A barefoot protest would be more convincing

Approval of new drilling in North Sea ‘would break Labour’s manifesto’

Protesters, who were dressed as firefighters in front of a banner reading ‘world on fire’, gathered in London.

 

Source

Could be wrong, but from what I see those people are wearing shoes mostly made from oil-derived products such as polyurethane, nylon and EVA.

A barefoot protest would be more convincing. Not much more convincing in summer though.

A world of difference

Several people dismissed from French ministries after positive drug tests

Several people working in French ministerial offices and the wider state administration have been removed from their positions after testing positive for drugs, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has confirmed.

The revelation comes after Lecornu ordered an unprecedented campaign of surprise and mandatory saliva tests among ministerial staff, senior civil servants and officials with access to sensitive information.

“There have been positive tests, and people have been removed from their positions,” Lecornu said, without giving a precise number or identifying those involved.

There is a world of difference as to the resulting knowledge between a cursory observation that notes only generalities and an attentive examination that considers particular details.

R. Austin Freeman - The Surprising Experiences of Mr. Shuttlebury Cobb (1927)

The Burnham regime seems to be crumbling already

Trump 'will not forget' Miliband criticism as appointment sparks anger

• Ed Miliband's appointment as Foreign Secretary under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has caused the White House to be “deeply concerned.”
• Sources close to President Donald Trump warn he "will not forget" Miliband's past scathing criticisms, including calling him a "racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper."
• Miliband is viewed in Washington as an "unreasonable 'nut zero' extremist" due to his climate stance and perceived blocking of North Sea oil production.

Naturally Miliband will emit some ameliorative language to downplay his inability to govern his tongue, particularly in a role where this matters. It's a poor appointment though, a posturing extremist such as Ed Miliband should have been shown the door.

It's an indication that the Burnham regime is already showing significant cracks. He does not have an abundance of pragmatic and capable people free from damaging ideologies and seems to be unaware of it. Or he lacks the political courage to do anything about it. Cracks either way.

Angela Rayner Is Back

It's a bit early to parody Angela...

Hmm - no it isn't.

A very bad, bad, bad, bad, bad call

David Dimbleby ‘appalled’ by BBC making ‘very bad call’ to cut up to 2,000 jobs

David Dimbleby has said he is “appalled” by cuts at the BBC which will result in up to 2,000 people losing their jobs.

The national broadcaster aims to make £500 million in savings over two years, with job cuts announced in April set to take place over the next three years.

Speaking to Radio Times, the former Question Time host, 87, expressed his dismay at the decision.

“Why on earth have they done that? The best analysis of politics, both national and international… I’m appalled. Very bad, bad, bad, bad, bad call,” he said.

Oh come on David, the dear old BBC is doing its best to insert its clammy corporate hand into the taxpayer's pocket - what more do you want?

Do we assume that a BBC subscription service would be a very bad, bad, bad, bad, bad call in your world? Does it hand over too much choice to the plebs - something like that?

Do we also assume that having to pay for a BBC licence merely to watch live events on paid subscription services such as Sky is not  a very bad, bad, bad, bad, bad call?

Let us proactively invest in some twaddle

As we have a brand new, fresh from the political hothouse Prime Minister and a proactive new wave of government decision-makers, we should look to the future and begin this fine Tuesday morning with some aspirational twaddle.

Preparing for the next wave of decision-makers

Across organisations, a generational shift is already under way. Generation Z, those born from the late 1990s onwards, are entering the workforce in growing numbers and bring with them distinct expectations, values and a redefinition of what leadership looks like.

By 2030, Gen Z and millennials will account for nearly 75% of the global workforce. Ambition has not diminished, it has evolved. As noted by Forbes, only a small proportion see leadership as an immediate goal, while a much larger cohort still aspires to senior roles over time, provided these roles align with wellbeing and sustainable workloads.

Research suggests that organisations that proactively invest in this next generation of leaders are already seeing benefits in greater adaptability, more inclusive cultures, and stronger alignment with purpose-driven work, as research links inclusive leadership and development investment to improved organisational adaptability, innovation, and employee engagement. The message is clear - preparing Gen Z for leadership is not a future consideration, it is an immediate strategic priority.

It was in 1915 the old world ended

In D. H. Lawrence’s 1923 novel Kangaroo, his main character Richard Lovat Somers realises that the Britain he once knew had ended in 1915 –

 

Awful years—’16, ’17, ’18, ’19—the years when the damage was done. The years when the world lost its real manhood. Not for lack of courage to face death. Plenty of superb courage to face death. But no courage in any man to face his own isolated soul, and abide by its decision. Easier to sacrifice oneself. So much easier!

It was in 1915 the old world ended. In the winter 1915-1916 the spirit of the old London collapsed; the city, in some way, perished, perished from being a heart of the world, and became a vortex of broken passions, lusts, hopes, fears, and horrors. The integrity of London collapsed, and the genuine debasement began, the unspeakable baseness of the press and the public voice, the reign of that bloated ignominy, John Bull.

No man who has really consciously lived through this can believe again absolutely in democracy. No man who has heard reiterated in thousands of tones from all the common people, during the crucial years of the war: “I believe in John Bull. Give me John Bull,” can ever believe that in any crisis a people can govern itself, or is ever fit to govern itself. During the crucial years of the war, the people chose, and chose Bottomleyism*. Bottom enough.

The well-bred, really cultured classes were on the whole passive resisters. They shirked their duty. It is the business of people who really know better to fight tooth and nail to keep up a standard, to hold control of authority. Laisser-aller is as guilty as the actual, stinking mongrelism it gives place to.

It was in mid-winter 1915 that Somers and Harriet went down to Cornwall. The spirit of the war—the spirit of collapse and of human ignominy, had not travelled so far yet. It came in advancing waves.

We hear so much of the bravery and horrors at the front. Brave the men were, all honour to them. It was at home the world was lost. We hear too little of the collapse of the proud human spirit at home, the triumph of sordid, rampant, raging meanness. “The bite of a jackal is blood-poisoning and mortification.” And at home stayed all the jackals, middle-aged, male and female jackals. And they bit us all. And blood-poisoning and mortification set in.

We should never have let the jackals loose, and patted them on the head. They were feeding on our death all the while.

 
D. H. Lawrence - Kangaroo (1923)

* A reference to Horatio Bottomley