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Andy Beckett is misinformed

It’s true that these voters were often misled – by David Cameron’s promise of “strong and stable government”, for instance, and the Leave campaign’s pledge of extra NHS spending.

There hsa been extra NHS spending, hasn’t there? Vastly more than what was suggested too. So if Beckett’s that malinformed about reality then what value his opinions upon it?

One way to picture a healthier democracy is as a place where voters and politicians have frequent clashes but also a degree of mutual respect – and an awareness that they are co-creators of a political culture. It may be optimistic to expect grumpy old Britain to become such a country, not least because so much of our media has a vested interest in voters angrily believing that they are badly governed. For rightwing, anti-state editors in particular, a sour public mood produces better stories.

See? If only we voters, proles, just did what we were told by the revolutionary vanguard.

We’ll beat the fascists by being commies!

Third, unless steps are taken to tackle this issue, the false narratives of hope offered by Reform, which would deeply damage the well-being of most of those who might vote for that party, will carry the day, and we will have a crisis with fascism in this country.

How to achieve this?

Start by massively redistributing income and wealth.

It’s, umm, very persuasive, no?

Really?

Chinese “kill switches” have been found hidden in American solar farms, prompting calls for Ed Miliband to halt the rollout of renewables.

On Thursday, the Energy Secretary was urged to impose an “immediate pause” on his green energy blitz to review whether UK solar plants are also at risk.

The components found in the US included cellular radios capable of switching off the equipment remotely, raising serious concerns about grid security, according to Reuters.

They were found inside power inverters manufactured by unnamed Chinese companies.

Seriously? This is not a plant by US manufacturers of competing equipment? Well, probably not, given that there are none, are there?

Anyone got more on this? What, really, is the story here?

Drugs that work don’t work

Why note this? That is because what this evidence makes very clear is what I have been suggesting on this blog for a while, and that is that the purpose of these drugs is not to solve the problem of obesity. It is instead intended to create a new form of dependency, or even addiction. In this case, this dependency is on the weight loss drugs that the person becomes totally reliant upon to maintain their body image, and so their mental health, whatever the physical health side effects might be (and they can be serious, with significant potential long-term costs to the NHS).

Merely curing a problem isn’t enough, d’ye see? The patient must both suffer and become more moral….

This is just so interesting, isn’t it?

This is what Spud thingks electricity prices are:

The wind and solar he – I think – has forgotten that they’re measured in 2012 (or whatever it is) £s and therefore need to be upgraded for inflation since then. The gas price is crazed – I assume that’s trying to carry some vast carbon cost.

Anyone want to really tell us is welcome….

Just a little note

Around here we’ve had 180% of our annual rainfall already and it’s only mid-May. They’re actually opening dams to let the excess out.

What you should have had we did – really, storms that should have hit you went further south and then hung about over us instead.

Just thought you’d like to know that as your hosepipe bans are imminent….

Some women do just pick ’em

A female prison officer smuggled a Calpol syringe into jail to “artificially inseminate” herself with an inmate’s sperm.

Cherri-Ann Austin-Saddington, 29, had a six-month relationship with Bradley Trengrove while working as a warden at HMP The Verne on the Isle of Portland in Dorset.

They had sex up to 40 times, often in prison workshops while nobody was around. The mother of three became pregnant before losing the baby.

After the inmate was moved to another prison, she visited him with an empty Calpol syringe in her bra so she could “artificially inseminate” herself with his sperm, which he had wrapped in cling film for her.

Well, OK. But:

Her probation period was extended because she was suspected of having an inappropriate relationship with two prisoners, the court was told.

In January 2022, Trengrove, who was serving a 13-year extended jail sentence for raping a woman and having sexual activity with a child, was transferred to the prison.

That’s an, umm, interesting choice.

Oh. Right

The NHS is treating nursery-age children who believe they are transgender after watering down its own guidance, The Telegraph can reveal.

Some goodly portion of kids at that age will think they are dinosaurs too.

Sigh.

Lock up the parents, that’s what I say.

Umm, not so sure, really…..

Richard Murphy, Emeritus Professor of Accounting Practice at Sheffield University Management School and a former chartered accountant with KPMG, says the language in the resignation letter is “decidedly unusual”.

He did his training there, qualified and, well, was asked not to bother staying on? Is this “former chartered accountant with KPMG”? OK, now try again in general usage….

Well, yes, but trafficking?

The singer known as Cassie said her music career had been “stifled” by the incessant demands of the rap mogul ­Sean “P Diddy” Combs who wanted her to spend whole days sleeping with male escorts while high on drugs.

These performances, which Combs referred to as “freak offs”, became her job and involved “staying up for days on end, taking drugs [and] having sex with a stranger every day”, the singer, whose ­real name is Cassandra Ventura, told a court on Tuesday.

“They ranged from anywhere from 36, 48 to 72 hours,” she said, speaking quietly, her voice flat. “I feel like the longest was four days, maybe even more, like on and off with breaks, so it was a significant part of the week.”

Ventura, 38, is the star prosecution witness in the New York trial of Combs on racketeering, sex trafficking and prostitution charges related to the “freak offs” he is accused of forcing two girlfriends to ­arrange and take part in. He ­denies the charges.

It’s definitely a kink and quite possibly ungentlemanly behaviour. But racketeering and trafficking?

A not fully thought out theory, more a musing. There’s a constant amount of outrage about sex in a society. If we reduce the amount aimed at one set of sexual behaviour – chopping cocks off, men just being very good friends, adultery, fornication, whatever – then that same level and amount of outrage will be aimed at some other aspect of sexual behaviour – wannabe birds acceeding to rich men’s kinks perhaps, the casting couch, whatever.

As I say, wouldn’t want to be too absolute about this but I think there’s a nub of truth to it.

As Aristophanes pointed out the birds have a certain power in society. As Heinlein pointed out only among humans can there be a shortage of what every woman has a near infinite supply of. As that control of who gets how much – fornication now being common, celebrated and wholly healthy as it is – then other forms of control of what men may do will become socially accepted. Because who wants to give up power, right?

Ten years now means three….

Prisoners will be released from jail as little as a third of the way through their sentences if they behave well, under government plans to tackle the overcrowding crisis.

Offenders will be able to earn their freedom after serving a third of their sentences if they complete work, training or education assignments and demonstrate good behaviour before being freed.

If they fail to behave, they will have to spend longer in jail under the shake-up that will see the current automatic early release of offenders 40 per cent of the way through their sentences scrapped.

But, of course, they’re going to be really, really, tough on that training now, aren’t they?

Who? Why?

Counter-terrorism police are investigating the possibility that a hostile state may have been behind the arson attacks against the Prime Minister.

On Tuesday night, a 21-year-old man arrested on suspicion of targeting two properties and a car linked to Sir Keir Starmer was questioned by specialist detectives from Scotland Yard’s SO15 counter-terror command.

A foreign state is likely to have grasped that he doesn’t live there now. Also, a foreign state that wished us ill would be leaving him in office, no?

Oh, right

Secondly, it is quite extraordinary that this company is still trading despite the fact that it filed its last account 13 months late, and it is now more than seven months late in filing accounts to 31 December 2023, with there being no indication provided as to when these might be published. This company is in gross breach of its obligations in UK company law, and it is the clearest sign that this law is not being enforced in this country that it is still being allowed to trade despite that fact, and despite its auditors having drawn attention to the doubts that they have on the ability of the company to settle its liabilities as they fall due. Given that this last issue is the supposed priority of UK company law, it would appear that government intervention should now take place to ensure that the affairs of this company are either regularised, or that its trade now be closed down, with priority being given to the settlement of all obligations.

Close down everybody who files late accounts. Yes, that’ll help, no doubt.

Oh, right

They are, almost invariably, net contributors to our society.

Those getting off the boats and being put up in hotels at our expense are net contributors, are they?

Good to know, good to know.

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