Minister swallows a whole word salad

Minister vows to push for ‘accelerated action’ on climate at Cop30 in Brazil

Scotland’s Climate Action and Energy Secretary has pledged to push for more ambitious action to tackle climate change when she attends Cop30 in Brazil.

Gillian Martin said Scotland has a “unique opportunity” at the UN summit in November as Regions4 president and European co-chair of the Under2 Coalition...

She said: “We have a unique opportunity as Under2 European co-chair and Regions4 president to champion the essential work taking place across the globe to support vulnerable communities who are at most risk from the impacts of climate change.

This soggy word salad is merely bureaucracy, nothing to do with the world beyond the bureaucratic bubble of meetings, resolutions, agendas, posturing, announcements, brochures, discussion papers, media briefings, logos, NGOs, quangos, lectures, strident finger-wagging, virtue peddling, overseas travel and more meetings.

Then even more meetings.

Harriet's Dig

Government warned against 'deplorable' budget strategy

The government hinting at a rise in income tax at the budget only to not go through with it in a bid to win over voters would be "deplorable", according to Labour peer Harriet Harman

She told Sky's political editor Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast that it would be the "worst sort of briefing and political games playing".

"I hope they're not seeding the idea there's going to be an increase in income tax announced at the budget so they can get credit for not announcing it, because I just think that's manipulative of public opinion," she said.

To describe traditional political kite-flying as 'deplorable' appears to assume that voters haven't noticed how the game is played over many years. 

It is more likely that Harriet is merely making sure that Labour's useful idiots also know about kite-flying by making a rather obvious dig at the Ghastly Duo, Starmer and Reeves.

All is not well with Starmer's regime.

Not Needed

Investigation into Reeves not needed, says Starmer - after she apologises for rental 'mistake'

Sir Keir Starmer has dismissed calls for an investigation into his chancellor after she apologised for putting her family home up for rent without obtaining the necessary licence.

Some London boroughs require private landlords to obtain a specific kind of licence if they are putting their property up for rent - including Southwark Council, where Ms Reeves' home is listed.

It is mildly entertaining to imagine how righteously indignant "Sir" Keir would be about a Tory Chancellor making this 'mistake'. His eyes would gleam with confected outrage through Lord Alli's spectacles.

With her Budget coming up on November 26, Rachel from Rents should consider an early exit. She is the one who isn't needed and the whole world knows it.

A Game of Rackets

Up to now, America has not been a good milieu for the rise of a mass movement. What starts out here as a mass movement ends up as a racket, a cult, or a corporation.

Eric Hoffer - The Temper of Our Time (1967)


Suppose we extend Hoffer’s observation to a claim that UK political parties have evolved a mix of cults and rackets. Not so much as a permanent viewpoint, but to outline a worst case scenario where UK political parties eventually lose whatever genuine connection to democratic accountability they once had.

In which case it could be said for example, that the Green Party is a pseudo-environmental political cult, as the Lib Dems have become, while Labour has always been a cult with a fondness for politically-inspired rackets. Tories struggle to know what they are now the democratic political charade has collapsed, so they seem destined to go under.

More generally, Net Zero is an unmistakable mix of cult and rackets. It has become a monster, so huge that it tends to obscure numerous other progressive cults and petty government rackets from featherbedding to vast and dubious networks of patronage, including cult patronage.

The cult/racket problem seems to be one reason why civilisations fail, too many political cults and rackets eat away at the social fabric which maintains a civilisation as civilised. They erode the importance of social norms and civilised behaviour which need to be widely understood if not always adhered to.

As stated at the beginning, to describe UK political parties as cults and rackets merely highlights a worst case scenario. Unfortunately it is also becoming more useful.

Wikipedia's Days Are Numbered

Anyone paying attention will already know about problems with using Wikipedia as a source of information, but this video gives a useful take on it. Also a comparison with version 0.1 of Grokipedia, which can be found here.  

Fiscal Event Rachel forecast for November 26

Income tax rise not ruled out by Starmer in Budget clash with Badenoch

Sir Keir Starmer refused to rule out an increase in income tax at the Budget.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, he was asked by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch to confirm that the Government would stick to Labour’s manifesto not to raise the rates of income tax, National Insurance and VAT.

Sir Keir declined to make this commitment ahead of the Budget on November 26, saying governments did not do so ahead of such fiscal events


As far as I'm aware, when questioned on the forthcoming Budget, Sir Keir Starmer has not yet ruled out pinching even more of your money, otherwise known as a "fiscal event". We should give names to these fiscal events as we do with storms. 

We already have a red alert about Fiscal Event Rachel predicted to sweep destructively across the UK on November 26.

Determined to "defy" forecasts

'My decisions at budget don't come for free,' warns Reeves

Rachel Reeves has said she is determined to "defy" forecasts that suggest she will face a multibillion-pound black hole in next month's budget, but has indicated there are some tough choices on the way.

Writing in The Guardian, the chancellor argued the "foundations of Britain's economy remain strong" - and rejected claims the country is in a permanent state of decline.

Reports have suggested the Office for Budget Responsibility is expected to downgrade its productivity growth forecast by about 0.3 percentage points.

That means the Treasury will take in less tax than expected over the coming years - and this could leave a gap of up to £40bn in the country's finances.

Ms Reeves wrote she would not "pre-empt" these forecasts, and her job "is not to relitigate the past or let past mistakes determine our future".

By gum she's useless. A chap is bound to ask if her determination to "defy" forecasts is similar to Ed Miliband's determination to defy reality. 

They may as well paint their faces and dance around the stone circle on Stanton Moor at midnight, chanting defiance at the heavens. At least that would be amusing and I could go and watch.

A vote for Zack Polanski is a vote against success

Another useful CAPX piece, this time from Eliot Wilson who writes about the war on success promoted by Green Party leader Zack Polanski.


A vote for Zack Polanski is a vote against success

• The Green Party leader's belief in wealth taxes is based on opinion polls rather than economic experience
• Wealth taxes are supported by Marxists to punish those deemed too successful
• The Green Party's plans for Britain's economy will make us all poorer

A wealth tax is a hugely attractive concept for many, as it sounds simple and fair: the wealthy, of course, are those whom we ought to be taxing, since they have, as Labour politicians forever remind us, the ‘broadest shoulders’. It is certainly popular with the voters, and a YouGov poll last week found that 75% of those surveyed supported its introduction. By contrast, only 22% supported a higher rate of income tax or an increase in National Insurance Contributions, while 14% of people backed a rise in VAT.

The whole piece is well worth reading as a confirmation of something we've known for decades, fostering malice towards a social class most voters will never join is a powerful political technique. 

Polanski does not descend to the muddy arena of finely grained economic statistics, however. His approach is much simpler and, to give him credit, much more frank. He explained to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg recently: ‘this isn’t about creating public investment, we can do that anyway, we don’t need to tax the wealthy to do that’.

Set aside how he would ‘do that anyway’. If he is not primarily concerned with raising revenue, you might wonder why on earth he wants to introduce a new tax at all. The answer is frightening in its simple-mindedness:


It’s ultimately about reducing inequality… this is ultimately about tackling the deep inequality in our society.

Translation: Polanski thinks that there is some objective measure by which some people can be judged to have too much money, and the gap between them and everyone else judged to be too great. This can be solved by taking more money away from the rich and decreasing their wealth. This is a measure designed to punish those deemed too successful.

And as B.F. Skinner pointed out to us decades ago, punishment leads to escape behaviour, but presumably Polanski isn't too concerned about that. In a sense he's right too, if success escapes then we'll have less of it to dilute the egalitarian purity of failure.

Politics is changing – because it must

Lawrence Newport has a very interesting CAPX piece on what appears to be the terminal decline of UK politics dominated by traditional political parties. Terminal because far too few decent, honest and able people want to join in.  

Newport is co-founder of a political organisation called Looking for Growth (LFG) which may or may not succeed in its aims, but the whole piece is well worth reading as a reminder of the need for major political change. 

Our politicians won’t save Britain. We will

• We are living through a turning point in British political history
• The current lack of effective political leadership poses a unique opportunity
• Britain has rescued itself in the past, and it can again

Politics is changing – because it must.

We are living through a turning point in British political history. The two main parties that have dominated the 20th century are now in a state of crisis so deep that there are good reasons to suspect that they might collapse into oblivion. They are seen to have ignored voters, ignored principles and been unwilling to take actions to once again ensure Britain can actually be run effectively by its leaders. But out of this failure, and this gap in leadership, new movements and platforms are emerging, and new crowds are entering politics that never would have considered doing so before.

Last Thursday, at the O2 Indigo Theatre, Looking for Growth (LFG), of which I am a co-founder, gathered a crowd of 1,300 people. It brought together speakers from across the political spectrum and from those outside of politics: Matt Clifford, Liv Boeree, Labour MPs Chris Curtis and Sarah Coombes, Conservative MP Katie Lam, Reform MP Danny Kruger, Marc Warner, Dominic Cummings and the TS Domestics (a group that has been cleaning their local area because their council has failed to do so). These speakers came together to make the case for one cause: growing the British economy with radical ideas that speak to changing the very roots of government.

Songs Of Praise

Blimey, I didn't realise how old this is until I watched it.

Two Headlines

Oxford Scientists Achieve Groundbreaking Teleportation

Why Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have both left the country

Whitehall chaos

‘Woke’ policies are fuelling Whitehall chaos, says Lord Case

Woke staff networks and an “obsession” with officials’ feelings are fuelling the chaos at the Home Office, the former head of the civil service has warned.

Lord Case said mandarins at the department were “obstructive” towards government policies and more interested in “how they cover their backs” than outcomes.

Writing for The Telegraph, he said Shabana Mahmood, the new Home Secretary, would have to “face down” internal opposition to cut immigration...

“Bring your whole self to work was the mantra brought into the civil service in the 2000s that has clung on, limpet-like, as a charter for woke networks and obstructive behaviours towards government policy.

Really? I thought one of the problems was "Keep your whole self at home." Another was "Let your whole self have a few days off sick."

Too cynical perhaps, but this culture problem isn't likely to be resolved by a failed political administration under Keir Starmer. If he goes, as he should, then there will be more upheaval to postpone dealing with Whitehall chaos - as Whitehall bods already know.

Twenty warnings for Sir Keir

Twenty warnings for Sir Keir Starmer from new deputy leader Lucy Powell

Sky's Jon Craig breaks down what Labour's Lucy Powell said - and what she meant - as she was crowned the party's new deputy leader after a closely fought race against Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.

Labour's new deputy leader Lucy Powell promised to be Sir Keir Starmer's ally.

Yet in her victory speech she criticised his government and its record no fewer than 20 times. And told him to raise his game, or else.

All we learn from this is that Lucy Powell's approach is to be more assertive and hard-nosed when pressing ahead with changes which won't work, never have worked in the past and aren't going to work in the future. More of the same but louder seems to be the message.

Powell is attempting to distance herself from failure by insisting on a need for much more assertive presentation and a greater determination to implement vague ideological ambitions. It's all too facile, tottering precariously on wobbling planks of misplaced confidence.

Distancing herself from her party leader without distancing herself from his practical and ideological difficulties isn't going to work. Powell hints that distancing herself from Starmer is enough to extract the party from failure. It isn't enough, there is much more to do.

The things which weigh heavily upon my mind are these—failure to improve in the virtues, failure in discussion of what is learnt, inability to walk according to knowledge received as to what is right and just, inability also to reform what has been amiss.

Analects of Confucius

Blow for one reject as another reject isn't rejected

Blow for Starmer as sacked Cabinet minister Lucy Powell wins Labour deputy leader contest

Keir Starmer suffered another blow today as Lucy Powell was named as his new Labour deputy.

Ms Powell - who was sacked from the Cabinet by the PM just last month - saw off Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson in the contest.

She received 87,407 votes compared to 73,536 for her rival, although the turnout was just 16.6 per cent.


Gosh a turnout of 16.6 per cent is impressive, at the moment that counts as wild enthusiasm. 

Humpty Dumpty goes to court

French court convicts TotalEnergies over misleading climate claims

The Paris court found that TotalEnergies had made environmental claims that “misled” consumers into believing that it could achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 while increasing oil and gas production.

The court, however, dismissed complaints over TotalEnergies linked to its fossil gas and biofuels.

Activists had argued that they had deceptively promoted gas and biofuels as clean energy.


“When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’

’The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things.’

’The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master — that’s all.”

Lewis Carroll - Through the Looking-Glass (1871)

You couldn't even run a lemonade stand!

This jibe raises yet again the question of why Ursula von der Leyen is where she is. Perhaps she has an aura of being harmlessly useless which suits the EU machine as an enabler of political rackets. 

 

Clippy

Clippy is BACK! Microsoft's paperclip mascot delights users as it returns - 18 years after it was axed from Office

It was the original virtual assistant, released years before Siri, Alexa, and Bixby.

Now, almost two decades after it was axed, Microsoft's Clippy is officially back.

The friendly anthropomorphic paper clip has been spotted as an Easter egg in Microsoft's latest announcement about a new AI companion called Mico.

Mico – whose name is a nod to Microsoft Copilot – is a small blob with a friendly smiley face, and doesn't look much like its much–loved predecessor.

However, early users have discovered that if you tap on Mico multiple times, it eventually morphs into Clippy.


Delight? Much–loved?

I don't think so. I have an idea that Clippy was dropped because it was annoying and didn't work. At least that's how I remember it.

Ed still trying to repeal the laws of thermodynamics

Lammy on AI

Artificial intelligence can help rebuild trust in politics, David Lammy claims

The use of artificial intelligence can boost trust in the state and tackle problems with the “bloated” public sector, David Lammy said.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the AI “revolution” would cut through Whitehall bureaucracy.

He said parts of the public sector had become “too expensive” and productivity was still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels but AI had the potential to change that.


Unfortunately, any observer is bound to wonder if AI wrote this speech for David Lammy, but whatever the source, he delivered it.

I didn't think he had it in him, perhaps something is stirring in the murky bowels of the Labour Party.

Assuming it is David Lammy of course.

Total Twaddle

Scientists reveal the impact of pouring coffee down the drain, as a woman slapped with £150 fine

Scientists have warned pouring coffee down the gutter is bad for the environment – afer a woman in west London was charged £150 for dumping her dregs in a public road gully.

Burcu Yesilyurt, from Kew, west London, was fined under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act, which prohibits disposing of waste in 'a manner likely to pollute water or land'.

Richmond–upon–Thames Council now says it has cancelled the fine.

However, speaking to the Daily Mail, scientists say there is good reason to avoid dumping out your coffee.

Best comment so far - 

Angela Gardner
Total Twaddle... are you all raving mad... Stop this nonsense...

How to stop the civil service wreckers

Carol Atkinson has a useful TCW reminder of the structural problems which beset the public sector and make significant efficiency gains so hopelessly elusive. Worth reading because we currently have what is effectively a public sector government with no interest in recognising the problem.

How to stop the civil service wreckers

I AM frustrated with promises made by our politicians which they have no chance of implementing because of the structure of the civil service.

I worked as a civil servant for seven years and was appalled by the bureaucracy and dishonesty, together with some staff’s contempt for the private sector and public purse.

From this, and from education and private-sector experience, I know that to get our economy growing it is essential to cut taxation and get the public sector delivering necessary services cost-effectively. This is not easy, and I don’t trust politicians’ promises that aren’t backed up with a reasonable explanation of how this can be done.

Pots and Kettles

Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory

An intensive international study was coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and led by the BBC

New research coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and led by the BBC has found that AI assistants – already a daily information gateway for millions of people – routinely misrepresent news content no matter which language, territory, or AI platform is tested.

What fun - after decades of misrepresenting news about the climate, a touch of BBC desperation to brighten the day.

Weaker than thought

Brexit has made UK economy and productivity ‘weaker’ than thought, says Reeves

Rachel Reeves has said Brexit made the UK’s economy and productivity “weaker” than initially forecast when the UK voted to leave the European Union.

But the Chancellor expressed determination that “the past doesn’t define our future” as she set out plans to scrap paperwork and red tape for thousands of UK businesses in a bid to boost lacklustre economic growth at the Regional Investment Summit in Birmingham on Tuesday.


Oh dear, the phrase "weaker than thought" is somewhat double-edged here. Reeves isn't very good at twaddle, in spite of all the use she makes of it, so read the twaddle before delivering it may be the message.

It's also rather too obvious that "blame Brexit" is what Reeves has been told to weave into the twaddle to give it a boost, but it doesn't do that. Worse still is the underlying message that she and Labour can't fix it anyway. Twaddle has to be delivered with more conviction than this.

Weaker than anyone thought.

More Blockers

Carl Deconinck has an interesting Brussels Signal piece on a Berlin court ruling about the blocking of LinkedIn posts and associated accounts.

LinkedIn given green light to delete accurate content

A Berlin court has ruled that LinkedIn was right to block and suspend accounts that posted about Covid-19, despite the posts being correct.

It did so on the grounds that their content contradicted guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The court based its ruling on the controversial Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Union’s regulation that creates a framework for online platforms to be more accountable, transparent and safer for users, German magazine Cicero reported yesterday.

A useful confirmation that 'safer' in this context also means politically safer for EU bureaucrats. By implication, safer for online platforms too.

Artisan presenters

Channel 4’s Dispatches claims to be the first to use AI presenter

The programme, Will AI Take My Job? aired Monday evening, investigating AI automation's impact on sectors from law to medicine.

Viewers discovered at the show's close that its host, Aisha Gaban, was entirely AI-generated.

Interesting how essential it was to tell any viewers who made it to the end of the show that the presenter was AI-generated. This may give us a clue to the angle likely to be pursued by human presenters. 

Like artisan bread, crusty artisan presenters will be deemed superior to soggy machine-produced presenters. Much the same as artisan bread.  

Digital ID in Britain — A Chinese Warning

 

When 'more liberal' means 'not quite so uselessly authoritarian'

Government could have been ‘more liberal’ on outdoor time during Covid – Whitty

There should have been a “more liberal” approach to the amount of time people were allowed to spend outside during the Covid-19 pandemic, the nation’s top medic has said.

Just weeks into lockdown, senior scientists advising government discussed evidence that being outdoors was safer than being indoors, the pandemic probe heard.

Speaking about the amount of time people could spend outdoors, England’s chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty told the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry: “I couldn’t see the logic of that from an infection control point of view.”


There are other words we could use about the whole sorry charade, but now we have other totalitarian trends to worry about. "Sir" Chris can't help us with those either, although he has reminded us that "Sir" Keir preferred more stringent restrictions apart from visits to voice coaches.

Must be something about knighthoods.

Put not your trust in Ursula

Brussels to launch European space shield

Brussels is to build a European space shield under a wider scheme preparing the bloc for war with Russia within five years.

The space shield is one of four projects announced under the “Readiness 2030” roadmap that also includes a counter-drone system and fortifications on the bloc’s eastern borders “across land, air and sea”.


But with grim inevitability...

However, early discussions over the roadmap triggered tensions with Nato, the Western military alliance, because of duplications of its own defence plans for a potential attack by Russia.

Many of the schemes being discussed are considered the sole competence of Nato, which is made up of 23 EU members and nine other states.

Ed Miliband denies

Ed Miliband denies his Net Zero policies are keeping Brits' energy costs high

The Energy Secretary insisted it was 'not correct' to suggest Labour's bid for a decarbonised electricity grid was increasing the burden on families.

But he did offer some hope of relief for hard-pressed households as he hinted Chancellor Rachel Reeves could scrap VAT on energy bills at next month's Budget.

The Government is under fresh pressure over Mr Miliband's green energy drive after household energy bills rose again this month.

The useful aspect of Ed Milband's Net Zero fantasy is the stark exposure it brings to political dishonesty and the importance of factual analysis. 

In this respect, Miliband is as useful as Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves because the political message has never been clearer - it is exceedingly foolish to give any credence whatever to their claims.

The other useful aspect is that Miliband highlights a need to be generally sceptical about climate change policies. If someone like Ed is required to push them there is an obvious conclusion to be drawn.

Lots of comments about Inspector Clouseau at the moment

'Priceless' jewellery stolen from Louvre museum in Paris

The museum, which is the world's most popular, drawing up to 30,000 visitors a day, said on X it was closing for "exceptional reasons" on Sunday.

In a separate post, culture minister Rachida Dati said there had been a robbery and she was on site alongside museum and police teams.

French interior minister Laurent Nunez said the "major robbery" involved intruders entering the museum via a basket lift using a platform mounted on a lorry.

Why Turkmenistan Makes North Korea Look Normal

Interesting video on Turkmenistan, almost an hour long but well worth watching. Not a popular holiday destination.

AI and the bland slurry problem

The internet is now mostly written by machines, study finds

The study may come as a surprise to a lot of people because quantity is not the same as visibility. The study also found that despite the volume of articles generated by AI flooding the web, most aren't good at SEO and don't show up often on Google or even in ChatGPT responses. Both tools still prioritize human-created content, so most AI-authored articles go unnoticed by everyday readers...

Apparently blind to the source of any successfully performing writing, many have turned to AI models capable of churning out articles in seconds, with churn being the appropriate description for the bland slurry that usually results. The often dull, repetitive, and dully repetitive writing isn't going to nab eyeballs organically, and Google has openly deprioritized AI content in its search algorithm.

Surely this reflects the amount of human-written material which is also bland slurry, especially the slurry churned out by mainstream media. Maybe AI systems learn their bland slurry from that.

Politics too - here in the UK most political speeches could be described as bland slurry. Some politicians seem to know it too. Note how Ed Davey uses ridiculous stunts to boost his bland slurry resilience before a Lib Dem conference. Wise move I reckon.

Or speeches by Ed "Slurry" Miliband, none of which anyone can remember. The bacon sandwich debacle was his most memorable performance and that wasn't a speaking part.

Or Calamity Keir, another bland slurry expert...

But that's enough slurry for now.

Hanson on John Bolton - 'he bet on the wrong horse'

 

Party Pooper Politics

 

Labour advises schools and nurseries to consider fruit platters instead of birthday cake

Labour has cracked down on toddlers eating birthday cake, advising schools and nurseries to serve 'fruit platters' instead to 'promote healthy eating habits'.

Guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) recommends parents are discouraged from bringing in sweet treats to mark their child's big day.

The early years nutrition advice, which came in this term, recommends pupils come in with fresh fruit - or even without any celebratory food at all.

Titles

Prince Andrew to give up all his titles and honours, including Duke of York

However, he will remain a prince, having been born the son of Elizabeth II.

His former wife, Sarah Ferguson, will also no longer use her title of The Duchess of York, it is understood.

In a statement, Prince Andrew said: "In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.


Hmm, we appear to be enveloped in a miasma of undignified humiliation at the moment, far wider than Andrew's self-inflicted troubles. 

It won't happen of course, but when it comes to undeserved titles, Keir Starmer's "knighthood" could be on the table too. It needn't stop there either, a spot of Augean stable clearing could focus on quite a list of undeserved titles and honours.


By the way, has it ever struck you what a subtle jest it is that a successful politician should acquire the title of the Right Honourable? When any consideration of honourable behaviour is the last thing to enter into their calculations?

Miles Burton - Death Takes the Living (1949)

Comeback

Hmm - so Seaside Ange may be considering a comeback. Could be entertaining, but what a humiliating situation - well done Labour voters.

Angela Rayner 'to make statement to MPs on resignation' after ministers urged her to make a comeback

Angela Rayner is expected to deliver a speech to MPs on her resignation after ministers urged her to make a comeback.

The former deputy PM has stayed largely under the radar since her dramatic exit for failing to pay the correct stamp duty on an £800,000 seaside flat.

She quit on September 5 when a sleaze probe found she had broken the ministerial code - although it also suggested she had acted with 'integrity'.

However, the Daily Mail understands Ms Reeves is now poised to make a personal statement in the House next week, something ministers can request but is not done as a matter of course.

The BBC - or the land of official insolence

BBC Director-General Tim Davie says he backs 'enforcement' for TV licence fee evaders

The head of the BBC has said it is right that licence fee dodgers are taken to court.

Director-General Tim Davie claimed that the public also back ‘enforcement’ for those who evade the annual charge to watch TV, which rose to £174.50 this year, despite growing calls for decriminalisation.

Asked if he approved of the current system, under which those who refuse to pay up can be prosecuted and slapped with a £1,000 fine, he told BBC Breakfast this morning: ‘I do approve of enforcement. And actually, when you talk to most people who are paying their licence fee, they would say if people are evading the licence fee, it should be enforced.’

Pressed on whether that meant he supported people being fined or going to jail, Mr Davie said: ‘Absolutely I support the current system.’


He makes you feel that you are once more in the land of official insolence, and that, whatever you are collectively, you are nothing personally.

William Dean Howells - Their Wedding Journey (1872)

Be Bold With The Wrecking Ball

 

Be bold with tax hikes or risk 'groundhog day', chancellor told as low growth recorded

Rachel Reeves faces the prospect of another "groundhog day" unless next month's budget goes further than plugging an estimated £22bn black hole in the public finances, according to a respected thinktank

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said there was a "strong case" for the chancellor to substantially increase the £10bn headroom she has previously given herself against her own debt rules, or risk further repeats of needing to restore the buffer in the years ahead.

Modern men and women who live in industrial cities are like mice that have come out of the fields to live in houses that do not belong to them.

Now and then a bold mouse stands upon his hind legs and addresses the others. He declares he will force his way through the walls and conquer the gods who have built the house. "I will kill them," he declares. "The mice shall rule. You shall live in the light and the warmth. There shall be food for all and no one shall go hungry."

Sherwood Anderson – Poor White (1920)

Political Parties Don't Work - Part II

Part I is here.

Suppose we say that the promoters of climate doom are lying merely because it is obvious that they are. Fine, but it isn’t so clear where that get us because the lying can’t satisfactorily remain unexplained. Lying is a bigger problem than the climate is ever likely to be as a result of human activity. Liars would deny that too of course – by lying.

One major problem is that we have to work out whether or not a liar knows he or she is lying. Otherwise it’s a delusion rather than a lie. It complicates the issue because many individuals clearly believe obvious lies and even those who don’t aren’t likely to admit it.

This in turn takes us into the complex arena of behaviour. When an individual assents to obvious lies, they outsource part of their verbal and often physical behaviour to beliefs which are reinforced in various ways. Belief is reinforced socially and even professionally as ‘appropriate’ and ‘appropriate’ becomes a proxy for ‘true’.

This seems to be key - a belief cannot be both ‘appropriate’ and false unless deception is admitted, as in the case of children being told about Santa or adults being treated like children.

However obvious it is that a belief is neither appropriate nor true, it is only obvious to individuals outside the belief. Outsiders usually have little trouble in identifying charlatans as charlatans, but also see reality as the only standard which can be ever be appropriate. Yet they are outsiders, what they say cannot be ‘appropriate’ or 'true'.

Mediocre politicians are attracted to the divisive nature of certain easy beliefs which can be sold as ‘appropriate’. It renders them politically attractive to articulate mediocrities in search of a message to sell by defining critics and sceptics as Outsiders.

All of which we already know.

Yet it is worth remembering that this is why political parties don’t work. They do not attract many honest sceptics but they do attract charlatans willing and able to build a career on fostering the popular attractions of easy and politically useful beliefs – any beliefs - even nonsense.

A Burden Become Unbearable

Tom Armstrong has a powerful FSB reminder of of how hopelessly burdensome and ineffective UK government has become.  


The State: A Burden Become Unbearable

The British people were once free. Not absolutely free, no society has ever achieved that, but free in a real sense, with the State kept on a short leash and its power limited by both custom and necessity. That nation is gone. We live now under a government so bloated, so intrusive, so suffocating in its reach, that it bestrides every area of our lives like a grotesque colossus, demanding money and obedience without public support.

It has become tyrannical not in the jackboot sense of an old-fashioned dictatorship, but in an inhuman bureaucratic nightmare, a thousand regulations and petty taxes binding us tighter than prison bars. The tragedy is that this tyranny is paid for by us, the working people, the pensioners, the savers, through a cancerous system of taxation that has metastasised into the biggest single expense of our lives.


The whole piece is well worth reading as a reminder of the absurd, cloying bureaucratic tyranny which has sucked the life, the vital spark out of our freedom and almost everything we once valued. 

Also worth reading because there is not the slightest sign of meaningful reform, no bonfire of the quangos, no hint of more productive spending, no sign of any official realisation that things are becoming worse.

Government in Britain has become the single greatest threat to our liberty and prosperity. Its taxation devours our income, its regulations suffocate our enterprise, its failures impose yet further costs on us. It is tyrannical not only in its hunger for control but in the sheer arrogance with which it squanders the fruits of our labour. The doctrine of Net Zero epitomises this arrogance, a delusion used to demonstrate virtue while imposing austerity on everyone else. The welfare state is another, keeping millions dependent in order to justify the existence of the bureaucrats who administer it. Law and order, health and education, all are failing, despite or perhaps because of, the endless flood of taxpayer money.

The truth is stark: the State offers appallingly bad value for money. We are compelled to fund it at levels that consume the largest share of our income, only to be met with incompetence, corruption, and decay. It has ceased to be a servant and become a master, demanding more while delivering less, eroding both our prosperity and our freedom.

Spyware On Wheels

Not a new idea and not an aspect of the video, but it would be interesting to know if EVs are more suited to surveillance than petrol or diesel cars because of the software updates. Might partly explain government enthusiasm.

 

Only one more step

Reeves blames Brexit, austerity, Farage and the Tories as she admits tax rises ARE coming in Budget


'Wake-up call' for Britain as top climate advisers issue starkest warning yet


Only one more step down the rabbit hole then we can't go any further with the silly lies. In which case, perhaps the next scare story has to be something like -

'Wake-up call' for Britain as Brexit, austerity, Farage and the Tories have caused climate change.

Meanwhile Digital ID...

Hundreds of passwords linked to government departments leaked on dark web

Exclusive: Nine attempts have been made to sell classified UK military documents in the past year – with experts warning it could ‘directly undermine national security’

A report seen exclusively by The Independent shows that more than 700 email addresses and corresponding passwords from across nine government domains have been leaked online in the past year, creating fears that taxpayers’ sensitive data, or “critical systems” such as power grids, could be targeted by hackers.

When vituperation is deserved and done well

It’s very nice that you’re here

Awkward! Starmer drops smile as Trump turns back on him at Middle East peace summit

Thanking a list of countries for their work in international conflicts, Trump mentioned Britain before turning to look for the prime minister who was standing among world leaders behind him.

“Where is the United Kingdom?” he asked, prompting Sir Keir to step forward and greet the US President.

The prime minister walked up towards the lectern to speak to Trump, shaking his hand and looking ready to address reporters gathered.

But Trump quickly took command of the microphone again, saying to Sir Keir: “Has everything gone good… it’s very nice that you’re here.”

By gum Starmer is embarrassing. We're off out into Derbyshire this morning, but I don't know what else to add as I can't work out what the blue blazes he thinks he's doing there. 

Oh well, time for some fresh air.

A tale of two scams

Today 14:05:00 GMT

Major carmakers go on trial over ‘dieselgate’ emissions cheat claims

A landmark legal battle is set to begin at the High Court on Monday, as five major car manufacturers are accused of cheating on emissions tests.

The trial marks a significant development in the ongoing “dieselgate” scandal, potentially impacting 1.6 million vehicle owners in what lawyers describe as the largest class action in English and Welsh legal history.

Unanswered questions

Pressure on Starmer to address ‘unanswered questions’ over China spy case controversy

Sir Keir Starmer is under fresh pressure to address “unanswered questions” over the China spy case controversy as the government was accused of being complicit in a “cover up” over the saga.

On the day MPs return to Westminster from conference recess, Kemi Badenoch has written to the prime minister calling for “clarity and honesty” and asking him to make a statement in Parliament over the collapse of a case against two men accused of spying for Beijing.

The intervention came as former security minister Tom Tugendhat described the collapse of the case as “absolutely abhorrent” and claimed the government is “willing to cover up the actions of a hostile state”.


Yes, but not answering questions is a key part of the political armoury as Tugendhat knows, without it they would have to answer questions - obviously. 

In this case it could involve some extremely edgy questions about official attitudes towards the Chinese government which could become very interesting indeed, so their inflexible rule is - 

Don't answer the question - talk about something you want to talk about.

Everyone does it, but the way politicians do it all the time is abhorrent*.

* I decided to copy Tom Tugendhat and sneak in the word 'abhorrent'. It's one of those words which seems to have emerged from relative obscurity about fifteen years ago. This episode is worse than abhorrent though, Tugendhat knows that too.

Green Antoinettes

‘Green Antoinettes’ live large, preach small – ‘Do as we say, not as we emit.’

From Leo DiCaprio to AOC, the new nobility moralizes about austerity while refueling their private jets. Their creed: ‘Do as we say, not as we emit.’

Politicians, celebrities, and billionaires who lecture ordinary people about their carbon footprints live by another set of rules. They travel by private jet, dine in excess, and retreat to mansions powered by the very energy sources they want banned. It’s a spectacle of hypocrisy so pervasive, the media barely blinks.


There are forces of madness; I have shown you that I make allowance for them. But they are only dangerous so long as privilege allies itself with hypocrisy. The task of the modern civiliser is to sweep away sham idealisms.

George Gissing - Born in Exile (1892)

"Goodbye" may be one response

Reeves will ask rich to pay more tax

Rachel Reeves has signalled the better off will be forced to “contribute more” as she prepares to raise taxes at the Budget.

Treasury sources have said that the Chancellor will not cut spending on public services or significantly increase borrowing, as she looks to plug a £20-30 billion black hole in the public finances.

It will leave her with no option but to substantially increase taxes.


There will be numerous responses which are far less polite than "goodbye" but behind them is a feature of the ideology which controls Rachel Reeves as a politician.

One reason why people such as our pretend Chancellor are ideologues is that a popular ideology allows them  to be assertive without being smart. Keir Starmer's absurd Cabinet brings this out too well for comfort.

Back at heart of politics

Your Party will put working class ‘back at heart of politics’ – Sultana

Your Party will put the working class “back at the heart of politics”, Zarah Sultana said, as she warned fascism is “growling at the door”.

The Independent MP for Coventry South accused Nigel Farage of “peddling racism” to distract people from his “real agenda”.

Co-founder Jeremy Corbyn also said the new political party must offer something “very, very different” from the “simplistic appeal” of the Reform UK leader.


By gum, without a political career based on “simplistic appeal”, old Jeremy could have ended up needing a proper job.

The problem this strange duo both have is a lack of personal familiarity with the concept of "working". It's too remote for them, like the details of quantum computing or the economic impact of useless people.

Both of them probably know about social class, because whatever "working" means they clearly don't intend to join that class. It's much too late for Jeremy anyway.

Should please Farage

Keir Starmer ‘planning to blame Nigel Farage and Brexit’ for budget tax hikes

Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly gearing up to blame Nigel Farage and Brexit for Britain’s expected downturn in productivity at the Budget, as part of a new attack on the Reform UK leader.

Treasury officials are bracing for the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to lower its forecasts for productivity growth – a downgrade that is likely to create an extra shortfall of around £20bn at November’s Budget. The shortfall is expected to be filled by a swathe of tax rises.

But sources told The Times Sir Keir and chancellor Rachel Reeves are planning to argue that this downgrade would not have happened were it not for Brexit, pinning the blame on the Reform leader for leading the campaign to take Britain out of the EU.

Should please Farage, but it's all very weird. An acute lack of credibility is a problem Starmer created and nurtured by habitual mendacity, leading to obvious political consequences which presumably he didn't foresee. 

One consequence is that nobody paying attention is likely to believe anything Starmer or Reeves say about the economy and tax rises. Even Remainers must know they aren't sources to rely on. 

May as well blame goblins.

Maybe Wes is implying something

2.5m Brits now on weight loss jabs but Labour wants even more

Most of the treatments, more than nine in 10, were purchased privately, with some pharmacies charging up to £389 a month.

This comes as Wes Streeting attempts to make the medication even more readily available and accessible for lower-income people.

The health secretary said "the millions who can't afford them" are missing out, and promised to make sure the jabs "are available to not just some, but to all".


Make sure the jabs "are available to not just some, but to all"? Maybe Wes is implying something about Labour voters, but sarcasm aside it's a dubious thing to push politically. 

Dubious at a number of levels, beginning with possible adverse reactions and long term consequences. The people Wes mixes with really do believe in mass medication though. No doubt they expect to link it all with digital ID.

They never get it right

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get mixed reaction after being named 'Humanitarians of the Year'

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were named ‘Humanitarians of the Year’ at a glitzy ceremony in New York last night, where they spoke about the dangers of social media as one of the “most pressing issues of our time.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were honoured at the Project Healthy Minds Gala—an event that celebrates efforts to expand access to mental health resources and reduce stigma around mental illness.


Strewth - they never get it right.

The creepy duo could have turned down a ‘Humanitarians of the Year’ award merely because it's ludicrous. It's a good enough reason for most people - don't be ludicrous and expect to be taken seriously.

Unfortunately, in their world ludicrous posturing doesn't matter if they are on the stage. Any stage will do as long as it offers yet another opportunity to display their glitzy vacuity to a world which sees through them every time.

As long as it's not Keir Starmer

Nigel Farage says Tony Blair 'not my choice' to help govern Gaza but understands Donald Trump's logic

Donald Trump has said former Labour prime minister Sir Tony Blair would head up a "Board of Peace" in Gaza.

Nigel Farage has said Sir Tony Blair would not be his choice to lead an interim government in Gaza, but understands Donald Trump's logic in choosing the former Labour prime minister.

The Reform leader said "as long as it's not Keir Starmer" heading up a transitional Gaza authority, he is happy.

"As long as it's not Keir Starmer" could could become a popular phrase suitable for numerous situations where competence and integrity are usually required.  

I need someone to clean the car - as long as it's not Keir Starmer.

I need someone to walk the dog - as long as it's not Keir Starmer.

Fishy

Barrister Steven Barrett on the China spy case - he sees it as a resignation issue, as bad or worse than the Profumo affair. Unfortunately Starmer sees resignation as a job for minions.

You can just ignore journalists

Ben Sixsmith has a useful Critic piece on the loosening of the narrative grip exerted by mainstream media. Worth reading. 


You can just ignore journalists

The fact that something is being treated as controversial does not actually make it controversial

In 2019, the New Statesman published an interview with the late conservative philosopher Roger Scruton. Scruton was reported to have made “a series of outrageous remarks” — about a “Soros empire”, for example, and about Chinese people being “robots”.

Scruton was a titan of British conservatism. Conservative MPs hurried to prove themselves — by throwing him under the bus. “Antisemitism sits alongside racism, anti-Islam, homophobia, and sexism as a cretinous and divisive belief that has no place in our public life,” yelped Tom Tugendhat MP, “And particularly not in government.” “No brainer,” snorted Johnny Mercer MP, “Let’s not take our time on this. @TomTugendhat absolutely right.” Scruton was promptly fired, and the New Statesman’s George Eaton posted a photo of himself drinking champagne.

Eaton, it turned out, had done a poor journalistic job. When Scruton had talked about Chinese people being “robots”, a transcript revealed, he was referring to government conditioning and not to their essential nature. Other “outrageous remarks” simply were not outrageous. If we can refer to a “Murdoch empire”, or a “Koch empire”, why can we not refer to a “Soros empire”? Scruton was reinstated amid awkward apologies.

The lesson for British right-wingers should have been clear. When a journalist says “jump”, you don’t have to ask “how high?”

As usual

One idle afternoon this week, I finished the Kindle book I was reading so as usual I logged onto the Amazon website, selected another and downloaded it. Something Mrs H and I do all the time, along with a vast number of other Kindle readers.

My phone was on the table by my chair, so it gave the ping sound as an Amazon confirmatory email arrived. As usual. 

For some reason it suddenly struck me how remarkable the technology has become.

Finish a book –
select another from the vast online repository –
buy it –
ping goes the email app –
start reading the new book.


Next time I probably won’t notice how remarkable the technology is.

As usual.

Wild Haggis Documentary

 

Opportunity of a lifetime

'Opportunity of a lifetime' to live and work on remote UK island with no electricity, shops or cars

An 'opportunity of a lifetime' has come up for a family or couple to live and work on a remote island off the coast of Britain.

The island's officials are looking for people to join the small community on Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli) and live virtually off-grid.

Situated off the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales, the island has no electricity, shops, schools or cars.

A political opportunity of a lifetime too. Invaluable work experience for Ed Miliband and all members of the Climate Change Committee.

Their reports would be interesting.

Political Paranoia

An interesting aspect of North Korea is extreme political paranoia directed at its own citizens. Even here in the UK, this kind of paranoia does highlight a disturbing characteristic of the Starmer government. 

As we know, there has been an unmistakeable rise of paranoid political interference in what UK citizens say and even think. As we also know, it is one of the defining characteristics of a totalitarian political outlook.

 
N. Korean authorities jail private tutors as crackdown intensifies

Several Chongjin residents in their 30s and 40s have been caught working as private tutors

North Korean authorities have recently been tightening restrictions on private tutoring. Anyone caught being paid for private lessons reportedly faces legal sanctions, with no exceptions being granted.

“Here in Chongjin, there have been several recent cases of individuals being sent to labor camps for giving children private lessons at their homes,” a source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK recently.

Macrohard and Grokipedia

Is Elon Musk really building ‘Macrohard’ to troll?

Insisting that the Macrohard project is really his latest undertaking, he said: ‘It’s a tongue-in-cheek name, but the project is very real!

‘In principle, given that software companies like Microsoft do not themselves manufacture any physical hardware, it should be possible to simulate them entirely with AI.’


This one sounds interesting too - 

A beta version of ‘Grokipedia’ will be published in two weeks, he claimed on his platform X, built with the help of his artificial intelligence Grok.

Perhaps we can await Grokstagram, Grokbook and GrokTok in the coming months too?

Shrink Bloat

First-year doctors threaten to strike because they can’t get enough work

First-year doctors have voted in favour of strikes in a fresh blow to Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary...

The latest ballot saw 97 per cent of first-year resident doctors vote in favour of strikes, equating to 3,950 people in total. The turnout was 65 per cent.

97 percent? Isn't that the same percentage of climate scientists convinced we are all doomed by climate change and it's your fault? 

Coincidence of course, nothing to do with a tendency of professional people to gather together in large flocks for protection against anything with sharp teeth.

Reading on -


Dr Jack Fletcher, the chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said the doctors in question “won’t accept that they face a career of insecurity at a time when the demand for doctors is huge”.

He said: “The numbers are absurd: more than 10,000 doctors applied this year to become psychiatrists with less than 500 able to get a place, yet patients are still experiencing significant waits at a detriment to their health.


By gum, so this year 10,000 doctors applied to become psychiatrists but only 500 managed to get a place. That's shrink bloat. 

Decades ago my cousin went in for psychiatry after qualifying as a doctor. At the time he said it was the quickest way to become a consultant, which he duly demonstrated.

A swathe of bold policies

Take that, Nigel! Kemi Badenoch has just proved why Reform don't stand a chance

Kemi Badenoch and her Conservative colleagues have announced a swathe of bold policies that might at last start to win over wavering voters. Over the past year, Kemi's critics have complained that she's been too slow to set out big ideas - and let Nigel Farage make all the running. But she's making up for it, at the Tory party conference in Manchester.

We've seen pledges to take the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights, stop the welfare bill rising even further and cut household energy bills, giving some much-needed relief to people still struggling with the cost of living. And the conference has barely begun. In the days to come, we can expect big announcements on cutting crime, making sure our courts really do punish criminals and more.

A plug for the Tories of course. Any ambitious political leader may announce a swathe of new policies, just as anyone may play language games.  

Yet there is an obvious wider problem with political promises which aren't worth anything, the voting field becomes significantly skewed by too many useful idiots. We saw that when Jeremy Corbyn became Labour leader, but it is far from being a modern problem.

For example, it could be said with some justification that the current Labour government was put there by useful idiots. In which case, anyone paying attention must have at least some doubts about the value of elections and the point of voting.

Does voting for the least damaging option work? It is not obvious that it does, all established political parties chase the useful idiot vote with worthless slogans, clichés and promises. If it continues to work as it has in the past, what else are they going to do?

What is missing is that subtle recognition of a leader who intends to deliver, knows how to do it and is backed by enough supporters to make it work. If this isn't there, then the voting booth can't deliver it.

They can have ours

France loses yet another prime minister as Sebastien Lecornu sensationally quits plunging country into deeper crisis

France's new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu resigned on Monday barely 14 hours after appointing his new cabinet - plunging the country into a fresh political crisis.

His shock resignation led to demands from the far-right National Rally for President Emmanuel Macron to call a snap parliamentary election.


I'm sure monsieur Starmer would soon learn to lie in French. He'd enjoy it and what a relief it would be for him to be back in the EU.

Two choices

Two choices in one blog post today -

A link to piece on Starmer's difficulties with the China spy case 

or -

A time-lapse video of a slug eating spaghetti. 

I opted for the video.

The audacity to begin

Suppose we take Sir Keir Starmer as an example of someone who utters abominable nonsense as Charles Dickens’ oily character Mr Chadband does in Bleak House.

So, Mr. Chadband—of whom the persecutors say that it is no wonder he should go on for any length of time uttering such abominable nonsense, but that the wonder rather is that he should ever leave off, having once the audacity to begin—retires into private life until he invests a little capital of supper in the oil-trade.

Charles Dickens - Bleak House (1852-53)


There is a useful question here. It’s not only Starmer’s abominable nonsense we wonder at, nor that he carries on with it, but how did he ever have the audacity to begin?

The point to be made is that millions of us don’t have that level of audacity or anything like it. We can’t begin to spout the abominable nonsense Starmer spouts. Where did the required audacity come from and when?

Story Time

Badenoch: Tories will deport 150,000 migrants a year

Kemi Badenoch has pledged to deport 150,000 illegal migrants a year with new Trump-style immigration squads.

The Conservative Party leader will use this year’s conference in Manchester to announce how she would reform Britain’s migration system after leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

There is one thing the major political parties have taught us over recent decades - believe nothing they say. None of their claims, promises, manifestos or numbers.

The word 'pledge' is particularly unreliable.

Sean Plunket Reads 'Mum's Busy Work' By Jacinda Ardern

 

Drink, lunacy and practical joking are barred as explanations

Green Party membership overtakes Liberal Democrats under new leader

Rachel Millward, the party's deputy leader, announced the achievement to members on the second day of the party's annual conference in Bournemouth this morning.

It's believed to be only the second time this has happened, with the last time being more than a decade ago - in January 2015.

The Greens have revealed they now have more than 83,500 members, to the Lib Dems 83,174.


I don’t like games that make me feel a congenital idiot. But there was one that rather amused me. You invented a preposterous situation and the point was to explain naturally how it came about. Drink, lunacy and practical joking were barred as explanations.

John Buchan - The Runagates Club (1928)

Because it cannot lie

"If one destroyed in museums and libraries, if one hurled down on the flagstones before the churches all the works and all the monuments of art that religions have inspired, what would remain of the great dreams of humanity? To give to men that portion of hope and illusion without which they cannot live, such is the reason for the existence of gods, heroes, and poets. During fifty years science appeared to undertake this task. But science has been compromised in hearts hungering after the ideal, because it does not dare to be lavish enough of promises, because it cannot lie."

Gustave Le Bon quoting Daniel Lesueur (Jeanne Lapauze) in -

The Crowd; study of the popular mind (1895)


In which case, science must be made to lie in the interests of ruling elites. Ruling elites have no use for science as a secure knowledge culture which cannot lie, especially as the cold blue light of reason could be turned on their lies. 

Science wasn’t lavish enough of promises and has become less lavish in recent decades, but its great fault is the same as it was in Le Bon's day - as a knowledge culture it cannot lie. The favoured approach to fixing this fault has long been familiar to us.

Scientist says

Scientist says ancient human civilizations lived on the moon... and the proof will be televised soon

A scientist has claimed that astronauts may soon uncover the remains of a long-lost human civilization that once lived on the Moon 50,000 years ago.

Author and geologist Gregg Braden told podcast host Joe Rogan that evidence of this ancient city was kept from the public by the US and Russia during the Cold War.

However, during the interview on Wednesday, Braden noted that emerging superpowers China and India plan to televise their findings once upcoming expeditions reach the lunar surface.

 

Bookshops v Libraries

When I worked in a second-hand bookshop — so easily pictured, if you don’t work in one, as a kind of paradise where charming old gentlemen browse eternally among calf-bound folios — the thing that chiefly struck me was the rarity of really bookish people.

George Orwell - Bookshop Memories (1936)


For myself, public libraries possess a special horror, as of lonely wastes and dragon-haunted fens. The stillness and the heavy air, the feeling of restriction and surveillance, the mute presence of these other readers, “all silent and all damned,” combine to set up a nervous irritation fatal to quiet study.

Kenneth Grahame – Pagan Papers (1894)

William the Bold

Prince William: I’m not afraid of changing the monarchy

The Prince of Wales has said he is not afraid to question tradition to make sure the monarchy remains “fit for purpose”.

The Prince said it was “safe to say that change is on my agenda” when he became King, as he wanted to “impact people’s lives for the better”.

“The bit that excites me is the idea of being able to bring some change,” he said, warning that it was important not to get “too attached” to history and tradition.


Not an enviable position for him and there is no chance he'll manage to initiate positive change, whatever that might be. If the monarchy changes at all during his stint on the throne, it will almost certainly be changed for him, not by him.

As for wanting to “impact people’s lives for the better” he could begin by admitting that his main problem will be preventing his government from making things worse. From what we see now, this isn't going to happen.

Canada High

 

Clues

Oh well, Keir Starmer is at least an unmissable clue. Maybe.

It is absurd to imagine that a mendacious political leader such as “Sir” Keir Starmer with his cardboard “knighthood” represents a political party which is not as mendacious as he is. Absurd to believe Labour claims to represent “the people”. It ain’t so.

Senior members of the Labour Cabinet have no moral compass and no interest in voters other than people to be manipulated by rhetoric. If absurd rhetoric works, then absurd rhetoric is what we get. It is foolish to expect otherwise.

Senior Cabinet members seem to be incapable of doing anything unselfish and that’s another clue. There are many. Always have been, it’s just that clues are thicker on the ground these days. Footprints and greasy fingerprints everywhere, that kind of thing.

Clues everywhere, but going back to senior Cabinet members, they are entirely satisfied with their own sense of purpose and whatever mendacity and evasion serves their ambitions and the needs of the moment. 

If working people do not have the sense to see political parties for what they are, then ambitious politicians do not see it as their responsibility to enlighten them. They aren’t going to tell it as it is – why would they?

If working people do not have the sense to see the personal ambition revealed by the habitual evasions and mendacity of their elected representatives then hardly anyone in Parliament is likely to enlighten them.

Ministers like it this way

Callum McGoldrick has a useful CAPX reminder that the Quangocracy is here to stay. Well worth reading because there is no evidence that any government has ever intended to tackle the problem, in spite of rhetoric claiming otherwise. 

Political oversight of government by elected political parties has gone.


Quangos are out of control – and ministers like it that way

• Prime Ministers have been piling up new quangos for 70 years: Tony Blair created 92
• Britain’s quangos have a total expenditure greater than the GDP of Norway
• Keir Starmer’s Government created 27 quangos in its first eight months

Calls for a ‘bonfire of the quangos’ have been made since David Cameron’s time as Leader of the Opposition all the way through to Keir Starmer’s premiership. Yet for all the rhetoric, the quangocracy has grown bigger, better staffed and more powerful, as is detailed in the TaxPayers’ Alliance’s new quango database.

With over 500,000 staff and a total expenditure greater than the GDP of Norway, the reliance on these ‘arm’s-length bodies’ by ministers, and therefore the impact on our lives, has never been greater. Since Anthony Eden took office 70 years ago, every Prime Minister who has stayed in office for a full year has created a quango. Tony Blair created 92, the most of any Prime Minister. Even David Cameron, the man who first promised the great bonfire, created 54.

Disposable income

Some interesting disposable income stats from Daniel Dunford of Sky.

Finances feeling tight? New figures on disposable income help explain why

By the end of the last Conservative government, people had less disposable income each month than they did at the start. This had never previously happened over the course of a parliament.


Three paragraphs I found interesting -


In the first six months of Labour's tenure, disposable income rose by £55, a larger increase than under any other government in the same period. In part, this was down to the pay rises for public sector workers that had been agreed under the previous Conservative administration...

Jeremy Hunt, Conservative chancellor from October 2022 until the July 2024 election defeat, told Sky News: "The big picture is that it was the pandemic rather than actions of a government that caused it [the fall in disposable income]...

Analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which also takes into account housing costs, says that disposable income is projected to be £45 a month lower by September 2029 than it was when Labour took office.