549 Responses to Midweek 31st January 2024

  1. Zephir says:

    “Brussels burns as farmers furious with the EU storm city on key summit day
    Angry farmers with tractors rolled into the European Union headquarters, demanding relief from high costs and rules”

    https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1861953/brussels-farmers-protest-eu-summit

       12 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      EU is just a trading block?!

         12 likes

      • Thoughtful says:

        The EEC which I supported back in the day was a trading block, but Maastricht channged it into the EU which was a political union with an unelected leadership.

        The Tories under the useless John Major sent Douglas Hurd to sign it, who unbelievably uttered the imortal condemnation of his own parties utter craven uselessness:

        “Now we’ve signed it we’d better read it” Indicating that they didn’t have a clue what they were actually signing up to despite it nearly tearing their party in two !

        If ever there was an early indication these people were simply playing games and not serious about the governance of the country this was it !

           27 likes

        • MarkyMark says:

          “British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was the only national representative who was planned to sign the Treaty in the ceremony but did not take part, leaving Foreign Secretary David Miliband to sign the Treaty alone. Instead, he signed the document at a lunch for heads of state and government later the same day.”

             12 likes

  2. Guest Who says:

    Two Beeboids chatting, without irony, or much audience, about nannying.

    https://x.com/BBCr4today/status/1752968776394404173?s=20
    This week @bbcnickrobinson and @amolrajan discuss plans to ban smoking and how much we want politicians telling us how to behave.

       10 likes

    • Terminal Moraine says:

      Amol inadvertently discovers libertarianism. What’s his salary?

      I wonder what the BBC interview process is.

         6 likes

  3. Dickie says:

       9 likes

  4. Fedup2 says:

    10 minutes until no change in the interest rate . Now the outgoing chancellor says no tax cuts in the budget . And the shadow keeps listing taxes which wont go up under the red labour regime

    So where will the money for ‘ public service ‘ come from ..?

       10 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Jeremy Hunt: everyone will be paying more tax after autumn statement 2022

      Everyone. Everyone. Everyone.

      1,860,000
      Theresa May, Former UK PM earned £1.86 million in her 2 years since leaving Downing Street, figures show

      500,000
      Barry Gardiner defends donations worth £500,000 from Chinese agent

      400,000
      Matt Hancock, who lost the Tory whip after it was announced he would be appearing on the ITV programme, is still being paid as an independent MP and is rumoured to have been paid £400,000 to appear on the I’m a celebrity.

      315,00
      Boris Johnson earns £315,000 for 30 minute speech and ‘fireside chat’ in United States

      65,040
      Chuka Umunna Advisory Board of The Progressive Centre UK think tank (also known as Global Progress)

      20,000
      Jeremy Corbyn Labour party leader accepted up to £20,000 (about $27,000) for appearances on the Iranian state broadcast network Press TV

      18,450
      Keir Starmer £18,450 from Harper Collins as an advance payment for a book.

      15,000
      Boris Johnson Accommodation for a private holiday for my partner and me, value £15,000 Destination of visit: St Vincent and the Grenadines

      10,000
      Jeremy Hunt £10,000 from Citigroup Centre for speaking at an event on 9 March 2021. Hours: 4 hrs. Fee paid direct to charity. (Charity not mentioned)

      5,822
      Nadhim Zahawi MP promises to repay the part of £5,822.27 expenses claim for second home energy bills that relates to electricity for stables

      2,200
      MPs to get £2,200 pay rise from April for ‘dramatically increased’ duties last year

      1,950
      Philip Hammond accepts £2,000 watch from Saudi sheikh, despite ban on donating expensive gifts

         8 likes

      • tomo says:

        While the public sector will cling to Work From Home. public employment is heading for the CofE fat stipend territory.

        I just had a chat with a PWC chap who opined that HMRC is in a tailspin. Interactions that would “usually” have taken a day are extending in some cases to months, due he claimed to them mostly WFH.

           12 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Barry Gardiner has £500K from a chinese spy that he can invest into the UK Economy?!

         6 likes

  5. tomo says:

       18 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Lingchi ([lǐŋʈʂʰɻ̩̌]; Chinese: 凌遲), translated variously as the slow process, the lingering death, or slow slicing, and also known as death by a thousand cuts, was a form of torture and execution used in China from roughly 900 CE up until the practice ended around the early 1900s. It was also used in Vietnam and Korea. In this form of execution, a knife was used to methodically remove portions of the body over an extended period of time, eventually resulting in death.

      Lingchi was reserved for crimes viewed as especially heinous, such as treason. Even after the practice was outlawed, the concept itself has still appeared across many types of media.

      . . . . . ..

      Chancellor Rishi Sunak held a US green card – allowing permanent residence in that country – while he was chancellor, his spokeswoman has said.

      He returned it in October last year, ahead of his first American trip as a UK government minister.
      https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-61044847

         4 likes

      • tomo says:

        Does Green Card status mean that Sunak is accessible via the United States judicial system?

        – could be fun?

           6 likes

        • MarkyMark says:

          “Yes, the U.S. allows dual citizenship by default. The government does not require naturalized U.S. citizens to give up their citizenship in their country of origin. Although the Oath of Allegiance to the United States speaks of renouncing “allegiance and fidelity” to other nations, U.S. immigration law does not explicitly address the topic of dual citizenship. The best summarization of the U.S. government’s position on dual citizenship lies in a U.S. Supreme Court opinion, which explains that “a person may have and exercise rights of nationality in two countries and be subject to the responsibilities of both.” The U.S. Department of State also has a more technical discussion of dual citizenship.”

          https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/dual-citizenship/

             2 likes

          • tomo says:

            I wonder if all the obligations were honored … the administrative i s dotted and t s crossed.

            Holders are required to pay US tax on their global income and also make a legal commitment to make the States their permanent home.

            Renouncing U.S. citizenship involves a formal process, and individuals must voluntarily and with the intent to relinquish their citizenship, appear before a U.S. diplomatic or consular officer in a foreign country. They must also sign an oath of renunciation.

               5 likes

    • taffman says:

      tomo
      What Tory Government do we have that allows this invasion to go on, unabated for so many years ?
      Vote for Reform !

         13 likes

      • tomo says:

        Reform imho are a Judas goat.

        Tice is a gutless prat

        The electorate is politically orphaned.

           9 likes

        • Kaiser says:

          I get where your coming from Tice is trying hard to fence sit on things where the public might be split ie vaccines/covid

          and is probably trying to make a judgement call on where we sit aka ukraine

          most likely to avoid mounds of bad press about being anti-vax pro russian etc etc, when he can barely get any MSM exposure for Reform as it stands .

          but tell me tomo ,

          whats to lose voting Reform as opposed to not voting

             14 likes

          • Ian Rushlow says:

            “…and is probably trying to make a judgement call on where we sit aka ukraine…”

            Tice visited Ukraine last week and took the standard establishment line from 2 years ago that “Ukraine are fighting for the West”. It’s not been well received by many would-be Reform voters, who think it ever-so-slightly-possible that there might be more pressing and relevant issues closer to home that need to be dealt with, such as jobs, schools, doctors, crime, cost of living, Net zero nonsense and the Brexit betrayal. And that protecting the borders of Britain is a tad more important than protecting the borders of the Ukrainian Kleptocracy state.

            https://www.gbnews.com/news/bev-turner-richard-tice-ukraine-putin

               10 likes

        • taffman says:

          tomo
          Then who do you recommend?

             2 likes

          • tomo says:

            I don’t , I can’t in terms of political parties, the incestuous cycle that brought us to this place has to be broken.

            We desperately need someone like a Millei and the legacy media needs to be pounded to dust.

            Informed pragmatism is in very, very short supply

               5 likes

    • Kaiser says:

      50 man dinghies im sure the royal marines would call them landing craft

      “The landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP) or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively by the Allied forces in amphibious landings in World War II. Typically constructed from plywood, this shallow-draft, barge-like boat could ferry a roughly platoon-sized complement of 36 men to shore “

         7 likes

  6. tomo says:

    crybaby.jpg

    Meanwhile on the BBC front page Sturgeon is paired with Claudia Winkelman…

    The ex-FM still gets a gun toting chauffeur and an armoured(?) car.

    Rotten

       11 likes

  7. pugnazious says:

    80718541-13032229-image-a-5_1706779042215.jpg

    If it’s not on the BBC it’s not happening…the BBC hopes.

    Mass anti-EU ‘insurrection’ in Brussels this morning as farmers pour in and attack the EU HQ….

    ‘A thousand tractors descended on Brussels this morning as farmers from across Europe headed to the Belgian capital to protest the bloc’s environmental regulations and net zero ambitions.

    Furious farmers have clashed with riot cops, toppled statues and surrounded the European Union’s Brussels headquarters today ahead of a key summit.

    Convoys with hundreds of angry agricultural workers driving heavy-duty tractors advanced toward the HQ, hell-bent on having their complaints about excessive costs, rules and bureaucracy heard by the bloc’s leaders.’

    80718559-13032229-image-a-15_1706780094119.jpg

    News broadcasters from around the world are there now broadcasting live…..er….however the BBC has gone missing in action…absolutely nothing on the website about the protests.

    Even when they do report they mis-report, dodging the fact that everything is linked to net zero policies one way or another…..you’d have no idea reading the BBC…

    ‘Some of their concerns, such as burgeoning bureaucracy, have a national character; others point to wider issues, including the increasing cost of farm diesel, late payment of EU subsidies, or competition from imports.’

    When the BBC doesn’t want you to know something it’s either scrubbed from the news completely, downplayed and reported in very neutral and carefully shaped language, or it’s labelled as Far-Right.

    They finally, a couple of hours ago, reported on Tory MP Mike Freer stepping down as an MP for a mostly Jewish constituency due to anti-Semitic threats and attacks on him…the story came out yesterday evening and the BBC ignored it till late this morning….and the story is already slipping from the frontpage into obscurity despite its significance.

    A BBC that one, is constantly banging on about threats to MPs, dangerous language and social media, and two is shocked and outraged at the ‘Trump led insurrection’ that threatens demcoracy, is suddenly not at all concerned about threats to MPs nor about the threat to democracy when MPs are forced out by violence and intimidation….fire-bombing an MP’s office is in effect worse than what happened on Jan 6….if it happened to more MPs what then? Then again the BBC isn’t too concerned about Muslims killing, or attempting to kill, MPs….the BBC only showed huge interest when it was a white male with right-leaning political interests…never mind that it was probably more to do with his mental health than ‘Brexit’ or some such issue….he having written to Jo Cox about help for his mental health and not gotten an answer….he was angry and attacked her, but for the BBC it was always Brexit that caused the murder.

       32 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      BBC report lack of Trans and Islamic farmers in the UK and raise concern to EU …. “‘A thousand tractors descended on Brussels this morning as farmers from across Europe headed to the Belgian capital to protest the bloc’s environmental regulations and net zero ambitions.”

         12 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Become an MP and get a free on expenses!

      https://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/domestic_politics/expenses%2B8211%2Bwhat%2Bcan%2Bmps%2Bclaim/3287067.html

      Travel Expenditure

      What it’s for: the cost of journeys necessary for parliamentary duties, such as travel between Westminster and the constituency, and within the constituency. MPs can also claim for relevant travel in the UK and up to three return trips to Europe. Some allowances for MPs’ families and staff, too.

      How much: no overall limit. Motor mileage – 40 pence per mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25 pence per mile thereafter; motorcycle – 24 pence per mile; and bicycle – 20 pence per mile.

      What can be claimed: Fares for journeys by public transport

      Mileage for cars, motorbikes and bicycles

      Reasonable parking (though not parking fines)

      Taxis and private hire car cost

      Reasonable cost of overnight accommodation where a journey has had to be broken due to unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of the person undertaking the journey

      Family travel: MPs’ spouses, civil partners and children up to the age of 18 are each entitled to up to 30 single journeys a year between London and the constituency or the MPs’ main home.

      Staff travel: MPs’ staff can also share up to 24 single journeys between London and the constituency a year, so long as they are necessary to help the MP carry out their parliamentary business.

         6 likes

      • tomo says:

        Can they get ULEZ charges paid?

           7 likes

        • Fedup2 says:

          Yes of course – and the tv licence – office – homes …£ – cheap woks food and booze – lovely .. a lot of blue labour lot are gonna miss it …
          But they get their golden goodbye and pension …

             9 likes

          • tomo says:

            Aye, working near Parliament and wondering what they pay for food and drink inside … and finding out – was quite triggering…

            I wonder how many MPs and Lords and civil servants at Westminster have non compliant vehicles that get their ULEZ fees picked up?

            I can imagine that’d take months to winkle out?

               8 likes

        • MarkyMark says:

          Payment of the ULEZ charge by MPs
          Do you consider it acceptable that MPs can claim back payments of the ULEZ charge through the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority scheme of expenses for MPs? Will you consider making representations to ensure that such payments are not an entitlement for MPs and that the imposition of the ULEZ charge applies equally to MPs as to all other drivers?

          https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/questions-mayor/find-an-answer/payment-ulez-charge-mps

             7 likes

      • Thoughtful says:

        And just think, some people want to extend these expenses to the upper chamber along with a salary as well, plus office allowances and much much more !

           2 likes

  8. pugnazious says:

    Why is the BBC not too interested in MP MIke Freer from Finchley and Golders Green? Could it be one, that he speaks out in support of Israel, but also two, that he thinks ‘people who come here’ should respect our values, beliefs and way of life….a controversial view eh? Then again it’s not just ‘people who come here’ but those here already…such as those working in the BBC which has absolutely no respect for British values, beliefs, culture, history or indeed the ‘indigenous population’ which it hates and wants to erase….literally, by breeding them out.

       20 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      It’s just a name ….

      The UK’s most popular baby names of 2023 have been revealed.

      Muhammad held onto the boy’s top spot, while Olivia makes a triumphant return to number one in the girl’s list.

      Experts at BabyCentre unveiled the lists which includes 100 of the most popular boys and girls names and their spelling variations.

      In the girl’s list, last year’s number one ‘Sophia’ fell into eighth place after the organisation changed the way they count to include different spellings.

      https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/67694955

         10 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      Considering the sainthood applied to the red labour MP murderered by a nutter it should be surprising – but then again the killing – and circumstances – of David Amess doesn’t get much mention at all …

         24 likes

    • G.W.F. says:

      ”Those that died in the Capital Building”…. after Donald Trump. She never called him out on this lie.

         10 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      I have no sympathy for him! He and his party made this happen and it is unfair on the rest of us that he receives protection and can run away when he feels the going has got tough.

      The rest of us have to live with the shit he and his party have caused so why should he be so special?

      He needs to apologise to the people of this country for what his party have done!

         13 likes

  9. Fedup2 says:

    Abdul Azedi confirms that prejudice about acid attacks …. Imported horror ( allegedly ) …I’m sure whoever carried out that crime wouldn’t have the decency to end themselves and save a lot of bother –
    Mind you he might get away with a ‘diminished ‘ like that animal from last week ….

       23 likes

  10. andyjsnape says:

    bBC reports:-

    Suspect named in the London alkali attack…

    Its a man from Newcastle, no not Smith, Jones, but Abdul Shakoor Ezedi

    Thats a relief its not racist, white on black

       24 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      It’s a strange ‘cultural trait ‘ really – the stuff used to cause the injury is not that readily available now …. I’ve used it for genuine reasons and can say it is horrible to use and proper protective gear used ….
      I wonder if Abdul has left the country already ….?

         19 likes

  11. Fedup2 says:

    From the DT – the decline of BBC radio – uptick

    STARTS BBC radio suffered a wholesale decline last year while Greatest Hits Radio added 2.8 million listeners thanks to the “Ken Bruce effect”.

    Radio 2 and Radio 4 each lost about one million listeners, with the latter down by almost 10 per cent. Radio 1, Radio 3 and Radio 5 Live also registered losses, as did the World Service.

    BBC local radio, which has undergone a series of cuts and mergers in the past year, lost 793,000 listeners.

    However, the BBC’s losses appear to be commercial radio’s gain. When Ken Bruce announced that he was quitting Radio 2 for Greatest Hits Radio, the commercial station had 3.97 million listeners. Loyal listeners who followed him to his new home appear to have stayed for the station’s other output.

    The Greatest Hits audience has risen to 6.75 million, according to the latest figures from the industry body Rajar.

    Bruce’s mid-morning audience is up by 117 per cent to 3.8 million listeners, while the drivetime show hosted by Simon Mayo – another former BBC star – is up by 71 per cent to 2.5 million.

    Absolute, Heart, Magic and Boom Radio also registered increases.

    BBC 6 Music success
    The only BBC station to keep its audience last year was 6 Music, which had a modest increase of 15,000 listeners.

    Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer, explained the decline by suggesting that audiences are moving to on-demand programming and ­podcasts.

    “There’s fierce competition for people’s time and, with the success of the global streamers and digital listening reaching record levels, we know that audience habits are changing and they expect more choice and control over their content,” she said.

    “I’m pleased that BBC Sounds continues to grow as audiences discover on-demand programming from us whenever they want to, and are able to choose from a wide range of high-quality BBC podcasts and music content to suit their moods.”

    BBC Sounds hit a record 4.86 million users in the last quarter of 2023. The most popular programmes on-demand include Desert Island Discs, In Our Time, I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue and Life Changing.

    Most popular podcasts for the under-35s included Newscast, a discussion of the day’s main events, and Uncanny, which investigates supposedly paranormal encounters.

    Younger people are driving the exodus from BBC radio. Listener figures are down 4.9 per cent among those aged 45 and above, but the figure rises to 7.4 per cent for those aged 15-44. ENDS

       16 likes

  12. tomo says:

    With apologies to any sufferers of vertigo

       7 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      No Mosque? Saudi’s need to up their game!

         7 likes

      • tomo says:

        don’t.give.them.ideas

        The willy wavers that built Burj Khalifa know no bounds.

           6 likes

        • MarkyMark says:

          The mosque has separate areas for men and women to worship, space for meetings, and a small mortuary for preparing bodies for burial. Stornoway’s Muslim population comprises a few dozen people, their number bolstered in the past couple of years by the arrival of a small number of Syrian families fleeing the civil war.11 May 2018

          First mosque opens on Outer Hebrides in time for Ramadan

             3 likes

    • Zephir says:

      Bit of a coincidence, I have been watching videos online of Everest and K2 last couple of evenings…the following may be of interest:

      Walking along a metre wide ridge and having to pass people from the other direction with a 3 k drop either side..

      K2 even harder

      And the Eiger is no joke either

         3 likes

    • Mrs Kitty says:

      I’m reading Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer about the 1996 Everest disaster at the moment. Truly horrifying .

         3 likes

  13. tomo says:

    Meanwhile in West London

    Life lottery payouts

    compo-time.jpg

       8 likes

  14. tomo says:

    Tice should take a back seat

       15 likes

  15. tomo says:

       19 likes

  16. friend of yogi bear says:

    So far as BBC listening figures are concerned the real story is “why is anybody listening to the rubbish the BBC thinks is broadcastable?”
    I recently was given a lift by a friend of my son who is in his early 20s. I heard on his car radio ,15 minutes of someone called Vernon Kay, I thought his comments between records were a spoof comedy based on the Fast shows, Kagool wearing character, who thought absolutely everything was BRILLIANT. Having a cup of coffee according to Vernon is Amazing, Incredible , brilliant and a right laugh. Who could bear this cr@p?? Not my son’s young friend who announced this bloke is truly awful before turning off.
    Today in the Guardian there is an article about the BBC losing its radio listeners by the million, except for the above mentioned Vernon, who is in a different league and has lost the bbc many more than a mere million.
    Well, good luck to him , keep up the poor work and it must be time for a pay rise.

       29 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      They each earn in the region of £300,000 from their high-profile jobs at the BBC. But Vernon Kay and Tess Daly risk the wrath of Corporation bosses after signing a lucrative deal to front a Christmas food campaign for Marks & Spencer.23 Dec 2023

         10 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      https://www.shootthecompany.com/journal/work/ms-food/

      We were delighted to work with M&S, Tess Daly & Vernon Kay to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a gourmet ‘dine-in’ selection of world-class dishes, concocted by the experts at M&S.Creating this film was hungry work. Tantalising visuals of Conte Pruili Prosecco are paired with Tess and Vernon’s joyous reactions as they walk us through Coquilles St Jacques, Cod with Tomato, Paprika & Sherry and a side of Spring Greens Gratin, finished off with decedent and naughty melt-in-the-middle puddings.Working in a native 9:16 aspect ratio on this project is just one of many processes we’ve streamlined into our workflow to ensure all our content is optimised for social media outlets from the very start.

         7 likes

    • moggiemoo says:

      I used to listen to Radio 2 on long car journeys as RDS would automatically switch as you changed regions. It took me a while to realise that the traffic news was all bloody London and it was better to use local independent radio. That was 15 years ago and I haven’t listened to BBC radio since.

         19 likes

      • Zephir says:

        I gave up after driving on a Saturday morning and noticing the primary requirement for male DJs on Radio 2 at the weekend is to talk like a pre pubescent 13 year old girl.

           18 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      Our builders had R2 on. Vile then Kay, or the other way around.

      Making Vile sound the better option takes real skill.

         9 likes

  17. MarkyMark says:

    Those eligible may relocate to the UK with a partner, dependent children and additional family members who are also deemed eligible, the scheme says.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68152923

    ………………………………

    Boris Johnson: US withdrawal from Afghanistan was ‘massive success’
    https://www.today.com/video/boris-johnson-us-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-was-massive-success-121584197557

       6 likes

  18. tomo says:

       17 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      UK to re-join EU so we can use the Boris Water Cannons?

      . . . .

      2019 … The Yellow Jackets blinded by police weapons
      Human rights groups urge the French police to desist from heavy-handed tactics and the use of rubber bullets.
      2019
      https://www.politico.eu/article/yellow-jackets-blinded-police-weapons-france-protests/

      A number of human rights bodies — among them France’s Human Rights League and Défenseur des Droits, Amnesty International, the Council of Europe and the United Nations — have urged French authorities to stop using LBDs.

         4 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Germany earlier … 5 Jan 2024
      709.9K

      The government has backed down on net zero tax increases on their fuel.

      When you stand together against tyranny, it looks like this 💥

         19 likes

    • Mrs Kitty says:

      @Tomo 4.19 I think in South Africa they prefer machete the farmers.

         3 likes

  19. Thoughtful says:

    I see Ursula von der Brain Dead has caved in over the ‘protests’ just shows the only way you can get the EU to pay any attention is by the use of direct violence against them

       16 likes

    • tomo says:

      There will be some spiteful retaliation from the totalitarian Commies at The Berlaymont who’re orchestrating the modern Morgenthau plan.

      That, I feel is a slam dunk certainty.

         3 likes

  20. Dickie says:

    Darwin awards

       6 likes

  21. Guest Who says:

    Twitter presented me recently with Peter Oborne, now elevated to penning wisdom for the same obscure outfit that hires JezCo.

    As a sometime BBC gob, I found his political contributions unsurprising if still informative on bubble mindsets.


    Both Labour and the Tories have turned their back on Muslims. So how should they vote in the looming general election given that so many of their concerns are ignored or despised by the two biggest political parties?


    The cross-party merger on Gaza is the latest example of the unspoken agreement between our two main political parties: Muslims should be at best marginalised and at worst targeted. I ask what this means for the Muslim vote at the general election

    Rapidly expanding voting blocs imported and importing a vast array of unpleasant diversity traits is a ‘vote’ I find it hard for any British party to pursue to the exclusion of so much else.

    Or their broadcast PR partner.

       12 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      2017 … Alienated Muslims in Europe establish their own parties
      There are 11 political parties founded by Muslims or with majority-Muslim memberships on European soil
      07.03.2017 – Update : 08.03.2017

      european-muslims.jpeg

      Muslims in countries worldwide are forming their own political parties to make their voices heard and tackle their problems through political means.

      Austria

      Austria’s New Movement for the Future Party (NBZ) was founded by Adnan Dincer to become the voice of minorities in the country.

      “There is no party in the country that works to solve the problems of minorities,” he said.

      On the contrary, other parties in the country have an anti-minority attitude, he added.

      “It’s for this reason that our political party was needed. NBZ was established to serve this need,” he said.

      The Netherlands

      The “Denk” (Think) party was formed due to the 2015 expulsion from the Labor Party of two MPs, Tunahan Kuzu and Selcuk Ozturk, for refusing to support Deputy PM Lodewijk Asscher’s integration policy.

      The two Dutch MPs of Turkish origin formed a new political party called Denk.

      The party also includes other Dutch MPs.

      “Our party was founded to make minorities heard in the Netherlands,” said party leader Tunahan Kuzu.

      France

      France’s Turkish-Muslim Equality and Justice Party (PEJ) was formed to defend the rights of Muslims who face discrimination in the country.

      The PEJ – founded by a joint Turkish-Muslim initiative – was eliminated in the first round of provincial council elections held in March 2015, but still won thousands of votes in four cities and 10 cantons just two months after its foundation.

      PEJ chair Sakir Colak told Anadolu Agency that the party’s aim is to fight injustice and inequality.

      “We are not just a Muslim or a Turkish party,” he said, adding that they want justice for other foreigners as well.

      Two similar French parties are the Union of French Muslim Democrats (UDMF) and Party of the Muslims of France.

      Spain
      Bulgaria
      There are two mostly-Muslim parties active in Spain’s North African territories of Ceuta and Melilla, both bordering Morocco.

      The Coalicion por Melilla party was formed in 1999 in Melilla, and the Coalicion Caballas was formed in 2011 in Ceuta.

      Bulgaria
      Bulgaria

      There are three majority-Muslim parties in Bulgaria.

      The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) party was formed in 1990 by Ahmet Dogan.

      The Democrats for Responsibility, Freedom and Tolerance (DOST, or “close friend” in Turkish) was founded by Lyutvi Mestan in 2016.

      Mestan was expelled from the MRF following a speech defending Turkey and NATO over the November 2015 downing of a Russian warplane along the Turkish-Syrian border.

      The People’s Party of Freedom and Dignity was also formed by Kazim Dal and Korman Ismalov in 2012.

      Greece

      The Party of Friendship, Equality and Peace was founded in 1991 by Dr. Sadik Ahmet.

      The party has about 6,000 members. Party leader Mustafa Alicavus said its aim is to give minorities a voice.

         8 likes

  22. taffman says:

    Woke weather forcasts -They will be naming heat weave next.

       9 likes

  23. friend of yogi bear says:

    I listened to the BBC news headlines at 5p.m. it’s interesting to see what they chose to put in the headlines and what they omit.
    One of the headlines is the EU giving Ukraine a €50 billion aid package despite the naughty Hungarians ..boo..boo. trying to stop this gallant gesture.
    No mention of the fact that the EU is providing the Putin regime with vast sums of cash by importing fossil fuels like there’s no tomorrow ,€100 billion by October 2022 , at which point an element of illusion was adopted along with tough talk about sanctions. I would love to know the latest tally 15 months later.
    Currently the fossil fuels of Russian origin are not being be bought directly but are bought via India ,acting as a middle man. It looks and feels so much “nicer” doesn’t it just.
    And the record shows fossil fuels bought from Russia have dramatically reduced. Hurrah!
    I can’t wait for the Panorama programme getting to grips with this EU trick. ..might have a bit of a wait.

       15 likes

    • StewGreen says:

      “Kazakhstan exported almost (993,000) one million tons of oil to Germany in 2023. Kazakh oil is transported to Germany via Druzhba pipeline that traverses Russia to Adamowo-Zastawa delivery point in Poland and from there onwards to Germany. ”
      https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/98345/

      “Kazakhstan’s state pipeline company Kaztransoil said on Friday that the country has supplied 993,000 metric tons of oil to Germany in 2023.
      The company said that Kazakhstan plans to supply 1.2 million metric tons of oil to Germany in 2024”

      It’s said that The Kazakh oil goes into the pipeline into Russia, then the Russians take it out and use it
      Then further down the pipeline, The Russians
      put gas in. So the oil that ends up in Poland at the German owned refinery IS RUSSIAN.

         6 likes

  24. Terminal Moraine says:

    Guardian has the mayor’s comments on invader disfigurement violence:

    “Khan says corrosive substance are also ‘offensive weapons’ alongside guns and knives. ‘Just as we are taking action, in terms of a public health approach, towards guns and knives, so we have got to do the same with this kind of stuff as well.’

    He added: ‘We have to make it as difficult as possible for average people to get hold of dangerous substances.’ Khan said the attack last night was targeted, so early intervention was ‘crucial’.”

    Khan’s idiocy reaching new heights. How about a new national database of hardware stores… let Fujitsu build it and bung another £300 on the council tax, we don’t mind.

       14 likes

  25. Eddy Booth says:

    137b0c70-b111-41c9-be7c-0000aee006d1.jpg

    ‘The Metropolitan Police have released an image of Abdul Shokoor Ezedi.
    ‘The image shows an injury on Ezedi’s face, which the police say “makes him distinctive”.
    They add that it was taken on 31 January in a Tesco store on Caledonian road, where Ezedi is believed to have purchased a bottle of water. ‘

    Here we go, an ”HD” video screenshot, that looks nothing like the previous image with the basin haircut .

       12 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      Burkha time

         7 likes

    • tomo says:

      A quick search online for AI image enhancement will show you that these police CCTV images are complete and utter bullshit.

      In the video stream there there’s likely 40 or 50 images that could be processed to provide a pin sharp photo of the guy.

         8 likes

  26. Thoughtful says:

    Benjamin Netanyahu on video lying about Iraq not only having weapons of mass destruction to US congress, but claiming they had an atomic weapons program more advanced than Iran. He also claimed Lybia had an atomic weapons program when they did not and it would appear that he is now lying that Iran has an atomic weapons plan.

       0 likes

  27. StewGreen says:

    “Sheffield man” got a bit boistrous

    ITV local news put it on their website, but I didn’t see them mention it on TV.
    Our BBC region doesn’t cover Sheffield.

       13 likes

  28. Pete says:

    It’s what they do and plenty more on the way here.
    Our country is changing fast.

       20 likes

  29. tomo says:

       24 likes

  30. Alf Dobbs says:

    I see Morrisons are selling their petrol forecourts business, with 337 sites to the Motor Fuel Group which already owns 900 sites.

    Do you think this will (a) increase competition and lead to lower prices; or (b) reduce competition and lead to higher prices?

    Has the BBC expressed a view? Is our so-called Conservative government interested in defending the consumer?

       12 likes

    • Sluff says:

      What market share will they thus attain?

         1 likes

    • StewGreen says:

      Morrisons had bought McColls in 2022 so had increased stores by 1149 .. a few later closed

      Motor Fuel Group is owned outright by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.

      Guess who own Morrisons ?
      … same company Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.

         1 likes

  31. Guest Who says:

    https://x.com/afneil/status/1753081730175836570?s=61
    Exhibit A, m’lud, on how so much Scottish media has been compromised by too close an association with the SNP.

    Meanwhile, even Beff Rigsby has twigged that relentlessly gushing about what Labour Says is looking professionally dubious when what they say, and they say it a lot, is total BS.

       10 likes

  32. atlas_shrugged says:

    So comforting to know that all our imported red peppers and cut flowers are going to be UK border checked by an army of paper-pushing checkers.

    Meanwhile if you want something imported tout suite with no border checks or delays whatsoever then best give it to a dingy diver in France.

    I thought Brexit was all about getting rid of red-tape. Or were they lying to us?

       9 likes

  33. Nibor says:

    Sorry if this has been mentioned before,

    But has the BBC interviewed Jo Brand to see if she gives a thumbs up to the corrosive liquid thrower in London ?

       25 likes

    • JohnC says:

      This is what OFCOM had to say about it:

      ‘An Ofcom spokeswoman said: “Acid attacks are extremely serious crimes. We found that these comments had clear potential to offend listeners. But we also considered the audience’s likely expectations of Jo Brand’s style – and of this established show, which sets out to challenge accepted views in society through provocative comedy.’

      The ‘accepted view’ which OFCOM thinks is OK to be challenged is that you should not throw acid at right-wing policians ??.

      And of course it had nothing to do with offending people and everything to do with encouraging other far-Left scum to actually do it.

      OFCOM are as utterly unfit for purpose as the BBC. Ultimately these are the people who should have sorted out their bias years ago – yet nobody goes near them for some reason.

         5 likes

  34. tomo says:

       11 likes

  35. Thoughtful says:

    This evening Irish farmers in a huge parade of tractors is headed to blockade Dublin as the French German and Belgians have with their capitals.

    Thanks to the insane Marxist Tories we grow even less food than before and import even more. It won’t take much of a reduction of those imports whether from Ireland or the continent to be felt very quickly in our “Just in time” supplied supermarkets. Make sure you have enough food in for at least a week just in case.

       14 likes

    • Nibor says:

      It’s also

      More people coming into this country

      Plus , or is that minus

      Less land to grow food on due to more housing etc .

      The Second World War and population of 40 million .

      The biggest fear , the threat that would make Britain surrender was starvation.
      We needed to import food for the 40 million. With the land they had available then .

      Now ?

      87 millions and rising on less land available !

         13 likes

  36. pugnazious says:

    Really? That’s it? The BBC’s report on the farmers’ protest in Brussels is a very delayed, minimalist text with 32 seconds of video with no voice-over explaining things at all.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-68168498

    Almost like they don’t want you to know…especially that it’s mostly about the mad net zero policies being imposed and farming being ‘outlawed’ in order to ‘save the planet’.

       16 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      State media control can be pretty blunt when it needs to be – but it won’t be able to hide shortages in shops if those protests get serious and prolonged …… sometimes I think that is why the BBC is allowed to carry on as it does ….. with OFCOM giving ‘advice ‘ to ITV and sky ….

         10 likes

  37. Sluff says:

    Well, knock me down with a feather.
    The man suspected of the alkali attack in Clapham, one Abdul Ezidi, apparently arrived in the UK by lorry in 2016, was convicted of a sex offence in 2018 but was STILL granted asylum in this country.
    I look forward to the BBC interviewing Care4Calais or the Refugee Council for their comments.
    Another win for multiculturalism and open door immigration, not to mention the total lunacy of the Yuman Rights Act

       33 likes

    • atlas_shrugged says:

      He sounds a lovely chap with all the right qualities to serve in the hamas militia or the russian army.

         15 likes

    • JohnC says:

      What first occured to me when I saw who did it is that for the hard Leftists like maxi, their first thought will not be ‘oh dear, what kind of morales and ethics do these people have’. it will be ‘oh no, now the Right will use it against us for letting these people in’.

      Because they don’t really give a shit how many people get stabbed or covered in acid. They only care about their agenda.

      And I strongly suspect that they are so consumed by their hatred for the Right, they don’t even realise what they have become.

         22 likes

  38. Fedup2 says:

    Seems like the super woke Met commissioner has come out to publicly support the Bulgarian thug in uniform over the Oxford street incident.
    It seems is someone wearing police uniform as a volunteer ‘makes a mistake ‘ it’s okay because they are ‘part time ‘…..
    Plod is as lost as some many British organisations ….

       17 likes

  39. Guest Who says:

    https://x.com/thehill/status/1753172886121046420?s=61
    More than 500 journalists laid off in January alone

    #CCBGB Seems the profession is not too respected.

    Maybe they are all headed to Gaza?

       7 likes

  40. Guest Who says:

    So, how is that diversity drive going?

    https://x.com/kelvmackenzie/status/1753178889315066071?s=61
    The Telegraph reports tonight that a middle ranking BBC employee has , in a string of social media posts, described Jewish people as “Nazis” and white people as a “virus”
    The statements were made on Facebook by Dawn Queva, scheduling co-ordinatator of BBC Three.
    Jewish people were called “ Nazi apartheid parasites” and had funded a “Holohoax”.
    Whites were referred to as a virus.
    Shocking stuff. Good test for DG Tim Davie. Not hopeful In the light of the way he has ducked the Lineker issue.
    Even Davie can’t pass on this outrage. He must fire her. First thing tomorrow.

       16 likes

  41. Thoughtful says:

    oezf8qt1f2s01.jpg?auto=webp&s=96a354c29a45736e7e97f0e4a98fc948f2631ab7

       15 likes

  42. pugnazious says:

    The BBC strangely silent as something that would normally have the Marianna Springs of the world swarming around like flies on s**t gets lots of prominent debate elsewhere but not on the BBC.

    The Democrats are accused of wanting to exploit Taylor Swift’s massive popularity and use her as a poster girl for Biden’s election campaign. QAnon and the Republicans are pressing the buttons to different degrees.

    Times Radio did a hit on it and dismissed it as a bonkers conspiracy theory….and yet…hmmm…it’s true, at least in its basic form…Taylor Swift is a Democrat and indeed used her influence to make a call to arms to voters in 2020….

    ‘Taylor Swift managed to drive record-breaking numbers to voter registration website Vote.org after urging her 232 million followers on Instagram to take action.

    On Tuesday (19 September), hours after the pop star, 32, called on her US fanbase to register to vote in honour of National Voter Registration Day, Vote.org’s communication director, Nick Morrow, announced that “our site was averaging 13,000 users every 30 minutes”.’

    The lefty New York Times admits that the Democrats were toying with the idea of sending Biden to one of her concerts in order for the stardust to rub off on him….

    ‘Now, Mr Biden is seeking Swift’s coveted endorsement again. His campaign is considering sending the president to one of the concerts on her Eras tour, the New York Times reported. ‘

    She has enormous power….

    ‘California governor Gavin Newsom previously acknowledged the singer’s sway in politics.
    “Taylor Swift stands tall and unique,” Mr Newsom said in September. “What she was able to accomplish just in getting young people activated to consider that they have a voice and that they should have a choice in the next election, I think, is profoundly powerful.”’

    We know the media and partys like to use singers, artists and novelists to endorse their chosen politician…look at Blair and ‘Cool Britannia’…but also look at the BBC and its mobilisation and weaponisation of the lovely David Attenborough to sway people’s opinion on climate change….and the little trick they use….how many times have we had on an artist on the Today show and the questions suddenly verge from the art to ‘and what do you think of the war in Iraq’ or ‘what do you think of Trump’…knowing full well the artist would damn both of them.

    So no, not a conspiracy theory…some of it is…but that bit’s so laughable as to not to be taken seriously at all…but that’s another trick…those who want to rubbish the genuine idea bundle in the ratiional ‘conspiracy theory’, that Swift is a very useful tool for the Democrats, with wild ideas about the Superbowl result being rigged to allow Swift to meet Biden in a prominent place and endorse him…thus discrediting the real theory by association.

    Jon Pienaar on Times had another wild conspiracy theory to battle….that cabals of devil worshipping politicians in Washington were paedophiles…this was a mad, mad conspiracy that was totally out of bounds of rational thinking he tells us…except maybe not totally….just think of Epstein and the rich, powerful people including politicians and Royalty.

    We’ve had our own case of devil worshipping paedophiles here in Britain just recently….as the BBC itself reports…

    ‘Eleven people are accused of taking part in a child sex abuse ring which allegedly involved witchcraft, violence and neglect.’

    There are many such claims made around the world for decades and yet the BBC focuses so much attention on QAnon in an attempt to link Trump to it and thus discredit him….

    ‘At its heart, QAnon is a wide-ranging, completely unfounded theory that says that President Trump is waging a secret war against elite Satan-worshipping paedophiles in government, business and the media. ‘

    It wasn’t that long ago that the BBC itself was peddling a similar conspiracy theory….that a group of Westminster MPs were abusing and murdering children…a complete lie…..

    ‘A man who alleged there was a paedophile ring at the heart of Westminster has been charged with perverting the course of justice.

    The man, known as Nick, whose real name is being withheld for legal reasons, is also accused of fraud.

    Nick’s claims sparked an 18-month Scotland Yard inquiry into allegations public figures sexually assaulted children and three boys were murdered. ‘

    The BBC was more than happy to accept what the police told them despite the highly unlikely nature of the allegations….the BBC also of course falsely accusing Lord McAlpine of child abuse…and having to payout compensation as a result.

    There genuinely are Satanists out there, and paedophiles, and no doubt satanic worshipping paedophiles, but I imagine most people do not think there are secret rings of them running the government…most probably repeat the stories because it’s a good laugh or a bit of a horror story…that everyone enjoys….but they don’t believe.

    Trouble is the BBC et al would like you to think that they do believe and they are all part of a huge, mad conspiracy ring that is trying to undermine democracy and steal elections…it’s the BBC’s own mad conspiracy theory that portrays us as unthinking, stupid victims of such ideas incapable of judging reality from laughable hoaxes.

    The BBC’s tactic is as always to try and discredit any challenge to its orthodoxy by claiming the people asking the questions are either looney conspiracy theorists or Far-Right…or both. It’s the same tactic used by the Soviets…any dissident would be put on show trial, judged to be mentally ill and locked away in some gulag to rot.

    BBC/Ministry of Truth.

       7 likes

  43. Zephir says:

    As alluded to above, for info for Justin Welby and the rest of the rabble thinking these are “asylum seekers”

    “Clapham ‘acid’ attacker Abdul Ezedi snuck into UK in a lorry, was twice told to leave, then committed a sex crime – yet was STILL allowed to stay by claiming he was Christian: Manhunt continues for thug who maimed mother, two daughters… and HIMSELF

    Police are hunting for a sex offender and former asylum seeker for the attack

    Abdul Ezedi is the prime suspect in the Clapham chemical attack

    He is accused of giving a mother and her two daughters life-changing injuries ”

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13035341/Clapham-acid-attacker-Abdul-Ezedi-snuck-UK-lorry-twice-told-leave-committed-sex-crime-allowed-stay-claiming-Christian-Manhunt-continues-thug-maimed-mother-two-daughters-HIMSELF.html

       7 likes

    • G says:

      Z,

      Well someone’s got to get him to write a letter of apology to the woman harmed before any thing else…………

         1 likes

  44. Zephir says:

    As Led Zeppelin said:

    “How Many More Times ? ” ??????????????????

       5 likes