WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Stanley]

See THIS interview by Laura Kuenssberg for some Epstein Free politics.....
"We are halfway towards being ready," Nigel Farage tells me. On occasion, he is quite unlike other politicians, with flashes of honesty you wouldn't hear from others. He says he wants to be prime minister, while admitting his party is not yet ready for power. Yet sometimes, he is entirely like the cliche - the long-serving politician who is intensely reluctant to confront accusations of past mistakes. Following the storm last year over his behaviour as a teenage pupil at Dulwich College, a private school in south-east London, with many people claiming they witnessed racism or antisemitism, Farage tells me forcefully that he hasn't for a single moment worried about whether he upset anyone. "I think there were two people who said they were hurt, all right, and if they genuinely were then that's a pity and I'm sorry, but never, ever did I intend to hurt anybody," he says. "Never have." That's the classic politician's apology - sorry "if" anyone affected felt hurt and upset by what happened all those years ago. We know they did feel that way. I've spoken to some of those affected, and you can still hear the shake in their voices when they talk about the memory. Yet what Farage has achieved in the past year with Reform, the self-styled "people's army" he leads, is off the charts. For decades he's had influence, but it's been exercised from the sidelines. Now, with successive opinion polls putting his party ahead of Labour and the Conservatives, he poses a grave threat to the two political tribes who have passed power back and forth between them as voters saw fit, for 100 years. Frankly, Labour and the Tories are terrified.
There is more of course and I think it's worth reading.

[Stanley]

A funny little matter that I shall have to be careful about..... A long forgotten phrase came to mind and I wondered how many would remember it. I googled it and found that none of the meanings and explanations matched my memories....
The phrase was 'Pocket Billiards'. Doe this ring a bell with anyone?

[Stanley]

I have to go with THIS In Depth article by Laura Kuenssberg....
It's only six weeks since a smiling Sir Keir Starmer told us: "I'll be sitting in this seat by 2027" in his interview to mark the start of the year. The bald truth now? It is hard to find anyone in Labour who convincingly agrees. The prime minister is not responsible for Peter Mandelson's behaviour. But it was his decision to take a chance on him. Being furious now doesn't erase the initial choice, and each seedy email makes it seem a bigger and bigger mistake. Yes, MPs are shocked and angry with Peter Mandelson. But they are also angry with the prime minister. The real problem for Keir Starmer is that the fury this week is both a proxy, and a prompt, for stoking months of simmering unhappiness about the government. And it's spread far beyond the chorus of usual critics, making the PM's vow to be in the chair this time next year seem like a lifetime ago. Talking to MPs, ministers and party backers, it's just getting more and more common to hear the weary conclusion that Starmer will later, or sooner perhaps, have to go. One influential figure who has backed him told me that "up until this point I would not have pushed for it, but I don't think there is any choice now – I can't see how his authority survives this". The mess has left one usually loyal minister to conclude: "I don't think anyone thinks he will actually still be PM in 2027."
There is more in the same vein if you read further..... My own feeling is that he will be lucky if he sees February out!

[Stanley]

THIS caught my eye.....
2 hours ago
For years Stephen Miller has been a conservative firebrand in Donald Trump's political orbit. Now, he has become a lightning rod. His relentless, combative style at the policymaking helm of the White House has set the president's hardline immigration agenda in motion, and he has developed a growing influence in expanding US power across the Western Hemisphere. The high-velocity start to 2026 by the Trump administration, at home and abroad, has only cemented his position as one of its most powerful figures. But for many on the left, he is a villain. In Washington DC, posters of Miller's face have been plastered in public spaces with the caption "Fascism ain't pretty". Democrats have called for his resignation. Even some members of his own party have publicly questioned his political judgement and effectiveness. And over the last few weeks, Miller has found himself in unfamiliar territory - a behind-the-scenes operator suddenly in the national spotlight, whose words and actions are being scrutinised. He has had to back away - at least temporarily - from the kind of fight he has frequently relished.
Is it as simple as this? Or must the main part of blame for Trump's actions be his personal orientation.

[Stanley]

I saw THIS report in BBC News....
King Charles has made his first intervention in the latest round of revelations in the Epstein scandal, saying Buckingham Palace is ready to support the police as they consider allegations against his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. "The King has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor's conduct," a Palace spokesman said. "While the specific claims in question are for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police we stand ready to support them as you would expect," he said. Thames Valley Police confirmed it is assessing whether there are grounds to investigate a complaint by the anti-monarchy group Republic, which reported Mountbatten-Windsor for suspected misconduct in public office and breach of official secrets.
The former duke is an embarrassment to the Monarchy but they can't discard him.

[Stanley]

I was told by a former royal protection officer that Andrew's new quarters at Sandringham is a sh*t hole. He says the drive way to it is a muddy track and he doesn't think Andrew will be pleased.....

[Stanley]

THIS caught my attention....
5 hours ago
Sarah Ferguson asked Jeffrey Epstein for advice in dealing with her £6m debt pile, while he was still in jail for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Emails recently released by the Department of Justice appear to show the desperate measures Ferguson considered to rescue her finances, from bailouts funded by two billionaires to selling her jewellery. Ferguson found the experience "so so demoralising" and said she was "about to freak with exhaustion", the emails suggest. "Death is easier than this," she appears to have said. Ferguson did not reply to a request for comment. Ferguson was still Duchess of York in 2009, but divorced from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. A lucrative deal to promote Weight Watchers had just come to an end. The emails highlight what a desperate financial position she was in at the time, and how it left her vulnerable to manipulation by anyone with the means to help her deal with her finances - most notably, Epstein himself. Epstein apparently discussed Ferguson's situation in a long correspondence with David Stern, a London-based German businessman with extensive China connections. Stern had close links with the Royal Family, but appears to call Epstein "boss" in the emails. He apparently warned Epstein that Ferguson was in the "middle east" where "chances are she is with people who take advantage of her once again". Stern and Epstein discuss their approach to Ferguson in remarkably disrespectful tones. In one, Epstein apparently writes that September "its time to be serious. be very tough. like a girlfriend that has cheated." "Treating her as cheating girlfriend is working," Stern seems to reply shortly afterwards.
It would seem as though the media hasn't sucked all the juice out of the Epstein Affair yet!

[PanBiker]

Back down to the real world, 150Kg on the push/pull sled today. we have a new programme for the class and all the weights are up. Bike, RDL with 25Kg, Hip thrust with 50Kg sandbag on your lap. Bench biceps lift with two 8Kg dumbbells, plank from the wobbly dome for your hands, body weight pull up with biceps and wall rope from 45 degrees. Single leg climb to bench with weight. All exercises are 40 seconds, 10 second pause then go again, swapping limbs if required before moving on. Cardio today got to 156bm and I did all of my water!