Wednesday 26 February: Starmer is right to boost defence funds – but how will they be spent?

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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619 thoughts on “Wednesday 26 February: Starmer is right to boost defence funds – but how will they be spent?”

  2. Camo and Bobbles
    Good morning Geoff and all NoTTLers,
    I had to smile at the photograph of the large servicemen standing next to Reeves. His face was coated in camouflage cream, presumably so that it wouldn’t make a target for a sniper. Then he wears a beret with a bright red bobble on it – a wonderful target.
    I hope that in a real engagement he would be wearing a metal or Kevlar helmet while actively fighting.
    And yes, I did manage to achieve my Marksman badge in the CCF and competed for the school.

  7. Starmer has picked a fight with his own party, but put the country first. 26 February 2025.

    But he no longer has to grapple for an example, for today’s is a fine example indeed. Surprising almost everyone, the Prime Minister announced to the Commons (another brownie point for avoiding the temptation to brief it to the media first) that defence spending will, after all, be increased to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027. That will go up to three per cent in the next parliament, he promised.

    These amounts are risible. Inflation alone; assuming that they are genuine, will erode their purchasing power. Needless to say my suspicion is that the gaps they expose in domestic politics will soon be covered by creative accounting. Aside from this Russia, being this terrible threat, is going to wait twenty years until we are tooled up? The reality is that Trump has found the Political Elites out and they are now in the process of trying to pretend that they are doing something to counter his concerns. It is all in vain. The US is going its own way leaving Europe to stew in its Globalist policies. If Vladimir Putin really were a threat they would dump them all and emulate Trump.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2025/02/25/starmer-has-picked-a-fight-with-his-own-party/#comment

    1. Starmer accused of ‘misleading’ public over spending on rearmament

      Raising defence budget to 2.5pc of GDP equates to half the £13bn PM claims, says IFS

      Sir Keir Starmer has said he will raise defence spending to 2.5pc of GDP by reducing overseas aid by 0.2pc of GDP, claiming this equates to an extra £13bn Credit: House of Commons
      Szu Ping Chan
      Economics Editor
      25 February 2025 5:27pm GMT

      Sir Keir Starmer’s claim that he will spend an extra £13.4bn a year defending Britain is “misleading”, economists have warned.

      The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said raising the defence budget from 2.3pc to 2.5pc of GDP involved a comparable increase of less than half this amount.

      The Prime Minister announced on Tuesday that he would meet a commitment to spend 2.5pc on defence by 2027, maintaining this level for the rest of the parliament.

      He said the increase will be funded by a cut to the overseas aid budget, which will be reduced from 0.5pc of GDP to 0.3pc.

      Sir Keir told the Commons: “That means spending £13.4bn more on defence every year from 2027.”

      However, Ben Zaranko, of the IFS, branded the Prime Minister’s claim misleading. This is because the £13.4bn increase effectively assumes defence spending will be frozen in cash terms over the next two years.

      Paul Johnson, the think tank’s director, accused Sir Keir of “playing silly games with numbers”.

      Under the Nato definition that assumes a defence budget of £66.3bn this year, this would imply spending slipping to less than 2.2pc of GDP in 2026 to 2027 if frozen in cash terms. Donald Trump, the US president, has called for Nato countries to spend 5pc of GDP on defence.

      Mr Zaranko compared the inflated figure with Rishi Sunak’s claim last year that he was pumping an “additional £75bn” into defence spending. This also assumed that spending would be frozen in cash terms over six years, an improbable assumption that risked leaving the UK shy of its 2pc Nato target as a share of the economy.

      He said: “The Prime Minister followed in the steps of the last government by announcing a misleadingly large figure for the ‘extra’ defence spending this announcement entails. An extra 0.2pc of GDP is around £6bn, and this is the size of the cut to the aid budget. Yet he trumpeted a £13bn increase in defence spending.

      “This figure only seems to make sense if one thinks the defence budget would otherwise have been frozen in cash terms. This is of course dwarfed by the significance of today’s announcement but is frustrating none the less.”

      The Prime Minister also committed to raising defence spending to 3pc of GDP in the next parliament, hailing it as “the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War”.

      Sir Keir suggested that more spending would be pulled into the Nato defence budget in order to reach the new 3pc goal, which could require tens of billions of tax rises or spending cuts in the next parliament.

      He said the definition of defence spending will be “updated” to “recognise the incredible contribution of our intelligence and security services to the defence of the nation, which means, taken together, we will be spending 2.6pc on defence by 2027”.

      George Osborne, the former chancellor, deployed a similar accounting shift in the 2010s. He moved pensions spending, UN peacekeeping and some intelligence spending into the Nato definition. Had he not, the UK would have been just shy of the 2pc target for most of the 2010s.

      1. Captain Blackadder
        12 hrs ago
        Scrap Chagos deal, scrap £22Bn pointless carbon capture plan and scrap the majority of foreign aid ! how much is that for starters ?

        GH

        Gary Halstead
        12 hrs ago
        Starmer also said that in the past, in times of national danger, the British people have pulled together and worked to the national good and that we will do it now.

        Well good luck with that as 20% of the population is not British and a significant majority of those despise the UK and will relish the opportunity to ramp up their efforts to undermine the UK and cause as many problems as possible on their path to a Global Caliphate.

        Then there's actual Britons, many of whom, after 40 years of indoctrination through the educational system, Civil Service propaganda and broadcasting media, also actively despise their own country, its history, culture and traditions and not only wouldn't wouldn't fight for Britain but are out on the streets regularly, protesting against it. Not forgetting ex Trotskyite Starmer's very own Marxist-Leninists of the Labour movement who were and are at the forefront of preaching national loathing.

        More nonsense from Starmer.

        But then, I'm given to understand that Starmer can lie out of both sides of his mouth at the same time and if he should ever catch himself telling the truth, he'd tell a lie just to keep his hand in.

        1. Who tells him to speak to us like this ? Nobody who has ever been seen or the public have ever voted for that's for sure.

          1. No point voting, Eddy – we don't live in a democracy (shamocracy?). The Civil Service is our Government, always will be.

        2. Not to mention all the DIE officers, compliance box ticking requirements, green initiatives and EU regulations compliance costs (GDPR, anyone?).

    2. A cheap and nasty bit of Goebbelsian propaganda. Could do better.

      Defence spending up from 2.1% to 2.2% of GDP with a guideline target of 3% by 2030 at a time of looming diplomatic trepidation from all sorts of places. Barely covers the cost of extra Racial Justice, Diversity & LGBT Equality training, let alone enough anti-drone zappers and coppers to take knives off the Islamist sleeper cells coming to life. He'd probably slap the extra cost on Council Tax, over which elected councillors have no say.

      As for overseas aid, the sacred cow for Methodists and Liberal Democrats (neither of whom depicted in this cartoon), it is a hell of a lot cheaper getting foreigners to stay at home making their countries great than having them coming here claiming off the natives.

      The cartoon, in its crude caricature of outdated stereotypes, ignores the fact that it's not how much money is spent, but how it it spent.

  11. Morning, all Y'all.
    Grey, plus a few C, the kind of dull day that makes one want to return to bed.

  13. Good morning all.
    Not a good night's sleep, woke a bit after midnight, still awake at 1:30 so came down for an hour.

    And not a pleasant start to the day either. Dull and raining with a tad over 4°C on the thermometer.
    A trip to see Stepson is planned with a detour for an auction pickup on the way home.

  14. Good morning, all. Clear and frosty.

    The violent protest at Reform's conference in Camborne has prompted Farage to write to Yvette Cooper, much good that will do.

    The Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police's response is odd, to say the least. The identification of a prominent Labour party ex-mayor amongst the protestors is concerning.

    https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/1894456016466518087
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b6c7a2a71a2945f5bb84aea674c91bda66775af82680f76a6d0d877085989c18.png

    BTL

    Does this response suppose that antifa's members' sanitary habits are somewhat short of what is expected?

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1b54d36783f626069f8f8ad4007c47158df3388f88b3d9a9dd6ede95c9d551ae.png

    2. The four 'Ps' that make up a police constable's (of ALL ranks) remit:

      The Protection of life and property.
      The Prevention and detection of crime.
      The Preservation of order.
      The Prosecution of offenders against the peace.

      The Prevention of crime (and disorder) has been a prime facet of a police officer's core duty since 1829.

      1. That would be good, Grizz…Couzens opened many people's eyes as to how numbers of police behave. Plus, theft in country areas, they don't want to know other than give a Crime Ref No for insurance claim.

        1. Yep. I called them in and was given a crime number. The officer (who'd come from 20 miles away) said, "we know who would have done it, but we can't do anything about them". Why not? A pikey?

          1. We didn’t even get an officer, just the crime ref. I think they are indeed wary of travellers…

    3. Judging from the anti Reform comments it seems quite a few folk are working themselves up into a civil war mode…..

  16. G'Day all,

    A lovely red sky on the Eastern horizon at Fiscal's Folly this morning. Wind just West of South, 5℃, rain soon.

    While doing morning ablutions I listened to Gavin Ashenden and Robin Aitken discuss how the West can avert catastrophe. If one accepts that what we are in is a spiritual war, possibly THE spiritual to end all spiritual wars, then a Christian revival is essential to a recovery of the West as it struggles with its twin enemies of cultural Marxism and Islam. it's well worth 39 minutes of your time. It's a pithy analysis.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pf6ul4qWzY

  17. I wonder if Starmer will be attending PMQs today or is he off to see Headmaster Trump for a good dressing down?
    I suggest he takes ten copies of the Socialist Worker with him, to put down his pants, just in case he gets six of the best.

          3. Might like to subscribe, if only for a while, find a few pieces of interest? Initially started out as Lockdown Sceptic, authored by Toby (now Lord) Young.

  18. I wonder if Starmer will be attending PMQs today or is he off to see Headmaster Trump for a good dressing down?
    I suggest he takes ten copies of the Socialist Worker with him, to put down his pants, just in case he gets six of the best.

  19. 402189+ up ticks

    Morning Each,

    Wednesday 26 February: Starmer is right to boost defence funds – but how will they be spent?

    " How will they be spent", in one instance furthering the cause of killing ( culling by design)

    Ask yourself, currently "to what purpose are we funding defence" defence of what ?.

    There is something very poisonous in the United Kingdoms domestic larder that needs
    correcting NOT protecting.

    This ONCE great fishing nation is proving the old proverb "A fish rots from the head down"

    Will it be a vote winner in any future general election once we apply " best we forget" to the recent past and once again ride the lab/lib/con coalition carousel .

    1. Morning Ogga , I was wondering whether to send this comment of mine to the DTL.. sadly they won't print it because I don't use long words and it is too emotional.

      This was my F/B contribution yesterday though, regarding my seething anger aimed at this current government .

      Our own loyalty and love of our country is being trounced by vindictive zealots . Thank goodness my husband and I are in our late seventies . My husband is a retired Naval officer . We all believe our beautiful Britain is being wrecked by the commies who have their own agenda .
      We will end up in a similar state to Venezuela or heaven forbid , Zimbabwe . The people currently in charge at the helm of Britain have no loyalty or knowledge .. they don't represent real hard working people , but one thing for sure is I am ashamed to think they represent our country . 7 months in the job and they have shown their true RED colours .
      They are no different to Putin or anyone else of that ilk.

      1. 402189+ up ticks,

        Morning and well penned TB, all the while in the back of my mind is
        the fact
        ” we are many they are few”
        I must believe that, as with the stars. we await the right alignment
        of odious issues to trigger the justifiable pay back era.

      2. Putin is very different from the people representing our once lovely, peaceful country. I wish he were at the helm here, supporting Christianity and family. Putin holds a mirror up to the west. The old days of soviet Russia are gone.

      3. I think Putin is actually quite fond of his country.
        We may not approve of his methods of displaying it (if I were a Russian mother, I would be very fearful for my offspring), but he is probably more patriotic that at least 90% of Britain's establishment.

  20. SIR — Matthew Lynn states that “sales of EVS have stalled” compared with January 2024 ( http://telegraph.co.uk , February 24).
    Across the whole of 2024, they actually increased by 21.4 per cent compared with the whole of 2023.

    We’re not an outlier; globally, EV sales increased by 25 per cent in 2024, and are projected to increase by 30 per cent in 2025 compared with 2024 levels. The current EV targets – adopted by the last government and continued by this one – are clearly working.

    Colin Walker
    Head of Transport
    Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit London SE1

    "Climate Intelligence"? Has anyone ever come across a more moronic oxymoron?

    1. I notice that they always talk in percentages and not numbers sold, for some reason.
      Perhaps it makes the figures sound more impressive than they really are.

      1. Like the "up to" discounts paraded on targeted advertising. 25% of nothing is still nothing.

        1. A Renault Zoe, it’s an EV. The best thing about it is that other people ask me what is my experience of it, which seems to put them off purchasing an EV. My favourite car was a VW petrol, had a CD player, which Him Outdoors traded in for the EV. Still a touchy subject…..however, lovely name for your niece 🙂

          2. Thanks Conway, good name for a girl…not so much for the EV, which I hope I shan't have for the rest of my own life…..

      2. So was I every time I went to the NHS dentist in town. Never mind the King's prostrate, real men do not need medical attention, so the guidelines (no doubt vetted by the Women & Equalities Dept) are being well paid to tell us.

        1. It's a box ticking procedure…when my youngest grandchild was born six years ago, I accompanied my daughter into the Maternity Ward whilst we waited for son-in-law to leave work and arrive. One of the midwives barely examined her, instead asked questions, of which there was a list on the wall. Computer/robot says yes or no.

        1. I just laughed at him – it was one of a long list of questions he rattled off before jabbing my arm. When I was stupid enough to have the covid jab.

      5. Any doctor or nurse asking me a completely imbecilical question invariably get an answer that they will never forget.

  22. Keir Starmer hits back at claims he's 'Nigel Farage in disguise' as PM blasts Reform UK for 'fawning over Putin'. 26 February 2025.

    Pressed by GB News' Political Editor Christopher Hope on whether he was "Nigel Farage in disguise" after his spending boost mirrored that promised in Reform UK's election manifesto, Starmer said: "Nigel Farage is fawning over Putin.

    "That is not patriotism. That is not what working people need. What I have done is take the duty of Prime Minister seriously – ensuring our citizens are safe and secure."

    "It is a decision intended to ensure that we fight for the peace that we've enjoyed for the last 80 years – so that generations to come can enjoy the freedoms that we've enjoyed."

    These would be the “freedoms” that Starmer and his pals are crushing out of existence? We would be better off with Vlad.

    https://www.gbnews.com/politics/keir-starmer-speech-today-defence-putin-donald-trump-european-security

  23. Given the perceived threat of war, shall we see the epidemic of mental health ishoos subside?

  24. 402189+ up ticks,

    G Batten,

    IF Starmer acted treasonously he wouldn’t be the first to do so.

    Many Labour politicians going back 100 years were either outright communists (eg Manny Shinwell & Tom Driberg) or communist assets infiltrated into govnt.

    There is also a case made that Edward Heath was a post-war asset of German Intelligence having been compromised as a student in pre-war Germany because of his homosexuality. The intelligence records stayed on file.

    All my life I’ve looked at these people & wondered who they are working for because it certainly isn’t us.

  25. Morning all 🙂😊
    Drop in temperature today down to a grey 3c
    Dry but rain later. It seems it matches expectations of our government.
    Boosting defence against who exactly? They are stealing the money from us to pay for all of the past and ongoing irreparable damage they have done.

  26. So what do DEI tranny hires get up to in government agencies? What do they chat about? Protecting borders? Crime?
    Nah… They discuss genital castration, artificial vaginas, piss fetishes, sex polycules, and gangbangs..

      1. Login details, log on, log in the woods, log burning.
        What sort of lunacy is really out there ?

  27. The National Infrastructure Commission’s report says that with demand for electricity set to double by 2050 it needs £37 billion pronto.
    https://nic.org.uk/app/uploads/Electricity-Distribution-Networks-report-21-Feb-2025.pdf

    Pah, it's more than that. By 2050 at the end of the decade long civil war The Rural People will have attacked every single bit of power grid to kill off the Muslim communities holed up in the cities.**

    **That's not me saying this.. it's David Betz.
    Professor of War in the Modern World in the Department of War Studies, King’s College Londo

    1. Electricity is important while food and water are vital for life. For minorities, clustering in urban areas is a strategic mistake as necessary services are open to destruction/blockade/poisoning. If professor Betz believes that war is inevitable it must happen whilst the Real British and their immigrant allies – plenty of other faiths and nationalities who will not want a caliphate oppressing them – are the majority.

      We need an Alfred the Great or Oliver Cromwell figure.

  28. New boss of the Climate Change Committee, Emma Pinchbeck, a classicist. If not scientific, her qualifications do add to the alliterative make-up of this group of people.
    https://x.com/latimeralder/status/1894645007979876535
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2bf35cd86e8164c0cde492f8554ae4b50bd7af265ab1e5f65e25892e4e7b6fd7.png

    If the following graph is correct, and science has shown that carbon dioxide existed in greater ppm in the past, how are we here to debate with the non-scientific advocates of climate change? One of their claims being that life on Earth will be destroyed if the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rises a bit higher than the current level.

    Graph courtesy of PAT on X.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/588783eaaa8306e3fd5734648a54431161d502abafef61d3fa4edb2612a5f3f1.png

    1. Pinchbeck is an alloy that masquerades as gold in Victorian jewellery.
      That somehow seems appropriate for a classicist who is heading an allegedly professional scientific committee.

  29. Phew. That was close.. Great, now the project can resume at full speed.

    Germany has resumed flights for Afghan refugees after pausing them during the election campaign due to immigration concerns, reigniting debates over security risks and public safety…

  30. Boosting anything is meaningless when the value of the currency and what it can buy plummets. The pound is worth half what it was twelve years ago. It has long dipped below the sixpence of my childhood.

    A friend of mine, who is a niche author, told me he could once live simply on next to nothing. Now he is hammered financially by Council Tax and energy bills, much of it standing charge, 20% VAT on most things and even food is costing pounds per item. Much of this is artificially imposed in order to attract foreign oligarchs who would be put off by fair taxation and inadequate executive remuneration.

    If he struggles to get by on a pension and by selling a few books, then how on earth can we afford to defend the nation?

    1. When I was in my late teens my parents welcomed an elderly and infirm sister of my mother's to live with us.

      Aunt Bill was a much-loved old woman and we were happy to have her with us as she was very amusing, had led a fascinating life and was an excellent raconteur and my young contemporaries greatly enjoyed listening to her. She was determined to pay her way for food but as my father pointed out to me she wasn't just living on food she was living on his fixed overheads which cost him nothing but saved her much expense!

      1. One thing consistently overlooked by those campaigning for more housing is that the housing requirement, and its attendant overheads for a family unit doubles every time someone is divorced or separated.

        Yet we have been told for the last fifty years that women have the right to be independent of men, and that this right has to be subsidised by Government and promoted by law.

        1. I don’t think we live in a democracy any more, Ndovu, not one that I recognise anyway. Doubt I’ll vote again.

    3. In other words : "If one of you co-religionists murders 3 white little girls we shall give you over £100m."

      Sounds like a very gruesome incentive scheme: "The more that are murdered the more we shall give you."

  32. Good Morning!

    Today Xandra H discusses freedom the worrying possibility that mental serfdom is now thought of as normal in her article How Do You Know You Are Free? It’s highly original and will set you thinking, so please read and leave comments.

    How did we end up with rule by malicious, malevolent left wing human rights lawyers, who seem to get very fat off the back off the largesse the taxpayer is forced to give to illegal immigrants and the booming human rights industry? Nobody seems to know, but read The Curse of Lefty Human Rights Lawyers for the lunatic consequence.

    Energy watch 08.30: Demand: 39.06 GW. Total UK Production: 34.52 GW from: Hydrocarbons 44.2%; Wind 14.4%; Imports 14%; Biomass 8.1; Nuclear 11.8. Solar: 0.6%.

    We are importing 4.65 GW and exporting 3.11 GW. Most of the imports come from France at 3.2 GW, which is classed as low carbon, making us highly reliant of France for our electricity needs. Some people think that the French are as reliable as the wind.

    freespeechbacklash.com

  33. Morning Folks – Wet play today!

    Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself, 'Lillian, you should have remained a virgin.'
    – Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter)
    <><>

    I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: – 'No good in a bed, but fine against a wall.'
    – Eleanor Roosevelt
    <><>

    The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible.
    – George Burns
    <><>

    Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.
    – Victor Borge

    <><>

    Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.
    – Mark Twain
    <><>

    By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
    – Socrates
    <><>

    I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.
    – Groucho Marx
    <><>

    My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.
    – Jimmy Durante
    <><>

    I have never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back.
    – Zsa Zsa Gabor
    <><>

    Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
    – Alex Levine

    <><>

    My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying.
    – Rodney Dangerfield
    <><>

    I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap.
    – Bob Hope
    <><>

    We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress.
    – Will Rogers
    <><>

    Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
    – Winston Churchill
    <><>

    Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty, but everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out.
    – Phyllis Diller
    <><>

    By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere.
    – Billy Crystal

    And the cardiologist's diet: if it tastes good spit it out.

  34. bought into the orthodoxy of the time, which stated that a separate European defence structure – championed by France –

    Had France have cornered the market in White Cloth?

  36. If any of you want to see an interesting film about a way of life that is on its way out – look for "Gaucho Gaucho" on BBC4 catchup.

    It is set in Argentina – so gives one a clearer idea of what Ashes gets up to…! Riveting.

  37. I see a headline in the Telegaffe – "Frequent fliers face paying more under Government climate plans" – presumably they will start with that well known traveller "Never Here Keir"?

    1. Anno Domini is too difficult for them. The Google dictionary says it means "advancing age". The actual meaning is like holding up a cross to a vampire.

  42. 'Morning All
    Midweek Medley
    Took me a second
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b8cec694721c08c7da9d8efc19358ac873a3576a83fee354cbfb9ead6572ef72.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/99c1ab1a885c978835f1645faa3dd0ac5b75d2601dd9cca140ba15ffb9e8fe70.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4be20393173bcdfba305d7a01698fd3bb8b7984cde4a9f5072403233eb255a84.gif
    http://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/610e5ff4229288d3363c003a2170542ee31c9354d9f95d190de8a4bfed96611b.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e0aba1dbc55b30cfb71e34ccb43092e7ad2e4f84b8a8b57f21654cdcaaa9dccc.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a66ef27adf08a5d0135617e2c2cad31c1b696c10bbb340dd1a6a8b5d8fc74787.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6a6d5f265760607e585df77ee2d47596bc63703fd17ea941258557b478087699.jpg

    2. One of the best Medleys yet, Rik.

      I got the 'plastic' component straight away. It could also apply to (as I never tire of telling the Yanks) "American" cheese plastic slices.

  44. Colin Walker

    Head of Transport, Energy and Climate Misinformation Unit

    London SE1

    and today's winner of the DT BLT MRD Award

  45. From the DT:"Albanian people-smuggler deemed ‘valuable member of society’ can stay in UK
    Kristjan Agolli, jailed for more than three years in 2023, appealed against deportation under ECHR rules on right to family life"

    Could it be the Fraternity of Lawyers really appreciates the work he has put their way and hope he will continue to do so in the future?

  46. We read today that the absurd Climate Change Committee wants more tax on air travel. They might just persuade the even more absurd Miliband to go along with it.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/953c110073517dfadef3516ddf09e36d46aac9e6fc1ea02cbd41c6c4d80c48b7.png
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/02/26/tax-families-fly-regularly-slash-air-travel-net-zero/

    But Rachel from Customer Complaints hasn't read the script.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/eac688c52a4ee44010b94f06fd589d6b0ffcea4da16004e7c771e9cdb7800e72.png
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cg7zdme95z1t

    Nor has the Person Who is Transport Secretary This Week.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f76ef6d117f74d3e617045f491b86e30c6d5a83244f2eafa0db9864dcd1ca334.png
    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/gatwick-minister-heathrow-airport-transport-secretary-government-b2704608.html

    She looks more like a social worker at a rape crisis centre than a Minister of State. But, what else can you expect of Labour.

    "This town ain't big enough for the three of us".

    Pass the popcorn. It's beyond.

      1. Dear God, would you trust any of them to see you safely across a road, or let them babysit your children. Please send us a Musk or equivalent to clear our swamp, please!!

  47. Morning all, I forgot my manners.

    Very very wet here , the little info thing on my laptop tells me the rain will stop in 43 minutes, how do they know?

    Did any of you crick your neck looking at the night sky last night , planet searching .. we don't have too much light pollution here .. so Moh and I guessed which one was which..it was a starry night .

    Astronomers say we will have a few more nights if the sky is clear of clouds to see the alignment of the planets , then we will have to wait until 2040… eeek.. yes !

    I found an article about Gustav Holst , just wondered whether he was inspired by his observations and the superb music he created when he wrote the Planets Suite .. At the time that Holst was writing his orchestral suite between 1914 and 1917, Neptune was the most far away planet discovered in the solar system, and very little was known about it

    https://www.classicfm.com/composers/holst/why-no-earth-planets-suite/

    1. Belle – Yes, when I got home at 9:35 PM it was a fantastic display. But by the time I had dragged my 5 inch Celestron NextStar 5 Catadioptric telescope outside [showoff!] to have a look, the sky had clouded over again. Drat and double-drat – what with light pollution, I might as well put the 'scope on eBay.

      EDIT: regarding Gustav Holst, from the age of one to four years I lived in Cheltenham, just around the corner from the house where Holst lived. I believe it has a blue plaque. And the first ever 78rpm music record I ever bought had Mars on one side and Jupiter on t'other.

          1. "Jerusalam" is heresy: it's in a Muslim enclave and, despite what Blake thought, it has nothing to do with England.

            "Land of Hope and Glory" is the only tune befitting our National Anthem.

          2. For Blake and for England it was an aspiration based on a legend. The real Jerusalem certainly isn't a "Muslim enclave" it is occupied by Jews and Christians too. Jews are in the majority and the Muslim population is declining and Christians have lived there since before the Muslim conquest.

            And of course Jerusalem has something to do with England, it is part of our mythos of who we are. Jerusalem is a metaphor for the true England never achieved but always to be strived for. That is why almost every line ends in a question mark. None of it is supposed to be factual but a dream to be achieved. It is as real or no more real than our Arthurian legends. It is to do with what our collective history and our collective belief in ourselves makes us. If you reduce it to the literal then we may as well pack it in and hand it over to the Muslims and stop bothering about being a district people with a history and beliefs about who we are. All of it becomes meaningless including, I vow to thee my country.

            And was Jerusalem builded here
            Among these dark Satanic mills?

            And

            Till we have built Jerusalem
            In England's green and pleasant land.

            I quote because it makes it clear it is not talking about a literal Jerusalem but something to be aspired to.

          3. In the Middle Ages, Jerusalem was thought to be the centre of the Universe. Look at the Mappa Mundi.

  50. Seine-Saint-Denis : un homme tué alors qu’il attaquait des policiers avec des couteaux
    https://www.lefigaro.fr/faits-divers/seine-saint-denis-un-homme-porteur-de-couteaux-tue-par-la-police-20250226

    Algeria is refusing to take back those who have illegally emigrated to France

    The story is that two policemen approached an Algerian at a bus stop. Suddenly and without warning he sprang at them with a knife in each hand. One policeman used a taser on him but this did not work; then the other policemen shot him in the throat and the emergency services failed to resuscitate him and he died.

    Some top BTL comments:

    la bonne nouvelle du jour
    (Today's good news)

    Des économies enfin!
    (At last they are economising)

    Est-ce que l'Algérie reprend au moins les décédés?
    (Does Algeria at least take back corpses)

    1. That would never ever happen in UK.

      .
      UK Policeman never approach Muslims in a threatening way.

  51. Seine-Saint-Denis : un homme tué alors qu’il attaquait des policiers avec des couteaux
    https://www.lefigaro.fr/faits-divers/seine-saint-denis-un-homme-porteur-de-couteaux-tue-par-la-police-20250226

    Algeria is refusing to take back those who have illegally emigrated to France

    The story is that two policemen approached an Algerian at a bus stop. Suddenly and without warning he sprang at them with a knife in each hand. One policeman used a taser on him but this did not work; then the other policemen shot him in the throat and the emergency services failed to resuscitate him and he died.

    Some top BTL comments:

    la bonne nouvelle du jour
    (Today's good news)

    Des économies enfin!
    (At last they are economising)

    Est-ce que l'Algérie reprend au moins les décédés?
    (Does Algeria at least take back corpses)

  52. For those who ask: “Why does Ukraine matter? “
    This is why Ukraine matters.

    It is the second largest country by area in Europe by area and has a population
    of over 40 million – more than Poland.

    Ukraine ranks:
    1st in Europe in proven recoverable reserves of uranium ores;
    2nd place in Europe and 10th place in the world in terms of titanium ore reserves;
    2nd place in the world in terms of explored reserves of manganese ores (2.3 billion tons, or 12% of the world's reserves);
    2nd largest iron ore reserves in the world (30 billion tons);
    2nd place in Europe in terms of mercury ore reserves;
    3rd place in Europe (13th place in the world) in shale gas reserves (22 trillion cubic meters)
    4th in the world by the total value of natural resources;
    7th place in the world in coal reserves (33.9 billion tons)

    Ukraine is an important agricultural country:

    1st in Europe in terms of arable land area;
    3rd place in the world by the area of black soil (25% of world's volume);
    1st place in the world in exports of sunflower and sunflower oil;
    2nd place in the world in barley production and 4th place in barley exports;
    3rd largest producer and 4th largest exporter of corn in the world;
    4th largest producer of potatoes in the world;
    5th largest rye producer in the world;
    5th place in the world in bee production (75,000 tons);
    8th place in the world in wheat exports;
    9th place in the world in the production of chicken eggs;
    16th place in the world in cheese exports.

    Ukraine can meet the food needs of 600 million people.

    Ukraine is an important industrialised country:

    1st in Europe in ammonia production;
    Europe's 2nd’s and the world’s 4th largest natural gas pipeline system;
    3rd largest in Europe and 8th largest in the world in terms of installed capacity of nuclear power plants;
    3rd place in Europe and 11th in the world in terms of rail network length (21,700 km);
    3rd place in the world (after the U.S. and France) in production of locators and locating equipment;
    3rd largest iron exporter in the world
    4th largest exporter of turbines for nuclear power plants in the world;
    4th world's largest manufacturer of rocket launchers;
    4th place in the world in clay exports
    4th place in the world in titanium exports
    8th place in the world in exports of ores and concentrates;
    9th place in the world in exports of defence industry products;
    10th largest steel producer in the world (32.4 million tons).

    Ukraine matters. That is why its independence is important to the rest of the world. See less

      1. No. Parts of it have been the Ottoman Empire, the Polish Lithuanian Union, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Russian Empire but only since 1991 has it been anything approaching an independent country.

      2. No, of course not ..

        Bit similar to Zimbabwe, which used to be the bread basket of Africa , farmed of course by white farmers, no longer .

        I think British farms are in the same danger as Zimbabwe and the rest .. Sold and taken over by mass corporations .. Black Rock etc .. and other parasite nations .

        1. According to my South African friend, Celeste. The Zimbabwe government is begging the white farmers to come back. Not only will they return land but compensate them for what they lost.

          Meanwhile, however, things are going from bad to worse in South Africa. New legislation means they can ever take any whites house, turf them out, with no compensation at all. Needless to say, Celeste is worried about her parents. They are to old to move and will not leave South Africa. As Boars the family has lived there since the early pioneer days, more than two centuries ago. They do not think of themselves as Europeans but as native Africans.

          1. I have a SA friend whose elderly parent lives there, but won't move. It's a worry, but nothing he can do – for now.

    2. The shorter version.

      It's a proxy war between the US and Russia being waged principally because Russia refuses to play ball with the WEF. The WEF desires that Russia be destroyed by being broken up, having her natural resources plundered and being dragged down to the same level of money laundering bio-weapon developing corruption that will prepare the way for One World communist destruction, which was never full realised in the USSR.

    4. why its independence is important

      A noble aim, but it aint gonna happen, ever. Look at its history

      Ukraine is one of those countries whose lot is determined by geography.
      As David Starkey noted.. a Polish TV crew interviewed a refugee who wryly noted his grandfather has been born in Austro-Hungary, baptised in Poland, married in Nazi Germany, became a father in Soviet Russia and a grandfather in Ukraine.. all without moving two miles from his village just outside of Kiev during his lifetime.

    5. https://bryanhemming.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/double-double-toil-and-trouble-the-cauldron-of-kiev/
      Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble …

      Trying to figure out what’s really happening in Ukraine, from what passes as news these days, is akin to putting a giant jigsaw together. We’re constantly left with pieces that don’t seem to fit. Bits of sky that look like sea and bits of sea that look like sky. For all the confusion they create it’s become almost impossible to rely on corporate media outlets for our information. Truth is, they no longer present an accurate reflection of the world in which we live. A world where opinion masquerades as fact, as fact turns out to be fiction.

      1. Russia and Ukraine have a tangled complicated history going back 1000+ years.
        I know enough to know that I don't know enough.

        1. I will suggest something that I have suggested before. That you watch a documentary on You Tube called 'From Rurik to Revolution' It is a history of Russia produced way before the current kerfuffle. You will notice that through almost the entire hour long documentary that Ukraine is not shown nor mentioned until the very end and then in passing. In short the place does not have a history separate from Russia until Stalin came along and started stirring the pot. All that the word 'Ukraine' means is, outland or frontier, i.e. the frontier of Russia.

          2. As I repeat like a broken record, my paternal grandparents came from Odessa and neither they nor my parents knew of any such place as Ukraine. By the time Lenin drew that arbitrary line on a map that half a million have been fed into a meat grinder to preserve, my folks were settled in Llandaff and I wonder if they knew or cared what was going on back home?

          3. Indeed in my step-fathers family and my late wife's family, there are Ukrainians and Russians. None of the Ukrainians think of themselves as anything but Russian. It's all propaganda for the venal motivations of corrupt politicians.

      2. Pretty simple what is going on. Trump knows that the real tyrant is Zelenskyy who wants to milk the US and the EU along with Muggins, our PM. for all he can get out of them over a totally unnecessary war. Trump has lost patience with the little crook and is now talking to the other adult, Putin. Between them they will sort it out and no more innocent people will have to die to further the fantasies and bank account of the actor and his cronies or the Bidens!

      3. This piece, written in 2015 is quite prescient with regard to today's position, and also sets out a lot of the background deals – not the least, the Biden family involvement.

    6. No one, not even the Russians are suggesting that Ukraine lose its independence. The land that Russia has conquered is Russian speaking and should have been in Russia in the first place especially since they were treated as second class citizens by Ukraine. As for mineral deposits and "rare earths etc. there are deposits in the area that Russia took, not very large compared with the deposits Ukraine still controls. Confirming that conquests for resources was not Russia's aim.
      https://ceobs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/critical_minerals_map_96dpi_may24_web-1024×741.jpg

      1. That would be the Donbas region, I think, jonathan? Russian speaking, historically Russian, and wanting to stay that way, but still part of Ukraine, also for their religion.

        1. Yes, Donbass. Which was being shelled for 7 years before Putin finally reacted. On being told that people were sheltering in sewers the Ukrainian commander replied: "Let them, rats live in sewers." Charming way to speak about your fellow, supposed, citizens.

          1. Which country was doing the shelling, johnathan, and why? Didn't Hunter & Joe B have an interest in the aluminium deposits there?

          5. Ukraine was doing the shelling using the Azov battalion who are bona fide Nazis and proud of it.

          6. Like the the ones in BJ’s no.10 office with their flag (and BJ)? Do you think he was aware, supporting them?

          7. Boris? I think that Boris is a psychopath that doesn’t care. That’s demonstrated by the fact he urged the Ukrainians to keep fighting regardless of the fact that it was a meat grinder. The slaughter of thousands of young men when a peace deal was on offer. But then I also think the same of Zelenskyy.

          8. Thanks…I think you’re correct. Boris, when young, apparently proclaimed he wanted to be ‘King of the World’. ’nuff said.

  53. I caught a bit of BBC World news while waiting for a lift at work. There was a girl being interviewed in the street who said that she's a vegan and eats tofu but no, "I don't eat processed food". I wonder which tree she thinks tofu grows on?

    1. I have been practicing making paneer which is similar. Cows milk not soya. My friend loves it but i think it's boring. So i added marsala paste this time. Worked a treat.

        1. I found if you leave it in the fridge for a couple of days it firms up similar to a cheddar.

          Dusted with chilli powder and served with sliced red onions that have been sitting in cider vinegar. Mind blowing !

    2. Good morning Sue ,

      If the vegans and vegetarians had their way, there would be no dairy industry at all in this country, which would devastate our economic and rural landscape.
      From the Hansard archive

      I just wonder how we evolved as a human race ..

      Meat eaters v Seed and nut eaters ..

      Babies from birth .. how do they grow and develop if they are bred by Vegan families?

      2. I don't think they do, a family some years ago had their children taken into care, baby could never walk due to rickets (think was Australia).

      1. A good source of plant based protein. It doesn't taste of much but you can put it in a curry sauce.

          2. Most definitely. Apparently there is some sort of hormone in tofu that feminizes men. Needless to say it is a particular problem on the West coast of America where the extreme liberals hang out drinking tofu milk lattes. They all turn fat and squeaky with rimless glasses and wear shorts over cadaverous legs.

        2. Yes, my mother liked it that way, would use it 50/50 with chicken, supposedly taking on the flavour and texture of chicken. I didn't find it so. Now, I have no taste (vaccine) but I still don't intend finding out.

    5. This is the very reason (the prime reason) why the whole human species — since the late 19th century — has undergone a rapidly accelerating rate of stupidity.

      Eat shit — become a shit-for-brains.

    1. All of them seem to be academics, no engineers or business men/women. All theory, none seem to have delivered anything tangible.

  55. Search Warrants
    I read Allison Pearson’s spirited piece about her intention to fight the No-Crime-Hate-Incident police visit that she endured on Remembrance Sunday. I joined the Free Speech Union immediately after her original article and would be happy to contribute if she crowdfunded her case.

    I spent an interesting and frustrating hour this morning trying to find an example of a Police Search Warrant so that I could recognise one if the Police ever knocked on my door and demanded entry.

    I ended up downloading the authoritative Law Commission’s 586-page document Law Com 396 entitled Search Warrants and searched through it for a sample Warrant or template. Link here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/search-warrants

    On page 99 (copied below) captioned THE DRAFT SEARCH WARRANT I thought I had found pay dirt. But in the paragraph I have outlined in yellow it says “The CPRC informed us that prescribed warrant templates do in fact exist for some types of warrant, but they are not available to the general public for security reasons. (my bold).

    So I searched hard and found plenty of Search Warrant examples from USA, Philippines.. etc but none from UK. It seems that we in the UK are not allowed to see what a completed Search Warrant looks like. I wonder why not?

    How can we law-abiding folk, seeing our first Warrant, know if it is valid, what it should contain, who has applied for it and authorised it?

    There is an available blank form: APPLICATION FOR A SEARCH WARRANT, [ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-for-search-warrant-under-s8-police-and-criminal-evidence-act-1984 ] which an applicant must use for that purpose if it is under Sections 15 and 16 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). But’s that’s all I could find.

    Does any NoTTLER have an actual copy of a real Search Warrant that they could post here – redacted, of course?

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/cf4f539e616406c374b7e059c7a22e83109d36f6dfd888c6831932f050a60d82.jpg

    1. One hundred percent!
      I used to have to do this carp (Mr S still does as he’s still working). All the time I would be thinking about what an extraordinary grift the whole thing was. In the early days of mandatory DEI training there would be grade A gonads on the test along the lines of “A black junior colleague puts forward a suggestion. Do you a) thank her for her contribution; or b) tell her to go back where she came from”. I’m exaggerating, but not by much. There was a question about Rosa Parks – obviously of massive relevance to the UK NHS.

      1. Who wouldn't thank a colleague for her contribution, regardless of where she was from? Where do these people live?

  58. Birmingham Police

    We are looking to speak to these people after a dog was reportedly killed by a group in Birmingham.
    Shortly before 4.30pm yesterday (24 February) we received a call about a dog being thrown from a building in Greenvale Avenue.
    We are carrying out further enquiries and anyone who saw what happened can contact us via 101 or Live Chat quoting log number 3759 of 24 Feb.

    Hmmm " these people amongst a large group "

    Say no more.

        1. End of the month and through March is when the sheep start to dissappear from farmers fields.

          2. I did a trawl of the cards on display this morning. Thankfully, no repeat so far of the ramadan obscenity experienced last year.

      1. There are those who tout Burnham as a prospective Labour leader. There are none so blind…

  60. Morning all. Rain, dismal, dark, typical day!

    If you recall I was very dubious about the fall of Assad in Syria and the ascension of al-Jolani the "reformed" al-Qaeda terrorist so here is an update thanks to Mahyar Tousi. It never really ends in that part of the world and we are taking these people in as refugees. Madness!

    BREAKING: Israel LAUNCHES Attack On Syria

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIBVeIgnc90

    1. The terminology being used here betrays a certain bias.

      Tousi is Iranian-British from London. British Iranians, in contrast with those in Iran, are largely pro-Israel, I know this from visiting Finchley High Street, where British Iranians and Jews live alongside one another quite harmoniously. They are also Shias, bitterly opposed to the Sunni Islam practised by the new regime in Damascus, which if anything is neo-Ottoman. Iran was for long an ally of Assad, although I do not know if this special relationship extended to Britain, although it must be said that Assad himself has a British wife.

      Israel's primary interest in Syria is its destabilisation, which is why it is attacking Syria's civil defence and military infrastructure, same as it did in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon. That way, there resources are directed away from causing trouble in the Golan Heights. No doubt emboldened by Trump's unwavering support for special military operations in places he doesn't like or cannot do deals with.

      I would like an independent progress report on how much the new regime in Syria is living up to its new-found promise of moderation and toleration.

  61. If you don't drill, drill, drill.
    You get a bigger heating,
    bill, bill, bill.
    Our CO2 might be,
    nil, nil, nil,
    But the poor pensioners, it will,
    kill, kill, kill.
    Then Rachel will get a big,
    thrill, thrill, thrill,
    For the IHT pot, it will
    fill, fill, fill.

      1. Hi, Kate.

        I've sent a letter to the DT about this song and a personal story attached to it. When the DT refuses to print it I'll post it on here.

        2. I think you are in print (I can never remember everyone’s real name on here). Posted about it around 10.30 Wednesday evening.

  63. Good Moaning.
    Dunkelflaute has returned. We can all relax as Global Boiling is postponed for another 24 hours.

  64. Why won’t Downing Street tell us if defence spending hike will include payments to Mauritius?

    Will Trump rescue British taxpayers from Starmer's ruinous Chagos Islands deal?

    26 February 2025 10:00am GMT
    Dia Chakravarty

    As Sir Keir Starmer – armed with a commitment to increase the UK’s defence spending – travels to Washington today for his first face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump, a question on a particular detail of that policy remains unanswered.

    Will the promised boost in defence spending include any future payments to Mauritius as part of the Labour government’s proposed Chagos Islands deal, given that intelligence and security service spending will now be included in the defence budget?

    When Waste Watch last explored the reported cost of the deal to British taxpayers in December, it was expected to be somewhere around £2 billion, which is a good few millions short of the £1.7 the Education Secretary is hoping to raise from imposing VAT on private schools.

    Just two short months later, there is reason to suspect that the amount being discussed now as payment for the archipelago has more than quadrupled, with senior politicians in Mauritius discussing £9 billion to be a “fair” price as “reparations” (which is the exact word openly used by UN experts in press releases as well as the human rights lobby), with experts warning that the eventual sum paid over 99-years could be over £50 billion pounds given that the proposed deal is linked to inflation.

    Foreign Office not only refuses to reveal the figure it is proposing to hand over to Mauritius along with the Chagos Islands, it continues to block all attempts to reveal the cost of the talks, such as staffing, legal counsel, travel and accommodation, claiming it would “exceed reasonable costs” to calculate “an aggregation of those costs”.

    It has become an all too familiar feature of the British state that the only occasion when it feels any responsibility towards taxpayers’ money appears to be when it is spent in the pursuit of transparency and accountability.

    If there were ever any doubt that this proposed surrender of the British Indian Ocean Territory is driven by anything but a quasi-religious zeal of the Foreign Office and the Labour administration to “decolonise” at the risk of bankrupting the nation, a report published by Policy Exchange last week puts it to rest.

    Authored by experts in international law and national security, the report finds that not one of the series of rationales set out by the Government for the proposed surrender of our territory “stand up to scrutiny”.

    The outlandish claim, for example, “that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency, could decide that Mauritius is sovereign over the Chagos Islands and then proceed to deprive the UK and the US of the use of the radio spectrum associated with the islands” is baseless.

    “The ITU has no power to stop anyone from transmitting anything”, Yuan Yi Zhu, a senior fellow at Policy Exchange and a principal author of the report tells me.

    But the following excerpt, which I feel is worth including in full, illustrates the most worrying finding of the report. It diagnoses a culture of activism at the heart of our most senior institutions which are entrusted with the defence of our national interest and security.

    “The Government’s apparent fear of a binding judgment is indicative of its deeply troubling approach toward assessing legal risk in an international law context. Under guidelines proclaimed by the Attorney General, Lord Hermer KC, government lawyers are directed to give advice on the assumption that there is an international court capable of issuing a binding ruling even when no such court exists. There are strong reasons to think that this misconceived approach forms the basis on which the Government decided to agree to the deal to cede the Islands to Mauritius.”

    In other words, the only interest this deal would serve is that of those who wish to establish the political supremacy of international law over Westminster and would achieve this, de facto, by voluntarily accepting this advisory opinion and setting a precedent.

    Finally, another claim put forward by the Government in support of its deal was that it enjoyed the support of the US. With Donald Trump now back in the White House, this is emphatically no longer the case, with Marco Rubio, the new Secretary of State, challenging David Lammy over the deal during their first phone call.

    Experts at Washington believe there is every chance that Donald Trump will view the deal as a threat to the long-term security of our joint military base, Diego Garcia, in the Chagos Islands. The deal may also be considered a strategic win for China with which Mauritius has developed strong bilateral relations. Lastly, the talk of reparations could raise a red flag for Washington with the proposed handover seeming like a “woke win” very much in line with the values of the Biden-Harris administration.

    Nile Gardiner, a Transatlantic policy expert with intimate knowledge of the Trump administration, tells me “if President Trump weighs in, it’s game over for Labour’s deal.”

    What an indignity it is for British taxpayers to be failed so miserably by our own leaders that we must now look to the White House to be rescued from this dreadful deal.

      2. When you sell something you own you expect to get as good a prices as you can for it.

        Perhaps Starmer should agree first that any deal has to have the support of the majority if Chagosians who plan to return home.

        He should then put the Chagos Islands up to auction.

        Mauritius has put in their bid :

        https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e1d6100c2ba91a213eb2a52318cf12debb6f9d36862e2bd07e57cf55241d974d.jpg
        I think that some countries might actually pay a positive sum for them.

    3. "Will Trump rescue British taxpayers from Starmer's ruinous Chagos Islands deal?"
      Why should he do so?

    1. Had no choice really. Did he honestly think he was going to get away with three and a half billion dollars? Half of which, by the way, has gone missing.

    3. It reminds me of a scenario at a First Aid course that I attended. A rider had fallen face down in water and it was likely she had broken her neck (most riders these days are female), should she be moved? Almost all of them said, no. Don't move someone with a suspected neck injury because you could paralyse them. I was the only one who pointed out that if she was face down in water, if she wasn't moved, broken neck or not, she'd drown.

  69. Judge who signed Chagos ruling calls for UK to pay £18 trillion in slavery reparations

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2aa3c85120514b4efee5bee613c528bce9726cea4d3d2e14fcf0007caebee30f.png
    Jamaican judge Patrick Robinson said £18 trillion was an ‘underestimation’ of the damage caused by Britain during the slave trade

    Tony Diver Associate Political Editor
    26 February 2025 10:18am GMT

    An international judge who ruled against the UK on the Chagos Islands has since also called for Britain to pay more than £18 trillion in reparations for slavery.

    Patrick Robinson, a Jamaican judge who previously served on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), was one of the judges who ruled in 2019 that the UK should hand over the islands “as rapidly as possible”.

    The ICJ’s ruling has since become one of the main arguments in favour of Britain giving away the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a multi-billion pound deal over 99 years.

    The deal, which has been criticised by the Conservatives and some members of Donald Trump’s team, was pursued by Sir Keir Starmer and Lord Hermer, his Attorney General, after they took office last year.

    Mr Robinson, one of the judges who signed the ruling, is also a leading advocate for Britain to pay slavery reparations to African and Caribbean countries and co-authored a UN report in 2023 that called for the UK to give away more than £18trillion.

    At the time, he said the sum was an “underestimation” of the damage caused by Britain during the slave trade, backing calls for historical reparations.

    “Once a state has committed a wrongful act, it’s obliged to pay reparations,” he told the BBC.

    ‘Depraved experiment’
    The report saw Mr Robinson bring together economists, historians and lawyers in an attempt to put a figure on the reparations owed by Western countries for historical crimes.

    It argued that 31 former slaveholding countries should pay £87.1trillion, with the UK alone owing £18.8trillion. That figure is equivalent to the UK’s entire gross domestic product (GDP) in more than seven years.

    Announcing the report in a speech at the London Mayor’s office, Mr Robinson said that reparations by the UK were “necessary for the completion of emancipation”.

    Speaking at the same event, Sadiq Khan, the Labour Mayor of London, said that “there should be no doubt or denial of the scale of Britain’s involvement in this depraved experiment”.

    Lawyers representing Mauritius and other countries in the ICJ case on the Chagos Islands argued that Britain would be taking part in “decolonisation” by giving them away.

    That argument was accepted by the court, which ruled overwhelmingly that the islands should be transferred to Mauritius.

    The Telegraph previously revealed that one of the judges who signed the ICJ ruling against the UK is a former member of the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs, who also sided with Russia on a separate ruling about the war in Ukraine.

    Opponents of the process argue that the islands – which host a vital joint British-American military base – have never belonged to Mauritius.

    Both Mauritius and the Chagos Islands (known in the UK as the British Indian Ocean Territory) were previously administered by the British Empire, but only Mauritius was given independence in 1968.

    The islands were then cleared of native Chagossians to make way for the military base on the largest island, Diego Garcia. Many of the descendants of those displaced from the islands now live in the UK.

    Britain has previously resisted attempts by Mauritius to take ownership of the islands through litigation in the international courts, arguing that any dispute over the territory was solely a matter for the two countries to settle.

    But the involvement of the UN and the ICJ has raised concerns that the UK would be in breach of international law if the islands were retained, and that other international bodies could interfere with the operation of the base.

    Downing Street said earlier this month that if the islands were not given away, at a cost of billions to the taxpayer, then “the electromagnetic spectrum at the Diego Garcia base would not be able to continue to operate”.

    A government minister later appeared to contradict that statement, revealing in a written response to Parliament that the worst that could happen would be “arbitration” by a UN body, the International Telecommunication Union.

    Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: “The ICJ court had judges appointed by Putin and Xi, and now we learn that one is pursuing vexatious reparations claims against the UK.

    “The court’s judgment isn’t binding – if Starmer has a backbone he’d just ignore it. Each day we learn something new that somehow makes this deal even more ludicrous. This cowardly surrender by Starmer must end.”

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

    Gio Vanni
    1 min ago
    Same mentality as his shoplifting brothers, just on a larger scale.

    Jeffrey Hobbs
    51 min ago
    Reply to Mike Rooney
    He is too busy milking his imaginary grievance.

    Jeffrey Hobbs
    52 min ago
    These International judges who ruled against us on the Chagos case are splendidly thoughtful and impartial, aren't they? One was a Chinese Communist Party member, and now we have a racist anti-British Jamaican with a historical chip on his shoulder. What a pair of anti-western stooges. They reek with bias.

    Appointing people like this to rule on an international case involving a Western European democratic country is like appointing a football manager to referee his own team in a home match.

    1. Jamaicans have done nicely out of the slave trade. The slave trade which was run by Africans and stopped by the British Navy.

    2. Before getting into the legal maze that are historical reparations that could go back to the Romans and beyond, perhaps firstly Britain could be awarded compensation for abolishing slavery when others did not, and some continue with the practice today? Good luck with getting money out of China!

      As for reparations, there are other atrocities being carried out in this century that have not been addressed. The bombardments of Gaza and Ukraine come immediately to mind. Again, good luck with getting money out of the Israelis and the Russians!

      1. Just thinking about his potential share of kick-backs makes him dribble faster than Stanley Matthews.

    7. Before you jump on the bandwagon and shout him down.. this is driven by YOUR govt.

      Britain's Attorney General Lord Hermer helps Caribbean nations prepare legal cases seeking slavery reparations from the UK.

      1. Oh yes, they're doing what Europeans have taught them to do. I'd still like to know why it is that we pretend to be the only guilty party while Africans and Arabs continue to trade in slaves. Obviously they're not going to point that out themselves, since for them our insane game is so lucrative.

    8. 18 billion… less the costs of the naval forces used to end slavery, such as the West Africa squadron, plus interest on those costs, compensation to the families of deceased sailors, and we get the sum of £(18-22) billion = they owe us.
      FOAD.

    9. I wonder what job Mr. Robinson would be holding if his great++++++ ancestors hadn't been sold by the local chief to the slave traders?

  71. MY word this bloody weather is driving me nuts. I think if my my knee had been fixed we might be on a jet on the way to Perth for at least a month.

  72. I once remarked that Gordon Brown's idea of paradise was Aberdeen in February. That said, I saw a documentary on Talking Pictures yesterday extolling the beauties of the granite city.

    1. "It is never difficult to distinguish between with a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine."

      [P.G. Wodehouse]

  75. Horrifying – from The Spectator today. Especially the police "intervention"

    The day after the bodies of Ariel and Kfir Bibas were returned to Israel, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) holds a protest outside Westminster Magistrates Court on the Marylebone Road.

    I am here for the hearing of Ben Jamal, director of the PSC. He is charged with failing to comply with a police request that the January 18th protest avoid the BBC as it is near a synagogue. (The Palestine movement thinks the BBC is a Zionist asset, despite it having to remove a documentary narrated by the son of a Hamas official last week.) The PSC couldn’t stay away and their leaders were charged with public order offences after moving towards the BBC with flowers in their arms. My instinct is: they loved it.

    Now they are protesting outside the court for the freedom to protest. You might think the PSC, which, with Stop the War, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the Muslim Association of Britain and Friends of Al-Asqa, has brought central London to a standstill many times in the last 15 months is aware of its freedom to protest, but narcissists are insatiable.

    I queue outside the court from 8 a.m. and they come up to ask if I think keffiyehs and badges are allowed in. They are dependent on costume: they communicate by slogan, signage and badge. They look like social studies professors at failing universities, or bad ceramicists. They initially smile, because they cannot grasp the idea of opposition, or even disagreement.

    But Jewish children dear to me have been called ‘dirty Jews’ on London streets. This rarely happened before 2015, and I blame these protestors and associated cretins. There are respectable ways to advocate for Palestine, but they can’t do it because demonizing Jews is an ancient, if sometimes subconscious, European tradition. At the first PSC protest in my hometown Penzance I asked the leader what he wanted. He looked puzzled to be asked, and said he didn’t know.

    Inside the court building I watch them from the window laying flowers, waving ‘EXIST, RESIST, RETURN!’ placards and listening to John McDonnell, Socialism’s Batman villain, and Chris Nineham who, as the Westminster and Cambridge-educated son of a former warden of Keble College, Oxford wins Affluent Socialist Bingo for all time. He is chief steward of the marches, and, by his own testimony not an anti-Semite, though he is seemingly unable to prevent blood libel signage and marchers making cut-throat gestures and Hamas triangles – the sign you are a target – at the Jewish counter protests. (The runner-up in Affluent Socialist Bingo at the protest is former Corbyn aide Laura Murray, whose family owned an Important Picasso. No wonder the grievances of the real working-classes were theoretical to them). The protestors seem quite happy for people who think democracy is dying because they cannot protest near a synagogue on a Saturday.

    Few come to the public gallery, possibly because placards and megaphones are not allowed in courtrooms. Jamal, who wears a leather jacket and an expression of startled yet sustained self-importance, pleads not guilty to a judge who looks uncannily like Julius from The Thick of It. Jamal asks not to give his address in public because he fears a counter-protest in Kingston-upon-Thames. The judge tells him not to use his phone in the dock, and I wonder if he is playing Candy Crush.

    Later, outside, we wait for Jamal to exit. I meet a woman who thinks Palestine should be a secular state: a sort of Rainbow nation. I wish her luck with an endorsement from Islamic Jihad (or the Kahanists). I ask her if she minds that Europe and the Middle East is filled with empty Jewish quarters. She replies, though hesitantly, that might have something to do with the Holocaust. Well, yes. I tell her you can cross Israel in half an hour, and she gawps: does she think it is the size of Russia? A man notices my questions and tells her I am hostile. He appoints himself bodyguard, and when Jamal comes out he stands between us, preening in the manner of the silent who has learned to speak at last.

    Coffee cups and placards litter the street. Don’t forget to take your rubbish home with you, I tell a woman as I leave. She replies that I am nasty: why do they talk like children? A masked man notices us and walks towards me, megaphone at his lips, to drown out anything I might say. I forget the slogan. I walk away, flipping the bird with two fingers.

    Around the corner, two police officers come up: they say they have received a complaint that I have caused alarm and distress to people who think 7 million Jews should be removed from the Middle East and this is potentially an offence under section 5 of the Public Order Act. (For protestors who think the state is an abomination, they are swift to use it as a tool for the gratification of their own vanity, and the avoidance of pique. They also have infinite pity for themselves). The police say they do not plan to arrest me but – and at this they look almost pleading – do I mind giving them my details? I say I do not, and wave at the megaphone man, who has followed the police to check they are questioning me, because he wants Jewish people to be afraid in our own country. Do you think, I ask the constable, that I have caused alarm and distress? No, she says. Later it occurs to me that I could have made a counter-complaint on the grounds of the megaphone, but I don’t live to inconvenience the police with vexatious complaints.

    The trial is set for July. Jamal’s lawyer asks for a large courtroom, as they anticipate significant public interest. I mourn, among other things, Jamal’s summer holidays. Tuscany may have to wait.

    Tanya Gold

  77. Fuel duty has been frozen for 15 years in a row with Ms Reeves joining previous Tory governments in keeping the rate the same at her first Budget in October last year.

    But, with Labour pushing for a ban on the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, the Chancellor faces a scramble to replace the revenue that fuel duty raises.

    Ms Reeves is being urged to consider a 'pay-per-mile' scheme, which would see drivers charged for every mile they drive regardless of how they power their cars.

    Iceland and New Zealand already have a pay-per-mile taxation policies in place for electric vehicles.

    Elsewhere in its Seventh Carbon Budget, which recommends a limit for UK greenhouse gas emissions between 2038 to 2042, the CCC also warned holidaymakers of more expensive flights as Britain bids for Net Zero by 2050.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14438011/Rachel-Reeves-faces-fresh-pressure-introduce-pay-mile-driving-charges-Report-warns-8BILLION-black-hole-tax-revenues-2030-switch-electric-cars.html

  79. p DNI Tulsi Gabbard announced on Tuesday that 100 individuals in the intelligence community have been identified as having "contributed to and participated in" the sick internal chat group who will be fired and have their security clearances revoked.

    "There are over 100 people from across the intelligence community that contributed to and participated in this – what is really just an egregious violation of trust. What to speak of, like, basic rules and standards around professionalism. I put out a directive today that they all will be terminated and their security clearances will be revoked," Gabbard told Fox News' Jesse Watters.

    "But the thing here Jesse is – you've got to take a step back, because this is barely scratching the surface. When you see what these people are saying, and thanks to Chris Rufo for putting this all online – they were brazen in using an NSA platform intended for professional use, to conduct this kind of really, really horrific behavior. And they were brazen in doing this because, when was the last time anyone was really held accountable? Certainly not over the last four years. Certainly not over the last 10 maybe 20 years, and we look at some of the biggest violations of the American peoples' trust in the intelligence community. So, today's action in holding these individuals accountable is just the beginning of what we're seeing across the Trump administration – which is carrying out the mandate the American people gave him."

    https://x.com/JesseBWatters/status/1894563362891055234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1894563362891055234%7Ctwgr%5Ee94061d6af03224142b30b12b99d4e4278ba1245%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fpolitical%2Fsex-castration-butthole-zapping-nsa-cia-confirm-secret-kink-chat-room-after-chris-rufo

        2. Those who know Chaucer's Reeves Tale will remember it that it tells the story of a couple of students who are lodging with a miller, his wife and his daughter. The miller gets blind drunk and the students take advantage of the fact by fornicating with his wife and daughter.

          The chancellor has learnt from this story that she will get away with f…ing people about and robbing them.

  84. Perma student & perma victim aged thirty-something Dr Akali Omeni MBA, PhD.. Expurt.. just starting his career as a perma grifter. More to come.

    Dr Akali Omeni sued St Andrews for £100,000 because a senior colleague told him 'I did not appreciate the tone of your emails'.

  85. Perma student & perma victim aged thirty-something Dr Akali Omeni MBA, PhD.. Expurt.. just starting his career as a perma grifter. More to come.

    Dr Akali Omeni sued St Andrews for £100,000 because a senior colleague told him 'I did not appreciate the tone of your emails'.

      1. Massive portions of fatty meat will not make you obese (or even fat). It will keep you slim and healthy.

        It is the bread, potatoes, and all those sugar-laden dressings which do that.

        1. Of course. And as an aside they have lots of sides.

          The yanks seem to add sugar to everything. I don't really understand it except that sugar becomes addictive.

          Who wants sugar in a savoury?

    1. That is definitely a hate mail. Two years for the egg farmer. Fancy embarrassing the poor driver….

      1. 402189+ up ticks,

        Afternoon Pip,
        Then surely they must provide an alternative like, go into a policing mode the very mode that if they were in to start with there would be no need of the traders revealing actions.

        1. Good afternoon.

          You mean you expect the police to go outside to assist a citizen who has been robbed? Whatever next !

    1. I always wondered what the point of chicken wings is – such a scrawny bit of meat on a selection of bones.

      1. In the program they described how they became popular. Given they were such a cheap cut Bars would do them as snacks. Of course an American Bar often had the sports on.
        1.3 Billion chicken wings consumed during the superbowl and 25 billion annually.

        If you follow that recipe and cook a dozen you won't feel hungry after. I managed 5.

        1. Where do they get chickens with a dozen wings. Remember the old joke about the farmer who bred chickens with more legs…but couldn't catch them. (Go on, groan. Whaddo I care…)

          2. That's what it is in Euroland but in the UK it would come to about:

            A Pound a Pound in Poundland.

      3. They are inexpensive, and they make a good soup having a lot of bones. Also the meat tastes nice. If you buy organic chicken, the wings are bigger because they have had more exercise presumably.

    2. Oh heck. I've just read that out to MB; now Spartie is going doolally.
      The word chihuahua woke him and he was out of his bed like a rocket.

  89. Well, today has gone well. 😡

    Yesterday, Al-Beeb's forecast was for a mainly wet day; I planned accordingly. This morning was bright and clear with a frost and the rest of the day was supposed to be sunny/sunny intervals; I re-planned my day and put on a towel wash and hung the washing out.

    The sunny hours never appeared and it's been hissing down for hours: washing soaked and will remain out overnight. This climate change is a right bugger, I wish we could go back to weather.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/53d9c82691393e8e5856a0dc61571f2641efa9fd903772df699680be1771c0ac.png
    The following was lifted from a comment of the 'boys share bat feast in equatorial Africa' report in the DM.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ff9a1c7bb5b44692e1a09e216665e8c31a1a61ac7577c02184b2af785e70cae3.png
    The remainder were lifted.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/be81225870e75c9fe245166dcc5eddef827c01ec9f553a2d9c3afa394909a3c9.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/80cb926700487823bad20308caf8724912a10ad4eee2df4ce7c5b2697fa5b56e.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bfe134a221474c48708291ab4780a449b725973ebcc978975773f73e4055e9e6.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3f213bca531795ed5b0a26c4ca1de4cce20c77c78da87f04b1fd825fed2d455a.png

    1. Yes, but what Ashley Fox does not understand is that whether or not farmers can afford to pay the tax out of the small return from the capital value their farms gives them is irrelevant. The government is determined to kill farming.

      It is the same with private schools. It has nothing to do with raising money from VAT on school fees it is just about destroying private schools.

      The Labour government is duplicitous, mendacious, malign, dishonest and sadistic.

      (Nottlers may have other adjectives!)

      1. Yours will suffice, Rastus. The whole purpose is to put certain farmers out of business, so their land can be mopped up by certain investors – only reason I can think of, except sheer bloody mindedness. Reeves looks more on the edge of a breakdown with each passing day.

        1. Not a Christian thought but given the amount of suffering her policies have caused i hope she jumps off Tower Bridge.

          3. I think at one time they were winched over the Thames, Phizzee. Or put in the stocks, rotten vegetables supplied. Good old days eh………

          5. Tyne bridge might be better. I was told by a chap that suicides are difficult to recover because if falling head first their head and shoulders sink into the mud leaving their legs wiggling around.

        2. Oh dear. How sad. Never mind.
          How can the process be hastened along?
          Then we can watch another vindictive and mendacious DEI appointment bu88er things up.

          1. As with No.10/11 buses, another along shortly. Waiting for Trump’s comments re Chagos 🤞he’s apparently done a minerals deal with Z, so hopefully soon.

  91. Terror Law Reviewer Slams Information Released as “Inadequate” After Southport Attack

    Pressure on the authorities for the handling of information after the Southport attack isn’t dying down. The UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, has now called the details released after the killings “inadequate.”Speaking to BBC Panorama, Hall said:

    “People got the sense that something was being withheld or fudged in some way, and that led the social media types who wanted to spread disinformation to spread disinformation. The public could have been told immediately that there had been an attack by a 17-year-old male who was black, British, born in Wales and had lived in the UK all his life. That he comes from a Rwandan background and, as far as the police were aware, from a Christian background. That it was not possible to say whether he had an ideology or was a terrorist. But the police were looking at, at pace, all the material they found.”

    Despite widespread calls for transparency, the police released next to nothing about Southport stabber Axel Rudakubana’s background, though one thing was made clear early on—authorities insisted it was not terror-related. Chief Constable Serena Kennedy told BBC Panorama:

    “We were clear that there was no evidence, information or intelligence to suggest that this was terrorist-related. “We were really clear that we would keep that under continual review, which we’ve done from day one. But our colleagues in counter-terrorism policing, working with ourselves, were satisfied that this was not a terrorist related incident, and that’s remained the case throughout.”

    Fast forward to October, and Rudakubana was charged with a terror offence and producing ricin. Hall argues the police should have simply stated that, at the time, they couldn’t determine whether he was a terrorist or not. Meanwhile, Starmer last month admitted he knew details about the Southport attacker as they emerged but stayed silent to avoid contempt of court – despite his long track record of calling out “acts of terrorism” before any charges and trials in the past. This won’t help continuing accusations of a ‘cover up’…

    February 25 2025 @ 15:05

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

    Helium three
    15h
    And of those banged up in jail for speculating over the nature of the Southport attack?
    Have they been released yet?

    Kendo Nagasaki
    15h
    We were clear that there was no evidence, information or intelligence to suggest that this was terrorist-related.

    My recollection is that the police / government went beyond that, and asserted that claims that the incident was tewwor-related were false. Which is a rather different message.

    My vote counts
    Kendo Nagasaki
    15h
    Quite correct. The CC Serena Kennedy went totally OTT when stating that anybody making contradictory statements to those made by her would be pursued and punished, when all the time she KNEW that it was a cover up and that it was an act by Rudukana designed to terrorise innocent victims.
    The comments made by her were outrageous.

    petersitch
    15h
    Compare the deliberate obfuscation in the UK with France and Germany where to nationality, status of immigration and names were released the same day.
    Rudakabana's motivation will never be known due to the plea deal that avoided a trial. Meanwhile truth tellers remain in prison

    Bill Chambers
    15h
    It is still being covered up.
    Why the sudden Guilty plea on the first day of the trial?

    Why no leave to appeal an unduly lenient sentence?

    Bill Chambers
    15h
    To enable the depth of the cover up to remain withheld from Joe Public.

    Bill Chambers
    15h
    Quite. We still do not know why he did what he did. And that is not or should not be acceptable in a free society. The MSM aren't afaik asking questions either.

    Richard
    15h
    Welsh choirboy was all they told us in the early days!

    4. Answer me this: What is to stop a toerag buying, and using, this on perfectly innocent citizens?

      For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Isaac Newton.

  94. Today in Parliament some of the results of the Grenfell inquiry were announced.
    But still the only and main reason for how and why the tower was destroyed by fire was never mentioned. The fire that started in flat 16 on the sixth floor.
    But i wonder why seems more convenient to blame everyone else who might have been involved in the original construction and later in alterations made to the tower block.

    1. Grenfell Tower had been messed about with over decades. Residents “personalised” their flats with non-compliant cosmetic improvements, basic fire precautions were forgotten and basic rules on surface spread of flame completely disregarded.

      There was little or no control over who occupied the flats and multi-occupancies commonplace.

      I thought from the colour of the flames the origin was likely a gas leak.

      I view the Grenfell disaster as a metaphor for much else that I have witnessed during my professional career as a Chartered Architect. Professional standards have fallen across the board as have the effectiveness of essential regulatory bodies.

      When I see architectural practices adopting silly trendy names (Studio E Architects for example) I despair.

      Quite why it has taken so many years to reach the present stage is beyond me. Any Architect of my generation will have possessed the wherewithal to diagnose the constructional faults in weeks not years.

      I also am reminded of the vast scale of fraud the free money compensation scheme generated. The woman who stayed in expensive hotels and collected mobile phones who never lived in Grenfell Tower and many other chancers stick in the memory.

      Britain is a broken society and we all know why. I keep reading about Muslim communities and others and have to ask what community is mine or do I not exist.

      1. Not sure if any of this was true but immediately after the terrible fire,
        I heard originally that the chap whose flat caught fire was a taxi driver who had been storing fuel for his cab in there. It was all originally blamed on the fridge catching fire. Its hard to imagine that an electrical fault would spread such flames so quickly. Fortunately his family were not there that night. Staying with friends.
        Again apparently, the cabbie was Egyptian but seemingly not a Muslim as he often frequented pubs for a beer.
        There was also a mention that the rubbish chutes were block and rubbish had been placed on the landing areas.

        1. I thought it was ramadamadingdong and he was cooking on a barbecue after sunset.
          Whatever the truth, I expect corrie is right in his assessment, it’s been a bonanza for shysters and dodgy dealers to scam the inept ‘pub(l)ic serpents’ at the muzzy home office to line their friends pockets.

    2. Grenfell Tower had been messed about with over decades. Residents “personalised” their flats with non-compliant cosmetic improvements, basic fire precautions were forgotten and basic rules on surface spread of flame completely disregarded.

      There was little or no control over who occupied the flats and multi-occupancies commonplace.

      I thought from the colour of the flames the origin was likely a gas leak.

      I view the Grenfell disaster as a metaphor for much else that I have witnessed during my professional career as a Chartered Architect. Professional standards have fallen across the board as have the effectiveness of essential regulatory bodies.

      When I see architectural practices adopting silly trendy names (Studio E Architects for example) I despair.

      Quite why it has taken so many years to reach the present stage is beyond me. Any Architect of my generation will have possessed the wherewithal to diagnose the constructional faults in weeks not years.

      I also am reminded of the vast scale of fraud the free money compensation scheme generated. The woman who stayed in expensive hotels and collected mobile phones who never lived in Grenfell Tower and many other chancers stick in the memory.

      Britain is a broken society and we all know why. I keep reading about Muslim communities and others and have to ask what community is mine or do I not exist.

    3. Do we assume that the taxi driver has returned to Ethiopia (or is Egypt?) – with Peddy's shirt?

      2. A likely scenario. Could be why he's never been mentioned since and possibly evidence that is could well have been his actions.

  95. Rooftop solar panels, Grid stability, the Duck Curve and the Virtual Power Plant

    This US guy covers a lot of issues should you think of installing solar panels to offset your electricity bills.
    He also explains why electrical feed in tarriffs from solar panels are set to fall as the uptake in solar panels increases and the relevance of the Duck Curve in the management of the electrical grid. He covers the differences between short term blackout batteries and those necessary for use in full time domestic power plant use:

    https://youtu.be/-absd4UrE3s?si=ud-39JnTQMM_GK2O

    These may be issues currently faced in a few US states at the moment but they will become increasingly relevant during the UK's move to 'cheaper' renewable energy.

    1. Can't wait to hear Cur Ikea Slammer's condemnation; oh, and that of the Oik Sweeting (see his remarks today in my post earlier)

  99. Warning issued to anyone looking to buy a new lawnmower
    One type of lawnmower could be pulled from sale in the coming years following government advice.

    New rules could be introduced which will affect gardeners up and down the country mowing their lawn each year.

    Mowing the lawn is a constant battle, with gardeners looking to give their grass a trim every few months to keep their outdoor space looking trim and the grass growing well.

    But anyone who prefers a petrol lawnmower could be out of luck if the government adopts recommendations to end the sale of petrol powered mowers in future.

    Advice from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) is given to the government every five years, about how to meet its target of net zero emissions by 2050. The latest advice covers the period from 2038 to 2042.

    Using a petrol lawnmower produces the same amount of emissions in two hours as 600 miles of driving, the advice said.

    It means, if the ban is followed through, that gardeners will either have to opt for plug-in lawnmowers or battery powered.

    Battery powered lawnmowers currently cost more than petrol driven models and usually only last up to 45 minutes between charges.

    The changes could also mean petrol lawnmowers become more expensive on the second hand market, too.

    According to garden experts at The Turf Doctor, a restriction on the sale of petrol lawnmowers is likely in the future, but the electric replacements are not quite good enough yet.

    They said: “The ban on the sale of petrol cars is only possible because advancements in technology have allowed us to manufacture hybrid and electric cars that are just as capable.

    “The lawn mower industry isn’t quite up to speed with the automotive industry. While cordless battery-powered models now exist, these mowers can’t always be used as a direct replacement for petrol lawnmowers.

    “The issue with eco-friendly alternatives to petrol-powered garden tools is that they’re simply not powerful enough (yet!) Most cordless lawnmowers that rely on battery power last about 30 minutes, max, before the batteries need charging. That means having to swap out batteries and make sure you have plenty of charged batteries ready to go if needed – not ideal if you have a large lawn.”

    They added that there’s no reason not to buy a petrol mower yet, as it will still be legal to use them, even if they are banned from sale, but that one big problem could be the cost of repairs.

    https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/garden/2019565/warning-issued-lawnmower

    Moh said WHAT are they playing at , he has 2 petrol mowers, best cut ever.

  100. "The Tory brand is dead and Reform is the only alternative to a terrible Labour Government.”
    Dominic Cummings.

  101. Well, given the weather 1st thing and the disturbed night I had, the planned trip to Stoke and then Baguley was binned.
    However, the weather actually improved. In fact it's a lovely if somewhat chilly afternoon at the moment, so I had a fruit & veg shopping trip into Belper and also raided the Flog-it-off-cheap sections of the Co-op and Morrison's.
    Just had a large baked potato with a few other bits added on.

    Stoke trip will be tomorrow and I will probably tank the van up in Stoke as diesel is a bit cheaper over there.

    1. Coming in second (for now)

      Wordle 1,348 4/6

      ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜
      ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜
      ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

      It does beat yesterday when I barely made it with six guesses.

    2. Blimey Rene – that was a good call!

      I was amazed when my fifth guess proved to be wrong, bogey seemed to be about right for what I thought was a tricky combination of letters.

      But no – double trouble!!

      Wordle 1,348 6/6

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

      2. Just out of curiosity, what was your second guess, can you remember? I simply couldn't think of any other words beginning with A.

  104. Time to get rid of Badenoch – and the rest of the so-called Conservative Party in Parliament.

    All the remaining senior Tory MPs are condemned because of their various roles in the shambles of the last 14 years – where successive "Tory" governments showed themselves to be anti-Brexit Blairite Limp Dumbs.

    I really would like to hear what Reform is proposing to do should it have a majority after the next election (if Cur Ikea Slammer and his slammer pals allow such a thing).

    I'll go and have a lie down.

  106. Apple AI tool transcribed the word 'racist' as 'Trump'
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ymvjjqzmeo

    Apple says it is working to fix its speech-to-text tool after some social media users found that when they spoke the word "racist" into their iPhones it typed it out as "Trump."

    The tech giant has suggested the issue with its Dictation service has been caused by a problem it has distinguishing between words with an "r" in them.

    "We are aware of an issue with the speech recognition model that powers Dictation and we are rolling out a fix today," an Apple spokesperson said.

    However an expert in speech recognition told the BBC this explanation was "just not plausible."

    Peter Bell, professor of speech technology at the University of Edinburgh, said it was more likely that someone had altered the underlying software that the tool used.

    As if we hadn't worked that one out for ourselves, Prof!

  108. Banned ‘bushmeat’ smuggled into the UK is being sold for home delivery via social media, as concerns continue to rise over the amount of illegal meat in the UK.

    The shocking finding is part of a Daily Mail investigation, which highlighted the growing availability of potentially dangerous illegal meat.

    These include monkeys, porcupines, African cane rats and lizards, according to the paper, with accounts on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram offering ‘doorstep delivery’.

    The term bushmeat covers wild mammals, reptiles and birds hunted in West and Central Africa, Asia and the Americas.

    While meat imported legally into the UK must pass stringent health checks to ensure it is safe, the investigation found that smuggled bushmeat 'dodges these'.

    It comes as recent disease cases in Europe have highlighted glaring weaknesses in the UK’s biosecurity at borders.

    Nearly 100 tons of illegal meat was confiscated at Dover last year – a rise of more than 75 percent on 2023.

    Concerns were also raised after Northern Irish port authorities seized around 600kg of illegal meat that was smuggled into port on the Stranraer ferry.

    The Daily Mail investigation found several social media profiles TikTok profiles claiming to have ‘freshly dried’ porcupine and ‘grasscutter’ – known as the greater cane rat.

    Responding, Mo Metcalf-Fisher, of the Countryside Alliance, called on the government to make social media firms 'take responsibility', as illegal meat posed a threat to UK livestock farms.

    He said: "The borderless nature of the internet means sellers are easily able to flog a catalogue of dubious products, which appear to be easily transported into our country.

    "The illicit selling of bushmeat can present a severe biosecurity threat that has the potential to devastate the livestock farming sector and rural economy."

    The Food Standards Agency (FCA) advises consumers not to buy or eat bushmeat or other illegal meat, as it may be unsafe.

    Experts have warned that it could be carrying serious infectious diseases, including foot-and-mouth, anthrax, the deadly ebola virus, TB or cholera.

    There is a ban on importing meat from outside the European single market, including items bought online.

    A government spokesman said it is "unequivocal that importing illegal meat is unacceptable".

    https://www.farminguk.com/news/disease-concern-as-banned-bushmeat-being-sold-for-home-delivery_66168.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawIsMgZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVoZ5eO0EvpBBtMyptikE76lEi-84QT-riCQDA-h4O6ki_bNmMOEVx_5sw_aem_gXTEa4kqVktg7lYh1feqDQ

    Hors d'œuvre delicacies for the Home office , perhaps, or even greedy Lammy?

    2. Importing primitive culture is unacceptable but the “experts” are not going to admit that, are they. They’ll screech “waycist” if we point it out. Let them.

    3. I doubt very much these are for the indigenous' table. Deny and where found guilty of a crime, deport.

  109. That's me for today. A horrid one. Cold and wet and very windy. Tomorrow similar – so a chilly visit to the market.

    Have a jolly evening. Do try to see "Gaucho Gaucho" on BBC4 catchup.

    A demain – if I am spared.

    3. Does one involve concrete boots and a one way trip in a chopper over the Irish sea ?
      What a pleasant thought.

    4. Does one involve concrete boots and a one way trip in a chopper over the Irish sea ?
      What a pleasant thought.

  116. Ye Olde acid attack in Chippenham Wiltshire.

    CCTV shows acid attack suspects in village near Chippenham

      1. Why do they always post these images in negative?

        Oh, you're saying they aren't negative images?

        1. When I went into town to pay a bill, it looked like Africa. Those who weren't African seemed to come from the Indian subcontinent. This is rural Shropshire!

  117. Just appeared from "LinkedIn":

    Rawa A Rasool posted: key points from "Crack Accountant Interview: 10 Min Prep. Guide"

    I can't help wondering if the name is a piss-take, even though it looks genuine.
    He/she/it will doubtless have many opportunities to sue.

  118. A bit of a nostalgia night, music-wise. Playlist courtesy of YouTube.:
    https://youtu.be/7WBpN1htubI?si=3vdgiZ3RmfUCPZNM https://youtu.be/3zzuyZ8sCeY?si=Oq7XOsHN7C8iKSdC
    https://youtu.be/hVRlQ3hShU0?si=oBlBqrufjmOirvf5
    https://youtu.be/p4QqMKe3rwY?si=Egm9TiVcf0o2GBT5 https://youtu.be/cnFzCmAyOp8?si=Ke6oLeMZ3bxuu9rW
    https://youtu.be/s11BuatTuXk?si=miiZMJLMuAb3n8_3 https://youtu.be/btEpF334Rtc?si=TWdlRdpEHHtMs5vy https://youtu.be/Plhtk_XJqhM?si=tO3q_Ice-sMwJmuR https://youtu.be/10dmK7O-KSY?si=TUD1R8FmsEKZqUXN

    1. Sadly, so much of this talent is with us no more.
      I'm just glad I was priviledged to be around whilst they gave of their talent.
      Particularly missed, Shane McGowan – what a voice (and later on, he got his teeth fixed, too)!
      Chas 'n Dave take me back to when life was simpler and poorer, living next to the Milwall dock on the Isle of Dogs. SWMBO and I were an item even back then… and the treat for the week was one only pint in the pub. Couldn't afford more.

          1. I do know what you mean. It was the passion, rather than the voice (preferable to the other way around).

  119. I think I'll make a move for the day.
    No good news but there was a bit of red in the sky tonight.
    Thanks for all the bucket loads of info again today.

  121. Evening, all. Have been racing today (no runners of mine, but picked two winners.) Paid a bill and bought Kadi a new dog coat and myself a new jacket as well as applying to renew my DNO certificate. I've been slacking, obviously, so will probably get the boot!

    Starmer will spend any defence allocation on useless stuff and more admin bods. He's not as useful as a broken clock; at least that's right twice a day.

  122. I have not been allowed to make this post on the "government sanctioned killing" article on the Speccie today. I do wonder why:

    "As they struggle with the term "assisted suicide" I would imagine that calling it (more accurately) "state sponsored murder by victim consent" would cause even further outrage amongst those determined to rush this Bill through without thorough scrutiny."

    1. I wonder how this will sit with those administering the "final solution" personally, with IV lines and so on?

      1. The Swiss doctors who do this seem to enjoy it, as do the Canadian ones. Maybe one develops a taste for it, a la Shipman.

        1. Not sure I want to give that a thumb, as it's a very distateful concept, but on reflection, I agree.
          You can see how those administering Zyklon B could live wih their work.

      2. Unfortunately I have come to the conclusion that people can persuade themselves of anything, especially when their career and monthly income depends on it.

      3. I think I would make quite a good "final solution", "assisted suicide", or whatever you want to call it, end of life assistant. I haven't read all the details, but ending someone's life that doesn't want to live anymore, whether it's through pain or lack of dignity is the way I want to go when I reach that stage. Keep professionals out of it completely.

        1. Yes. I think if you want to go you should be provided with the means. All it would take is a prescription.

          1. ^^^This^^^
            If I decide to end my life and it damned well is my choice I want the ability to do so painlessly and without causing distress or mess to others

          3. I feel low some days, and a number of incidents in my life have made me feel suicidal. So far, I've managed to combat the will to kill myself (cowardice?) and found the way forward. It's something I've experienced a number of times. Perhaps I'm just too scaredy cats. Sorry to read about your friend, Conway…R.I.P.

          4. My step sister did that.. in South Africa .. her marriage ended , she worked for a top TV company , she was well liked , popular, stable . easy temperament and one lunchtime whilst at work , she shot herself through the mouth in front of her office computer ..

            Suicide by gun is very common, because most people out there in South Africa own one ..

            Since we have lived here ,in our semi rural confine where everyone knows each other, 25 years now , suicide by virtue of bridges and rail lines , or hanging in the woods has been too frequent .. or alone in a car.. incidents like that has brought suicide to the fore .. so many here in these rural spots ..

            Sadly another incident here today , another family grieving , another rail death and probably one traumatised train driver.

          5. Thank you for reply, Belle – reminds me many if not most live in worse state than me, taking cover behind the person they think others want to recognise. We can never know what’s really happening in someone else’s life. We all live alone, to one degree or another. Like many elderly people, I worry about younger family and the life they’ll have, compared to mine. But worry doesn’t achieve much, so…tomorrow’s another day…:-)

          6. Walking your dog, and focussing on things , counting your steps , I have a step counter on my watch , sometimes I stumble along , back and hip ache and some times I feel like skipping , I am often or not on my own , with my own thoughts as I walk in some very quiet areas. I will say hello to people and smile , I generally enjoy my own company .

            Stupidly , I feel poetic and in touch with the wilderness, and my senses home into the clouds, bird sounds , beetles , wind , dog and me as I try to stride out and not waddle along .

            You must do the same yourself , you know, we all arrive naked and covered in placental juices in this world with a loud cry and a slap energises us into life and as we turn our heads to demand our first feed and cry again, exercising our lungs , and that is the start of our great adventure ..

            How lucky we are .. yet our misery sometimes exercises itself when we can't curl up back in the warmth of our early beginnings … I am sure of that .

          7. Thanks Belle..I do actually count when I sense my temperature starting so that’s good advice. Walking is therapeutic and I don’t do enough now my dog is old and sleeping a lot, but I will get back to it. Being in the open air makes a difference and March Hare soon put in an appearance. It’s pointless to worry about things I have no control over..😊😊😊

          8. Matthew 6:25-34, worrying about things you have no control over is considered pointless because it is a lack of trust in God, who is ultimately in control and will provide for your needs;

            Jesus instructs believers to not be anxious about their lives, as God will take care of them, meaning there's no need to worry about what you can't change.

            Amen to that.

          9. Absolutely. Change the things you can and don't worry about the things you can't. It has been proved that being among trees is beneficial to one's mental health.

          10. Not stupid at all !

            I remember camping in the Lake District with my nieces and nephews soon after the the Lord of the Rings was shown. We walked the hills and byways and i talked of things to keep them amused. Then we met TreeBeard !
            It was a solitary oak beside the pathway.

            Poetry and story telling is food for the soul, young hobbit !

          11. Not cowardice.

            I have had visits from the 'black dog' and wanted to end it but this is mostly from an imbalance. Ride it out. Do something different.

          12. I’ve realised I procrastinate, anxiety. Painting/drawing makes me feel better, one trick I’ve found is to not finish one piece without starting another, otherwise takes ages to start again. ‘Black dog’ describes it well. Walking dog helps too. (thanks for reply, appreciate it.)

          15. Excellent sketch, Phiz! Blasted dog ran off just now…perfect…had to laugh..thanks for advice x

          16. I think of her often. She was my muse. My creativity has not been the same since. There is always a chance something will turn up. I’ve been in your situation as well, but something has always happened to enable me to combat the despair and move on. God, I believe, does not test us beyond our endurance and ability to cope.

          17. Same here with grandmother. And yes, been here before and let it creep up on me instead of addressing it and getting something done. I’ve let my list of subject ideas get out of hand, it’s too long and I must start whittling it down. I’ve been missing God’s presence recently because I haven’t been walking with dog. He’s had an op but recovering and I need to get myself into gear. Can’t tell you how grateful I am for your support, thank you 😊

          19. You'll always cause some distress, if you choose that route.
            But equally, ones dying causes distress anyway.

          20. Sure,but a damned sight less than throwing yourself in front of a train or blowing your head off in a hotel room with a shotgun

      4. There are plenty already employed in the NHS who will relish the opportunity. Not just talking about foreigners but home grown bastards too.

    2. It works quite well in Canada- as long as you ignore the problems with state assisted suicide.

    4. I think there's one of yours there, opopanax, but can't see that one. I get checked all the time there, on the Speccie naughty step. (Agree with you btw.)

  123. Apols for borbardment of YT music… this one resonates from 1990, when I moved to Aberdeen for a new job in the oil industry. Spent many hours driving across to site work in Inverness – used to take the mountain road, because in the spring, there was no traffic and it was gorgeous. Used to miss SWMBO something shocking, as I'd be home with her a weekend a month. At least I wasn't away at sea or fighting, so it could have been worse…
    https://youtu.be/0-EF60neguk?si=JpoHuCYPjacVHBgU

    1. Okay OB,

      You have provided us with your selection of your own version of Desert Island discs this evening , so what favourite item would you like to save or keep on your Desert Island ( Do not include your Swimbo) and what book would you select other than the Holy Bible and Shakespeare

    2. Okay OB,

      You have provided us with your selection of your own version of Desert Island discs this evening , so what favourite item would you like to save or keep on your Desert Island ( Do not include your Swimbo) and what book would you select other than the Holy Bible and Shakespeare

    1. On the contrary – she does want to keep the unwanted boarders secure in their nice hotels with all found at our expense.

  126. Tulsi Gabbard, the director of US National Intelligence, says she was not informed in advance about the UK government's demand to be able to access Apple customers' encrypted data from anywhere in the world.
    Earlier this year, the UK government asked for the right to see the data, which currently not even Apple can access.
    The tech giant last week took the unprecedented step of removing its highest level data security tool from customers in the UK.
    In a letter, Ms Gabbard said she was seeking further information from the FBI and other US agencies and said, if the reports were true, the UK government's actions amounted to an "egregious violation" of US citizens' privacy.
    The Home Office notice, which cannot legally be made public, was issued to Apple under the UK's Investigatory Powers Act in January.
    Ms Gabbard added that she was also seeking legal advice over whether the UK had breached an agreement between it and the US not to demand data belonging to each other's citizens.
    In response to the Home Office notice, last week Apple pulled its top level privacy tool, Advanced Data Protection, from the UK market.
    Advanced Data Protection, external (ADP) means only account holders can view items such as photos or documents they have stored online through a process known as end-to-end encryption.
    Apple would have to break its encryption systems in order to comply with the UK government demand, as currently it cannot see data protected in this way so would be unable to share it with law enforcement. This is something it says it will never do.

    1. The UK government will justify its position by saying their demands are so they can track and trace people smugglers, drug cartels and paedophiles.

      What we have seen in our judicial system shows all that to be total bollocks.

      What they want it for is to spy on and monitor anyone who disagrees with them.

          2. Careful with that. It affects the brain just as serotonin does. Can be addictive and you can't then do without it.

    2. Aren't referenda normally a binary choice? If so, how on Earth can anything so complex be a yes or no answer?

      1. I think it needs more discussion and safeguards than it is apparently getting in parliament now. They seem to be rushing through it without much thought.

          2. Getting rid of the inconvenient, yes. However…none of them seem to realise it will also eventually apply to them. Hubris? Arrogance? Plain stupidity?

          3. It will lead into Gates's 'Death Panels' ultimately. This is the first step. Ledbetter's demeanour is extraordinary, reminiscent of that at her sister's funeral. Dupers' Delight?

          6. I know you pop in and pop out which would go some way to explain but I too am at a loss sometimes. And I read all the posts !!!

          9. Ledbetter (I know I have spelled her name wrongly, there is an ‘a’ in the name somewhere) is the woman – the murdered Jo Cox’s sister – who is sponsoring this Private Member’s Bill – and her attitude is not in keeping with the seriousness and dignity necessitated by this bill. It is reminiscent of someone who has been offered a sum of money to get it pushed through. Duper’s Delight is the term given to a psycho/sociopath when they cannot hide their joy when they realise they have conned someone by their actions, it can be as little as a tiny smile and usually inappropriate.

  129. Hullo and good afternoon, all. Thanks for the kind words after The Kid smashed up her car yesterday in the backroad deer encounter. (She's still fine. Mrs DC drove her back to her place down south this morning.)

    Have to say I'm quite surprised and impressed at how fast her insurance company has responded. They've already agreed to a 100% write-off (courtesy of photos taken at the scene by the tow-truck driver, and then the assessment video recorded by the nearest Nissan dealer). It was a lease, she took GAP insurance, and that's it. She gets a $ payout, pro-rata to the initial lump sum put down and the lease is over.

      1. Aye. Thanks, Phiz.

        I mention the insurance/lease stuff because she seems pretty happy at being out of it. Since she took it on, the circumstances of her contracts, pay, mileage etc. have all changed. She has the use of a rental for up to 28 days as part of the insurance cover, and she's looking to use this time to see what she might want to buy.

        1. Still quite a shocking incident though. I don't need to tell you to watch out for her i'm sure.

      1. Did the UK ever really leave, do you think, Conway? Apparently still following a lot of rules n regs, including ECHR.

        1. No. We left in name only. The remainers in Westminster assimilated all EU law into UK law instead of hand picking what suited us (not a lot, I suspect) and as far as I know, did not assert the supremacy of Common Law over corpus juris based law. They continue to adopt EU rules and regulations when we should have ditched all the sclerotic stuff that's strangling enterprise. There's a border down the middle of the Irish Sea and N I is effectively still in the EU. Starmer, of course, wants even closer alignment (and to slip us back in on the QT).

          1. Thanks Conway..suspected as much. He looked smug as anything with Tusk. I think John Redwood says similarly to you. What a wasted opportunity. Do you think Reform will be any better?

          2. No, I'm afraid I think they are controlled opposition. I am a suspicious so-and-so. Wasted opportunity deliberately. They made sure it would fail – the wonder is, despite their best efforts, we are still doing better than the EU.

          1. It's my belief (but I can't prove it) that we send a portion of VAT receipts to the EU still. It is, after all, an EU tax.

          2. DOGE has been exposing what USAID has been doing. Spending billions of tax dollars which don't support the American tax payer. I have no doubt we are doing the same.

          6. We can do it in microcosm.

            Not sure where you are but i'm South Hampshire.

            Garden party in July.

            Some other Nottlers will be joining us too.

            Last time Geoff Graham, The Boss played my piano.

            Not that anyone was listening ! :@)

          7. Much further North…you’ll have a great time. I’ll likely be in Scotland.. still my favourite. I hope Geoff plays again for you 🎶

    2. What an absolute lie. It was formed as a way for the economically dominant US to control Europe as Trump knows very well.

  134. interesting pen-friend cum love story from Alan Barstow in Sweden in tomorrow’s Telegraph letters published tonight.

      1. SIR – In 1964 I began a penfriendship with a Swedish girl. We were both 13. This fizzled out, but we regained contact in 2002.

        After nearly a year of exchanging letters, we agreed to meet.
        We boarded a plane together to fly to Stockholm for a few days to get to know each other better. As we were disembarking, we heard the Roberta Flack song The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Letters, February 26) being played on the aircraft’s tannoy system.

        In 2011 I moved permanently to Sweden, where we are still happily together, often listening to “our song”.

        Alan G Barstow
        Onslunda, Skåne County, Sweden

        1. Grizz posted the Roberta Flack song earlier today and said he'd written to the DT. He's a regular on the letters page!

        2. Grizz posted the Roberta Flack song earlier today and said he'd written to the DT. He's a regular on the letters page!

    1. Well Chris…I have my stick ready. It's a baseball bat covered in barbed wire. If you ever come down from your ivory tower i will give you a kiss.

  137. We are here for each other, Katie. It's a great support network. Like a large family or a village community (I was brought up in a village).

    1. Thanks again, hope i can help someone too…’pay it forward’..is that the expression. I’m a single child didn’t see much of family, didn’t really know my grandmother until much older. This was post war and everyone pretty much grateful it was over and trying to find a way forward. Housing was poor – I understand what Kennedy’s talking about when referring to vaccines. Dog seems to be recovering well from scan, his fur growing back a little now. Quite annoyed with vet when I think about it, probably got under my skin. G’night Conway x

        1. Not too bad thanks, Conway..hope you did too. Dog had a reasonable night, awake now so just taking him out in the garden. See you later 😊

          2. I think they do, too! He has eyes on me all the time, except eating or sleeping. His liver problem is stable atm. Vet confessed his figures weren’t extreme, just slightly above normal, this was after he’d had the scan which she suggested he should have because his levels were ‘elevated’. He has a few liver nodules which apparently isn’t out of order for a dog his age. If I’d been told this prior to scan I wouldn’t have put him through it. With blood tests, the cost just shy of £500. As I was paying, he was waiting alongside me, and defecated on the (fortunately tiled) floor, I took that to be his ‘dirty protest’. He now follows me around all the time when not eating or sleeping, I hope he settles soon.

  138. Well, chums, I'm off to bed now as it's almost 11 pm. So I wish you all a Good Night. Sleep well, and I hope to see you all tomorrow morning.

    1. Lord Horatio Nelson is a heroic figure who imbues our culture with strength.

      Which is why sour faced cunts like Cooper wish to delete such people so 'they' don't look like the shallow inward looking narcissistic psychopaths they pretend not to be.

  141. Been to the Wigmore Hall this evening to hear the Bach St John Passion performed by baroque ensemble Solomon’s Knot.

    I also had a prized front row balcony seat for tomorrow evening but have swapped it for an aisle seat in the rear stalls. The music will sound the same and I can’t risk my heart rate climbing the stairs. The musician is Mahan Esfahani, the Persian/American harpsichordist and Bach scholar.

      1. Actually a Handel programme tomorrow, though Bach has been the focus of his academic work.

        Handel Suite No. 2 in F HWV427
        Böhm Prelude, Fugue and Postlude in G minor
        Capriccio in D major
        Handel Suite No. 3 in D minor HWV428
        Interval
        Handel Suite No. 7 in G minor HWV432
        IV. Minuet from Suite in B flat HWV43

        1. I don’t care for Gould’s performances – too much huffing and puffing. And the Goldberg Variations should be played on the harpsichord. Bach on the piano doesn’t sound right.

    2. I've not been to the Wigmore for years!
      When on a travel shift through London on a Monday I used to have a break there for the Lunchtime Concert.
      Imaging me, with perhaps a week's worth of personal kit and dressed in full Network Rail hi-viz orange having a light lunch and then to the concert!

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