Posts

Posted on

FACTS

Too many people are avoiding facts about, well just about anything. It has become very easy to avoid arguements based on hard evidence. Do people demonstrating about small boats care if numbers have come down significantly, as have the number of legal migrants; do they care about the number of women raped by white men – or believe the nonsense about migrants; do they care about the facts regarding climate change; I could go on, and probably will. When did ignorance become so widespread, and even virtuous? Was it due to the disaster that Brexit brought, and people denying they were conned and wrong. Admitting that you were wrong is not easy – but essential for a liberal democracy. Why do we accept the lies that proliferate in the media? Is it because we love to tell ourselves that we are right, when blatently we are wrong.

I have made many mistakes, I believed I was in love at 18, married at 22 to a lovely person who was just as wrong for me as I was for her, I could say all my three children were mistakes – biologically they were, but each one is in my mind nearly perfect! Otherwise, and including the aforementioned – I believe our mistakes are what really makes us who we are, that and recognising that we are not clever as fuck is essential to society and our happiness., and denying any wrong is just plain stupid. Garaeth Davies once said of being a member of my geography team “that I had only ever made two decisions, and both were wrong’ – maybe I was more intelligent than I thought!

Posted on

DIPLOMATIC GAMES

Trump has tried to shore up his assertions that the Fairford 5 were ‘we knew everything about them adn would not hhave released them on bail’ by withdrawing a squadron of bombers from Fairford in panic, refuelling planes had to be scrambled to support them, stating that they had info on a threat from Iran. Bullshit – MAGA are losing support in US polls before the mid-terms and the war with Iran is unpopular, especially given rising inflation. He sowed the seeds of American patriotism and is now reaping the costs, Americans are not happy with thedeaths of their servicemen in a futile and illegal war, nor are they happy with the cost of fuel.

Meanwhile the Government seems set on a path of diplomatic war with Israel – the fascist government of that country has said it will close the British Consulate in East Jerusalem (a UN designated Palestian area; and in return our government has said it will expel one Israeli diplomat for every on e force to leave the Consulate. Israel seems to be losing a diplomatic battle in Europe. The Irish football team again refused to shake hands with the Israel team, and wore black arm bands in recognition of those who have died in Gaza. America will always be supportive, and in Europe Germany still reflects on its appalling genocide of the jews during WW2.

Elsewhere, Spains left wing government have called a snap general election over housing costs. France has riots (does anyone else riot like the French? over student claims of underfunding of education, albeit in a time of worrying French Government debt. In Brazil the right wing looks like it may defeat the present government.

Badenoch meanwhile has said she would develop a Britannia Sheild to protect the UK – for £10billion I guess she was just proposing to safeguard London. £10 billion is a lot, but did she think the Ukraine would not have raised this money to protect Kiev? Or was she thinking of an actual Iron Dome stretching for Dover to Carlisle, and have the added benefit of drowning asylum seekers.

And a maybe positive ending – there maybe no Atlantic hurricanes this year due to El Niño, what this means for the UK is unpredictable.

Posted on

NASTY PARTY

So the tories would axe the Environment Agency and Natural England – the reason given was that these organisations prevented homes being built (to protect them from flooding and to protect wildlife. You see the tories believe in rapacious capitalism and these orgs. add a cost that eats into their profits (Barrets make an average of £50000 per house!), At the same time they have gone for the grey vote by pledging to retain the unsustainable triple lock. Perhaps they plan to raise the retirement age to 75? They claim they are the party of common sense, and we know that all safety legislation is in place due to a lack of common sense. How many people drink sugary drinks, alcohol whilst eating ultra processed food and smoking/vaping? I would guess that 95% of us lack common sense at times – the nasty party would be ok with that as long as money is made along the way. They have closed libraries and swimming pools – so that health clubs and gyms proliferate and gain an immense profit. Basically it is all about money, profit and the rich getting richer. the tories would also build 50000 more prison places – we all know that works, look at America, or at least Tennessee with its attempted death penalty and high murder rate. Prison reform is the answer, not locking up – except for the most dangerous and where society needs protection. Punishment rarely works.

Meanwhile the Greens have shot themselves in the foot by equating Zionism and Racism; they may be correct, but it is futile to do so when chasing votes. Being morally correct whilst losing power is a habit of the left leaning liberals and perhaps a reason why we have had domination by the cehtre right for the last couple of centuries. being morally correct is a luxury of the middle class, it does not feed a hungry belly or even provide a holiday in the sun. The poor do not care at the rich getting richer, just their own situation. Selfishness is a human trait.

Posted on

WEATHER PREDICTION

Looking at the Met. Office predictions it looks like a typical autumn here – bits of rain and sun, bit cloudy but warm – I seem to remember that Nov 5th was cold, wearing gloves to hold sparklers, and being warmed by the fire with a guy on top. Guy Fawkes, along with bob a job week seems to have disappeared from our cultural activities. I am digressing, but so what, other things that are disappearing ‘giving the bumps’ on ones birthday, a pinch and a punch for the first of the month? Friday the 13th – any more? Other superstitions include not walking under a ladder, not stepping on the edges of paving stones, magpies, not putting shoes on tables, and not cutting nails on a Sunday. I am sure I have missed some, but guess we all have little quirks – I always put right shoe and sock on first, and do not like adjacent light switches to be uncoordinated!

Posted on

GREEN PARTY

I know that we should all commend statements that decry Israels genocide in Gaza and its murderous intentions elsewhere, but really who cares what the party members think? They have no power or even influence, people on the streets according to those out canvasing. However where the Green Party does have a huge influence is on environmental and climate change issues. Apart from the knuckle dragging flag shaggers most people, especially the young have a deep down fear of what we are doing to the planet. So forget international diplomacy and issues that you cannot influence and concentrate on the 2 issues, that if Burnham gets to introduce some form of PR, the Greens could take alead on. This does not mean ignoring all other issues – everything comes down to economics; Social issuess such as racism and misogyny are also core beliefs for members of the GP.

Burnham has also played a master card regarding the EU. Public opinion is behind rejoining – small boat crossings only started after Brexit The economic cost of leaving was, is and will be horrific, the fishing industry is decimated, farming and manufacturing in decline, immigration has fallen back under Labour from nearly a million per annum. And I think I may be a bit racist when I say that the decline of EU immigration was to the detriment of an integrated society. Europeans have a similar history and sociological make up rather than the influx of people from the far east – there I said it! A large influx of people from Europe would not have the same impact of people from elsewhere. This comment is definitely not about colour but integration into a multi-cultural society. It is also apparent that ex-pats in places like Spain have not fully integrated. I wonder if there should be a nationality test after a residence of say 10 years based on a shared history and common culture. I think I have already said too much!

Warnings of an AI economic bubble/crash are growing stronger.- tec giants have invested billions, but are suggesting putting the breaks on future developments. The thing is, can AI be monetised in a meaningful way? There are obvious benefits to using AI, but at the cost of unemployment? Books and films can be made using AI and I am told they are very good, but will they have the same nuance and moments as those captured from isolated experiences. Would AI have created the iconic Pink Floyd or would we all be listening to perfect trash music?

Badenoch goes for the grey vote by pledging to the triple lock. I am sure that I read that pensions had gone up by 23% more than the average wage – the pension issue was dire, but now it is the young who suffer.

Oh, and El Niño is not expected to fully hit for a couple of months – look out for horror weather related news stories in the media – or here!

Posted on

FOOTBALL

I cannot not mention one of the best England performances ever, albeit against a rather poor Crotian side, but it was still Croatia! Bellingham, Kane, Saka and Gordon were outstanding. And so nice to see the explosive power driving forward for a change. Let us hope they can keep this momentum going.

Posted on

DUH!

Its a no brainer , rejoin the EU or at least get much closer with regulations and laws. Only bogotted no brains would argue against it (latest survey says that means 28.5% of the population are thicker than shit!). Whether the EU would want us back is debatable, but a new Dublin Agreement would stop the bollocks from Farage!

The Greens should forget about Gaza – they are powerless and the public basically do not give a shit – let the Government do the hard graft on this. They should concentrate on the main threat to living standards and life as we know it, climate change.

Yesterdays post as my computer was being uncooperative –

What is Trump doing now?  Basically his illegal war has caused the cost of diesel to spiral and therefore inflation will follow.  So Trump is now panicking about the mid-term elections looming on his horizon, and the polls are not looking good for him.  It seems increasingly likely that he will not control Congress after the elections.  If there is a swing to the Democrats, it is quite possible that he will lose his present ability to act like a dictator, and possibly face criminal charges against himself and his family (he has been protected by sycophantic MAGA supporters in Congress).

Did you know that a Greenland Shark can live for 400 years.

Posted on

ENVIRONMENT

This government has made a positive start to ensuring that the UK has an environment fit for the future with a pledge to plant at least 500000 trees. Trees can reduce temperatures in cities by up to 4C in summer, they also have a warming input in winter, a mature tree can intercept 15000 litres of rainfall whilst the roots enhance infiltation and thus reduce flooding. At least 150 different species of insects can live on oak trees thus being brilliant for wildlife. My road would have been wooded at one time, but now has only a half dozen trees, plus my two mulberry trees! I am sure back gardens have a few more but if every front lawn, that are unused biological deserts, had a tree of any variety, the road would be a feast of wildlife. So put away your lawn mower – which contributes to climate change and plant a tree (blossom, fruit or other). And hey farmers, supplement your income by allowing people to sponsor a tree in the more unproductive parts of your fields, do not wait for a govrnment grant but be proactive and get locals involved.

Wetter and windy is the prediction of the cheif meteorologist at the Met Office, 6 million homes are at risk from flooding and it is estimated that 2 million are unaware of it. Recent developments of houses and infrastructure may mean that areas that have not flooded before are now at risk. Antarctic sea ice has shrunk – the 4 lowest extent on record are the last 4 years. Sea ice does not in itself affect sea level, but it does have an impact on glaciers entering the sea, so if you live near the coast – be aware that coastal flooding may have little to do with rainfall, October and Merch are the real danger months although spring tides in any month can be a hazard. Glaciers melting in Switzerland are also causing concern regarding water supply, and another mountainous state is also suffering from landslips and potentially disasterous floods due to climate change -Nepal.

Posted on

FARCE

The farce of Fairford continues. Apparently one of the arrested men dialled 999 well before the farmer did so. No explosives or weapons were found, just a quantity of fuel/. It seems likely that the guys in the 3 vans were up to no good, probably stealing diesel from farms. They must have been well shocked to find that they had attracted global notoriety and had armed officers arresting them at gun point. However the police are still looking for evidence of major espionage, probably at the behest ofthe Americans who were very fast out the blocks to blame Iran. The trash papers also joined in, no doubt there will be a cover up and a spread of false news, whilst a few fuel theives are castigated. They should be congratulated at the revalation of such lax security at a major air base.

Talking of a farce – the Football League has basically admited to gross negigence by admitting that Manchester City and its Abu Dhabi management over spent the rules by a staggering £830.69 million. Der Spiegel first reported on this 8 years ago, but it has taken until now for the figures to be release. Oh how the rich manipulate the probably/possibly innocent adminstrators of sports. Not noticing a sum of that size is, I would suggest, impossible. The fall out will be considerable with clubs already queueing to place compensation claims, yet football will recover, Whether that will be with Manchester City F.C. or not is for the Football League to decide (they are prevaricating as usual), And as it is Abu Dhabi that iss involved it will become a government matter – but at least we have a football fan of true belief in Andy Burnham, an Everton supporter – if ManCity were punished in a commensurate way to that handed out to the Toffees the deduction would be in excess of 200 points).

Burnham has been firing up the Labour Party conference in a way Starmer may have dreamed about. First up – the triple lock on pensions will be replaced – not before time. OK I am a pensioner and appreciate the extra wealth afforded by the triple lock, but I also have a Teachers Pension and an extra I paid into (and lost a chunk on divorce – willingly I might add). But with young people struggling with shite jobs and astronomical student loans – the rise in pensions (20+% above earnings) was needed, but is no longer affordable (the OAP’s who read the Telegraph, Express, Mail and Sun will be apolextic). The problem for pensioners I would surmise, is rents; many pensioners like myself will have paid off the mortgage and therefore the pension money is basically, fuel/energy costs and food/fun money, so it is the rise in rents that is a major problem, and then care home costs – drive out the hedgefund investment in them.

Secondly he suggested a reform of voting to a fairer PR system. Interesting, this would benefit Reform and the Greens and LibDems, but hit Labour and especially the Conservatives – so we can expect lots of bile and rancid comments from the RWPress. Thirdly he mentioned the need to draw closer to the EU – a no brainer for anyone with a few brain cells left, especially with Trump in the White House.

South West Water fined £8million for horrendous sewage discharges -nationalise the bastards, but maybe get the money in fines before! Whilst Aviva states that many new homes could be uninsurable. But now sunny today.

Posted on

STRANGE

goings on in Welford near to RAF Fairford. The base did not answer a phone call from a concerned local, the police took 15 minutes to arrive (surely they would have alerted the base and the response would have been quicker. Only 5 men arrested when the witness said there was a large group of men with balaclavas – and 3 vans surely they would have shared the lift? They were then bailed by the court – not terrorists presumably? Marco Rubio, American Secretary of State said that there was obviously a foreign player involved, but refused to give further details, probably due to him making a political statement rather than a factual one; Trump siad he was surprised that the 5 men had been bailed (in America they would have been shot or at least fitted up with false evidence! Local residents who were evacuated have been told they can return ‘but to stay indoors and take no photos’ – strange instructions if there are no explosives? And the press are there in force with their fancy cameras recoding every twitch. There is also a strong police cordon around the vans and the base – why? So many questions and no answers or facts, that did not deter Farage from making a statement that it was all due to Iran sending operatives across the channel in small boats, rather than as tourists on a plane where their credentials would be less scrutinised than after a small boat crossing. But then he is a traitor of the first order who will do anything to bolster his reputation with the flag shagging knuckle draggers, misinformation and sowing discord and hatred is his reason d’être.

trumps illegal war with Iran continues to worldwide ramifications, with diesel breaching the £2 litre mark, in this country we can expect to see the impact of this on inflation, and later on prices needed by farmers.

Extreme Temperatures Around The World

@extremetemps

·

EXTRAORDINARY WORLD RECORD AGAIN We are witnessing something crazy with thousands of records smashed allover Asia every day of the month. 47C again in KJWAIT today MINIMUM 34C Kuwait City Port LATEST 34C MINIMUM EVER RECORDED IN NORTHERN HEMISPHERE