POLITICS CORNER

[Tripps]

See THIS for proof that David is on the money....

Interest piqued now that the BBC has noticed what is happening.

The fact that the Deputy Mayor has stated 'ex cathedra' that an elected councillor is under investigation for a safeguarding issue - means that the matter has escalated. That cannot be ignored. Andy Burnham has responded today, but managed to pivot the matter into 'place rather than people' and has inserted Oldham Athletic into the narrative.

I watched the clip again and I think the Leader of the Oldham Group was actually thrown out of the meeting by the newly elected mayor, due to his constant interruptions. The Mayor then realised what he had done and quickly and defensively added - 'if you wish to leave'

[Tripps]

Look for a book called 'Body of Secrets. An anatomy of the National Security Agency' by James Bamford published by Random House NY in 2002. 750 pages of little known facts that is still the standard work on the subject.
(It is the best source I know of information on Menwith Hill.....)

There's a copy on Abebooks for an astonishing £3.56 inc P&P. Body of Secrets Good info on Diego Garcia.


Or reach to your bookshelf and have a read.

I got mine at a charity shop in Harrogate, probably 15 years ago, for £4. Not coincidence that it was up there I think. The map of Harrogate car parks is still there as a bookmark.


PS Maybe it's me - but I don't see Menwith Hill in the index, and can find no reference to it in the text. It is 750 (small font) pages - so the search is not exhaustive. The book is dated 2001.

Body of Secrets.JPG

[Stanley]

That's a good read for under £4!

Well well... Have a look at THIS.......
The government's child poverty strategy, which had been due for publication in the spring, has been delayed. The Child Poverty Taskforce is still working on the strategy and has been considering, among other measures, whether to scrap the two-child benefit cap, a move some Labour MPs have long been calling for. The BBC has been told the strategy could be set out in the autumn in time for the Budget, allowing ministers to say how any policy changes would be paid for. A spokesperson said the government was "determined to bring down child poverty" and committed to publishing a strategy "later this year".
Could Labour possibly be considering the effects of policy on Party popularity?

[Stanley]

I think THIS is the most significant piece of political news I have seen this morning.
2 hours ago
Reform UK has said it will fully reinstate winter fuel payments to pensioners and scrap the two-child benefit cap, if the party gets into government. The commitments - to be unveiled at a press conference next week - come after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faced pressure from Labour MPs to change his approach to both policies. By the time of the next general election there may be no need to reverse either policy. Sir Keir has already announced plans to ease cuts to winter fuel payments - without saying when or how. And ministers say he has privately indicated he would like if possible to find a way to scrap the two-child benefit cap - although a formal decision may be many months away. The intervention by Nigel Farage - first reported in the Sunday Telegraph, external - will highlight and magnify the increasingly awkward divisions over policy within Labour.
Regardless of whether this could ever be necessary, what it indicates is that Farage is pressing all the most embarrassing buttons when comparisons are made with Labour.
There is another more subtle hint in the coverage of news about Reform. Nigel Farage has a very mobile face and it is very easy for a press snapper to get a comical expression to use in the news. I note that picture editors are beginning to step back from that and are using more 'formal' portraits. Only a small thing but quite significant I think.

[Tizer]

This is a bit cheeky..

Trump and free speech in UK

[Stanley]

We should send them back with a flea in their ear. They should attend to their own knitting!

Meanwhile, in another part of the world, see THIS report.....
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has alleged that the US's "silence" after recent Russian attacks is encouraging President Vladimir Putin, following Moscow's largest aerial attack yet. The overnight attack saw Russia fire 367 drones and missiles - the highest number in a single night since Putin launched a full-scale invasion in 2022. At least 12 people, including three children, were killed and dozens more injured in widespread strikes across Ukraine. They came a day after one of the heaviest assaults on the capital Kyiv in months. US President Donald Trump reacted late on Sunday by telling reporters: "I'm not happy with what Putin is doing. He's killing a lot of people."
This hardly seems like an adequate response, but did we do any better?

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report.....
The Kremlin claimed Donald Trump was showing signs of "emotional overload" after he called Vladimir Putin "absolutely crazy" following Moscow's largest aerial assault on Ukraine. The US president said on Truth Social on Sunday that "something has happened" to Putin, after Russia killed 13 in Ukraine with 367 drones and missiles. "He has gone absolutely crazy," Trump said. "Needlessly killing a lot of people." Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, said the comments were "connected to an emotional overload of everyone involved".
I have been known to say that Putin plays a blinder when it comes to diplomacy and politics. I think he is demonstrating this now. He is running rings round Trump. His ultimate aim is as it always has been, to take Ukraine just as he did Crimea.He will not stop until this has come to pass. Then he'll start looking at the Baltic States......

[Stanley]

See THIS report on the royal visit to Canada.
King Charles III was given a heartfelt standing ovation in Canada's parliament in Ottawa after a historic speech in support of the country staying "strong and free". Outside the Senate building later, another voice from the crowd shouted: "Thanks for coming King Charles" in a voice full of emotion - as the King himself had sounded at the end of his speech. But what was never mentioned was what the speech was really about: US President Donald Trump. There was a promise to "protect Canadians and their sovereign rights", but with diplomatic discretion, there was no mention of who might be threatening the country's independence.
Sounds like a very sensible and useful contribution and such a contrast to Trump's bluster and waffle. Not often I have anything good to say about the Monarchy but this was timely and appropriate. Thank you.

[Stanley]

See THIS Political news from the US.
Updated 1 hour ago
Billionaire Elon Musk has said his time leading President Donald Trump's cost-cutting task force is coming "to an end". In a post on his social media platform X, Musk thanked Trump for the opportunity to help run the Department of Government Efficiency - known as Doge. He was designated as a "special government employee" - allowing him to work a federal job for 130 days each year. Measured from Trump's inauguration on 20 January, he would hit that limit towards the end of May. Musk's exit comes after he criticised Trump's "big, beautiful" budget bill - the legislative centrepiece of the president's agenda. "As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending," Musk wrote on X.
There is of course more to this parting of the ways than meets the eye but I am sure you can work that out for yourselves.

See THIS report as well
Updated 49 minutes ago
A US federal court has blocked President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, in a major blow to a key part of his economic policies. The Court of International Trade ruled that an emergency law invoked by the White House does not give the president unilateral authority to impose tariffs on nearly every country. The Manhattan-based court said the US Constitution gives Congress exclusive powers to regulate commerce with other nations and this is not superseded by the president's remit to safeguard the economy. Within minutes of the ruling the Trump administration lodged an appeal.

And then look at THIS IN Depth review of how Kemi Badenoch is seen to be damaging the Conservative Party by 'insiders'.

[Tizer]

The Musk-Trump romance was barmy and doomed to end quickly. Musk makes electric vehicles; Trump supports diesel vehicles. Musk wants to be best friends with China to sell even more of his cars there; Trump wants to slap China with tariffs and crash its economy; Musk wants to win the space race by collaborating with NASA; Trump would shut down NASA if he could. Musk can now see the forthcoming collapse of Trump's administration. Rats ans sinking ships come to mind.

[Tizer]

See THIS report as well Updated 49 minutes ago
A US federal court has blocked President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, in a major blow to a key part of his economic policies. The Court of International Trade ruled that an emergency law invoked by the White House does not give the president unilateral authority to impose tariffs on nearly every country. The Manhattan-based court said the US Constitution gives Congress exclusive powers to regulate commerce with other nations and this is not superseded by the president's remit to safeguard the economy. Within minutes of the ruling the Trump administration lodged an appeal.

An interesting analysis from the BBC's Economics Editor,
`Faisal Islam: Tariff ruling completely changes the global trade war' BBC

[Tripps]

There's a Pendle Council Executive meeting on at the moment - David Whipp in the chair..

I've mentioned Councillor Tom Whipp's well decorated eyes, and his make up recently. Now he seems to have gone the full monte - yet another hairstyle, and his desk card now reads "Councillor Lola Whipp".

Good grief. . . .

[Stanley]

Good God David! What springs to mind is the old song, whatever Lola wants, Lola gets and little man, Lola wants you!

Peter, I agree about Leon Mush and it couldn't happen to two nicer blokes..... I wonder what Graham would say about things if he was still alive....

[Stanley]

See THIS report in the politics section of BBC News....
3 hours ago
Rugby league authorities say their players have been "poorly treated" by the honours system, as pressure grows for a first knighthood or damehood for the sport. The sport has gone 130 years without such an honour. "It is surprising and disappointing that the relevant authorities have still not deemed anyone worthy of a knighthood or damehood for their services to rugby league," said a spokesperson for the Rugby Football League, which governs the sport. The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, added his voice, telling BBC News the lack of rugby league knighthoods "cannot be right" when other sports, including rugby union, have had such honours "quite regularly".
Although I don't see how this could be classed as 'politics'....