UK GOVERNMENT

The present mob are in disarray. Elected with a massive majority just in June 2024, they are now fighting each other. Wes Streeting is unlikely to be an MP at the next election – let alone PM. And as for the rest I agree with Jonathan Pie. I too like Angela Rayner but do not wish her to be crucified on the Daily Mail alter of pseudo rightshness (how do you spell that!). No Labour are probably stuck with Starmer – they just need to role out some radical policies. Nationalise the bastard water companies and threaten the same for any energy company that uses the Iran/Trump crisis to profit. Kick private companies out of the NHS, cut student fees, impose rent limits, free bus services in rural areas, increase tax on millionaires (whether via property of earnings – preferably the former). Yes the press would have heart attacks and hernias, but the public would be proud! Stop the phoney Israel love scene and condemn the bastards, along with muslim regimes that incarcerate citizens and murder them. I want to be proud of a multi-cultural Britain.

The BBC have uncovered schemes to fund small boats and trafficking organisations. They are able to launder money through UK banks. Excuse me for being totally fucking ignorant – but why do we have a police force? Surely it should not be up to BBC reporters to go undercover, or are the police to busy dealing with right wing bigots terrorising their families? Or funding themselves by placing speed traps in harmless places? I have often thought the same regarding drugs – if it is easy for a young teen to get drugs it cannot e that difficult to catch the dealers – unless of course they are big male businessmen! Whilst politicians of all parties receive money from Israeli supported groups and other billionaires – should we feel sorry for the shoplifter? I have never been a shoplifter myself although I will admit to finding something under my bags when loading the car – I did not go back into the store to pay for it! Maybe the police are too anglo-saxon and white to be able to infiltrate ad expose these people traffickers? We should have no sympathy for these people who exploit others – but the question of deportation or imprisonment is not one with an easy answer.

FOOTBALL

What a year! Sunderland were widely predicted to go down and are still challenging for Europe; and then West Ham United are likely to be relegated unless Tottenham fail to get a point from their last 2 games. Of the promoted teams, Leeds also did well after a hesitant start, but Burnley drop straight back down and are rather surprisingly joined by Wolves. It is rumoured that Chelsea want to buy Roefs, Sunderlands wonder goalie – I would expect a fee in ecess of £50 million, and then Sunderland could invest in midfield and a striker. Elsewhere the Championship playoff is Hull-Southampton if they avoid the spying charge! TBH a fuss about nothing? Coventry have done well under Frank Lampard and Ipswich are back (again). Bristol City again showed a lack of ambition and Bristol Rovers will probably be grateful not to have to face non-leauge football next season.

EU PANIC!

The gutter press is in a panic as they see allth econtenders to be next PM supporting the idea of rejoining – a fact supported by the majority of voters in the UK. Brexit was a blatent plot funded by dodgy dealings and has been a disaster on every front. Andy Burnham will possibly lose a byelection in Wigan and there is no one else with the support of the membership and unions. The flag shaggers will probably defeat him – they have unlimited funds supplied by billionaires and foreign powers determined to undermine our democracy which may be wilting under the challenge. I fervently believe that only 20% of Britons are racist, and most of them are over 50! Add in 10% who are just stupid or gullible and the 30% vote for Reform is containable. Another 30% are left wing and support Labour and the Greens (of whom 10% are natural green votersand probably 20% traditional Labour voters.). Another 30% are broadly centre -right, of whom 20% are traditional Tories. That leaves 10% which are SNP or Plaid Cymru and have a greater influence in their respective areas. Why would anyone with a functioning brain cell (and I mean singular here) want to travel to London to support a misogynist, racist bigot – and then hide behind the flag of patriotism. Some peopple are so fucking stupid they should not be allowed to walk the streets without warning signs!

Well that was a rant from no where! I looked at the papers and could not see much of interest! Garden is more interesting. Herbs and roses are all doing well. I am hoping that chicory and evening primrose will appear somewhere soon – they self seed.

Ah – a topic for discussion! Sporting millionaires – Sir David Beckham and Victoria have become billionaires. Fair play to them – but should anyone become a billionaire? Yes we enjoy their talent, as we do with pop stars and film stars – but are they really worth that much? In my opinion no one is worth that much – not Elon Musk or other tecbros, not pseudo industrialists who fuck up the planet or purveyors of luxury brands. Their towers will crumble and the world will rejoice again that small is beautiful.

HELLO!

The government is a shambles! There is a financial crisis affecting many in the population and yet the politicians in Westminster squabble like little children over who was in the queue for the ice cream van first. Basically the population do not give a fuck who is P.M. only that they do a competent job. Labour supporters think Starmer has sold out to the right wing – and I agree; but remember that only 33.7% of the electorate voted for Labour in 2024. So basically 2/3rds did not vote for Labour anyway. Starmer has had an uphill battle against the MSP and many people hoped that there would be a change to a more equitable society. And Starmer has not delivered on that promise. I fear Andy Burnham will regret standing to be an MP at present. Hannah Spencer has already pointed out the drinking culture at Westminster – who would have convidence in any MP, apart from her? Starmer should just tell them all to fucking shut up – introduce legislation to bring forward PR at the polling booth; nationalise water and threaten the same for electricity companies if they do not lower bills; introduce rent capping again; negotiate to rejoin the EU; condemn Israel; make the IPSO do its job; and sort out Care Homes ( a local entrepreneur who has created lots of jobs as well as money for himself want to get into the industry because it is a gold mine!) – with an ageing population and decreased family size and relationships, governments have been negligent for the last 35 years at least. It is time to bite the bullet and nationalise care homes as part of the NHS.

Meanwhile it is cup final day, and at 3pm as it should be. 747 teams entered at the start last summer, only one major team has ever withdrawn (Manchester Fucking United – who else!) and it is a cebration of sport. I have memories about the cup final, Pete’s party in Bethnal Green? in 1973, Manchester U beating Leicester whilst my cousin was getting married (John and I took turns to get out of the church to listen on the radio), 1960 I remember a Blackburn Rovers player getting a broken leg? Then being at a kind of dilapidated farm house with lost grader as Arsenal beat ManU in 1979. I have obviously heard about the ‘Matthews’ final when Mortenson scored a Patrick? And then there was the ‘white suit’ final – was it Liverpool? I have vague recollections of Southampton and Wimbledon both overturning the odds in a big way (I made money on Southampton!). The Brighton striker who missed and is forgotten!; Enjoy the match today!

CHARITIES

I have mixed views on charities – firstly most of them should not be necessary – e.g. Cancer charities, surely our tax money should pay for such important research (maybe with a tax allowance); secondly many are just a tax avoidance scheme – e.g. private schools -why should people buying an advantage for their children be given a tax break; third I accept that many charities are niche and would not get public funding. But 170,000 + charities claiming a tax allownce is ridiculous.

Lastly – why should some rich bastard, who has probably ripped off workers or customers, receive plaudits for giving money to their chosen charity? Billionaires by definition are not nice people!

TRUMPING

As ever the hyperbole exceeds the detail “”very successful, world-renowned, and unforgettable” was his description of the meeting. All we know so far is that Xi threatened over Taiwan, China agreed to buy USA oil and not to supply weapons to Iran. Press are loving the Labour Party leadership contest/non-contest. They do not need facts at the best of times, so now seem to have a free reign to speculate and lie with impunity. They manage to keep the slime ball Farage off the front page by ignoring his devios financial manoeuvrings.

GARDEN – just delivered rosemary, sage, thyme x2, marjoram, lemon balm, 2 types, bay, fennel to a friend. I am now repotting Vietnemese coriander, golden thyme, creeping red thyme, Mexican tarragon, and the following mints; ginger, orange, Hilary’s lemon, chocolate, basil, blackcurrant, mojito, pineapple, curry. Corsican mint seems to have died so I will look out for some. Wallflowers still in blossom as is the wisteria, honeysuckle will be next. Also the 6 new roses are in bud, my yellow bush rose is nearly 2m high and has at least 100 flowers or more, back gate guard is also blooming and the wild rose with its lethal thorns is spreading – I should restrain it but insects love it!

Fucking guardian – runs a 3/4 page article about British Jews not being safe in London without a mention of attacks on women, Muslims, and LGBTQ+ racist attacks.. Why do the papers give preferential treatment to Jews?

CHINA

Trump is accompanied by tecBros from Apple, Nvidia and Elon Musk. The trade talks will be accompanied by warnings from China regarding Taiwan. In many ways China has the upper hand, a situation not repeated often for Trump, overa billion people, a stable if unkind government, albeit one which has lifted 500 million out of poverty. It has fast become a world leader in green technology. Trump has tried to counter by declaring that all MOB’s must be wholly made in the USA – we will see how that pans out! Slightly related Nissan have announced that its Sunderland plant in the UK is discussing plans for a share with Chinese car maker Chery. It seems likely that China will announce plans to buy 500 Boeing aircraft.

Meanwhile in the UK a study has shown that a typical sunday roast dinner may contain up to 102 pesticides, including 7 banned by the EU on strawberries, potatoes and carrots. I am sure fast food items are worse! But organic is best if you can afford it?

Angela Rayner has been exonerated – I am sure the Daily Mail has a few ‘journalists’ trying to find a weakness in the judgement – how they hate her! I am sure she is due another front page expose in the next week. After all she is a woman, a council house mum, who was pregnant in her teens, a person who has made it to the top table politically – and she believes in equality and fairness. Socialist nonsense the billionaire owners of the media cry.

And Reform is aligning itself with Jews despite having Nazi supporters and representatives. And the BBC reports that the attack on Ishmail Hussein was alleged? Either he attacked him or not – he is being prosecuted for it, so why the Jewish favouritism? And Jenprick – a moron king amongst morons accuses Misan Harriman (South Bank Centre chief) of being a crass moron – takes one to recognise one (and I am not saying Misan is one!).

TRUMP

Perhaps he was worried about his trip to China and could not sleep. But the dementia was undeniable in 3 hours of late night ranting. More than 50 posts railed against Obama, NY Times, and the supreme court – he even included a a doctored image of himself on a $100 dollar bill. So hours before meeting Xi Jinping he lost the plot – again. My, how Americans must be embarrassed by their President.

So when he should be studying diplomatic and scholarly papers on China’s recent growth in economic and political power he is frothing at the mouth. Given thathis default modus operandi is to bully and threaten tariffs the world will watch meetings with China’s leaders with baited breath.

Meanwhile the rest of the world festers quietly. Israel continues as a rogue state killing innocents in a slaughter resembling parallels with the Jews of Nazi Germany. Attrocities continue in Sudan and sub-saharan Africa. Cubans continue to suffer under Trumps cruel driven blockade. At home Labour call for an investigation into Polanski’s council tax problem (which would almost certainly cost more than any monies owed. Farage continues to face questions regarding his dodgy finances and lifestyle – the lastest is a non-submission of details regarding a ‘gift’ of a helicopter flight. A survey of 500 millionaires revealed that three-quarters would be willing to pay more tax. It is a no brainer actually – either the millionaires pay for health insurance for their workers and private security for their homes and work places, or they pay more tax and ensure that society is better for all!.

Next rant – charities, but saved for tomorrow.