Wednesday 15 January: The Chagos machinations embarrass the Government – and Britain

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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

600 thoughts on “Wednesday 15 January: The Chagos machinations embarrass the Government – and Britain”

  3. Good morrow gentlefolk, especially Geoff and thank you for his wonderful work on this site

    1. Eisenhower was promoted to 5 star general – General of the Army – in December 1944. The Battle of the Bulge was raging and WWII still had nearly 6 months of hard fighting to come.

      General of the Army, converted to permanent rank in April 1946.

  8. Morning, all Y'all.
    Dark, warming up, so the lumpy ice will be slippery… 🙁
    Have a question y'all can maybe help with: I have a PET scan on Friday, and the success depends on low blood sugar levels. Last night, I ran a trial run – supper was bacon, at about 19:00, only drank water all evening, minimal consumption of food 'n coffee all day, took meds as instructed, and this morning's bloods showed 8,9 against a target level of 7 max. I've measured daily over the last week or so, and 8,9 seems to be the base level.
    What else can I do to get this number down? Unless I can get below 7, they can't run the test apparently.

    2. Morning Oberst. It's off to the quack I'm afraid. I was 8.8 this morning. This after a four point drop due to Metformin tablets.

    3. One day's diet won't get the level down, it takes time. I've found that after indulging and a reading of 9.6 it took 2 days to get down to my normal level of 7.8 to 8.3. Potatoes seem to be my nemesis followed by biscuits

    4. One day's diet won't get the level down, it takes time. I've found that after indulging and a reading of 9.6 it took 2 days to get down to my normal level of 7.8 to 8.3. Potatoes seem to be my nemesis followed by biscuits

    5. More fasting, as Alex says! The Glucose Goddess on t'interwebs has lots of tips on avoiding glucose spikes.

  9. Good morning chums. And thanks, Geoff for today's site. I am late because I really struggled with Wordle today – but made it just in time!

    Wordle 1,306 6/6

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    1. Good morning Elsie and all
      I thought it was a difficult one today – for some reason, the correct answer was that stupid word that won't go out of your head, but you don't want to try it because it's just so unlikely!
      Wordle 1,306 4/6

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  10. Good morning, all. Damp, low overcast and a light mist hanging between the trees.

    Evidence of politics being changed by people power and the knock-on being influencers and so-called purveyors of "free speech", or should it be called "allowed speech", having to bend to the will of the people?

    Zuckerberg, Face Book, doing a massive U-turn as the political landscape changes in the USA.

    How will Zuckerberg admitting that complex systems put in place are not free of mistakes impact on AI's implementation? Starmer's rush to place a large bet on AI may be a wee bit premature. If anybody can be guaranteed to cock-up a move forward/improvement, it's politicians.

    Open the link and then close the Face Book pop-up and the video should run.

    Zuckerberg Speech on changes to Face Book

  12. Good morning all.
    An almost warm start to the day, 8.8°C on the thermometer with a max/min for yesterday of 10.8° and 5.1°C.
    Not a lot of wind, but a bit damp on the ground that may have been a light overnight shower or a heavy dew. sky looks fairly clear.

  14. "See you next Tuesday Starmer.." says the Orange Oracle.

    Sir Keir Starmer's deal to hand back the Chagos Islands has been thrown into chaos amid reports Britain will wait for Donald Trump's approval.

  15. New low bar in clown world at The Guardian.

    Why I have finally quit Facebook (it’s not just about fact-checking)
    Zoe Williams

    I was just waiting for one more little nudge, which, when it finally came, wasn’t just that Mark Zuckerberg discontinued fact-checking. It was when, in a petty but revealing move, the tampons and sanitary towels for trans men and non-binary people were removed from the men’s toilets at Meta.

  16. Par today, off fishing.
    Wordle 1,306 4/6

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  17. The scary truth about bacon – and the best supermarket rashers for your health. 15 January 2025.

    Tempting as it is, the unfortunate truth is that it does absolutely no favours for our health. Calls for packets to be slapped with health warnings are growing among concerned scientists. Considered an ultra-processed food (UPF), Dr Chris van Tulleken, the author of the bestselling book Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t Food, would like to see labels that advise people to cut down. “I would like there to be a public health campaign warning people about the research on UPFs, which is very robust,” he says.

    I am 78 and have eaten bacon sandwiches all my life. Sometimes with cheese and HP Sauce. I shall continue to do so.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/diet/nutrition/truth-about-bacon/

    1. I'd like a public health campaign about government. That's the most damaging thing for my health.

  18. The scary truth about bacon – and the best supermarket rashers for your health. 15 January 2025.

    Tempting as it is, the unfortunate truth is that it does absolutely no favours for our health. Calls for packets to be slapped with health warnings are growing among concerned scientists. Considered an ultra-processed food (UPF), Dr Chris van Tulleken, the author of the bestselling book Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t Food, would like to see labels that advise people to cut down. “I would like there to be a public health campaign warning people about the research on UPFs, which is very robust,” he says.

    I am 78 and have eaten bacon sandwiches all my life. Sometimes with cheese and HP Sauce. I shall continue to do so.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/diet/nutrition/truth-about-bacon/

    2. Re the vegan one, I met a friend in town who told me his wife's family hadn't come to them for Christmas, then he added quietly, "they're vegans so I'm really glad! We go to them, have a vegan meal – and then come home and have some proper food!"

  20. Morning all 🙂😊
    Back to normal outside, grey and wet but 9 degs. GBW back again ?
    Our 'government' are not a government, a government is an organised group of people carrying out the work and wishes for and to advantage the majority. This mob are as organised as a huge basket of dirty washing with a dubious cloud above it.

  23. Starmer hopes to be saved by two bells – high flying twins Torsten and Olaf

    The prime minister’s hiring of twins Olaf Henricson-Bell and Torsten Bell is a clear attempt to bring in some much needed intellectual heft to Labour’s economic policy making, says Leftie Simon Walters of The Independent.

    Let's unpack this one..

    Torsten Bell famous for the 'Ed Stone' —- promises written in tablets of stone..
    And his Growth Agenda..
    Make everyone pay inheritance tax by scrapping the nil-rate band.
    Raise Capital Gains Tax on shares to 37% and real estate to 53%
    Charge Capital Gains Tax on death and when moving out of UK.
    Slashing VAT registration threshold to £30,000.
    Scrap business and agricultural property reliefs.
    Hike basic rate of Dividend tax from 8.75% to 20%.
    Charge national insurance on rental income.
    Hike national insurance for higher self-employed incomes by 300% to 8%.
    Cut the £270,000 cap on tax-free pensions to £40,000.
    Introduce pay-per-mile road duty for electric vehicles.
    Scrap the 5p cut in fuel duty. Increase fuel duty by 2% every year.
    Hike vehicle excise duty for heavier cars.

    1. For intellectuals they're very dumb. None of those would raise more tax revenue. They would simply accelerate the decline.

      Go up to someone on pay day and force them to give you their entire salary, then give them a tenner. See how much good that does the economy.

      Socialists never learn. They are not very bright. TINA: they must cut taxes and put the state in a blender.

      1. With that lot of incentives, the next law they would need would be a tax on the wealth of people fleeing the country!

  24. Starmer hopes to be saved by two bells – high flying twins Torsten and Olaf

    The prime minister’s hiring of twins Olaf Henricson-Bell and Torsten Bell is a clear attempt to bring in some much needed intellectual heft to Labour’s economic policy making, says Leftie Simon Walters of The Independent.

    Let's unpack this one..

    Torsten Bell famous for the 'Ed Stone' —- promises written in tablets of stone..
    And his Growth Agenda..
    Make everyone pay inheritance tax by scrapping the nil-rate band.
    Raise Capital Gains Tax on shares to 37% and real estate to 53%
    Charge Capital Gains Tax on death and when moving out of UK.
    Slashing VAT registration threshold to £30,000.
    Scrap business and agricultural property reliefs.
    Hike basic rate of Dividend tax from 8.75% to 20%.
    Charge national insurance on rental income.
    Hike national insurance for higher self-employed incomes by 300% to 8%.
    Cut the £270,000 cap on tax-free pensions to £40,000.
    Introduce pay-per-mile road duty for electric vehicles.
    Scrap the 5p cut in fuel duty. Increase fuel duty by 2% every year.
    Hike vehicle excise duty for heavier cars.

  25. 400208+up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    Makes bloody good sense to me.

    I would hazard a guess that around 48% would be in the "you mustn't say that department "

    Currently, to do and say as is being made mandatory to do and say as the political kapos dictate, is actually forging linked anklets for tomorrow's youth.

    https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1879426713035436199

    1. Bit hypocritical of Musk, considering that the algorithm controls who sees what.

      Don't be fooled, this is just the latest round of "you the citizens have power!" whilst power is hoovered up into the centre.
      Removing jury trials. Net zero. Horrific Countryside and Nature bill up for its second reading soon. "Money laundering" used as a universal excuse to watch everyone's financial transactions. Discouraging cash. Taking gold, silver and copper out of people's pockets.

      These are the things that remove power from citizens, and being able to make a comment on Twitt that won#t be seen by anyone doesn#t change that.

      1. 400208+ up ticks,

        Morning BB2,
        I tend to view it as an asset post,
        when doing post mortems on different issues seemingly well meant is, IMO, time consuming
        allowing the “nasties” to continue unabated.
        Totally agree, we need a trusted
        outlet for people power which when harnessed is a very powerful force.

    1. Economic head winds? Dogwaffle. She caused the problems we face. Before her, Hunt. Before him, Osborne. Then Brown. The whole lot have done nothing but force this country's decline under tax and waste socialism.

      1. "Doesn't everyone get given a London apartment by their parents aunt?………..

        You mean …. there are POOR people?"

    2. Such a simple thing to do you know. Anyone could have. Oh look! She's a diversity. Maybe, just maybe, corruption runs in their bones.

    4. And we thought she was given the sinecure post because she knew all about corruption.
      It's so rare to have a minister with knowledge of their department's purpose.

    5. The rumours about her aunt included a preposterous story about ownership of a residential property in The Bishop's Avenue.


  28. Gareth Roberts
    The ‘grooming gangs’ delusion is finally being shattered
    14 January 2025, 7:45am

    The re-eruption of the rape gangs scandal has shone a dazzlingly bright light on the language that makes us flinch and fluster, and clutch at euphemistic straws. For years, the mass sexual abuse of thousands of vulnerable girls in towns across England has been blamed on ‘grooming gangs’. But this euphemism hardly does justice to this appalling scandal.

    In the last fortnight, there has been a shift to a different, more accurate term – ‘rape gangs’ – that better describes who was responsible. This change in terminology is long overdue. And while it offers few crumbs of comfort to the victims, it is good that people are – finally – beginning to face up to the facts of a story that shames modern Britain.

    The grooming aspect of the crimes is, no doubt, an important factor. But ‘grooming’ is too soft and obscuring and polite a term that allows us to bury our heads in the sand of what happened in living memory in our country. Grooming is something that happens to poodles in parlours. It does not confront the full horror of the crimes involved. It allows our eyes and ears to slide away. It’s a deceit that the polite middle classes have willingly participated in.

    The description of the racial identity of the perpetrators – who have for years been described as ‘Asian’ – is another example of the way we’ve allowed language to fail to fully describe this scandal. ‘Asian grooming gangs’ is a mealy-mouthed phrase; it’s fooled nobody with its attempt at nicety and avoidance. We all know what that word means in that context, to the extent that it’s been part of the frantic looking away and covering up the hard and very unpleasant and difficult truth.

    Reform MP Rupert Lowe, who has eschewed the normal use of words of avoidance, labelling the perpetrators ‘Pakistani gangs’, has caused several other MPs and commentators to have conniptions, rolling their eyes and almost literally clutching at their pearls.

    This reluctance of using the word Pakistani in this context is something that has evolved gradually over recent years in modern Britain. Our fear of offending others has left us terrified of using terms to identify a person, or group’s, background, even when this is an accurate way of describing them. The taboo about the simple descriptor ‘Pakistani’ has snowballed since my childhood. Hearing it used – in any context – still makes me feel like I’m in a plummeting lift, containing as it does its diminutive form, the use of which correlates with violence and racism. When I was a child, older people often casually spoke of ‘Paki shops’ with no trace of opprobrium. It was an appalling term that we now rightly see as unacceptable. But there’s no doubt that this realisation has made people in Britain squeamish about even using the word ‘Pakistani’.

    It’s precisely this kind of nicety and squeamishness – when applied to simple descriptors, in fact – that is a part of what has enabled the rape gang scandal to fester so dangerously.

    Health Secretary Wes Streeting recently had an attack of the vapours, telling the Guardian that ‘irresponsible and coarse public discourse’ might incite mass violence. Hang on. ‘Don’t say anything or the proles will kick off’ is surely a big reason why the rape gangs got away with it for so long in the first place. Mass violence – the rapes and any number of terrorist outrages – has already occurred in Britain. And while Streeting condemns what happened as ‘sickening’, why does he seem so concerned, in Minority Report-style, about future crimes that might happen – maybe, possibly – rather than crimes that actually have been or are actually being committed?

    This fear ties in with another factor: the class-ridden supposition that the British white working class has little self-control, and could go on a rampage at the drop of an ill-chosen sentence. My own connection to that background is – like Streeting’s – much eroded by years and custom, but that implication still makes me furious. The British white working class have, in fact, behaved pretty impeccably considering the provocations, the constant goading from their supposed betters over the years.

    The last couple of weeks have been very strange; it’s as if everybody has woken up from a dream. The nonsense and self-delusion and moral cowardice over the rape gangs has been swept away, and it’s hard to pinpoint why. What we need now is hard, factual honesty, and if that means looking things square in the face and addressing problems by name, so be it. We can take it. And the survivors deserve it, at long last.

    ***********************************
    Neiltoo
    a day ago
    “The nonsense and self-delusion and moral cowardice over the rape gangs has been swept away, and it’s hard to pinpoint why.”

    Two words: Elon Musk

    Love him or loath him, he has called out the Emperors new clothes.

    Bagenalstown Bill Neiltoo
    a day ago
    Why do we continue to allow people who knowingly covered up these crimes to remain sitting in the house of commons and the house of lords and in positions of power and influence in local government,the police and civil service. Many of their names are known and have left a paper trail to show how culpable they are. So far only Douglas Murray has been bold enough to print names. The Labour party and the Conservatives should already be naming and expelling those responsible. Those who can but do nothing better accept that they should bare equally the shame.

    Brunel Bagenalstown Bill
    a day ago
    "We" don't allow people who knowingly covered up these crimes.

    The Labour MPs who voted against the amendment to hold a national enquiry and the LibDem MPs who abstained, ensured that the cover up continues.

    Zeeland Brunel
    21 hours ago
    Their principles are flexible, their morals are for sale, and their outrage is performative. When lives are destroyed under their watch, they shrug it off as ‘necessary collateral’ in the name of progress.

    WinkyWoo Brunel
    21 hours ago edited
    See Country Squire Magazine, Labour: Can of Nonces. 76 men of the Labour Party accused/tried for paedophilia.

    Mark F. Nowland Bagenalstown Bill
    a day ago edited
    You need to appreciate the politics of all involved. Labour want you to look the other way because it was mainly in Labour councils (large Muslim areas are almost always Labour). And virtually everyone who works for the state, ie the social workers involved, along with it seems the Police now, the CPP, Imams, the MSM and certainly the judiciary are all leftists. And they are more concerned with protecting their own than the rape of thousands of white girls.

    Whilst that tells you all you need to know about the type of people leftists are, their disgusting self-interest also explains why everything possible is being done to downplay the worst organised criminal atrocity in the history of this country.

    …and much more

    1. It's not enough to root out the perverts in the Labour party. The entire lot, every council complicit, every police officer, every social worker, everyone who let it happen must be investigated and charged with aiding and abetting the rape of children by pakistani muslims.

      While we're at it, investigate them fully and burn out the cancer of corruption and punish them.

    2. Some of the rapists were from Sudan, and there was one involving Turkish men, iirc. So not exclusively Pakistani. The only factor in common is their islamic faith, afaik although there were a few non-islamic criminals mixed in with them too.
      Yet no public condemnation from muslims in Britain….

      1. Look at the outrage at the Archpillock's turning a blind eye to the sexual predator, John Smyth. Welby had to resign.

        Virtually all Christians abominate foul sexual crimes especially when committed by Christians.

        Why can't virtually all Muslims condemn the sexual crimes committed by Muslims? Unless and until they do Multiculturalism is a sham and a con.

    3. "When I was a child, older people often casually spoke of ‘Paki shops’ with no trace of opprobrium. It was an appalling term that we now rightly see as unacceptable. But there’s no doubt that this realisation has made people in Britain squeamish about even using the word ‘Pakistani"

      Why should calling a Pakistani a Paki be any worse than calling an ethnic Englishman a limey or a Brit, a Welshman a Taff, a Scotsman a Jock or an Irishman a Paddy?

      1. There was an Italian ( British born) guy where my ex used to work. He was fairly dark-skinned so his mates called him Paki – he took that in good heart. Later on he used to fix my car. Nice guy. Banter like that would surely not be allowed now.

      2. I was at university with a tall, dark and handsome chap who referred to himself as The Posh Paki.
        His girlfriend was English.

  30. Thank you Nottlers for helping out with our public liability insurance query.
    I think the options will have to go to the committee. But some are a bit Wokey these days.
    About 25 years ago I answered our front door and to my surprise there stood the image of a younger Jimmy Greaves. It was his son, his in-laws had recently moved in opposite and wanted to know a couple of things regarding the road and certain expectations.
    Only a few years later the father-in-law sadly died. And Jimmy came to the house for the after funeral service family get together. Parked his Merc opposite ours.
    As long time Spurs fan I had to resist saying hello to him when he left. I didn't feel it was appropriate.

    1. Not forgetting that years after you've left the military you'll be prosecuted for following orders based on government policy.

    2. Good morning, Maggiebelle.

      Golf competitions and running competitions – your husband and sons are very much more competitive than I am!

      1. Me as well Richard , I am not competitive re sport , but I am re other things .

        I try my best , but I am definitely the tortoise and they are the hares .

        My brother and 2 sisters plus cousins and nieces are shockingly competitive .. as was my mother .

  33. 400208+ up ticks,

    I personally would say they, under the S(tools) leadership are a roaring success.
    The majority voter following the usual voting pattern of electing an anti Brit party these past four decades have hit the top in selecting to govern, the cream of political traitors.

    The S(tool) and co will successfully carry out their destructive stint in the name of the WEF/NWO/ RESET, and pass into a financially well padded history.

    https://x.com/QprEver/status/1879237985469976577

  34. The scary truth about bacon – and the best supermarket rashers for your health
    Smoked, unsmoked, back or streaky – a nutritionist weighs in on the best bacon to buy and why

    Bacon is a staple of the British diet. Sales soar around Christmas as we feast on pigs in blankets, it’s the centrepiece of weekend fry-ups all year round – and nothing compares to a classic bacon sandwich. Deliciously salty and crispy, it also adds flavour to our favourite dishes.

    Tempting as it is, the unfortunate truth is that it does absolutely no favours for our health. Calls for packets to be slapped with health warnings are growing among concerned scientists. Considered an ultra-processed food (UPF), Dr Chris van Tulleken, the author of the bestselling book Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t Food, would like to see labels that advise people to cut down. “I would like there to be a public health campaign warning people about the research on UPFs, which is very robust,” he says. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/diet/nutrition/truth-about-bacon/

    ML

    Martyn Lincoln
    6 min ago
    With all that's going on in the country, bacon is not the top of my list to be concerned about…….waste of a page.

    Get lost and for god sake employ journalists not 6th form idiots.

    Comment by W Fenton.

    WF

    W Fenton
    7 min ago
    Dangerous scare tactics article. You can eat almost anything in moderation. Eat a balanced diet, job done. This article is reporting at its very worst. DT get a grip.

    Comment by Julie Lakey.

    JL

    Julie Lakey
    8 min ago
    Unbeknown to Mrs L, when she's away visiting the grandchildren, the Jack Russell and I tuck into a very enjoyable "full English ". Unfortunately, all the kitchen windows have to be open during cooking in order to hide any evidence. (Mr L)

    Comment by Lego Land.

    LL

    Lego Land
    8 min ago
    Is this article Anglophobic? Attempting to make our traditional foods abhorrent to us?

      1. Well without their pig, the peasants in the 1880s wouldn’t have lived.

        Read all about it: Lark Rise to Candleford

    2. So TPTB want us to stop eating pork…that pleases the brainwashed pork-avoiders, the brainwashed anti-meat lobby and the evil pushers of global hunger aka agenda 2030.

      I'll have to eat double as much bacon now, in case this article put anyone off eating it. Nitrite-free, free range, organic if I can find it, naturally.

    3. I don't particularly like bacon, but I'm fast reaching the stage where eating it is an act of defiance.
      So I'll just have to chow down on pickled pig and think of England.

  35. Today’s FSB article, by Zhang YingYue, argues that the Globalists are using the ancient Chinese sage’s stratagems, from his book ‘ The Art of War ’, to implement their aims of destroying the Nation State and bringing about Global government. Needless to say, this must be resisted but, as Sun Tsu said, first you need to understand your enemy and his strategy.

    Zhang Yingyue was reluctant to write her article, saying nobody would read about an old Chinese book, but it is very relevant to our predicament and worth reading. As importantly, reading and commenting will help your Editor in persuading her to write more, and will keep me out of the doghouse.

    THE COUNTER REVOLUTION : The International Agenda by Mark Shaw, argues that the troubles introduced into our country over the last 60 years have not happened accidentally, but have been the result of a carefully co-ordinated campaign. If you missed it yesterday read it after Zhang Yingue’s piece and see the similarity.

    Energy watch 08.00. Demand: 41.089GW. Supply: Hydrocarbons 58.9%; Wind 18.3%; Imports 1.9%; Biomass 5.8% and Nuclear 10.1%

    Today at 08.00 we are importing power from Norway, Denmark, Ireland and Northern Island, classed as foreign, while exporting it to France, Belgium and Denmark. Gas is generating nearly 60% of our electric power, solar zero.

    1. I have never been in a situation where I've had to ready of study it, but from what I know of the book, The Art of War is a masterpiece of how to learn about and develop strategy in not just war, but also diplomacy.

    2. It's the 8 GW that gets me. There's over 75 GW of wind nonsense out there and it's just not working. Barely ten percent. At best, it's 40%.

      You know what's even worse? We're paying for them not to work. Our bills are heavily taxed to pay for unreliables that don't produce energy, simply because if they had to rely upon getting paid when they worked, unreliables are a financial catastrophe.

      We're being fleeced to pay someone for something that doesn't work. The market isn't broken, it's been smashed to pieces on the floor. The effective, efficient, workable, profitable energy suppliers are being forced out and unreliable, inefficient ones supported by crippling taxation and high bills are replacing them. This is why government must be stopped.

      1. Good morning Sue ,

        Slow lazy morning for me so far .. washing drying in drier , tidying up done ..

        Had a massive paper work clear out yesterday , and sorted out the bookcase , must get rid of a few books .. found a wrapped package on the shelf under an unwrapped small lampshade cover .. an Easter egg.. 6 years old .

        Moh suggested we dive into it .. unwrapped the medium sized chocolate egg , no goodies inside .. but the thickness of the chocolate was a treat .. we had a nibble ( Moh's sugar levels ) and put the rest in the fridge . Chocolate tasted delicious , and wasn't discoloured , but the sturdy chocolate thickness of the egg was a memorable moment , considering how flimsy Easter eggs have recently been .

        Proves how resistant we have been to snacking on chocolate .. hmmm, by the way the 3 year old golden Easter bunny is still sitting there saying ," don't eat me please."

  37. It is incredibly valuable in understanding where we are today to have access to Sun Tsu's thoughts. I took some university courses in politics because I wanted to understand political philosophy better, but I've only ever studied western political philosophers. So an insight into Chinese thought is extremely interesting to me! Thank you!

  38. Phew!
    Morning household tasks carried out:-
    Load of washing put on
    DT's tea & cereal taken up to her
    Fire laid
    3 x trays of sticks brought in
    Hearth and fireside carpet given their fortnightly going over with a carpet brush
    Dried washing taken off airer, folded sorted and taken up to respective bedrooms
    Wet washing loaded onto airer.

    And sometimes I sit here and think I've done SFA in the morning!!

    Fingers crossed for this:-
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f39a8e127028fbcf8ac55674ef576dc66d235506b4b23dc99af883d5baade3b4.png If Ray Apps can be tied in to Pelosi, that will be the Democrats finished for at least the next two or three elections.

    1. Falling into sewers and coming out smelling of roses.

      Biden could have been caught in flagrante delicto abusing a child and the Democrats would have said he had done nothing wrong.

  40. It is also often regarded as a book of psycology, used in business and politics as well.

    1. It was seeing a gorilla sitting on a log, using a branch with a big leaf on it fishing mid stream that got me.

        1. One of my favourite books.
          MB's Aunt Agnes had a dunny.
          When I was pregnant, I made a point of not drinking before we visited the ancestral cottage.

          1. I remember when I was 16 and travelling in France and I saw one of these for the first time I was both mystified and shocked. And of course those not used to European practices needed instructions to show them what to do and what not to.
            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c19c10aa59cd2b5ba96582fd0dc3ca1d9e011e9806d479fe490882ecbb6b39a0.png
            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/eece9793984f4c926b6ef45b05c028429446c89829bb40089efb6a500d2b2f44.png

          2. What can I say, Rastus… French camping sites quite the experience, still intending to visit Japan where I understand things are even more interesting….nottlers, enlighten me!

          3. I remember when I was 16 and travelling in France and I saw one of these for the first time I was both mystified and shocked. And of course those not used to European practices needed instructions to show them what to do and what not to.
            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c19c10aa59cd2b5ba96582fd0dc3ca1d9e011e9806d479fe490882ecbb6b39a0.png
            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/eece9793984f4c926b6ef45b05c028429446c89829bb40089efb6a500d2b2f44.png

    1. And Starmer's greatest international betrayal of Britain is paying billions to Mauritius to buy the Chagos Islands from us.

      Not only is this economically absurd, it also opens up the region to the Chinese who are the Allies of Mauritius.

      There can be little doubt that Starmer, Reeves and Cooper are determined to turn the UK into a communist state.

    2. https://www.lgbt.mp/

      I tell you , I am shocked .. oh yes I am .

      In the current Parliament at least:

      75
      MPs are LGBT+

      5
      parties have LGBT+ MPs.

      This is even worse…

      LGBT+ MPs by party
      Conservative
      5 LGBT+ MPs

      Green Party
      1 LGBT+ MPs

      Labour
      60 LGBT+ MPs

      Liberal Democrat
      8 LGBT+ MPs

      Scottish National Party
      1 LGBT+ MPs

      4. Yeah.. well Looney Lefties are fibbing here. The first two L&G are kinda ligit until they go all Brighton. Anyhow the L&G are not happy the rest of the alphabet have taken over their 'space'.
        As Douglas Murray noted:

        L & G have nothing in common and don’t even want to be there.
        B = Bi now Gay later, everyone is suspicious of them.
        T = the mysterious gender unicorn nonsense.
        NB = look at me I want attention I've got a big announcement to make.
        Q = straight men that like to strangle women and ocassionally paint their nails.
        AS = never a bigger difference in human nature than AS & gay men.
        Brown & Black = massive category error.
        Blue = Smurf.
        O & R = People of Scotland that have been out in the sun too long.

        2. I'll just tell them i'm a trans masculine non binary female pussy cat dog. That should give me enough time to make my escape.

      1. The same thing is happening in France.
        The fascist eco-loons have decreed that they have to loose 5000 lakes created when Napoleon dammed streams all over the country to create water storages.
        Pretext: the salmon aren't coming upstrea.
        So these lakes – 5000 stable ecosystems with fish and birds and amphibia are being destroyed for salmon that haven't been there for 200 years.
        One victim known to myself and Bill – le Barrage de Villegly, now a bed of mud.

  46. Cold and grey this morning.

    This took a lot of finding. Had three letters but couldn't find a word that hadn't been used before (I have a list of them).

    Wordle 1,306 3/6

    ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜
    ⬜🟨🟨🟩⬜
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  47. Morning Folks.

    Earlier I took a look at the LA Times. It has one or two interesting accounts of the current fires around LA.
    I didn't really take notice of the paper's political leanings, but the journalism seems very professional at least in the couple of articles that I read…

    https://www.latimes.com

    2. L.A. Times is a good paper as long as you avoid the politics, just more rabid anti-Trump and anti-Republican nonsense. Although I have the feeling that's not going to last due to this fire and the huge amount of people that voted Republican in the state this time round. Next election I would not be surprised to see a Republican California.

  48. Right, I've a load of chainsaw detritus to clear, the chips are a bit big to be referred to as "dust", and a load of logs to saw ready for chopping.
    TTFN and play nicely.

    1. Good morning Bob.

      Do you sell your logs or burn them yourself?

      We coppiced a laurel hedge 100 metres long and up to 10 metres high last year. This has given us enough firewood to keep our two woodburners going for three years.

  49. Amazing how the bereaved families and the surviors of the Egypt November boat tragedy have been hit by lies coverups over the causes.
    Never trust an arab son……I ofter hear my father's voice echoing that from his experiences in Egypt and Algeria in ww2.

    1. It's because Islamic cultures are shame cultures anything you can lose face about must be covered up. Nothing worse than having to admit your'e wrong. That is why you can: "Never trust an Arab." They will lie about everything big or small, trivial or consequential just to save face. It is, perhaps, the hardest thing for non-Muslims to accept, that there is no moral sense in Islam only fear of being shamed. And to be caught out by a kafir, a person who is inferior because they are non-Muslim, is even worse because it puts the lie to their imagined inferiority. It demonstrates that you are, at least, the equal of a Muslim and that contradicts their world view.

      1. Not forgetting that kitman and taqiyya are encouraged to further the cause of islam whether losing face is involved or not.

    2. East is east and west is west and the 'twain should never have met. I was brought up on phrases such as 'never trust an arab'.

      1. My father’s eldest brother was in the North Africa campaign.
        Wounded and on his way home with hundreds of others on board a hospital ship he was murdered by a German pilot who thought that it was heroic to bomb and sink the ship in the English channel. He’s inscribed on the El Alamein memorial.

    1. Bring all Looney Leftie ideas on.. Chagos, Gibraltar, Nutty-Zero, tax hikes, farm land grabs, Islamophobia.. the lot.
      The sooner the country is punished to the hilt by Musk & Trump, the quicker Leftie Labour is out on its ear and for at least five generations.

      1. This will our last national government, such as it is. The next will be the One World Govt, elections will be a thing of the past. I don't see any uprising yet. It all terrifies me, truly it does, and the Nature and Climate Bill is the last straw.

  51. Early Vine was waving his arms around and phonetically trying to stir up support for the chancellor and the mess the chancellor is making of the already stretched economy.
    He was using the word misogynistic in the publics attitude towards the mess being made.
    How pathetic, it's just the same old story when ever they eff everything up, its everybody else's fault. This time from another invented perspective.

    2. That was going to be the next excuse. It's because she's a woman. No, it's because she's an incompetent, stupid socialist.

      1. Their attitude of using misogyny as a cover up for her misgivings is almost misogyny its self.

  52. Morning all hope all are OK? Another day is Sussex del sol and boy, is it hot, a balmy 8c. Thank god the sun is heavily clouded over. Where would we be without that — another climate emergency with recommendations to flee to Alaska.

    Nothing much going on but I was quite anxious about the Getty villa in Pacific Palisades, it would have been a tragedy if it had burnt down. It's a museum, an exact replica of a villa in Herculaneum. For those unfamiliar with it I post a video about it. So many confuse it with the Getty Museum, a different building altogether.

    Not the same thing at all. Enjoy a beautiful building.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWKyK6WWthw

      1. Yes. Thank God because I doubt anyone would be willing to rebuild it. Not at todays prices.

  57. 'Morning All
    Up late overslept belated medley
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/89fc9fa9b99d35ba13085b351ec58124f74da25e608da172d1582adc6672b842.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/34d39043401cfeb5face6955cd638c17e669d7e85cd9d6c8346d722ff4ef9c56.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/842ccc2ebc1e28569553f1ad89052dfac283f4ec77c584b977995b6f0a5a9d48.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/27cf0761927144d02cb32b119eb91d891769269a38e6695e3178b23ff8f3deb3.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f02f9d92918011bd7054ea62be6edd7471a59871d810cb668f4ac92000f9046a.jpg
    http://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/430f37191c2863fe5744600e98ef0d3e6b6287cfdaadf16eafe23aed841edeba.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6af6bf67b910d265b01514969cc918a450959bc30fb47510b48c6290db7aaed4.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3729cbaea9a94c28a46863ed3f198e5af0a42b54d867cd8948dcf649f8277116.png

      1. When they start following you how do we keep the goat safe once the muslim are in the shipping container?

      1. I’d rather have a park full of dogs than a paedophilic rape and torture gang, but hey, that’s just me

      2. I suggest we collar and chain muslim, castrate them and teach them to walk at heel by feeding them bacon.

        Dogs create far less mess, are infinitely friendlier, kinder to the environment, create less litter, smell better, are quieter and don't stink of pot, sell drugs or kill other people.

        If it's a choice between putting one or the other down, my vote goes to getting rid of muslim.

    4. I'd like muslim-free zones. Mind you, the Welsh had "no dogs on beaches" commandments years ago. It's one reason why I stopped holidaying there.

  60. That's the saw chippings cleared, a mug of tea made and drank, so that's me off to pump bilges, get the chainsaw out and cut the logs I shifted ready for splitting once the 3rd stack is used up.

    Sarah Green is MP for Chesham & Amersham which is NOT, so far as I am aware, part of the Sudan.
    Over the decades the UK has donated, by personal charity donations or from our Guv'ment, a HUGE amount of money.
    It's time to let the Sudanese sort out Sudanese problems. https://x.com/SarahGreenLD/status/1879221909642207272

    1. As some if the Sudan elders said to my father after he had retired from the job of governor of the Northern Province of the Sudan:

      "The only thing you ever did wrong was to leave us."

    2. How about providing funds for a police officer outside every school in the UK to warn off paki muslim paedo rapists?

    3. Oh, how to put it…

      Oh yes. I couldn't give a toss about Sudan. You've problems at home to address, Ms Green. Do your job.

    4. Who bloody cares.
      Let the Sudanese sort out their own problems.
      They created them in the first place.

  61. Bridget Phillipson is the Etonians’ secret friend

    Labour say they hate elitism, but their education policies will entrench the privileges of the very richest parents

    Madeline Grant
    15 January 2025 6:58am GMT

    On the face of it, Bridget Phillipson is an unlikely candidate to be anointed “the Old Etonian’s Friend”. Eton, after all, prides itself on educational excellence, whereas the Education Secretary is increasingly referred to as “Bridget Philistine” in the sector she purports to represent. The smirk that sometimes appears on her face while announcing aggressive attacks on the education system suggests that the spread of ignorance makes Phillipson as happy as a pig in the proverbial.

    However there is an irony here: for all that she believes herself to be making education more equitable, she is, in fact, doing the exact opposite. In her flagship policies, Bridget Phillipson is fast becoming the best friend of elitism in education since Henry VI founded Eton and King’s, Cambridge within a few months of each other.

    A particularly egregious example of Phillipson’s pettiness is the defunding of the state school Latin programme, midway through the year. Teachers and university heads across the country are now begging Phillipson to allow pupils already studying classics GCSEs to finish their courses and sit their summer exams. A DfE spokesperson blamed “tough decisions across the public sector” and, inevitably, the mythical £22 billion black hole.

    This is nonsense. At £1 million per year, the programme represents minor ducats in the grand scheme of public spending; a few seconds of NHS funding, less than one 500th of what Britain currently spends on foreign aid for farmers overseas, or 0.01 per cent of the £9 billion the Government is supposedly dangling in front of Mauritius for the privilege of assuming sovereignty of a strategic British territory. It is comparatively such a small cost, and so obviously vindictive to pull the plug mid-year that it can only be explained on ideological grounds.

    In recent years there has been a concerted effort by classicists to open up the subject beyond its traditional strongholds in the public schools. In one fell swoop, Phillipson has undone that hard work and all but guaranteed that Classics will remain an elite bastion forever. And that’s before we even begin to dig into the concomitant damage it will do to history, philosophy, theology, and languages.

    Then there is VAT on private school fees. Far from making the system fairer it will prove a boon to elitism. Schools like Eton and Harrow will be secretly delighted to claim millions in refunds for tax paid on capital projects in recent years. These behemoths will be more exclusive, while smaller schools – within reach of ordinary parents – will be scythed away.

    Alongside the closing of these doors, the surviving schools will inevitably slash bursaries and charge parents more, meaning that fewer of the middle classes who can afford the fees now will be able to in future. Schools will therefore become even more money minded, and crammed, not with the children of farmers, doctors, soldiers or clergy as in the past, or even those of bankers, solicitors and celebrities as they’ve been more recently, but with the offspring of dodgy sheikhs and Chinese Communist Party apparatchiks.

    Phillipson’s myopia will hand the benefits of private education over to our strategic global enemies, while public school bursars rub their hands with glee.

    Worst of all is the decision to strip academies of the very freedoms that triggered their success in the first place; the right to determine their own curricula, pay-scales and recruitment. The Labour MP Dame Siobhain McDonagh bravely condemned this decision in the Commons, pointing out this policy’s transformative impact in her constituency.

    As McDonagh’s blistering attack reminds us, Phillipson’s attack on academies flies in the face of New Labour tradition. Nor is philistinism an inherently “Old Labour” trait. Nye Bevan, one of the great autodidacts in political history, was immersed in Shakespeare and philosophy throughout his life despite leaving school at 14. Or consider Harold Wilson, a grammar school boy, later one of the youngest Oxford dons of the 20th century. Such champions of self-improvement and “knowledge for knowledge’s sake” would have loathed the assumption that rigour, excellence, even the classics themselves, should be reserved exclusively for the rich.

    Philipson’s year-zero philistinism seems, if anything, more redolent of Maoism than the intellectual ambitions of the British Left. Given the direction of travel, no prizes for guessing how the upcoming curriculum review will go. Stand by for lessons on “Stalin’s noble war against the kulaks” and the colonialist origins of food tech.

    In a telling exchange, Phillipson was recently urged to congratulate the Michaela free school on its exam successes, and visibly couldn’t bring herself to do it. The success of schools like these is both an affront to her worldview and a source of embarrassment. This is perhaps why she has paused the previous government’s free schools programme, even though these were performing measurably better, on average, than other state schools.

    It is a tragedy for our young that the Cabinet’s most determined ideologue is also best placed to cause lasting damage. Ed Miliband’s energy policy may one day be rectified, but children only get one shot at an education. Phillipson, in her ignorance, conflates “excellence” with “elitism” but her policies will only entrench the latter.

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

    James Fillingham
    3 hrs ago
    6 months in and it is all too obvious that as well as being fiscally incompetent, Labour loathe, the UK's history and traditions, the old, farmers, aspiration, ambition, parents all children and the private sector. Labour are the party of 2 tier policing, justice, health, education, and idiotic virtue signalling. Who knew that Labour's slogan change meant: Hate not hope and indoctrination rather than education.

    Robert Killian-Dawson
    4 hrs ago
    A lot of pertinent points here, but I don’t think any public school bursars are rubbing their hands in glee. Most of them are engaged in an exercise of damage limitation at this vindictive, envy driven, stupid, counterproductive policy.

    1. We had a couple of Etonians on our French courses last year but their parents are now finding it even more of a struggle to pay the fees.

      Eton may well survive but the schools which depend on the patronage of the middle classes are already finding the imposition of VAT impossible to cope with.

      Brigid Phillipson should be locked in a dark cell and fed on merely bread and water for the rest of her miserable life. Imposing VAT in the middle of the school year is an evil act of sheer, spiteful destruction on young people's lives.

  62. No10 refuses to say whether Attorney General in Gerry Adams case was involved in compensation decision

    Lord Hermer faces questions over his role in decision to repeal Troubles legislation that would have blocked compensation pay-outs

    Charles Hymas Home Affairs Editor
    15 January 2025 11:19am GMT

    The Government has refused to say whether the Attorney General was involved in a decision to pave the way for Gerry Adams to claim compensation.

    Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, who represented the former Sinn Fein leader in a separate damages case, is facing questions over his role in the Government’s decision to repeal Troubles legislation that would have blocked compensation pay-outs.

    Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said the Government needed to say whether Lord Hermer was involved in the decision to change the law that currently blocks Mr Adams’ claim for compensation over his detention in prison in the 1970s for suspected involvement in terrorism.

    Officials, however, refused to say whether he was involved on the basis that it is a long-standing convention that law officers’ advice to the Government remains confidential.

    The move followed a Northern Irish high court ruling that the legislation was incompatible with human rights laws. Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland Secretary, said that the decision to repeal the law underlined “the Government’s absolute commitment to the Human Rights Act”.

    Ministers have decided against appealing the high court decision despite warnings on Tuesday by 16 leading lawyers, former judges and ministers that the decision would “reopen the door to a wave of meritless litigation” relating to events dating back more than 50 years.

    The 16, which includes former Labour security minister Lord West, said that hundreds of people who were lawfully detained for suspected involvement in terrorism could be paid compensation in an “unjust and wasteful use of public money”.

    It is not known if Lord Hermer was involved in the decision. He represented Mr Adams in a damages claim in 2023, which was brought against the former Sinn Fein president by three victims of Provisional IRA bomb attacks at the Old Bailey, London Docklands and Arndale Centre in Manchester.

    In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Jenrick wrote: “The Attorney General, Lord Hermer, represented Gerry Adams in 2023. We urgently need to know whether he was involved in the decision to abandon a winnable appeal, which now leaves his former client in line for a payout.

    “The Government’s claim this signals its “absolute commitment” to the Human Rights Act makes no sense whatsoever.”

    Lord Wolfson KC, the Shadow Attorney General, described the actions of the Government as “… inexplicable and unexplained” and called on Parliamentarians to ask hard questions about why Parliament’s unanimous decision in 2023 to “block Gerry Adams from being paid public money” is now to be abandoned.

    Asked by Tory MP Sir Ashley Fox at the Commons justice committee whether he had been involved in the decision, Lord Hermer said: “The law officers’ convention which is enshrined in the ministerial code precludes any minister from saying whether the law officers have been asked to advise on any given issue let alone what we have advised.”

    The Attorney General confirmed that he had represented Mr Adams but defended the right of lawyers to represent clients “without fear or favour” and irrespective of whether what they had done “whether it was morally right or morally wrong”.

    He said this was one of the “key parts of our rule of law framework,” noting that he had at the same time represented the family of a young British soldier murdered by the IRA in the 1970s.

    “My concern about attacks on lawyers for doing particular cases is that it undermines faith in the legal system. I don’t want to overegg that but it has a particular resonance for me because I have been involved for many years in organisations that seek to protect lawyers working in fragile environments,” he told MPs.

    “I have seen how lawyers themselves become targets including assassinations of many people known to the organisations I have worked with and supported. I have seen in most bloody terms what happens when you undermine faith in integral parts of the rule of law system.

    “The idea that we have a legal system in which we have independent minded representatives representing people without fear or favour irrespective of their views is one of the great strengths of our constitutional set up.”

    On Wednesday, Darren Jones, chief secretary to the Treasury, twice refused to say whether he would be comfortable with Mr Adams receiving compensation.

    Asked if he was comfortable, he said: “Well, look, I don’t actually know whether that assertion by members of the House of Lords is correct or not. What I do know is that the Government inherited a scheme from the Conservative Party that didn’t have the support of anybody in Northern Ireland, that was found in many cases to be unlawful, and which actually under the Conservatives’ scheme gave immunity to people who committed appalling acts of terrorism.

    “We are not taking that approach but we do have to work with partners to get a new scheme in place and Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland Secretary, is working on that at the moment. He will consider the implications of that detail and will report to Parliament in due course.”

    Asked again if he would be comfortable, he said: “As I say, I don’t know whether that’s true or not, and I’m not going to comment on hypotheticals. Hilary Benn is working with partners on the detail and he’ll present that in due course.”

    Mr Adams, who has consistently denied being a member of the IRA, was detained in the Maze prison along with hundreds of others suspected of involvement in terrorism amid spiralling violence in the early 1970s.

    In 2020, the Supreme Court quashed Mr Adams’s 1975 conviction for attempting to escape, on the grounds that he was not lawfully detained because his custody order had been signed by a minister other than the secretary of state. This opened the door for Mr Adams and others to claim compensation.

    An amendment to the Northern Ireland Troubles Act was introduced by the Tories to block this. The former government argued that the Supreme Court was wrong in its claim that Mr Adams had been illegally detained.

    Ministers said at the time that the ruling overturned a fundamental convention of UK government, known as the Carltona principle, whereby officials can exercise powers on behalf of a secretary of state.

    Sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles Act reversed the Supreme Court decision, preventing any compensation being paid out to Mr Adams and between 300 and 400 others. The move was backed by Labour in opposition.

    However, Patrick Fitzsimmons, another Maze attempted escapee, successfully challenged the legislation in the Northern Ireland High Court, arguing that it was a breach of his human rights.

    When Labour took power in July, the party abandoned any attempt to appeal the decision and laid a draft order in Parliament to repeal the relevant sections of the Northern Ireland Troubles Act.

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

    Labour are trampling over everything. They want a bloody insurrection.

    1. “the Government’s absolute commitment to the Human Rights Act”

      Ffs. We beed Reform to do away with this appalling piece of legislation

  64. Well – that's enough doom and gloom for one morning. Going out to lunch shortly. Back later.

      1. I had a large omelette and salad. Pat and Sandra had chilli & rice. Celia had something in a pie. I had a creme brule for pud. Celia had apple pie; Pat and Sandra had chocolate brownie.

    3. I told Kadi not to touch anything when I was in a shop. I remarked, "he's worse than a child." Then I remembered some experiences and added, "but not worse than a lot of children!".

      1. Well, I suppose if you are in an office, or on a train, you don't want to intrude on other people – and if I'm at home I often read rather than listen because there is frequently poppiesdad in the room on whom I do not wish to inflict the content of my viewing.

        1. Yes, you're entirely right. I looked for a subtitle option and couldn't see one either.

          But I would like far less of the exuberant flashing and the far simpler, white on black text.

          1. Yes, I agree about the flashing and the alternating size of the font, the switching of upper case to lower case; sometimes it is too much to take in all at once and it slows down the speed with which I read. Simple subtitles would be infinitely preferable.

    2. Poor little kitten…suggest she swaps places for a week, see how she copes, how the other half lives away from the bank of mum n dad.

      1. Mao had the right idea…send them to harvest the crops. She will soon find other things to worry about.

          4. Pretty much the whole shower, Phiz…I’ve voted Conservative for years post-Thatcher. Now? pox on all their houses, more or less.

    1. Just when you thought the political class were not _completely mental_, they prove they can be even worse!

        1. Occasionally I pass a large sign that says "NO! to rewilding". There is also one which tells us to oppose the Farm Tax. If only we could do something about it.

  68. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/01/15/ftse-100-markets-latest-news-uk-inflation-us-bonds-reeves/

    "Fight every day to deliver growth"

    What does that mean? Who is she fighting? What will she do each day considering she only provides a budget once a year? What will she 'deliver'? Evri parcels? Little boxes of cash from the government? What sort of growth? Growth in taxes? Debt? Waste? Growth in public sector head count?

    Meaningless marketing BS. She doesn't create growth. Growth comes from companies and people. Both she has made poorer, and will make even poorer in April.

        1. The wall I can provide. I won't provide bullets though as it is too quick. Their defeat comes not from execution but from being forced to admit that you were right and they were, and always have been; wrong.

    2. Yes – John Whitby! I wasn't ever going to vote for him anyway – that just makes it certain! Mainly Liebour and Limp Dumb, a scattering of others and 2 brain dead Tories!

      1. Parachuted in from God knows where, I doubt is he knows his way round the Dales without using a Tw@Nav.

        1. "A former musician, he was the lead singer of The Beyond in the 1980s and 1990s. He became a councillor on Derby City Council in the early 2010s. In May 2017 he was made Mayor of Derby, a position which is held for a year..." Wiki

          1. Mine doesn't seem to be, But she is awful – Labour, of course – and has written an asinine piece in the local Beagle about how correct the Uberstarmerfuhrer is to reject any scrutiny of the institutional condoning of the Pakistani rape'n'torture white-slaver gangs. The subject is also verboten in the WAG. Distasteful language, apparently

  71. Johan Forssell om svenskt medborgarskap: ”Man ska känna sig stolt”
    Johan Forssell on Swedish citizenship: "You should feel proud"
    'Girls and boys have the right to swim and play football. If you don't accept that, Sweden is not the country for you,'

    UK has a lot of catching up to do.. as Sweden starts getting tough on Muslims & their incompatible death cult.

  73. Just made a McCarthy chopped salad for lunch. Made famous by the Beverly Hills Hotel. A favourite of Hollywood A listers.

    An homage to all those poor rich people.

  74. Not caught up today so apologies if already discussed, but the Terriblegraph was reporting (possibly yesterday) that the LA wildfires were not “caused bu global warming” but instead sparked by New Year’s Eve fireworks.

    Who’d a thunk it?

    2. As I explained the other day. These sort of fires are natural in California. If the fires aren't caused by fireworks, lightening will do it. Even the plants are adapted to it. Without it many California plants will not germinate, the beautiful Romneya and the Castilleja are examples, the flower displays after it rains this year will be utterly spectacular. Like a living Persian carpet.

      Romneya is a poppy, the flowers are the size of a dinner plate. https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/site/assets/files/7536/romneya-coulteri-1.jpg
      Castilleja

      https://www.everwilde.com/media/0800/FCASCOC-A-Indian-Paintbrush-Seeds.jpg
      California will look like this for a few weeks.
      https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.matadornetwork.com/blogs/1/2019/03/Wildflower-Superbloom-in-Southern-California-1200×853.jpg
      https://i.pinimg.com/originals/19/c5/dd/19c5ddcbb5b98c321f5e3b3dd6175cee.jpg

    1. An extract:

      "I believe that many doctors today are suffering moral injury. They know they are serving a system that does not place the patient first. They know that they are not abiding by medical ethics. They know that “First Do No Harm’ doesn’t refer to the patient any longer but to their medical license, career, reputation and income. They know that they aren’t really helping people get better. They know that the “vaccines” are causing harm. They know that they have been lied to and that they, in turn, have lied but are too scared or ashamed to admit it. They know they hate their job but will never admit it. They know that the way they practice medicine is fundamentally anti-patient and unethical. And this knowledge, without action to address it, eats one up inside. It leads to emotional distress, such as anxiety and depression. It results in disconnection from one’s sense of purpose or community. And it also causes a spiritual crisis or loss of faith in humanity, institutions, or oneself."

  76. Phew!
    A well deserved sit down and mug of tea.
    Just chain-sawn a stack of logs ready for chopping once I have somewhere to put them.
    But I've now got space to get another load of longer logs down off the shed roof ready for the chain-saw.

    Will quietly have my tea then shuffle off upstairs for a hot bath!

    I will say though, it is a beautiful day today.

    1. I refined my deployment plan. I did it all while drinking coffee and sitting on my capacious backside.

  77. Currys will be forced to outsource more British staff to India as a result of Rachel Reeves’s “tax on jobs”, the chief executive of the electricals retailer said.

    Alex Baldock said the rising cost of employing people in the UK meant Currys would rely more on “offshoring” in the near future.

    He said: “We’ve already got the best part of 1,000 colleagues in India – all the usual central and IT functions that you would expect – and they do a cracking job for us, and we’re delighted to have them. You can expect, as UK people costs inflate, to see more of that, that’s just inevitable.”

    The retailer has previously warned that it faces £30m in extra costs as a result of the Chancellor’s October Budget, at which she announced a £25bn National Insurance (NI) raid on employers, as well as a 6.7pc increase in the minimum wage.

    Poppadoms anyone?

    3. Polonius told Gertrude that Hamlet was mad

      I will be brief. Your noble son is mad.
      Mad call I it; for, to define true madness,
      What is't but to be nothing else but mad?

      But as we know Hamlet was putting on an antic disposition and was only pretending to be mad.

      Ed Miliband, on the other hand, is the thing itself – the real McCoy no mere 'seeming' from him: he is totally insane and even the New Psychiatric Hospital in Slagelse, in Denmark, would not be capable of restoring him to sanity.

      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ec6ac5ab391736176fcd1e345972bc89743b45aea38dd6b1f842f946408de26b.png

      1. Why Denmark? They are specialists in Miliband's particular sort of lunacy.

        'Denmark was a pioneer in developing commercial wind power during the 1970s, and today a substantial share of the wind turbines around the world are produced by Danish manufacturers such as Vestas—the world's largest wind-turbine manufacturer—along with many component suppliers. Furthermore, Denmark has—as of 2022—the 2nd highest amount in the world of wind power generation capacity installed per capita, behind only neighboring Sweden.'

        1. Maybe I'll steer clear of that subject tonight.
          Danish D-in-L rather likes me …. at the moment.

        2. Mr T, there is nothing wrong with wind turbines but much wrong with the British govt's wind turbine policy. If you were living or working in the wilds anywhere in the world (Siberia, Alaska, small islands etc) a turbine or two would be a great help.

  79. This was in my feed just now. Was actually looking up Faberge eggs. but Chihuly popped up too. Love this stuff but it's fascinating because those in to horticulture will recognize many plants that he derived his glass work from, and the colours – wonderful!

    Chihuly's Glass Odyssey: A Biltmore Estate Experience

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08dvt_VuPLI

    1. If you come across a buy one get one free Faberge egg. Can i have the other one?

      Askin' for a friend.

      1. Sure Pip, happy to. Was actually looking for "The Winter Egg" which is the most beautiful, I think.

    2. Lovely! Thank you.

      I fell in love with Chihuly's creations at an exhibition of his work in Kew Gardens years ago. Somewhere I have a series of rather satisfying photos.

  80. AHHHHH!!! That's better! Just had a lovely hot bath!
    I feel a bit damp, but much better now.
    Time to get dried off, some clothes on and something to eat done. DT & Graduate Son are fending for themselves, I'm planning to stink the house out with a pair of kippers!!

  82. You are telling us that you are typing naked and damp? Why?

    I'm sure the ladies would love a selfie… :@)

          4. Our Man in Munich

            I saw the guitarist on this track, Laurence Juber, accompanying Fred Wedlock at a concert I took a minibus load of Sixth Formers to see when I was a schoolmaster in the West of England in the 1980s.

            A brilliant guitarist whom Fred described affectionately as a flash git, Juber used to be the lead guitarist with Paul McCartney's group, Wings.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pB9zuS4Ay8

          6. Thayaric, Pretty Polly are at least two.

            Of course being older than your IQ number makes you unique on Nottle.

          8. I am wealthy, beautiful and above all… happy.

            Sos can't hide his jealousy when coming up against Phizzee Perfect.

  83. A while back after eating mostly chocolate I ate some salad with my quiche. Usually I don't like salad but this time it felt absolutely wonderful.

    1. I watched a documentary about a bunch of students put on a protein only diet. Fried eggs for breakfast, steak and other meats. One of them said he started dreaming about salads.

      In my own experience i went carb free for a month and i started dreaming about mashed potatoes.

      I believe we have a non thinking brain at the back and above the stomach where all the nerves meet.

      It sends chemical signals to the brain.

      It can be fooled though. With time. Like fighting an addiction.

      1. I overeat not because I am hungry but because it's how I cope with stress.

        As it becomes increasingly difficult to move this articulated lorry of a body about I know I need to lose weight. No, I need to change my diet.

        2. I handle that problem with dark chocolate. It's too strong for me to over-eat on it, but I get that lift that I need to solve problems. I'm now down to about 200 g a week!

          3. Are we going to see you this Spring/Summer…couple of dates being arranged.

            If you were to i can tweak the dates.

          6. I have 4 squares every night of Mrs Molley's from Tesco, it's cheap and has very little sugar in it so my BS level isn't affected. This equates to 100g per week

        4. Nibble rice cakes Wibble. They come in flavours now. You need to drink more with them as they are drying on the system. Eat soups regularly too.

    2. I once worked with some children from near Chernobyl who were brought over regularly for holidays. The first day I handed round a tub of Quality Street. Hardly any were taken. I asked the supervisor why? She replied that I should bring a basket of fruit the next time. I did so and the contents disappeared in minutes.

  84. As this is behind a paywall – I have no idea what it says. And, before you mention it, the "work rounds/tricks" DON'T work for me.

    1. It isn't beyond a paywall on my screen.

      I haven't eaten carbs, fruit or vegetables in SIX YEARS. I never expected what happened to my body

      READ MORE: Ultra-processed food blamed for change in children's faces

      By JOHN ELY DEPUTY HEALTH EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE and CONNOR BOYD HEALTH AND SCIENCE EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

      Published: 09:26, 15 January 2025 | Updated: 14:26, 15 January 2025

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      A former vegan has claimed to have 'healed' multiple health problems and lost a stone-and-a-half (21lbs) by eating nothing but meat and dairy products.

      Social media influencer Isabella 'Bella' Ma, 28, who shares videos under the Instagram alias 'steakandbuttergal', is said to have avoided all carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables for the past six years.

      The professional musician, who has 420,000 followers on Instagram, has credited her controversial eating plan for regulating her menstrual cycle, beating depression, and healing skin problems like acne, eczema, and psoriasis.

      'I'm not dying of low energy, nor have I wrecked my hormones,' she said in a video in which she is seen eating an entire roast chicken.

      'I've actually lost 25 pounds, now have painless periods, unbelievably stable energy and moods because my body burns fat for fuel now.'

      Her experience flies in the face of recommendations of health authorities like the NHS and CDC which advise people to stick to a healthy balanced diet with some meat, some carbohydrates and eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.

      Diets high in red meat have been linked to multiple health problems including heart disease and cancer.
      Social media influencer Bella, who shares videos under the Instagram alias 'steakandbuttergal', is said to have avoided all carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables for the past six years

      Social media influencer Bella, who shares videos under the Instagram alias 'steakandbuttergal', is said to have avoided all carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables for the past six years
      TRENDING
      Three symptoms of deadly cervical cancer women should NEVER ignore
      14.7k viewing now
      How a tiny cut from a can left me fighting a flesh-eating infection
      4.9k viewing now
      Linda Nolan's gruelling 20-year battle with breast cancer
      2.1k viewing now

      Among Bella's other questionable claims is that her meat-only diet is responsible for her being 5ft10in tall — citing it as the reason she is taller than her siblings.

      She has also claimed she no longer needs to use soap or body wash as she naturally 'smells amazing' and no longer passes gas.

      Even more bizarrely, she said in one clip that eating a stick of butter every day for a year reinvigorated her libido and gave her 'butter boobs'.

      Carnivore diets, where adherents only eat animal products like meat, fish, eggs and dairy, have grown in popularity in recent years with clips on the subject reaching over 1billion views on TikTok.

      It is based on the widely disputed belief that humans living thousands of years ago only subsisted off meat, and mimicking this in the modern age has a range of health and performance benefits.

      Interest in the diet has been partly fuelled by advocates like Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson, who say it improved their mental and physical abilities.

      However, as popularity has soared, so have studies warning of the potential hazards.

      One 2023 study found people who eat just two servings of meat per week are at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

      The Harvard University research, which was based on data from over 200,000 people who were followed almost 40 years, found those who ate the most red meat had a 62 percent higher risk compared to those eating the least.

      And British research from Oxford University on 1.4million people found higher consumption of red meat increased the risk of heart disease by 18 percent for each additional 50 grams eaten per day.

      Health and diet experts have also warned that people who limit their diet to meat could be at increased risk of heart disease, conditions like scurvy and even cancer due to the diet's lack of vitamin C and fibre.

      Vitamin C, found in high levels in the fruit meat-eaters avoid, helps protect tissue, keep it healthy and also assists with healing with those who don't get enough at risk of scurvy.

      Fibre, also called roughage, is a term for carbohydrates found naturally in plants that we can't easily digest.

      Instead, it passes to the lower parts of the digestive system, helping bulk out stools and prevent constipation.

      Not eating enough fibre is also a known risk factor for bowel cancer — a disease on the rise among young people.

      Cancer Research UK estimates about one in four of the some 45,000 cases of the disease diagnosed in Britain each year is caused by lack of fibre in diet.

      Red meat and animal products like cheese and butter are also high in saturated fat, which can lead to plaque buildup in the arteries.

      In the long term this makes the organ pump harder increasing the risk of heart attack and strokes.

      However, some experts dispute some of findings of studies about the dangers of eating too much meat.
      Interest in the diet has been partly fuelled by advocates like Joe Rogan (pictured) and Jordan Peterson saying it improved their mental and physical abilities

      Interest in the diet has been partly fuelled by advocates like Joe Rogan (pictured) and Jordan Peterson saying it improved their mental and physical abilities

      They highlight that a lot of research fails to distinguish between the impact of processed meat like sausages and burger patties from less processed cuts like steak.

      However, most experts advise people to adopt a balanced diet of healthy animal products like leaner cuts of meat, dairy and eggs alongside plenty of fruit and vegetables.

      Extreme diets that forbid broad groups of food like veganism, fruitarianism, where people only eat fruit, or the carnivore diet, should be treated with caution.

      Vegans for example need to be careful about getting enough essential nutrients like iron, calcium, iodine, selenium and vitamin B12 which other people easily get from animal products without ever needing to think about it.
      Joe Rogan
      Jordan Peterson
      Instagram

        1. The pleasure is mine.

          Would it surprise you to know that i still hear both of you in my head?

          From Google robot…Bill Thomas was known as the “Legal Beagle” on the BBC Radio 2 show hosted by Jimmy Young. Thomas provided legal advice to listeners of the show.

    2. I read just one article at a time when someone posts it. The DM is horrible now due to the intrusive ads. And I clear the cookies when I leave.

  86. Is a drop in inflation over the Christmas period a sign that sales are down and heavily discounted and that we are already in a slump?

    2. I should imagine sales are down – people don't have a lot of spare cash. I know I didn't spend as much as in previous years.

    1. Perhaps before topping themselves the 13 young men should have tried Trans Incidental Mediation?

      1. I prefer Turkish women who have beards. At least then you can tell they are women.

        No wonder they invented the burqa…

    3. The hussy! Showing legs! There was one like that, only with a long skirt, waddling down the road when I took Kadi to the vets for his jabs this morning. Such is the Zeitgeist caused by Blair and co, my immediate thought was "eff off back to the benighted hellhole you came from." Even five years ago, such a hostile thought would never have occurred to me. Mind you, five years ago, there wouldn't have been any invaders in my neck of the woods.

    4. Blimey! I think that's both a bloke and a joke. Although it is hard to comprehend what turns these people on. Good photo, too – first of all I thought this divine paragon had 4 legs (that cheeky little skirt encompasses part of the balustrade)

    1. Is a country with an Established Church and its Head of State the head of that church and its laws based on Christian ethics a Christian country?

      If Britain is considered a secular state by those who invade it then isn't it time the Head of State made it absolutely clear that the UK is a Christian country?

      If the Idiot King will not do this he should abdicate and be replaced by a monarch who is fit for purpose!

      1. There was something to be said for the time when that issue was settled on the battlefield. The Mohammedans of course invade Christians countries to achieve conquest.

      2. Given Charlie's fondness for the muzzies, is there any likelihood of his standing up for Christianity and the Church of which he is Supreme Governor?

  91. Well, MB and I have always joked about Co-op funerals, but they did Elderly Chum proud this afternoon.
    Lovely service in their chapel – modern design but a very calm space with a roof of church-like design and dimensions. We had an organist and one of the retired 'bank' vicars to conduct the service. EC was a Christian Scientist and there are none around, so a low key service was the best we could do.
    I was fine until the film of EC's life and garden was screened.
    Wake went well, lovely tea (nephew and I sneaked off to the bar for G&Ts while guests assembled).
    Phew.
    Feet up before Birthday dinner with Sonny Boy Snr and family.

    1. We always make a point of attending the neighbours funerals. Bungalow land so mostly very elderly.

      We have two recent incomers who suddenly became widowers so we make sure to invite them to social events.

      I think this is where the Irish do better than the English. Sod the tea. Break out the booze.

      1. Our road is bungalow land , we own a house.. one of three in our road ..

        We were the youngest residents when we moved in 25 years ago , Moh was still working .

        Now we are virtually the oldest couple now .. people die , properties sold to younger couple/ knocked down/ converted etc .

        I am actually scared stiff .. is this what it is all about?

        1. I can only say don't fear change. I always make a point of welcoming the newbies in my cul de sac. With a few Summer parties and bbq's an understanding forms.

          1. We had a get-together here for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, which is when the Whats app group was set up, and another for the Coronation. People got to know each other better then, and there's usually something going on to let others know about.

          2. Street or garden parties do bring people closer. I expect Rachel from accounts will find a way to tax them.

        2. Our little hamlet of cottages on a steep hillside – this end, mainly older people like us, one family across the road with teenage children, moved in about three years ago. We've been here 30 years in April. We have very good neighbours who look out for each other so I don't want to leave, even though it's a fairly difficult place for "old people".
          We have 11 steps up to our front door, but I think carrying bags of shopping up them helps keep me fit and well. We did have a handrail installed a few years ago. I'm quite glad of that these days. One of our neighbours is having hospice care at home for his final days – the carers find the road difficult but they are getting used to it.

          1. We have steps down to the front door – had them rebuilt a couple of years ago, to be even, have a stout handrail, and electric heating to shift the ice. So far, good investment.

    2. Mum in law had a Co-op funeral , as did Moh's father , they both put money away every month , and also in those days collected divi stamps , what ever they are .

      Dad in law died over 25 years ago , and mum in law got double stamps .. then sadly after her death in a local nursing home after over 3 years suffering from dementia near here nearly 9 years ago (She was over 91 yrs old , the Co op handled the proceedings beautifully , tearfully so , and took her back up to Southampton where she was interred on top of her husband , and close by to her parents , who died in the 1970's .

      The Co-op were so caring warm and very professional , no unctuous behavior , and then were helpful re the addition of her name to the existing gravestone etc.. and of course the small service in the local Southampton chapel , which was exactly what she wanted , because of her late parents and husband .. which was only up the road from her old family home where she had lived for 60years ..

      The rural cemetery was a bit fuller since the last time we visited when Moh's father died . .. Cemeteries show so much history , and the graves told the story of mostly the 2nd world war and those who had served , made aircraft like Moh's father (RJ Mitchell yard ) Spitfires , and the RN and Merchant Navy ..

      Dear heavens , if they were alive now, what the hell would any of them think .

  92. Wordle 1,306 4/6

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

    Wordle 15 Jan 2025

    A handy Par Four!

    1. Same here – took quite a time to spot it though!!

      Wordle 1,306 4/6

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

      2. There's a tri peaks only competition today.

        I'll be lucky to stay in the top 20, too many freak shows in the group.

        One "did it" in 5.55!!

        2. Aaargh, I’ll get on it now – but I’ve already had a few beers so I’ll probably be crap!

          I’ll report back….

        3. Done it – slight blip on level 7 – big blip on level 9 (at least 4 go’s at that one!) – says come back in about 14 hours?

          1. My time was 22.27 and currently 12th in the group, but likely to be overtaken a few times.

          3. Look at the group leader board.

            Just click on “Leader boards” and you will see your group of 50 and if you’re interested, click on top 100.

          4. You’re not going to believe this but I checked Leaderboard as you suggested and my time was 22.30!!!!! I appear to be 4th in my group but it’s a little confusing…..

          5. That’s about right for your time in a “normal” group.
            If you do the same when the competition ends I suspect you’ll be in the 35-45,000 range overall, and possibly better

    2. Took me five today.

      Wordle 1,306 5/6

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

    3. Trailing behind again.
      Wordle 1,306 5/6

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

    5. Posted early this morning, but a par here too.

      Wordle 1,306 4/6

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

      1. We never needed it until Blair started letting in floods of people who didn't have the sort of values which think lying and deception are sinful, rather than desirable.

    2. He'd have been better off taking the full 25% lump sum tax-free, wouldnt he?

      Anyhow, I'm very pleased for him, he clearly deserves it……

      1. The £1.8 m pension pot figure is misleading. That amount doesn’t exist, it’s only notional. Effectively it doesn’t matter – he gets the TFLS and the guaranteed £85k for life and there will undoubtedly be a widow’s pension on top.

        An actual pension pot of £1.8 m in real, saved money wouldn’t yield that pension.

        1. Yes, you’re right – particularly at the age of 61! You’re very knowledgeable here, is this what you do for a living?

        2. I'm not sure you're correct here.
          Even assuming zero growth on a static sum, 1.8 Mn would give 21 years pension, taking him to 82, probably on the edge of his life expectancy.
          Although, to be fair, I very much doubt his work will have taken all that much from it.

          2. This is what it read

            £1,800,000
            Tax-free cash 25% £450,000
            Remaining pension pot £1,350,000
            These examples give you an idea of the income our annuity and our other guaranteed income products might provide. They assume you take the maximum 25% tax-free cash sum available but you can choose to take less. The annual result is made up of 12 equal monthly payments. The results are examples only and aren’t advice. The actual income you can get will depend on your individual circumstances.

            Guaranteed income for the rest of your life
            Pension Annuity £83,040 a year for the rest of your life

            View assumptions Can pay more if you have health conditions or lifestyle risks
            Can keep paying out to a loved one after you die Can’t be changed once the plan has started.
            The figure above shows the gross income before any tax is deducted. We’ve assumed you’re in perfect health, your postcode may impact any subsequent quote.

    4. I can't remember his name but there was a Labour parliamentary candidate in the 1970s for whom I would have voted had he been my parliamentary candidate.

      He worked out the average pay of the people his constituency and only took this as his own salary and pension entitlement.

      I will vote Labour in the next election if Starmer, Reeves and Cooper commit themselves to doing the same thing as this chap. I know my vote will not have to go to their party!

  96. Thought this might raise a smile: A ‘woke’ theatre in Paris known for its radical Leftist shows faces bankruptcy after being occupied by more than 250 African migrants who were let in for a free event five weeks ago. The Mail has the story.

      1. Think it was Heart of Wokeness. Or Seven Brides for One Brother. Or that racist one about the whale: Free Lolly.

  97. James Delingpole
    The day I was heckled for speaking about the rape gangs
    15 January 2025, 10:33am

    It’s odd being lionised for something you did so long ago you’d almost forgotten you were there. But this is what has been happening to me on social media these last few days, as a result of clips of me on a 2014 BBC3 political debate programme called Free Speech going viral.

    Free Speech was one of those slightly cringey ‘let’s make politics relevant to da yoof’ programmes once satirised on Not The Nine O’Clock News in a sketch called ‘Hey Wow’. Hardly anybody watched it at the time and I never expected it to resurface again. But it has suddenly become topical – and been seen by an order of magnitude more viewers – because of the moment where I dared to raise the issue of Pakistani Muslim rape gangs, only to be closed down by the moderator, booed by the audience and accused of ‘spreading lies’ by one of my fellow panellists.

    Lots of people now are saying how terribly brave I was. But that was never part of my plan. As soon as I walked into the Manchester studio, I felt a lurch of terror. The set up was not dissimilar to the one on Hey Wow: a lively studio audience, apparently selected to reflect the vibrant diversity of British youth and two roving moderators clutching microphones with which they could gauge the opinions of the crowd. Opposite them sat the five panellists, whose affiliations I cannot remember exactly. But I was the only one plausibly right-of-centre.

    Surrounded by hostiles, I formulated a self-preservation strategy. I’d suck up madly to my fellow panellists, especially the bright, nicely-spoken female next to me so that they didn’t gang up on me. And I’d be careful not to say anything too contentious or right wing so the scary people in the audience – one was wearing an ‘I HEART Sharia’ sweatshirt – didn’t physically assault me.

    But no plan survives contact with the enemy. The problem was the same one you have when you’re out hunting, your blood is up and your resolution to confine yourself to the more sensible rails vanishes in a surge of adrenaline. Quite simply, everyone else in the room turned out to be so incredibly annoying, stupid and dishonest that I felt compelled to lob in a few truth grenades. This was easy enough to do when the question came up: ‘Is Britain a rape culture?’

    What particularly irked me was the studio’s collective refusal to acknowledge the existence of Muslim rape gangs. I’d recently been reading all the reports on cases like Rotherham and Rochdale, familiarised myself with all the horrific details about mostly underaged girls being ‘groomed’ by leering, semi-organised gangs of revolting older men who tortured them, drugged them and gang raped them. And now here I was in a roomful of half-wits, so blinded by ignorance or political prejudice, trying to make out that this was just some kind of right-wing fantasy.

    Among them was that female panellist I’d earmarked as a potential ally. Though she’d been friendly enough in earlier exchanges, she turned on me in this one with that ‘spreading lies’ accusation. The audience all booed me as if she had a point. It felt very lonely and not a little disorienting. Like the heroine in Gaslight, I was being put under extreme pressure to disbelieve something that I knew perfectly well to be true.

    The moderators were no use. Instead of giving me space to enlarge upon my point they exploited their powers, in a way which I believe will be familiar to any conservative person who has ever appeared on a BBC political debate show, to close me down. How easy it would have been for one of them to have said: ‘But to be fair to James, there have been some reports in the papers…’ Neither of them did.

    Then something extraordinary happened. A girl sitting in the back row somehow attracted the moderator’s attention and declared: ‘I know it’s probably an unpopular view but I completely agree that in some areas rape is largely committed by Muslims.’ The audience tried booing her into silence but she bravely continued. ‘No, I grew up in Bradford, alright? And in that kind of environment, it is mainly Asian men, not because it’s something about their culture but because they’re not getting caught. Like I’ve had friends who’ve been raped and the police have told them because it’s an Asian man that’s done it we’re probably not gonna catch them. It happens all the time.’

    Talk about courage! I was so grateful to that girl, who definitely deserved a more sympathetic and interested response than she got from the moderator. Embarrassed, in damage limitation mode, he turned to the panellist (a Muslim yoof TV/comedian type with a trendy haircut and bright green trousers) he knew he could most rely on to squash the issue. ‘Do you lend any credence to that idea?’, the moderator asked. Unsurprisingly Mr Green Trousers considered the notion of police refusing to investigate rape claims where Asians were involved utterly risible. The audience laughed and clapped their agreement.

    The whole experience was so embarrassing and awkward I wanted to forget it as quickly as possible. But one Friday evening, a few weeks later, I realised my ordeal hadn’t been totally futile. I was hurrying towards the tube stop, worried I was going to miss my train home, when a pretty young woman standing outside a pub suddenly accosted me. ‘Thank you!’, she said. Thank you for what?’ I said. ‘Thank you for speaking out for us!’, she said and gave me a warm hug.

    The young woman, it turned out, was of Sikh extraction and she happened to have watched the debate. Several girls in her own community had fallen victim to these gangs. But she’d never seen anyone in the public eye speaking up about it.

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

    Blindsideflanker
    6 hours ago edited
    Wouldn't it be great if they reconstituted that programme with all the same presenters, guests and audience, and then made them stand by the arguments they made. It would be nice to drive home some lessons to them that virtue signalling can come with costs and humiliation.

    Peter Bolt Blindsideflanker
    6 hours ago
    An idea so brilliant, so relevant , that the BBC are already ( for some reason or another ) probably hurriedly attempting to trace the recordings at this very moment

    Arminius
    6 hours ago edited
    What is so interesting is how the likes of James Delingpole and Ann Cryer, MP spoke out about these crimes but were ignored for decades.

    Many thanks to Elon Musk for highlighting this issue.

  98. That's me for today. Tomorrow am away until later afternoon – visiting sister-in-law at Wivno. It is her birthday (as well as mine) and she is recovering from hitting her head against her cast-iron stove while removing Christmas decorations. We are taking lunch.

    So – have a spiffing evening.

    A demain.

    1. An early Happy Birthday wish to you and your sister-in-law, Bill. Where are you having your birthday lunch? I enjoyed mine with a chum on my own birthday at the quayside Rose & Crown in Wivno.

    2. Have a good day. Tomorrow we return to Spain. Still looks very cold although sunny. Not looking forward to the long flight.

      2. Long flight from where? Second Son came to the conclusion that a vacation in Western Australia was rather a long way from Norway this autimn…

    3. Lots of pre birthday wishes for a lovely day tomorrow .

      What sort of lunch are you taking , a delicious spread?

      Enjoy your visit and be careful x

    4. We shall be sending you a greeting later tonight and repeating it tomorrow morning!

    1. A controversial first term was followed by the 2014 election where the accusations of intimidation at polling stations and vote rigging resulted in the poll being annulled.

      Like a third world country, isn't it? You know, like pakistan.

    1. Are the dates wrong on that report? It reads as though they were found guilty more than a year before sentencing.

  103. Evening, all. More civilised time tonight, for a change.

    This government is an embarrassment, but I refuse to feel embarrassed. I didn't vote for them, I don't support them and they don't speak in my name.

  104. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjdenz1drj8o

    Odd that Sweden can do it yet we can't. Or… perhaps we could all along, perhaps deliberately the Left have fought it and lied to us. Perhaps the forcing of barbaric savages into this country by the Left has simply been to rape the entire nation rather than stopping at thousands of children?

    The blob didn't like being told no and has, since then made absolutely sure everything was done to do the country in.

    1. Confirmed by Qatar's Prime Minister. Much celebration in the streets.
      Thank FUCK for that.

  108. 'Night All
    Delivering a meal to a friend (liver and bacon and all the trimmings) I had the misfortune to see the Labour party political broadcast a farrago of lies in every way every positive statement made they are actually doing the exact opposite
    Staggering……..

        1. See my response to Sue. The ceasefire will not apply to Hamas unless it manages to perpetrate yet another atrocity within Israel and take more hostages. They will carry on with their daily rocket attacks, ceasefire or no ceasefire.

          2. I meant that if they repeat that atrocity it is possible that even the useful idiots in the west will maybe see them for what they are – and see that Israel has NO CHOICE but to do as it has done in response to an existential threat.

            I can also see that the Jew hatred might obscure all this and maybe the demands for a ceasefire (Israeli capitulation) will again lead to anti-Semitic takeover of streets in capital cities around the world in support of these ghastly, sadistic assassins. Israel is absolutely unique in that it is not allowed to defend itself.

            You are correct, sos, I put it badly.

          3. Quite
            As to your last bit:
            There is never any need to respond to any of my posts re putting anything badly.

            All I wanted was to be sure, I suspected that that was what you were driving at.

          4. Thank you, sos. I get a bit frothy about Israel, a country I admire greatly and hold very dear, let alone the other issues re Jew hatred, which disgusts me, and of the rise of which – in our country – I am genuinely frightened x

        1. I am hoping and praying, BoB, that this time they will not be granted that leeway – nor the slew of money from Western idiots so to do. Hey ho.

      3. I doubt they will go 6 weeks, Sue. Previous form suggests maybe 6 hours – or even 6 minutes – before they lob the next rocket into Israel. These attacks are relentless, they go on all the time, ceasefire or no ceasefire. But, clearly (according to the BBC) the Jews are to blame.

      5. Oddly, I do not perceive the Palestinian people as being 'Arabs'.
        There must be something in that 'unconscious bias' soup, but positive or negative I am uncertain.
        For example, I admire the Israeli people with all their faults but can occasionally be quite grumpy about Jews elsewhere.

        2. The real Palestinians, the Philistines, were not Arabs. They were Greek. The people who since 1967 have stolen their identity are of Egyptian, Syrian, Jordanian, Lebanese and Saudi origin. They are Arabs. Yasser Arafat was Egyptian. Likewise Edward Said, whose supposed autobiography was a work of fiction easily destroyed by a journalist who looked at the documented evidence. A Palestinian woman recently had a DNA test and was shocked to discover that she’s Jordanian. These people are entirely typical.

          2. The British Mandate that mistakenly adopted the Roman rendering of Philistine invented to insult the Jews. Possibly because it had been perpetuated by the Ottoman Empire.

          3. They are also, as they tend to describe themselves, Philistines. Doesn't sound so romantic, does it? These fashionistas are so irredeemably shallow.

          4. They are also, as they tend to describe themselves, Philistines. Doesn't sound so romantic, does it? These fashionistas are so irredeemably shallow.

    1. The government should be creating safe zones round schools in this country until they finish deporting the depraved men who're doing the molesting.

  112. extract from a rereleased Jerm Warfare podcast, interviewing Judith Curry (recorded in late 2022).

    ““We need to lose the mad rush to install wind turbine. I mean, the supply chain, you know, the mineral, the demand for minerals, and a lot of which come from Africa and the Congo, Nigeria and stuff like that. We're going to run up against supply chain issues.

    I mean, there just isn't enough there. I mean, all of this is causing conflicts, you know, in these countries. It's just not a good thing.

    I mean, the supply chains are orders of magnitude inadequate, you know, for the battery storage and the electric vehicles and the wind turbines and the solar panels. I mean, it just can't happen. You know, we're materials limited.

    It's just not going to happen that way. So we need to come up with things that aren't so material intensive. I mean, geothermal and nuclear, you know, to me seem like, if I had to look ahead 50 years, we're going to see things dominated by nuclear and geothermal.

    And I mean, when I drive up the coastline and I see all these wind farms, they're almost never turning.

    Yeah. I mean, you know, the intermittent, okay, apart from the supply chain and the materials[…]””

    From Jerm Warfare: Climate change is driven by things bigger than humans, 15 Jan 2025
    https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/jerm-warfare/id1475255493?i=1000684049855
    This material may be protected by copyright.

    She loses me after that as she says she admires the St Greta. But she may have changed her mind since then.

  113. extract from a rereleased Jerm Warfare podcast, interviewing Judith Curry (recorded in late 2022).

    ““We need to lose the mad rush to install wind turbine. I mean, the supply chain, you know, the mineral, the demand for minerals, and a lot of which come from Africa and the Congo, Nigeria and stuff like that. We're going to run up against supply chain issues.

    I mean, there just isn't enough there. I mean, all of this is causing conflicts, you know, in these countries. It's just not a good thing.

    I mean, the supply chains are orders of magnitude inadequate, you know, for the battery storage and the electric vehicles and the wind turbines and the solar panels. I mean, it just can't happen. You know, we're materials limited.

    It's just not going to happen that way. So we need to come up with things that aren't so material intensive. I mean, geothermal and nuclear, you know, to me seem like, if I had to look ahead 50 years, we're going to see things dominated by nuclear and geothermal.

    And I mean, when I drive up the coastline and I see all these wind farms, they're almost never turning.

    Yeah. I mean, you know, the intermittent, okay, apart from the supply chain and the materials[…]””

    From Jerm Warfare: Climate change is driven by things bigger than humans, 15 Jan 2025
    https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/jerm-warfare/id1475255493?i=1000684049855
    This material may be protected by copyright.

    She loses me after that as she says she admires the St Greta. But she may have changed her mind since then.

  114. Anyone think it a bit strange that they are having a Davos WEF love in while the inauguration is taking place.
    I'm sure Kamala wouldn't have wanted to miss it had she won.

    1. France and Britain could agree to pick them all up mid channel, transfer them to a ferry and then take them to Algeria, Morocco or Tunisia.
      I'm sure those countries would accept them, at say 1000 euro a head.

      1. Val McD is exceedingly butch – who'd'a thunk she was also a Lesbian? Such an unusual characteristic in Scottish politics. What happened to the little French girl?

  118. A post I've put onto the CW Readers' Forum. I do hope it gets discussed:-
    It took about 10 years from evidence of the systemic organised abuse of underage White girls first being noted in the early 1990s, following reports that children in Local Authority care in certain towns were being picked up by "Asian" taxi drivers. to the first real public comment in 2003 on the matter, made by Labour MP Anne Cryer.

    Her speech in Keighley was picked up by and reported on by the Times's Andrew Norfolk, after which they were both, effectively, told to avoid giving the "Far Right" a cause to campaign on and ordered not to make a fuss on the matter. Andrew Norfolk allowed himself to be silenced for 8 years.

    That silence only came to an end when Nick Griffin and the BNP picked up on the issue and began campaigning on it in Rotherham, gaining much political support in the area as they did so. The BNP involvement came at the request of a former LibDem Council Candidate, the late Marlene Guest who had unsuccessfully tried to get her then party involved and turned to the BNP in desperation.

    Andrew Norfolk then wrote his Times article in 2011 as a belated attempt to spike the BNP's guns, but even then, Rotherham Council still tried to cover up what was happening. Even going so far as to getting the Police, already implicated in the cover-up, to investigate the the supposed "theft" of the confidential information Norfolk used.

    Fast forward to today. Even now, after the intervention by Elon Musk, the emphasis from The Left is one of outrage, but not at the perpetrators of the horrendous crimes, nor even at those who facilitated crimes by covering the matter up. And yes, many so-called "journalists" are included in that, Mr. Norfolk.

    No. The Left's outrage is ENTIRELY focused one the one man with the courage to expose the whole sordid, rotten, stinking fetid mess, Elon Musk. By demanding to know by what right a South African born, US resident billionaire can expose the matter, they have exposed their own callous nature by wanting to shut down the debate yet again.

    We must NOT allow them to succeed.

  120. Digging for Britain , most enjoyable .

    What a shame that thousands of rabbit hutch homes will destroy our even more of our historical landscapes.

    Moh is now watching the babbling idiotic Traitors .. load of rubbish, like the dark arts of witchcraft, yeugh .

    1. My missus is watching it as well – I agree, I think it's garbage – why is everybody obsessed with Claudia Whatsername's fringe??

      1. Husband loves it , and he watched the last series .. I cannot see the point of it … too much shrieking and stupidity .. and as I said earlier it stinks of devil worship and intrigue .

        1. Yes. It is satanic. I cannot bear it and haven't been able to do so for years. My soul wants to flee in the opposite direction. At first it's the colours, the noise, the movements, all too much. Then there is something indefinably unpleasant that comes across – a whiff of sulphur, perhaps?

          6. Yes , it plumbs into a different type of depravity ..

            Telling tales by plotting and scheming and bullying .

            It is unpleasant .. and it must psychologically damage the participants ?

          7. Thankfully, no longer having a TV, I am spared all that. I find books much better entertainment value.

          8. I've been TV and licence free for nearly 20 years. Much of m time is spent on YT and excellent blogs like this. Long may it continue.

          9. I would have done it years ago but for MOH (who watched night and day) and afterwards I watched the racing. Then I decided a few days racing a year wasn’t worth the cost of paying the tax, especially after Starmer took away the WFA which used to cover the tax.

      2. I suppose it's a bit like Angela Rayner's ginger minge. Whoops – sorry – what a smutty mind!

    2. We've gone back to the beginning of the series. Just watched the first one. Finding some artifacts from long ago in graves.

    4. We watched the first couple of episodes of Silent Witness……but we've given up on it after last night's one.

      1. The current series has gone overboard in its DEI casting and the plot lines are pathetic. Turn off the volume and it’s like the old French and Saunders parody “Witless Silence”.

          1. Kadi is fine, thank you. He passed his MoT with the vet with flying colours. Even his teeth have improved.

  122. Oh well I'm orff, I've had enough of TV today, I did twice manage to avoid the born liars and their political nonsense that they are allowed to call party political broadcasting. Otherwise known as propping up the BS. But being an honest sort of chap I have to admit and have come to terms with the fact, that they are all of the same ilk. Imoral, greedy, habitual lying scumbags.
    Goodnight all 😴

  126. It only took a week to register Mrs Bee’s death. Two years ago mother’s was done in less than 24 hours. On the positive side, the ‘Tell us Once’ system works. Less than a day on the council has been in touch about a council tax refund.

    1. When MOH died, I had real difficulty registering the death because the doctor dragged his feet. In the end, the Registrar was hounding him! At least I didn't have to do it. Tell us once is very handy.

  128. Goodnight, all. Feeling a bit down tonight; going back to the vet's with Kadi brought back memories of taking Oscar there for his last trip (it's coming up to his year's mind soon) and to cap it all, a friend rang me up in tears for a shoulder to cry on this evening, because she'd just had to have her dog put down.

  130. Essential listening. Blood pressure warning. Raja Miah saying what we weren’t allowed to. TR is in prison for speaking out about this. No wonder they esnt him silenced.

    “Politician Raja Miah has uncovered everything about the Labour Party’s links to the Muslim grooming gangs in the UK. He has faced all manner of attacks for his work – and it’s time to name names of those responsible for the cover up.”
    https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/heretics-andrew-gold/id1515932214?i=1000684151286

    1. Can't abide the Faux drama music. Whoever is yabbering on has a major ego overflow problem. Tiresome. Can't be bothered with it.

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