Wednesday 30 April: How Kemi Badenoch can avoid the fate of Canada’s Conservatives

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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

395 thoughts on “Wednesday 30 April: How Kemi Badenoch can avoid the fate of Canada’s Conservatives”

    1. Yup, keep them lovely petrodollars coming! Our National Wealth Fund took a bit of a beating in the latest share price fall…

      1. Over here if we had such a fund it'd be spaffed on hard Left dogma because the political classes couldn't help themselves but meddle and waste it on foreign / Left nonsense.

        1. The Fund is heavily tied down by legislation. They can only spend 3% of the value, approximately the expected profit from investment of the fund, per year.

    1. Trump has handed the woke brigade an almighty victory

      The Right shouldn’t allow recent victories to blind them to the future battles needed to defeat wokeness
      https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2025/04/29/TELEMMGLPICT000420785705_17459434379630_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqoH1lvTy9Ix9ri8qUFo0O42QnZJIETfWB_fUbKb77n0w.jpeg?imwidth=1280
      Transgender people and their supporters stage a protest following the UK Supreme ruling that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex

      29 April 2025 5:42pm BST
      Annabel Denham

      I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the dogma of progressivism is still alive and well in Britain today. The landmark Supreme Court trans ruling last week was a small, if very welcome, victory in a much wider conflict. And it was won, it is worth noting, by a cosy group of broadly Left-wing feminists, rather than the chocolate soldiers of the Right.

      How can we know that woke still flourishes? Here are some news stories published in the days since our top court decided trans women, as defined by the 2010 Equality Act (EA), are not biological women. Topless trans activists staged an all-purpose protest in Suffolk, declaring that they are among those “hardest hit by climate change”. Cambridge’s polar museum claimed that exploration of Antarctica was “colonial”, even though only penguins lived there.

      And it emerged that engineering students at University College London have been asked to design a device to improve the lives of the LGBT community. The mind boggles: in the past such assignments have involved building and testing prototype robot drones. Heaven knows what they were meant to come up with for our rainbow friends. Incidentally, on the subject of academics being paid to waste time on non-issues, I recently came across a paper describing the term “white paper” as “problematic”. The authors say it “evokes racism, privilege, power or oppression”. Much like everything else in the bigoted 21st century West, from ballet to gardening and fireworks.

      Even the Supreme Court ruling may hang in the balance: London hospitals are reportedly attempting to defy it, whilst members of the BMA have denounced it as “scientifically illiterate”. Further, there is the more fundamental concern that, while the Supreme Court ruled on the correct interpretation of the EA, it would be simple enough to amend the Act to change the definition. Meanwhile, Britain’s first transgender judge will be taking the Government to the ECHR following the judgment. Who will cover the costs if said judge loses?

      Woke views are now firmly embedded in our institutions – the RAF, police, NHS, schools, universities, museums, the National Trust, the BBC – with hapless politicians all too happy entrenching those values with new policies or legislative frameworks. And most people just grumble when progressive lunacy comes their way, treating it as they might the weather. They’re more concerned with immigration, tax and government incompetence than they are with men in frocks or the fatuous “decolonising” of subjects such as mathematics.

      Without a determined effort from conservatives to combat this idiocy, it will continue apace. Yes, your average voter, when asked, might say transwomen should be banned from women’s sport. But the moderate views of the general public are no match for the vehemence of vested interests.

      In the US, Donald Trump is attempting to smash the ideologies of DEI, intersectionality and critical race theory. In his first 100 days he has closed all federal DEI offices. His administration is taking away $2.2 billion of federal funding from Harvard University, having accused the institution of being “more committed to activism than scholarship”.

      How long these interventions will stick is debatable. But his bull-in-the-china-shop approach has already had the counterproductive effect of handing electoral victory on a plate to Mark Carney, that most dreary of grey centrist dads, in the Canadian elections. An aberration? Perhaps. We’ll know more when Australia, another country wallowing in first-nation wokedom, goes to the polls.

      Part of the difficulty is that the electoral returns from quashing woke are probably limited, which is why it carries on: successful politicians are those who can exploit what the public is concerned about – for Canadians, it was Trumpian imperialism – while few were truly worried about gender neutral uniforms for the armed forces.

      But it’s possible that, as voters lose faith that either of the main parties can improve living standards, their attention will turn increasingly to cultural matters. We saw something similar in the 1920s, when the issues that had dominated politics since the 1880s (Ireland, constitutional reform, the Church) suddenly disappeared to be replaced with capitalism vs socialism. It prompted a dramatic reorganisation of politics and voting patterns, with the old Liberal coalition torn apart.

      For now, however, we should accept woke has the advantage, and find the courage and tenacity, as For Women Scotland did, not to cede more ground.

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

      Norfolk Ghiven
      11 hrs ago
      You do realise this 'culture wars' stuff is all distraction? Certain sections of society have become so decadent & poorly disciplined that they need a 'cause' to justify their own existence. Meanwhile, as the the millionth debate about what a woman is, whether salad cream is colonialist oppression of mayonnaise & why the Union Jack is racist rages, Britain will become a caliphate not of our making.

  9. 'Morning All
    Midweek Medley
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    2. The dog one suits as well. I've lost track of the number of times one of the great beasts has decided to sit on us.

      The other day I wanted Lucy to shift off the sofa and she buried her head under a cushion, peeking out to see if I'd gone.

  10. Good morning, all. Sunny. Forecast of a withering 23 degrees C this afternoon. What will we have to do to save ourselves?

    Sleight of speech from the Home Office? The door notice probably isn't a lie but it is deliberately misleading. As for the rest of the statement, knowing this government, I'm on the look-out for a sack of salt.

    Closing hotels and moving the "asylum seekers" into the private renting sector isn't reducing future immigration, it's moving the government's largesse on this issue from hoteliers to landlords.

    One landlord isn't going to take advantage of this move. The Country needs thousands to follow Rick Gannon's example.

    https://x.com/Mark4Hitchin/status/1917242719128211939

    1. The headline is nice, but it doesn't mean they're getting rid of or even interested in stopping the invasion. What the home office is saying is we're letting more people in, waving them through regardless and giving them a free house.

      That's the truth, the spin is different.

  12. Morning, all Y'all.
    It was sunny earlier, so I'm now at work in a short-sleeved shirt and beginning to feel a tad chilly.
    Bugger!

  13. DT commenters are slagging Trump off on a piece which slags him off at his 100 days rally. Most of them can't get past the 'Orange man bad'.

    There seems to have been a typeface refresh on comments – at least they're legible.

    1. I was getting that for the past few days – you've get massive comment font stretching across the screen. A refresh sorted it but still clumsy to even re-write it when they could just use a built in font rather than force an entirely unique on on you.

  14. Inside Ed Miliband’s friendship with Spain’s net zero architect

    Policies of former environment minister Teresa Ribera may have laid ground for catastrophic power cuts

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/politics/2025/04/29/TELEMMGLPICT000422018631_17459330333100_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqwfJZCmsaqRbOBn7aj62EDPuotZvGosHCNT4qQxSdYS4.jpeg?imwidth=1280 Ed Miliband and Teresa Ribera, pictured following energy talks in February 2025

    Daniel Martin Deputy Political Editor.
    Joe Barnes Brussels Correspondent
    29 April 2025 3:37pm BST

    The Spanish former environment minister whose headlong rush towards net zero may have laid the ground for Monday’s catastrophic power cuts is a friend of Ed Miliband.

    The Energy Security Secretary has previously praised and hailed his “friendship” with Teresa Ribera, while also once claiming that Britain and Spain could “lead the world in climate action”.

    He made the comment after they met at the 2023 COP climate summit in Dubai, where they were pictured alongside Sir Keir Starmer, who at the time was leader of the opposition.

    Ms Ribera, a socialist, was minister for the ecological transition of Spain from 2018 to 2024, during which time she launched one of the world’s first national net zero targets and played a key role in plans to shut down the country’s nuclear power plants.

    She is now vice-president of the European Commission for “clean, just and competitive transition”, charged with implementing the EU’s net zero goals.

    On Monday, tens of millions of people in Spain and Portugal were left without electricity, grounding flights and cutting off entire cities from the internet.

    Experts blamed a reliance on solar and wind farms in Spain for leaving the region vulnerable to such a crisis.

    Ms Ribera, a life-long environmental campaigner, posted on social media after meeting Sir Keir and Mr Miliband in 2023 at COP, where they discussed the Left’s approach to climate change.

    She wrote on X: “Great meeting with Keir Starmer & Ed Miliband … Their engagement on climate action and just transition is encouraging!”

    Mr Miliband replied with the message: “Thank you for your leadership and friendship Teresa Ribera.

    “Together, progressives in the UK and Spain can lead the world in climate action, creating good jobs for workers in our countries.”
    https://twitter.com/Ed_Miliband/status/1731217297736417394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1731217297736417394%7Ctwgr%5E90eea4e4ac2b26f5ff2de2f8add60da25f8fffc6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fpolitics%2F2025%2F04%2F29%2Fed-miliband-friendship-spain-net-zero-architect-ribera%2F
    When Labour won the general election last July, Ms Ribera tweeted: “Willing to team up again with Ed Milliband [sic], new Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary, in Keir Starmer’s Cabinet. Congrats, dear Ed.”

    Ms Ribera used her six-year tenure in government to push forward the country’s renewable energy plans, which included ambitions to produce 81 per cent of the country’s electricity from renewables.

    In 2020, she introduced a legal goal to reach net zero by 2050, making Spain one of the first countries to do so. She also negotiated deals with unions and industry figures to phase out coal and nuclear power.

    Spain now aims to shut down its fleet of seven nuclear reactors by 2035, despite warnings from Iberdrola, the Spanish utilities giant, that this could push up the price of electricity by 25 per cent.

    In her powerful EU role, Ms Ribera has been tasked with bringing the continent back on track to meet its 2030 climate targets, amid concerns its 2050 net zero goal may be in jeopardy.

    However, her appointment did not go down well with Right-wing members of the European Parliament. The center-Right European People’s Party said she was too Left-wing and anti-industry to be responsible for economic policy.

    French government officials also raised concerns about her views on nuclear power. They fear she will use her position to roll out the closure of nuclear power plants across the EU.

    Anders Vistisen, a pro-nuclear Danish MEP, said: “One day, the government was boasting that Spain was uniquely powered by renewable energy; the next day, chaos reigned as elevators, traffic lights and phones stopped working. An over-reliance on intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar is dangerous.

    “Former energy minister Teresa Ribera, now [a] EU Commissioner, must bear political responsibility for the energy mix that she adopted. It’s the Spanish people who have paid the price.

    “It is extremely short-sighted to shutter stable and cheaper nuclear power to rely on expensive and intermittent energy from wind turbines and solar panels.”

    Two decades ago, solar and wind provided less than 5 per cent of Spain’s power, with more than 80 per cent coming from fossil fuels and nuclear energy. But by 2023, the proportion provided by renewable energy had risen to 50.3 per cent.

    Just before the widespread power cuts, solar energy was providing about 53 per cent of Spain’s electricity, with another 11 per cent from wind, according to data from Red Electrica, the country’s energy operator.

    Traditional energy systems have mechanisms that allow them to keep running if there is sudden disruption, such as from a surge or loss of power. However, solar and wind do not have the same safeguards.

    On Monday, a state of emergency was declared in Spain, with hospitals forced to switch to emergency generators and traffic lights knocked out in some regions.

    Mobile networks were also hit, leaving people to rely on battery-powered radios to receive updates and news.

    Underground train passengers were also forced to flee through dark tunnels in Spain and Portugal, while emergency services workers carried out 286 rescue operations to free people trapped inside lifts across Madrid.

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

    AD

    Andrew Dodds
    15 hrs ago
    Time we banned ministers without proper educational qualifications holding these posts.

    In what world does a degree in PPE or history allow you to make such important decisions that directly impact national and economic security.

    Andy RoadKing
    14 hrs ago
    Miliband is a total misfit who is away with the Fairies.

    How do these people get into a position in politics to do so much damage and then waltz off multi-millionaires. In any other sphere of life he would be wearing corduroy trousers and making the tea for the grown ups.

    The Net Zero insanity must be stopped before even more damage is inflicted on the UK.

    1. "…Ms Ribera, a socialist, was minister for the ecological transition of Spain from 2018 to 2024,…"

      There's the problem in a nutshell. It's other people's money, so doesn't count. The waste, inefficiency, all irrelevant in the grand vision of destroying a nation.

    3. 404844+ up ticks,

      Morning C1,
      Peoples should tread warily or be asking for a second helping of tory(INO) party MK2

    1. What Starmer means is he'll make them asylum seekers instead of refugees or, more accurately perhaps, this wasn't a refugee it was an illegal immigrant, so his statement doesn't count.

      It's semantics, evasion, deceit and corruption. That's all they have to offer.

    2. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/04/30/miliband-says-taxes-dont-set-energy-prices-experts-disagree/

      As everyone knew, Miliband was lying.

      But of course, they don't know. That's why he gets away with lying. Same as Reeves will stand up and say 'we didn't tax you, we taxed companies, as if companies are a nebulous, empty thing that has unlimited cash reserves and are cruel for not giving you endless pay rises until the cleaner earns as much as the store manager and CEO.

      Some oik with 5 gcses (more than Raynor) demands a massive pay rise and wants 'a union' at Amazon because he thinks a 10 hour day is unfair. Well kid, it is but you're not worth any more and the reason why you're working such long hours is because you didn't work at school. Chances are you won't learn this lesson either.

  18. 404844+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    Face it we must, we have well past the point of no return,or for that matter no returnees.

    This sample of new brit residence cosily embedded in top hotels, plus the daily intake
    are here to stay.

    What we witness now of their odious antics
    are to be realised in the future as their nicer points.

    We, in all truthfulness, these last three decades plus have been fashioning manacles via the polling stations for the future indigenous generations, or a short life of continuous internal war, can one deny that
    will be our leaving legacy. https://x.com/BohemianAtmosp1/status/1916909740107698684

    1. What can we do about it? The problem is the vast majority of people are thick. Maybe that's not nice to say but it's true. They are dumb as a box of rocks. They don't read, they don't understand when they do. The few who do look at it and say 'For goodness sake. The climate change hoax wasn't working so the state is now forcing the problem with the thing they blame us for.'.

      This is why we get morons like Raynor blithering on as deputy prime minister – soemone with no work experience, no useful skills, no value, who has never worked and lived on benefits her whole life – scamming them for her own profit along the way – as deputy prime minister.

      It is Idiocracy writ large. Instead of the best and brightest we have the thick and grifting.

      1. 404844+ up ticks,

        Morning W,
        Good post, we must be nigh on tipping point time when welfare cannot be covered, then the indigenous thickos will realise THEIR
        welfare payments are being whittled down
        to net zero, PRIOR TO THE INVADING ELEMENTS.

    2. To put the second generator "on the bars", not only must it be generating at grid frequency, but the peak/trough in the sine wave must synchronise with the other generator before the breaker is thrown and both are on the bars. Back home in the UK, the CEGB used a syncro-meter that showed by a pointer how out-of-phase the newly started gen set was, and they would play very gently with the steam valve to speed up/slow down until they were in phase. Sometimes, they just couldn't get synchronised with the grid, and would close the breaker anyway. This then forced the errant gen set to be synchronised with the grid, with a bang! Very stressful for the machine, and you'd notice it as a consumer by a brief darkening of your lighting.
      This was back in 1988…

      1. When I worked weekends at a place that used a lot of electricity (had its own sub-station) there would often be power fluffs.

    3. I'm not sure it's immediately, as today for example the solar is generating a good 1.2kw. We're using 376 watts. Around midday that'll be 1.7. In the evening 500w until the sun goes in.

      The problem is unreliability as when a cloud drifts over there's a sudden, uncontrollable drop in output. Without grid scale batteries that's simply an impossible thing to manage. One option is to have every home be offered a tax free 10KW battery set up to move demand management locally.

  21. Election time?

    For some but not all!

    "Announces" isn't acting. "Change" is an over-used and undefined slogan. Labour MPs/Ministers have been caught out lying and avoiding answering direct questions: no "Change" there. Other party members are available for this criticism.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3837dd62d55130a20787a961586c0a97e837e2c79b2b54052a0f6d1df9d83a83.png

    Reform advice when visiting the polling station.

    Why take your own black pen?🤔🤔🤔

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fcf72e6f1203937862e5095dabe8ce479fa5b4d5c26632891cd0b905abc1df56.png

    1. Why not? I do find it a bit odd that you're given a pencil.

      Labour announces… and then bins it the day after. Labour… change for the worse. As change is easy. I can change the computer I'm typing this on. It doesn't mean anything has necessarily improved.

      Like blair's 'education education education' waffle. Well, what about it? What are you going to do?

  22. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/04/30/kemi-badenoch-voters-wishing-plague-on-labour-as-well/

    There's a lot there to unpick. It is not the Tories the public dislike, or Labour – it's all of you. Arguing that the Tories got Brexit done is a lie. We're still suffocating under hateful EU rules and regulation, hamstrung by childish sewage who fought against it – and still do. We've a political class that refuses to leave the hated EU and a civil service that simply won't, and does anything to prevent it. A case in point was Boris' crowing of tax harmonisation (emphasis on harm) at a time when we could have said , naah, up yours, we're going for 10% and next year, 8%.

    The Lords is stuffed to the gills and we all know why: it's a cronies old boys club.

    Protest? No, people are not protesting by voting for another party. They want something different for them and their families. They want lower taxes, more efficient public services, they want the same sort of response they get from heir council that they do from a shop. That's not 'apps', that's not digital, it's service and choice. They want to go on, demand something and get it done, that week. Not in fifty years.

    While you, personally may not be responsible, Ms Badenoch, you're part of the same machine that churns out useless no hopers without ability or relevance. You're a normal person in a high office, but you know as well as I that politics isn't about serving the public and achieving things. It's a snake pit of backstabbers (I can see Bernard pointing out the mixed metaphor) surrounded by uninterested, lazy, arrogant officialdom determined to continue the decline of this country for their own revenge.

  23. Waltzes In
    Good morning on this delightful spring day .
    We are being spoilt with all this sunshine .
    Time for a cup of tea.

  24. 404844+ up ticks,

    Time for the indigenous herd to withdraw their collective heads from their collective arses and ask themselves one question,
    "What party can guarantee with some certainty our physical survival as a nation"

    At this late stage of the "survival stakes"
    survival being the ultimate aim, no farm /no food to consider the F F & F party as being out in front by an uncluttered country mile.

  25. Cubicle Verse.

    SIR – It’s not just pub lavatories that benefited from graffiti (Letters, April 29). The following was written on a library cubicle wall at Exeter University in 1990, when that institution was the world centre of Sloane Rangerdom:

    I’ve got a baseball cap
    And a Renault Five,
    An accountancy job –
    It’s great to be alive!

    Alastair Prain
    London SW1

    SIR – I recall a poster campaign on the London Underground a few years ago, depicting Henry VIII standing at the ticket counter and saying to the clerk behind the glass: “Return ticket to the Tower of London, please.” To which somebody had added: “And a single for the wife.”

    Bill Rutherford
    Galashiels, Selkirk

    SIR – The best graffiti I’ve seen was “Apathy is the curse of the British people,” underneath which someone had written, “Who cares?”

    Wendy Webster
    London N5

    The funniest graffiti I have seen was scribbled on the wall of the holding cell beneath the dock at Chesterfield County Court. It read:

    Q: Why are coppers like bananas?
    A: Because they are bent, yellow, and hang around in bunches!

  26. Good morning everyone ,

    Sunshine , blue sky , still , and the what was the so barren flower bed has sprung into life , aquilegia , wall flowers , late primroses etc

    Watered the garden again last night , hydrangeas were droopy and potted azaleas, begonias etc needed a drink .

    The scarified lawn that Moh so tenderly cared for for weeks , looks lovely, green , lush, but oh dear , the moles have vanished , and have been replaced by mini anthills , piles of sandy chalky soil, and the wretched things are also sending up sand from the patio and crawling indoors , so have put ant powder on the inside patio window edges..

    1. Correct me if I'm am wrong (or a dinosaur); but wouldn't the breakdown of the entire railway network in Iberia over the past week have been averted if steam locomotion had still been the default rail transport mode?🚂

    4. Does Avanti West Coast make any attempt to establish whether colourfully decorating their rolling stock in this fashion generates more income than it costs to do it? What kind of person, seeing this, says something like, "Oh, how delightful. I'll take the train instead of driving to my destination" or "I was going to stay at home for the weekend but I've decided, instead, to take a city break in Manchester to show solidarity with this celebration of DEI"? What other kinds of less tangible rewards might follow on from this? Perhaps it casts the company in a more favourable light when it comes to government policymaking, influencing decisions such as upgrading the rail network for the benefit of those companies which use it. If it's not of any obvious benefit to those offering rail travel, why do it?

  30. Kitchen Menace.

    SIR – There are only two types of people who own a mandoline (Letters, April 28): those who have sliced a finger, and those who are about to.

    Ian Vere Nicoll
    Kilmington, Wiltshire

    SIR – I didn’t even get my mandoline home. I went to buy one, picked it up, and immediately cut my finger. The store first-aider rushed over, took one look at the flowing blood, then went very pale. I put the plaster on myself.
    I decided not to buy a mandoline.

    Rowan Hillson
    Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire

    SIR – About 45 years ago, a friend sliced off the top of her finger using what was then the fashionable new kitchen gadget – a food processor. She rescued it from the bowl and had it successfully reattached – as I hope did Jane Davage (Letters, April 28).

    Felicity Thomson
    Alloway, Ayrshire

    It seems that the old adage, "It's a poor engineer who blames his tools", has never been so apt. The only 'menace' in a kitchen is the idiot who is clueless about his/her own safety and then blames the tool he/she is haplessly attempting to use for the injuries received as a direct consequence of its misuse.

    1. There are only two types of people in this world.
      Those who believe there are and those who don’t. :-))

  31. Semaphore signals operated by cables worked wonderfully well when I were nobbut a sprog.

    Mind you, that were quite a while back!

    2. I was thinking of that, and the communication between the signal boxes was Telegraph, probably independent of the electricity system.

    3. The beauty of the Victorian system was that if a cable broke and the signal failed it defaulted to stop.

  32. A great deal of garden work is expected today – so I should get ready for my instructions. Back later.

  33. Minty’s Saga. (Update)
    Right I am now off down to the surgery to renew my prescription. You would think that this would be the simplest of tasks. Alas no. I have yet to succeed. The combination of hearing loss and NHS indifference has stymied every effort so far. This hasn’t stopped them issuing directives. You would imagine that I have nothing better to do than attend a series of appointments for various conditions. The rest of my life can go hang. I have another Blood Test at 7:30 tomorrow morning and an appointment with the quack on the following Friday. On top of this I should arrange to see the Diabetic Nurse as soon as possible. There are difficulties to this. Getting to the surgery is a problem in itself. Just to show you how it is I went to the Post Office on the Monday to pay a bill and then walked down to the Supermarket, a mere half mile; if that. This did for me. I spent the whole of yesterday recovering. I have yet to hear about an appointment with the eye hospital, so I have to keep that in mind. It is quite possible that it has gone astray. If it were not for this latter I would drop the whole thing and make my own way.

    1. Can’t you order your repeat prescriptions on line. It works perfectly well with our surgery and it’s sent straight to the local pharmacy of your choice.

          1. Morning Alec..frees up a lot of time, who wants to battle traffic…happy painting (or whatever you have planned) x

          3. Take care in the heat and sun (assuming you have both)…wear a hat, you’ll look charming 🙂 x

          4. It's quite a cooling breeze at the moment with the sun coming out and in again – I'm wearing my pink crash helmet x

          6. I've just shovelled out and sieved a bucketload of compost from one of my compost bins.

    2. Minty – I'm surprised that you need to pay bills at the Post Office when you are perfectly computer literate. Same with booking appointments, prescriptions and so on. do them online!

    2. G & P, after an exhausting night hunting, are fast asleep in the pond room. And will remain there until cheese time (12.15) when they will saunter into the kitchen.

        2. I know it sounds pretentious. There WAS a pond, which I filled in about 1995, because I had had an extension built which went close to it. The new room had to be identifiable – so “Pond Room” was the obvious one!

          (I hated the pond – it was always dank and messy and herons ate any fish). Just a waste of otherwise cultivatable land.)

      3. Since I started feeding him morsels of sashimi (raw cod) he follows me around like a little lap dog. He spends each night in the uterum (conservatory) where he has a panoramic view of the entire garden.

        Do P & G attempt to fish out the koi carp from the pond in your pond room?

    3. The look that says 'I'm in charge and you know it'…….'morning Grizzly, have a good one 🙂

    4. It's not life without at least one cat, preferably two. Our girls don't go far, they don't hunt the wildlife and they spend the night with us in bed. Though last night Ziggy chose to sleep on my clothes on the stool.

      1. The only thing I do not like is pets in the bedroom. I hate having my sleep disturbed. Findus loves his huge conservatory and often asks during the day to go back in there.
        He also likes my large workshop to explore and my old piano stool (in the workshop office) is a favourite napping perch.

        1. Our girls tend to move around – nowhere is out of bounds but bed is the place at the moment. Ziggy has moved on from the hedgehog cushion but I will have to discourage her from sleeping on my clothes tonight. I’ll cover them with the leopard print mat which I bought for them when we got them. They both avoid it for some reason. Once they’ve settled down they hardly move all night.

      2. The boys each have their own bed, although they do occasionally decide to swap. Once they've settled down for the night, that's it for about seven hours.

  35. Ave atque vale amici . Just whiling away a few moments before I head south.

    The cons are a lost cause. They’ve spent too long being unconservative.

  36. I had a phone call yesterday about the referral supposedly made last year. It must have got misdirected said the woman. Chucked in the bin because I am over 70 was my thought.

    1. Got my invitation for yet another C19 jab yesterday. It's almost as if there was money in it for someone.

        1. I received mine by text, email and letter. What a waste of public money! Of course I ignored them all.

    1. They used to publish The Best of Alex every year. Will they now publish The Last of Alex?

  39. With so many people dependent on some form of government handout the state has people over a barrel. Don't vote 'the right way', don't promise the largesse to continue and bang, you're not getting elected.

    Doesn't matter what the reality is, doesn't matter what the cost is. Brown started this landslide and the Tories did nothing to undo it, too frightened of the backlash and, frankly, too busy playing politics.

    1. If a muslim is fasting and they see you eating nearby they get very upset. If management can convince everyone to fast they won't have to deal with lots of complaints.

      It is appeasement. More is coming.

      1. 404844+up ticks,

        Morning Pip,

        We have the political taking the kneeling position at the drop of a hat , next will be the
        working minions taking the appeasing position whenever a mussie enter the area.

        1. Good morning.

          Perhaps everyone in the NHS should be encouraged to pray 5 times a day.

          It would implode within a week.

      2. 404844+up ticks,

        Morning Pip,

        We have the political taking the kneeling position at the drop of a hat , next will be the
        working minions taking the appeasing position whenever a mussie enter the area.

    3. I was listening to a really interesting podcast about a Shropshire girl who was groomed by the Telford gangs and then the Birmingham ones. All was going well till the end when she said she had converted to Islam.

      ““I actually ended up converting to Islam. How that happened was, they were all going to abandon me, so they've been abusing me for the best part of the year, and then all of a sudden it was Ramadan, so they wanted a blowout party the weekend before Ramadan started. And then they wanted to, you know, a big sex, awed gang party, and they wanted me to come for that, and, you know, they wanted to try to, like, loads of, loads of calls.

      And luckily, somebody mentioned it to me. Luckily, I already knew, so I knew that it was going to be Ramadan, and I was like, actually, you know, screw you, I'm not coming to this party, I'm going to fast. So I cut them all off, and I fasted for Ramadan, because they were going to.

      So, you know, how dare you get forgiven for your sins, for everything you've done to me, and then leave all your sin on me? How dare you? I felt like very strongly angry about that.

      So I thought, like, F you, I am going to fast for Ramadan, and I'm going to do it properly, and all my “sins are going to be forgiven as well. So, you know, a few, I'm going to have one upon you religiously. So I thought I'd just do it for a week, but I actually got really into it.

      I read a book on Ramadan. I didn't have any external Muslim influence at the time. It was all done through study.

      And that made me, that actually made me a better Muslim because I didn't have any other Muslim bad habits influencing me. And then by the end of anyway, I did the whole month of Ramadan fasting. It was really enlightening for me….

      “And another reason I did that was because I'd learnt that everything that they were doing to me was wrong and was against Islam. And it gave me the power to argue, have religious arguments with them. Like, I'm not going to meet you because it's against my religion.

      And then I would pull out the part of the Sunnah or the part of the Quran, where it says you shouldn't be in a room alone with a man who is not your, you're not married to or is not a member of your family. I would pull out all these different quotes from the Prophet Muhammad. And that would, that would shut them up because they had no argument, because they couldn't argue with that, because they knew it was right.

      And it gave me a whole community of women as well. So I had a whole, I ended up with a whole community of friends, female friends who I would go to the mosque with, and I would go out for dinner with, and we would go and pray. So I learned, I learned the Muslim prayer, which was very, very meditative.

      It's, there's parts of the religion[…]”

      From Shaun Attwoods True Crime Podcast: GROOMING GANG SURVIVOR'S WARNING TO TELFORD – Kate Elysia Part 4 | Podcast 734, 29 Apr 2025
      https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/shaun-attwoods-true-crime-podcast/id1434527138?i=1000705465203&r=4236
      This material may be protected by copyright.

      This is what we are up against. They raped and trafficked her and yet she is now a Muslim.

      1. 404844+ up ticks,

        Morning LIR,

        Very interesting, I would consider it to be
        working internally in the extreme to change these odious issues.

  41. A very belated Good Morning to one and all.
    Back from my couple days away getting very frustrated with Direct Line Insurance who appear, without warning, cancelled my van insurance TWO bloody weeks ago! Currently on hold whilst the helpline lady I spoke to has words with upper echelons and the Muzak is bloody mind numblingly awful!!

    A pleasant morning with a tad over 9°C when I checked 2hours ago.

  42. Red light flashing
    Copper prices surged to new highs in March as trade tensions flared and US President Donald Trump threatened a 25 per cent tariff on all copper imports to boost US production, escalating a resource war. Chinese copper stocks to run out in Weeks.
    South China Morning Post

    Fun fact: At its 19th/20th century peak, Swansea copperworks produced 90% of all the world's copper.
    Fast forward.. In 2024, the main origins of China's Scrap Copper imports were: 5th place United Kingdom ($796M). (mostly Pykeys in & around the Swansea vale.

  48. Yes, but to what end? Have they made any effort to establish whether virtue signalling of this kind is of benefit to the company's bottom line?

    1. I doubt if such thoughts ever cross the mind of virtue signallers, virtue signalling is egocentric – “look at me!”

  49. What a depressing email. Apologies for the layout.
    David Fleming runs a substack.

    The Long Game of Tony Blair: From Climate Optimism to Technocratic Control
    David Fleming
    Apr 29, 2025
    In the final weeks of his time as UK Prime Minister in 2007, Tony Blair made an oddly casual but revealing remark about the climate crisis.

    “Don’t worry about the climate — technology will fix it.”

    At the time, it seemed like a vague gesture. A reassuring message from a departing leader trying to bridge realism and optimism.

    Eighteen years later, we now know what he meant.

    On April 29, 2025, the Tony Blair Institute published a new climate strategy paper titled The Climate Paradox: Why We Need to Reset Action on Climate Change.

    At first glance, it appears to be a critique of current Net Zero policies — admitting they’re economically toxic, politically unpopular, and practically unworkable.

    But on closer reading, it reveals something much more significant:

    a polished blueprint for a global technocratic control system, built in the name of solving climate change through data, automation, and artificial intelligence.

    The Switch: From Public Sacrifice to AI Control

    Blair and his Institute are not abandoning Net Zero.

    They are reframing it — from a movement of public sacrifice to a system of top-down automation.

    The paper recommends:

    Abandoning political targets and messy global summits (like COP)

    Replacing them with coalitions of major powers, guided by scientists, financiers, and engineers

    Deploying artificial intelligence to manage energy consumption across entire societies

    Scaling up carbon capture technology, not just to reduce emissions — but to create new markets and credit systems

    Redirecting global finance into tech-based solutions, bypassing democratic input entirely

    What’s notably absent?

    Democratic consent

    National sovereignty

    Any reference to freedom or privacy

    It’s a plan not to empower humanity — but to manage it.

    Digital Identity in Everything But Name

    Though the report doesn’t use the words “digital ID,” the implication is everywhere.

    Tony Blair has spent nearly two decades advocating for biometric and digital identity systems.

    The vision in this report — AI-managed energy, carbon-based currencies, global coordination of behaviour — is impossible without a system to track, identify, and manage individuals.

    Which means:

    Your energy use will be measured

    Your carbon impact will be calculated

    Your lifestyle choices will be assessed by machine logic

    Your access to energy, services, or money may soon depend on what your profile allows

    This isn’t climate policy.

    It’s the construction of a permissioned society — one that you don’t vote for, but are born into.

    A Convenient Blackout

    Strangely — or perhaps perfectly — the Blair report was published just one day after a massive, historic power outage plunged Spain and Portugal into darkness.

    At its peak, 60% of Spain’s electricity was offline.

    Cities froze. Trains stopped. Stores closed. Communication collapsed.

    The cause? Likely a grid instability linked to over-reliance on solar and wind — the exact problem Blair claims his AI-optimised systems can fix.

    Whether coincidence or choreography, the blackout was the perfect backdrop for a sales pitch:

    “See? The old system is failing. Trust us with the new one.”

    The Controlled Collapse Narrative

    Blair is not alone.

    Donald Trump is attacking Net Zero from the right, calling it a disaster for the economy and energy independence.

    Kemi Badenoch and the UK Conservatives are now walking back climate targets, citing cost and unrest.

    Across Europe, support for green policies is collapsing under the weight of energy failures and rising bills.

    But here’s the trick: this isn’t a collapse. It’s a handover.

    Blair’s plan steps in as the “sensible alternative” — not to abandon climate governance, but to make it automatic, algorithmic, and unchallengeable.

    The message is no longer “cut back to save the planet.”

    Now it’s:

    “Relax. You don’t have to change anything. The system will change you.”

    The Real Danger

    Blair’s 2007 promise — “technology will fix it” — has finally been fulfilled.

    But not in the way anyone hoped.

    This isn’t innovation that empowers people.

    It’s technology as enforcement.

    It’s infrastructure not to serve humanity, but to steer it — quietly, constantly, and without appeal.

    What was once a public mission has become a technocratic machine.

    And that machine now has a face.

      1. Courtesy of Wiki.

        "The Machine Stops" is a science fiction short story by E. M. Forster.
        Plot summary
        The story describes a world in which most of the human population has lost the ability to live on the surface of the Earth. Each individual now lives in isolation below ground in a standard room, with all bodily and spiritual needs met by the omnipotent, global Machine. Travel is permitted but is unpopular and rarely necessary. Communication is made via a kind of instant messaging/video conferencing machine with which people conduct their only activity: the sharing of ideas and what passes for knowledge.
        The two main characters, Vashti and her son Kuno, live on opposite sides of the world. Vashti is content with her life, which, like most inhabitants of the world, she spends producing and endlessly discussing second-hand 'ideas'. Her son Kuno, however, is a sensualist and a rebel. He persuades a reluctant Vashti to endure the journey (and the resultant unwelcome personal interaction) to his room. There, he tells her of his disenchantment with the sanitised, mechanical world. He confides to her that he has visited the surface of the Earth without permission and that he saw other humans living outside the world of the Machine. However, the Machine recaptures him, and he is threatened with 'Homelessness': expulsion from the underground environment and presumed death. Vashti, however, dismisses her son's concerns as dangerous madness and returns to her part of the world.
        As time passes, and Vashti continues the routine of her daily life, there are two important developments. First, individuals are no longer permitted use of the respirators which are needed to visit the Earth's surface. Most welcome this development, as they are sceptical and fearful of first-hand experience and of those who desire it. Secondly, "Mechanism", a kind of religion, is established in which the Machine is the object of worship. People forget that humans created the Machine and treat it as a mystical entity whose needs supersede their own.
        Those who do not accept the deity of the Machine are viewed as 'unmechanical' and threatened with Homelessness. The Mending Apparatus—the system charged with repairing defects that appear in the Machine proper—has also failed by this time, but concerns about this are dismissed in the context of the supposed omnipotence of the Machine itself.
        During this time, Kuno is transferred to a room near Vashti's. He comes to believe that the Machine is breaking down and tells her cryptically "The Machine stops." Vashti continues with her life, but eventually defects begin to appear in the Machine. At first, humans accept the deteriorations as the whim of the Machine, to which they are now wholly subservient, but the situation continues to deteriorate as the knowledge of how to repair the Machine has been lost.
        Finally, the Machine collapses, bringing 'civilization' down with it. Kuno comes to Vashti's ruined room. Before they both perish, they realise that humanity and its connection to the natural world are what truly matters, and that it will fall to the surface-dwellers who still exist to rebuild the human race and to prevent the mistake of the Machine from being repeated.

          1. The Machine Stops was a set book at school. We did Fahrenheit 451 too but not 1984. Not a huge sci-fi fan. I read Mission by Patrick Tilley, who was a sci-fi writer but that particular story is a fantasy imagining that on Easter Saturday when he descends in to hell, Jesus turns up in 1970s New York.

    2. Trump and his team are well aware that the key to a productive and growing society is cheap energy, and most Americans agree. The likelihood of Net Zero really catching on here is low – Americans rely on private cars (and big SUV's – a Range Rover is not considered "big" here) for transport for a start, and tend to take much longer road trips than Europeans. EV's today are just not up to supporting that lifestyle due to range limitations, not enough roadside charging facilities and high initial costs. Fine for commuting, but one would need another car for vacation trips, which can easily be 500+ miles.

  50. Phew! It's very warm out there already. Just spent a few minutes picking off the dandelion clocks and a bit of general weeding – the oleander has now gone out for the summer.
    Went out to discourage OH from going up the ladder to chuck out the mess in the swift box 3 where we're expecting an arrival any day now. An opportunistic starling noticed that the sock which had blocked the hole had been removed so it brought in some nesting material. There are three boxes used by starlings, but that one is for swifts only!

  52. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1e796843f6a7f57d06fe5fc80b94dbe434517a2b9fa4d87357121147eb1d0005.jpg Sorry to be so grumpy yesterday.

    If any of you have nothing better to do, can you monitor Facebook, Ebay etc to see if the following bike is listed for sale?

    It’s a Specialized Turbo Vado 3.0 step-through electric hybrid red bike, size medium.

    It was stolen last night (29th April) from Sheen Gate, Richmond Park between 18:15 and 20:00.

      1. Yes, and i have reported the frame number etc. plod reckons it often recovers bikes but can’t rec them back to the original owner. The question is whether to wait and see if it is advertised for sale and/or if Plod finds it, or crack on and get a new one. It will pay for itself in a about 9 months as otherwise now i have to use public transport AS I SOLD MY MOTORBIKE LAST WEEK AS I NEVER USED IT AGGHGHHhH

        1. Well you could end up with two bikes…….. shame you sold the m/bike too soon though.

    2. Uncle Bill took delivery of one just like that earlier this morning. He's very pleased with it.

      1. Tell him i have the keys to the battery, and the charger, which i can sell him if he needs them!

    3. That's a bit of a bugger.
      And the lack of interest from the police rubs salt into the wound too.

    4. Check out your local migrant hotel. They always seem to have piles of bikes which i doubt they paid for.

  53. Other than once more losing my faith in this country, we had a nice walk last night commemorating our deceased friend. We went to Isabella Plantation and the axaleas were beautiful.

    Unfortunately the photo i took for you won’t post – above the size limit or something.

    1. On the plus side, i will be rebuying a bike with the money i was going to spend on my lad’s (controversial) 21st.

      Husband says to wait a week and see if it turns up, but i want to go ahead and order the replacement as it will take a while to arrive.

      1. Old Father Thames was a great help to my sanity during the lockdowns. He rolled in and out with the tides regardless of the hysteria all around. Just staring at him was soothing.

  54. Morning all,

    There's a lot of discussion this morning about the implication of Spain and Portugal's loss of electricity grid after there was a claim that both countries could be run completely on wind and solar energy.

    In fact they were running at about 60% on renewables when both countries came to a complete halt after national catastrophic power failures resulting in national emergencies.

    One prevailing explanation is that grid demand, once predictable by people putting on kettles during TV advert breaks, is now so unpredictable that humans sitting behind computer screens in the grid control centres are unable to react fast enough due to closure of short inertial based fossil fuelled generators.

    Is the answer to use AI to control all our energy sources? – without using fossil fuels in the near term I don't think AI
    can possibly solve that one. In the current world turbulence in trading markets and currency fluctiations automated trading is producing some unexpected trends and traders are even asking speculating viewers what they are planning to to do in the cueent unstable times.

    In the meantime, I am working out if I can to use my 100w solar panel in MOH's greenhouse to power the kitchen fridge.
    (technically it is possible as a realistic average power consumption is about 60w). After all, Brits in Spain during the power cut just went to the nearest bar and asked for a cold beer.

    Here it is:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8081d761d647fdbae9617761b2a597a97976d7176c2a08e31c027a0f4bc29906.jpg
    A scaled down feasibiity test rig is in operation:

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/06f3a2fc317eecd2514a1e9f6c29f6e6786629ab5a11b5d42f67fe3ef4b8efa0.jpg

    1. Some people went out for lunch, others didn't have any money No credit cards could be accepted as WiFi didn't work. Little information unless you had a AM radio. Luckily they got it sorted out But the cause is still unknown

        1. Here in Valencia it was a holiday so supermarkets and banks closed.
          The worry was no one knew how long it would last. All Spain and Portugal down. Rumours were it was all over Europe but luckily we had a radio and heard differently.
          Couldn't cook. Our apartment is on the 8th floor so no water because pumps not working. Luckily we drink mineral water and so had plenty. Filled a bucket from the showers by the swimming pool and carried it up.
          Lights began to go on about 9pm but we didn't have power untiil 11.

          1. Presumably you had to carry the water up eight flights of stairs, as the lifts wouldn't be working? One time when we had a power cut in West London, people in my building ordered takeaways as they couldn't cook and the look on the faces of the delivery men when they were told that the lifts were out of action and they would have to walk to the 7th, 8th, 9th floors was priceless. I just wouldn't do it. Not worth the risk of a heart attack.

          2. We rested every three flights. We had bought food as well. We didn’t know how long this would last.

    2. The problem with any electrical device with a motor (includes fridges) is not average, but start up power draw, which is much higher than the steady state draw.

      1. I shall need a solar charge controller to cope with transient battery loads feeding an inverter.

    1. When Moh and I had our appointment with Specsavers a couple of weeks ago , we popped into Beales ..

      What a rubbish sale .. full of dross that looks as if it has been shipped in courtesy of Temu and Iron curtain countries ..

      Outlandish , outrageous dull junk.

      Not a patch on the pre covid department store it used to be .. Quality clothing , shoes , homeware etc, but now , well we were shocked .. Just wondering whether the sales items were destined for Romania!!!

  56. An Italian cardinal convicted for his role in a scandal involving Vatican spies and property investments in Chelsea has bowed out of the conclave to elect a new pope after reportedly being shown a request signed by Pope Francis before he died.

    Cardinal Angelo Becciu backtracked on Tuesday on his earlier insistence that he would be voting in the conclave, stating: “I have decided to obey the will of Pope Francis, as I have always done, and not enter the conclave despite remaining convinced of my innocence.”

    The reports of letters left by Francis asking a cardinal not to vote recall the plot of the recent film Conclave, in which the dean of the college of cardinals played by Ralph Fiennes searches for a letter left by a late pope before he died which demanded that a cardinal should resign.

    • Who will be the next pope?

    Pope Francis stripped Becciu of his rights as a cardinal in 2020 after an investigation into the Vatican’s €350 million investment in a former Harrods car showroom in Chelsea which was set to be converted into luxury flats.

    Becciu, 76, was the Pope’s chief of staff at the time of the investment, which ended in a loss of about €140 million amid accusations of exorbitant consultancy fees and vanishing cash.

    The former frontrunner for pope was also accused of handling a €125,000 payment to a charity run by his brother, as well as a €575,000 fee paid to Cecilia Marogna, a self-styled intelligence expert who
    offered to broker the release of a nun held hostage in Africa by Islamic extremists.

    Cecilia Marogna
    Nicknamed the “Mata Hari of the Vatican”, Marogna spent a part of her fee on furniture, clothing and handbags from luxury brands such as Prada, Gucci and Hermès.

    Becciu was given a five-and-a-half year sentence for his role in the scandal in 2023, but plans to appeal amid doubts over the way the investigation was handled and criticism over the late Pope’s tinkering with Vatican rules to boost the case.

    A British court has also questioned the Vatican’s investigation.

    Becciu showed up at the pre-conclave meetings of cardinals at the Vatican and gave a defiant interview to an Italian newspaper, claiming he was entitled to vote.

    The Italian newspaper Domani has, however, reported that he was shown letters signed by Francis asking him to stand down.

    One letter, signed ‘F’, was reportedly written by Francis on March 24 after his release from hospital last month and before his death on Easter Monday.

    The letters were reportedly shown to Becciu by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state — himself a candidate for pope — and by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the college of cardinals, who oversees the conclave, which starts on May 7.

    The question of whether Becciu should enter the conclave or not has dominated press briefings at the Vatican since cardinals first started their so-called general congregations ahead of the conclave.

    In a statement, which was released by his lawyer on Tuesday, Becciu said he hoped his decision not to vote would “contribute to the unity and serenity of the conclave”.

    The Italian daily Il Messaggero suggested on Tuesday that Parolin — the bookies’ favourite to be elected as Pope — can currently rely on about 50 votes, 40 short of the 90 he will need to gain a winning two thirds majority in the conclave.

    But the newspaper added his current high profile could backfire if cardinals believe he is promoting himself too hard. Parolin held a meeting with President Zelensky of Ukraine after the Pope’s funeral, even though his title as Vatican secretary of state lapsed with Francis’s death.

    Il Messaggero said two other voting blocs were forming. The conservative Hungarian cardinal Peter Erdo was close to having 25 votes while the Maltese liberal-leaning Mario Grech had close to 30.

    Becciu is not the only cardinal at the conclave with a questionable CV. The Peruvian cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, 81, the former archbishop of Lima, has been spotted at meetings in his cardinal’s outfit despite being told by Pope Francis to never wear it again after he was accused of sex abuse.

    Jamming devices are being set up at the Sistine Chapel to stop cardinals ringing out during the conclave while special coatings will be placed on the windows to stop laser scanners pointed at them and picking up audio, Italy’s Corriere della Sera reported.

    https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/cardinal-becciu-vatican-conclave-klgt09rhp

    It seems that more of them cannot be trusted. Jamming equipment is being installed because they can’t be trusted to not break the rules by communicating by phone during the conclave.

    Reply

    Recommend (34)

    Share
    Robert Langford
    14 hours ago
    Replying to Rory Winters

    When they have all finished covocating in St Peters, perhaps HM prison service could buy the jamming kit to install in some of their phone ridden establishments?

    1. 'Robert Langford' is the main character in Dan Brown's novel on popery jiggerypokery, The Da Vinci Code.

      [Played in the film by Tom Hanks]

    3. Heard of it, but what's left of my brain doesn't tell me why.
      "A history of tractor production in Ukrainian" I think.

    4. It was a good book better than Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (Paul Torday) which i read at the same tome but which got bonkers at the end

  58. My poor car , now a month later after spending £980+ on damaged suspension etc, now has an engine particulate problem all to do with Adblue .. virtually undrivable , and the garage examined it this morning .. £1500 estimate .

    Apparently the garage have had 4 Peugeot 2008's in during the past 10 days with the same problem .

    Peugeot should have recalled all 2008's when they knew about this problem .

    Peugeot 2008 diesel vehicles, like many modern diesel cars, use AdBlue to reduce emissions. Common AdBlue issues include crystallization, sensor problems, and system malfunctions, which can trigger warning lights and restrict engine power. These issues can stem from AdBlue contamination, poor quality parts, or even the AdBlue injector freezing up.
    Here's a more detailed look at common AdBlue problems in Peugeot 2008:
    1. Crystallization:
    AdBlue can crystallize, especially when exposed to air or low temperatures.
    This crystallization can clog injectors, filters, and even the AdBlue pump, leading to system malfunctions.
    2. Sensor Issues:
    The AdBlue tank sensor may malfunction, causing the system to display an empty tank even when it's full, or vice versa.
    This can trigger a warning light or prevent the engine from starting.
    3. AdBlue System Malfunctions:
    The AdBlue pump, which is part of the AdBlue tank, can fail due to contamination or poor design.
    The injector itself can become stuck or fail due to crystallization or other issues.
    4. Other Potential Problems:
    AdBlue contamination can also lead to issues.
    Incorrect AdBlue filling procedures can also cause problems.
    Troubleshooting and Solutions:
    Check AdBlue Level: Ensure the AdBlue tank is properly filled.
    Check for Clogs: Inspect the AdBlue injector, filter, and lines for blockages due to crystallization.
    Check Sensor Function: Verify the AdBlue tank sensor is working correctly.
    Use Diagnostic Tools: An OBD (On-Board Diagnostics) system can help identify specific fault codes.
    Reset the System: Follow the manufacturer's instructions to reset the AdBlue system after filling or repairs.
    Consult a Professional: If the problem persists, seek professional help from a qualified mechanic.
    Important Notes:

    Build Date:
    Some 2008 models with DV6FE engines built before a specific date (July 25, 2018) may be more prone to crystallization-related issues, according to a post on the French Car Forum.
    Warning Light:
    An AdBlue warning light can indicate various problems, including low AdBlue level, sensor issues, or system malfunctions.
    Engine Power Restriction:
    In some cases, the engine may enter limp mode or restrict power due to AdBlue system issues.

    My car is a 2016 2008 .

    Moh and I are broken , we don't need heavy bills like this .. April has been a very bad expensive month .

    1. Mine is a 2007 Peugeot 206 diesel. No problems with it since I bought it new. It looks a bit battered but is still a good runner. I don't think it uses AdBlue and it has no dpf either. It's always passed the emissions test at the MOT.

      You can certainly do without these big bills – maybe time to ditch that one for another.

      1. I have only had the car for a year, replacing my 307 Diesel Peugeot estate which had nearly 200,000 miles on the clock and was nearly 14 years old , an absolute work horse ..

        The 2008 was been looked after , but has the disadvantage of being wrecked virtually by potholes , uneven roads and the ad blue problem .

        1. I remember you had to replace your car last year. I know nothing about AdBlue but it sounds like a bad solution to a non-existent problem.

          The potholes round here are appalling but the ones in the lane itself were actually filled in a few weeks ago after one of our neighbours organised a “Fix My Street ” petition and also got a local councillor to come and see for herself. She actually got something done about it – the lane still needs resurfacing, but at least the worst of the potholes were filled in. It’s still bumpy but much better than before. I might even vote for her in the local election tomorrow – nobody else has bothered to even send a leaflet here.

          1. Asking around, it seems like people are giving up/have given up on politicians and politics generally.

    2. Sympathies, Belle.
      This from ChatGPT: You should bea ble to deal with items 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 by being careful (I'd guess you do that already). The others – something to check on and get fixed at a service

      To prevent problems related to AdBlue in a **Peugeot 2008**, especially common issues with the **AdBlue system (SCR – Selective Catalytic Reduction)**, follow these key precautions and maintenance tips:
      —
      ### ✅ **1. Use Only Certified AdBlue**
      – **Buy ISO 22241-compliant AdBlue** from trusted sources.
      – Avoid using expired, contaminated, or stored-in-wrong-container AdBlue, as it can damage the system.
      —
      ### ✅ **2. Refill Promptly and Avoid Running Dry**
      – **Never ignore AdBlue warning lights** or messages like “Starting prevented in X miles.”
      – If it runs out, the car **won’t start** until it’s refilled and recognized by the system.
      —
      ### ✅ **3. Store AdBlue Properly**
      – Keep containers **sealed, upright, and away from direct sunlight** or extreme temperatures.
      – Ideal storage: **-11°C to 30°C (12°F to 86°F)**. AdBlue freezes below -11°C and degrades above 30°C.
      —
      ### ✅ **4. Avoid Overfilling**
      – Stop when the pump auto-stops or the gauge reads full. Overfilling can cause crystallization and leaks.
      —
      ### ✅ **5. Let the System Recognize the Refill**
      – After refilling, **turn the ignition on for 30–60 seconds** (engine off) to allow the system to register the refill.
      —
      ### ✅ **6. Keep the AdBlue Injector and Tank Clean**
      – **Crystallization** (white powdery deposits) around the filler cap or injector area is a sign of leakage or spillage—clean with warm water.
      —
      ### ✅ **7. Update ECU Software**
      – Some AdBlue problems in Peugeot models are due to **faulty software logic**. Check with a dealership for **ECU software updates or recalls.**
      —
      ### ✅ **8. Regular Maintenance & System Check**
      – During service intervals, have the AdBlue system checked—especially:
      – **Injector**
      – **Pump**
      – **NOx sensors**
      – **Tank heater** (important in colder climates)
      —
      ### ⚠️ **Common Problems to Watch For**
      – **“Starting prevented in XXX miles”** even after a refill → system may need a reset.
      – **Crystallization or odor** near the filler.
      – **Frequent warnings** despite normal use → could indicate sensor or module issues.
      —
      Would you like a checklist or printable guide to keep in the car?

    4. Bloody Hell, that makes my DPF problems seem insignificant.
      Did you know that the active component of Ad-blue is synthetic urea?

    5. Saving the planet…one f&@k up at a time. Imagine how screwed the planet would be if we didn’t have to keep replacing stuff they’ve deliberately broken in the name of “sustainability”.

      My commiserations.

  59. I refilled the large deep water tray in the the front garden , the local cats like drinking from it , birds splash around in it ,and the Raven swooped down for a splash and a drink , and ate some food I scattered on the lawn .

    The bird is magnificent .

    I found a lovely you tube video , you will enjoy it as well .

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzS4flZDczM

    1. Thanks for video, Belle…Ravens – the cleverest of clever birds. Also thanks for tip on deep water tray, been looking at bird baths, none get really great reviews plus expensive. Hope you're doing ok today, Kate x

          1. It's difficult to remember, especially when the name was revealed years ago, and many who post now weren't even on the forum back then!

          2. It seems to grow, like Topsy, week to week. Geoff’s a good old boy, I used to see him initially on Spectator and there was someone posting there I think got fed up with having to subscribe to post (it was during the time of the Telegraph fiasco) and encouraged to try nttl (Geoff didn’t know about it). If Geoff were to ever ask us to, I’d subscribe but looks like he’s going for advert model so far. Possibly the many you mention could be some ‘graph/Speccie subbers?

  60. Mig rant Hotels
    If you want to view a Podcast on mig ration to really cheer you up, and have just under 52 minutes to spare, try this one, made by Aston Knight. You may have you do what I did and watch it in several segments.
    https://youtu.be/WbVnwGVuKDg?si=ytKjKysTmUhi8LRE
    Aston managed to get work in the Copthorne Hotel close to Gatwick – a part-16th Century Grade 2 listed 4-star hotel with all sorts of luxury features, including many 4-poster beds and a 100-acre park. He spent 3 months there and produced this Podcast to show the additional facilities afforded to the 'Service Users', i.e. mig rants. There are taxis laid on every morning to take the many children to local schools, and much, much more.
    If you can watch till the end it will knock your socks off. It's useful to turn on the subtitles, too.
    P.S. I just broke up a couple of words to avoid any possible censorship.
    P.P.S. if it's been posted on NTTL before and I missed it, I'm sorry, but it's still worth a view.

    1. The leftie libtard Romesh Ranganathan who is in favour of migrants and open borders complained he couldn't get his child into a nearby school.

      Now you know why Romesh.

        1. Of course migrant children's taxis will be paid for by the taxpayer. Romesh will have to use his own money.

          1. Can't send the little ones to a private school now, either. Oh, dear oh, dear.

    1. I commented the other day that the silly, misogynistic little grifter should learn that when you’re in a hole, stop bluddy digging!

    2. Is that a he, or a she? And will Plod be after me for not automatically knowing?

  64. Royal Marine Detained Under Terror Legislation After Questioning Corps DEI Policy

    Oliver JJ Lane
    30 Apr 2025

    A British Royal Marine claims he was subjected to a “witch hunt”, interrogated, and detained by counter-terror police after he questioned what is allegedly diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies to get women into the Corps even if they don’t meet its stringent training standards.

    A Royal Marine says he circulated a survey questioning the wisdom of quietly dropping the standards of the elite fighting force to increase its diversity by pushing women through the selection process that would have otherwise failed had they been men. It was signed by 1,000 Corps members, he claims.

    It is alleged after this document was escalated up the chain of command it was initially dismissed as Russian misinformation and then subjected to a “witch hunt” that culminated in the Marine being detained by terrorism police as he returned from a family holiday because they wanted to interrogate his “views”.

    British newspaper The Daily Telegraph states it has verified some claims made, including that the Marine was flown to London from his posting for an interrogation and that he was later held by police under counter-terrorism legislation.

    The claims come from a video monologue posted to a gaming YouTube channel delivered by the Marine, who stated of his motivation: “we believe we have the high standards that we keep for a very important reason, which is to prevent Marines from being killed in dangerous situations when we go to war, and we’ve been told that we will go to war very soon”.

    These high standards are “being selectively dropped for political reasons for the bespoke intention of forcing women through Royal Marines training for a political victory lap”, he asserted, claiming: “Everyone talks about this, everyone in the Royal Marines is concerned about this. Not because we wake up in the morning and want to say anything bad about the other gender, but because everyone knows implicitly in the Royal Marines that if you speak out, because of the political landscape and who is in political power at the moment… you will be silenced as I have been silenced… your career will be threatened… your friends and your family will be threatened.”
    https://twitter.com/BreitbartLondon/status/1688928057678000128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1688928057678000128%7Ctwgr%5E67853ca0d32587b3f6283ece4766fcac110100e1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.breitbart.com%2Ft%2Fassets%2Fhtml%2Ftweet-4.html1688928057678000128

    The Royal Marines is one of the world’s most respected fighting forces and its coveted ‘Green Beret’ can only be worn by those who have passed the 13-week All Arms Commando Course. The unnamed Marine said in the bid to get a woman through the course, they were being handed “unearned paper-passes”.

    “I voiced that concern and now I am being treated like a terrorist and a criminal”, he said, explaining that other Marines were threatened with punishment if they did not divulge the identity of the anonymous petitioner. Having been eventually identified, the Marine said he was flown from his posting to London and subjected to an interrogation. In that discussion, he said his superiors dismissed the concerns raised and said their only interest was his attitude to women serving in the corps.

    He was later detained by police under counter-terror laws while returning from holiday, an assertion the Telegraph report states has been admitted by the Ministry of Defence. He said of that episode: “…’we’re holding you here under the Terrorism Act’. And I’m just shaking my head in this instance. And I said: ‘Have I committed any acts of terrorism? Am I expected to commit any acts of terrorism?’ And they said: ‘No, we have you here because of your views’.”

    It is stated the Ministry of Defence denied engaging in positive discrimination in the Marines, asserting that despite the Marines being theoretically open to women since 2018, not one has yet passed the Commando Course.

    The explosive claims of the Ministry of Defence’s allegedly unforgiving posture on DEI policy comes hot on the heels of a Royal Air Force recruitment scandal, where it was proven it had actively discriminated against what it internally called “useless white male pilots” because it wanted to get “a balanced BAME/female/male” intake for pilot training. The Royal Air Force is now said to be short on pilots after not enough applied, although it denied this as “nonsense”, claiming “The past RAF recruitment discrimination issue has no relevance to pilot training or recruitment.”
    https://twitter.com/BreitbartLondon/status/1561324738147917824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1561324738147917824%7Ctwgr%5E3ffa9712fe36211303dd29f5463820df4387bad8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.breitbart.com%2Ft%2Fassets%2Fhtml%2Ftweet-4.html1561324738147917824

  65. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/022a03cf79a43847cee540b2ebfd65065c340917cc5ded2022542c47218cfdc6.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e77bbca0bc9fbf4c10ba0cbc7e169e0448fd0ffc24dba78cafaa3ce9bb47f86b.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/61280f0886ba7b6e1190c04618da64a21042cd82903176c95555f6c2e6a1a1f0.png
    Bank of England
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1b2075e1843e02dfeb3862ea46b43c8336cc5ae809c3f93e32a195ea04a9b9e7.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2902ebe4a9299e61658ed57a35c697af8d6979f3ae1d31f8310d7afe93a43fc6.png

    1. Thing is, you see these and only a very few actually pay any attention to them – the usual wasters who want promotion. Anyone actually doing work in the pub sec ignores this nonsense.

      Sadly, the people you want to promote are always the ones who never get put forward. Competence is rewarded with more work. Laziness with more power.

      The Left wing mind is a mess of contradictions and hypocrisy. They honestly cannot see their own contradictions. They're insane.

    4. "National Coming Out Day". As Douglas Murray notes "The gay only flows one way". In this context notice there is no National "I tried it and it's not for me" Day.

  66. Afternoon all 🙂😊
    What a day yesterday was.
    I went for my ECG Blood test appointment just after 9:30 spoke to a very nice (never seen her before) lady doctor about all of my problems. She phoned for an ambulance, it arrived with in 15 minutes and they took me to hospital. Straight into the ward and a bed at A&E. I was there all day having tests being monitored and a chest X-ray. No specific problems were discovered but since then I've been researching on line, problems that can seemingly be caused by too much and mixed medication. It's strange that no body ever mentioned any of this. But I did get a few knowing reactions when I mentioned that my most recent bout of Afib was caused by covid jabs. Although all the staff at Luton and Dunstable hospital were very helpful and friendly. I feel that probably all NHS staff have been instructed to keep quiet and don't react to comments on those deadly jabs. Funny that even now I'm still getting messages suggesting that I book for boosters.
    But now I have something that our close family have collected from schools and nursery. Gastroenteritis. Not nice.
    Keep well people, but it's not easy.

    2. Oooh, unpleasant. Sympathy. I made a remark to my cardiologist about Covid. I think I just said how stressful it had been and she quickly muttered something like, "And it's not over yet". Then we moved on. The GP practice at Charing Cross Hospital has a "lead pharmacist" who keeps track of those of us on multiple meds. Regular blood tests to check the liver, kidneys and thyroid.

    3. Oh no….. and you were probably susceptible due to being weakened by the other problems. I hope the results of all the tests will be positive and not show anything really nasty. Too many different medications definitely do cause problems.

    4. You too Eddy, I hope you're getting looked after.

      My wrists and joints are aching too – I blame a particularly stubborn power strip but just generally fed up, sore and tired.

    6. And it gets worse Nottlers.
      Today Our 18 month old granddaughter is also in the same hospital with a severe chest infection. Poor little love.
      She's gorgeous but won't keep the oxygen breathing mask in place.
      Thanks for all your kind words. 😊

      1. Oh, Eddy, how terrible for you all. My son was in the same position when same age (pneumonia). Oxygen tent did the trick (carried him through). Ask for that – these little ones cannot tolerate the nose jpbs, which are painful and horrid.

        1. Thank you 😊
          They brought her home last evening she been prescribed antibiotics.
          We all feel for them, their 5 year old son had Leukemia for over two years. They have spent more time at hospital than at home some times.
          The little fella rang the celebratory ‘all clear bell’ at Cambridge Adenbrooks last year.

  68. Just had another little stint out there – grubbing up dandelions and things growing through the cracks in the paving. Too hot to stay out for long though.

    Two or three years ago I bought three patio lavateras from T&M – (bargain price) They flowered last year and looked ok earlier this year with new shoots coming. Sadly I neglected to water them in the drought some weeks back and two have died. Just been trying to yank one of them out of its pot – it's got a huge tap root which looks as though it might have some life left – so maybe it will sprout again if I leave it. Most of it came out.

    1. "…grubbing up dandelions and things growing through the cracks in the paving…"

      Roundup© for this. Much less effort.

        1. It's not a case of sloshing it around! Precisely applied from a one-litre spraygun.

  69. Our first swift has just arrived in box 3! All the way from Africa – back home to here…… settled down on the dried grass the starling brought in.

    1. Poor little bird looks exhausted. Guess it's a long way to flap your wings, Africa.

  71. Yo and Good Afternoon from a sunny Cd S.

    We have the windowcleaners here today, washing down anything that is white plastic Facias, gutters,etc and alssothe Solar panels

    A very recent post :

    Don't know if its hit the news yet, but I've just heard about a major blackout in Pennsylvania.

    My view is that UK will never have a black out

    1. We will have managed localised brownouts. Short term, controlled shutdowns of the grid. They won't be called blackouts or even brown outs, but accidents/results of upgrades.

      No one will co-ordinate that they're now rolling and enforced.

    3. Oh shit. It's hit Allegheny County. I have family in North Allegheny, near Pittsburgh. Storm damage apparently and the climate alarmists will wallow but storms that bring down Penn's woods are not really unusual there.

      1. There was a mini storm came through here a few days back. All I saw was normal wind and rain. 1/2 mile away, a couple of huge trees came down and one family's patio furniture ended up on their front lawn.

    4. Oh shit. It's hit Allegheny County. I have family in North Allegheny, near Pittsburgh. Storm damage apparently and the climate alarmists will wallow but storms that bring down Penn's woods are not really unusual there.

    1. The Warqueen bought me a t shirt saying 'stupid is as stupid does' and herself one with 'I'm with stupid' on it. She then wrangles to stand on the right side of me so the arrow points appropriately.

      Thankfully, mine is black, hers is white and does wonders for her boobs so no one reads the writing.

  73. Off out now to see my deaf friend – we had trouble yesterday coordinating phone calls……
    She grows tomato plants for me and also for Annie (hedgehog Annie) we put a bit in the hedgehogs funds for them.
    They are always lovely healthy plants – she's a very good gardener.

    OH is thrilled to bits now our first swift is home.

  74. Phew, wot a scorcher, etc. Nearly 50ºC in the greenhouse. I may need to take off my pullover!!

      1. Watch out for next week when temperatures “plunge” (that is, return to the seasonal norm).

        1. They’re in the green house, but I’ll keep my hand in. Bubble wrap at the ready.

  75. For some reason it took a very long time to come up with a solution.

    Wordle 1,411 3/6

    ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨
    🟨🟨⬜🟩⬜
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  76. 1½ Hours of this morning spent clearing up my van insurance cock-up.
    Back in February, I tidied up redundant bank transfer details from my bank account.
    This included the Direct Debit mandate for the van.
    I then, dated 1st of April, received a letter advising me that I'd missed a direct debit payment.
    BULLSHITE, thought I as I'd paid the full premium back in November and it was not due for another 7 or 8 months, so put it to one side to "deal with later" and promptly forgot about it.

    Got back from my couple of days trip away and checked my bank account to find it a bit higher than expected.
    Direct Line had paid £250 into my account and that rang alarm bells.

    Phoned the help line and it appears that the Finance Department had cancelled my policy for non-payment of a £0.00p direct debit!!

    So, after a lot of kerfuffle, I eventually got a new policy started, still with DL as they have all the van's and my details, but that is going to change next year and, having made a complaint, I am now waiting for an explanation of why I've been driving about for the past 16 days with no bloody van insurance!!!

  77. Phew! 22c out there and I’m ‘glowing’ a bit after some heavy gardening! A few primulas removed from pots and into the ground, and repotting a very rooty parsley plant! I shouldn’t complain as it’s taken me nearly 40 years to get it to grow outside!

  79. Then along came a regular kinda guy called Tony Blair.. They didn't know what hit them.

    ..it has now emerged because he eventually told English historian and academic Peter Hennessy, long since it mattered, that he was a Uni Trotskyist. We never knew anything of Blair's politics at the time. Peter Hitchens

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

  80. You listening Runcorn? (Labour’s 16th-safest seat in the country) LOL

    “In Runcorn alone, there are 750 of these undocumented young men in just in one constituency alone."

    Nasal whine in the background.. “We are passing a borders Bill with extensive powers to smash the gangs."

  81. Wordle No. 1,411 4/6

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

    Wordle 30 Oct 2025

    Loafer for Par Four?

    2. Give me time, I will get around to it

      Wordle 1,411 4/6

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

    3. Fours all round!

      Wordle 1,411 4/6

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

        1. Sod it, why not? It's a cracking day – actually sitting on the verandah (get me!) with a cold beer as we speak!

      3. Well done Sue!! I'm guessing your starter word is that very popular one – ADIEU – it's nice when that happens!……

    5. 11 yr old grandson in operating theatre so no help from him today.
      Wordle 1,411 5/6

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

        1. He is out of surgery and will be allowed to eat and drink in 4 hours time. Bit groggy but otherwise OK thanks Sue.

      1. No Sense.
        It seems to be the only qualification in today's politics.
        Hopefully there will be a few lessons learnt tomorrow.

      2. I suspect they'll get a lot of unwanted national publicity as the cartoonists go to work.

    2. Ange's Cultural Marxists Rule – OK?

      Steerpike
      Cartoon exhibition cancelled after art deemed too political
      30 April 2025, 2:55pm

      Is the era of political satire over? The Kingston Riverside TownSq venue seems to think so. It transpires that the Surrey events space has cancelled an exhibition of political cartoonists’ work called Licence to Offend in case, er, anyone was offended. You couldn’t make it up…

      The Kingston TownSq venue has cancelled an exhibition of political cartoonists’ work called Licence to Offend in case, er, anyone was offended.

      The showing featured work from celebrated newspaper cartoonists including the Spectator’s JG Fox, Morten Morland, also formerly of the Spectator, the Mail’s Mac and Pugh, and the Guardian’s Martin Rowson. The event, organised by photographer Paul Mowatt and artist Zoe Dorelli, was to display dozens of cartoons ranging across the political spectrum to the public after its private viewing on Wednesday evening in Kingston. Yet their hopes were dashed after the venue contacted the duo and ordered them to ‘take down the show immediately after our private view,’ according to Dorelli. Since then, the private viewing has been cancelled too – just hours before it was to take place this evening. She told Mr S:

      I think when they saw it, they just thought it would be too offensive to the people working there, and they decided to pull the show. The cartoonists are pretty upset about being cancelled – it’s not often that they get to have actual exhibitions. They do everything under extraordinary pressure in a very short space of time. I just think it’s incredible and requires it requires a lot of respect.

      Unfortunately, the venue hadn’t factored in the fact that all the cartoonists work for national newspapers. It’s very unwise to annoy a cartoonist.

      You can say that again! The artists have made no bones about their displeasure at the development. Rob Murray, whose work has been published by Private Eye and the Sunday Times, blasted the decision as ‘ridiculous’, adding that it is ‘sadly not the first time a few of us have been censored/cancelled by local council types’. Mac meanwhile slammed the move as ‘crazy’, remarking: ‘In bygone days satire used to be absolutely savage, but suddenly we can’t express any opinions. The powers that be, with this gallery, said they were involved with different councils and didn’t want to offend anybody. It is weird because the vast majority of the works have already been scrutinised and passed by editors and published in national newspapers.’ Quite.

      For its part, the TownSq Kingston venue said of their decision that: ‘Whilst we have not felt the exhibition was offensive, Kingston Riverside is a workspace, and our policy is to remain politically neutral. Once we were made aware that the art is not in keeping with a professional workspace, we respectfully asked the artists to remove them after the exhibition. We are still allowing the artists to hold their exhibition at the space for free, but the current art will not remain in place later.’ It’s all rather baffling…

      Dorelli says that despite TownSq’s approach, she has high hopes that another venue will permit the cartoon showing to go ahead. The artist told Steerpike: ‘I’m hoping like all this press will hopefully benefit us in the sense that we can get a really good venue, maybe in town, maybe connected to one of the newspapers.’ Get your bids in quick…

    1. Hello Conway, we have quite a few delivery men who fetch their pet dachshund with them on their round, all big and burly guys. Lovely little dogs, always happy.

      1. Not all. My wife had a dachshund when she was young. The dog was a snappy little bastard that would take a bite out if anyone foolish enough to try and pet ir.

        1. Sorry to read that. Dogs differ breed to breed, and individuals in breeds. Many Patterdales are fierce hunters, mine is soft as soap.

          2. My only other dog is a Border terrier, not always ladylike….what other dogs did you have when you had your Patterdale? I think dachshunds originally bred for hunting badgers? I had a lurcher who caught one just trying to get into its burrow, luckily escaped in time. Not seen a badger for many years.

          3. I see plenty of dead badgers (moch daear) on the side of the road. I had a Border Terrier cross when I had the Patterdale. He was very definitely an Alpha terrier.

          4. Possibly a disease, hunted, road kill, here. Crazy people. What was your Border crossed with?

          6. Border terrier the loudest yapper type dog I’ve ever had. Sometimes really startles me.

      2. Ever since a Dachs chased after me and bit my right heel, I have hated the nasty little buggers.

          4. When I first started going out with my wife (several centuries ago), her family had a corgi called Rupert – he absolutely hated me, and used to bark and attack me at all times – I guess he thought I was breaking up his status quo?

        4. Me too. They are badger hounds (Dachs = Badger) and they can have the requisite aggressive temperament to hound badgers out of their setts to be killed by the houndsmen.

  89. Not everyone is wincing, Ms P.

    To all those about to lose to Reform: it's immigration, stupid

    Thursday's local elections will send a clear message to the mainstream parties

    Allison Pearson • 29 April 2025, 7:00pm BST

    At a conference a few weeks ago, a very jolly woman made a beeline for me and introduced herself. "I'm backing Reform," she said. Pause. "And I'm the chairman of my Conservative Party association!" I must have raised an eyebrow because she added, with what may have been a conspiratorial wink, "I'm far from the only one in that position, you know."

    I didn't know, but it's not very surprising when you consider the state of the polls and the surging popularity of that Tory chairwoman's new pash, Reform UK. There have always been Shy Tories (Right-of-centre voters too nervous about receiving a hostile reception to out themselves), but they have clearly been superseded in recent times by Sly Tories or even Spy Tories; those who are keeping one foot in the Conservative camp while playing footsie with Farage in the voting booth. The border between the Tories and Reform is now as porous as our own English Channel and the Kent coast which just clocked up the 10,000th illegal small-boat person of 2025 – before the summer rush even gets going.

    That grim milestone – both scary and heartbreaking, honestly, I could weep for our poor country – was reached almost a month ahead of last year as another five inflatable ferries crossed from France on Monday morning, bringing hundreds of undocumented young males from backward, women-hating countries ashore to take advantage of our insanely generous terms and conditions. Instead of declaring a national emergency or temporarily suspending the right of illegal arrivals to apply for asylum, as a wise Poland just did, the Labour Government is surreptitiously conning the public – emptying migrant hotels to give the appearance of doing something.

    All the while, according to a Telegraph report, Serco is busy bribing private landlords to host those same migrants, offering five-year guaranteed rent deals, with the taxpayer picking up the bill, and paying for maintenance, council tax and utilities on top. In other words, Serco is deliberately outbidding our own people by making inflated offers to landlords that ordinary families can't possibly afford.

    This amoral, anti-British scam is being funded by the British people themselves, a clear breach of the social contract, as well as an affront to decency and fair play. It is part of "Operation Scatter", a Labour plan outlined by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, which will see tens of thousands of foreign males put up in social and private housing in scores of locations across the UK. The Home Office must hope that they're so well dispersed nobody notices. Or, more likely, residents will be too afraid to object in case they're branded a "far-Right" thug by the Prime Minister, found guilty of inciting racial hatred and fast-tracked to join poor Lucy Connolly in prison.

    It is against this febrile backdrop of out-of-control immigration and kid-gloves treatment of asylum cheats that the local elections, and a by-election in Runcorn and Helsby, will take place on Thursday. It is highly relevant because Runcorn has one of the highest numbers of asylum seekers in the UK. You can imagine how delighted locals are about the threat to community cohesion, and young women and girls, as well as the pressure on their public services.

    At the general election only last July, Labour polled a whopping 22,358 votes in the north-western constituency with Reform a long way behind with 7,662, and the Tories in third on 6,756. This contest should not be close. Runcorn is Labour's 16th safest seat. It would be a huge achievement, requiring a vast 17.4% swing, for the fledgling party of the Right to wipe out that Labour majority in one go (betting markets have Reform doing extremely well, although falling short of outright victory). All credit, therefore, to Sir Keir Starmer who has been doing his absolute best to make this the most unpopular new government in living memory.

    If anyone can snatch defeat in an inviolable Labour stronghold, it's Keir "not for the British" Starmer. Not content with alienating his own core voters – taking the winter fuel allowance from pensioners while somehow finding £11 billion for overseas climate aid, decimating manufacturing and hospitality with a reckless pursuit of net zero – in barely 10 months Labour have plunged the entire country into a deep malaise. Wealth creators are fleeing in such alarming numbers the phenomenon now has a name (Wexit) and the polling company Ipsos just reported the worst Economic Optimism Index (EOI) ratings on record. Since 1978, Ipsos has asked the public if they think the general economic condition of the country will improve, stay the same or get worse over the next 12 months. "April 2025 sees the lowest EOI rating ever, with minus 68," is the brutal verdict.

    After winning a "loveless landslide" last July, with the lowest vote share of any majority government in the post-war era, Labour bypassed the traditional honeymoon period and went straight to acrimonious divorce proceedings. In all my life, I have never known an administration to be more loathed. No wonder the PM has been too frit to visit Runcorn and, similarly, has avoided County Durham where another humiliating wipeout awaits. As the great pollster Sir John Curtice has pointed out, "No previously elected new government has seen its support fall more heavily and more rapidly in the polls than has happened to this Labour Government."

    For a point of comparison, Tony Blair enjoyed six years as prime minister before he lost his first by-election in Brent East in 2003. The election of Liberal Democrat Sarah Teather as the youngest MP (with a 29 per cent swing) barely dented New Labour's vast Commons majority, of course. But the psychological impact mattered. Brent East was a supposedly safe seat in one of Labour's inner-city heartlands. Its loss signalled that confidence in the government was at its lowest since their stunning victory in 1997.

    Imagine how much worse things will be for this Government on Friday morning when, at such an early stage in the electoral cycle, they fulfil the forecast of Maurice Glasman, founder of the influential Blue Labour group, who said Labour would "get its head kicked in" by Nigel Farage's party. (Lord Glasman blamed Labour's failure to be a pro-worker, patriotic party and for "talking gibberish about diversity". Quite.)

    Tomorrow's local elections have been cynically stage-managed (with many boroughs not taking part). So the Conservatives are set up to lose 500 seats (coming off Boris Johnson's peak performance in 2021). That should distract media attention away from the humbling of Labour and on to the question of whether Kemi Badenoch can survive. Expect much frenzied speculation about a Tory leader who has just hit her stride and has earned more time to drag her party back to Conservative principles.

    The real issues are far more profound and existential. Talking to voters about the first 100 Days of the Trump administration, the veteran American pollster Frank Luntz said: "What we are seeing is a 'dealignment' for traditional political, intellectual and economic allegiances built up over decades." Luntz found "a rejection of the governing institutions and the people who lead them" with the "level of hostility" towards institutions – from banks to courts, the media, the police, healthcare, universities – having "reached breaking point. The very moment that Trump has re-ascended to power is the very moment that our institutions are at their weakest and the public is at its angriest. That is leading to a rejection of the status quo and embrace of anything that says: 'Change'".

    That same "dealignment" is happening here in the UK, I think. Arrogant progressives who sneer at Reform supporters as "angry populists" loftily discount the people's entirely-justified fury at the failure of our governing class to make their country function adequately, to protect its culture, fill its potholes or even to defend its borders. As ordinary families struggle to afford their lives, the Government rubs their noses in it, squandering billions of public money securing rented accommodation for young males guilty of breaking and entering our precious home. Plans announced yesterday, in a tearing hurry before the local elections, to bar foreign nationals convicted of sex offences from claiming asylum, convince no one, Home Secretary. No one wants them here, at liberty to attack our girls, full stop.

    You know, I still hear mainstream media interviewers treat Nigel Farage with barely-concealed disdain (I wince every time, it's plain rude), whilst affording elaborate courtesy to dolts like Ed Miliband. Viewers and listeners, by contrast, are increasingly minded to give him a respectful hearing. Not necessarily because they like him. For Farage has accurately diagnosed for a decade and more the sickness that now ails our country, which we know may prove terminal unless something is done.

    No, Reform may not win Runcorn and Helsby, it's a big ask, although I'm sure the mayoralties of Lincolnshire and Hull will be theirs, along with hundreds of council seats. Certain Conservative Association chairs will even be voting for them, so desperate are they for change. Few contests have the potential to move the national dial: tomorrow's will. Both Labour and Tories will get a well-earned kicking. (Starmer will be on borrowed time.) Neither party can take its survival for granted, not any more. The time of the two-horse race is over. The people have been ignored for too long, and they want, hell, no, they demand to be heard.

    It's immigration, stupid.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/29/reform-is-a-force-to-be-reckoned-with-its-immigration

    1. What a pretty lady – but, then, the Liebour party goes in for pretty ladies, doesn't it? Just think of the Growler, the Dinner Lady, the Pencil Monitor, Lady Nugee….etc etc.

  92. That's me for today. A very nice day – lots of gardening done – seed sowing, brassicas planted out. Assembled two more shelf units for the greenhouse – doubles the amount of usable space. Watered vigorously.

    Will enjoy a drink when the MR returns from her Keep Fit class in half an hour.

    Market tomorrow – May Day (or, more realistically "Mayday, Mayday"…..) Then the "heatwave" disappears and temps go back to the seasonal average.

    Have a spiffing evening.

    A demain.

    1. My central heating will be switched off tomorrow so yes, the weather will turn cold. The law of sod.

      2. I often sit with a hot water bottle on my knees, a blanket covering it. Keeps my circulation going 😀

          1. Ah yes, I remember when Peta would sit at her desk, typing, with the cat on her lap. When she stood up, the cat clung on to her skirt took a while to free it :-DD

    1. They are very faithful to their nest site and return to the same one each year. This one is always the first one home.

  95. A good rule of thumb when voting tomorrow
    If you're in the second Tier then don't vote for Keir.

  96. From Coffee House the Spectator

    26 Apr 2025
    Coffee House
    Alexander Larman
    Does Meghan Markle believe she’s still a royal highness?
    29 April 2025, 9:57am

    When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle staged their dramatic departure from the royal family five years ago, there were various conditions attached to their ‘Megxit’. One of the most insistent was that the pair were no longer allowed to use their HRH, or Royal Highness, titles. These were solely reserved for those working royals who are expected to perform often arduous and tedious duties, rather than a pair of chancers who saw the opportunity to monetise their birthright (him) and the chance to cash in on an advantageous marriage (her).

    Meghan must content herself with jam-making, podcasts and effortful attempts to stay in the public eye

    However, old habits have a habit of dying hard, and even Meghan can be forgiven for having moments of wondering ‘what might have been’ had she remained a rather talked-about member of ‘the Firm’. During a recent podcast interview it emerged that, should one be fortunate enough to receive a gift from Meghan – perhaps a pot of her notorious As Ever-branded raspberry jam – it is likely to come with a note, on monogrammed paper no less, reading ‘with the compliments of HRH The Duchess of Sussex’. Is this an exercise in wish fulfilment, or an apparent oversight?

    Most neutral observers would assume that the HRH period of her life had come to an end when she and her husband left Britain for California. But the existence of these cards either suggests that Meghan and Harry had an awful lot of spares knocking about on their departure, or, alternatively, that it has suited her to continue to use her former HRH billing whenever an opportunity presents itself. (Amusingly, given the likelihood that this news would have become public before now had the compliments cards been sent out in quantity, it seems that this is either a very recent development or that relatively few of these gifts have been given. Who can blame her, given the no doubt considerable costs of postage?) In any case, this is a clear violation of the agreement that Meghan and her husband reached with the late Queen not to use their titles after they flounced off to Montecito and their new lives.

    A (put-upon) spokesperson for the Sussexes has issued an unconvincing denial, saying ‘they do not use HRH titles’. This is a surprisingly definite statement given that there is now clear visual indication to the contrary.

    If we were to be generous, we might say that it barely matters how Meghan chooses to embroider her stationery. If she wishes to continue to believe that she is HRH in her own self-created kingdom, then who are we to judge?

    The whole affair brings to mind the increasingly hapless efforts of Edward, Duke of Windsor, to have his wife Wallis Simpson given the HRH title that he craved for her, something sternly resisted by the Palace and regarded with disinterest by Wallis herself. Yet there was at least one occasion when the title was used freely and with great respect, and that was when Edward and Wallis visited Nazi Germany in October 1937. Had the Duke been installed as a puppet monarch in the event of Hitler conquering Britain, no doubt Wallis could have had all the HRH branding that she might have desired.

    It is unlikely, although not entirely impossible, that Harry and Meghan will return to the country in triumph to reign in the event that Britain is invaded by a fascist power. In the meantime, she has to content herself with jam-making, podcasts and increasingly effortful attempts to remain in the public eye.

    Still, there has been one particularly terrifying-sounding premonition of things to come. It seems almost inevitable that she will write her own autobiography, following on from her husband’s Spare, and that while we muse on what it might be called (Suited?), she suggested that ‘people are often curious about whether I’d write a memoir, but I’ve got a lot of life to live before I’m there’. No doubt this much-lived life will continue to be led in public, complete with HRH monogrammed compliments cards and all.

    Written by
    Alexander Larman
    Alexander Larman is an author and books editor of Spectator World, our US-based edition

    1. I thought we had been taken over by a fascist power without the benefit of invasion (other than the armies arriving at Dover).

      1. Pretty much. The Left are entrenched. If Reform don't win it's their own daft fault.

  97. Toy-boy husband’s birthday. We are sitting as the sum goes down overlooking Petersham Meadow. The cows are back, but look very small and not many of them.

    2. In 1968-69, I lived in Farm Cottage, Petersham; Tommy Steel lived in the neighbouring big house!
      i cannot find a photo just now.

  98. A shock poll has predicted that Labour could cling on by the skin of its teeth in the crunch Runcorn by-election.

    Can't fix stupid.

    Two tier legal system.
    Farmer's land grab & IHT.
    Cancelling WFA.
    Arrest & jailing of political opponents.
    Rachel Reeves' CV & tanking of economy.
    Southport cover up on many levels.
    Lying to parliament about flat use.
    Insane Non-Crime Hate incidents.
    Free Speech clamp down.
    Out of control migrant invasion.
    Ludicrous net-zero targets.
    Paying £90 billion for surrender of Chagos Islands.
    Council tax increases.
    Refusal to charge Manc Airport attackers.
    Paedo rape gangs cover up.

    1. It is un-fing believable isn’t it? This is how civilisations die.

      1. This is why they want a dumbed down, thick, uneducated population.

        Thick people vote Labour.

    3. Perhaps people can't be bothered because they know it'll change nothing. By-election 'shocks' are usually only interesting in the days immediately afterwards for the talking heads blethering away in the media. Everyone else is just trying to stay alive.

  99. From Coffee House the Spectator

    Coffee House
    Gareth RobertsGareth Roberts
    How Ian Hislop failed the gender test
    29 April 2025, 5:30am

    Ian Hislop (Credit: BBC)

    Text
    Comments

    Ian Hislop has found someone to blame for Have I Got News For You‘s failure to tackle the Supreme Court’s gender ruling: the programme’s editors. After the BBC show ignored the big story of the month on its Easter edition, Hislop launched into a rant on the latest episode – insisting that he had spoken about the subject:

    ‘A lot of people said Have I Got News For You was pathetic, because last week nobody answered this question (on the gender ruling). It was asked, actually. And I answered it at some length. I gave my views about John Stuart Mill’s clash of different rights and competitive demands on a legal system. And I talked for some time about what I thought was a very rational solution of the two parliamentary acts which the Supreme Court had been asked, and they cut it out.’

    So Hislop’s defence is that his answer was cut because it was monumentally boring. You might think that a Supreme Court ruling confirming the obvious fact that the word ‘man’ means ‘man’ and the word woman means ‘woman’ is a ripe subject for a satirist. Not so. It turns out that Hislop, his co-host Paul Merton, and the show’s guests, just couldn’t think of anything funny to say about it.

    Hislop’s defence is that his answer was cut because it was monumentally boring

    ‘It isn’t easy to do this particular subject, as Keir Starmer has found out,’ stammered an unusually flustered-looking Hislop. His teammate, guest Jo Brand, agreed:

    ‘I think this is a thing that a lot of people wouldn’t want to say anything (about), because it’s a very, sort of, venomous situation, and I think a lot of people are genuinely a bit frightened…no one really wants to get a death threat…’

    Death threats from who exactly, Jo? Rabbits? Presbyterians? The Brighouse and Rastrick brass band? Not, I would strongly suspect, from the women who laboured for years at great personal and professional cost to raise the eye-watering sums of cash needed in order to get the highest court in the land to tell us what we all knew when we were two? The death threats, as anybody on the ‘gender critical’ side of this debate can tell you, flow thick and fast – and always from the other side.

    The admission of this fear, at long last, is an interesting first step. You’d think it would spark some reflection on the part of the cultural elite, because under our democratic system we are not supposed to be afraid to speak. But the fact people are scared to talk is a sure sign that something is very wrong in Britain.

    It was fascinating to see all the varieties of awkwardness and denial on HIGNFY during the discussion on gender. Guest Richard Osman fell silent, with downcast eyes and the kind of terrified ‘please, please talk about something else, anything else’ look I’ve seen so many times in the last decade.

    But then again, who can blame Osman? None of us should ever have had to deal with the madness of genderism. It caught comedians, and everybody else, unaware about ten years ago. Very quickly it became dangerous to even question it, let alone poke fun at it.

    The irony, of course, is that there has been so much to poke fun at. The rise of genderism – and the doctrine that a man is a woman if he says so and everyone has to go along with it – has been the funniest thing that has happened in current affairs in my lifetime. There is so much rich material here for the satirist.

    In the days following the court’s judgment, for example, it’s been hilarious to watch political figures – Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, Green co-leader Carla Denyer, podcast centrist dad Rory Stewart – squirming and obfuscating, appearing to pretend that they simply don’t understand the ruling of the Court. The interim guidance issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission following the ruling is written in Ladybird Book, Year 4-level English. Yet these luminaries are apparently totally foxed by it. Or are they just frightened? Either way, it is agonising, but very amusing, to behold. As the lawyer Dennis Kavanagh remarked on X, ‘We are not debating this movement. We are babysitting it.’

    Radio 4’s The News Quiz has similarly been brought to a belated admission of terror, turning their fear of the subject into a joke. It’s a start, I suppose. But then, I can remember Alexei Sayle taking much the same approach to fundamentalist Islam in 1989, at the time of the declaration of the fatwa on Salman Rushdie – and look how that turned out.

    It’s unfair maybe to focus on the antics on a flagging old show like HIGNFY. The show’s cowardice is merely a symptom of wider institutional failure. But what is plain to see is that the unwillingness to joke about gender is a class issue. Comedians today seem desperate to cling on to upper middle-class fads, however barmy they happen to be.

    In a healthy, functioning democracy, satire should play an important part in the political and cultural ecosystem – yet on genderism, it failed, and failed badly. If supposedly satirical shows like HIGNFY had been firm with this rubbish at the start, the gender madness might not, perhaps, have ripped through our institutions in the way that it did. Hislop and Brand are correct about one thing, at least: scared satirists are not funny, they are pathetic.

    Gareth Roberts
    Written by
    Gareth Roberts
    Gareth Roberts is a TV scriptwriter and novelist who has worked on Doctor Who and Coronation Street

  100. From Coffee House the Spectator

    Why Americans are so fat
    In Kentucky, even breakfast comes with a dessert menu
    30 April 2025, 5:01am
    From Spectator Life

    Are you hungry, peckish, esurient? Join me at Josie’s diner in Lexington, Kentucky, in the heart of Bluegrass country, where the horses are lean and very many people are, let me be frank, not. Josie’s is heaving at 8 a.m. as the well-upholstered clientele arrive for the morning feed. A mercifully slim student at the University of Kentucky is my waitress.

    ‘Hi, y’all! I’m Madeline Rose and I’ll be your server today,’ she announces, in the earnest tone of wait staff in a country where the credit card terminal offers the option of a 25 per cent tip. The menu she hands me is already expansive, but there’s more. She enumerates the day’s off-menu breakfast specials, available should anyone be unsatisfied by Josie’s signature Santa Cruz Burrito, featuring fresh scrambled eggs, chorizo sausage, grilled chicken, avocado with cheddar-jack cheese and ‘our tasty Santa Cruz sauce drizzle’ ($18.50).
    ‘So today our quiche is going to have ham, tomato and mozzarella,’ she announces, ending sentences on the upbeat that is the vernacular of young American blondes. ‘Our pancake special is our Oreo panwhich [a pancake sandwich, apparently], so it’s got two Oreo cookie pancakes and in the middle it’s got sweet cream and of course it’s got whipped cream and powdered sugar on top as well.’ A man bolder than me would have stopped her right there. Bring forth the Oreo panwhich! But Mrs Miller was wearing a disapproving look. The exegesis of Madeline Rose continues:

    Our smoothie today is a cherry lemonade. The quesadilla is a pork carnitas – it’s got bell peppers and avocado ranch dressing in it. Our soup [for who would eschew soup for breakfast?] is a buffalo chicken [not a hybrid between a buffalo and a chicken, but spicy chicken], and our main breakfast special is a croissant with ham, cheddar and mozzarella. It’s a croissantlette [sic] – that’s an open-faced omelette with a croissant in the middle, and you get another croissant alongside as well.

    An explanation for American corpulence is emerging, but wait – there’s more. ‘And for dessert we do have a bread pudding; it’s white chocolate pecan.’

    Me, interrupting: ‘You can have dessert at breakfast?’

    Madeline: ‘Of course you can!’

    Mrs Miller permits me an egg, and a sausage. This is the Bible Belt. ‘Don’t stop praying,’ says a sign on Josie’s wall. Sound advice given the cardiovascular hazards on offer at this establishment, where a full English breakfast would be considered a mere amuse bouche.

    Dessert for breakfast! A story that I plan to, er, dine out on for years. I get my first chance at the Kentucky Horse Park that afternoon, where I am loyally supporting Mrs Miller’s eventing horse, Happy Boy, that she has flown in from England for the occasion. (Since you ask – by FedEx, in an air stable, at a cost it is embarrassing to admit.)

    In the VIP chalet into which I have insinuated myself, a copious luncheon is being served. Senior management being distracted elsewhere, I tuck in and recount my discovery of the breakfast dessert to a European acquaintance, who immediately trumps me.

    I got chatting to a couple of Kentucky State Troopers, not themselves obese, and asked why there are so many XXL people in America. ‘Because the food is good,’ one replied

    He tells me of a scene at a Dairy Queen (an iconic American ice-cream chain) where a woman of formidable dimensions became entrapped in her chair, after consuming a fantastic concoction that had caused her to be unable to rise. It had taken four strong men to free her, accompanied by pitiful wailing. ‘I remain traumatised by the sight,’ said my friend.

    Wandering over to the Mars trade stand, where they plied me with free M&M’s, I got chatting to a couple of Kentucky State Troopers, not themselves obese, and asked why there are so many XXL people in America. ‘Because the food is good,’ one replied. And it’s true. Josie’s was excellent. I had sensational Mexican food in Midway, Kentucky – a town smaller than my village in France – the equal of anything I’ve eaten in Mexico. At home in France, you’re lucky to get much more than a stale croissant at the average village café.

    Mrs Miller’s horse having distinguished himself show jumping at the Horse Park, my gustatory elegy moves to Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Airport, where the speciality is five-way chili – a bed of spaghetti topped with chili, layered with shredded cheese, diced onions and kidney beans. I left Mrs M in the Delta lounge and dug in, a final fling before my flight to Paris.

    I read that a new generation of drugs may finally solve the obesity crisis. I’m doubtful. Many Americans appear to be enjoying eating themselves to death – although not all, happily. The attendant on the flight home, Channelle, was (I am hoping Mrs M doesn’t read this) an astonishingly good-looking, charming and slim African American. I congratulated her on her outstanding figure and shared my discovery of the breakfast dessert.

    She pulled out her phone and showed me a photograph of an archetypal fatty: rolls of flab, jowls of lard. ‘Who’s that?’ I demanded. ‘That’s me, a year ago,’ she replied. These surely are days of miracles and wonders. Her saviour, she said, was the Keto Diet, which induces ketosis (a thing, apparently) in which the body burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrates, resulting in dramatic weight loss – in her case from 117 to 53 kg. Goodbye Oreo pancakes, hello lean meat and fish.

    Her obesity had nearly killed her, she told me. After losing weight, she had to have a triple heart bypass to repair the damage. Channelle, at least, has discovered the cure to obesity: willpower. Since this is a quality I lack, it is as well I am leaving behind me the breakfast pudding and returning to the relative austerity of the tables of France.

    Jonathan Miller
    Written by
    Jonathan Miller
    Jonathan Miller, who lives near Montpellier, is the author of ‘France, a Nation on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown’ (Gibson Square). His Twitter handle is: @lefoudubaron

    1. Government Plans to Extend Sugar Tax to Milkshakes in Effort to Tackle Obesity.

      Hold on a moment , everyone seems to be grazing on the hoof ..

      High streets are full of take aways , cafes and disgusting bakery franchises ..

      Moh pops the ancient electric bread maker on , and a loaf is made in a couple of hours .. to buy a loaf of bread , wow the sugar content is quite high .

      There are huge supermarket aisles devoted to sweet cereals , sweets, biscuits , crisps , tinned fruit , jellies , jams , honey , cake mixes( the American type) meringues , dried fruit , well the list goes on ..

      Chocolate.. yes so many varieties of chocolate , whine , spirits , squash, fizzy drinks .. juice, sweeties…

      Obesity ..

      Okay , but nothing has been said about drugs, ketamine , cocaine , heroin, and lots of tricky social drugs!

      1. We tried buying cereal in the states last month. As you say nothing but sugar laden, artificially flavoured and coloured. We did manage to find good old cornflakes but they boxes were tucked away in a corner and more expensive than the kiddie fuel.

        Nothing beats a good old Canadian poutine as an artery blocker – lots of chips smothered in gravy with molten cheese curds on top. If that's not bad enough you can normally get them to add bolognese sauce on top o that lot to make a real meal. ( I have never tried it but the young kids seem to dote on such excess).

    2. Really the meals I enjoyed most in restaurants in California were breakfasts. Endless cups of weak black coffee, sausages eggs and bacon with pancakes and maple syrup. Nothing as copious as the writer was offered in the Bible Belt but then Californians probably look after themselves better.
      The same restaurants served ice cream floats at 3:00 in the morning also accompanied by endless cups of coffee.

        1. It’s a soft drink with ice cream floating in it lots of ice cream because this is America. I chose root beer remembering when I was a little boy living in America. My wife had coke. It was a late night diner in LA. I felt like I was in an American movie. The waitress kept our coffee mugs topped up with black coffee.

    3. Really the meals I enjoyed most in restaurants in California were breakfasts. Endless cups of weak black coffee, sausages eggs and bacon with pancakes and maple syrup. Nothing as copious as the writer was offered in the Bible Belt but then Californians probably look after themselves better.
      The same restaurants served ice cream floats at 3:00 in the morning also accompanied by endless cups of coffee.

        1. It’s from the Magnificat. The hungry He has filled with good things (and the rich He hath sent empty away – et divites dimisit inanes).

    5. Had a few work courses in Houston, Texas in the '90s. Watching at breakfast the heaped plates of fried food being gorged reduced me to just having coffee.
      The odd early evening meal of chilli though, was brilliant and I still try to emulate the taste. No rice, just the chilli and 'dorito' style 'crackers' accompaniment.

  101. My car , bad news , ad blue mixture has crystallised , and the tank alone will cost over £1000 +vat ..

    Due to be done next week when visitors go on to their next adventure. My poor car , my poor bank balance , and sadly there seems to have been an epidemic of Ad blue problems with other modern ad blue dependent cars , so the garage repair bods have informed us .

    2. So sorry to hear that, Belle! Will your insurance not cover that, or will Adblue be compensating?

      1. Sue
        I have just googled Adblue, and found this … now passed it onto Moh ..

        Yes, in some cases, Stellantis, the parent company of Peugeot, is offering compensation to owners of vehicles with faulty AdBlue tanks. This is due to a voluntary contribution policy they have established for vehicles with Euro 6 diesel engines and SCR technology, experiencing issues with their urea (AdBlue) tanks. The compensation scheme varies based on the age and mileage of the vehicle.

    3. Will the cost of repairs exceed the value of the car? Is there any redress from the AdBlue manufacturers?

  103. I had a lovely afternoon with my elderly, hard of hearing friend – she has a cochlear implant so one-to one she can hear and chat perfectly well. We had tea and stem ginger biscuits, then a wander round the garden – and a chat with the Jacob's sheep which are eating some of the excess forage in the paddock. My tomato plants are ready for potting on, and all was well. We had a good catch up and of course, this evening a celebration bottle of wine (15%) with our dinner now the first swift is home.

  104. Doncaster, the Yorkshire bellwether where Reform smells victory
    As emotions run high over the collapse of Doncaster Sheffield airport, Nigel Farage’s party hopes to win the council and mayoralty from Labour on Thursday

    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/doncaster-mayoral-election-2025-c50kmxvct

    Alan Hawkes
    6 hours ago

    This is the sort of despair people feel when they have governments that cannot stop, or deal with, migrants in small boats, but can find time to dictate the amount of sugar people can have in a prepared latte.

    Reply

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    Share
    Julian Hudd
    6 hours ago

    Doncaster (and other locations) has been struggling with decline for 40 years at least. Take away the influx of illegal migrants, and you are still left with addiction, obesity, crime, poor education, underinvestment and bad decision-making leading to no material improvements.

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