OneGuyFromBarlick

See THIS BBC report on what seems to be an insoluble problem.
The number of migrants to cross the English Channel in small boats since Labour came to power last summer has surpassed 50,000. Home Office data shows 50,271 people have made the journey, after 474 migrants arrived on Monday. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the government "will turn this around", adding she appreciates "the frustrations that people feel". At the general election, Labour pledged to "smash" people-smuggling gangs and reduce Channel crossing numbers. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Tuesday's figure showed that plan "was just a slogan".

On a personal note. I have asked the regional HQ to process my resignation as a member of the Party. I have been very patient but Starmer has gone too far to the right for me. Enough is enough.

See THIS earth shaking report....
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has admitted he did not have a rod licence to go fishing with JD Vance and has blamed the oversight on an "administrative error". Lammy has written to the Environment Agency to tell them about the mistake and has bought a fishing licence. The agency says anglers in England and Wales aged 13 or over must have a rod fishing licence to fish for freshwater species and can be fined if they do not have one. The foreign secretary did not catch any fish when he went angling with the US vice-president at his official residence at Chevening House, Kent, last week. The two men went carp fishing in a pond near the 17th-century house before they held talks about Gaza and other international affairs at the residence during Vance's family holiday to the UK.

Vance should have had one as well and both should have had additional permission via day tickets for the water they were fishing.

See THIS shocking news about the state of the housing market.
More than 11,000 households in England have had their homes repossessed by bailiffs following a no-fault eviction process since last year when the Labour government came into power. In its manifesto, Labour promised to "immediately abolish" Section 21, also known as no-fault, evictions which allow landlords to remove tenants without a reason. A bill ending the practice was announced last year and is expected to become law when Parliament returns from its summer break. Housing charity Shelter said it was "unconscionable" that "renters continue to be marched out of their homes by bailiffs because of an unfair policy that the government said would be scrapped immediately".
Just think what this means in terms of family misery.......

See THIS BBC report on the Putin/Trump talks in Alaska.
Updated 31 minutes ago
US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have left Alaska without reaching an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine. After an almost three-hour meeting, the leaders delivered a joint statement to the media before leaving without taking questions. Three BBC correspondents who are in Anchorage for the summit assess what it means for the US and Russian leaders as well as what happens next in the war in Ukraine.
There is much more in the article.....
All as expected, Putin is scoring heavily in this process.

This photo taken at the Alaska meeting sums up the outcome. Look at the different expressions on the two faces. For all his blathering and boasting, Trump has failed and he knows it. Sadly men, women and children will continue to die or be maimed in Ukraine due to Trump's incompetence...

BBC Live 16.17
`'Shameful': Democrats pour scorn on Trump-Putin meeting' LINK

I agree with the Democrats Peter. Trump isn't negotiating with justice in mid, simply to end the conflict on any terms to massage his ego. As you say, he knows he is failing. Putin is winning the diplomatic war hands down.....

See THIS BBC article this morning....
Updated 46 minutes ago
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia's refusal to agree to a ceasefire is complicating efforts to end the war. "We see that Russia rebuffs numerous calls for a ceasefire and has not yet determined when it will stop the killing. This complicates the situation," he said in a statement on 'X'. On Monday, the Ukrainian leader travel to Washington DC, where US President Donald Trump has said he will urge Zelensky to agree to a peace deal. Trump has said he wants to bypass a ceasefire in Ukraine to move directly to a permanent peace agreement after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a major shift of position, the US president said on Truth Social following Friday's summit that this would be "the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine", adding ceasefires often "do not hold up". Following a phone call with Trump after the summit, Zelensky called for a real, lasting peace, while adding that "the fire must cease" and killings stop.

I wonder when Americans will wake up to the fact that Trump is wrecking America's reputation worldwide. The rest of the world can see he's turning the country into a Trumpland dictatorship and he's ruining its economy. What will people be saying about this period in America's history 50 years from now?

And China looks on with an inscrutable smile while the US destroys itself and Russia rises again from the ashes. We just run behind grabbing at coat tails!

I heard briefly on the radio, that former Defence Secretary Sir Grant Shapps has beem given special permision to head up a startup company in Cambridge called Cambridge Hammer or some such. It is said to be concerned with defence of the UK from a missile attack.

As a former Defence Secretary not too long ago, he would normally not be allowed to take up the job, but an exception has been made - so long as he does not get involved with "defence matters" for the first two years.

I thought of filing this under "Chutzpah" . Once a chancer. . . . .

I agree totally David. Grant Shapps has been a joke ever since he suddenly appeared from nowhere, became Chairman of the Party and had to answer some very searching questions about treatment of Young Conservatives.... You're right, a complete dead-leg who flitted from job to job surviving by the skin of his teeth.....

See THIS article about Jeremy Corbin.
8 hours ago
Jeremy Corbyn "capitulated" over the definition of antisemitism while leader of the Labour party, fellow MP Zarah Sultana has said. Former Labour MPs Corbyn and Sultana launched a new political party less than a month ago, saying it would change politics, and oppose government policy on Gaza. Speaking to the New Left Review, Sultana praised Corbynism's mass appeal, but said he "capitulated" to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism, saying it "equates it with anti-Zionism". Facing criticism from Jewish groups, with the Board of Deputies of British Jews calling her words "a grave insult", Sultana posted on social media that she was a proud anti-Zionist. Asked how the new party would adapt the model of radical politics Corbynism set out a decade ago, Sultana said he had made "a serious mistake" in being too conciliatory. She said: "We have to build on the strengths of Corbynism – its energy, mass appeal and bold policy platform – and we also have to recognise its limitations. "It capitulated to the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which famously equates it with anti-Zionism, and which even its lead author Kenneth Stern has now publicly criticised." Sultana added the movement was "frightened and far too conciliatory" when it was attacked and should have recognised that the state and the media "are our class enemies" because, she said, "you cannot give these people an inch". In 2018, Labour's ruling body, the National Executive Committee, agreed to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism into its code of conduct, after months of rows.
I think the lady is right, The error in equating criticism of an extreme Zionist Israeli government in Gaza with anti-Semitism carries on to this day under Starmer.
The other big mistake Jeremy made when he first became leader was in not having a 'night of the long knives' and booting his opponents out of the Shadow Cabinet. I said so at the time and still believe this.

Stanley wrote: ↑19 Aug 2025, 02:13 You're right, a complete dead-leg who flitted from job to job surviving by the skin of his teeth.....

Now there's a word I haven't,seen used for decades. My late step father used it regularly, and it immediately brought him to mind. Thanks.

Wiki shows it either with a hyphen or as just one word.
Noun
deadleg (plural deadlegs)

A lazy or weak person.

An isolated section of pipeline that does not usually carry a flow.
Alternative form of dead leg (injury to the upper thigh)
(sports) A movement in which the hips and knees are kept straight and stiff and the ankle is flexed.
(shipping) A vehicle that is traveling on a leg of its route in which it does not carry any cargo.




In view of "Mr Green" its target I think "Schlemiel" might be even more appropriate.

See THIS morning's political headline....
4 hours ago
The High Court judgment granting a temporary court injunction to prevent asylum seekers from being housed at a hotel in Epping will be a political and practical headache for the government. Practically, the Home Office has less than a month to find alternative accommodation for the asylum seekers housed at the Bell Hotel. The hope – though perhaps not the expectation – is that Tuesday's judgement does not set a precedent. Epping Forest District Council has to return to court in the autumn and it is possible the temporary ban on housing asylum seekers will not be made permanent. But the Home Office's lawyers have acknowledged that this is more than a local difficulty on the outskirts of Greater London. They have said that the decision could "substantially impact" the government's ability to house asylum seekers in hotels across the UK. The use of hotels has halved from 402 at their peak to 210 now but some contracts are in place until 2029, and pressure will grow on ministers to find alternative accommodation at a greater pace than envisaged. And although the number of asylum seekers in hotels fell by 6,000 in the first three months of the year, 32,000 remain. But this practical re-housing headache could escalate into a political migraine.
I can see why this is a big problem but the thing that struck me when I saw the story and the images used to illustrate it was how my attitude to the Union Flag has changed during my lifetime.... It used to be a proud but understated symbol of the nation but when the National Front and other far-Right organisations adopted it my feelings towards it changed completely.....
Again probably a personal trait and a symptom of age but it is very powerful......

That was the hotel where we spent our wedding night.

Well, I have just completed my resignation from the Labour Party. I made sure I was removed from my admin role for the electoral software platform that the party maintains, that role has been handed back to the constituency secretary, I think I held that one for about six or seven years. I resigned my membership via the Labour Members Hub as there is a nice convenient link available for that purpose. I have also asked that I am removed from my role as the designated user of the analytical data module for electoral planning for the constituency.

That's sad Ian but I am sure you've done the right thing. All those good people over the years.....



Weavers protesting against wage cuts marching along Carr Road, Nelson in 1936, the year I was born.
Photo and caption from: `Lancashire in the 20s and 30s from Old Photographs', by Christopher Makepeace, 1977, published by B.T. Batsford, London.

See THIS unsurprising piece of political news.....
Labour has lost almost 200,000 members in the past five years, according to the party's latest annual accounts. The party's membership has been steadily falling since Sir Keir Starmer became leader in April 2020, from a peak of 532,046 at the end of 2019. Despite the party's landslide election victory last summer, it shed another 37,215 members over the course of 2024, around 10% of its total membership at the start of the year. However, it is still the largest political party in the UK, with 333,235 members at the end of last year. Labour sources said membership numbers tend to fluctuate between elections and the party was proud to still be the biggest in the country.

See THIS breaking BBC news about Gaza.....
Live. 6,154 viewing6154 viewing
Famine has been confirmed in Gaza City and its surrounding area for the first time, a UN-backed food security body says. The IPC says more than 500,000 people in the Strip are facing "starvation, destitution and death", with "catastrophic conditions" projected to expand to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis next month. Israel's foreign ministry rejects the report, saying "there is no famine in Gaza". UN chief António Guterres says the crisis is "a man-made disaster" as he calls for unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza. It comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his cabinet has approved plans for a new assault on Gaza City. The IDF says it has told doctors and aid workers to start making evacuation arrangements ahead of its expanded offensive. Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza to report freely
This is a war crime, surely the world cannot ignore what is happening?

Read THIS and weep!
The United Nations chief has described the famine confirmed in Gaza City and its surrounding areas as a "failure of humanity". Antonio Gutteres said the situation was a "man-made disaster" after a UN-backed body, which identifies hunger levels around the world, raised its food insecurity status in parts of the territory to Phase 5 - the highest and most severe. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) says more than half a million people across Gaza are facing "catastrophic" conditions characterised by "starvation, destitution and death". The report was labelled an "outright lie" by Israel, which has denied there is starvation in the territory. The UN says Israel is continuing to restrict the amount of aid entering Gaza, which Israel also denies. Its denials are in direct contradiction to what more than 100 humanitarian groups, witnesses on the ground, multiple UN bodies, and several of Israel's allies, including the UK, have said. The IPC says that an "immediate, at-scale response" is needed or there will be an "unacceptable escalation" in famine-related deaths. It predicts that between mid-August and the end of September, famine will expand across the strip to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis.
Meanwhile, in this country, last time I checked, it was anti-Semitic to criticise Israel for this......

See THIS reort from the US.....
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has fired the Pentagon's intelligence agency chief, just weeks after a White House rebuke of a review assessing the impact of American strikes on Iran. Lt Gen Jeffery Kruse will no longer serve as head of US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Pentagon said in a statement. Two other senior military commanders have also been ousted by the Pentagon. The defence department has not offered any immediate explanation on the firings. In June, President Donald Trump had pushed back strongly on a leaked DIA report that found that attacks on Iran had set back its nuclear programme by months only. The White House declared the agency's assessment "flat out wrong". Trump had declared the nuclear sites in Iran "completely destroyed", and had accused the media of "an attempt to demean one of the most successful military strikes in history".
It is becoming clear that speaking the truth, if it contradicts Trump, is high risk. This does not augur well for standards of governance in the States......

See THIS and weep.....
Planes and tanks have pounded parts of Gaza City as Israel's plans to seize the territory's largest urban area increase pressure on nearly a million Palestinians living there. Residents have spoken of uninterrupted explosions in northern and eastern parts of the city. Israeli troops have also returned to blow up buildings in the refugee camp of Jabalia further north. Sixty-four people were killed and nearly 300 injured in Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours, the territory's Hamas-run health ministry said. It said the overall number of those killed since Israel launched its massive campaign to defeat Hamas had risen to 62,686 - with another 157,951 injured. Israel's military launched an operation in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to defeat Hamas and defied international criticism over his plans to expand the war.
Are we powerless to intervene?

I've said a few times now that financially something bad is coming, but don't ask me exactly what.

I think that Liam Halligan explains it very well. I have a lot of time for him. Watch this if you wish - if only for you not to be too surprised, when what is probably now inevitable happens.

He points out that the 30 year Gilt Yield is now 5.7%. This momentarily reached 4.8 %, when Liz Truss nearly crashed the economy, and swiftly resigned. He says no one in the Government seems bothered, or really understands the situation. Rather worryingly he also says that if there was a repetition of the IMF bailout of 1976, he doesn't think the IMF would now be big enough to cope. He also complains that no one in the mainstream media wants to publish his opinions.

He shares my concern that the Civil Service has grown to an excessive size. I have long thought that we have too many regulators supervising too few actual "working people". The solution to this will be very painful.

Once again - but what do I know. . . . .

I do not understand high finance David, all I recognise are plain truths. I remember fifty years ago Newton Pickles telling me that there weren't enough people making things and I knew exactly what he meant. Nowadays what strikes me is that there are a lot of people, who would have been in work in my youth, on the street during the day. Another instance, forty years ago I was in a machinery dealer's in Burnley looking at a big excellent Polish horizontal boring machine that was going to be scrapped because it took up too much room and they couldn't sell it. I commented that British manufacturing was buggered and Mr Dixon agreed with me.....
So I don't understand bond yields but I know when something is broken. Nye was right, we lost our grip on the commanding heights of the economy and eventually we will see the full consequences......

See THIS for a classic example of dog whistle politics.....
Reform UK has suggested it would be prepared to deport 600,000 migrants over five years if it won power at the next election. Leader Nigel Farage said his party would bar anyone who comes to the UK on small boats from claiming asylum, under plans announced earlier. It says it would make £2bn available to offer payments or aid to countries like Afghanistan to take back migrants, with sanctions potentially imposed on uncooperative countries. Labour has branded the proposals unworkable, whilst the Conservatives have accused Reform of copying ideas they announced earlier this year.
Farage is unashamedly courting the lowest common denominator in his bid to grow Reform.
(Have you noticed the invisibility of the new Corbyn initiative?)