It seems that the outgoing president, Joe Biden's parting gift, will be to push Russia to the brink of war with the West, regardless of whether Putin is the aggressor in all this. Try to keep in mind the Russians are not just fighting Ukraine but twenty-six other countries as well, all of whom are supplying not only weapons but soldiers too.

Remember, children, the Russians have an ingrained devotion to their country. That's why they called WWII "The Great Patriotic War." and you thought Trump was dangerous, I'm more scared of Biden.

bbc.co.uk/news/live/c20726y20k…

Ukraine-Russia latest: Biden approves landmines for Ukraine as US steps up aid to slow Russian advances

It comes after Ukraine used US-made longer-range missiles for the first time to strike targets inside Russia.

^{BBC News}

I pray to The Pond Gods that the UK never goes to war with Russia because if the driving standards are anything to go by with a smidge of snow we've had where I live, we'll lose within forty-eight hours! It's taken me fifty-five minutes to travel seven miles on an extremely busy road.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗻𝗼𝘄, 𝗗𝗢𝗡'𝗧 𝗙𝗨𝗖𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗥𝗜𝗩𝗘!

The missus and I came home after a trip to Wickes, and the kitchen fitters had slung the extractor fan out with the cooker. I lept out of the car to retrieve it quickly, and a guy in a van on the main road shouted: "I'm fooking having that!" I replied, "No, you're fooking not!" and took it in the house.

The next thing I know, the bloke had walked up my drive, through my side gate, appeared at my kitchen back door, and said to the kitchen fitter, "Your mates just took my metal." I went out and said, "It's my metal mate, and this is my house, so fook off!"

Cheeky caaant then says, "Are you ripping out the boiler?" Mate, fuck off!

Thank The Pond Gods, I've booked the next five days off!

One of the presenters made a good point on the BBC coverage of the US elections this morning. 40% of the voters in Georgia are black or Hispanic. Playing the race card didn't work, and as was pointed out, Hispanics who can vote are legally American; they are not illegal immigrants—a distinction a lot of people should take on board.

Watched Caitríona Perry on the BBC this morning, struggling with the US Election results. "He's not won yet!" seemed to be the catchphrase. At one point, I am sure she was slightly sick in her mouth when she said "Trump." 🤣

I don't think she's a fan. 🤔

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caitr%C3…

Irish journalist and presenter with Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)

^{Contributors to Wikimedia projects (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.)}

The #NHS is not underfunded; it's swimming with money just not being spent on patients.

bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0lkx…

NHS consultants earning £200,000 in overtime to tackle backlog

Some consultants are being paid £200 an hour for working extra hours, a BBC News investigation finds.

^{Nick Triggle (BBC News)}

So tonight, Britain, as usual, gets it wrong and celebrates the capture and death of Guido Fawkes in 1605. Robert Catesby and his co-conspirators were the ones who planned to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament on 5 November. They employed Guido (Guy) Fawkes, a mercenary expert in gunpowder, to do the deed, so in my book, Catesby is more the villain. I suppose "Robert Catesby Night" doesn't sound as good. 🤷‍♂️

Not long now and #Labour will be spending more than the Rwanda deal.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy1n2…

How do you stop a boat that's already in British waters? Extra Enforcement Officers? But that's not 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 that's 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 that's allowing illegals to land and spending millions on processing their asylum claims. i.e. spending it on reception centres: "Welcome to the UK"

Keir Starmer announces extra £75m to tackle people smuggling

Sir Keir Starmer wants to reset the UK's approach to border security, after ditching the Rwanda plan.

^{Sam Francis (BBC News)}

If only the public were informed precisely what Reeves is doing—raising employers' NI contributions and then raising the minimum wage! Ultimately, that means: Sacking staff, raising prices (Hello inflation) halting pay rises and going out of business for many SME's.
bbc.co.uk/news/live/cp9zrg128g…

She's changing the rules so she can borrow up to £55 Billion, a large portion of which will go to that black hole, the NHS. None of it will be invested in projects showing a financial return so that #Labour can prop up the idea of the state paying for everything.

Budget 2024 live: Chancellor Rachel Reeves to deliver first Budget as tax rises and spending cuts expected

The chancellor has repeatedly warned the government needs to make "difficult" financial decisions.

^{BBC News}

Jesus Christ! See, this is what happens when news outlets don't tell you the full story. When it first broke, it was presented as a scared MP feeling threatened, not of a bloke lying on the ground being restrained by his arm while Mike Amesbury punches him repeatedly in the face!

news.sky.com/story/labour-part…
#politics

Labour Party suspends MP Mike Amesbury after video showed him punching man in street

The video showed the MP for Runcorn and Helsby punching a man, who fell to the floor. Mr Amesbury then hit him repeatedly before members of the public intervened.

^{Sky News}

And this shows how incompetent and politically stunted #Labour is!
Does he think the majority of those working "Clock on"? If he's going to tax people who do not leave the house to put in fourteen hours at "t' mill." will he be taxing people on benefits?
news.sky.com/story/sir-keir-st…

All Labour and Kier Starmer know is: "TAX PEOPLE WITH MONEY!" it's the same mantra Labour has repeated for the last seventy-odd years. "Who can we find to pay for our dumb ideas? I know, rich people."

So, in other words:
Don't save any money for your retirement.
Don't invest in BT, Water, Electricity, or Nuclear shares.
Don't get into owning properties.
Don't try to get a better education.

If you do any of those things, Labour will do everything possible to take some of it off you and give it to those who don't work. Oh, hang on. He's taxing those too! 😉
#politics

Sir Keir Starmer says those with assets are 'not working people' - paving way for possible tax rises

The prime minister is asked to give his definition of working people after Labour promised in its manifesto not to hit them with tax rises.

^{Alexandra Rogers (Sky News)}

I don't blame Ukraine and Moldova, but I do blame them!

It's all very well these former USSR countries clambering to get underneath the supposed protective wing of the European Union, but I can't blame Russia for becoming uneasy with an ever-increasing EU right on its doorstep once buffer zones such as Ukraine are removed. Yet it's unfair to expect Ukraine and Moldova to be piggy-backing in the middle. And before anyone accuses Russia of being the aggressor, the EU is no saint either.
france24.com/en/europe/2024102…

Moldova's EU vote too close to call as president blames foreign 'assault' on democracy

Moldovan voters cast ballots on Sunday in two decisive polls: a presidential election and a referendum on joining the EU. Incumbent President Maia Sandu came up short of the majority needed to avoid a tough second round of voting.

^{FRANCE 24}

Is there anyone dumb enough out there to believe Israel will take a blind bit of notice regarding this letter?

Israel now feels strong enough and secure enough to do whatever it likes, even to the extent of attacking and killing UN forces. It knows the West will do nothing so telling them they might get their toys taken away will not work.
#gaza

bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9wk0e…

US gives Israel 30 days to boost Gaza aid or risk cuts to military support

The letter, sent on Sunday, amounts to the strongest known written warning from the US to its ally.

^{Tom Bateman (BBC News)}

I finished watching Gangs of London on Netflix this morning.
Sean Wallace is a ruthless caaant!

If you needed any proof that the Conservative party has not only imploded but is now bereft of even the slightest hope of having a credible chance of leading the country again, look no further than this motley bunch of "No other choice" deluded chancers.

About the only candidate with a hint of leadership is James Cleverly, who unfortunately looks a little bit like Kwasi Kwarteng but with a beard—and look how well that turned out!
#politics #conservatives
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgq8gy…

Crunch point approaches in Tory leadership race

Conservatives MPs will vote this week in the next phase of the process to replace Rishi Sunak.

^{Chris Mason (BBC News)}

Here's the thing with Dame Esther Rantzen's campaign for assisted dying. She was diagnosed in January 2023 with lung cancer. Now, if we had assisted dying, who can say that on one of her bad days, which I'm sure she has, she could have decided to end her pain and suffering. Yet, there she is, nearly two years later, saying: "I'm surprised as you are that I'm still alive." with assisted dying, there's a chance someone could convince two doctors when, in reality, there was still more time left to them.

bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1d5z5…

Assisted dying: Relief and fear ahead of bill vote

Activists on both sides of the debate are reacting to plans for the first vote on the issue in years.

^{Harrison Jones (BBC News)}

Talking of rebooting things and being afraid:

So, last night, I upgraded the firmware of my router and access point. (No, it didn't help.)

The router all went fine, but when I upgraded the firmware on the Vigor 903, the login page wouldn't appear. "Oh Fook!" of course, it was at this point Channel 4 decided to play up, right in the middle of Bake Off. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Bellowed the wife.

Oh, I tried everything: ping, checking the DHCP tables, and even trying to access the 903 from the router management screen. "It doesn't affect the TV! Catchup is via the TV aerial," I said. The wife was not convinced as I hammered away at the keyboard, desperate for a solution.

Yeah, it helps if you do Ctrl+F5, Pete, you know, clear the browser cache. 🤦‍♂️

𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯𝘀
independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli…

Given the amount of children we have seen starved to death by their so-called parents I'm willing to pay for any child to get at least one meal a day out of my taxes regardless of how much their parents earn.

Rachel Reeves announces free school breakfast clubs from April as she doubles down on winter fuel cuts

Labour chancellor was heckled about the sale of arms to Israel as she made her speech to her party’s annual conference in Liverpool

^{Kate Devlin (The Independent)}

While I can fully understand the parents' pain and distress caused by questioning Lucy Letby's conviction, I would have hoped they would want the truth and not what appears to be, on the face of it, a very thin case. I'm unsure if an accusation of "Well, according to the rotas, you were always on duty when incidents happened!" is proof of guilt. Now, eminent professors are starting to question the medical evidence.

news.sky.com/story/lucy-letby-…

Lucy Letby: Doubts over conviction as families seek answers ahead of inquiry

Ahead of a public inquiry kicking off today, there is a call for its scope to be widened - as some raise questions about Lucy Letby's conviction. For the family of the victims, there has never been any flicker of remorse or motive suggested.

^{Greg Milam (Sky News)}

"I don't mean to be rude."
"Don't take this the wrong way."
"With the greatest of respect."

Have you noticed that when people make that statement, they proceed to rip you to bits after playing what they believe is a "Get out of jail" card?
#politics #winterfuel #labour
youtube.com/watch?v=RwxW3beZ8P…

Keir Starmer: “We are going to have to be unpopular”

The prime minister says his government has to do 'difficult things now' even if they are unpopular in order to bring about change.

^YouTube