peak4

I don't understand the reference to evenings & weekends myself, but here's a little light reading for you, in no particular order; From Tufton Street to Downing Street: The Opaque Charities at the Heart of Power Bylines Rachel Morris tracks the burgeoning influence of ‘free market’ think tanks on Conservative politics Dark money think tank behind Liz Truss was on British media 5,000 times in past year Democracy for Sale Exclusive: MP writes to BBC and Ofcom after Tufton Street’s Institute of Economic Affairs - which does not declare its donors - reported a massive increase in media appearances 55 Tufton Street, SW1: The most influential address you’ve never heard of New European It’s home to pro-Brexit groups and climate change sceptics. But just how much power over this government is wielded by the tenants of 55 Tufton Street? The address where Eurosceptics and climate change sceptics rub shoulders Independent The offices of 55 Tufton Street in Westminister are home to no fewer than eight right-of-centre organisations

Here you go, first hit on Google; https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/pearl-clutching

The list is probably a variation from Wiki Outside of specific fields of study, what does it really matter how people choose to define themselves, provided everyone treats others with the same degree of respect they they would desire themselves? I do appreciate that some of these definitions are useful for culture warriors, who chose to demean a particular minority; I've posted previously regarding who is helping fund the anti-trans debates. Note that some of the terms listed in the wiki link are language/religion/ethnicity specific. I said a variation, as the Wiki entry doesn't list "Androgynos" as a separate spelling to the more familiar "Androgynous" with a u after the o, though there is a separate entry for it as per the second link. Many of these ideas and definitions aren't new, as that previous link shows, as does this one Six Sexes of the Talmud. To pick another at random Bugis Gender in Bugis society In contrast to the gender binary, Bugis society recognizes five genders: makkunrai, oroané, bissu, calabai, and calalai. The concept of five genders has been a key part of their culture for at least six centuries, according to anthropologist Sharyn Graham Davies, citing similar traditions in Thailand, Malaysia, India and Bangladesh.

Interesting transcript of an interview in the FT, (via archive.is) The truth behind QAnon’s lies Gideon Rachman talks to journalist and author Gabriel Gatehouse Hello and welcome to the Rachman Review. I’m Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator of the Financial Times. This week’s podcast is about conspiracy theories and American politics. My guest is Gabriel Gatehouse, author of a new book, The Coming Storm: A Journey into the Heart of the Conspiracy Machine. Anyone who follows American politics will be familiar with a vast number of conspiracy theories floating around on a range of subjects like election fraud, Covid-19 or illegal immigration. But could those conspiracy theories actually affect the outcome of the presidential election and its aftermath?

Similar here; there was always the possibility of a police enquiry running along side the public one, if necessary delaying the publication of final or interim results until certain aspects had been concluded. One major advantage of this, would have been the preservation of evidence; i.e. potentially preventing the deletion of files & emails, or stopping the shredding of vital documents before a formal police investigation.

Labour has ‘no plans’ to send prisoners to Estonia to ease overcrowding, says No 10 – Guardian A Downing Street spokesperson has said that reports the government were planning to send prisoners from England and Wales abroad to Estonia due to over-crowding were plans laid by the previous Conservative administration, and that it has no plans to implement the policy. PA Media reports the spokesperson said: The justice secretary has been clear that we have to bring in reforms to tackle the prison capacity crisis. That’s why, alongside our commitment to build more prisons, we will be publishing a 10-year strategy in the autumn to set out how we will ensure that we always have the places we need to keep dangerous offenders behind bars. On those reports specifically, I would point out that this was the policy of the former government and that this government has made no such plans or announcements with regard to Estonia.

Would you care to cite some examples please.

Mainly those who seek to promote culture wars, by falsely claiming that others want to ban something. Yes some versions of nursery rhymes might be considered as problematic, as Jeremy Clarkson realised and subsequently apologised. It seems that Humpty Dumpty might have been a small short cannon/mortar, though the origins are obscure, and Baa Baa Black Sheep is likely a protest about taxation.

As it stands at the moment, it looks like any scheme would be contrary to German federal law. It seems it was a suggestion given in an interview, by one minister according to this report, and would only apply to a certain set of migrants being shipped in specially by Russia/Belarus . https://www.dw.com/en/germany-migration-commissioner-proposes-rwanda-deportations/a-70138163 Joachim Stamp accused Russia and Belarus of encouraging migration to the EU as part of their "hybrid warfare." These migrants should be sent to a third country such as Rwanda, he suggested. See also, many other similar news reports, this one happens to be the BBC from 2021, but plenty elsewhere How Belarus is helping ‘tourists’ break into the EU Belarus has been accused of taking revenge for EU sanctions by offering migrants tourist visas, and helping them across its border. The BBC has tracked one group trying to reach Germany. For a more detailed report, see HOC Library Belarus/EU migrant crisis

We do, though being arrested on suspicion of a crime does not necessarily mean they were involved. If there were several kids involved, as well as the one still detained, then they may have been completely different crowd.

I do find some of the symbolism deeply odd, and it sadly seems to be pervading UK politics too, when you look at some of the AI generated images on social media in this country.

Clearly the topic/project has political as well as environmental for many years The previous MP, (and maybe others prior to that before we moved over here), seemed to be using it as a political football, perhaps being less than truthful in some of his accusations, and then claiming a personal victory when the court case was decided. https://www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk/news/transport/high-peak-mp-and-campaigners-clash-over-glossop-bypass-3989997 (No account needed to view, just claim to register later.) The CPRE were one of the campaigners leading up to the recent court case(s) https://www.cprepdsy.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2021/08/A57-Link-Roads-Key-Points.pdf https://www.cprederbyshire.org.uk/news/stop-mottram-bypass-wrecking-the-climate-and-green-belt/ https://highpeaklabour.co.uk/labour-will-build-the-mottram-bypass/ It's very much a link road and not a large scale bypass, so may cause issues for residents in other villages, such as Tintwistle, if it leads to a long term increase in HGV traffic.

It seems not for the first time; it should go without saying that I'm not supporting Hamas, and never have done. All the Times Israel Has Rejected Peace With Palestinians In the U.S., Hamas is considered anathema, for understandable reasons. Its original 1988 charter is explicitly antisemitic and calls for the obliteration of Israel. (A new Hamas charter was issued in 2017 and states that “Hamas affirms that its conflict is with the Zionist project not with the Jews because of their religion.”) However, there have long been clear signs that factions within Hamas were moderating and open to long-term agreements with Israel. In 1997, Khaled Mashal, then the top Hamas leader, offered a 30-year ceasefire to Israel. Israel did not respond — but did immediately try to assassinate Mashal in Jordan. In 2004, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, Hamas’s chief religious leader, called for a 10-year truce with Israel if it returned to its pre-1967 borders. Israel assassinated him two months later. There are many more examples of this, along with Israeli disinterest demonstrated in the most extreme ways possible. In 2012, according to an Israeli peace activist, the head of Hamas’s military wing had become convinced that Palestinians should negotiate a long-term truce with Israel. On the same day Ahmed Jabari, Hamas’s military chief, was reviewing a draft proposal for such a truce, Israel assassinated him.

I'm sure you can provide proof of your claim. Personally, I haven't invested in offshore bank accounts to avoid tax, though I do have a couple of non-UK bank accounts which had a higher interest rate at the time, but with UK tax paid. I also invest in NS&I, which is a direct investment in our own country. Why do some folk project thoughts onto other people who demonstrably do not hold those values?

A little more for you on Thurrock, from an answer I had prepared earlier, but got diverted processing some photos from this afternoon. Why is Thurrock Council in So Much Debt Bureau of Investigative Journalism Thurrock council, a relatively small local authority in Essex, UK, has amassed the largest budget deficit in local government history. How? As a result of ruinous business deals involving huge sums of public money. English council claims Dubai-based businessman misused £150mn FT via Archive.ph Thurrock Council accuses Liam Kavanagh of diverting funds to buy a yacht, a Bombardier jet and a 232-acre country estate And a more general article from Open Democracy How the Tories drove Britain’s local services into bankruptcy Councils provide social care, schools and housing. And half of them are about to run out of money the drastic decisions that local authorities are making now are just the tip of the iceberg. Austerity has been biting since 2010, when George Osborne slashed the amount of money councils could receive from central government in one of his first acts as chancellor. Between 2010 and 2020, they lost more than 50% of their government grants in real terms. Six councils have already gone ‘bankrupt’ in the last two years while more than half of the rest say they could follow, meaning they could be taken over by Whitehall or replaced by new authorities. [NAO link]

I'm not sure that most people do have a problem with millionaires, particularly when you take property values into account. Many folk, me included, do have an issue with the rich who secrete their wealth in off-shore bank accounts to avoid tax. Some people do like to use the term as a means of criticism, but that often involves hypocrisy, sometimes of the commentator, but also often of the person criticised.

A link to their website & shop, featuring spoon carving tools, knives, and axes etc, as well as videos on sharpening https://wood-tools.co.uk/story/

It does depend on the circumstances, if one had been a first time buyer's property in perfect condition, then re-painting in neutral colours might have enhanced it beyond the price of the paint, so long as it was clear that it wasn't done to hide anything; maybe photograph it before painting to show open honesty. On the other hand, the house we bought might only have still been on the market because of the internal colour scheme. Yes, it was also next door to a new building development, which would put off some potential buyers, but they may have known about that before visiting. The estate agent who showed us around, warned us in advance about the colour scheme; as if the photo brochure didn't make it obvious enough. 🙂

Very much depends on the circumstances; I was involved in putting a property up for auction, which was in need of a full renovation. The auctioneer's advice was to do nothing, so that the potential developer new exactly what needed doing, and could see clearly that nothing had been done to cover up any defects. Similarly, when I sold my previous house, no central heating, in need of a full rewire, etc, the estate agents advice was to leave it clean and obviously cared for, but not to do any other work. That was so a potential buyer could see exactly what needed doing, and a surveyor would be less likely to spot something that a potential buyer missed. Less chance of the sale falling through at the last minute, should a prospective buyer suddenly find out that there was extra work outside their budget. When showing folk around, I was scrupulously honest about any known faults for the same reason. In both cases, the property went for more than anticipated.

She appears to have said something along those lines, though the validity of the comment may be a moot point https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/winter-fuel-payments-were-axed-33578064

Not just that, Harehills was spontaneous and unpredicted; Southport and the various follow-on disturbances were pre-planned and pre-organised. https://redflare.info/articles/mrag-mixed-race-finnish-neo-nazi-behind-uks-race-riots/ Also in some people's mind, from previous posts recently on this thread, here it is specifically about skin colour, (and apparently voting intention, though I've rarely seen mention of that in crime reports discussing individual assailants.) This thread of course is about the Notting Hill carnival, which is a celebration of Afro-Caribbean culture; I'm not sure what to read into that.

"Why haven't the media followed this through? Because it doesn't fit the left-wing media agenda?" Followed what through? 27 people have been arrested; did you read and understand the link about sub judice? The media did, prior to the arrests, explain why the kids were being removed, and what happened to them subsequently. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyj41w72vn8o

I've no idea if these signs from 2022 are still there, but it's pretty clear it was Customers Only, with further conditions possibly on the other notice boards. The car park may still be managed by the same Private Parking Company, (PPC), depending on the contract. Even when the store was open, anyone parking after hours was likely to receive an invoice from the PPC. Same if someone was observed leaving site, or parking for too long; I know the PPC did send observers to site to watch for drivers leaving their car there and going elsewhere. When the store was open, the principal (Wickes) could likely get a ticket cancelled for genuine cases; no idea if they would now it's closed, or if there is even still a valid contract. Same is likely true, since no-one can be a customer if the store is closed permanently. Don't forget, the PPC has 6 years to open a case.

In each case, someone has been arrested, so what has skin colour, or the way the alleged assailant votes, have any bearing on a live case; later for statistical analysis maybe, but no-one's been convicted of anything yet. Are you seeking to prejudice a trial for some reason? The Police give out such information as needed when seeking someone, but not much else post arrest/charging. Look up sub judice before you drop yourself in trouble. The two official police statements are here. Further appeal for witnesses following death of man found unconscious in Queensway MET A man who was attacked in the vicinity of Notting Hill Carnival has died from his injuries. Death of woman stabbed at Notting Hill Carnival Met again A woman who was stabbed at Notting Hill Carnival has sadly died.