I quote Jonathon Pie for todays short piece:

I know longer see the point of PMQ unless the only question being asked is “Why are you such a lying, hypocritical scumbag and when are you going to fuck off!” Over and over until Bono breaks down and finally he’s a pathetic and ineffectual ack of turds!

Firstly congratulations to Mark Cavendish for winning the stage of the Tour. The emotion he showed after winning and the joy of his teammates was well joyous! Having not believed he would ever ride in the tour again and having almost retired, he added to his tally of 30 stage wins. He has fought back from illness and injury (like many riders) and at 36 it proves talent never leaves you.

Secondly well done England for beating Germany. The euphoria after was to be expected but a little over the top after all they have not won any trophies yet. We are not the prettiest to watch but as each pundit has said we get the job done and as long as we keep winning no one will care. I understand the excitement, after all I remember the last time we beat Germany in a tournament but let’s not get carried away. I confess I was shouting and swearing at the team, as this, what seems relentless passing of the ball backwards and to the keeper seemed endless, I commented did they realise that the German goal was at the opposite end but they won!

Imagine what the level of euphoria is going to be if they do go on to win the Euros. Oh how Boris will milk it, as another example of British greatness (in spite of the fact it is only England) I would be the first to acknowledge that when England win, it does boost the countries moral and of course beating the Germans for the English, makes it all the sweeter! I am not trying to play it all down or dampen the excitement believe me I will be as delighted as anyone if we do manage to triumph, it would be one of the greatest highlights, watching sport in my lifetime.

Stay well

Read a Guardian article where Elton john bitterly accuses this government of screwing up the the entertainment industry and their ability to tour since Brexit. I used to like him but as he has got older not so much, however he is absolutely right in his assessment of how this regime has “fucked” (his word) music and artist just setting out on their careers. As he says he can afford to employ people to fill out all the paperwork that is now required but younger artists have not got his resources and it is a beuqacratic nightmare. not so bad if your a solos act but if your in a band, it’s not just the musicians but their roadies and other support not to mention transporting equipment! This industry is worth something in the region of £111 billion to the UK and to put that in perspective the fishing industry is worth £1.5 billion! Once again it is just one of the many examples of this governments complete disregard for the damage Brexit has wrought on our country. We gave up something we had never lost to find ourselves losing everything.

I am setting up a website to market my Art. With help from Adam (my son) we are int he process of setting it up. I will report further news as things develop

Stay well

Was he pushed or did he jump? Who cares, Wankcock has gone and it just remains to get rid of the rest of them now. 

Now lets get to things far more important and exciting The Tour de France. Yesterday’s opening stage was dramatic two huge pile ups, one caused by a stupid spectator whose action was unbelievably irresponsible. Unfortunately the second so close to the finish caused a big time loss for many riders and on the first stage could already have put paid to any ambition they had of finishing high up in the race. Amazingly only one retirement, though poor Chris Froome could possible be out, which after his fight to get back to racing after his horrendous accident would be cruel indeed. If the rest of the race is as dramatic as this first stage it will be a fantastic Tour. Well done to Alaphillipe for stealing a march and winning the stage. 

I shan’t repeat my oft written admiration for these athletes. If you have watched any bike race then you would have seen how tough theses men and women are. Yesterday there were times when they were going at over 70 kilometres per hour and not just for a short distance. My favourite sporting event!

Stay well

So one rule for him and another for everyone else. To quote Jonathon Pie  Stay away from home, cheat on your wives, fuck the NHS, these new lockdown rules are confusing! Mr Wankcock has been a disaster from the very beginning, the evidence has piled up and yet he remains in his job pleading for privacy at this difficult time! The chaos and unnecessary deaths that have happened under his watch alone should have had him removed from office. This is a man who deserves to be publicly  roasted and sent packing to never be an MP ever again. The has been a huge outcry against him and for once well done to the tabloids for exposing him, however it appears to have done nothing to persuade the addled brain of Boris Johnson to get rid of this utter shit! This is our government in all it’s brazen hypocrisy, not giving a toss what the public think and dismissing, what at any time in the past, would have made any ministers job untenable. This is what you get when you vote for a party that lies, cheats, misleads and generally fucks up almost anything it touches. There will still be people out there who believe Boris is the best choice and can do no wrong and even though they know deep down they have made a huge mistake will never admit it. There are too many with vested interests who could care less how the country is run as long as they are unaffected and can continue as normal, the Tories are the party for them and sod anyone else!

I read this morning that there is a credible group in the USA called the OAN who advocate that those who did not vote for Trump should be executed! You may laugh, you may think that is so outrageous it could not possibly be serious? I did not read the whole article and may have it out of context but as crazy as that sounds, just think about what is going on in our own country and then tell me if you think these things are not so far fetched!

The government may have had to deal with an unprecedented situation as indeed have we all but there is no doubt they have badly handled it, confused us, confused themselves and made such poor decisions that have caused heartache and tragedy for far to many. It is easy to criticise them, it is always easy to do so with any government, we have not had to make the decisions they have, we don’t have the bigger picture or up to date info in front of us but riddle me this do they honestly fill you with confidence? Do you feel safe with this bunch of self-centred, xenophobic tossers in power? Do you really believe in all their jingoistic narrow minded we will make Britain great again bullshit? Do you want to live in a country that can not embrace others, trying once more to invoke the spirit of Empire? I do not and if you do then please excuse me if I punch you repeatedly!

Stay well

 Todays word: GIGGLEMUG One who is perpetually and annoyingly cheery and only adds to your bad mood!

We have been praised as having the best rollout of the vaccine in Europe and yet there are thousands of cases of Covid being racked up each day. I don’t wish to be labelled a conspiracy theorist but the cynic in me wonders if the figures are being massaged upwards to keep us all in line? If our vaccine rollout has been so successful what the hell is happening? I understand the vaccine is not the cure all and does not prevent the virus but 16000 and 17000 daily cases? 

We have to lift all restrictions and move on. The damage that this virus has caused is irreparable and much of it cannot be recovered but we must give everyone the chance to rescue their businesses if it can be done. In Kettering masks are still worn but to all intensive purposes the rules are barely followed and our infection rate is almost zero. Any government would have made mistakes and got things wrong but it was our misfortune that we had this Johnson lead lot who are completely, to quote Johnson himself “useless”

So once more we play Germany. From what I’ve seen so far and without being complacent there is nothing to worry about, they are not the team they once were and whilst I am not saying we will win easily, I think we will win. 

Stay well

 Todays word from Susie Dent: BLOVIATOR One who loves the sound of their own voice and talks at length but ultimately says nothing!

So now we are going to have One Britain, One Nation day, what ever next! These fuckwits have lost the plot completely and have their collective heads so far in the sand it is covering their arses. We all know that Brexit is the biggest mistake we have ever made as a nation, they know it, we know it, everyone knows it but we rolled on oblivious to all the warnings and the damage it has caused. Johnson bleats on about the freedom to reach Britains full potential without a clue about what is actually happening. Nobody will ask the hard questions and you would have to commit individual murder to get fired from his cabinet (They have committed mass murder as a group but we will leave that for now). Have you seen the “song” he they want children to sing on the 25th, it is beyond weird. Desperately trying to brain wash the young to believe all their lies they will do anything they can to promote a unity that just does not exist. Frankly it’s no longer my problem, I won’t live long enough to see all damage that our young will inherit. The tragedy is that it all could have been avoided in spite of the appearance of the Virus. What fools we are, like watching the England football team we always hope it will be a success and we get a few good results, only to be constantly disappointed. It is very depressing and we seemingly have no control!

Talking of the England football team I watched most of last nights match and it is evident that if they play one of the more favoured teams in the next round, their lack of ambition and ability to keep the ball long enough will see them come undone as they always do. A collective group of English players and teams always revert to type and with the odd exception these are their usual performances. I know teams set-up to make themselves difficult to get through but our inability to sustain any attack, instead of sliding the ball from side to side will never do it! Southgate seems to have put safety first and I suppose as I have said before if we win 1-0 every game great but it make for tedious viewing!

Stay well

I’m going to offend someone but I don’t care. New Zealand have given a place on their woman’s Olympic weightlifting team to a almost 40 year old who presents as a woman but was and still is a man! I have no issue with which gender this person wishes to be that is entirely up to them but don’t tell me they won’t have an unfair advantage over the other competitors. It’s taken women hundred of years to gain some parity and compete in the the same events that men have taken part in for much longer without having to contend with a woman who is physically still a man! This transgender bullying has got to stop, recognise their transition, accept them as the sex they want to be but lets not kid ourselves they are always going to be the sex they born as, there is no changing that.

I read that Usain Bolt’s partner has given birth to twins who they are naming Thunder and Saint Leo. Now you can call your kids whatever you want after all they are yours but Thunder Bolt, really, I mean have they no imagination! I would have gone for Ready to, Nut and, Tighten that, Bolty Bolty MacBolt Face! And why did he not call the other one Lightning? Missed a trick there!

As usual after the first win some fans and pundits got carried away with the England football team. I watch some of the Scotland game and as has happened so often England reverted to type and mainly played sideways. Full credit to the Scots they did what they had to do and they did it very well. I could not watch the whole match it was far too boring and I have seen so many frustrating performances by England over the years I was not going to watch another! The exciting thing about football is it’s unpredictability and that the better team on paper does not always perform on the pitch. Scotland are always inspired when they play “the old enemy” but didn’t it quickly descend into a match of typical British football. Just shows the difference when there is not a single player on the pitch from overseas.

Stay well

Now the useless Dido Harding friend of our PM is vowing if she becomes head of the NHS she will try to cut out both foreign patients and workers. Apart from the fact that this woman should never be aloud to be the head of even her own household, how does she think the NHS will run without all the staff from other countries? Without them the whole thing would collapse. What is this xenophobic streak that never seems to disappear from British life? Why is there this deep seated fear of people from other countries that many British people foster. We have lived in a multi-cultural society for hundreds of years. As I wrote only this week there is no such thing as pure Britishness. I want to have it clearly understood that I for one welcome people from everywhere and am delighted to find out more about them and their culture.

I was annoyed this week whilst watching the England v India test match when one of the commentators said that Sophia Dunkley was the first black player to score a half century in a test for England. What the hell has her ethnicity got to do with anything? It was insulting to her and to the Indian team. It is comments like this that perpetuate the differences as always. I’m sure the commentator did not mean to be insensitive but it was a poor remark.

I ask you both a question what can we do about this appalling period we are experiencing and I don’t just mean the pandemic. Everyday our rights are eroded and freedom impinged upon. It’s never been comfortable being British we stumble from one crisis to another seemingly unable to help ourselves to remain stable for more than a few years if at all. Our services are crumbling, our health service on it’s knees, law and order strained beyond it’s limits with more and more pressure being put on the Police and mistakes inevitably made. We are a society divided on so many levels that we know longer accept any view other than our own. I’m probably not helping here and I’m sorry if my pessimistic view is depressing but I have never been so afraid of what our government is doing or not doing. I have lived through many governments including Thatcher whom I hated but this current lot are the scariest we have ever had and at a time when we desperately need stability and calm leadership what do we have, Boris! I do try to see the good in people and things but it is not easy when we have a Tory government who inspire nothing but total contempt and have not a single redeeming quality! I would love to write about good stuff and do try to look for the silver lining, it isn’t easy.

Stay well

I’ve just seen a video of a older man called Piers Corbyn taking down government health stickers on the London Underground and putting them in a plastic shopping bag. The other passengers are bemused. I have no idea what it is he thinks he is achieving or why? The video seems to indicate it is some form of revolutionary act? I can only think he is anti-vaccine or a Covid denier or both. Perhaps he has started a collection of pandemic health stickers and in years to come they will have a real value! 

We humans are strange creatures, infused with intelligence and yet the breath of our stupidity is endless and never more so in the 21st century. Is directly in proportion to the amount of media we have to fill and the fact 3 billion of us carry a camera in our pocket? The thought of using mine to video someone never occurs to me and indeed I would need reminding that I could! I do occasionally take photos but very rarely. Now and then I remember that to remember some written info I could photograph it but most of the time I still write it down, besides I usually don’t get the picture right. I took a photo of a business card in our entrance hall and when I went to look at it could not read the writing! It always amuses me when watching TV programmes how almost anything and everything can be recorded on their phones and sent immediately, whilst the techie instantly looks up the info and relays back within seconds! Reality? This week alone I have spoken to two large organisation and have had to hang on because “their system was very slow today and they were waiting” whilst various commentary is given like “oh I think it’s working’ “no wait” “oh it’s actually going quicker than I expected!”, technology is not as instant as we would like and often leaves us waiting! Human idiocy is not solely based on technology, we are prone to every type of cruelty, bullying etc fortunately it is balanced by those that are kind and show incredible courage under the most extreme of circumstances. We do seem to seek out more and more extreme ways of getting our thrills and you have to admit that the physical challenges that we try are  incredible, very often dangerous and some of the skill is breathtaking. Humans have always pushed their limits, the progress we have made would not have happened without our imagination, curiosity, problem solving, bravery and weirdly wired brains that make breakthroughs that benefit us all. 

No doubt we humans will continue to push boundaries and with the help of our “machines” make huge leaps forward in all areas. Naturally we must be careful we don’t destroy our home along the way. We have already done irreparable damage and continue to do so every minute. Never shit on your own doorstep! 

Stay well 

So we are to continue with the current Covid position, with a few tweaks. It goes without saying that the majority of us have had enough and enough is enough! This virus will continue to mutate and spikes will continue to happen, it is the nature of it. It appears from what I have read (and the figures) it is the younger members of our population who are experiencing the biggest rise in cases. I am no medical expert (I am not an expert on anything as these pages prove daily!) but either the vaccine is working or the the virus is slowly being got under control. The treatment of it has improved as we have learnt more about it and whilst the strain on the NHS is still bad, if we continue to run under these conditions it will remain that way. Let’s be honest the NHS was under enough strain as it was without the added pressure of the Covid pandemic. 

It is evident that this government are stealthy setting up the NHS to privatise as much of it as they can and our treasured free at the point of delivery health system will no longer be the one we have known for all of our lives. Health Insurance will become the norm. I have been paying into a health organisation for a few years and though we have never used their services we have them as a back up just in case.

The strain on the NHS could be hugely reduced with preventative measures. It is our own individual responsibility to look after ourselves. Exercise, eat well and generally take care. You don’t have to go to the gym and pound the treadmill there are many activities you can have that will keep you fit. I for one try to stretch and do some exercise each day and of course I have for years been a keen bike rider. Naturally there are lots of conditions over which we have no control no matter how fit we maybe, for which we have to seek medical help. 

I am going to be sexist and rather rude but it is a question that has rattled round in my head for some time and intrigues me. Why do big women insist in wearing black leggings and often black tops to go with them? If they think black is slimming let me tell you they are mistaken! I have written before how I despair at the average standard of dress of the British. I’m not suggesting everyone has to dress smart or wear designer clothing but they could at least try to appear with some co-ordination and style. I am constantly amazed at the outfits I observe people wearing, do they not have mirrors in their homes? If I never see another pair of jogging or track bottoms it will be too soon. We must be the worse dressed nation in Europe but then I guess most people don’t care. What the hell happened to this nation which has a one of the largest fashion industries in the world and some of the best designers. You don’t have to have a lot of money to dress well just some bloody taste!

Stay well

 Two words from Susie Dent:

SMELLFUNGUS (19th century) An habitual grumbler who find fault in everything and anything

SWULLOCKING Old East Anglian dialect  meaning sweltering, sultry (sweat-inducing)

I was on a Zoom conference last night, it was important and concerned my brother and where he lives. If I had to go on them regularly for work or any other purpose i think I would lose the will to live! What dreary tiring form of communication. Admittedly without it, as we all in different locations (one person was in America), it would have been difficult to get us all together but I am not a fan.

So Cummings sticks the knife in further to his old “chum” Hancock and for good measure blames the PM. It is rather amusing to hear a known liar accuse other known liars of being useless! We have had critics of many governments over the years but this lot seem to be impervious to any scandal or accusations. I suppose when you deceive and avoid so often it matters little what anybody says. There is a growing voice of those closer to Boris speaking out, and commenting, that he is unfit to be PM, something the rest of us have known since before he ever became PM. There is far to much “evidence” supporting his unstable and reckless behaviour. It may seem unimportant to many who is in government but it is vitally important that at this particular time we have people in charge who actually have a grasp on the real issues and there consequences, sadly we don’t! The criticism has grown and grown and yet he and his ministers seem immune. 

I will continue to shout how unfit our current government is and though I am not a lone voice, I will keep doing so until like Trump we all realise what a monumental error  it was to vote this man into power. The alternative is not great but in the case of this government any alternative is preferable! 

Stay well

A word about our English heritage. We have been watching a documentary on the How the Celts saved Britain an old BBC4 programme presented by Dan Snow. It prompted one of our regular discussions regarding Englishness. People in England and especially those of for want of a better word the upper class, are very proud of their “pure” ancestors and often quote how many generations their family tree goes back.   The truth is none of us are, we are all the product of many invasions, immigration, inter marriage. 

Let’s take our green and pleasant land. Firstly we were invaded and subjugated by the Romans, once they had gone, we were invaded by the Saxons, then the Vikings and as time moved on the Normans. Now that is just ancient history over about 600 years, not much purity there. Moving on even the Royal family cannot trace their heritage back to actual English monarchs, we brought in William (Dutch) and most of our current Royals have German ancestors! Wendy has German heritage, I have Latvian and Italian. I would suggest the idea that you are English, is actually a false one and might explain why we as a nation have such a superiority and inferiority complex both at the same time! Far back in our history we were as much part of Europe as any mainland country indeed we were occupied by those who came from Europe in the first place. Later “we” occupied large parts of what is now France and ruled them. This might explain our ambivalent relationship with our European neighbours. I am sure deep down we believe we should be telling them how to run Europe and that we are the most sensible and powerful country (all evidence to the contrary) in it! 

It is an irony how we come from a history of occupation by those from European nations and yet we had the perfect opportunity to help mould it and shape its future we decided to believe the lies and vote to leave the EU! 

I see the former PM Gordon Brown has started a campaign to get Britain to re-join the EU and I for one will be supporting it. If the Irish border problem is not proof of what a poor decision leaving was, then I don’t what is! 

Now a few words on the proposed extension to the current lockdown rules, no no no no no no no no no no no NO NO NO! We have had enough and the risk factor is acceptable.

Stay well

I might be a lone voice but I am the only one who thought that the fuss over Christian Erikison was a bit over the top? I wish the man nothing but good health and hope he makes a full recovery. The description of his team mates as hero’s was a slight overreaction, fair play to his captain who administered CPR, well done the medical staff for their prompt attention but he was in a football stadium at a Euro 21 match at the highest level and if he could not be attended by professionals there, then where? Some of the press and the broadcasting was not their finest behaviour but is anyone surprised after years and years of the media? For me it highlights the out of proportion reaction we have to stuff in these days of social media and cameras in every bodies hands!

So our wonderful thoughtful government are going to extend the current rules for another 4 weeks? What a load of bollocks, this self-serving bunch of tossers are as much responsible for the delay as the variant itself. Had they acted quicker then the rise in cases could have been much reduced. It’s not as if they have no experience with getting it wrong and yet they continue to do so. Everyday I see Boris Johnson is another day when I think our entire population have lost the plot! He is an embarrassment of the worse kind, self centred, misguided, indecisive, ego centric, attention grabbing, ill disciplined, with little if no empathy and a complete knob head! What’s worse is he is surrounded by ministers who are just as bad!

Back to football and England won their first match. I’ll be very happy if they win every match 1-0 and play like a bunch of tossers. Actually they had some very bright moments in the game against Croatia and really were not troubled by them. Of course we will get carried away and believe they can win the tournament, which of course is nonsense. Don’t get me wrong I would cheer as loudly as anyone if they did but I have been watching them play since before the 1966 World Cup and it has one disappointment after another. Still there is always hope!

Stay well

I don’t what happened yesterday it was a longer piece that for some reason did not show?

For those of you on Facebook who see my posts, I apologise for my flurry of posts today but they were too good not to share.

Now here is a handy tip. If you have committed a crime just use one of these handy government approved excuses:

1    You did it in a limited and specific way

2    You were following natural justice (Jenrick)

3    It was unintentional (Priti Patel)

4    The Police should stop being so legally purist (Raab)

There that should help all aspiring criminals!

There is likely to be a delay in the 21st date. I liked this from Hugh Grants Twitter feed and whole heartedly agree:

After obvious health impacts, the main benefit of our early vaccine success was going to be the early relaxation of rules and restrictions. This has been completely squandered because Johnson prioritised a face-saving deal with India over the welfare of the people he governs. (Attributed to James O’Brian)

Did you know Pakistan was on the no fly list on the 9th but India not until the 16th!

While he takes centre stage and struts his stuff in front of the other G7 leaders, yet again promising things he has no intention of keeping, he tells the nation that we may have to wait a little longer for the restrictions to be fully lifted. He looks exactly what he is by comparison to his peers, a bumbling haystack of a man and has slotted in admirably to take the other blond buffoons place now that Trump is no longer President. Are you proud that he is our PM? If you are then I have sympathy for your gullible innocence and child like trust in this idiot!

I am currently listening to best of Rock 1988 on Spotify and what a great year it. was. Playing now is Bon Jovi’s Bad Medicine. If you have Spotify here is the link:

 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX33lABaeNmpm?si=ps0paQizT9S9IGKe6SF_0Q&dl_branch=1

I opened the french doors yesterday cranked up the music and sat in the sunshine, feet up, basking, marvellous!

Stay well

It is remarkable how many lies have been told by this government and how often each minister spends time denying that they ever said what they said! Trust is a oft misused word which in its dictionary definition is:

Reliance on the integrity strength, ability,surety,etc,of a person or thing

Confident expectation of something hope

Confidence in the certainty of future payment for property or good s received, credit

Tell me if that definition could be applied to any of our government? 

Currently the G7 are meeting in Cornwall and I ask this, if you had to spend time with Boris, what would your conclusion be about the British? If there is any future for democracy then these discussions by world leaders must encompass how to achieve equality. Until everyone is equal and equally invested in the world all the good intentions are meaningless. Global warming, hunger, oppression are amongst the many problems we face but until the majority are actually invested in solving them it will be difficult to do so.  Everyone has their own issues to deal with and trying to care about others is not always easy. It is hard to keep it all in perspective. Going back to the dictionary definition, do you have confidence that we have the right people in charge? If the last 4 years are anything to go by then the answer is a resounding no! 

I know I keep complaining about it but each day this government seem to compound and contradict. Who can you trust? Who is trustworthy, truthful, genuine? We have mistrusted governments for many reasons over many years, never has Billy Connelly’s assertion that the desire to become a politician should ban you from ever becoming one been more accurate! 

On a lighter note our new wardrobes have arrived and very nice they are too. In forty one years of marriage these are the first new wardrobes we have ever bought! No more temporary rails, no more tripping over shoes and bags. No more piles of discarded clothes on chairs or other bits of furniture. Of course it started another round of clearing out stuff we don’t need or want anymore. It is remarkable how you say you have to many clothes and then you buy more. We have between us, a ridiculous amount of shoes. I have always loved shoes and although I hardly ever wear what one would call a “formal” pair, I simply can’t bring myself to get rid of some of them. Having stopped work 3 years ago I have no need to wear smart clothing and yet every now and then I have this desire to dress up and go out in a suit. Still the clothing banks do well out of us, hey ho!

Stay well

Friday is here and with it comes the weekend. Unfortunately I seem to have damaged my right knee and cannot twist it without excruciating pain and I am hobbling around. 

It’s looking unlikely restrictions will be lifted on the 21st. Did anyone expect any lifting of restrictions not to have a effect in the spike in cases? If restrictions are lifted then it is inevitable there will be an increase, it is simple logic but you have to make a decision at some point! 

I do not necessarily understand the technicalities of the Irish border problem other than to say it is a nonsense and it is obvious that Boris’s promises about no restrictions were completely false, what a surprise! This is a man who could start a sentence promising one thing and finish it contradicting it! 

So is there any doubt that the stupidity of Brexit has not had a massive detrimental effect on our country? Surely anyone who has been following at least some of the problems it has caused cannot argue with that? And before those who say it’s done get over it, no I won’t, I refuse to give up my democratic right to keep saying it was a huge mistake and one we are going to regret for many years to come. 

The hole it has left in the job market alone is enormous and because we Brits became used to those tasks we no longer wanted to do being done by other nationalities we are screwed! Never has the saying “Be careful what you wish for” been more apt!

Stay well

And for Ray who asked if I use colour

Well it’s Wednesday, how’s the week going for you so far, not bad for me but then no week is bad for me. Someone posted on Twitter, what was the box office hit movie that was playing on your 10th birthday and that is how your 2021 will pan out, mine is The Longest Day!

Track and Trace contacted a friend of mine telling him he’d been in contact with someone who might be infected. He now has to isolate until the 16th. However his wife and two children can go about their daily lives as normal! The twisted logic of that is astounding. Another friend told me yesterday ( he works for them) that Tesco’s told their staff to turn the app off as they were losing too many staff including one incidence of 132 staff at one store! He also told me that since Brexit they have a huge shortage of HGV drivers because all the ones from Europe have gone home! The English do not want to do many of the jobs that those from Europe were willing to do and now so many of them have left there is nobody left to do them, how’s that for irony!

It goes without saying that the whole thing is now a joke and out of control. The so called “Indian variant” could have easily been limited had our wonderful leaders closed the border sooner but their commercial interest overrode safety and now we are paying the price of the folly. If anyone can explain to me the twists and turns of the restrictions regarding the pandemic then you are either a genius or you desperately need to get a life! It has become so contradictory as to be a waste of time and effort. We are all people and we need our freedom!

Stay well

Todays word QUISQUILOUS worthless or trivial an obscure way of calling something rubbish!

Did you know (and I did not) that an E Scooter (unless from one of the trial rental schemes) is not aloud to be ridden on public roads, is subject to the same laws as any other vehicle and you have to have either a provisional or full driving license to ride one? The same rules do not appear to apply to E bikes although I have not checked. 

I read that our PM is behaving as his usual hypocritical self having supported those who say the the England cricketer who was banned for historical racial tweets, treatment has been “heavy” handed by the England and Wales Cricket Board. Putting aside the cricket issue, this from a man who has written and spoken in a flagrant prejudicial way in the past and never acknowledged it was wrong or apologised for it. The player has issued a fulsome apology and regret his action from when he was a teenager. If only Boris could show the same contrition!

I have no problem with the UK as a “rich” nation providing aid to other less well off countries. During the days of Empire we raped and robbed huge parts of the world and it is only right we help. Having said that, is it right with so much wrong with our own country that we should not be spending that money here? I cannot recall, when in real terms, funding has increased for public services and especially for the social services, mental health and other vital support systems which in the past we had been so proud of!

It is not all about money. There are many more issues that require the help of a practical and organisational restructure to co-ordinate and integrate our services so that all the help is available everywhere. Someone with mental health issues may well have other problems. One major issue is not the only contributing factor to a persons situation and the whole has to be addressed.

Stay well

 Tis yet another Monday, they seem to come round every seven days! 

I notice the Euro’s will be starting at the end of this week and whilst the hype is not as great as normal before England play in an international tournament, nevertheless hope’s are high. I have said before that I find it boring to watch 90 minutes of a game and internationals are even more dull! I watched about 10 minutes of the friendly against Romania and it was excruciatingly dull! Will England win the trophy, of course not. I’ll be very pleased if they do, I may be bored with watching but that does not mean I don’t wish them to do well and if by some chance they progress to the final I will cheer along with every other fan hoping they win.

I recall watching the 1966 final on TV, I was 14. My understanding of football was not what it is today 54 years later and much has happened since but it was an exhilarating day and the nation came together as perhaps it never has since, thats what a sporting event can do and especially football. I also recall the 1990 semi-final against Germany, with Gazza’s tears and the disappointment of losing when so close to the final. The tension between full time and extra time was so great that Wendy and I went into our garden to get some air and walk about. The semi-final in the last World Cup was equally disappointing and it seems we are not destined to win a major international competition, in spite of our Premier League teams dominating Europe. 

We do have a good crop of talented younger players and a few more seasoned ones. I say put your most attack minded team on the pitch and let them do their thing. If the defence cant do their job at this level then lets just score more goals then the opposition! I appreciate that it is not that simple and it depends who the other team are but why not just go for it? 

One more thing, England have a habit of taking talented players like Grealish and then being to scared to let them play (with the exception of Gazza). Years ago they should have built the England team around Glenn Hoddle and later around Matt Le Tissier but the management at the time chickened out, let us hope that Southgate has the balls to not make the same mistakes. Good luck to them.

Stay well

I am sorry to start your Sunday morning read with yet more vitriol about the state of our country but if we don’t do something about it soon it will be to late, if isn’t already. We now live I pseudo dictatorship in all but name. Any pretence that democracy is alive and well is a fallacy! This government are riding roughshod over our rights, slowly eroding them and imposing their will upon the population. It is no secret that we have been lied too so often we know longer have any idea what the truth is! 

Did you know your Medical data is being given to private companies under the guise that it makes research easier? You can opt out but I bet you it will still get passed on. I have no objection for mine to be out there, my medical history is an open book  and if it genuinely helps then fine. My objection is not about it being shared but the fact that we are not informed and have no idea as usual. This is just one example of this administrations sneaky imposition of their ideas, that when the dust clears we will find we have been sold to the commercial world right, left and centre!

Gove went to Portugal to watch the Champions League final and was told when he came back he’d been in contact with someone who may have had Covid but of course he claimed he was exempt as he was part of a trial group, in spite of the fact that nobody in one would be contacted that way! The triumvirate of Johnson, Gove and Hancock are not just appalling governmental ministers but appalling human beings. The damage and lies that have generated between them lust be some kind of record. Yet we go on day after day allowing them to continue to govern as though nothing is wrong, in spite of the overwhelming evidence. When questioned they just answer they are busy saving lives, as though that is an excuse for any and all questions! They are responsible for thousands of preventable deaths because they acted far to slowly and have done so ever since. How much more damage must they do before we stand up and say we’ve had enough. I have been saying it since Boris was even touted as the next leader of the Conservatives. 

Our collective apathy is unforgivable and your children and children’s children will be the people who reap the the terrible state we have let out country fall into. No social care, a broken NHS, a tanked economy and worst of all, the stupidity of voting to leave the EU. Still everything will be fine if England win the Euro’s! (No chance!) 

Stay well

Word of the day from Susie Dent SPUDDLE (17th century) to work ineffectively, to be extremely busy while achieving absolutely nothing!

I read a quote from the irreverent Jonathon Pie, who I urge you to look up on YouTube and watch his wonderful rants about the state of our country and it’s government! This is not exact but:

Social media outrage: 

“I’m offended by what you have posted”

“By what?”

“I don’t actually know but your a bigot for asking me”

Sums it up doesn’t it?

Wendy has just read to me that the incidence of abuse to both children and women has increased massively during the pandemic. Partly due to lockdowns and the inability to escape your abuser and partly because it has hidden the men who abuse them. Emergency organisations who deal with these issues have reported up to a 72% rise in calls. This is not just happening in less well off countries but in Italy and other European nations! The transgender community keep bleating on about the unfairness of the prejudice towards them but none of them really will ever understand the struggle that women have had over the centuries and the abuse they still suffer throughout the world. It makes feel ill that any man would or could abuse a child or a woman but I am not surprised! More importantly what can be done to stop it.

We must not dare to post anything that might offend anyone with out another telling us we are a bigot. Maybe we all should refrain from posting anything offensive? Unfortunately people are so easily offended these days that even the mildest criticism seems offensive to someone! If we lose the right to our opinions then that is the end as far as I’m concerned. Nobody should be deliberately insulting or express extreme offensive content but the trouble is we no longer have a level to guide us! We all know the difference but it is becoming increasingly problematic to offer a view without upsetting people. I read some content that frankly make me want to scream how the person writing it is a thick ignorant idiot who should immediately be lobotomised but I refrain because they either wish to engender that reaction, don’t care or would not understand!

Stay well

https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/brexit-news/where-is-the-rage-against-government-incompetence-8015778?fbclid=IwAR2_JUaqpMS83GxruZbT2tgLRqk9FeqekXWe36SURmpkJC75_bY_WELCRh4

An incompetent, morally corrupt, shape-shifting, truth-twisting, manifesto-promise-breaking, rule-smashing, gaslighting government full of right wing rogues and anything-for-power charlatans, daily breaking most if not all of the seven principles that are meant to govern public life; and while an angry minority rages incessantly and largely helplessly about it all, another minority rages back at them, while a majority shrugs its shoulders and mutters platitudes of becalmed complacency… ‘it is what it is … it’s Boris being Boris … they’re all the same anyway … could anyone else have done any better?’

I urge you to read this article. It is far better than anything I could ever write and much more informed. the above is just one paragraph from it and I so wish I had written it!

If we collectively don’t shout loudly about the incompetence of this Johnson lead government then we are morally bankrupt and as the article says just don’t give a toss anymore? If it is true (and I think it is) then we can’t complain or moan about what they do!  I suggest we are all sick and tired of being told what is wrong, we can’t be bothered to refute all the lies (there are too many to count), apathy has always been the curse of the British, which is why we make so many poor choices! If ever we were once a great nation and I don’t think we ever were, whatever vestiges of that greatness that was left has long ago disappeared into a corrupt and morally bankrupt society that has lost any sense of right and wrong. We all bleat (and I include myself) about how many things are wrong or poorly funded but we no longer have the will or the balls to do anything about it. It to easy to just carry on and hope someone else will fight for us!

We have been lied to for so long that we are immune to it and unless it affects us directly it’s someone else’s problem. We don’t believe we can change anything so we no longer try! I am no different, as I have said many many times while writing on these pages it easy to sit comfortably and write, knowing I am well off and unlikely to be to bothered by the events I warn about! Our youth have no examples of real protest by their elders and will be even less inclined to fight for their rights! What a shocking example my generation has become for those who have followed. How many people of any age do you know who are really informed about our country or have an opinion or care and if they do think they can change anything? 

Stay well

Madness all around! Each day as I read the “news” I find myself becoming more and more incredulous and dumbfounded by the trivia of it all. Not withstanding there are horrible tragic events which merit serious reporting what the hell is going on? The Johnston’s on a “mini-moon” WTF is a that? For a man who is portrayed as having no money he seems to have enough to afford a wedding and a “holiday”! 

As for the fuss over Osaka at the French Open, how is talking to the press more important than actually playing tennis? If the woman has mental health problems that are exacerbated by attending talking to the journalists then leave her alone. Most journalists will write what ever they like anyway, when was the truth or what someone actually said been an obstacle to an article? As for fining her or any player for not attending a press conference, it seems to me, we have the whole thing about face. These players choose to perform their sport and many, especially the top players, earn millions from doing so but that does not mean that attending press conferences should be mandatory and punishable by a 15000 euro fine if they don’t! When the attendance of this type is given such importance then we have lost what little values that are left. I’m sure if you asked many of these reporters if they would be upset by Osaka no attendance for her very understandable reasons, they would not be. I have not seen any comment from the press association on that though of course all the media are reporting the story? I have no great sympathy for wealthy sports stars but I do have sympathy for any human who has mental health issues. It looks as though the governing body has seen the error of their ways and need to change their policy but it was badly handled and lacked empathy!

Stay well