497 Responses to Midweek 17th April 2024

  1. Zephir says:

    niqab-2671539b.webp

       19 likes

  2. Zephir says:

    “It’s not about religion, the niqab is just cultural garb. It’s up to women if they want to wear it, says another.

    Ahmed Yousef’s mom used to wear a niqab – to the chagrin of his dad, himself and his brother – when he was growing up in Cairo, Egypt in the late 1980s.

    The three of them disliked seeing her in the outfit so much they refused to go out with her while she was wearing the head- and face-covering veil, and eventually mom returned to wearing a scarf, or hijab.

    In Egypt, says Yousef, “It is the uneducated and lower classes who wear niqab. It is not a garment that is looked upon favourably by the moderates and educated classes.”

    Yousef isn’t a supporter of Conservative leader Stephen Harper, who wants to ban the mysterious veil from Canadian citizenship ceremonies and could do the same in the civil service.

    But on this issue, he agrees with the prime minister.

    Yousef, a local PhD student who has a political science degree from the American University in Cairo, says the niqab simply crosses the line and that a woman who wears such a veil, even though she may be legally entitled to do so, is showing she doesn’t want to join Canadian society.”

    https://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/its-not-about-religion-the-niqab-is-just-cultural-garb-2582635

       16 likes

  3. Zephir says:

    ““One huge misconception on behalf of millions of people … the niqab has no part of Islam. It is a cultural head and face covering for women that is coming out of south-central Asian countries, as well as Saudi Arabia,” Yousef said.

    “It is purely cultural. It has no scholarly backing in Islam religion.”

       13 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      This is so wrong it calls into question the knoweledge of the writer.

      It is a part of both Salafist and Wahhabist Islam and in certain Middle East coutries it is a legal requirement for women to wear it in public.

      The Islamic support for this comes from an instruction that after their prophets death male visitors were required to speak to the wives of the prophet through a veil.

      Note though it appears to command the man to be wearing a veil not the woman !

      It should not be the garment which is banned but the ideology behind it. Every Islamist terrorist attack in Europe as far as I am able to tell has been committed by a Salafi. Over 30 different Muslim countries have banned Salafism, and you could see a 25 year sentence in Turkey for following it. It’s even illegal in Saudi Arabia, but in Britain not only is this murderous cult legal, it is protected and celebrated!
      No wonder so many Salafis want to come here from Muslim countries which would punish them!

         20 likes

      • Zephir says:

        “What is required is for women to cover themselves from their ankles to the head, leaving their face visible. But Muslim societies around the world have various interpretations of that.

        Yousef arrived in Canada in 2010 and says his family is religious, but moderate. When he was a child he used to study the Quran so much that he had the nickname Shaykh, a title given to religious scholars.

        “What is required is for a woman to dress moderately so as not to show the curves of her body, so as not to be looked at as a sexual object.”

        Yousef says the hijab, a scarf which covers the head and shoulders, should be allowed because it’s similar to other religious garb. If it was the only such religious garment in the world and it was Muslim, he could accept banning that at ceremonies, as well in Canada, because it’s not a Muslim country.

        But the hijab is just a head covering, a tradition followed by many religions.”

           5 likes

        • BRISSLES says:

          “sexual object” hmm I’m old enough to remember the stunner with a veil as she slithered across the desert in the Turkish Delight ad. So in Muslim countries where the belly dance is traditional, how do they square a bare midriff with dressing moderately ? Oh and not forgetting Salome and her 7 veils !!

             16 likes

  4. Terminal Moraine says:

    Just caught a bit of Davos man Starmer at PMQs ridiculing Liz Truss for blaming the ‘deep state’.

    I’m cutting the BBC some slack again because in the US there’s a bit of a hoo-hah at National Public Radio (NPR). A veteran journalist there has been suspended after writing about the liberal bias and “the absence of viewpoint diversity” which has ‘lost America’s trust’. Sounds familiar. Their CEO has since come out on the attack. Her social media comments are a collection of TDS and wokeism that even surpasses BBC bias. A sample of her bio:

    – degree in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies
    – Council on Foreign Relations
    – UNICEF
    – World Bank
    – Atlantic Council
    – US Department of State

    It doesn’t get much more deep state than that. And yet we’re supposed to believe that the revolving door between public broadcasting and globalist orgs is a conspiracy theory.

    https://www.thefp.com/p/npr-editor-how-npr-lost-americas-trust

       17 likes

    • Terminal Moraine says:

         11 likes

  5. MarkyMark says:

    2015 … David Cameron says bombing IS in Syria will make UK ‘safer’
    Published
    26 November 2015

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34927939
    2024 David Cameron urges Benjamin Netanyahu to limit Iran response
    Published
    16 minutes ago
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68833121

       9 likes

  6. tomo says:

       19 likes

  7. MarkyMark says:

    845005ef-58d0-46f5-a55c-6e2e75dd4918-67945ae0-6fcc-4e83-be26-ac8010d8466e

       9 likes

  8. MarkyMark says:

    No hourly updates? Why not?

    “Sydney church stabbing was ‘terrorist’ attack, police say”
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-68823240

    Notice BBC end paragraph – not he’s all right and recovering ….

    “In 2021, he became a vocal opponent of Covid-19 restrictions, describing lockdowns in Australia as slavery and arguing that vaccines were futile.”

       8 likes

  9. Guest Who says:

    https://camera-uk.org/2024/04/17/bbc-radio-4s-nick-robinson-does-not-convince/

    Has he convinced anyone bar the bubble since acquiring the nickname?

    His move into catching Mishal’s eye was a bit obvious.

    He clearly ‘mispoke’, as in blurting out something they all rattle about in the studio but not meant to air.

    Making the farcical scrambling subsequent even worse, along with almost everyone in the bubble letting the old coot off again.

       14 likes

  10. Zephir says:

    Cue the violins:

    “‘I can’t afford to feed my 12 children – I have to use coupons for food’
    Veronica Merritt, 39, says she has to feed her kids macaroni, hot dogs and packet ramen – because now her yearly food bill totals $24k (£19,200).”

    https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/1889358/mother-cant-afford-to-feed-children

       10 likes

  11. Fedup2 says:

    It looks like angie rayner is in even more trouble – now relating to council tax discount .
    I think this is very sad . Should angie land up gripping the rail she will be a sad loss to politics . She performs the role reminding people what labour is .. and how thick so many are …
    Let’s hope keir stays loyal – he can go too…

       24 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Plenty more money from where that came from ….

      “Payment of £500 expected from the International School of Geneva, Rte de Chêne 62, 1208 Genève, Switzerland, for giving a talk to students aged between 17 and 18 years of age on 3 March 2023. Flights and hotel accommodation were also provided. Hours: 2 hrs including preparation. Payment will be made direct to a charity in my constituency. (Registered 16 March 2023)
      Payment of £1,000 expected from Global Radio Services Limited, 30 Leicester Square, London WC2H 7LA, for hosting an LBC Show on 24 October 2023. Hours: 3 hrs. (Registered 13 December 2023)”

      https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/25429/angela_rayner/ashton-under-lyne#register

      Angela Rayner
      Ashton-under-Lyne
      7 May 2015 – Present

      1 Apr 2022 — 31 Mar 2023
      Total claimed:
      £47,235.72 *

      Number of items claimed for:
      94

      12/01/2023 Office Costs Stationery for office – pens
      Stationery & printing £8.79

      https://www.mpsexpenses.info/?#!/mp/831

         9 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Relax – the girl is untouchable.

      “09/02/2023 Accommodation Monthly chrges for gas and electricity for London accommodation
      Utilities (Dual Fuel) £87.93”
      https://www.mpsexpenses.info/?#!/mp/831

         5 likes

    • Doublethinker says:

      Fedup,
      It’s my turn to be the realistic pessimist. I will be astonished if Rayner isn’t cleared of all wrong doing . GMP will do as they are told by their political bosses in just the same way as Durham police did over Beergate.

         25 likes

  12. Althepalerp says:

    Blackpool by all accounts have 76 Unaccompanied child migrants in its care. The highest number in any local authority in the country.
    Perhaps that would help explain it.

       10 likes

  13. Thoughtful says:

    The IMF have once again warned Britain to lower the level of its national debt.

    It’s is going to be a moment of glorious schadenfreude when an incomming Labour chancellor gets to experience the feeling of what others have had to deal with following a Labour government.

    Perhaps the Tories will this time leave a note “There’s no money”, but the truth of this situation is that Labour are not going to be able to implement any of the policies they want to save for austerity or face hugely damaging the economy even more than the Tories have.

       14 likes

  14. Zelazek says:

    Radio 4’s “Helen Lewis Has Left the Chat” this morning.

    It was all about the baleful business messaging app, Slack.

    Some New York Times guy called Donald McNeil lost his job because he didn’t use the euphemism “the N-word” when discussing how the term is used. Some other unrelated guy, Mike Pesca, also lost his job for saying that the use of the slur could be defended in certain contexts. He only used the euphemism, not the word itself. But that didn’t help him.

    They lost their jobs because of this app, see. People piled on demanding these guys be sacked. Some said they had been triggered even by the use of the euphemism.

    The programme ended by saying the lesson to be drawn was that we should all be lurkers, people who read but do not contribute to discussions at work on these insidious messaging apps.

    NO. NO. NO. NO. NO.
    The lesson to be drawn is that our society has surrendered to authoritarian woke morons. Idiocy is reigning supreme. We should be fighting back against these dimwitted totalitarian brats every step of the way.

    The app is not the story. The war against free speech and intelligent discourse is the story.

       21 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      I have reported you to the Hate Police for suggesting that people should be able to be free to speak – this is violation of my made up rights that I think exist and as such want you banned from thinking anything every again. Now I’m off to watch the dog in Dam Busters ….

         14 likes

  15. Broadcasting-on-Behalf-of-the-Caliphate says:

    General Comment: Anybody posting large images into their comment please learn how to reduce the image size otherwise it distorts the entire webpage.

    Once you post you have 15 minutes to make edits, including checking the appearance of the image, if oversized remove it, edit it for size, and then add it back to the comment. That is what I used to do when I first started posting images and composite images way back.

    Ideally make it fit into the normal rectangle allocated for comments. Certainly reduce the size if it is bigger than the webpage width.

       16 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      Broadcasting

      I enjoying seeing half of an image ….
      I’m glad I don’t know how to put them up cos I like words 😎©️🤪

         5 likes

      • Scroblene says:

        MM told us that it’s an easy ‘right click’ over the pic shown, using the mouse, click ‘Open image in new tab’, look up to your top bar and click on the image to get it there in all its glory!

        It does work, and after you’ve looked at it, you can delete the link!

        Nerd – me…?

        May not work on an iPad – I’m sitting here with a laptop and a rather pleasant glass of red…

           4 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      It might be an idea to add some instructions how to do this for those who don’t know.

         2 likes

  16. Guest Who says:

    Two ex bbc blotchy faced clowns get together for mockery session.

    https://x.com/lbc/status/1780571415298646057?s=61
    ‘Did he fall asleep?’
    ‘Yeah – he’s a 78-year-old man… but it’s potentially damaging.’
    @jonsopel explains to @mrjamesob why Donald Trump ‘dosing off in court’ may affect his case, but notes it’s unlikely he’ll be face jail time as ‘rich people don’t go to prison in America’.

    Goes… poorly.

    Beyond pointing out they seem to be stoned, others have noted that staying awake and perky in a stitch up court procedure is a bit different to some of Biden’s narcoleptic efforts.

       11 likes

  17. taffman says:

    Are the “Emperor’s new clothes” slowly becoming transparent ?………………
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68841141

       3 likes

  18. Sluff says:

    Inflation is down to 3.2%.
    But that didn’t stop BBC Londonistan talking about the ‘cost of living crisis’ this evening.
    Gotta keep the fear factors, indignation, and narrative going at all times …

       14 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      I’m sure we will look back at this figure and wish we were back here because it’s bound to rise because next month will show a significant rise in the price of oil. A year ago the price collapsed, now it is almost double and as inflation is calculated YoY it will be impossible to get it down.

         3 likes

      • Fedup2 says:

        Will be something when the interest rate hits 6-7 % ..before the election ….

           3 likes

        • Thoughtful says:

          That depends when the election is because we expect a decline in the rate of inflation around September time.

          Very convenient for a November US election, but it’s based on what the price of oil did last year

             0 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Inflation down – train tickets still up –

      pi4NPJXDSc256Vjly6fAmDxQ4gtga60n5EhLX1hMbYM.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=f8b48635ee838da47bcb3386565698d8afe30b83

         5 likes

    • G says:

      RPI currently? 4.1%. Due to the antics of the ONS recently, I’m even beginning to doubt this number. Anyway, it’s more accurate than CPI which, needless to say, the Government changed to as it was consistently a lower figure. Sheeple: ‘Watch the lower number and believe it’………….

         2 likes

  19. Fedup2 says:

    DT reports more old wood is being dumped from the BBC – this time it’s some bloke called Redgrave – he rows or argues – apparently

    STARTS Sir Steve Redgrave will miss the Olympics for the first time in 40 years after losing his role as a BBC pundit to Dame Katherine Grainger and the race to become British Rowing performance director to Louise Kingsley.

    Redgrave, who has been at every Games since winning the first of five consecutive gold medals in 1984, told the Daily Mail he would not be in Paris unless he received a last-gasp SOS.

    He said he had lost his role as a BBC pundit after UK Sport chair Grainger began working for the corporation alongside Sir Matthew Pinsent and it decided it did not need all three of them.

    The last Games also saw Redgrave in the job of high-performance director of China’s national rowing team.

    “I wasn’t told that I’ve been discontinued, but it’s sort of evolved,” said Redgrave, whose most recent Olympics for the BBC was in 2016. “Matt is the presenter and Katherine Grainger is the equivalent to what I was doing. The three of us worked together at the World Championships the year after Rio, but then they went, ‘Male-female, covered on Olympic medals, why have three?’. Working for China at the last Games probably didn’t help matters.”

    Redgrave also walked off set at Rio 2016 during a live broadcast after being angered by the BBC not showing the whole of the Helen Glover-Heather Stanning women’s pair semi-final live.

    Amid fears he would be dropped for an incident for which he was known to be contrite, a spokesman for the corporation said at the time: “There is absolutely no issue between the BBC and Sir Steve Redgrave and Steve will be part of our team for our concluding Olympics review programme on Sunday.

    “We would never discuss future contracts of any of our talent.”

    Redgrave became a coach for China in 2018, helping take them from 16th in the medal table in Rio to joint sixth at the postponed Tokyo Games three years ago.

    Britain finished down in 14th after failing to win gold for the first time since 1980, with Brendan Purcell subsequently stepping down as performance director.

    Redgrave applied for the role but did not even make it to the final round of interviews, with Kingsley promoted from her role as interim.

    “I’m disappointed that I couldn’t give my skills to helping the team,” said Redgrave, whose wife, Ann, will be in Paris in her role as chief medical officer for GB Rowing. “I felt that I was in a position to be able to help with the experience of my career, and the experience of being out in China, taking them from nowhere on the Olympic medal table to sixth, well ahead of the British team.

    “I felt that I was the right person at the right time to do that. Obviously, the powers at British Rowing didn’t think that was the case.”

    Redgrave could have stayed with the Chinese team until Paris but left in December 2022 amid coronavirus restrictions that made it difficult to visit his family.

    Asked how he would respond to an SOS from another country with 100 days to go, he said: “If someone said, ‘Would you help us through to LA [2028]?’, that would be a harder decision to make. But to, ‘Will you help us out for Paris?’, the answer would be yes, I’m sure.”ENDS …

       11 likes

  20. atlas_shrugged says:

    Orban speaking and answering questions at the conservative conference:

       7 likes

  21. Fedup2 says:

    Atlas – thanks – listen to the applause when mr Orban says the unsayable … I bet his people thank god they’ve got him and not the rest of the dregs across Europe letting the third world moor take control ….
    For personal reasons I tried to learn Magyar once – it was not easy ,.. but Hungary might be a possible a place for British refugees to go ….

       20 likes

  22. Guest Who says:

    Unclear if it was the ‘cattle’ or ‘Kuffar’ aspect that sealed the deal.

    https://x.com/mehdirhasan/status/1780672083149705523?s=61
    Meet our newest contributor, here at Zeteo, and find out what what he and I will be up to.

       5 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Meet our newest contributor, here at Zeteo, and find out what what he and I will be up to.
      Oh, and do please sign up here: http://zeteo.com/subscribe

      Mehdi Hasan
      @mehdirhasan
      British-American journalist. Editor-in-chief and CEO of new media company
      @zeteo_news
      . Subscribe here: http://zeteo.com/subscribe
      Washington DCzeteo.comJoined April 2010
      4,253 Following
      1.5M Followers

      Zeteo
      @zeteo_news
      Unfiltered news. Bold opinions. A new media organization from
      @mehdirhasan
      .
      Media & News Companyzeteo.com/subscribeJoined February 2024
      1 Following
      41.9K Followers

      Exciting Announcement 🎉 Award-winning journalist
      @mehdirhasan
      unveils Zeteo, a new independent media venture that promises to challenge double standards, give you unfiltered news, and always seek the truth. Join us now: http://zeteonews.com #Zeteo #Journalism

         5 likes

      • digg says:

        Zeteo….It took me about ten seconds to see through this charade of a “Truth telling” media site. It is quite simply a shrilling far left-wing, Israel hating, bunch of crap propaganda. Interesting that the photo at the bottom of the home page is the founder grinning broadly with that odious lefty overgrown student activist jerk Owen Jones of The Guardian…. Anyone remember “Wolfie?”.

        That alone tells me everything I need to know!

           3 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      “Zeteo is a new media organization that seeks answers for the questions that really matter, while always striving for the truth. Founded by Mehdi Hasan, Zeteo is a movement for media accountability, unfiltered news and bold opinions.”
      https://zeteo.com/

         2 likes

  23. MarkyMark says:

    Any country using industrialisation techniques needs to pay UK 3 trillion for using it and making their lives better.

       12 likes

  24. JohnC says:

    Look, the BBC have an article on the Sydney terrorist at last.
    But it’s not what you think:

    Sydney church stabbing: Australian bishop forgives alleged attacker
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-68814813

    Ah – so that’s alright then. Lets forget about the whole thing.

    And we are told:
    ‘Authorities have repeatedly declined to state the suspected beliefs of the boy.’
    Which is supposed to make us think the BBC don’t know what religion he was so that’s why they can’t tell us.

    Unfortunately for the BBC, it’s all over the internet including their ‘trusted source’ far-left AP news:
    Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Sydney clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
    https://apnews.com/article/australia-bishop-stabbed-sydney-f124ef5b7464705c42acd8acb5786a71

    Isn’t it amazing how the BBC quickly reference other news sites when it suits them but hide behind police statements when it doesn’t ?. They do it all the time, especially for enrichment stabbings in Londonistan.

    The BBC are shameless terrorist-supporting, racist, far-left scum.

       29 likes

    • Broadcasting-on-Behalf-of-the-Caliphate says:

      BBC posted an article claiming a Muslim Student was a victim because her speech was cancelled – all she wanted to do was to express her view that Israel should be destroyed and the Jews exterminated.
      https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68828082

      BBC also posted an article claiming that Netanyahu and Israel might exploit to their advantage the fact that Iran tried to destroy them. This is equivalent in terms of reasoning to claiming that a woman might exploit to her advantage the fact that she was brutally raped.
      https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68825752

         14 likes

      • JohnC says:

        Bit of a typo in that first article BBC:
        ‘Ms Tabassum is the 2024 valedictorian, a student picked out for high academic scores and involvement in campus life.’

        It should have been:
        ‘Ms Tabassum is the 2024 valedictorian, a student picked out for high academic scores, involvement in campus life but mostly just because she is a Muslim and the people who picked her are left-wing racists.’.

        Muslims make up just 2% of that university and I imagine out-and-out activists are a small fraction of that.
        What are the odds she was the best ?.

           14 likes

  25. JohnC says:

    Sydney church stabbing: Religious community tensions run high
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-68832894

    So after the attempted murders by the Muslim extremist, we get a headline article on the BBC.

    Is it mostly about Muslim violence and if/when others will be stabbed by another terrorist ?.

    Nope. It’s about Mosques being worried that they will suffer reprisals from Christians.

    ‘Meanwhile community group, the Islamophobia Register of Australia, said it had recorded 46 reports of incidents since Saturday – a “significant spike”. That hate has also been driven by misinformation around the Bondi Junction attack where Islamophobes early on labelled the attack as Islamic violence before authorities disclosed details.’

    Bit of a moot point there BBC as it turns out the Muslim terrorist event was close behind and in fact proves suspicions were grounded.

    _109943964_katy2.jpg
    Here’s the author ‘pumping breastmilk through polls and protests’. Obviously a ‘f*ck-you feminist’ as well.

       11 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      Can’t beat some toilet cubicle action ..is that a device for hiding smelly odours ? Surely that’s part of the fun of public defecation .., ?

         4 likes

      • atlas_shrugged says:

        Evidently a nipple-denier, no doubt the poor little sod is being groomed to clamp on to an artificial teat made of PLASTIC.

        A bit like being made into a welfare addict.

        Wot would just Stop Oil say. Cluck-cluck

           3 likes

  26. pugnazious says:

    ‘ In Spain, 672 drugs are currently out of stock in pharmacies. There are 773 in Switzerland, 375 in Estonia and more than 3,000 in Italy – which also includes products that have been taken off the market in the last decade. In France, as of January 23, the Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament et des Produits de Santé (National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products; ANSM) listed nearly 320 medicines of major therapeutic interest that are in high demand on its website.’

    https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2023/02/04/the-reasons-behind-europe-s-critical-drug-shortages_6014377_19.html#

    Times Radio pushing the Guardian’s ‘drug shortages caused by Brexit’ storyline…..The Times has always been anti-Brexit and anti-Boris…

    ‘Britain’s departure from the EU in 2020 has significantly aggravated the problem, laid bare the “fragility” of the country’s medicines supply networks and could lead to the situation worsening, the report said.’

    Hmmm….shortages around the world, especially in Europe….caused more by regulated prices that mean manufacturers can’t make a profit and thus won’t supply certain drugs….of course war and the end of lockdown have also not helped….

    ‘European countries have been plagued by a persistent medicine shortage for the past few years. Supply chain disruptions and increased demand are driving the shortfall. ‘

    ‘European generic drugmakers say the tender system and regulated prices have fuelled a race to the bottom, and European firms are being undercut by suppliers from Asia.
    Over the past decade, this has forced some European companies to either cut output or move manufacturing of generics and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) needed to make them to India and China, where costs are much lower.’

    https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/why-europes-drug-shortages-may-get-worse-2023-02-08/

    Not just Europe…America, and the rest of the wordl too…

    ‘According to U.S. government data, the average drug shortage typically lasts for about 18 months. However, more than half of the shortages on the current list have persisted for over two years, according to an analysis by health consulting firm IQVIA.’

    ‘Our Uniquely American Drug Shortages’
    ‘More drugs are in short supply than ever before. We’ve known the reason why for a long time: monopolistic middlemen.

    Last week, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) announced that the United States has the largest number of medicines in short supply in the history of its survey, which dates back to 2001. As of the end of March, 323 drugs were in shortage, disrupting treatment for patients and in many cases risking prolonged injury or death.’

    Not seen the story on the BBC yet though they have pushed the same line for several years.

       10 likes

  27. Zephir says:

    images-2.jpg

       11 likes

  28. Zephir says:

    images-3.jpg

       10 likes

  29. andyjsnape says:

    Police bust global cyber gang accused of industrial-scale fraud
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68838977

    The main picture, looks like 1 of those doctors, teachers etc that enrich British society

       9 likes

  30. Fedup2 says:

    Personal statement – stories in the press about my use of donor cash for personal reasons – such as my extensive use of the national lottery – are completely untrue . Nor did i fiddle my registered address to avoid capital gains tax .

    All these are ‘press stories ‘,and are no way true – apart from being factually accurate of course . And I am no longer a hostage … but will be claiming asylum – and am happy to pay £2000 to a home office official for the purpose ….

       6 likes

  31. MarkyMark says:

    Winning!
    “The great medicines migration How China took control of key global pharmaceutical supplies. By the pandemic year of 2020, China accounted for the bulk of exports of certain pharmaceutical raw materials. The country now plays an indispensable role in the supply chain for antibiotics and vitamins.5 Apr 2022”

    https://asia.nikkei.com/static/vdata/infographics/chinavaccine-3/#:~:text=The%20great%20medicines%20migration%20How%20China%20took%20control%20of%20key%20global%20pharmaceutical%20supplies&text=By%20the%20pandemic%20year%20of,chain%20for%20antibiotics%20and%20vitamins.

    n spring 2020, Ryotaro Katsura, president of Katsura Chemical in Japan, was fretting over a delayed shipment of a pharmaceutical raw material from India. “No worries, no worries,” the Indian supplier kept insisting. Over numerous phone calls and emails, Katsura kept pressing, and finally discovered the source of the problem.

    A chemical used to produce the material was made by only one supplier, located in China, which was gripped by the early pandemic and lockdowns.

    COVID-19 has brought to light just how much the global pharmaceutical supply chain depends on China, even for the most basic chemical building blocks.

       7 likes

  32. MarkyMark says:

    China’s share of global exports of key pharmaceutical ingredients in 2020, by volume
    Tetracycline/Doxycycline
    86%

    Vitamin B1
    63%

    Aspirin 44%

    Data may contain chemical compounds for other uses
    Source: Trade Map

    https://asia.nikkei.com/static/vdata/infographics/chinavaccine-3/#:~:text=The%20great%20medicines%20migration%20How%20China%20took%20control%20of%20key%20global%20pharmaceutical%20supplies&text=By%20the%20pandemic%20year%20of,chain%20for%20antibiotics%20and%20vitamins.

       5 likes

  33. andyjsnape says:

    Tory MP Mark Menzies suspended over alleged misuse of campaign funds
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68841840

    As its a Conservative MP, I wonder how long they will leave this on the front page as news

       10 likes

  34. Fedup2 says:

    If only he was a conservative MP – but there arnt any ..

       11 likes

  35. AsISeeIt says:

    Under lying fragilities edition

    There exist certain unwritten rules of mainstream journalism as exemplified by our BBC

    When ethnic immigrants do something laudable, something of merit, or when they perform some act of positive remark – they can safely be referred to with some ethnic identity marker attached. For example:

    British Asian artists hope for official singles chart boost… Trying to find a space in the South Asian music scene has historically been tough for British Asian artists. Faced with competition from Bollywood… But there are hopes the launch of the first-ever Official British Asian Chart Show could help more young talent into the big time. Airing on Asian Network every Thursday. (Pria Rai & Manish Pandey BBC Asian Network)

    Black and British: A Forgotten History. Historian David Olusoga explores the enduring relationship between Britain and people whose origins lie in Africa. (BBC) – how could we forget when our BBC is constantly reminding us?

    BAME We’re Not the Same: Pakistani… Exploring culture, identity and heritage “Pakistanis’ contribution to the steel, textile and medical sectors in Britain have been significant.” Note: Pakistanis and British Pakistani communities are vastly different from Indian, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi and other South Asian groups. We must be mindful and recognise these differences. (BBC, Creative Diversity) – creative indeed

    Who’s your #blackbritishhero? #blackbritishhero is a social media campaign… To get inspired check out a few of the nominations we’ve gathered, and what you’ve already been saying… (BBC) – fronted by Lenny Henry – who Mr AsI wouldn’t have regarded as being black until and unless it started being repeatly pointed out – to my mind he was about as 100% British as Saturday night TV talent shows, Dawn French and condensed milk sandwiches – that’s one for the teenagers.

    You get the picture.

    Yet cross the line and become venal, transgress in some way, trespass perhaps into criminality… then it’s no matter your overseas heritage – that’s to be put aside now you’re a man from… name your old English town… be it Tower Hamlets, Rotherham or Salford.

    Rochdale grooming trial: Nine found guilty of child sex charges… The men, from Rochdale and Oldham, “groomed” girls, one as young as 13 (BBC)

    Halifax grooming gang members lose sentence appeal… Hedar Ali, 36, of Bradford… Haider Ali, 41, of Halifax… Mansoor Akhtar, 25, of Huddersfield… etc, etc, etc.. (BBC)

    Gordon Gault death: Two men guilty of manslaughter… Two men have been found guilty of killing a 14-year-old boy in a machete attack in Newcastle… Carlos Neto, 18, of Salford, and Lawson Natty, 18, of Newbiggin Hall (BBC)

    Clapham attack suspect arranged to meet victim, police believe… Police believe Ezedi, who is from the Newcastle area but believed to have travelled to the UK on a lorry from Afghanistan in 2016 (BBC) – he was FROM Newcastle…? – like Viz Comic or The Likely Lads? Or by chance he was one of our brave squaddies who hales from from Geordieland and served in Afghanistan but got left behind when we pulled out and had to make his own way home anyway he could like some migrating salmon relentlessly battling up river against the current toward his natural spawning ground – of Newcastle… where he’s from?

    To borrow a line from Michael Jackson:

    Don’t blame it on the sunshine
    Don’t blame it on the moonlight
    Don’t blame it on the good times
    Blame it on the… Brexit…

    Brexit hit drugs supply… Nuffield Trust research has found that drugs shortages more than doubled between 2020 and 2023 as Brexit “exacerbated” supply chains “underlying fragilities” – that’s the Pro-EU globalist FT there with a particularly ludicrous fear factor anti-Brexit assertion. Look carefully again at those dates. Does the FT not recall Britain’s mass vaccination rollout racing ahead as meanwhile EU states floundered to secure their supplies of all those experimental drugs? If only there were some form of public inquiry that could look into that.

    Brexit blamed as UK drug shortages ‘put lives at risk’ (Guardian) – vital life saving pharmaceuticals? For example ADHD drugs that were in short supply (Guardian)

    Might there perhaps be a demand side issue somewhat exacerbating problems of drug supply by any chance?

    Sick note Britain to get even worse (Daily Express) – If only there were some form of public inquiry that could look into that.

    I’ve accidentally gone on strike from sex, men, marriage and kids by Kate Lister (‘i’) – calm down dear

    How’s that Net Zero workin’ out fo’ yer?

    Power-hungry AI present threat to electricity grid (FT)

    Hopes of rate cuts suffer blow… Markets factoring in just one interest rate reduction before election (Times)

    And just the one illegal immigrant to be despatched to Rwanda before Rishi goes to the country?

    Passions run high as Lords insist on Rwanda bill changes (BBC)

    On the other hand this chap could get his wish come true: Anicet Mayela, 40, of the Congo – who once protested outside a detention centre with a “Migrants are not criminals” sign round his neck… whose deportation was blocked by lawyers has admitted raping a girl of 15… could face life in prison (The Sun) – in other words he will indeed successfully avoid deportation and might even get to stay in Blighty for the rest of his natural.

       15 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      I’ve contacted 10 Mohammed street to volunteer myself for a one way first class ticket to Rwanda …. I’ve said I don’t mind a small swimming pool and only a couple of willing female staff to attend to my …’needs’ .. I await a reply … I’ve paid the chap from the home office so it all good ..

         18 likes

  36. Fedup2 says:

    So sad – the snp is to abandon its year zero plan for 2035 and the world is going to end as a result ..they’ve been busily pushing suicide rates as well as fatal overdoses to encourage the population to die to save the planet – now they are going for the full British -2040 – insert picture of Chinese coal power stations here …and here …just mad

       7 likes

    • Sluff says:

      Fedup
      Just back from Texas. The oil, gas, and petrochemical plants around Houston, Pasadena, and Baytown are something to behold. Real jobs! Real growth! Producing things used in 96% of all household products.
      It’s not just China. India and the US produce tonnes of CO2. Not to mention per capita CO2 in the Gulf and worth a mention just now, Dubai.
      You are so on the money, Fedup. Coming back from Texas to the UK the endless virtue-signalling and agenda-driven BBC news on anything supposedly ‘climate’ related hits you straight between the eyes and you see it in all its pathetic useless glory. But it is a terrific job creation exercise for the public sector.
      Over here we seem to want to do absolutely anything that will stifle business and economic growth and god forbid that any company would do something so evil as to make a profit! Why, that would be ripping off the customers and lead to demands for nationalisation. Which is proving so successful at the NHS. But we can of course afford any number of taxpayer funded non-growth creating spending ideas. The other day I swear I heard a demand that bras should be exempt from VAT as their need makes them discriminatory, while sanitary products should be available FOC in all secondary schools.

      Regretfully, I conclude we are a lost cause, in long term irreversible decline.

         17 likes

      • Fedup2 says:

        But Sluff – why did you come back? – Blighty is doomed . I intend to remain domiciled in the UK but not live in that third world hole .
        Even those hiding from the coloured Muslim lefty welfare folk will be found soon …

        … I was thinking … what prospect is there for that country to improve ? To remain Britain ? The decline is accelerating by the year .. with fools in charge spouting nonsense green crap . Not for me . I quite fancy Texas …

           13 likes

  37. Sluff says:

    Quite a lot of press coverage on Pascal Soriot’s likely pay of £18 m.
    It’s a lot of money but he is CEO of Astra Zeneca, one of the UK’s few real business success stories. The biggest company by market capitalisation. Share price and earnings have risen pretty well over time. Employer of tens of thousands. Contributor of much employer NI contributions and via their employee pay, NI and income tax. They might even pay some corporation tax.

    Yet he is paid……..almost as much as a premier league footballer. Who manages nothing and has created no value and no jobs. But does run around a field very well. And about whom we never hear any negative reports on earnings.
    PS Ronaldo is to receive £8 m. In back pay.

       11 likes

  38. Fedup2 says:

    Personal statement 2 – in addition to my previous personal statement – I wish to state that I have not been locked up by bad people and do not need you to give me £10000 to be released – … I will step back from public life by joining the liberal party after the electorate kick me and the rest of the blue Labour Party into oblivion at the next election .

    Thanks for the big pension and golden goodbye …

       8 likes

  39. Guest Who says:

    https://x.com/bbcnewsnight/status/1780724408635568280?s=6
    “What’s your definition of Spring?”

    Something the BBC deploys selectively to ‘check’ stuff it needs dealing with, but ends up looking even more daft?

       7 likes

  40. Sluff says:

    Nice article in the Telegraph exposing, not for the first time, the sheer hypocrisy of the awful LibDems.

    They voted in favour of the ban on smoking the other day.
    Which is rather odd, because they also want to legalise cannabis !!!!

    Why should one dangerous smoking material be banned and another allowed?

    The Telegraph suggests what is at play here is class war. Working class smokers are persecuted while middle class Guardian – reading, BBC loving drug takers ( not to mention their workforces of course) are favoured.

    Not an exact argument but I like it anyway.

       20 likes

  41. tomo says:

    Is that the Ukrainians (as US deep state proxies) threatening everybody?

    give-us.jpg

       6 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Was President Zelensky a comedian?
      He then pursued a career in comedy and created the production company Kvartal 95, which produced films, cartoons, and TV shows including the TV series Servant of the People, in which Zelenskyy played a fictional Ukrainian president. The series aired from 2015 to 2019 and was immensely popular.

         1 likes

  42. Foscari says:

    ” From the river to the sea.” . Because We see plenty of this on
    the BBC s . As it is part of the BBC’S agenda to
    be the all but media partners of Hamas in the UK.
    BUT then we have Niyak Ghobani an Iranian dissident who
    managed to escape from the mad Mullah’s in Tehran . Who
    peacefully stands at protests in London with a ” Hamas is
    a terrorist organization” placard. Every time he does this
    he is forcibly arrested by police.
    The last time he went to court the judge slung out the police
    charge .Telling them that the government of the UK recognize
    Hamas as being a terrorist organization. So showing a placard
    saying this, is NOT a crime.
    Of course we never hear any of this on the BBC and particular
    the BBC’S Londonistan programme. Asad Ahmad and his fellow
    presenters are more interested in informing us that Rishi Sunak
    was not at 10 Downing Street to greet a group of Muslims
    ordained in pro Hamas regalia , if discreetly to attend an
    Eid function . Sunak was probably attending a Cobra meeting
    on the Iran attack on Israel.
    Yesterday Ghobani was all but beaten up the police as they
    arrested him again. You can see all of this on Mahyar Tousi’s
    You Tube channel. It looks like Emir Kir a mayor in Brussels
    and our mayor in London have more than a little in common.
    Other than the obvious. No one is allowed to challenge
    their agenda. And they better not . BECAUSE they have control
    of the POLICE in their cities !! And the police will willingly
    do their bidding.

       14 likes

  43. Sluff says:

    A propos of nothing, except perhaps BBC selective omission.

    School payments to fund teachers pensions have just gone up from 23% of salary to 29% of salary.
    Shall I repeat that?

    Let me put it another way. About one quarter of a school’s entire budget will be spent on the pension provision for its staff. Do private sector workers on defined contribution pension schemes have the faintest idea of this largesse?
    Will the BBC tell them? What do you think?

    I trust readers will remember this the next time the BBC features a crumbling school in urgent need of maintenance or complaints about low teacher pay.

       10 likes

  44. andyjsnape says:

    Chris Oyakhilome: Nigerian pastor pushing malaria vaccine conspiracy theories
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-67577223

    “Bill Gates has been the target of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s criticism” – don’t forget the bbc is sponsored by the bill gates foundation – so chances of the bbc ever criticising gates is very unlikely

       10 likes

  45. tomo says:

       3 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      ” his offices in Dubai”

      There is currently no personal income tax in the United Arab Emirates. As such, there are no individual tax registration or reporting obligations.16 Feb 2024

         2 likes

  46. MarkyMark says:

    ec2f0f99-06c2-4330-862c-5a816797d5ed-36bae2c3-31bd-4b91-a958-678e4a0e5307

    form order-order.com comments

       8 likes

  47. JohnC says:

    Front page world news headline at the BBC:

    ‘Deadly Africa heat caused by human-induced warming’
    ‘Extrem heat linked to the deaths of hundreds of people would not have happened without global warming’

    No ambiguity or doubt whatsoever. They categorically state it as true. How can they possibly know that global warming would not happen anyway and we are just speeding it up ?.

    Another amazing morphing headline which changes to:
    ‘Climate change: Deadly African heatwave ‘impossible’ without warming’

    Not quite so assertive in the version for the archive.

    And in this article we also learn:
    ‘A separate study on drought in Southern Africa said El Niño was to blame, rather than climate change.’

    So absolutely not 100% certain as the BBC wrote it then.

    Another rambling BBC climate change agenda article where facts, suggestion and opinions are intermingled so the casual reader doesn’t know which is which. An absolutely typical BBC lie technique.

    I would like more truth in these articles – such as ‘Researchers at xxxx – whose incomes and careers depend on climate change funding – believe that …’

    This graph speaks volumes to me:
    https://co2coalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/113-Zachos.jpg
    (Just a link because it’s too big)

       13 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      Dinosaurs fail to submit tax return for net zero ….
      15comet-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale

         3 likes

    • tomo says:

      The BBC stance on “climate” is driven by nut job activists and leftoids who will say anything …

      I see they’re cranking the climate porn at the Wildlife Unit
      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13322803/david-attenborough-bbc-mammals-saddest-scene-arctic-foxes.html

         8 likes

      • Guest Who says:

        #28Gate was at first a ‘secret’ but most BBC efforts that need verifying are behind FOI exemptions.

           6 likes

      • Terminal Moraine says:

        Not the first time the BBC go to World Weather Attribution for their tabloid headlines. Under WWA’s methodology:

        “Quantitative meteorological checks are still under development (Vautard et al. 2018). It is therefore still possible that the climate models we use generate the right extreme statistics for the wrong reasons.”

        By their own admission WWA are still working out how to combine modelling and observational data. And Imperial College is a partner, so any modelling they have a hand in should be ringing alarm bells. The implications of these are not things the BBC understand.

        https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-021-03071-7

           7 likes

      • Docmarooned says:

        Quick get that deluded asshole Jim Dale over from GB news to spout his brand of utter gibberish.

           2 likes

    • BigBrotherCorporation says:

      In reply to JohnC, I’ve seen a few versions of that graph, and read some of the discussion about it, and it is very interesting indeed.

      The scale on the x-axis of that particular graph is non-linear, if it was the slope leaving the Tertiary would be much less apparent, and you could clearly see that ‘cold phases’ seem to repeat on a regular (approx.) 140 million year cycle. As far as I’m aware, this cycle has never been convincingly explained scientifically, but it certainly seems there must be some much greater, regularly occurring ‘event’ behind it.

      Does it have any bearing on ‘global warming’? Who knows? Is ‘global warming’ even happening and is it anything to do with humans and/or CO2? Who really knows? There is far more we don’t know about our climate and longterm climatic trends than some seem to think we do.

      As for Africa, they’d have a lot less problems with heat, and desertification, and famine, and lack of clean water, if they’d reined in their birth rate and hadn’t chopped all the trees down, but it’s much easier to blame everyone else.

         10 likes

  48. Fedup2 says:

    From the DT – imagine Radio 4 being cut down to size …

    STARTS Radio 4 would face a 50pc budget cut if the BBC’s licence fee funding model were replaced by advertising, new research has found.

    Analysis by consultancy firm Compass Lexecon found that funding the BBC’s radio services through advertising would have a “devastating” effect on its output.

    The BBC would face an estimated 63pc shortfall in funds required to run its existing services, meaning most radio stations would be loss-making and many forced to close.

    Radio 4, which broadcasts many public service programmes in news, current affairs and drama, would likely become unaffordable as its budget would need to be cut by 50pc.

    Youth-focused music station Radio 1 would need to change fundamentally due to budget cuts of around 25pc.

    Economists warned that a sharp increase in advertising space on British radio would depress the value of ad spots.

    They also said the BBC would be less able to attract brands as its audiences are on average significantly older than those of commercial rivals.

    Radio 2 and 6 Music are the only stations that would be able to break even, according to the study, providing they could retain current audiences after introducing ad breaks.

    The Government has launched a review of the BBC’s licence fee model amid concerns it is no longer sustainable as audiences increasingly shun the broadcaster in favour of streaming rivals such as Netflix and social media apps including TikTok.

    A move to a commercial ad-funded model is among alternatives to have been mooted, alongside subscriptions and central taxation. The research has been submitted to a newly-formed panel of media experts that will consider options for the BBC’s future funding.

    It comes after the BBC last month announced plans to introduce adverts around some of its radio programmes and podcasts when they are streamed in the UK via platforms such as Apple and Spotify.

    The move sparked concerns among commercial radio stations that advertising could be expanded more broadly across the BBC’s services.

    The analysis found any such move would spark a 36pc drop in revenues for commercial stations, forcing many to close and squeezing out specialist and niche services.

    Matt Payton, chief executive of commercial radio body Radiocentre, which commissioned the research, said: “This study demonstrates that introducing advertising on BBC radio and audio services is a dangerous road to go down and will ultimately be bad for everyone.

    “It would have a devastating effect on the BBC and commercial radio, as well as a huge impact for audiences, with the disappearance of public service radio as we know it and less choice available in future.

    “While we recognise this is only one scenario, even partial advertising would have a significant negative impact. These findings are stark, and we hope that both the Government and the BBC will take them into account.”

    A BBC spokesman said: “We have no plans to introduce adverts on BBC Radio. The licence fee is in place until 2027 and it is absolutely right there is a debate on how or whether it needs to evolve in future and how the BBC is best funded to ensure it continues to thrive.

    “We want the public to be at the heart of this, which is why next year we will conduct a major public consultation on our future.”ENDS

    You can guess the comments …

       10 likes

    • MarkyMark says:

      “We want the public to be at the heart of this, which is why next year we will conduct a major public consultation on our future.”

      SEI_163974395.jpg?resize=640,360&strip=all&quality=90

         3 likes

      • JohnC says:

        ‘We’ve consulted the public and decided they support keeping the license fee.’

        Why don’t we get a referendum ?.

        Same reason they weren’t going to give us one on EU membership.

           8 likes

  49. MarkyMark says:

    “Labour poll higher than the government on every major political issue, from education and healthcare to the economy, Brexit and immigration. Crucially, and surprisingly, the public trust Labour more on defence than the Tories, from 22% to 15%. ”
    order-order-com

    1 migrant in 1 MP out 1 Lord Out.
    Keep repeating.

       6 likes

      • MarkyMark says:

        “But 45% of voters still DON’T want a Starmer government”


        Missions – no longer policy or promises … HA HA HA HAH AHA!
        https://labour.org.uk/missions/

        “Britain needs a mission-driven government to end short term sticking-plaster politics. These five bold missions will form the backbone of Labour’s election manifesto and will drive forward a Labour government.”

        Keir Starmer MP
        Leader of the Labour Party

        For Labour, sound finances and economic stability are non-negotiable. We will never play fast and loose with the economy.

        Labour believes the first duty of any Government is to keep the nation safe and protect our citizens.

        In contrast, after 14 years of Conservative Government the UK’s Armed Forces have been ‘hollowed out’.

        Under the Conservatives, we have a broken asylum system where criminal smuggler gangs profit from undermining our border security and putting lives at risk on small boats.

        Labour has a long term plan to get Britain’s future back: five fully funded national missions.

        https://labour.org.uk/missions/

        Make sure there’s a world class teacher in every classroom, recruiting 6,500 new staff, paid for by ending tax breaks for private schools.

        e.g.

        Mermaids offers tailored, CPD accredited gender diversity training modules for professionals. Our training aims to:
        https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/training/
        We’re Mermaids.
        We’ve been supporting trans, non-binary and gender-questioning children and young people and the important people in their lives since 1995.

           2 likes

      • MarkyMark says:

        HA HA “The survey suggests that making a success of the plan to deport Channel migrants to Rwanda is vital to galvanising Conservative support”

        Thanks – had a quick look – madness! Everyone to vote for Biden **

        ** votes might be alive or dead.

           1 likes

      • Guest Who says:

        And this is key.

        Whatever the ‘result’, toads like Toenails, Pesto, KGM, Beff will be trying to, push the narrative that the winner has a clear mandate.

        Which will be total BS.

        Boris’ Tories did, more than in recent history, and utterly squandered it trying to renege on all that was promised.

        The only way Labour can survive is all they are doing… imported voters, single issue candidates to serve them, issuing insane promises, etc… plus getting rid of secret voting in person.

           6 likes

        • MarkyMark says:

          Tower Hamlets – the future of UK

          “A rotten or pocket borough, also known as a nomination borough or proprietorial borough, was a parliamentary borough or constituency in England, Great Britain, or the United Kingdom before the Reform Act 1832, which had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain unrepresentative influence within the unreformed House of Commons.

          0_galloway.jpg

             5 likes

  50. MarkyMark says:

    https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/patrons/

    “When Charlie began her transition at the age of 30, she abandoned racing altogether, unable to see how she could be accepted in such a conservative and male-dominated sport. Since returning to the track, she found new confidence and now works as a Sports Champion with Stonewall and Athlete Ally (US) using her visibility within her sport to improve awareness of gender diversity & create positive change in society.”

       1 likes

    • tomo says:

      Stonewall, Mermaids…

      Take away their state funding and what have you got?

         7 likes

      • MarkyMark says:

        This is what you have … “Back then, we were a small group of concerned parents sitting around the kitchen table, coming together to share experiences, find answers and look for ways to keep our children safe and happy.”

        “Mermaids also receives funding from Trust and Foundations including Children in Need and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. They generate additional income through corporate sponsorship, individual giving and other income generating initiatives.”

           3 likes

      • atlas_shrugged says:

        > Take away their state funding and what have you got?

        A fat dungaree wearing man-hating feminist lesbian on a crash diet?

        bBC Verified Fact

           6 likes

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