Seen in the News

[Stanley]

See THIS report of the leaking of details about 'Operation London Bridge', the plans for the funeral of the Queen. There has been a leak and the Palace is said to be furious.
What possible advantage could leaking something like this confer on the leaker? A slow news day or just mischief. Whatever, it seems totally unnecessary.

[Tizer]

`What's it like to be in the 1% of female lorry drivers?' LINK

[Stanley]

The same as being a male driver I would imagine. Good article.
What grabbed me was THIS which somehow doesn't come as a surprise. People getting advantages from giving money to a royal charity? Surely not!

[Stanley]

See THIS report of Sir Lindsay Hoyle's instructions to MPs to smarten up their attire and dress in a way that respects the House.

[Tripps]

Looks as if Boris has read the memo. He's finally had his hair cut, and for the first time in my memory, he looks half ways presentable.

I saw him described yesterday as 'someone who brushes his hair with a balloon'. Perhaps he read it too.

[Cathy]

Haha ‘someone who brushes his hair with a balloon’, would like to see that drawn as a joke in our joke’s.

[Stanley]

THIS is worth reading. Laura Kuenssberg's assessment of what faces Johnson when. if he does as expected, he unveils his plan for social care.
My prediction, dead easy, he won't do enough.

[Big Kev]

Lowering driving standards to plug the gap, what a great idea
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58487347

[Travis]

It's only driving a wagon Kev, take out the silly CPC and we'll be rolling again.

[Big Kev]

This is true Andy, I'm surprised they're not asking us all to get back in the saddle.

[Travis]

No fear Kev, my spurs are safely stacked way. 45 years in the saddle is enough for anyone .

[Big Kev]

They couldn't pay me enough, I've been spoiled by a cushy number in IT

[Stanley]

I agree Kev, lowering standards never was a good idea. Trouble is that these people believe it's just like driving a big car.....

Have a look at THIS. Priti Patel is a menace. It's been pointed out to her that if boats are turned back all the migrants have to do is scuttle it and the Border Force have to rescue them. Despite that she feels she has to do something!

[Tizer]

`Winston Churchill erased from his own charity in unprecedented display of wokery' The Sun
`A CHARITY set up to honour Sir Winston Churchill sparked a “woke” storm by changing its name and erasing him from its website. The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust has rebranded itself the Churchill Fellowship and removed every picture of the heroic wartime Prime Minister.

[Stanley]

Madness Peter, pandering to every passing fad or fancy. Changing the name doesn't change anything!
THIS caught my attention today. Quite amazing and I wish both the young ladies good luck!

[PanBiker]

Amazing she certainly is Stanley, Emma Radacanu is through to the US Open final without losing a single set. She has also played two more matches than any of the other remaining competitors as she had no automatic entry and had to qualify. She has never played the venue before, remarkable achievement.

[Tripps]

Good to see this young lady doing so well. The BBC are in a frenzy over it all. Not just good at tennis, and good looking, she got A* and A grades in her A level GCSE's. Seems she was born in Canada to a Romanian father and Chinese mother. It makes the idea of ' nationality' quite redundant.

I muse - how would that affect the Olympics if you could play for any country? Perhaps companies could replace nations and you perform for the highest payer? I'm sure the likes of Tesla, Microsoft, and Coca Cola etc would be up for it.

[Stanley]

I have those unworthy thoughts as well David. Remember Zola Budd and the speed she was made a citizen?

[plaques]

9-11. was tragic and we should never forget those who died in the attack
A total of 2,977 people died in the terror attacks, including 67 Britons.

Compare that with what is happening in the UK at this very moment.
COVID-19: UK records 38,013 new infections and 167 more coronavirus-related deaths, latest daily figures show

That is exactly 100 more people dying in one day. These numbers should be shouted out at us every day. And what do we get 'the Buffoon's Dads Army approach to the virus ???. Wake up. This virus is killing more Brits every day than what happened in 9-11. and we just shrug our shoulders.

[Tizer]

It often surprises me when I see a shocking news report that doesn't seem to make it into the general news media. Take this for an example. In The Netherlands the police and security agencies have finally been forced to take action against unlawful gangster activities that rival those in the days of Al Capone (perhaps even worse). For some time now a big gang has been murdering people as a service for a large cash payment. They've been advertising their services widely with phone numbers to contact and an answering service. The gang leader has even been arranging to make a sort of `reality show' programme for TV. It sounds like a joke but they've killed dozens of people and they even offer torturing services too and have a torture room fully kitted out for it. All this is well known in the country but the gangsters have been getting away with their blatant activities, presumably because they can afford the best lawyers and the biggest bribes.

[Stanley]

I agree Ken. I can remember a long time ago seeing someone predicting 150,000 deaths from Covid and when I publicly agreed with him I was told I was being pessimistic, I think we are getting close to 134,000 at the moment and as you say, adding to that total almost 1,000 a week. A bad winter should see us exceed 150,000 and all the politicians are bothered about is the economic impact.....
Is that right Peter? It seems ridiculous that they could be allowed to get away with it.

[Tizer]

If we got hit by influenza too it could be even worse and cause a breakdown of the NHS if the influenza vaccines haven't been done on time due to the HGV logistics crisis delaying deliveries.

[Stanley]

Deep Joy.....

[Stanley]

See THIS
Boris Johnson's mother has died. He has my sympathy for this.

[Stanley]

See THIS report about Trump accusing his Joint Chief of Staff, General Milley of treason after a new book by Bob Woodward reveals that Milley told his Chinese counterpart that any reports of military action against China could be dismissed as Trump was unstable.
Later in the UK. News that Gove has been given the job of 'saving Xmas'. I think we can write it off then. God help us, is this what Brexit has brought us to? (They will say it's nothing to do with Brexit of course.)