This is not false news! I promise. ICE America’s answer to SPECTRE and THRUSH (Man from U.N.C.L.E.) has just arrested 3 members of the Oglala tribe, presumably for being illegal immigrants? Meantime Trump says he will enact the Insurgency Law to support the illegal actions of masked abductors (ICE). Fucking insanity from the ‘land of the free’! And then Trump’s nominee to be Ambassador to Iceland states that Iceland should become 52nd state of America (presumably he has assumed that Greenland will become 51st?). He claims it was a joke! The man is not fit to be an adult – should there be an I.Q. test to be a government representative. The guy is obviously thick as dried shit, and Trump’s arguments for Greenland would also apply to Iceland (then Ireland and UK)?
CLARKSON
Another wanker! He complains about a lack of facilities in villages whilst he supported Thatcher and the policies that caused their demise. Oh and buying a farm to avoid tax. He is just another dude with a personality that appeals to many, and says things people want to hear without having to think about! Clarkson said “………” therefore it must be true.
However there is a genuine concern regarding local facilities, and it is not just about economics. Take the pub – yes the cost of a pint has gone up, but the culture associated with pubs has changed. In the past men worked hard at manual jobs and went to the pub with their mates. A womans place was at home doing the cooking, cleaning and child rearing. No self respecting woman would accept that today. Pubs are generally more likely to be gastro-pubs and maybe should become more of a shop/bar? Post Offices are becoming a rarity around here! Who sold off the Royal Mail? and allowed the growth of Amazon, etc. The tories of course and the free market.
My village shop is doing ok – open 6.30am to 9.00pm. Prices are ok – when cost of petrol added in to go to the supermarket. But the variety is not there 0 organic veg is not a seller!. I would guess nearly half of the shelves are drinks of some kind (not just alcohol). The service is great with help for the aged to put bags in the car, and chatter. This last one is relevant – When was the last time you chatted to someone at the checkout point in a supermarket? Mine was gently flirting with a girl in about 1987! I am sure there is a solution here – related to the delivery vans that all the big supermarkets have – the days of out of town mega stores has passed – or maybe is not relevant for villagers. It is also worth remembering that about 90% of those living in the UK are ‘urbanites’.
Then the NHS – when little I had Ostloendilius something like that!- the doctor came round and was fucking useless (my dad took me to hospital and they just managed to save my leg!), but a nurse as a first point of call in a village would save the NHS time and money.- people are using A&E for common complaints.
OK so lets break the ‘village thing’! I live in a village with about 1000 others. My neighbours – I had 2 cards this year, visitors =0. I do not much care as they seem to be ….. one should not speculate! I ‘do’ the papers for the shop at 6.30 am each day so see some locals – 100% tories – Sun, Mail, Express readers. My daughter asked me why I had not gone to the carol service outside the shop – I have no wish to talk with bigots! I will be polite but not entertain them.
So a village today is soulless – yes there are clubs that I refuse to join, and would not wecome me anyway! I see no one during the day so saviour my time at the shop – which is an odd meeting – outside whatever the temperature – 3 different souls who chat freely (when lorries and traffic go past I am unable to hear – so guess!).
QUIZ 2025 ANSWERS
General Knowledge
1. Soho
2. Great Bear; Ursa Major
3. Skittles
4. Bauhaus
5. Mr.Watson come here, I want to see you.
6. 9 minutes 33 seconds
7. West Bromwich Albion (The Hawthorns)
8. Peter Elliot
9. Yellow dwarf or G-type main sequence star.
10. Avatar
Geography
1. A croat
2. Addis Ababa
3. Kalahari
4. Cambodia
5. 9 PM
6. Peru
7. A shadow of a person cast on top of a cloud.
8. Reykjavik, Iceland
9. Botswana
10. Easter Island
History
1. 13th Century
2. Bahamas
3. Napoleon Bonaparte – horse was called Marengo
4. Burkina Faso
5. Elenor Roosevelt
6. 19
7. Calais
8. Town where tin was assayed (tested), stamped (coined), taxed, and sold,
9. Coventry
10. Wentworth Woodhouse in Rotherham, South Yorkshire
Nature
1. Giant sequoias are the largest by volume, other trees, like the Coast Redwood, can be taller
2. Butterflies
3. A charm
4. claws on feet are 2 forward and 2 backwards
5. Magpie
6. 42
7. Passenger pigeon
8. Avocet
9. Arctic tern
10. Hippopotamus
.
Anagrams
1. Steart
2. Cheddar
3. Watchet
4.
5. Nether Stowey
1. Vinci
2. Tracet Emin
3. Munch
4. Emily Bronte
5. The gluttonous Augustus Gloop, the spoiled Veruca Salt, the gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde, the television-obsessed Mike Teavee, and the kind-hearted Charlie Bucket
6. Enid Blyton – Julian, Dick, Anne, George – and their dog Timmy.
7. Polish
8. Danny Boyle
9. Bruegel
10. Keith Moon
11. The Impossible Fortune
Politics
1. 11Downing Street
2. Ursula von der Leyen
3. Wool (the cushion is called the Woolsack)
4. Iceland
5. Spencer Percival
6. Maggie F Thatcher
7. Lenin
8. Sri Lanka
9. Forming a trade union
10. 1647
Air Travel
1. Dallas
2. Singapore
3. Funafuti International Airport (FUN) in Tuvalu,
4. Bhutan
5. British Antarctic Survey
NOT READ YET
The papers – was preparing a list of the most important (or do I mean influential) womaen in history! Suggestions please.
Then I opened the paper and Starmer was there! His headline was hypocritical crap – Greens are anti-NATO and think it is all right to sell drugs. Thats nuts”. Forstt off the drugs – the governenment makes millions from a tax on alcohol and tobacco; and probably more from unpublicised drugs. So the pseudo-honest man talks bollox. Second – Nato has blood on its hands. It has been used as a political tool by many a POTUS. Now Trump is using it to try and control the narrative in Europe. Polanski is correct in the statement that Europe needs its own non-nuclear force. We do not need the USA to be our paternalistic patrons. Have we paid off the last war yet? And tec companies are repatriating billions $ every year.
I guess I need to read the second line!
I have and it is all OK – just looks a bit spin doctor’ish! Walks in the countryside and family events.
It made me think of the demographics of voters. Die hard old on all 3 traditional parties. Then those concerned about their finances will possibly lean to the right. The bigots are all for Reform whatever the facts and reality. I feel that everyone else is a floating voter now! The last government were so awful that the traditions of the past are gone. Reform offers an angry response for the – basically angry! and those who feel dispossessed due to their own incompetence. The Greens who I would love to support in a coalition (where their more outlandish views are brought to account) appeal to the young – especially since Zac Polanski has taken the argument to the front line. The Lib.Dems – I think Ed. Davey is a lovely man, but with aggresive postering dominating politics his lovely persona, he will need his full team of local activists to maintain his position. Last comment was interesting – local activists will I think win the next election. Who will go door to door saying “I am a bigoted racist and misogynist – vote for me’! I think the greens could become a significant force – and if a three way coalition arises, then we will have PR – at long last.
Now to read the rest of the paper!
SRI LANKA
My granddaughter is in Sri Lanka at the moment. I hope she is safe – but Sri Lanka is about the same size as Ireland so whilst the heavy rain will have caused transport problems it should not affect the coastal resort – and she appears to have left a vulnerable area just in time. Having not heard from her mother I assume “No news – is good news”? My brother said that he hoped she was on her way home – I hope not! Her experience will set her up for life! I went to Israel just before the 6-day war, went to Peru during a cholera epidemic and terrorist uprising, was in London during IRA bombings – I am sure these things influenced me. She is home in 10 days – I hope she will tell me all.
BUDGET
Why the fuss? RWPress getting knickers in twist as they say the Chancellor changed her mind, or pre-budget staements were false? Whatever – why the huge fuss? Did someone lose money on a dodgy bet? Or is their ire due to Misogyny? Which woman will they pick on next? They also seem not to have finished with Angela Rayner and Badenoch is too useless to bother about.
Attacks on the judiciary by Jenprick should lead to a prosecution for attacking our basic democracy. He should fuck off and join the rancid racist low life in Reform. Although Labour are now imposing cruel right wing policies themselves, namely not allowing disabled people to supplement mobility allowances themselves to get better models – Lee half-wit Anderson suggested a return to blue 3 wheelers.
Enough griping! I put up the christmas lights on the bay tree outside – I might have to rearrange them as I was frustrated that they had managed to get tangled all by themselves in the last 11 months. Still effort made! If it warms up a bit without raining I might prune the Mulberry trees.
On weather is the Met Office scared or a BBC style attack? Its weather forecasts have been overly pessimistic recently? I guess that issueing a warning is better than not, but not at the expence of crying ‘wolf’ with every shower! Oh god – I am still sounding miserable! And I am not! maybe a little hung over though! Sunderland came back from 0-2 to win 3-2, next up is Liverpool!. A win at Anfield would be a great early Xmas pressie. The bottom 5 look like they will scrap out to avoid relegation. Frank Lampard seems to be making a miracle in Coventry.
Trees – why do people not plant a fruit tree on their unused front and back lawns – if they have kids to run around them ok, but many are just green deserts and often sprayed with herbicide. My lawn now has an apple tree and an apricot with an undergrowth of raspberries at the back – the front has Abby tree and 2 mulberries with rosemary, thyme and sage thriving along with roses, lavender and hot lips.
SHAKESPEARE
Or’ much ado about nothing’. The orange man baby is having a tantrum, political appointees to the BBC are acting out traitors. The BBC is not perfect but generally gets it ok. Glastonbury might have upset the Jews and the Trump cut, the right wing. But every news outlet is vulnerable or very guilty of bias. The RW are running scared at the moment – their momentum might not keep up – Tories are desperate for anything to attack the Government, even their own manipulated BBC!
CAERPHILLY
Byelection results are generally votes against the government of the day, but …. Caerphilly has always voted Labour. So the result of Plaid Cymru 47%; Reform 36%, Labour 11%, Conservatives 2%, green 1.5%, Lib Dems 1.5%. is a real shock and serves warning to Labour. 18 months since their massive landslide we have seen little evidence of open government (desperately needed after the buffoonery of the last 10 years), or optimism for the future. Whilst this is definitely a protest vote – is the Welsh population turning towards independence? I doubt it. Reform at around 36% seems to be about par (given that 50% of the population have average intelligence it would follow normal distribution curves for the bottom 36% to be racist thick bigots!). Greens and LibDems will not be concerned about their low votes in South Wales in an area of fossil fuel history!. However the Conservatives must be shitting themselves. Whilst they have never done well in Caerphilly they could have expected the protest vote to be for them rather Welsh Nationalists and racist flag shaggers.
TBH the UK needs a party that is respected and honest to hold a government to account. Reform have shown in numerous councils that they are not capable of doing this. Starmer has banished those withing his own party of speaking out against him. The present tories are evil shits, where are the honourable ones? Government spending and taxes need to be scrutinised and questioned. Most people do not object to taxes if their use is clear, justified and reasonable. Yes there are always the headbangers onthe right who just want to make money for themselves, whatever the cost to society.
My ideal world would see a left leaning coalition of Green, Socialist and LibDems in government but with a centre right opposition of substance making sure each government decision is scrutinised and justified; and publicised. The press would be forced to print opinion in italics or otherwise highlighted. I am fed up with reading what Reeves is thinking of imposing on us in the next budget – the Mail and Telegraph and Express have not got a clue what she is GOING to do. They can surmise, but should phrase it accordingly!
I have got my keffiyeh and am watching youtube as to how to wear it! Solidarity with Palestine!
SUPER-EFFICIENT
I just had my flu jab – In the building for 3 minutes max! No queue, name and D.o.B. Sit, stabbed and goodbye. Thank you NHS.
The garnd old Duke of York eventually has decided that he is down. Time to do away with all the bullshit honours. Andrew Windsor has revealed what a sleaze bag he is – and there are 93 peers who have hereditary privileges in our Parliament. Can we also dispose of the Right Honourable bollox. Does the CoE also warrant having Archbishopsies in the HoL – we are not a christian country anymore although I would suggest that representives of religious bodies could be co-opted into a Second Chamber of government. Aagh – brain ache! Football back to normal today. Oh and a funny – James O’Brien received what is presumably a mis-directed message “I am having a poo. Can you phone Rach!”. made me laugh
ASTON VILLA
Jewes versus Israelis. I am fed up with Israelies hiding behind the Jewish banner. Jews are welcome at Villa Park but Israelis are not. Simple discretion. Israelis who oppose the genocide in Gaza will also be welcome.
So most politicians have weighed in to support Israelis. Most Macabi FC supporters maybe Jews, but their supporters have shown their thuggery in the past – most recently in Amsterdam. Badenoch is talking bollocks with and anti-islamist bent. The police in the West Midlands have made a sensible decisions. Violence is likely without a bank. Should police have to face the inevitable violence – maybe they could all call in sick! Starmer is a Zionist without a doubt. I suspect that Villa Park will be surrounded by pro-Palestinian posters and flags. Trump and the republican fungus will be keen to condemn the UK and support the anti-law and order thugs of Reform and the Nasty Party.
Statement “are you Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Taoist, Shinto, Atheist, Agnostic – just keep it to yourself”.
As a state the actions of Israel are alongside Russia in Ukraine.