hospital-manager-stockpiled-artificial-joints-at-home-in-600k-nhs-fraud
    A hospital manager who stockpiled artificial hip and knee joints and surgical equipment at his home has been found guilty of helping to defraud £600,000 from the NHS.

    Hasan Abusheikha, 47, formerly a theatre manager at St Albans City Hospital Trust was found guilty of offences under the Theft, Fraud and Bribery Acts.

    When fraud investigators searched Abusheikha’s home they found a large number of orthopaedic implantable devices, surgical instruments and medical equipment worth more than £65,000 which had been stolen from the trust.

    They included different kinds of hip and knee joints, together with plates and screws.

    St Albans Crown Court heard in total he and and two other men had defrauded £600,000 from the NHS.

    The court heard that Abusheikha’s job involved buying medical equipment on behalf of the trust.

    As part of his role, he made purchase order requests for items required for surgical procedures carried out at the hospital.

    The NHS Counter Fraud Authority discovered he had accepted bribes from two suppliers to buy their products for the trust.

    Abusheikha was also convicted of receiving payments from two other suppliers to the trust.

    He ordered goods from these companies that he himself had supplied to them – and in return was paid at least two-thirds of the value of the goods invoiced.

    Elmo Emanuel, who was chief executive of Implants International and Xtremity Solutions Ltd, both of which were supplying medical equipment to the hospital, was found guilty of one charge of bribing Abusheikha.

    A second trust supplier, Jawid Khan, a director of TSI Med Ltd, had already pleaded guilty to one charge of bribing Abusheikha.

    All three will be sentenced at St Albans Crown Court, after which the NHSCFA and CPS will launch proceedings to recover any money taken from the NHS.

    Following the verdict, NHS CFA fraud investigator Gemma Quemby said: “We are pleased that we were able to work with our colleagues from the Crown Prosecution Service to put evidence before the court to show the full extent of the criminality of those involved.”

    The NHS Counter Fraud Authority said the NHS was vulnerable to £1.198 billion worth of fraud each year.

    It has 300 fraud investigators in health trusts across England and Wales.

    1. Me TB and that’s exactly where I have been attending the orthopaedic department for my ongoing knee problem.
      With ongoing NHS fraud the Same old ‘designer’ names seem to crop up all the time.

    2. Hardly Smith and Jones, are they? Import third worlders, get third world customs.

  97. Any one here waiting for a new knee?

    https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2023-03-09/hospital-manager-stockpiled-artificial-joints-at-home-in-600k-nhs-fraud
    A hospital manager who stockpiled artificial hip and knee joints and surgical equipment at his home has been found guilty of helping to defraud £600,000 from the NHS.

    Hasan Abusheikha, 47, formerly a theatre manager at St Albans City Hospital Trust was found guilty of offences under the Theft, Fraud and Bribery Acts.

    When fraud investigators searched Abusheikha’s home they found a large number of orthopaedic implantable devices, surgical instruments and medical equipment worth more than £65,000 which had been stolen from the trust.

    They included different kinds of hip and knee joints, together with plates and screws.

    St Albans Crown Court heard in total he and and two other men had defrauded £600,000 from the NHS.

    The court heard that Abusheikha’s job involved buying medical equipment on behalf of the trust.

    As part of his role, he made purchase order requests for items required for surgical procedures carried out at the hospital.

    The NHS Counter Fraud Authority discovered he had accepted bribes from two suppliers to buy their products for the trust.

    Abusheikha was also convicted of receiving payments from two other suppliers to the trust.

    He ordered goods from these companies that he himself had supplied to them – and in return was paid at least two-thirds of the value of the goods invoiced.

    Elmo Emanuel, who was chief executive of Implants International and Xtremity Solutions Ltd, both of which were supplying medical equipment to the hospital, was found guilty of one charge of bribing Abusheikha.

    A second trust supplier, Jawid Khan, a director of TSI Med Ltd, had already pleaded guilty to one charge of bribing Abusheikha.

    All three will be sentenced at St Albans Crown Court, after which the NHSCFA and CPS will launch proceedings to recover any money taken from the NHS.

    Following the verdict, NHS CFA fraud investigator Gemma Quemby said: “We are pleased that we were able to work with our colleagues from the Crown Prosecution Service to put evidence before the court to show the full extent of the criminality of those involved.”

    The NHS Counter Fraud Authority said the NHS was vulnerable to £1.198 billion worth of fraud each year.

    It has 300 fraud investigators in health trusts across England and Wales.

  98. Oh well time to plug in to the phone charger and rest my own batteries.
    I actually had yet another phone call this afternoon from the cardiology department.
    From what I can tell it seems they have agreed to the second in 6 years, catheter ablation.
    Keeping the pace maker on standby if the ablation is not successful.
    It certainly seems that my persistence is paying off. 🤔
    Night all. 😴

    1. Well done Eddy. A friend of ours had a second ablation but, sorry to say, I don’t know if it worked second time around. Haven’t seen her to ask. Good luck anyway.

  99. My husband, a very masculine male, received a letter from a local hospital today. He had called to try and get his appointment closer to home because he is not very mobile right now. He was told that no, he had to go to this specific hospital, even though it’s miles away. So he cancelled the appointment. The letter was a confirmation of the cancellation and a copy was sent to the so- called GP.
    The letter was addressed to him with his full name which is not a girly name.
    The letter referred to him throughout as they, them or this patient. FFS- I am sodding sick of this nonsense.
    The NHS are treating us badly- maybe it depends on where you are but round here, of late, it has been dire.

  100. Good night, chums. Sleep well, and I shall (hopefully) see you all tomorrow.

  101. Goodnight, all. I shall be filling the hot water bottles shortly and snuggling up in bed. It’s not quite freezing, but there’s a strong, bitterly cold wind.

      1. Oscar has been remarkably good in that respect since he settled down and realised he wasn’t going to be kicked.

  102. Because I’ve been mildly irked by the apparent meaninglessness of the Audi advertising slogan, “Future is an Attitude”, I thought I’d find out what it’s supposed to convey. Frankly, I needn’t have bothered. I am as perplexed as before. “Vorsprung durch Technik” remains the more understandable expression.

    Future is an Attitude

    With its global campaign, titled “Future is an Attitude”, the Audi brand is showing the way to a future-oriented perspective which will ultimately include an electric, digitalised and emotional outlook.

    The strategy encompasses current production models such as the E-tron Sportback, RSQ8 and other visionary vehicles such as the AI:ME and Q4 Sportback e-tron concept, are also on view as part of the global campaign communications.

    These concepts and production vehicles represent the innovative power of the brand. Besides new and upcoming new models, protagonists are also employees of the brand like head of design Marc Lichte.

    Under the communicative approach “Future is an Attitude”, Audi will unite worldwide marketing activities from now on, while taking account of cultural and country-specific requirements.

    Don’t despair says Audi, “Vorsprung durch Technik” will always remain as the brand claim but the integration of “Future is an Attitude”will form part of the brand’s communication execution.

    https://www.news24.com/life/motoring/news/audi-unveils-its-new-global-future-is-an-attitude-campaign-20201006

    1. We cancelled ours some years ago, I wish we could cancel it all over again to make a point!

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