Midweek 23 March 2022

Happy Budget Day – ( or whatever it is called now ) . Whatever the outcome not enough taxpayers’ borrowed money will be spent on this or that . .. shake that money tree ..

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489 Responses to Midweek 23 March 2022

  1. Deborah says:

    First

    I haven’t been watching any BBC so nothing much to comment on.

    I will go back in time, about two years. I cannot forget the air time the BBC gave to Professor Susan Michie ahead of a Boris press conference. I couldn’t understand why when we were talking about covid, Ms Michie was linking it all to an opportunity for social justice. Of course I googled her and found out she was the sort of communist who sells the family Picasso for £50 million.

    How did Ms Michie get on the SAGE group? I finally googled the question a couple of weeks ago. Apparently it is the remit of Sir Patrick Valence. He is the man who during the COP conference was advising Britons to eat one less meat meal a week to save the planet and be an example to people from other countries. Tell that to the Ukraines or to the people of Brazil. I don’t think it will make much difference to the eating habits of anyone.

    I am just keeping Biased BBC readers informed in the way the BBC cannot be bothered..

       48 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      Apparently the white wash – sorry – public inquiry into covid – is now due for 2023 – after the nuclear war – starvation – pestilence ( again ) … lessons will be learnt from the members of SAGE pushing more and more precautions to avoid ‘criticism ‘ over covid related deaths ….

      … meanwhile …more people in hospital with covid again – who are they ? Demographic ? Old ? Young ? Fatties again ? The numbers are meaningless without more ….

         39 likes

  2. BRISSLES says:

    I’ll say I’m riding shotgun – but someone will jump in and knock me off – probably Stew with his backnotes !

    Nice for a couple of ladies in first and second spot.

       13 likes

  3. vlad says:

    More BBC racism: South Asian faces on TV ‘makes me happy’.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60819829

       15 likes

  4. vlad says:

    Bridgerton: Typical English Regency faces. And, erm, décolletage.

    _123814685_bridgerton_201_unit_04616r.jpg

       33 likes

    • Zephir says:

      It has become bloody ridiculous this stupid racist black thing, I hope it is boycotted.

      Why not Chinese and Philipino ?

      do they not riot and loot enough ?

      why not make them all dwarves or something ? why not all in wheelchairs ?

      They want to whinge about culural appropriation there it is RIGHT THERE

         66 likes

      • rulez the waves says:

        “why not make them all dwarves or something ? why not all in wheelchairs ?”

        BBC 3 have that already.

           22 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Black Panther is the first Marvel Studios film with a Black director and a predominantly Black cast. Principal photography took place from January to April 2017 at EUE/Screen Gems Studios in the Atlanta metropolitan area, and in Busan, South Korea.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_(film)

         7 likes

    • rulez the waves says:

      Yes …. but the lady in white on the left is so beautiful. I saw the thumbnail on their website and even small I cd tell she was special. Phew!

      “décolletage” has made my day. Never hear it b4 and such a fantastic word.

         6 likes

    • BigBrotherCorporation says:

      I love the way the BBC describe this as ‘colour blind casting’, an appropriate term it seems, and the way it’s acceptable to not like the series for the poor quality of the writing, but not for the miscasting of actors of different races.

      The two young ladies are rather lovely, but quite honestly it’s not a ‘period drama’, it’s pure fantasy, like JRR Tolkien, or CS Lewis, only not as well written… and both Tolkien and Lewis were racist, Islamophobic bigots… allegedly. Okay, so it’s more like the fantasy of JK Rowling, or GRR Martin, except Rowling and Martin are now out of fashion for their views on gender, and bosoms, respectively – although I’m sure he’d approve of a bit of decolletage – if he knew what the word meant… which is doubtful.

      Basically, it’s unwatchable drivel of a kind which has replaced any form of serious historical drama made either here, or in the US, shame, because it was one of the few things we were still good at, and which we still enjoyed watching in this household.

         29 likes

      • BRISSLES says:

        The main protagonist for this wave of colour blind casting – and is responsible for the term, is Shonda Rhimes – American television producer. Check her out and you’ll see that in all her successful tv programmes, she has made a career out of it. It helped her cause even more with the advent of BLM, and now its impossible to speak out about it without being called racist or bigot.

           19 likes

    • tarien says:

      Incomprehensible or is it? Is it an act of difiance to the British Culture of that time and now.

         3 likes

  5. taffman says:

    My first comment: Does Nadine Dorries visit this site?

       23 likes

    • Zephir says:

      Probably still too busy working her way through the Brookside boxset on DVD and the best of Ricky Tomlinson.

         14 likes

    • G.W.F. says:

      Taffman

      I hope not. She is into censorship at the moment and will very likely close this site down

         7 likes

  6. taffman says:

    “Almost 400 migrants cross Channel on small boats”
    That’s another lot to add.to queue for houses, doctors, hospitals, social services, etc etc already here. How many terrorists and criminals are arriving ?
    Message to our government – we are being Invaded !

       59 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      About us
      The first duty of the government is to keep citizens safe and the country secure.
      https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/about

      The suicide bomber who killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester last year had been rescued from the Libyan civil war by the Royal Navy. Salman Abedi detonated a home-made bomb in the foyer of the Manchester Arena on 22 May 2017 as concert-goers, many of them children, were leaving the venue.31 Jul 2018

      https://biasedbbc.org/blog/2019/09/23/start-the-week-thread-23-september-2019/comment-page-2/#comment-1013866

         22 likes

    • theisland says:

      Fortunately the government won votes on the Nationality and Borders Bill yesterday despite the opposition trying to conflate it with the Ukrainian situation.
      https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/22/uk-set-to-criminalise-illicit-refugee-crossings-after-commons-rebellion-averted

      Lee Anderson (Ashfield) (Con)
      “The Minister may be aware that at present Opposition Members, especially Labour Members, are struggling to tell the difference between a man and a woman, so it is no surprise that they are struggling to tell the difference between a genuine refugee and an economic migrant. Would it not be wise of the Minister to remind those on the Labour Front Bench what the difference is?”

         27 likes

      • MarkyMark says:

        Jack Straw: Labour made mistake letting Poles in early
        Former home secretary says number and impact of migrants from eastern Europe far exceeded predictions
        https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/nov/13/jack-straw-labour-mistake-poles

        “Thorough research by the Home Office suggested that the impact of this benevolence would in any event be ‘relatively small, at between 5,000 and 13,000 immigrants per year up to 2010’. “Events proved these forecasts worthless. Net migration reached close to a quarter of a million at its peak in 2010. Lots of red faces, mine included.” Straw, the MP for Blackburn, highlighted recent research indicating that the immigrants from that period were less likely to claim benefits than UK natives but added: “I have never underestimated the social dislocation that can occur when large numbers of people from abroad settle in a particular area – as has happened in east Lancashire. “But this latest research makes me feel a little better about this well-intentioned policy we messed up.”

           4 likes

  7. vlad says:

    Hey BBC, aren’t you just a tiny bit interested in Hunter Biden’s millions of dollars from Ukraine, Russia and China(!); how much “The Big Guy” got; and is the money still flowing – which would be deeply compromising for Crooked Joe?

    If someone wrote a thriller about a President whose prostitute-addicted, crackhead son was raking in money from 3 countries at the epicentre of explosive world events, it would probably be a best-seller, unless it was deemed too far-fetched. In fact, The Laptop From Hell is a best seller. (By the way, there are also rumours of child porn, allegedly.)

    Real journalists would be all over it, digging and investigating to find out the degree of involvement of The Big Guy, past and present.

    But no, the BBC has zero interest in the most sensational story of the decade.

    Now, about that garden party…

    “Hunter Biden’s Business Dealing Profits Revealed”

       38 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Reference CAS-6617681-T3R8R9

      Dear Mr H

      Thank you for contacting us about Beyond 100 Days on the BBC News Channel. We note and appreciate your concerns.

      We can assure you that the scheduling of Beyond 100 Days has no relevance to the recent US Presidential elections. We would also highlight that you can continue to watch BBC News with Katty and Christian on the BBC New Channel.

      BBC News never takes a position on any story that we cover.

      We do value your feedback about this. All complaints are sent to senior management and we’ve included your points in our overnight report.

      These reports are among the most widely read sources of feedback in the company and ensures that your concerns have been seen by the right people quickly. This helps inform their decisions about current and future content.

      Kind regards,

      Darren Loughlin

      BBC Complaints Team
      http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints

         8 likes

  8. Zephir says:

    I saw the video before it disappeared, put up by the Chinese I believe, of him naked smoking drugs with a very young naked companion who was very handy with her hands shall we say

       15 likes

  9. Zephir says:

    Alternative news (not msm) suggests Ukraine conflict will soon be over with a buffer zone established along the river and most of the conflict is beween Russian forces and the Azov “neo nazi” battalion in Mariupol.

    I could not comment on how reliable this is, but the msm seem to have a singular lack of insight, instead relying on Ukrainians to supply the news, which does beg the question what are they doing over there posing on rooftops in flak jackets. All they need is a few Ukrainian Whatsapp numbers and they could save some license payers money and work from home.

       25 likes

    • Deborah says:

      Zephir, I could have used my ‘first’ post to point out that certainly Lyse Doucet and I think it was Ben Brown are so good at reporting from Ukraine. Their skilled journalistic abilities produce questions such as asking highly traumatised people, ‘how do you FEEL?’ I am waiting for the one who replies, ‘how do you bloody think I feel?’ I suppose the BBC wouldn’t use it because U.K. snowflakes would be melting at the swearing.

         39 likes

      • Zephir says:

        I’ve got Elvis in my head now (How Do You Think I Feel)

        It is a sign of the times I think, that elf again, elf n’safety maybe partly to blame or just general incompetece or not bothering to find the real stories of this conflict.

        I am reminded of the “every one is a winner” attitude at schools and the contempt, from the left mainly, for the persuit of excellence where pupils are encouraged to go further and do better.

        I see it in many places now, the “just good enough to get by”, especially in local authorities, innovation strongly discouraged (risk averse to the point of paralysis)

           17 likes

      • Beltane says:

        I would imagine their trauma is intensified by her mangled English, though they may not understand her questions of course, which might soften the blows.

        We have problems enough with her strange interpretation of our language, but perhaps that is her prime attraction for those precious few who see her as a noted journalist.

        I often wonder what her reaction would be if some brave soul were to PRESS the area indicated.

           12 likes

        • BRISSLES says:

          “How do you feel” is the go-to puerile question asked by idiots when a tragedy has occurred. Like Deborah I’ve always hoped that someone would reply in a suitable manner, but no, its the long drawn out answer with lots of ‘ums’.

          I’m only surprised they haven’t asked those in distress if they haven’t got a photo to hand that they could hold up, like those do in their homes sat on the sofas.

          (I was photographed at home by the D/Mail, and I said “don’t you dare ask me to hold up a sodding photo !!! “

             6 likes

  10. Guest Who says:

    Meanwhile… house journal…

    That row of tools scowling can’t be Labour, standing shoulder to shoulder, in solidarity…

    #NazarinforMP

       17 likes

  11. Doublethinker says:

    Talking of snowflakes I wonder how they are getting on with the images of the Ukrainian war? I don’t watch BBC , do they issue trigger warnings before each bulletin? Has anyone made a study of how British snowflakes are coping? Is their mental health standing up to the images and reporting for the war? Are they traumatised, is there an NHS help line in place.
    Surely a caring society would look after them with compassion. They are just as much victims of Putin’s aggression as are their brothers and sisters in Ukraine. Admittedly the Ukrainians are dying but our snowflakes are suffering to , nightmares, panic attacks, severe cramp from clutching their teddies for hours on end.
    One exposure to the unpleasantness and unfairness of the real world and they will probably scuttled off back to bed.

       28 likes

    • Zephir says:

      I think they would make Private Pike look macho, just waiting for the sociology / psychology professor to be promoted on the bbc for the “mental health crisis” affecting our traumatised young people exposed to the news.

      I would not be surprised if some are looking to drag Putin into the small claims court for personal injury.

         16 likes

      • Fedup2 says:

        Must be alarming for the snowflakes with men fighting for their country ( not approved ) women looking after kids ( not approved ) flag waving ( not approved ) sacrificing ( not allowed ) …
        Image the UK variant – blame government – why didn’t anyone stop it ? – blame government – not enough RPGs – blame government – what’s being done to protect queers and coloured in the war ? Blame the government – head honcho’ calls to resign ‘- public inquiry –

           29 likes

  12. Guest Who says:

    Guess who is spamming the world?

       8 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      Deep pockets. Good start.

      Is simply shunting the failed BBC money pit team around such a good idea?

         13 likes

      • MarkyMark says:

        Do you get prosecuted if you don’t pay £159 per year?

           12 likes

      • BRISSLES says:

        I’m still a virgin as far as podcasts are concerned. Like many of my circle. I can’t see the point of them.

           10 likes

        • Nodding Dog says:

          There’s some very good ones out there (non BBC) Briss
          When I got a better phone a few years ago I downloaded an app and was amazed by the sheer variety of subjects to choose from and haven’t looked back since.I’m a particular fan of true crime there’s a a few different ones that I listen to many are produced by just one person in their spare room and are much more entertaining than anything that the BBC produces.You do come across some woke ones but they go on the ignore list

          By the way has anyone listened to ‘George the poets’ podcast yet…..no me neither!

             6 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      For those who are going to be customers of these 2 monsters – it will be interesting to note any actual difference in the views now free of the ‘unbiased ‘ BBC ..

      …. I think I know the answer already – there will be no difference …. Maybe even more champagne socialist … with their respective tax avoidance schemes …

         14 likes

  13. Up2snuff says:

    TOADY Watch #1 – BBC cranking out the CO2 like its going out of fashion

    Mishal is in Birmingham today for TOADY. Is there not a BBC Midlands Correspondent already in the area? Could they not have farmed some vox pops instead of sending Mishal all the way up to Birmingham.

    Typical BBC hypocrisy. Total waste.

       19 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      Up2
      Talking of waste – with fertiliser hyper expensive now it’s time to deactivate the crap and spread it on the fields – a shortage of muck spreaders ? And slurry theft increases . ….

      And for the cycling fascists here – story in the mirror about a garden with over 200 stolen pushbikes in it ( alleged ) .. which can be seen from space ….

      .. the mirror mentions that cycle thefts have fallen in the last couple of years – can any one think why …?

         11 likes

  14. AsISeeIt says:

    First known mum with two jobs edition

    The formulation is rather on the nose, but one assumes it is the key question asked at many a mainstream media editorial meeting these days: ‘War, Covid-19 and the climate crisis… what should we tell the children?‘ – the BBC sister organ, the Guardian, there printing out loud what our betters must be thinking presently.

    Girl Power… do you remember the Spice Girls? One minute you’d never heard of them – the next minute everyone had a favourite.

    You’d think the Telegraph would go with Posh, but instead they go with Scary: ‘Lieut Viktoria Chubanova, 40, on duty at a Ukrainian checkpoint in Dnipre‘ – as I recall it was Ginger Spice who famously wore the cool Britannia-themed union jack minidress. I’m willing to bet our Viktoria’s secret are her patriotic yellow and blue undies under her fatigues. Lieut by the way is an abbreviation for Lieutenant – not some funny new Ukrainian spelling of something formerly familiar such as Kyiv for Kiev.

    Anyway, seeing the fiesty-looking, gun-toting, Ms Chubanova, 40, posing there against the barbed wire and tank traps – her permed blonde flowing locks catching the sunlight – kudos to the photographer – bravely defending her homeland, I’m oddly reminded of the opening verse to that nostaglic TV tribute to our own British backs-to-the-wall moment of homefront glory – I refer of course to Dad’s Army –

    Apologies to Bud Flanagan and Jimmy Perry and Derek Taverner

    Ms Chubanova, 40, Goes Off To Town
    On The Eight Twenty-One
    But She Comes Home Each Evening
    And She’s Ready With Her Gun…

    So Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr Putin
    If You Think We’re On The Run?

    Don’t panic…! ‘Ukrainian troops are running out of weapons‘ – worries the formerly patriotic Times. Perhaps if they hadn’t handed out so many guns for so many girly photo opportunities…

    Girl Power and specifically Sporty Spice girls are somewhat controversial all of a sudden: ‘Lia Thomas: Florida governor Ron DeSantis refuses to recognise Thomas win… [the Republican] signed a proclamation recognising runner-up Emma Weyant as the winner of the highest US national college swimming title – an event she lost to transgender athlete Lia Thomas. Last week Thomas became the first known transgender athlete to win the title‘ – I like the BBC’s novel formulation “first known” – afterall, who knows what bits and pieces might have been hidden under those swimming cossies all these years – or what was in the minds of competitors regarding their orientation? – I look forward to seeing more of first known from the BBC.

    Nan Winton became the first woman to appear in vision while reading the BBC news on 20 June 1960‘ (BBC) – first known? Might Robert Dougall or Kenneth Kendall have been gender fluid – we doubt it, but we just don’t know.

    Biden expected to nominate first black woman to Supreme Court‘ (BBC) – first known? You’d think this one was obvious but as Ali G would sometimes ask “Is it ‘cos I is black?

    Most of the popular press prominently feature the Royals swimming with sharks on their Carribean tour. We’re blessed with yet more fine photo-journalism today, eh? No so the Mirror. Unusally for this day and age we have a white (father-less) family pictured on the frontpage: ‘We need your help Rishi… Mum with two jobs calls for Chancellor to ease cost of living crisis… Give us a break. Racheal with Lucas, Joshua, Koby and Izaac‘ – ignore the cross-culturally appropriated mix of names there – this is very white family helping Labour make their case today.

    Well I guess with the official opposition led by a humourless uncharismatic stuffed shirt such as Sir Starmer, allied with the laser-like economic insights of Rachel Reeves as shadow chancellor – the Labour Party will need all the help they can get from Josephine Public and her kids.

    What should we tell the kids – that’s where we came in.

       23 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      Must be tricky for an aspiring ‘ celebrity ‘ to decide to go to ukraine to fight against the invaders .

      When the foreigners arrive with the iphones and ipads turned on locals must run a mile as russian missiles aim for the apple ‘ target ‘ app©Used by all idiots taking their battle field celebrity selfies …

         14 likes

  15. MarkyMark says:

    Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh …… Two rough estimates by scholars of the numbers of just one group – black slaves held over twelve centuries in the Muslim world – are 11.5 million and 14 million, while other estimates indicate a number between 12 and 15 million African slaves prior to the 20th century.

       16 likes

    • BigBrotherCorporation says:

      And a lot of their male black slaves were castrated (a process that allegedly killed at least a third of the young boys it was attempted on), so they had to keep shipping in ‘new blood’ from the Muslim traders along the East Coast – what do you think made the Sultan of Zanzibar so infamously wealthy?

      Slave plantations along the Gulf Coast of Persia, worked by black, African slaves grew sugar cane (it’s where evil Europeans got the idea from according to some).

      They shipped thousands across the Arabian Sea to India too, where they were used as labourers (brick works, mining etc…), and sometimes as slave soldiers. The blacks of India are known as the Siddis (NOT Siddhis, that’s something else):

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddi

      The BBC would have you think they were all descended from black slaves imported by the Portuguese and the (evil! evil! – allegedly) East India Company, but they were there centuries before the Europeans.

         25 likes

  16. MarkyMark says:

    Shhh……Modern slavery is prevalent in Yemeni regions under the control of the Iran-backed Houthi militias, including the capital Sanaa.

    Sources close to the group told Asharq Al-Awsat that several civilians have been forced into slavery by prominent Houthi leaders. More than 1,800 Yemenis work as servants and slaves at the residences and workplaces of high-ranking Houthi officials.
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/1810456/exclusive-houthis-restore-slavery-yemen

       12 likes

  17. MarkyMark says:

    ‘Blatant inequality’: men-only tennis club told to admit female members or close
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jun/25/blatant-inequality-men-only-tennis-club-told-to-admit-female-members-or-close
    ….

    Loose Women show told to have 50% men of shut shop?

    HERO_SHOT_STATIC_LOGO_16x9.jpg

       9 likes

  18. MarkyMark says:

    Oh dear? Ban Mosques? Ban Koran? Kneel outside Mosques to end slavery? NO? Why Not?

    FFL8PNLX0AEA-FS.jpg

    The most notable of Muhammad’s slaves were: Safiyya bint Huyayy, whom he freed and married; Maria al-Qibtiyya, given to Muhammad by a Sassanid official, who gave birth to his son Ibrahim and was freed.

       19 likes

  19. BigBrotherCorporation says:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-60838880
    William Collins: Giant Sheffield memorial built without permission – council

    You need to see the video:

    Great article by the BBC, just missing one (rather essential) word, which I’m sure most of you have already guessed – Traveller.

       11 likes

  20. theisland says:

       17 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Birmingham boy killed in grenade explosion in Swedish apartment
      This article is more than 5 years old
      Yuusuf Warsame, eight, was visiting family in Gothenburg when projectile was thrown into flat in possible gang-related attack
      https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/22/birmingham-schoolboy-killed-in-grenade-explosion-in-sweden

         6 likes

      • Fedup2 says:

        If I recall a couple of years ago they had a ‘handgrenade amnesty one Christmas ‘ … I’m sure it wasn’t 1 April …

           6 likes

        • MarkyMark says:

          In 2017 the Swedish government proposed harsher punishments for possession of grenades. In 2018 the Swedish government proposed a three-month “grenade amnesty” to be held from October 2018 to January 2019.

             3 likes

      • andyjsnape says:

        Typical Brummie name, Yuusuf Warsame

           5 likes

    • StewGreen says:

      “Nothing to see here”, say Swedish Radio
      Shortly before, other hotel guests had stayed in the room that the Ukrainian refugees were allowed to take over.
      Those who came to the hostel during the night wanted to meet their friends who they thought would be in the room. According to the Swedish Migration Agency, this should not have been a threat or the like, but instead a misunderstanding.

      FOh924hWUBUserK?format=jpg&name=small

      But compare that to
      The actual original March 19 story from Mattias Albinsson in a news source run by ex Swedish National MPs

         3 likes

  21. theisland says:

    Someone called Charlotte Moore has defended Lineker’s salary
    https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1583976/BBC-boss-defend-Gary-Lineker-one-million-salary

    In the Radio Times she said “I think we know that viewers really value the presenters that we have on some of our bigger shows. And the audience that loves Match of the Day has a huge love for Gary Lineker. It’s about value to the audience in the end, and whether we think that it’s the right person for the job, with the right level of experience, with the right ability to present in a way that is really accessible, enjoyable and entertaining.”

    Such arrogance/stupidity.

       21 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Dear Marianna Spring (BBC wages paid under threat of prosecution),

      As I’ve had to look at your BBC news and use other sources to determine that your news is not news but selective editorial opinion I’d like to request that I have a refund for the last 4 years plus get the BBC free from now on.

      Please let me know how I can go about this as I am willing to create a full list of articles that I’ve had to investigate plus time taken for me to check your fact checker whilst realising that the BBC intentionally removes news rather than incorrectly report on it, uses images to sway opinion or misleads with the main titles hoping no one reads the full article.

      ‘Omission is the greatest form of lie.’

      CAS-4987700-SY1FTF : BBC NewsWatch says boredom with pro-Brexit march.

      CAS-4844672-N8FDYY: Update on the MP Expenses 2009 scandal in 2018.

      CAS-4939547-J71Z1V: Here’s hoping Ireland do the right thing G.Lineker.

         4 likes

    • Doublethinker says:

      If those that love him want to have him in their living room they can pay for it. I loath him and I refuse to pay any part of his salary.

         5 likes

  22. MarkyMark says:

    maxresdefault.jpg

       2 likes

  23. MarkyMark says:

    Inflation will not hit everyone the same way….

    MPs’ Expenses: Keith Vaz claimed £75,500 for a Westminster flat while family home is 12 miles from Commons
    By MAIL ON SUNDAY REPORTER
    UPDATED: 10:05, 10 May 2009
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1179912/MPs-Expenses-Keith-Vaz-claimed-75-500-Westminster-flat-family-home-12-miles-Commons.html

       7 likes

  24. MarkyMark says:

    01d2245d-e8d9-457a-98dd-d2238944c9d1-823972b7-b471-4a43-be9d-cef98b481660
    from order order

       16 likes

  25. MarkyMark says:

    Catholic??? …In March 1989, Vaz, a Catholic, led a march of several thousand Muslims in Leicester calling for Salman Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses to be banned, describing the march as “one of the great days in the history of Islam and Great Britain”.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Vaz#:~:text=In%20March%201989%2C%20Vaz%2C%20a,of%20Islam%20and%20Great%20Britain%22.

       6 likes

  26. MarkyMark says:

    “Not because these are an alternative to the market or the state… it’s because they are more important than the market or the state.

    “The moments that make life worth living aren’t created by government, aren’t announced by government, aren’t granted by government.”
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-60835481
    …………………..
    np_file_148151.jpeg

       3 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      The saddest thing is that both these men are more than twice as capable as our PM and both of them have a backbone unlike British MPs who have the same as a garden slug.

         9 likes

  27. Fedup2 says:

    Apparently there is a royal tour going on in somewhere sunnier than Blighty . The msm is describing a sort of ‘mixed welcome ‘ for what ‘some ‘ might judge to be the most popular royals apart from Elizabeth Windsor .

    I have no interest in the royals and only saw the headlines / pictures – but it set me thinking – if the most popular royals are having to cut bits of the itinerary because of so called protesters – how will King Charles of Islamabad be greeted when he has to do the gig once he gets the top job ?

    Perhaps in the non coloured countries – NZ – Aus et al he ll get a traditional welcome before they all become Republics ….

    Actually – who cares ? Wish I hadn’t bothered writing this now – it’s my therapy after hitting the Tescos …

       12 likes

    • Emmanuel Goldstein says:

      Fed.
      Perhaps Charlie could black up like Trudeau (or better still, like in Little Britain) for some of the more diverse visits.

         5 likes

  28. MarkyMark says:

    61a6b6dce9ff714ebb42d683.JPG

       3 likes

  29. MarkyMark says:

    When Jamaica gained independence in 1962, the murder rate was 3.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the lowest in the world. In 2005, Jamaica had 1,674 murders for a murder rate of 58 per 100,000 people. That year, Jamaica had the highest murder rate in the world.

       14 likes

    • Up2snuff says:

      A friend from a nearby Caribbean island used to make me blush by being very racist about Jamaicans. And he was very black! Didn’t have a good thing to say about them.

         9 likes

  30. MarkyMark says:

    US President Joe Biden has called on private companies and organisations in the US to “lock their digital doors”, claiming that intelligence suggests Russia is planning a cyber-attack on the US.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-60841924
    …..
    Investigators at the largest fuel pipeline in the US are working to recover from a devastating cyber-attack that cut the flow of oil.

    The hack on Colonial Pipeline is being seen as one of the most significant attacks on critical national infrastructure in history.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-57063636
    ….
    Researchers Found They Could Hack Entire Wind Farms
    Hackers built proof-of-concept malware that can spread from turbine to turbine to paralyze or damage them.
    https://www.wired.com/story/wind-turbine-hack/

       3 likes

  31. Up2snuff says:

    BBC WEB-SITE Watch #1 – you cannot trust the BBC ….

    … to do a good job or rely on their information. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51768274 They still haven’t got the Covid-19 infection statistics up for yesterday. Maybe they think everyone is no longer interested what with WW3 breaking out.

       5 likes

  32. MarkyMark says:

    Man loses suit as he reads 200 hours of newspapers.

    _123828417_sunakspringstatement3.jpg
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60838500

       3 likes

  33. MarkyMark says:

    Ukraine tension: Minor incursion or invasion? Biden clarifies Russia comments

    US President Joe Biden has been forced to respond after criticism of his comments on the Russia-Ukraine tension.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-60076837

       1 likes

  34. StewGreen says:

    The 5th March German case mentioned in the PJW video
    According to the German newspaper Bild ,
    a 37-year-old Iraqi and a 26-year-old Nigerian have taken turns raping the 18-year-old Ukrainian woman.
    The rape occurred on the ship Oscar Wilde – which today is a refugee accommodation in Düsseldorf.
    The report shows that both the Iraqi and the Nigerian have sought protection in Germany with the help of Ukrainian passports.

    no updates on whether the passports were legitimate

       16 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      2017 ….

      BBC fails to follow up on a refugee related News story … BBC £3.5bn Search for ‘Maria Freiburg’

      … sorry if this makes you feel sick or generates hatred, but why aren’t the BBC interested in Maria Ladenburge’s killer being brought to justice and why the killer did it ….

      The Trial of Hussein Khavari (murdered Maria Ladenburge) Becomes Even More Sordid {gatesofvienna.net sep2017}

      The accused entered the courtroom with shackles on hands and feet at 9:05am. First he read out loud a letter of apology, and he asked the family of the murdered Maria Ladenburger for forgiveness, Focus reports.

      “I wish I could undo everything. What I have done, I am deeply sad about that from the bottom of my heart.” (Hussein K.)

      Then he went on to recount the events of the night of the murder:

      He had been drinking with three friends and he had smoked hashish. Because he was extremely drunk, he was thrown out of the bar. At some time after that, he was on his way home. At the [river] Dreisam, the girl on her bicycle approached him.

      He kicked against the bicycle, which caused the girl to fall off. She screamed. He held her mouth shut. Then he strangled her with her shawl until she was unconscious.

      “When I saw how pretty she was, I wanted to have sex with her.” (Hussein K.)

      Apparently he thought that he had already strangled her to death. The judge questioned him concerning “sex with a dead girl,” and the offender said:

      “It didn’t bother me to have sex with a dead girl.” (Hussein K.)

      According to his testimony he was too drunk to achieve an erection, so he inserted his hand. Since he had a previous injury from a bicycle accident, he pulled her into the river to wash his blood from her body. There he left her and fled.

      BBC Last Touched on this story “Afghan murder suspect in Germany was jailed in Greece (convicted of attempted murder in Greece)” {bbc.co.uk dec2016}
      Germans were outraged by the murder of Maria L, a student in Freiburg who volunteered for a refugee charity.
      He was given a 10 year-sentence but was apparently freed after about 18 months.

      – BBC £3.5bn News Service Search for ‘Maria Freiburg’ found wanting, the real world is just to horrible to report
      – Lady Gaga reveals chronic illness, with fibromyalgia featuring in her new documentary (sales pitch!)

      https://biasedbbc.org/blog/2017/09/13/mosquesmustfall/#comment-866359

         6 likes

  35. MarkyMark says:

    Barry Gardiner defends donations worth £500,000 from Chinese agent
    The Labour MP said Christine Lee appeared to be ‘operating as a legitimate person in the UK’.
    Amy Gibbons
    Thursday 13 January 2022 20:23

    https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/fcf17935-ca44-419c-81ad-a02caf216a77?in=12:04:42

    ….

    Boris Johnson told to explain why crackdown on Russian ‘dirty money’ will take 18 months
    Register of foreign owners of property delayed until autumn 2023 at the earliest, Keir Starmer warns – ‘far too long for the Ukrainian people’

    Rob Merrick
    Deputy Political Editor
    Wednesday 02 March 2022 13:19

    …..

    LIVING WAGE

    20 January 2021, received £1,471.64 for royalties on book already written. Hours: no additional hours. (Registered 05 February 2021)

    https://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=10999

       2 likes

  36. MarkyMark says:

    2v0zsmjpjyz2docrbgs7xeo620hv

       12 likes

  37. MarkyMark says:

    2 years to the day went into lockdown …

    https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/fcf17935-ca44-419c-81ad-a02caf216a77?in=12:13:17

    MPs get bumper £2.2k pay rise NEXT MONTH as Britons crippled with eye-watering tax hikes
    MPs are to be given a £2,200 pay rise from next month, as Britons suffer from tax hikes and the continued cost of living crisis.
    By DAN FALVEY – POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
    15:47, Tue, Mar 1, 2022 | UPDATED: 19:31, Tue, Mar 1, 2022
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1573849/MPs-pay-UK-pay-rise-latest-figures-Independent-Parliamentary-Standards-Authority-review

       6 likes

  38. MarkyMark says:

    Islam is right about women?!

    Afghanistan: Taliban backtrack on reopening high schools for girls

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-60845540

    The Taliban have reversed a decision to allow Afghan girls to return to high schools, saying a ruling is still to be made on the uniforms they must wear.

    Schools were set to open nationwide after months of restrictions since the Taliban seized power in August.

    Give Taliban ‘the benefit of doubt and opportunity’, says Leading Nottingham scholar
    https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/give-taliban-the-benefit-doubt-5819029

       5 likes

  39. MarkyMark says:

    No mention in PMQs why MPs get a £2.2K pay rise when everyone else is f**ked.

    d803f-photograph-from-the-animated-film-animal-farm-1954.png?w=650&h=441

       10 likes

  40. MarkyMark says:

    Rishi …

    https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/fcf17935-ca44-419c-81ad-a02caf216a77?in=12:45:51

    NHS’s diversity tsar is paid £35,000 more than its chief executive with her £230,000 salary enough to fund nine new nurses or 20 hip replacements
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10004111/NHSs-diversity-tsar-paid-35-000-chief-executive.html

    …………..

    India sticks with Russia after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine
    https%3A%2F%2Fd1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2Fec624420-e061-4bf9-92a9-a84fb19d9240.jpg?fit=scale-down&source=next&width=700

    https://www.ft.com/content/6c52b083-d38a-40c9-9e23-2747c913065f

    ………….

    MPs to get £2,200 pay rise next month
    Published1 March
    MPs to get £2,200 pay rise next month
    MPs to get £2,200 pay rise next month
    MPs to get £2,200 pay rise next month
    MPs to get £2,200 pay rise next month
    MPs to get £2,200 pay rise next month
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60576639

    Become an MP – beat inflation!

       7 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      And they are still paid a pittance! And then you wonder why the job attracts so many duffers!

         2 likes

      • Fedup2 says:

        Oh thoughtful – are you an MP – ? come on fess up – we need less politicians as ive described before – dump the Lords – no second jobs .
        Never a shortage of snouts in the trough – 1 in 7 MPs employ a relative too …

           10 likes

        • Thoughtful says:

          I do agree that there are too many MPs although they are never going to vote to get rid of their mates.

          I do wonder though if you have any clear idea of what people earn these days and especially in London.

          Starting salaries for lawyers fresh out of Uni is over £100K in London. GPs up to £500K School heads up to £280K Council chief exec up to £600K Anasthetic Nurse £75K

          And highest paid CEO of a business £421 million in one year!

          You appear to like medicrity Fedup, I don’t, I believe greater strictures are needed to prevent outside payments and greater protections for loss of earning when voted out, but having the worst paid politicians in the Western World is nothing to be proud of and although there is a queue to as you say get their snouts in the trough, it’s a queue of incompetent wannabes with no tangible skills to offer.

          Pay the price and then expect the results, don’t pay the money and be happy with the quality of what you have.

             5 likes

          • Fedup2 says:

            Thoughtful – using examples from other public sector overpaid employees is not a good strategy .

            I dont believe the current parliament delivers for taxpayers and my ideas for reform are far beyond anything you would find acceptable,

            This site is about the BBC so i will stop the off subject comment here. I guess you have strong personal involvement with a politician because i cannot believe that anyone without a financial interest would have such a view .

               1 likes

    • Up2snuff says:

      MM, the MPs will be paying the top level of the new NI Charge.

         0 likes

  41. MarkyMark says:

    The Barnett formula is a mechanism used by the Treasury in the United Kingdom to automatically adjust the amounts of public expenditure allocated to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to reflect changes in spending levels allocated to public services in England, England and Wales, as appropriate. The formula applies to a large proportion, but not the whole, of the devolved governments’ budgets − in 2013–14 it applied to about 85% of the Scottish Parliament’s total budget.[1]

    The formula is named after Joel Barnett, who devised it in 1978[2] while Chief Secretary to the Treasury, as a short-term solution to minor Cabinet disputes in the runup to planned political devolution in 1979.

    The Barnett formula is said to have “no legal standing or democratic justification”,[3] and, being merely a convention, could be changed at will by the Treasury. In recent years, Barnett himself has called it a “terrible mistake”.[4] In 2009, the House of Lords Select Committee on the Barnett Formula concluded that “the Barnett Formula should no longer be used to determine annual increases in the block grant for the United Kingdom’s devolved administrations… A new system which allocates resources to the devolved administrations based on an explicit assessment of their relative needs should be introduced.”[5]

    During the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, the Barnett formula came to widespread attention given Scotland’s high levels of public expenditure.[6]

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnett_formula

    FinalPpP3_social_media.png

       5 likes

  42. Thoughtful says:

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10642987/Man-let-workers-build-home-BAREFOOT-pictures-eyesore-left-neighbours-nightmare.html

    Third World Britain.

    DM moderating comments which appears now to be the norm, and yet failing to ask the obvious questions about who these men were and whether they had regularlised immigration status, or were paying tax, or received the minimum wage.

    No comment either on the fact that this is now normal behaviour for Pakistani Muslims, and it doesn’t matter where in the world they go nor how wealthy they are, the behaviour stays the same. No consideration for neighbours, sometimes encroaching onto land they don’t own, and ignoring laws and regulations, often in Britain getting away with it too.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10637875/Mohamed-Hadids-50MILLION-Bel-Air-mega-mansion-reduced-rubble-years-legal-wrangling.html

       6 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Businessman who led the construction of his dream home despite having no building experience allowed workers to go BAREFOOT and wear no safety gear on site, breaching health and safety rules
      Mustapha Matib, who is not a builder, decided to act as principal contractor when constructing his new home
      Residents in Denton, Greater Manchester, were shocked at the state of the site after ‘years’ of work took place
      Construction workers were seen walking around barefoot in a rubble-filled area with no protective equipment
      The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), says as a result of work on the site a nearby house became ‘unstable’
      Matib has now been prosecuted and pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety workplace requirements

         3 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Matib pleaded guilty to two charges under the Health & Safety at Work Act and was sentneced to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months

         2 likes

  43. Thoughtful says:

    Anyone got an FT subscription?

    Russia chokes major oil pipeline in further threat to global supplies| Financial Times https://www.ft.com/content/c7b4cc17-3258-43e5-ba3d-c006f5843f0d=

       3 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      Now I have managed to get at it:

      Russia is throttling capacity on a major pipeline that sends crude oil to global markets, driving prices higher and raising fears that Moscow was prepared to retaliate against western sanctions by curbing its own energy supplies.

      Up to 1mn barrels a day of oil shipped through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s pipeline from central Asia to the Black Sea could be cut for up to two months while repairs are made to storm-damaged loading facilities, Russia’s deputy energy minister said in a statement on Tuesday carried by the news agency Tass.

      The supply interruption comes on the eve of US president Joe Biden’s trip to Europe, where EU countries are expected to discuss imposing sanctions on Russia’s oil sector in response to country’s invasion of Ukraine. The US has already banned Russian petroleum imports.

      International oil prices rose by more than 2 per cent to $117 per barrel immediately after the pipeline announcement before falling back to $115 a barrel.

      Analysts raised questions about the timing of the reported storm damage, as none of the pipeline’s western partners had been able to inspect the facilities.

      “If a storm shuts down infrastructure or if Russia shuts down infrastructure, Russia can decide when it reopens infrastructure,” said Kevin Book, managing director at ClearView Energy Partners, a Washington-based research group.

      The pipeline, which runs 1,500km from the massive Tengiz oilfield in western Kazakhstan to the port of Novorossiysk on Russia’s Black Sea coastline, includes oil produced by US supermajors Chevron and ExxonMobil. Russian crude also feeds the line from oilfields along the route.

      The total pipeline capacity is about 1.4mn b/d of oil — about 2.5 per cent of global seaborne oil trade — and accounts for around two-thirds of Kazakhstan’s oil exports, making it a vital artery for the country’s economy.

      CPC said in a statement that “current market conditions”, an apparent reference to recent western sanctions, would make it harder to fix parts of the port loading facilities damaged during a recent storm, meaning that shipments could be cut by two-thirds.

      “Russia can make it very difficult for repairs to occur given the challenges it’s currently facing to sell its own oil,” said Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects, a consultancy.

      A Biden administration executive order this month banned the import of Russian crude into the US but exempted oil that flows through the CPC pipeline as long as it was certified as coming from Kazakhstan.

      ExxonMobil and others have continued to ship through it. Mike Wirth, Chevron’s chief executive, said earlier this month that the CPC pipeline was “an important source of supply . . . into a world which right now really needs that oil supply”.

      The Russian state is CPC’s largest shareholder with a 24 per cent stake. Chevron and Exxon are among the other shareholders with 15 per cent and 7 per cent stakes, respectively. A joint venture between Russia’s state-controlled oil producer Rosneft and Shell owns another 7.5 per cent stake.

      Chevron on Tuesday said it was assessing the situation, while Exxon referred queries to CPC.

      Analysts said western moves to increase sanctions on Russia could trigger retaliation from Moscow.

      “As the EU edges closer to imposing strictures on Russian oil exports . . . rumblings of ‘rupture’ could preview Moscow cutting flows to the west on its own,” ClearView Energy Partners said in a note.

         5 likes

  44. s.trubble says:

    Q . How do you get from Anthony Blair to hosing hundreds of millions of Pounds against a wall?

    CLUE – Do not google bBC for an angle or idea!

    A Allow a Devolution process in Scotland which was badly thought through. An appeasement action. It would seem, at best.

    Let it grow and rot with no oversight, no value for money analysis
    and no challenge.

    And where are we …well some examples of the waste

    1) An empty airport bought by the snp for a £1 note, £40 mill written off and more to come as the asset is unsellable

    2) A railway system now under snp management…god forbid how that will turn out

    3) An open cheque book commitment to underwrite a smelter operation which could end up costing the taxpayer 10,s of million.
    A contract underwritten by the snp that reaches a new low in commercial naivety.

    4) And two island ferries commissioned for a budget of £75 million whose current actual cost is £ 250 million and the current view is that the whole lot will need to be written off…as the spec. is unbuildable .

    5) An Audit Scotland investigation into where the £5 BILLION Covid relief money has gone.

    The snp “disagree” with the Auditors findings.

    Thank-you Anthony for assisting in the process of transforming Scotland from an outward looking and friendly nation into an inward looking, divisive, with an unnatural knack for incompetence.

    And bBc , if you are looking in grow a set and turn your attention to this SNP shambles.

       13 likes

  45. Zephir says:

    SNP railway ? First Class, Second Class and English

    SNP airport ? C U Jimmy International Airport

       13 likes

  46. MarkyMark says:

    Domestic Abuse Community Outreach Support
    https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/e319dc0f-888e-4a7f-82db-d40c13cd7a6c?origin=SearchResults&p=1

    Value of contract
    £0 to £2,200,000

    RMBC is seeking to procure a dynamic, proactive Domestic Abuse support, safety planning and advocacy service. The Service will deliver all aspects of a Domestic Abuse support service from the provision of advice and guidance, joint communications and campaigns, an accessible pathway into services, safety planning, ongoing support, and therapeutic services for all those affected by domestic abuse. The Service will give particular focus to women and families, men, mental health, housing, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Communities and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Queer/Sometimes Questioning (LGBTQ).

    This service is being commissioned to assist the Council to fulfil its statutory duties towards victims of domestic abuse and their children.

    This agreement is for the sole use of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC).

       2 likes

  47. MarkyMark says:

    Heat the home or pay BBC £159? Choices.

    Sunak’s measures will feel like ‘small beer’ to lowest earners – IFS
    “That’s only going up by 3.1% next month, when inflation will probably be around 8% – so that’s going to be a big cut in living standards for those on the very lowest incomes.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-60835481

       5 likes

    • StewGreen says:

      As if it’s magically possible to increase benefits at a rate faster than inflation.
      Inflation means we all get poorer.

      Innovation and mining can put more money into the economy but London liberals are opposed to oil/gas/coal mining.

         10 likes

  48. StewGreen says:

    2pm local radio news still sounds like a Labour PR tool
    #1 “The chancellor says, but our friend Rachel Reeves the Labour Chancellor says”

    #2 P&O yet another clip of Karl Turner Labour MP
    followed by a protest woman “I don’t know much about this I just came along”

    Earlier on the 1 pm news P&O item
    “Boris says XYZ “, then strong clip of Starmer, followed by a weak clip of Boris which wasn’t the same bit they had quoted

       8 likes

  49. MarkyMark says:

    CIVIL SERVANTS USE WORKING HOURS LEARNING HOW TO AVOID TWEETING
    order-order.com

    Reduced Government! HA HA HA!

       7 likes