Despite 10 years of planning and a 7 figure cost this Government could not get the warning out to all. Those did get it found that the arrival varied by at least 12 minutes – a long time in an emergency. Assuming that those with 4 or 5 G coverage will get the warning, a more important question is what plans are in place for those who for whatever reason do not have a mobile phone? It appears none!
FOOD
Food inflation of 19% does not affect the rich. It is the poor who find that reserves of carefully maintained savings are eaten away, luxuries abstained, even small pleasures like a 6 monthly visit to a cinema or restaurant forsaken. And what does the government do – as usual absolutely nothing. It is obvious to all (apart from JR-M and co) that Brexit has broken the system. Other world events such as Ukraine and climate change have also had an impact. However the policy of blame does not solve the problem. A friend who supplies shops with crisps says that demand has soared recently, at the same time a local food bank refused to take potatoes as they would “go off”!
Mire expensive food drives the demand for quality down, and thus the cost to the NHS up. This is a full blown crisis that should reslut in a COBRA meeting to bring all relevant parties to sit around a table and thrash out a sustainable future.
My invite list would include NFU,organic farming reps, food manufacturers, Jamie Oliver, Marcus Rashford, McDonalds (or similar), NHS nutritionists and clinicians. I am sure there are others worthy of inclusion. Perhaps on the supply chain issues?
RAAB – Supported by Daily Mail
What a nasty little bully Raab is – typically he blamed the victims, and then started crying about the injustice of it all! The Mail then lead with a headline that it wass the end of democracy? Quite how they reach taht conclusion is beyond me! Something about a Civil Service conspiracy against him, or even part of a bigger plot by the leftie lawyers and bureaucrats. He was found guilty and Sunak was weak enough to let him resign rather than being fired. At least the new Justice Secretary has an easy task of doing better than the incompetent bully. Alex Chalk appears to be an old fashioned conservative – one with whom one coild have a sensible arguement with on the facts rather than ERG ideology and vitriol. He is still a tory (with landed interests and a title to inherit? Not sure on the last?) and therefore will be sucking up to the vested interests of business and the elite. Actually it is sad that I regard someone like him as a massive improvement on the incompetence that this government has spawned. Hopefully the next election will see the departureof the likes og JR-M and Guillis and the rest of the rabid pack.
LABOUR MISS OPEN GOAL
All they had to do was ask a simple question – how many people traffickers have the government apprehended, let alone prosecuted and convicted. It seems that gangs can gather migrants, transport them across Europe, get them in boats across a 20+ mile piece of water, land them, then they (or atleast young ones) go missing. Do we have a police force or intelligence service that does anything other than send disgusting images and messages?
The gangs would be out of work tomorrow if the government opened up safe ways to claim asylum in the UK.
RAAB
Of course he is guilty – there would be no hesitaion if he was innocent. But Sunak knows that the ERG will be upset, and that Braverman and others also would be found guilty. there is also the investigation about him to be faced. If he sacks Raab, does this mean that de facto he should resign if found guilty? And how many other ministers, past and present (Johnson, Hancock, Coffey for starters).
So he has been allowed to resign – very ungracefully! What a prat!
INFLATION
So food inflation hits 19%. I fail to understand how raising interest rates will help cut that? A business leader on the radio yesterday said that strikes were irresponsible because in times of difficulty we all need to do our bit to help. Laudible words, but what she meant was that the workers have to take a cut in living standards whilst the rich continue to to have high bonus’ and pay rises. And remember that food inflation will hit hardest those who are already struggling to reach basic standards.
FOX NEWS
Murdoch just had to pay out $787 million for a libel suit based on the lies they told regarding a firms election machines. It sought $1.6billion – but the damage to Murdoch’s reputation will be hard to contain. There is another claim for @2.6 pending and more from an employee who claims she was coerced into making false claims. Daily Mail is awaiting court hearings over phone hacking. The media is looking rather ragged at the moment.
Fox News did not apologise, it just acknowledged the payment and settlement. If the second company settles for similar – that is a $1.5 billion hit on his empire which must surely hurt? Or not – the rapid GOP’s will throw money at him to keep producing the rancid filth.
BANNAU BRYCHEINOG
So the stuffed shirt brigade are up in arms about the rebranding of the Brecon Beacons National Park with its wWelsh name – which sounds nice. Actually it matters not an iota. The right wing bigots will continue to call it the Brecon Beacons, and that matters not a jot either.
With languages worldwide disappearing every day it is good to see Welsh making a stand (I think it is down to 17.8% of the population, or 538000. Homogenisation of our culture is sad – Estuary English now covers about half the population of England. Long may local names and accents prevail. e.g. emmets in Cornwall and grockles in Devon!
LOW TRAFFIC NEIGHBOURHOODS
These and the ULEZ’s cause much consternation amongst the ignorati of some drivers. The belief that they shoukd be able to drive anywhere and at any time is possibly down to small penis syndrome, or some deep psychological problem in their past. Basically the motor vehicle is a tool to get from A to B. It is not a symbol of virility or status. Human welfare comes before the use of tools. Airports are correctly restricted with night time flights. It is also not just the noise but the fumes and danger. We suffer as a nation from the lack of play space for children in cities. Pavements are often invaded by vehicles. Councils should plant more trees, abandon one way systems (the ignorati will soon confront each other with their bigotry.
GRAND NATIONAL
23 arrests according to the Observer although henumber being 118 according to BBC.
Firstly I would think it was obviously cruel considering the height of the fences and the nuber of horses that fell- although this was not reported in the Observer, (3 horses died during the 3 day Aintree Meeting, including one in the Grand National), there were certainly a lots less than 40 at the finish!. Do the horses enjoy it – it is claimed that they do, I am sure they do not enjoy falling. But hey, who am I to judge from a position of total ignorance. There is the matter of what happens to those horses that do not go onto stud farms after a short ‘pampered’ career. The League Against Cruel Sports said the death toll at the Aintree festival was now 62 horses since 2000 – with 16 killed in the Grand National, including two last year. The League called for “much more stringent” safety measures in horse racing, including banning the use of the whip.