Tuesday 1 April: It’s time to drop any lingering illusions about the ‘special relationship’

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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

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

388 thoughts on “Tuesday 1 April: It’s time to drop any lingering illusions about the ‘special relationship’”

  4. 18'c today. Positively tropical. Be good to get the washing outside again.

    I tumbled for 30 mins the remainder of the bed linen. Was mostly dry but got it all done and put away.

    1. Starmer just postures. He won't do anything that would effect real change. That'd disrupt his core ideology and voting demographic.

    1. Good morning. The bin men found a small glass pill bottle in my recycle bin and refused to empty the bin.

      Rule is rules.

  7. Morning all. Am on the Tube today, with my Brompton – which i managed to collapse properly and reasonably quickly, for the first time ever. There is a story in the Terriblegraph, headline: “Floods have happened for yeats – it’s not climate change, say experts”

    Who would have thunk it? There were floods before 2010? Say it ain’t so!

    1. Apparently Chris Packham is upset about so many kids being worried about 'climate emergency'. I said 'Wasn't that the point? You wanted to scare people to keep them frightened of a fiction so you could control them and make them behave as you wanted. You can't now complain it's worked'.

      Congratualtions Lefties: you've yet again weaponised fear. No difference between the hard Left climate cultists and the Gestapo.

  8. Ooh. I now i learn that “muslims learnt homophobia from the British empire”. Diarnid MacCulloch, of all people.

    If course they did.

    1. The desperate reaching of the Left is pathetic and tiresome. Every opportunity to blame what they don't understand.

    3. Looking it up. The first person to discuss punishment for Homosexuals in Islam was Ibn Abbas, died 687AD, a cousin of Mohammad. He wrote:

      The Companions unanimously agreed on the execution of homosexuals , but they differed as to how they were to be executed. Some of them were of the view that they should be burned with fire, which was the view of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and also of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), as we shall see below. And some of them thought that they should be thrown down from a high place then have stones thrown at them. This was the view of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him).

      The Companions, are Mo's buddies in crime.

      I think that somewhere before 687AD is rather early for the British to have had anything to do with it. So, another lie from the left.

      1. Turns out it was an April Fool, but your information was super-interesting- thank you.

        We live in such a mad world, all the April Fool’s are utterly believable.

  9. After being awoken in the earlies we did have some problems. Oscar started vomiting when we were out for a walk, Mongo pulled on his lead and buggered off, hauling Junior over. He's never done that before. We found him on his side, retching.

    Lucy is chasing her tail in panic and was very difficult to keep calm in the car on the way to the vets. I got very worried when Mongo couldn't climb the steps up to the table.

    Oscar has an upset stomach – vet thinks a bacterial infection. Tests to confirm. Mongo has same but less of it. However he now has the squits and because he's a good boy is practically living outside. Junior moved downstairs so he could be by the door.

  10. Fun fact & top tip of the day:
    BBC licence increases £5 to £174.50 from today. However, there is a top tip that will instantly cut your TV licence bill in half.. being legally blind & deaf. That's a huge saving of a year £87.25.

    1. Considering the range of things you can watch that are tailored specifically to your interests I don't know why anyone would pay the telly tax at all.

      However it was interesting to see someone watching a youtube video on their device and having it start to odd noises. I said 'What's that?' They replied 'an advert. You get one every ten seconds'.

      Then I played it on mine. No ads, no annoying flashing flickering nonsense.

      1. My last licence expired on 30th April 2005. £2833.50 TV Tax saved to date. To be updated by £174.50 on the 30th.

  11. Town hall bosses enjoy record salaries amid huge rise in council tax

    The public sector continues to feather its nest as services are slashed, say campaigners

    Daniel Martin
    Deputy Political Editor
    31 March 2025 10:30pm BST
    Town hall bosses are enjoying record salaries as residents face huge increases in council tax, a survey has found.

    Almost 4,000 local authority staff received more than £100,000 in 2023-24 – up by more than a quarter in a year.

    The rises comes as council tax bills – 5 per cent higher than the previous year – arrive on the mats of homes across the country.

    A survey by the TaxPayers’ Alliance found that 238 council employees were paid more than the Prime Minister’s salary entitlement of £172,153.

    The highest-paid person was at SNP-run Glasgow council, where former chief executive Annemarie O’Donnell received £567,317, including one-off pension contributions.

    In England, the official who took home the most money was Chris Mills, former strategic director (resources) of Castle Point council in Essex on £565,000, of which £469,000 was compensation for lack of office. The council is run by independents.

    In terms of salary alone, the highest paid was Labour-run Wandsworth council’s former chief executive Mike Jackson, on £281,443.

    The highest number of council staff on £100,000 or more was at Labour-run Westminster council, which covers central London, where 73 earn more than this – just ahead of Greenwich where there are 62.

    Only one local authority in the country – Burnley council – had no member of staff on a six-figure salary. The council is run by a coalition of independents, Liberal Democrats and Greens.

    John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “It’s a record-breaking year in many respects for taxpayers as the country hurtles towards a record tax burden, all while the public sector continues to feather its nest.

    “As our latest town hall rich list demonstrates, the number of council staff with six-figure remuneration packages has surged at the same time that services are being slashed and council tax is being hiked above inflation.

    “Local residents can look up their own authority in our list and judge the quality of services and their council tax bill against the pay packets of their council bosses.”

    From Monday, council tax will increase in most areas of England by 5 per cent – an average of £109 across the country – for a Band D house.

    The annual town hall rich list shows that the number of council staff receiving more than £100,000 in 2023/24 stood at a record-breaking 3,906. This is 801 more than the previous year.

    The increase is partially driven by a significant increase in the number of councils who have published accounts compared to the 2024 edition of this list.

    The number of council staff receiving over £150,000 also hit a record high of 1,092, up 32 per cent, while the number receiving over £200,000 has increased by 50 per cent from 175 to 262.

    Despite consistent claims of stretched budgets and struggling services, there has been a surge in the number of senior officials receiving six-figure remuneration packages.

    In 2023/24, the local authority with the most employees receiving at least £100,000 in total remuneration was Westminster with 73 staff, 13 more than the previous year.

    Westminster also had the most employees receiving at least £200,000 in total remuneration with eight.

    Bromley, Edinburgh, the City of London, Essex and Wandsworth all had seven employees receiving at least £200,000 in total remuneration.

    The largest bonus given was to the chief executive of Edinburgh International Conference Centre, a subsidiary of Edinburgh council, who received a payment of £51,904.

    Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, said: “Our councils are fundamentally broken and are no longer able to deliver for local people.

    “Reform will send in the auditors, get rid of the fraudulent contracts and cut wasteful spending. We won’t rely on empty promises and rhetoric like the Tories and Labour who have come before us.”

    1. There is a direct link between council incompetence, failing infrastructure and massive council pay.

      Farage is, as usual, looking the wrong way. It's the blob. The unaccountable legions of job hoppers who fail and just get another post, all in the same clique.

        1. I don't think Musk is reducing bureaucracy much, he's just digitising it and getting rid of the humans, with some good headlines along the way.

  13. Progressive commie Sentencing Council quango in action.

    The 'Anti-Racism Commitment' states that officers must now 'consider cultural impact and community trauma when using their powers'.
    Police have been told to treat black and white suspects differently.

    The chairman of the new board criminal barrister Abimbola Johnson set up to scrutinise police on race issues, says her 'ultimate aim is to create a societal system that no longer needs the police'.

    1. Fair play.. they dispel any fears of a 2T system by explaining..
      The goal is 'equality of policing outcomes' for different ethnic groups by ending the racial disparity in the 'likelihood of people being criminalised'.

      2. What on earth does that nonsense sentence mean?

        You want to equalise policing outcomes (arrests) by stopping blacks being arrested. Fine. Just say that. Admit your racism. Admit that the diversity commit almost all crime.

    3. One that doens't need the police? Get rid of criminals. However, ms Bimbo, that means getting rid of people like you and the rest of the diversity. Your very presence in this country is a crime.

    4. In case you're wondering, Abimbola is a Yoruba word from Nigeria meaning "born wealthy".

  14. Morning, all Y'all. Beautifully sunny today, very light frost to start. Street sweepers were out last night, sweeping up the winter's gravel. Place is beginning to look kempt again.

  16. https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/29d99196ffedc514274f9925cf38cf2f2f6c1779/0_0_3000_2001/master/3000.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=84a26a96fa42b05d7b21461df5ed4563 Kidderminster

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/098ef224e68bb2f176150d41e1a221f68d98d2d6/0_0_8256_5504/master/8256.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=04b64c2889b35dfbd291e202b0b126af Bald eagles, Maryland

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/817455eaa6ac81abaff1edb85886eb24399c1400/0_0_2890_1927/master/2890.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b33b564b473096a7f3419e7c2675b117 Villano, a male lynx, plays in his enclosure in Andalusia, Spain. He and another lynx, a female called Vinegra, will be released into the wild in the north of the country.

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/e0268f179164f85f1240b8b0d4df6704032a61dc/0_0_3000_2000/master/3000.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=2af7bece18eee9c7b707d321ea725779 A male common kestrel perches on a tree in Nice, southern France

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/72d5808fb1e129317bdf729ab009f67515b2ff0c/0_0_5465_3633/master/5465.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c6bdbdaac3ff93632f0dc3e25299b2aa Lira, one of five rescue lions from Ukraine who have been rehomed at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Ashford, Kent. The first was Yuna, who came to the UK in 2024 after being left unable to walk due to severe shellshock from missile attacks. She is now joined by Rori, Amani, Lira, and Vanda. For four out of the five, their new home will be the first time they have ever touched grass

  17. Good morning all.
    A chilly 2½°C start but bright and sunny.

    A trip to Stoke to check up on Stepson.

  18. Good morning, all. Another bright and clear start to the day. No frost.

    Planted my potatoes yesterday, a second early variety, Acoustic, I hadn't heard of them before. The packaging claims that it's a good all-rounder variety.

    A relaxing thread to follow in these turbulent times of lefty incontinence.

    https://x.com/JamesLucasIT/status/1906541731752882359

    2. I am holding off putting my spuds in until a bit later. The nights are still cold.

  20. Much was said yesterday about the fragmentation of splinter parties on the Right, but I suggest that it is not just the Right which is fragmenting.

    I spent a few enjoyable hours drawing up a manifesto for the Loony Alternative for Britain, because I believe that the Officials are getting altogether far too serious, and seem mostly interested in organising Sutch tribute rock concerts rather than being seriously silly.

    Apeing the others will simply divide the nation, whereas lunacy unites us all. It wasn't so bad basing a religion on someone coming out of a girl without the usual natural necessaries, who then is put to death for being king of an imaginary kingdom, comes to life again, and then is ritually eaten by his followers like klingons feasting on blood wine. I buy into that if it gets the trains to run on time (but true loonies would set the time by sundial at night).

    So here are my thoughts so far:

    Has anyone seen a dog on a lead behind the human, rather than leading the way?
    Therefore the Leader should be Best in Show at Crufts.

    Top hats are elitist symbols of the Officials and should be banned. Pointed hats reflect the ancient traditions of the British people and made compulsory when standing for office.

    Why base a currency on a yellow metal, which may be pretty, but is also pretty boring? It should have the image of the king , because that is British, but it should also honour and value craft skills, rather than casino skills. Therefore, I would make the currency an effigy of the king made from loo roll middles and sticky back plastic, and under the current reign, named a 'Charlie'. When Charles III passes on, then a new effigy would need to be created, a 'Willy'.

    Diplomats, judges and funeral directors should be made up a clowns, a noble and ancient profession, with gorilla suits optional.

    Gender should be optional, and one has the freedom to change gender at any time.

    Benefits claimants should attend an interview with an officer bearing a badge clearly marked "Guess" in all official languages. Those that guess correctly get their money, in Charlies of course. Those that guess wrong must pay for a gender awareness course.

    Planning is granted by a petition of 117 people declaring that an application serves no useful purpose whatsoever. It then becomes a national monument and must be opened to the public on its patron saint's day.

    Leichtenstein needs to be invaded in order to maintain peace between Switzerland and Austria.

    Free coffins should be available on the NHS.

    More accidents are caused by pedestrians than by milk floats. Therefore there should ba national speed limit of 40mph for pedestrians.

    As a contribution to Net Zero, pedal powered electricity generators should be distributed to all schools with fat pupils.

    Safeguarding of innocent people is best maintained by locking up securely all those found innocent in a court of law.

    'Yes We Have No Bananas' is the new National Anthem to be sung at sporting events.

    Following on from the splendid example set in Bhutan and Finland, wealth is measured in happiness. Anyone caught smiling is deemed to have too much of it, and this must be taxed and redistributed to the needy.

  21. José Antonio Fúster, national spokesman for Spain's Vox party read out in 'parliament' the forenames of several dozen individuals arrested during violent incidents in Barcelona over the weekend.

    “Sabar, Omar, Nassim, Abdelkader, Salah, Salah, Younes, Karim, Jamil, Amir, Ali, Oussama, Hassan… I can go on. Do you notice any patterns? Do you notice anything?” Fúster asked.

    Barrister Abimbola Johnson says.. Don't arrest them then. Problem solved. Concentrate on the locals.

  22. José Antonio Fúster, national spokesman for Spain's Vox party read out in 'parliament' the forenames of several dozen individuals arrested during violent incidents in Barcelona over the weekend.

    “Sabar, Omar, Nassim, Abdelkader, Salah, Salah, Younes, Karim, Jamil, Amir, Ali, Oussama, Hassan… I can go on. Do you notice any patterns? Do you notice anything?” Fúster asked.

    Barrister Abimbola Johnson says.. Don't arrest them then. Problem solved. Concentrate on the locals.

  23. Massey Ferguson
    14h
    . https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/92cf188bd53a9d934492056d555e14592c98821d93838fa6b7ee6b66bd0fb3fd.png

    Mike b
    13h
    Nigel Farage was the only political leader that told the Truth the others backed Starmer

    Turns out Nigel was correct.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a22aa53d5e7c22735c8937bc8079d2a70690eee4b0ebd341e8fbe40531254928.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/945bdf00b5ba4facc1bec7e6fba10bfe3bfa70983adf592e30b2dac116e83a71.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4cb77543bde6b8c91da2b1a66b0536a749d73dd47ce0999c6a288c7de7d46885.png

    1. Ah, Dogendtwit breaks cover – like most people, I suspect, I'd almost forgotten him!

    1. The Left don't like the truth. This gives them an opportunity to further legislate and restrict free speech while ignoring the diversity problem they've forced on us, one created from welfare dependence, the rewarding failure and promoting the savage whle destroying the nuclear family and civilised society.

      The Left brought this on themselves. It's nothing to do with social media at all. The failure is the state.

  26. Netzero
    14h
    So the EU, via France, went after Le Pen in the same way as the democrats went for Trump.

    Joris Bohnson
    Netzero
    14h
    Contrast all the fuss made by the likes of the BBC when they and the usual suspects were going after Boris, Farage and even Truss with how little coverage they give to myriad examples of Labour’s lies, cronyism and rule/law breaking. Says it all for me…

    Joris Bohnson
    Netzero
    14h
    Yes, it’s almost like a plot from the Nancy Pelosi book of smearing opponents and it'll likely have the same effect on Le Pen’s popularity. Putin murders his rivals, our leftists rely on smearing them. Remember Draper and McBride?…

  28. Fury as Labour MP in rubbish-ridden city pushes for airport 4,000 miles away
    Pest control experts say the uncollected waste in Birmingham has created a "banquet" for rats, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.
    Robert Jenrick has launched a scathing attack on Tahir Ali, the Labour MP fo Birmingham New Hall, for backing a campaign to build an airport in Kashmir while rubbish is currently "piled high” in the UK’s second city.
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2034250/labour-mp-birmingham-tahir-ali-airport-pakistan-robert-jenrick

    1. At last – someone in Birmingham City Council has found a way around its finance troubles created by a wages war between the dustmen and the dinnerladies. Word has got round that the local wildlife are not only robust and healthy – some say the size of cats (but that depends if you are talking leopards or tigers) but are sustainable.

      There is a ready market for lovable pets, and I heard that they pay good money for them in China.

  29. Good morning all ,

    Dull morning sky , 5c .. slight breeze , and suddenly over the past couple of days the leaves on the lilac and other shrubs are really so visible .. Spring has really sprung . We had to water the tubs and rows of daffodils yesterday evening , the weather had been very warm all of a sudden!

  30. An intern hired by GCHQ stole top secret data and took it home in a national security breach.

    Hasaan Arshad, 25, was free to take his work mobile phone into a top secret area of GCHQ and connect it to a workstation inside the intelligence agency.

    Arshad, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, was then allowed to take his phone home unchallenged. There, he transferred the sensitive information to a hard drive linked to his personal computer. He was arrested a month after downloading the data.

    The security breach is potentially embarrassing for GCHQ, based in Cheltenham. The intelligence agency runs a summer internship lasting 10 weeks that is only open to university students from ethnic minority backgrounds.

    It is unclear whether Arshad was admitted as an intern through the diversity scheme.

    The GCHQ website says the “summer intelligence internship” allows applicants to “immerse yourself in the work of one of our intelligence mission teams”.

    It adds: “This isn’t just work shadowing. With access to genuine case studies and briefings by various Operational Intelligence teams, you’ll be treated like a member of our organisation and expected to get involved with real projects.

    “If you’re in your final (or penultimate) year of university and from a black, Asian, mixed heritage, or ethnic minority background, and from a socially or economically disadvantaged background, this is your opportunity to discover if a career in intelligence is right for you. We’ll even cover your accommodation – all you need to bring is your fresh perspective.”

    Nina Grahame KC, Arshad’s lawyer, told the court he had admitted the offence on the “basis of recklessness”.

    The court was told that Arshad had previously admitted two charges of making an indecent photograph of a child in relation to a number of images found between Sept 7 and 23 2022.

    Mrs Justice McGowan adjourned sentencing for all the charges to June 13. Previously, the senior judge had ruled that some parts of Arshad’s case would be heard behind closed doors, in the absence of the press and public.

    “Top secret” is the classification for the Government’s most sensitive information, when compromise might cause widespread loss of life or threaten the security or economic well-being of the country or friendly nations, according to Ministry of Justice security guidance.

    Mark Morrison
    10 min ago
    So the UK has no borders, no functional security services, no functional defence, no free speech, no functional justice system, no functional health care, no functional democracy, and an econo.y in free fall. How long until the collapse?

    Comment by M L Taylor.

    ML

    M L Taylor
    10 min ago
    Employing a fox to work alongside the local chickens has always been somewhat problematic

    Comment by Nina Parkinson.

    NP

    Nina Parkinson
    11 min ago
    Our borders are open, our hotels are full of illegal immigrants & our security is shared by any not-white working class bloke. What more could we want? I love my country. I just wish we had a government which could govern. Bring in the army!

    Comment by Johnny Davidson.

    JD

    Johnny Davidson
    20 min ago
    Why is he wearing a mask when we know what he looks like? Coward.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/31/gchq-intern-admits-taking-top-secret-data-home/

    2. What an ongoing joke our country has become.
      Back in the day this mob would have given a Mr Hilltor a job.
      And now people are arrested for shouting at a police dog. Or waving a placard and complaining about a school's strange adgenda.

    3. Ah..ruled that some parts of Arshad’s case would be heard behind closed doors

      I know what that sensitive stuff relates to..
      It's the GCHQ intel that clearly shows all RoPers to be 100%: A security risk. Lite Fingered. Untrustworthy. Tiddily-Fiddlers. Corrupt. And shouldn't really be placed in positions of power.

    4. Ah..ruled that some parts of Arshad’s case would be heard behind closed doors

      I know what that sensitive stuff relates to..
      It's the GCHQ intel that clearly shows all RoPers to be 100%: A security risk. Lite Fingered. Untrustworthy. Tiddily-Fiddlers. Corrupt. And shouldn't really be placed in positions of power.

  31. Example ..

    Revealed: Diane Abbott's diplomat son James Abbott-Thompson threatened her with scissors then attacked NINE medics and police while hooked on crystal meth
    MP begged police for help after she was chased round her house with scissors
    Her son, 28, bit an officer as he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act
    Details revealed now after Abbott-Thompson pleaded guilty to 16 offences
    Judge made an interim hospital order while psychiatric reports are prepared
    By REBECCA CAMBER CHIEF CRIME CORRESPONDENT FOR THE DAILY MAIL

    Published: 22:03, 22 April 2020 | Updated: 22:21, 22 April 2020

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8246919/The-violent-rampage-Diane-Abbotts-diplomat-son-James-Abbott-Thompson.html

    3. The crystal meth is simply an excuse, there is plenty of violence in Africa without the use of artificial stimulants.

  33. Good morning, chums. I overslept today, but clearly I needed it. And thanks, Geoff, for this morning's new NoTTLe site.

    Wordle 1,382 4/6

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

      1. He is a staff writer for the Torygraph. Been around for years writing stuff that looks and sounds like a joke!

  36. https://premium.weatherweb.net/weather-in-history-1800-to-1849-ad/

    1825 (February) Fog on 6 days in February (London/South).
    4th/5th: major storm affecting the North Sea & adjacent coasts; the bulk of the problems (wind damage/storm surge) seems to have been a feature for the continental side of the Sea, but high winds would also have affected the Scottish & English coastline, as a very strong gradient from the NNW developed from the second-half of the 3rd February. 8, Lamb / Wheeler,
    23
    1825
    (summer) A dry summer – probably across a good part of Britain.
    > July 1825 was exceptionally dry by the EWP series: with a value of just 8.2 mm (~12% modern LTA), this is the driest July in the England & Wales Precipitation [EWP] series (up to 2014 update), and the 10th driest any month in that series.
    > With the extended drought (see above), it is not surprising that this month also experienced a hot spell; we only have records for the London & Home Counties area, but in central London (Somerset House) there was a sequence of days from the 12th to 20th (9 days) with the maximum temperature >=80degF (>=27degC), with the highest value on the 19th at 89degF (~32degC). At Datchet (then Buckinghamshire, now Berkshire, near Windsor), on four days (15th, 17th, 18th & 19th) the temperature in a 'shaded' area of a garden was recorded between 90 and 96degF (latter is ~36degC); these values are probably too high by modern standards but give an idea of the intensity of the heat. [Phil Trans Royal Society] 8,
    PHILTRANS,
    EWP
    1825 Violent gales did much damage 5th August.
    Snow fell on 20th & 21st October (?London/South).
    Damaging gales 3rd November.

    Our climate , please examine the link and gasp at the previous centuries weather history .

        1. We had a cloudless sky, but one old con trail and another being made by a jetliner.

    2. The 19th July is very often the hottest day of the year!
      Hot periods and storms are nothing new and nothing to do with any "climate emergency".

    4. In fact our climate has clearly been remarkably stable over the last couple of hundred years.

  37. Morning all 🙂😊 pinch and a punch.
    A bit late today I was awake at 4 am. But obviously dozed off again. No one to bring me my cuppa at 8 o'clock 🤔
    Not the weather today forecast at least a twenty times yesterday. How could they get it so wrong ?
    It seems that this horrible, nasty and vile government has set its sights on wrecking the very existance of ordinary working tax payer's and retired people who have put some money aside for the future. But everything they are doing in order of destruction has been blamed on the aforementioned, to support their crazy society wrecking objectives.

  38. Just checked our electricity usage for yesterday, we spent thruppence on power and 55 pence on Standing Charge

    1. Well you got that right Nigel what else are doing ?

      But of course the other person is lying, or is it just another preconceived assumption.

  40. Morning all. Sun and it is going to get to 15c today. So nice spring day.

    Todays letter. Don't usually comment on them because, like this one, they are usually nonsense. Petulant Geoffrey harrumphs:.. "Donald Trump’s threat that US tariffs will hit all countries ( http://telegraph.co.uk , March 31), despite Britain’s efforts to secure a deal, I trust our politicians will finally accept that we have no “special relationship” with America."

    What absolute Bull, The Silly Starmerfuhrer tries to undermine Trumps peace efforts in Ukraine and undermine him in his dealings with Canada and precious Geoffrey thinks we should get special treatment!

    But I was pleased to see that the Americans have told the socialist government of the UK that there will be no trade deal without free speech. It is a disgrace that the country that gave free speech and thus democracy to the world is now turning into an English speaking version of East Germany in the Stasi era.

    3. I guess she led a sheltered life and knew nothing of Mme. Fifi's fabulous toys!

    4. Bull. If she can have an orgasm at all then her genitalia is intact. You don't need a man. Any physical stimulus will do.

    5. A favourite line in a film:

      "Thank you so much, you gave me an orgasm!"

      "Have you never had one before?"

      "Not with anyone else in the room!"

  43. I hear Starmer had been proposed as an April Fool, but there were too many other candidates for him to be selected.

  44. I hear Starmer had been proposed as an April Fool, but there were too many other candidates for him to be selected.

  45. The Sentencing Council has been humiliated. 1 April 2025.

    The members of the Sentencing Council have been pushed into a humiliating climbdown – but it may well be too late to save them. The pressure rose over the weekend, with the Lord Chancellor and Prime Minister stating that they were considering emergency legislation in order to prevent the Council’s new, ‘two tier’ guidelines over Pre-Sentence Reports for ethnic minorities from coming into force.

    Why would anyone want to save them? These Social Quango’s should all be abolished.

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-sentencing-council-has-been-humiliated/

    1. 'Twas Blair (+Cherie)'s invention aiming to capture the judiciary in perpetual leftiedom.

    1. I like the one with a group of men and one woman sitting round the board table, with the Chairman saying: “That’s an excellent idea, Miss Trigg. Pehaps one of the men would care to make it”.

    1. To be fair, the women have their own section. So the complaint is a bit misleading.

  52. Good afternoon. Too late for an April Fool:
    Wordle 1,382 4/6

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

  53. uklegislation
    1h
    The only person speaking up for the people of this country is Trump… no free trade unless we get free speech…
    Trump is trying to save the Western world from communist dictatorship and using soft p0wer to try and achieive it …all credit to him

    1. Meanwhile, Fonda Lyin' warns Donald that we in Europe have our broomsticks at the ready…

      Speccie In words

      ‘Europe has not started this confrontation. We do not necessarily want to retaliate, but we have a strong plan to retaliate if necessary.’

      European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the EU has a plan to respond to Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs.

      1. 'European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the EU has a plan to respond to Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs'.

        What? Witchcraft?

        1. Little bear is going to scweam and scweam 'til she's sick and snaffle a few billion euros while she's at it.

        1. I would give her 90 seconds.

          That is how long it would take me to strangle the bitch.

    2. I'm not up to speed on Trump's import tariffs. I thought it was to encourage manufacturing to return to the USA, although it does take a while for supply chains to be redirected. I also understood that it was his attempt to exact redress for his perception of the prevailing "unfair" terms of trade that the USA has thus far tolerated, but no more. The idea that it's to encourage "free speech" in the rest of the world is new to me. What, for example, does he want to happen in the UK before he relaxes these tariffs?

    1. Three of those in the car were tragically pronounced dead at the scene. They were reportedly teenagers – two men and one woman, with another girl taken to hospital.

      Speeding. Given the time probably drugs/alcohol involved.

      1. Another excuse for them to clamp down. 20 mph blanket limit too high. Needs to be reduced to 5mph and a man with a red flag walking in front. People under the age of 35 may not drive (but can, of course, vote at aged 16 and have their genitals mutilated at any age they want).

    4. Buses are easy to see. Especially at night. Sounds to me like someone showing off and driving at excess speed. I feel sorry for the people on the bus. Not the occupants of the car.

    5. Bedfont Road. The only time I have ever got a speeding fine was there. Black Wolseley police car gonged me. Fined 10 quid.

  56. https://as.dnaitc.fr/1459/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJYuy1leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHV0sBoKusAZGchFjqTvmtUSsVNcpZv6hR0vVTiM8Pi3vHv6L6-iDpauyMQ_aem_gWid0GSwsYojoaKmBEM8VQ

    Ancient Wonders: The 9,000-Year-Old Giraffe Carvings of Niger’s Sahara
    Histories — March 18, 2025 in Uncategorized • Comments off

    In the vast and often unforgiving expanse of the Sahara Desert, there exists a remarkable legacy—a tribute to the imagination and ingenuity of our ancient ancestors. Deep within Niger’s arid landscape, near the city of Agadez, lies one of the most breathtaking and historically significant examples of prehistoric rock art ever discovered: the Dabous giraffe carvings. These awe-inspiring images, carved into desert rock approximately 9,000 years ago, transport us back to a time when the Sahara was not a sea of sand, but a flourishing savanna, teeming with wildlife and life-sustaining water sources. These carvings are more than simple depictions of animals—they are a profound testament to the connection between early humans and the natural world that surrounded them.

    The discovery of the Dabous giraffes represented a turning point in our understanding of ancient African cultures and their artistic capabilities. Found by archaeologists conducting surveys in northern Niger, these carvings quickly gained international attention for their sheer scale, precision, and cultural significance. Unlike many forms of ancient art, which are typically abstract or symbolic, these carvings display a remarkable level of realism and detail. The larger of the two giraffes measures over 18 feet in height, making it the largest known rock carving of its kind. Alongside these majestic animals are depictions of human figures, suggesting a dynamic interaction between people and wildlife that once defined life in this region.

    Standing in front of these carvings today, it is difficult to reconcile the present-day desert conditions with the verdant past these images depict. But scientific evidence confirms that around 9,000 years ago, during what is known as the African Humid Period, the Sahara was a vastly different environment. Rainfall was abundant, rivers flowed freely, and diverse species of animals—including elephants, crocodiles, and giraffes—thrived across the landscape. The Dabous carvings capture this era with stunning clarity, portraying the giraffes with elongated necks, distinct coat patterns, and a grace that reveals the keen observational skills of their creators.

    The craftsmanship of these carvings reflects more than artistic talent—it also highlights the technical mastery of the ancient peoples who made them. Utilizing tools fashioned from stone and perhaps early forms of metal, these artists employed a range of techniques, including pecking, scraping, and polishing the rock surface to achieve varying textures and depths. The result is an astonishingly lifelike image that not only conveys movement and form but also resonates with cultural and spiritual significance. It is widely believed that giraffes were not chosen at random for this artwork; rather, they likely held symbolic or ritual importance, perhaps representing fertility, abundance, or the spiritual guardians of the land.

    Beyond their aesthetic beauty, the Dabous giraffes offer valuable insights into the social and environmental context of their creators. These hunter-gatherer communities were not isolated or primitive as often portrayed; instead, they were intimately connected to their surroundings and capable of expressing that relationship through sophisticated artistic expression. The carvings serve as a narrative, etched in stone, of a time when humans lived in harmony with nature—a reminder of the fragility and richness of ecosystems that have since vanished.

    Recognizing the immense importance of the Dabous giraffes, international organizations have joined forces to preserve and protect these invaluable cultural artifacts. The Bradshaw Foundation, along with UNESCO and the Trust for African Rock Art, has played a pivotal role in these efforts. One of their key initiatives was to create precise aluminum casts of the carvings, ensuring that accurate reproductions could be studied and displayed worldwide while minimizing physical contact with the originals. Additionally, these organizations have emphasized the importance of involving local communities in preservation efforts, not only to protect the carvings but to foster economic and cultural sustainability.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjT81-xiuiA

    Hey , if any of you want to contact the Twerp Miliband and ram down his throat the TRUTH .. and then kick hell out of him for scamming us all and ruining our progressive industrial heritage , and the ability we used to have to keep warm in a cold climate!

      1. Indeed.. what happened to African culture .. All Islamified and and beaten into submission , and worse I guess.

        Changing the subject ..

        Sitting here , sun pouring in sheltered from easterly breeze , which is strong .. a cat of unknown origin has wandered into the living room .. pretty cat , long body small head and a blindy cat eye .. looks like a cataract , young and thin .. puss cat resident who looks like the Felix adverts, is asleep on a chair , Pip spaniel asleep on the other one , Moh sitting on a sofa studying his phone .. and cat of unknown origin sniffed around the room .. carefully and female Felix saw the visitor and growled and hissed like a Cobra .. her tail twitched have any of you heard a Cobra talk, I have .. what an amazing sound a cobra emits .

        Pip spaniel just lay asleep unaware of the intruder ..

          5. I've had quite a few cats in my life, male and female – in my experience only males do that. Females squat down to pee. Males enjoy spraying.

    2. So was it all those ancient ancestors who caused the climate change back then, maybe driving their Range Rocers or Jeeps around that verdant area?

      Net Zero obsessive – please take note.

  57. https://as.dnaitc.fr/1459/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJYuy1leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHV0sBoKusAZGchFjqTvmtUSsVNcpZv6hR0vVTiM8Pi3vHv6L6-iDpauyMQ_aem_gWid0GSwsYojoaKmBEM8VQ

    Ancient Wonders: The 9,000-Year-Old Giraffe Carvings of Niger’s Sahara
    Histories — March 18, 2025 in Uncategorized • Comments off

    In the vast and often unforgiving expanse of the Sahara Desert, there exists a remarkable legacy—a tribute to the imagination and ingenuity of our ancient ancestors. Deep within Niger’s arid landscape, near the city of Agadez, lies one of the most breathtaking and historically significant examples of prehistoric rock art ever discovered: the Dabous giraffe carvings. These awe-inspiring images, carved into desert rock approximately 9,000 years ago, transport us back to a time when the Sahara was not a sea of sand, but a flourishing savanna, teeming with wildlife and life-sustaining water sources. These carvings are more than simple depictions of animals—they are a profound testament to the connection between early humans and the natural world that surrounded them.

    The discovery of the Dabous giraffes represented a turning point in our understanding of ancient African cultures and their artistic capabilities. Found by archaeologists conducting surveys in northern Niger, these carvings quickly gained international attention for their sheer scale, precision, and cultural significance. Unlike many forms of ancient art, which are typically abstract or symbolic, these carvings display a remarkable level of realism and detail. The larger of the two giraffes measures over 18 feet in height, making it the largest known rock carving of its kind. Alongside these majestic animals are depictions of human figures, suggesting a dynamic interaction between people and wildlife that once defined life in this region.

    Standing in front of these carvings today, it is difficult to reconcile the present-day desert conditions with the verdant past these images depict. But scientific evidence confirms that around 9,000 years ago, during what is known as the African Humid Period, the Sahara was a vastly different environment. Rainfall was abundant, rivers flowed freely, and diverse species of animals—including elephants, crocodiles, and giraffes—thrived across the landscape. The Dabous carvings capture this era with stunning clarity, portraying the giraffes with elongated necks, distinct coat patterns, and a grace that reveals the keen observational skills of their creators.

    The craftsmanship of these carvings reflects more than artistic talent—it also highlights the technical mastery of the ancient peoples who made them. Utilizing tools fashioned from stone and perhaps early forms of metal, these artists employed a range of techniques, including pecking, scraping, and polishing the rock surface to achieve varying textures and depths. The result is an astonishingly lifelike image that not only conveys movement and form but also resonates with cultural and spiritual significance. It is widely believed that giraffes were not chosen at random for this artwork; rather, they likely held symbolic or ritual importance, perhaps representing fertility, abundance, or the spiritual guardians of the land.

    Beyond their aesthetic beauty, the Dabous giraffes offer valuable insights into the social and environmental context of their creators. These hunter-gatherer communities were not isolated or primitive as often portrayed; instead, they were intimately connected to their surroundings and capable of expressing that relationship through sophisticated artistic expression. The carvings serve as a narrative, etched in stone, of a time when humans lived in harmony with nature—a reminder of the fragility and richness of ecosystems that have since vanished.

    Recognizing the immense importance of the Dabous giraffes, international organizations have joined forces to preserve and protect these invaluable cultural artifacts. The Bradshaw Foundation, along with UNESCO and the Trust for African Rock Art, has played a pivotal role in these efforts. One of their key initiatives was to create precise aluminum casts of the carvings, ensuring that accurate reproductions could be studied and displayed worldwide while minimizing physical contact with the originals. Additionally, these organizations have emphasized the importance of involving local communities in preservation efforts, not only to protect the carvings but to foster economic and cultural sustainability.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjT81-xiuiA

    Hey , if any of you want to contact the Twerp Miliband and ram down his throat the TRUTH .. and then kick hell out of him for scamming us all and ruining our progressive industrial heritage , and the ability we used to have to keep warm in a cold climate!

  59. Home!
    Saw Stepson, sorted a couple of problems out for him and did a bit of shopping up in Hanley.
    Beautiful drive over the Staffordshire Moors there and back, but someone overtaking a pair of tractors nearly caused a head-on!!

    1. You do get about abit Bob.

      Is stepson doing okay , and is he communicative with you .. Does he enjoy your visits.

      What sort of problem does he have , sorry to be nosey , if he has medication I gather he has quite a serious condition .

      I guess you require a special sort of patience to do what you do , especially as he is a grown lad.

      1. Hour and a quarter going and coming back.
        He had to wait until his week's medication was delivered so he wasn't able to come shopping with me.

    3. I used to make an annual sojourn, at 3:00 a.m. on a Spring morning, to Swallow Moss on the beautiful Staffordshire Moors. This was to watch the Black Grouse massing at their leks.

      This is the only site in the UK, outside Scotland, where Black Grouse breed.

      1. From my trip to Westmoreland and Cumberland nearly 2y ago.
        On a walk up Mallerstang, I got stalked by this stroppy bugger:-
        https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0797eaa1de2bc0fb8f2dbc8c3e7d50091785127e3ca732022784b8d1024b4f71.jpg
        https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4cc19e212f1cd31e13a85cdf720f81df133dc236220a3389c61dd4abee932cf3.jpg
        https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/50b4be6aa97e3a52f65be8069a5f1a529405ee0350553213d1f0c612b606b038.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1c9e389eb72548801d30365ec737b9e6e6cbebf82245e35a6649369d233c18c9.jpg

    1. Who is giving the pay rise? The employer? And where does the employer get the money from – taxation or improved profits?

    2. My grandson has lost his part time lifeguard job that he took so he didn't build up debt while training.
      Mt granddaughter's hours in her life guard job have been cut to take her below the £5,000 pa NI threshold; she is trying her best to leave university with no debt.
      And, of course, the minimum wage has also gone up. There is a limit to how much leisure industries in particular can raise their fees as it's discretionary spending. Goodbye to thousands of flexible hours jobs that are suitable for students and women with children.
      Rinse and repeat throughout the country.

      1. Was having this conversation with a friend today. Jobs will be lost because businesses can’t afford to hire. Passing on the rises to the customers means fewer customers because particularly with discretionary spending people choose not to pay more.

  62. A duck walks into a bar…
    And orders a hundred bottles of scotch.

    The bartender says, "That's gonna be pretty expensive. How are you gonna pay for all that liquor?"

    The duck replies, "Just put it on my tab."

    A nearby bar patron cheekily says, "Don't you mean 'put it on my bill'?"

    The duck says to the bartender, "Okay, put it on his bill."

    1. or the duck goes to the reception desk at his hotel and asks for a condom, Receptionist says "Shall I put it on your bill?" Duck says "…………."
      Fill in the appropriate words

    2. or the duck goes to the reception desk at his hotel and asks for a condom, Receptionist says "Shall I put it on your bill?" Duck says "…………."
      Fill in the appropriate words

    3. Hi Maggie – I like your latest avatar pic – but can you move it down a tad – the top of your head is cut off.

    5. I just read a book about marriage that says "treat your wife like you treated her on your first date". So, tonight after dinner I'm dropping her off at her parent's house.

  64. Q; What's have a pelican and a tax man got in common?
    A; They can both stick their bills up their arse

    1. Here's one – what's the difference between Starmer's cabinet and the Mafia?

      No, I don't know either.

  65. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/65d29beac8cd8d8a3c4075ff627f11b09d684a58827222726761326b98f3a800.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/26ec0a3f65f100f2fa0753c7795af3851ae75cf8470273532be337a2d04ead61.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/46910c47fcaa9682b5ccf143349aefb7348136ebbd7c03b7135eeeee51bfd97f.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/68252a3636f700de311089b5c18fb8e9c48d7c722c120e48b2afb0eae8464c60.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4cc64c97c1d0dc8af24149dac4d5a91a3e08bdc754d31b75e3257ee16bf0caa5.png

    1. Yes.. I'm looking to change nationality. I don't want to be associated with the scum who decide this crap, and since I'm effectively alone (Farage couldn't even piss the bed), I'm gone as fast as I can.

    2. All That is precisely why our once safe and reasonably organised country is now such a useless dump.

    3. Blimey. Makes me feel very inadequate. I've had a busy day doing …. well, I'm not sure, really.
      Certainly, not getting through to the dog groomers. Phoned three times; left messages. Will try elsewhere; a shame but I can't be RRsed to cope with mucking around.

    4. Wow! That’s very impressive! Good for you both – not surprised you’re a tad tired!!

    6. As was said t'other day, you've not only got the space, you have level ground too!

  67. All is now clear! Hewlet-Packard (HP) had a policy that anyone phoning in for technical support on computers and printers would have to wait for a minimum of 15 minutes before being able to speak to a human. This was apparently “to influence customers to increase their adoption of digital self-service” – in other words, to go through a tortuous on-line question/answer session that often ended with the screen freezing. I wonder how many other companies have a similar policy.

    1. Well my surgery rang me after I had done an e consult but the phone went to voicemail before I could get to it. I rang them back and had to put up with a long recorded message telling me to use e consult.

  68. Keeeeeeeeeeeerching.. lovely jubbly.. quids in for all in on the take.

    £50billion done deal for Chagos Islands.

    Next up?

    2. I bet that that has done wonders for property prices in Gibraltar and the Channel Islands.

        1. Wow, I didn’t realise that property was so expensive. My thought was, whatever they were, the possibility that the Government would sell Gibraltar to Spain for a few pounds would depress prices.

  69. Ahhh, the power of a good whinge! (Thank God – and Geoff – for Nottl!)

    I finished my portrait. 🙂🙂 (Phew!)

    I wanted to avoid just showing my friend's beauty. Too many people see only that. She is very intelligent and curious, so I decided to try and catch her mid-idea. An absolute bugger of a concept to put into practice , but an invigorating challenge.

    Herewith, as thanks for putting up with me… 🤣 https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0364d65d7499337dcf84b850c14d5ac3c55deb4adcf131668ff22f630e592413.jpg

      1. Can’t remember. One of those afternoons when we discussed anything and everything.

    4. Goodness, Ashes!
      That's stupendous… I've worked with three young women who have been great at stimulating and having good ideas, and there's a smidgeon of their (whats "holdning" in English?) in your picture. A sort of energy in enquiry feeling.
      What medium did you use?
      Your talent seems to have no bounds! Good, one, lass!

      1. Thanks so much!

        I always block things out in acrylic, and generally use it for most of the background. (Never had much money 🤣🤣). Sometimes a picture finishes itself there; mostly I then move on to oils for the details and nuance.

        I have no idea what holdning is! 🤣🤣

    6. That's REALLY good, well done!
      (a little more shadow on the right hand tooth, surely? < runs away >)

        1. Without knowing her, I think you succeeded in making the portrait characterful as well as beautiful – that’s one of the hardest challenges in portrait painting

      1. No! What a cheeky look in his eye. 🙂

        Is that going to be your Christmas card?

    11. Well that's settled it then. I'm selling my paints and brushes tomorrow at the car boot sale and I'm going to buy some tiddleywinks instead!

      You've just raised the bar, Madame! 😘

  70. Wordle No. 1,382 4/6

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

    Wordle 1 Apr 2025

    A gem for Par Four?

    1. A foul 5 here.

      Wordle 1,382 5/6

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

    2. Me too but it took an awfully long time for the penny to drop and I was staring at "best word" lists!

      Wordle 1,382 4/6

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

    3. Very fortunate par here – nearly went your way (and mola's by the look of it), but wanted to play in my lucky letter when all else fails (W) – rescued a fairly dire situation…..

      Wordle 1,382 4/6

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

      1. I don't do Wordle (but I do do Codewords). I don't understand the strategy when you have a correct letter in the right place in the first line then you have two lines which don't contain that letter in the right place at all. Why not try words that contain that letter in that position?

        1. A good point, Conners, and one that divides the Wordle fraternity.

          I like to play out my top 3 words (accounting for the 15 most popular letters) unless there is an obvious (three letters or more identified) reason to guess the final word. Its important to note that in Wordle it is almost as useful to exclude letters as it is to include them.

          I think this generally tends to guarantee a ‘middling’ solution of 4 or maybe 5 guesses.

          Other Wordlers think this is a bit of a ‘cheat’ and you should always continue with a correct letter – I dont see it myself but it is a higher risk tactic and can deliver a better result if you get lucky!

          1. I used to do several, but now I only do the Saga one because all the others objected to my using an ad blocker. The Caravan and Motorhome Club magazine also often has a codeword in the puzzles section so I do that one as well.

          2. Yes, I like Codewords, they’re a lot of fun – I also adhere to the (probably incorrect) view that quizzing in all its forms – I’m a rabid crossword fanatic as well – is like a workout for the brain – and therefore is likely to help prevent the onset of dementia and other horrific mental conditions!!

          3. I do crosswords, too. Keeping the brain active is supposed to help stave off dementia; puzzles, along with learning languages, are thought to keep the brain healthy.

    4. I am glad that you found this one to be easy

      Wordle 1,382 5/6

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

    5. Par here. Had to position the letter ‘L’.

      Wordle 1,382 4/6

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

  71. The UK DOGE Council Fat Cat List: £2.4 Million on ‘Civic Pride’ and ‘Inclusive Growth’ Directors

    https://order-order.com/2025/04/01/the-uk-doge-council-fat-cat-list-2-4-million-on-civic-pride-and-inclusive-growth-directors/

    As ‘Awful April’ bills hit taxpayers hard today – complete with an average 5% council tax rise – the Taxpayers’ Alliance dropped its annual Town Hall Rich List, revealing a record-breaking 3,906 council bureaucrats raked in more than £100,000 in total remuneration last year. Nice work if you can get it…

    A glance at the job titles of these public-sector fat cats shows that woke warriors remain firmly at the trough, with diversity and inclusion officers still topping the payroll. Councils splashed a staggering £2,396,126 in total remunerations for these vaguely named “diversity”,“culture” “civic pride”, “inclusion” and naturally “climate change” roles. UK DOGE brings you the rundown of some of the most eye-watering sinecures:

    Director of people and culture – Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole – £130,249
    Director of inclusive economy and culture – Harrow – £159,474
    Corporate director – neighbourhood and climate change – County Durham – £190,198
    Director of climate change, environment and transport – Devon – £145,758
    Corporate director of climate and inclusive growth – Lambeth – £190,782
    Executive director of environment, civic pride and climate – Merton – £166,969
    Director for place and climate change – North Norfolk – £109,059
    Head of economic development, planning and climate change – Stirling – £110,734
    Corporate director – communities, environment and climate change – Wakefield – £199,040
    Programme director for climate change – Warwick – £123,690
    Executive director of environment, climate and public protection – Westminster – £167,546
    Director of support and collections, inclusive growth – Barking and Dagenham – £131,403
    Strategic director, inclusive growth – Barking and Dagenham – £114,821
    Director of inclusive economy and jobs – Islington – £155,296
    Corporate director, inclusive economy – Luton – £121,000
    Corporate director of inclusive economy and housing (interim) – Newham – £180,107
    Jonathan Eida, researcher at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:

    “It’s clear as day that there are plenty of employees in the top brass of local councils with questionable roles and even more questionable pay packets.”

    The council taxpayer may have a view on their cash funding these woke warriors. UK DOGE recommends costs are cut here…

    1 April 2025 @ 16:32

  73. There was (yet another) article in The Grimes yesterday about the couple arrested because of hurty words. The one when six plod turned up.

    I commented below the line:

    "Much more rewarding than catching burglars, car thieves etc etc."

    So far I have had – wait for it – FIVE HUNDRED thumbs! A record for me!

    1. Plod don't raid you because you are a national treasure. (not joking).
      They go after people they think they can intimidate.

      1. Crazed teacher friend advised Plod that she had engaged a lawyer. They have suddenly started to pay much more attention to her plight..

        1. Like with them turning up on Alison Pearson's doorstep on rememberance Sunday.

          Who signs these jobs off for officers to attend?

      1. All socks cut in. I have thrown away countless socks and sandals. Even the ankle socks leave imprints.

        1. They don't. Alf has shown you some that don't cut in. They really don't. They are heavenly to wear and you get none of the crap. Why don't you try it?.

      1. Yes i used them but i have the same problem. Do you mean the socks you wear on airplanes

        It is recurring. I have washed stuff at higher temps and replaced everything i can think of. I have used all the creams and treatments even buying in desperation Permetherin in case it came from my doggies

        1. MOH asked me why I was looking at a picture of a foot on my tablet.
          She reckoned that the foot could be showing signs of excessive surface capillary perfusion which can be caused by insufficient venous return. Flight/compression socks are designed to improve blood return back to the heart through the veins.

          If you choose an image search for spots on ankles and legs you can find loads of other interpretations by spotting the difference between your spots and a selection of rashes.

          Obviously a formal diagnosis can only be made by a qualified footologist. 🤔

          2. Some of us are on anticoagulants to reduce blood clot risks but they can be a bleeding nuisance. 🤔

        2. Another (to be shot down) possibility – have you considered that they might be flea bites (ducks behind sofa)

        1. I use warm water when I shower. Psoriasis doesn’t like soaps and detergents and if you shower daily, water is quite sufficient. M&S sensitive skin sachets clean my clothes.

        1. Socks may not be The Answer, Phizz, but those do help and are brilliant. What you have there looks like geriatric exzema/dermatitis (I know you're a youngster, but heyho). Sudocreme and other nappy-rash preparations do work a treat, as does Manuka Honey for some (not diabetics, I'm told, because of the sugar). You just need to find the right one for you. I used to use a silver based one (Flamazine?) on the horses, which was killingly expensive but magical in its efficacy. KBO. Also Benzol Benzoate (probably no longer available as too cheap and efficacious, but worth a try. One of the most soothing chemicals known to man)

    6. If you're not on any medication/tight socks to cause that, or used different soap, cream etc…head to your quack's, or even A&E. Good luck x

      1. They just wring their hands – and support the plod. NOT what they were intended for.

        1. I thought that was precisely what they were intended for – plus to add another layer of bureaucracy that costs a fortune.

        1. You mean she sang as well as standing there with her chest hanging out? I never noticed!

  78. Swirls into the thread, hello, a bright sunny evening but cold .
    Playing Beethoven very loudly in the kitchen.

  79. Yesterday Phizzee told me that 6pm was the start of 🍸 hour. I'll make myself one as I prepare pre dinner Nibbles.

    1. I was feeling a little sorry for myself given unexpected rashes…Vodka Martini will help. Cheers!

      1. I assume garnished the classic way with an olive 🫒 not a slice of lemon!

  80. That's me gone – very satisfying day. Lovely sunshine – cold wind. Never mind, the logs are dealt with – thanks to massive help from the MR.

    Tomorrow we are going to Wivno – possibly for the last time, as my sister-in-law hopes that she has sold her house and has put in an offer for a smaller place in the village where her elder son and his family live some miles to the north. I shall not miss Colchester and its traffic schemes…

    So shall not be around much tomorrow – but can rely on you all to play nicely.

  82. The PM programme broadcast an interview with Lord Sumption about freedom of speech, partly prompted by Trump & Co sending letters to European governments suggesting companies drop DEI measures. He wasn't impressed by USA claims on the matter, claiming that it has its own restrictions.

    He was (by some Nottlanders' standards) infuriatingly even-handed. For instance: "Anti-abortionists are allowed to demonstrate as long as they keep the required distance and don't harass the patients because that's what the law requires." He omitted to mention the fact that some of the demonstrators had been standing silently (or perhaps he did but it was edited out). He also mentioned that Vance was an anti-abortionist, implicitly linking that to the DEI letters.

    On the Southport riots: "There comes a point in law at which words matter if they lead to harm." Indeed, but many of those jailed were simply venting after it had all started. I doubt whether all of the rioters were out there only because they read something on social media. Demonstrations sometimes come almost out of nowhere. It can take just one person or a small group and off it goes. The poll tax rioters of 1990 didn't have mobile phones…

    However, on the police visits to Allison Pearson and the couple over the school WhatsApp row, he was onside.

    I suspect that the BBC has rather selectively quoted him in order to support DEI and stamp on the idea that, for instance, ordinary people should be allowed to call Islam what it is: a totalitarian death cult.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0029hm8 from 34 minutes to 43.

    Here's Simon Heffer on Sumption:

    British democracy faces the abyss – enter Jonathan Sumption

    In the incisive and eloquent essays that comprise 'The Challenges of Democracy', the leading jurist deals with several vexed areas of politics

    Simon Heffer • 2nd February 2025

    Jonathan Sumption is one of our foremost intellectuals: a term that has in some contexts become an insult, but not when applied to him. This book of essays demonstrates the breadth of his perceptions and the originality of his mind. He is known principally as a lawyer and former member of the Supreme Court, but is also an eminent historian, bringing a wider hinterland to his ideas. That is part of the great value of The Challenges of Democracy: And The Rule of Law, whose contents grew from lectures given around the world in the last decade. Yet the main value is that several of these essays deal directly with issues that are of burning importance in areas where politics and the law meet.

    Probably only the author would agree with everything in its pages, Sumption's cast of mind being as undoctrinaire as it is. But it is clear, too, given the timespan over which these lectures were given, that his thought has developed. Britain's departure from the EU was certainly "badly managed", but was it "ill-conceived"? Wasn't it, rather, an expression of the very democracy of which Sumption is, quite rightly, a devotee? Admittedly, the decision was taken by a plebiscite and not as an act of representative democracy in parliament, but it was the largest vote in British history and came after decades of no major party remotely representing what turned out to be a majority of public opinion.

    The "ill-conceived" remark comes from a talk given in memory of Roger Scruton in 2021. Two years later, Sumption concedes, correctly, that "Brexit might have worked if we had become a low-tax, low regulation economy". Even by 2022 he is arguing that, although he regretted Brexit and thought it "a serious mistake", he has "always tried to warn against the facile view that the vote was due to xenophobia, [or] post-imperial nostalgia"'. He asserts, again I am sure correctly, that "the British knew what they were doing. They did it out of a sense of national constitutional identity, and a fear of seeing that identity subordinated to a larger and more distant European polity." In other words, they did it out of an idea of democracy: too many decisions were being taken that affected everyone's life, but on which none of us had a vote. You either believe in democracy or you don't, and Britons in 2016 showed they unequivocally did.

    Early in this collection, Sumption pinpoints three enemies of democracy: "economic insecurity, intolerance and fear". There is a fourth, about which he writes in detail in his second essay, on the state of the United Kingdom. People become dissatisfied with democracy when the elected elite that runs a government elected under it turn out to be charlatans. He is merciless about the "mendacity" and self-advertisement of Boris Johnson, and predicts that if the Conservative party does not recover from its massive defeat last July, history will mark Johnson down as having destroyed it, much as Lloyd George finished off the Liberals through his own combination of self-serving incompetence and downright lies. I fear Sumption would be right. Liz Truss, he believes, was honourable, but he wonders what on earth her party was thinking when it elected her. Can even British democracy survive many more such mistakes? His mind appears open on that question.

    He looks with great good sense at three other horrors of contemporary political debate. He argues that Britain should leave the European Convention on Human Rights, because the process has been hijacked by doctrinaire activists of the Left whose influence is now being seen almost daily in (for example) our inability to deport certain foreign criminals, and to control unwarranted illegal migration. If Sir Keir Starmer and the Government won't listen to him, the Opposition certainly should, because this interference in our politics – which is exactly what it is – is becoming untenable.

    Second, there is the question of thought suppression in our universities, with groups of entirely unrepresentative activists seeking to silence people whose only crime is to disagree with them. Sumption alludes to the shameful treatment of Nigel Biggar at Oxford by craven, grandstanding colleagues who sought to abuse history by attacking his thoughtful project on the British Empire. Biggar's recent ennoblement suggests more than just his moral victory in that battle. Yet, as Sumption points out, too many others remain keen to score points and curry favour with those obsessed with identity politics. The battle is far from over.

    Finally, he explores wider questions of freedom of speech, raised not just by those who use accusations of racism as a weapon – one that, paradoxically, divides rather than unites societies – but also by those who wish to prevent any debate about their ideas of transgender politics, and who have tried, unsuccessfully, to bully into silence critics such as Kathleen Stock and JK Rowling. That such issues must be addressed in what we thought was a democracy enshrining the right to free speech is depressing; but it is uplifting to have the powerful voice of Lord Sumption on the side of liberty and reason.

    The Challenges of Democracy: And The Rule of Law is published by Profile at £18.99.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/review-jonathan-sumption-challenges-democracy-rule-law

    1. I’m not even handed. Evenhandedness always involves lying. Good and evil and right and wrong are real. There’ll be room for error based on insufficient knowledge but that isn’t a reason for wilful misrepresentation to manufacture balance. The Devil didn’t have a sad childhood. He won’t reform if you’re nice to him. He’s an evil bastard.

      1. Tend to agree. Generally know where I land on any subject, although I sometimes wrestle with myself.

      2. I think my remark about even-handedness may have come over badly. Sumption was talking in a very lawyerly manner ("on the one hand, on the other") in a way that drives most to distraction.

    2. There comes a point in law where words matter if they can lead to harm? So why aren’t the “behead all who insult Islam” placard holders banged up?

  83. Once you start to think of all taxation as a tariff,
    Net Zero as a tariff
    Ulez and congestion charges as a tariff
    Council taxes as a tariff
    Vat is a tariff
    Then you have to wonder why our politicians fret so much about Trump's levelling up tariffs and their effect on us.
    Which at the end of the day is tiny compared to our governments tariffs on us.

      1. I am sure this government is working on a way to inflict boils on us as well. Then they will tax the cure.

  84. Once you start to think of all taxation as a tariff,
    Net Zero as a tariff
    Ulez and congestion charges as a tariff
    Council taxes as a tariff
    Vat as a tariff
    Then you have to wonder why our politicians fret so much about Trump's levelling up tariffs and their effect on us.
    Which at the end of the day is tiny compared to our governments tariffs on us.

  85. This is the problem of self-deletion: the people who loved you being left behind, and in my case, those who cannot get over that you were so miserable (despite husband and two small sons) killed yourself – and I couldn't do anything to help.
    It makes me so miserable, thinking that I could maybe have done somethin to prevent it. But didn't know that I could have made a difference.
    This music I associate with my sad, dead, friend (pills). Breaks me up every time. If only I could have been some fucking use…
    https://youtu.be/0K_C5yqs2eM?si=2j_VNacQTtL9D_oL

        1. I tried with my Aussie friend, but I might as well not have. Once their mind is made up, nothing will change it.

    3. Give over Oberst, you're a great bloke as is evidenced by your contributions on here. I've no doubt that you would have done everything in your power to prevent this (I have a similar set of circumstances which haunt me to this day..) – Sometimes life is a complete shitter, but other times you also have to cut yourself a bit of slack.
      Took me a while to realise that but I'll never be completely OK – just coping with it….

      1. I wish I had known, then I could have tried to do something about it.
        Too late now, of course, this was about 1998 or so.

        1. You’ve just got to learn to live with it – it took me some time but I managed it eventually….

          1. Yup. The only solution. An excess of gin & tonic brings the pain to the fore, unfortunately.

          2. Now the traffic has died down I think I can tell you (although you wont thank me) – my friend hanged himself in a local wood, I still cant believe he could have been so damaged but, alas, he clearly was.
            It has made me hyper-sensitive to any of my loved ones who express any issues regarding their mental health – although that’s probably not a bad place to be!

  86. It must be difficult in Birmingham at the moment to find the residents, what with all those bin bags hanging around the streets.

  87. Evening, all. Another lovely day. Managed to get seeds sown in the veg plot and in the greenhouse. Nearly got mown down on a pedestrian crossing by two youths on bikes who had no intention of stopping even though I was half way across. When I pointed out I had priority they both verbally abused me. What a lawless unpleasant place this has turned into.

    We never had a special relationship; I am amazed it’s taken so long for the penny to drop. I should have thought that Obama and his “back of the queue “ comment would have made it obvious.

  88. Good evening Conway, it is indeed another lovely evening, so glorious to be blessed with sunshine .

  89. A walking stick through the spokes of the front wheel should settle their hash.

      1. I'm on the verge of needing one. Can one still purchase a swordstick I wonder.

    2. As long as it has an 'orses 'ead 'andle, the finest that Woolworths could sell.

  90. Sigh. Gab has their own axe to grind of course, but this is how the UK govt looks from abroad
    "Dear Gab Community,

    Last week we outlined the UK government's direct assault on Gab and free speech through the tyrannical Online Safety Act. We detailed their demands for censorship and exorbitant fines, which we unequivocally refuse to comply with. Now, the situation has escalated dramatically, confirming our deepest concerns about the lengths these forces will go to silence dissent.

    The UK government has openly admitted in recent interviews that their attack extends beyond legal threats against Gab directly. They have publicly stated their intention to actively target Gab's essential infrastructure providers – the very services that keep our platform online – in a malicious attempt to pressure them into deplatforming us. Let's call this what it is: economic terrorism waged by a foreign nation-state against an American company.
    (the letter continues in this vein)

  91. As Lenin observed,

    The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.

    And this is precisely where we are.

    It seems as though they want to make this perma-austerity the new normal and continue to disenfranchise us, knowing full when that they themselves created these conditions of economic destruction that we are being crushed by.

    The British people, passive, servile and acquiescent will just roll over and accept their serfdom. Out vote is worthless. We will not elect our way out of national suicide.

    1. How Beastly the Bourgeois Is

      D. H. Lawrence
      1885 –1930

      How beastly the bourgeois is
      especially the male of the species–

      Presentable, eminently presentable–
      shall I make you a present of him?

      Isn't he handsome? Isn't he healthy? Isn't he a fine specimen?
      Doesn't he look the fresh clean Englishman, outside?
      Isn't it God's own image? tramping his thirty miles a day
      after partridges, or a little rubber ball?
      wouldn't you like to be like that, well off, and quite the
      thing

      Oh, but wait!
      Let him meet a new emotion, let him be faced with another
      man's need,
      let him come home to a bit of moral difficulty, let life
      face him with a new demand on his understanding
      and then watch him go soggy, like a wet meringue.
      Watch him turn into a mess, either a fool or a bully.
      Just watch the display of him, confronted with a new
      demand on his intelligence,
      a new life-demand.

      How beastly the bourgeois is
      especially the male of the species–

      Nicely groomed, like a mushroom
      standing there so sleek and erect and eyeable–
      and like a fungus, living on the remains of a bygone life
      sucking his life out of the dead leaves of greater life
      than his own.

      And even so, he's stale, he's been there too long.
      Touch him, and you'll find he's all gone inside
      just like an old mushroom, all wormy inside, and hollow
      under a smooth skin and an upright appearance.

      Full of seething, wormy, hollow feelings
      rather nasty–
      How beastly the bourgeois is!

      Standing in their thousands, these appearances, in damp
      England
      what a pity they can't all be kicked over
      like sickening toadstools, and left to melt back, swiftly
      into the soil of England.

  92. Politics and all their shiite aside life goes on.
    At the request of our middle son who was held up in London on business. I collected my 5 year old grandson from school this afternoon. Brought him home in the car and he asked for some snacks he likes raisins and cheddar, and two chocolate biscuits. He then wanted to play football in the garden. He took the small net and the ball out of the shed. And Spurs beat Arsenal 6 – 2. I still don't think I've told the little fella yet that I use to be the school goal keeper. And Old for Hendonians second team. Poor little fella was worn out and fell asleep on the sofa. Until his daddy and little sister arrived to collect him.
    And yawning a lot….. with a Jura and ice, I'll be saying goodnight to all. 😴

    2. David Seaman or Jens Lehmann?

      Edit: just read your last line – Jura and ice is transcendental………

  93. What a disappointing April 1st – some rubbish stuff in the msm but generally dreadful….

    Anybody got any properly good April Fools????

  95. From the Telegraph

    Suzannne Moore was kicked off the Guardian and writes in The Telegraph and the Spectator

    I have no idea what fatherhood is – because I don’t know what dads actually do
    If having a present father is so crucial to raising well-rounded children, why is there so little stigma when they abandon their family?

    01 April 2025 11:00am BST
    The days when I was brought breakfast in bed for Mother’s Day – half-cooked eggs and what was called a “salad”, a weird combo of cereal and cucumber – are long gone. My children have their own little ones now. And besides: celebrating motherhood would be a good thing if it actually meant something, but it doesn’t.

    You only need to look at social media for proof. What about Father’s Day, someone inevitably whinged on X, yesterday. What about it? To be frank, I have no idea about Father’s Day because I have no real idea about fathers. What are they for? What do they do?

    My parents divorced when I was little, so I don’t know my father. I have brought up my own children mostly as a single parent and mostly through choice. Before you get all armchair psychotherapist about this, let me tell you that I am not unusual and have had more therapy than you can shake a stick at. The Shakespeare quote “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy” comes to mind. Fittingly, this is what Hamlet tells Horatio when he goes in search of the ghost of his father.

    Since the drama Adolescence came out, everyone has become concerned about the “manosphere”, role models and knife crime. Those who study knife crime often talk about “the blight of fatherlessness” – yet the boy in that series did not come from a fatherless family. So what was the point of his father, then?

    Where there really is no father, gangs step in as proxy families for some kids, and their mothers often feel absolutely powerless to stop it. I have known single mums relocate to keep their boys away from such malign influence. For all the flak they receive, most single mothers are heroic even though their partners have walked away. Yet there is no great stigma ascribed to men when they leave their children. It happens all the time.

    We have in this country a deficit of fatherhood. In 2023 there were 3.2 million lone parent families and that figure has risen. One in four families are headed by lone parents and 85 per cent of those lone parents are mothers.

    Growing up without a father around is thought to cause all sorts of social ills. The child is more likely to have behavioural problems, poor academic results, low self esteem, get involved in drugs or violence and generally have fewer life opportunities.

    So what is it that fathers do then? If they produce better-adjusted children, why do so many of them not want to do it? Of course, I see good dads all around me but in most couples, it is still the mother who does the vast majority of the childcare.

    From my own experience, I would say it is much easier to parent as a single mother than to do so in a bad relationship. Yet while there is an ever-punitive attitude to single mothers, men who father children but do not stay with them seem somehow to get off scot-free. Somehow single mothers are still blamed for the lack of suitable male role models for boys.

    In every discussion about our country’s low birth rate, no one talks about the reluctance of a generation to become fathers. Some of it is down to economics. However, many women in their mid-thirties that I know would love to have children but the men they are with don’t want to. The men, of course, have another decade or so to make that decision. So women either decide to go it alone and give up on the idea of having babies.

    Many friends for whom it just didn’t happen wanted the works: a desirable and committed partner, a great job and perfect children. That’s the dream that is sold. But somehow these dream dads don’t materialise.

    Up until the 1970s, it was considered enough for men to just “provide” – i.e. be the breadwinner. But now fathers are expected to participate in childcare. If I hear another man telling me that they are “babysitting” their own children, I may spontaneously combust. This may be to the relief of everyone who accuses me of misandry for simply naming the father deficit. Such is life.

    The nuclear family as it was is breaking up and we all live with the consequences. At the top of society, we have very wealthy men who have many children but don’t appear to have much to do with them. At the bottom, we have the same pattern but often with impoverished single mums trying to do the best they can.

    To be brought up by two people is better than one but what is it that fathers do that make them so invaluable? Even if they stick around, supporting their partners even when their partner’s priorities have switched to their new baby, men often describe feeling somehow locked out of this kind of intimacy. Yes, the routine of looking after little kids can be deadly and all spontaneity leaves the relationship. But too often I have seen men who hardly knew their older children enjoy having kids with younger wives in second or third marriages. It’s almost as if they have grown up!

    It is possible we all expect too much of each other? It is possible that fathers have mysterious abilities that I am ignorant of? One thing I am sure of is that to change the father deficit, we need to talk about it. Just as the influential paediatrician/psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott said, no woman needs to be the perfect mother but simply “good enough”, surely there are many men who would be “good enough” dads out there?

    So where are they?

    More from Suzanne

    1. Is she pro-family or not? Yes, father was meant to be a good provider. Mother should nurture.

      1. I think she's just confused. Life was better in the old days when you had one man married to one woman to provide a stable family relationship. Being a single mother was something to be avoided if possible. Then came the Swinging Sixties and the beginning of the breakdown of society.

      2. OMG, traditional role models. Don't know about England any more, but a high percentage of females here in the US get themselves in a real snit if such a thing is suggested.

    2. There is something missing from this piece on fathers; the demographic most likely to impregnate and run.

      1. I read another article in the Guardian today. Someone with a Scottish accent complaining about not being understood. Lots of people seem to carry huge chips on their shoulders all their lives.
        People who set out to form families tend to invest a great part of their lives in the venture and often begin early in life.
        Those who improvise, trying to squeeze personal lives into careers or perhaps vigorous social lives can easily find the results disappointing and it doesn’t really matter if you’re a man or a woman.
        Why did Suzanne find herself with fatherless children? Perhaps she had be better employed examining her own conscience.

  97. Beethoven's Emperor Concerto and Sibelius 3rd finished from R3, so that's me logging off and away to bed.
    Goodnight all.

  98. From Coffee House, the Spectator

    How do you achieve anything in British politics? It’s simple: turn your cause into a TV drama. First, it was ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office. Now, it is Netflix and Adolescence. The release of the crime drama mini-series has sparked a veritable hue-and-cry about the urgent ‘crisis’ facing young British males. Keir Starmer proudly told the House last week that he has been watching it with his children; now the Prime Minister is encouraging schools across the country to show it to their pupils too. Netflix bosses must be delighted with all this free advertising…

    Given the litany of crises facing the country, Steerpike wondered if the streaming giant could now be compelled to turn its attention to other matters. Maybe a wistful paean to the joys of having a virgin steel industry? Or a blistering exposé on the iniquities of fortnightly bin collections? Thus far, Labour seems to favour centrist-dad Trumpism: performatively bold, social-media theatre. So why not commission a succession of fiscally-responsible soft-left soap operas?

    A series on Sir Keir, perhaps, in which the Prime Minister is both firm and fair – the perfect embodiment of Traditional British Values. A video of illegal migrants jetting off from Heathrow while that nasal tone growls softly ‘I get it, you’re angry. So am I.’ Our national love of history might even be exploited, to showcase this government’s great moments of statesmanship. Imagine Darkest Hour – but it is Sue Gray trying to justify Lord Alli’s freebies. Or the Diplomat, in which a series of WFH-ing officials beg the Americans to take the Chagos Islands off their hands over Zoom.

    Assisted dying offers a rich source of inspiration too. The obligatory Stephen Graham appearing as the heroic male nurse – ‘Ye arrright there mate’ – compassionately putting incontinent people out of their misery. ‘Gritty, yet gripping’ says the Guardian. Baftas all round and gongs galore for Olivia Colman as Kim Leadbeater; mandatory showings before the real thing.

    Talk about politics being showbiz for ugly people eh?

    Steerpike
    WRITTEN BY
    Steerpike
    Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

  100. Well, chums, I am now off to bed. So Good Night all, sleep well, and I hope to see you all tomorrow morning.

    1. Excellent. Those relays are brilliant. Imagine the horrendous costs if you actually went there. Had dinner and a hotel for the night.

Comments are closed.