An advert for the RNLI caught my attention because it indicated that the majority of their income comes from bequests in wills. The pitch was that, after you provide for your loved ones, you should leave money to the RNLI. I have no problem with this, having generations of lifeboatmen in my ancestry, but it tied in with criticism I had seen recently on X of “boomers” for hoarding wealth.
It appears to me simply true that those of my generation were able to acquire wealth, often largely invested in residential property, simply in the normal course of our working lives. It also is true that succeeding generations do not appear so easily to do this.
It is not that wealth is no longer created. It is that my generation benefited from a social democratic consensus in which wealth was much more equally spread around society. I lived through and witnessed in real time the destruction of the social democratic system that produced that outcome – the advent of neoliberalism and its mechanisms of deregulation and globalisation.
This framing is misleading, however. The establishment narrative is that extreme wealth concentration and inequality is the natural order of things and that deregulation is the removal of artificial constraints. But actually the opposite is the truth. The entire economic structure is unnatural. The very concepts of capital itself, of company structures, of banking systems, of taxation are each a carefully manufactured construct.
Extreme concentration of wealth is produced by design, not by accident. Hedge funds, family offices, share dividends, banking bonuses, massive salaries – none of this is ordained either by God or by nature. It is a construct which is becoming unworkable.
The chief executive of a FTSE 100 listed company now earns over 130 times the median UK salary. Listed companies are themselves the less extreme end of capitalist excess. I am struck that this median salary itself is about £38,000 pa. I was earning £38,000 as a muddling diplomat in about 1995, 30 years ago. Wage stagnation for ordinary people is stunning.
In 1985 I bought my first home for £32,000. My salary was £14,500. Those same little terraced houses in Abbey Wood now sell for over £400,000. They have gone from twice a normal salary to ten times the average salary. I have no idea how a normal person can buy a house now. But the housing market is only a symptom of the distorting effects of the extreme inequalities of late capitalism.
Foodbanks, benefit dependency, lack of career progression opportunity, the collapse of social mobility. This is all incredibly unhealthy. The rise of the world’s first trillionaire and of incredible concentrations of wealth. I stood for election in Blackburn – a city with pockets of real deprivation and, incredibly, seven billionaires.
Wealth is largely digits in laptops. Some of it translates into physical control of property or productive units. All of it needs to be fundamentally rebalanced in favour of those who actually produce the wealth. The accounting tricks of Jim Ratcliffe do not amount to wealth creation. In fact asset stripping and dismantling of productive capacity is much more often the path to riches than producing material things.
The world is deeply sick. Society needs a thorough and imaginative re-engineering, with altruism as a founding principle.
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Gary Stevenson is saying much the same as Craig.
@garyseconomics on YouTube and many other platforms.
https://www.youtube.com/@garyseconomics/videos
Elwood, while promoting his book on WW3, implying on LBC this afternoon an impending false flag event in the UK to scare the population into compliance with/acceptance of rapid militarisation of the UK
As long as the people who matter continue to prosper, nothing will change.
By their appointees shall ye know them.
Anyone holding the hope that the NEW! IMPROVED! NORTHERN! rebranded-c**t product will be any better than the previous versions can save themselves future disappointment by understanding only the packaging has changed: the product is exactly the same – canned * compassion *; ‘ nature identical ‘ ( always cracks me up that one ) * ordinariness *; synthetic ‘ organic ‘ empathy and packed with Vitamin Manc ( vital for regular bowel movement ) & and a Cabinet* of other essential immune-to-giving-a-fuck-system-strengthening ingredients ( *may contain traces of nuts )
Damian Streeting – Attack Secretary: so being * closely * associated with fellow Gay Ghoul, Mandelson not such a liability after all
Horatio Hornblower Healy – Last Chancellor Saloon Manager, ie in charge of the cheque book to determine how may £Bs to be funnelled into War Promotion, so, in reality, * Defence * with unlimited credit card access. Zelenski will be foreign property hunting again
Shabanana Mah Arse – Foam Secretary
Yvette Balls – ahahahahahahahahahaha
+ other interchangeable ciphers & nodding dogs
Burnham is obviously the Continuity of Agenda guy; he wouldn’t have been installed ( unelected, even by his own party ) had he not been. So, total critical silence on /complicity with the monstrous Netanyahu Regime 👍; continued pouring of petrol & £billions into the inferno of NATO’s Proxy War against Russia 👍; and the now regular ritual of Telling the Jocks to Fuck-Off and STFU 👍.
His appointments and his record. What was Burnham’s ‘Manchesterism’, other than the standard Labour Right cosy relationship with property developers?
Indeed, Z. The SNP are the same, except in their case it’s more to do with ” Inward Investment “, ie encouraging – often with large * cash * inducements – foreign businesses to come and avail themselves of Scotland’s resources at knockdown prices, eg the Great Scotwind Giveaway where/when the bungling incompetents ( or recipients of * brown envelopes * ) themselves set the maximum ‘ ceiling ‘ on bids ( who does that?! ) and ended-up under-valuing the contracts by £Bs – of course, not so much as a wrist was slapped for such amateurish ( at best ) or criminally incompetent use of – what should have been – publicly-owned resource.
They too are also slavishly accommodating to Property/Land * Developers *. As are all the other Parties
In 1952, at a time when I am sure the British economy was in a far worse state than it is today, I moved from lodgings with my parents and baby brother to a brand new three bedroomed council house. The rent was twenty three shillings and four pence a week(a little over one pound, wages were about five pounds). A massive social housing programme had been initiated by the previous Labour government and was continuing under the then Conservative government which, you see, was far to the left of the present miserable apology for a working class party. Britain then was on the way to being a true social democracy. Well, you know who finally stamped that out 30 years later.
Burnham is clearly not the answer. I fail to understand why this dream of overt militarism has captured the ruling class, paying for which will completely destroy living conditions for the masses. Nobody is threatening Britain. It only makes sense if NATO has secretly decided to strike the first blow to finally destroy Russia. Well, good luck with that. Britain will be turned to a sheet of glass in 15 minutes.
Corbyn’s Labour was your last chance for a return to a country run for its people. I rejoined the Labour Party and helped in my local constituency. I was devastated by the way the true enemies of the country navigated his downfall. It was the main reason why, while remembering the Britain of my youth fondly, I finally emigrated six years ago to escape what I knew would be the ultimate collapse of the country which is now well on the way, and I watch it in horror from the other side of the world, in countries where I can wear my Palestine flag T shirt without fear of being arrested. So I will just sign off by urging you that you are neither too old nor too poor to seek a new life where the weather is better, the beaches whiter, the sea warmer, the people happier, where you won’t be imprisoned for opposing a genocide, and where your pound stretches a lot further. Do it now (you too, Craig!) before it’s too late.
It gets increasingly painful coming back here after any time spent abroad. A land pecked almost clean by rentiers, large and small. The long dream of sensible centrist neoliberals almost fully realised. Over half of the youth say they would not fight for it even if it was attacked by Russia.
I’m too old to realistically fight for anything, as if I give a f*ck anyway given our corrupt government. However, I wouldn’t fight against a Russian or Chinese incursion but I would consider fighting against American, Israeli or Ukrainian incursions. It’s important to know who the real enemies are.
If they insist on war with the Bear they will have to get the BBC/ GB News lot out on their zimmers. The youth will not fight for them.
I think this is true for all of Europe. Recently seen the result of a poll in Germany ( where the fanatics in government are * flirting * with conscription ) showing some derisory % supporting the Proxy War and and even lower % in favour of going to fight/die in it. Thanks – exclusively, the entire West MSM in Pro-War lockstep – to Social Media platforms more people are able to see through the propaganda, incessant lies and distortions of Reality.
It’s one of the reasons why I’m hopeful – despite the truly unhinged banshee wailing of the EUK ‘ Leadership’s ‘ Mass Formation Psychosis – out-and-out total war will be averted. If none, or only a minuscule % want to fight for these clowns, who will, those pampered Elitists in London, Brussels, Washington? LOL, nah I don’t think so
Indeed. Although the British seem to think they can still manufacture consent for war by criminalizing news from targeted countries, forcing YouTube to suppress dissenting voices, banning youngsters from social media, etc. It’s an anti-free speech strategy that reeks of zionist influence, very well advanced in the USA where they are trying to monopolize information across all platforms.
@zoot – “Over half of the youth say they would not fight for it even if it was attacked by Russia.”
Armies are smaller now, though, relative to population size than in WW1 or WW2.
@walt “I moved from lodgings with my parents and baby brother to a brand new three bedroomed council house.”
Dunno how old you were but maybe in your early 20s if you had a baby brother? In the London area some of my family stayed on the council waiting list for about 20 years. They were eventually given a council tenancy once the two children (who had been small when the application for a tenancy was entered) had both grown up and one of them (my mother) had moved out and started her own family already.
The saying “You can’t expect to get an A1 population out of C3 homes” (i.e. the army bosses telling the rest of the ruling class they needed a supply of fit proletarians) no longer holds relevance.
Completely agree with this:
“Burnham is clearly not the answer. I fail to understand why this dream of overt militarism has captured the ruling class, paying for which will completely destroy living conditions for the masses.”
Burnham is perhaps the least bad alternative but why the bullshit militarism leading to disaster in Ukraine for the Ukrainian people, genocide in the Middle East and potential obliteration for Western Europe, including us? I feel our investigative reporting class are failing us, including Craig, by not providing a cogent answer. Why are our MPs so supportive of war on Russia and killing Palestinians, Lebanese and Iranians? Can it be as simple that they have been back handed by supporters of Israel to hold these opinions? The supporting freedom mantra does not do it for me. What is the answer?
I don’t think it’s just Israel. The rush to militarism is world-wide. Europe is ramping up its attack-spending, allegedly under pressure from Trump, especially Germany, where Volkswagen just announced it wanted to stop building cars and start building tanks (I’m paraphrasing). Japan is re-arming, Australia is buying nuclear submarines, India’s defence spending has increased by nearly 10% in the last year, the Saudis are going to start enriching uranium. I could go on….
One of the drivers is the US, which I believe is gearing up for a war with China, but exactly why the world is rushing headlong towards armageddon is an interesting question. Broad strokes, I believe there are three reasons;
1. Money; arms manufacture is one of the biggest industries in the world and the current rush towards death is making its owners and investors piles and piles of money.
2. Collapse of US hegemony which is leading to global uncertainty. As America declines, it is thrashing around like a rabid dog, When it does finally collapse, assuming it doesn’t take the rest of us with it, there will be a power vacuum and nobody wants to be caught short when catastrophe hits.
3. Resource battles. Natural resources are becoming scarcer. Access to everything from food, water and clean air to fossil fuels, metals and minerals is becoming increasingly challenging. As these scarcities are unevenly distributed, in time they will lead to increased competition between nations (such as the current conflict over the Arctic – hence Trump wanting to annexe Canada and Greenland) as well as huge flows of refugees, displaced by war, climate change, famine and disease, which will need to be kept out.
The Four Horsemen will need a long rest after the next 50 years. The poor guys have barely recovered from WWII.
“1. Money; arms manufacture is one of the biggest industries in the world and the current rush towards death is making its owners and investors piles and piles of money.”
It’s all about money, most wars are, or have been. The rich that run the US want total control of the World’s trade and the billions of dollars in superprofits that go with that control. All the current “bad guys” that we are supposed to hate are those who stand in the way of that control.
Curious Bystander
July 22, 2026 at 11:19
*Cough* Putin’s war of choice against Ukraine has involved a massive increase of military spending.
Odd that you didn’t mention that.
Why the overt militarism ? Because successive governments have destroyed our ability to make anything other than war. Our main industries and our economy relies on feeding the MIC. And, once you get to the state where thousands of jobs rely on a war economy then any reduction in state sanctioned murder means hardships for workers and no votes for politicians. Success equals death and death equals Success. Western democracy 101.
Your successive governments have destroyed your ability to make everything including war. At the moment, you have neither army nor navy capable of dealing with a serious adversary, just some air force. Your (that is, Euro-NATO) current militarism exclusively relies on the assumption that the US will use its might to back you up, however, with Trump in the White House you may be very, very wrong.
“Because successive governments have destroyed our ability to make anything other than war.”
It’s not just the government, it’s the British culture, which, since the 60s, has embraced subcontractorism in a big way. First everything was subbed out to smaller and smaller local subcontractors, then industry found it was cheaper to sub manufacturing abroad. Now it’s all ended up in China. Why make anything in the UK when it’s cheaper to have it made in China and ship it here, then still sell it for the same price as the home-manufactured article?
@Philip – “I feel our investigative reporting class are failing us”
Huh? When was the last investigative reporting job by the big media that you think did the people a favour?
I’d say it was the thalidomide story in the Sunday Times.
Nowadays the choice is between being with Big Pharma or being with Luigi Mangione. (On the plus side, arguably this makes things much simpler.)
Just look at the Covid years. Where was the critical reporting? It didn’t exist.
I guess the Guardian did a good job too breaking the story about women in labour being chained to beds in British prisons, but that was decades ago and it only happened as a result of party politics.
Compare too the epoch of Cathy Come Home (BBC, 1966) with 2026 when no big media whatsoever are touching the issue of forced adoptions. (The authorities can “apologise” for the long distant past, but the story about how this crime against humanity is continuing now is getting no coverage in the big media whatsoever. On the contrary, the Burnham administration is talking about giving even more power to local councils. For info, see this small and excellent campaigning site).
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon – two wholly innocent people – were practically burnt at the stake as witches by the media. There was a single reasonably okay article – by Claire Wills in the London Review of Books, but 1. that’s not the big media, and 2. the article was seriously missing a firing pin, and the author was a long way from denouncing the outrage as it deserved to be denounced, rather than portraying it as “sad” or as something literary.
PS Interestingly the thalidomide story seems to have led to a judgment in the ECHR that says the public interest sometimes outweighs contempt of court. The judgment is here
https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-57584
I don’t disagree with anything you wrote, I would only add a couple of things;
I completely agree that Corbyn was the last chance we had to actually install a government that might change things, and I admire him in many ways. The sustained attack by the establishment and his own party was horrific; the fact he lasted as long as he did was remarkable. That said, Corbyn was (and is) an abysmal tactician. When Chris Williamson stood up and said that antisemitism was being used as a tool to undermine Labour, Corbyn should have backed him. Instead, he fired him. The people he should have fired were Starmer and Watson, among several others, but he was too concerned with being accused of reviving the Militant faction. Of course, he had a lot to contend with, but the way he has subsequently handled Your Party (“Who are they?”) I think demonstrates that he just doesn’t have what it takes.
Second, you say “seek a new life where the weather is better”. Fair enough, but where? The pandemic demonstrated pretty conclusively that nowhere is safe. Governments can turn and change on a dime; a liberal democracy (alleged) can turn into an authoritarian nightmare in an instant. Furthermore. for those of us “of an age”, nice beaches are perhaps less important than access to free healthcare at the point of heart-attack. A friend of mine is moving to Georgia, (the former Soviet satellite, not the racist paradise in the southern US) because her dollar will stretch further, but a quick glance a the map tells me she’s crazy.
Perhaps you are arguing that with the way the world is going, we’re all toast anyway so you might as well enjoy your remaining days of freedom somewhere nicer than the UK, but I would genuinely like to hear any suggestions you have. The UK moves closer to dystopia every day, I just don’t know where is likely to be better – all things considered.
Well, there are many countries offering retirement visas of various types now. At the risk of being declared off-topic I can share some personal experiences.
If cost is the primary consideration, the Philippines stands head and shoulders above the rest. The cost of living is virtually zero, it has to be because it is one of the world’s most poverty stricken countries. The minimum wage is around $10: wait for it, that’s not the hour, that’s the day. English widely spoken. We rent a three bedroom bungalow on a quietish small island near the beach for about $300 a month for holidays (I am actually writing this there). You can get a life’s retirement visa (the SRRV) for from $10,000. There are good private hospitals for those who can pay. Exonerate yourself by putting money in to the economy, employing locals, maybe even starting a business. All year round summer but just try to avoid the typhoons, the volcanoes and the earthquakes.
I have actually spent most of the six years in Shenzhen, China. To do this you need a job or ultimately a spouse. I did both sequentially. Back a while in Shekou, the historic location of Reform and Opening in 1979, it used to be the foreigners’ paradise, but now I seem to be almost the last one left, the bits we loved have all gone, it’s all turned a bit sour and I am hankering for a quieter life. We have just bought a house in Hong Kong. You may be aware that the cost of buying and renting there is about the highest in the world, but there is a curious anomaly on the outer islands where it is about a third of the going rate: you can buy a small apartment (and I mean small!) for around 200,000 pounds or rent one for 500 a month.
I found the cost of medical care very high in Hong Kong, but China’s is of the highest quality and very cheap.The University of Hong Kong Hospital in Shenzhen has kept my prostate cancer at bay for five years and operated on me within six hours of my gall bladder exploding. Beat that, NHS! I spent eleven days in the hospital and it cost about 3,000 pounds. If Britain is on the 14 day visa free entry list you can easily pop across and take advantage. Anyway, Hong Kong’s Lamma Island has a population of 6,000, divided roughly equally between Chinese, Westerners and Filipina maids, no high rises, virtually no traffic apart from bicycles, the last little paradise in the world. Again English almost the main language. And just 25 minutes by fast ferry from Central. With a British passport you get six months stay in Hong Kong and then you just need to take a day trip to Macau or Shenzhen to start over. See you there!
Thanks for such a fulsome and generous reply!
I knew a little about the Philippines as a friend of mine lives half the year there. He said the same thing, very cheap and nice if you have money. I would balk at living in a country ruled by a dynasty, with only a brief gap for a man who conducted extra-judicial killings of drug dealers. Today’s foreign retirees might become tomorrow’s undesirables. Also, I understand the humidity can be unbearable.
China is a different story. The language barrier is considerable, but if I could find a job there, I think I would jump at it. (I’m already married so finding a Chinese wife is impractical.) I have studied Chinese martial arts and philosophy for decades and have huge admiration for the culture, both the ancient and what they have achieved post-Mao. Mrs. Bystander, unfortunately, is not keen and maintains a “better the devil you know” attitude. However, as the devil we know becomes worse, perhaps China and Hong Kong will look more appealing to her. Here’s hoping. I think a holiday there would be an excellent first step. I have several friends in Hong Kong, both natives and ex-pats, who have mixed views on it since its return to Chinese hands. And your point about real-estate costs is well-taken. In some ways, I’d be more keen on mainland China, at least in theory.
Thanks again and all the best in your Asian paradise.
There’s an impeachment trial – of the current vice-president, Sara Duterte (Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter) – going on in the Philippines which, if successful, might upset the balance of power between those factions that support Rodrigo Duterte and those that support the current President (Bongbong Marcos).
In his policies and general platform, Bongbong Marcos has been moving closer to the United States, and this stance will be an issue if the US pushes Taiwan to declare its independence from China and war ensues. The distance between Taipei and Manila is just over 1,200 kilometres and a direct flight between the two capital cities takes about 150 minutes (2 hours 30 minutes). War between the US and China over Taiwan could spill over into the Philippines especially if there are US bases in the island nation being used as launch-pads to attack China.
What is the problem? As Jeremy Corbyn himself attested to: tens of thousands of doctors and engineers are coming to Britain every single year – things couldn’t be brighter!
The doctors coming in can’t always find work, because money is being saved by cutting the number of fully qualified medical doctors and using lesser qualified assistants. Imagine how the knowledge gained by 5 years full-time studies by a medical student (plus another year of intensive “apprenticeship” training, for GMC registration) compares with that from a two-year course of training for “physicians’ associates” following a science degree. We also have “nurse practitioners” who have a limited power to prescribe. Fortunately regulations are now being tightened with better oversight. That’s a step in the right direction.
I think Peter’s meaning of the term ” doctors and engineers ” flew right over your head, M.J. It has become a sarcastic term to reflect the yawning chasm between what we were/ are told is the composition of Mass Immigration to the EUK, ie they are all highly trained professionals , eg doctors and engineers, whose skills * we * urgently require; and the reality of the situation – the vast majority of immigrants are unskilled or only basically skilled people, whom we know nothing about in advance, eg their education, work experience or criminal record ( not saying all or even many do have criminal records, the point is, we simply don’t know, they are hardly going to volunteer such information, are they? )
I’ll let Peter speak for himself. I’m aware that doctors who do want to come here have to pass some stiff examinations, so there’s not much chance of imposters getting through. As for asylum seekers or illegals in general, I think the problem needs more imagination, including thought about where they come from and why. Just saying ‘not our problem, hire more border guards’ won’t solve it.
Robert Hughes got it right. I was being sarcastic! I was quoting Jeremy Corbyn: “The refugees of today are our doctors, carers, teachers and neighbours of tomorrow.” – he may have said engineers too, but can’t find that quote now.
I’m just sick and tired of these straw man arguments by people like Corbyn. Not many are against helping people who are desperate – skilled or not skilled – and few are against immigration in principle, but that’s not the same as indiscriminately allowing the world and his wife to come here, which is Corbyn’s real agenda. However bad things get, he will simply accuse others of racism and hatred. In fact, by saying such people could make this country worse – if only as a result of their sheer numbers – as opposed to infinitely better, would be regarded as hatred by Jeremy.
Fair enough (about Robert Hughes’ interpretation). My understanding about Corbyn is that he’s not so much for unrestricted entry as having safe, legal and managed routes for refugees, and allowing them to work, and not make refuge temporary or cap the numbers. He takes the 1951 convention seriously.
The government’s policies are much stricter, designed to appeal to people raising concerns raised here. Corbyn has described them as disgraceful.
The Green Party’s policies on refugees seem to be closest to Corbyn’s – safe and managed routes including the right to work and abolition of the “hostile environment” including detention centres where refugees aren’t an actual danger.
One thought I’ve had is: when our lives end we’ll cross the Big River with nothing. Might there be some relationship between the attitude we decide to have towards refugees now, and the reception we might expect?
M.J., well said.
People worried about “unrestricted immigration” are permitting themselves to be misled; people have to be desperate to attempt a crossing to Britain in a small boat, there is no other way to apply for asylum, and these comprise just one in twenty of total immigration. The real immigration surge was Boris Johnson’s 900,000+ for a couple of years, presumably to replace the EU citizens forced out by Brexit.
The fact is that the people crossing the channel in small boats have passed through various other EU countries where asylum could be claimed, plus they have paid a substantial sum to the people smugglers. They are not desperate to claim asylum in the UK because of our human rights record, instead they are desperate to enrich themselves on the UK’s lax benefits systems. The other point is that the channel crossers are a relatively small part of the problem, those abusing the visa system are the biggest part of the hundreds of thousands that rock up each year to the great UK giveaway.
However, until someone stops wars and corruption the chances of stopping immigration is nil.
@ Peter & Stevie B
Looks like the geniuses of the EU Menagerie, who * appear * intent on taking Europe to the ‘ precipice ‘ by inciting a war with Russia, are now trying to force reluctant — mostly E European countries – to accept ” their share ” of the Mass Immigration lunacy, under threat of severe financial penalty for non-compliance – ah the sheer demockracy displayed by that mob of demented fckn idiots.
You see, that part of Europe has – up until now – been spared the precious bounty of * culturally enrichment * via millions of young ( numerically overwhelmingly ) men; often hostile, frustrated-in-various-way and certainly uninterested in * integrating * with what they perceive to be against-their-native-culture * Progressive * flim flam and Brickies-in-frocks insisting they be addressed as She/Her ( more like Ben Hur ) not to mention treating women as equals; so, in order to keep those Euro Millions flowing into their countries, they will just have to abandon any quaint notions of cultural identity/cohesion and bend the knee to DEIfication of their nations.
As the article refers…..the language of Mass Immigration imposition is no longer, eg about Cultural Enrichment, but about ” sharing the burden ” of such. Well, who fckn created the burden in the first place? You got it….the US + it’s lickspittle Euro Vassals; now we – the people’s of Europe – who were given no say in the aggression that is possibly the single biggest factor in causing people to leave their own countries – in fact demonstrated en masse against such aggression, eg against the Iraq War ( and a fat lot of good that done, again, there’s that demockracy-in-action ) now have just suck it up. Anyone been clocking the situation in ROI & N Ireland? Yeah, enforced ” multiculturalism ” really going down a storm there – or should that be ” going down a bomb “.
How long before this latest outrageous Brussels imposition causes utter bedlam in those E.European countries being subjected to Mass Immigration diktat? and just when the same lunatics doing the imposing are trying to create the illusion of an entire Europe united ( by Russophobic propaganda ) to fight a WW3. It’s this kind of utterly demented contradiction that makes the possibility that the intent of the Psychos That Are is, indeed to FUBAR the whole continent. How otherwise make sense of their actions?
https://archive.ph/82rEj
Stevie Boy:
– “They are not desperate to claim asylum in the UK because of our human rights record, instead they are desperate to enrich themselves on the UK’s lax benefits systems…
– …those abusing the visa system are the biggest part”
Talk to a lot of them frequently, do you?
The Daily Mail complained that Burnham as PM would take the country back to the 1970s. I doubt that, but thinking of “bed blocking” because of the lack of social care, I remember in the mid 1960s having to have an emergency operation for appendicitis in York while on an overnight stay. Post operation I was transferred to a convalescent hospital facing as I remember it York racecourse and was there for a couple of weeks. Simple solution to relieving acute beds. Where are the equivalent facilities now? Gone, but they could be easily made available as the supply and resources are there, albeit unfortunately in the form of privately run nursing homes, but the rag bag of the current market system which we now have prevents any proper planning.
Much of British culture is encapsulated in that single term “bed blocking”, perhaps even more so than in “helicopter parents”.
“I’m on tuppence ha’penny a week and in debt up to my eyeballs, but I’m in the Army[*], and all the civilian types in the General Public just don’t understand how hard it is for us when we have to deal with the dirty smelly natives. Oh how dearly we need something to be DONE.”
I wonder whether there’s any other culture in the world that has a concept like “bed blocking”?
Note
* Or in the state “health” system, or work in a school or a housing department, or for the social services or police, etc. etc. etc.
Beds are unblocked by delivering a “care package” in to-day’s language.
Community Care was abolished by the Community Care Act 1990.
There’s been a change of attitude to ‘bed rest’ since then. It’s been established that it was not beneficial and in some cases positively harmful. These days the aim is to get patients up and moving and discharged as soon as possible.
“Convalescence” = “reablement”, “intermediate treatment”, “rehabilitation” etc in today’s terms. The issue is how best to achieve these things. My friend now dead was “got up and moving and discharged” asap and kept having to be readmitted more than once because he kept falling and injuring himself “by being got up and moved” when he could n’t. There can be a fine line in decision making between readiness for discharge on clinical grounds and readiness for discharge because the hospital needs the bed for the next person.
You cannot get people with dementia and other terminal illnesses ‘up and moving’. Our hospitals are full of people who don’t want to be there and shouldn’t be there but have nowhere else to go. Our care services for the old and terminally ill are abysmal. The UK has plenty of money for war and immigrants but nothing for their own citizens.
I don’t think that the Eminent professors of economics or politics would come up with this phrase bur, I will:
We are living in the period ( here’s the acronym) of the TFFT – Thank F**k For That era where politicians the MSM and rent a quoters all ask the childlike question of: ‘ How do WE pay for that? ‘
Petrol prices have gone up a fair bit – energy prices have rocketed but , the advice from the sages is to be grateful for small mercies.
It could have been £100 but, it’s only £95 – even though the price before was £60.
Inflation has dropped by 0.2% and that is welcome but these prices of retail goods and services will not go down in
the future.
They never do.
They will remain at least as they are now whether or not the Orange Oaf continue or doesn’t continue his idiotic attack on Iran.
The retail prices are baked in – as they say.
Burnham’s task is to increase incomes to ameliorate these now fixed price increases and if you are old enough to remember Ted Heath’s Threshold Payment increases in wages where wages rose per month by abit more the rate of inflation, then maybe that would be useful.
Red Ted?
The fact is retail prices will not go down in the future – fuel prices might but, the capitalists get used to their accidental gains and only a tax on their gains will back up the increase in wages.
Not corner shops – Corporate gains.
Some good news! https://www.declassifieduk.org/met-police-re-opens-war-crimes-case-on-britons-fighting-for-israel/
That is good news, albeit they are acting due to legal threat not a sudden prick of conscience.
Talking of people acting under threat, I wonder what Craig is making of the pro-Hegseth ravings of his boy Richie Medhurst.
Oh for sure but at least it’s SOMETHING in the right direction. Interesting timing, too…
I’m pretty sure they’ll be more than ten who went to aid and abet in genocide, an investigation into those who went to Ukraine should also be opened.
Craig you may find this interesting – its from Richard Medhurst, and he swears by his Graphene OS System to protect his data, when arrested at airports. If you can’t protect a source they won’t speak to you again.
https://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Journalist-Richard-Medhurst-had-his-mobile-phone-seized-Did-using-a-secure-phone-protect-his-data
If I hear another comment that we need to “build more houses” (and someone on here is bound to say it) I am going to scream. The house (actually land) price is fundamentally tied to credit conditions, and liberalising those has led to mass speculation on land values. You can build houses till you are blue in the face and have no perceptible effect on prices, it is just a fake solution benefitting landowners and developers, who, surprise surprise, are also politically powerful actors.
Indeed, as Peter Apps makes clear in his interview with Aaron Bastani.
I prefer the requisition of any building that could accommodate people to a civilised standard. Hey presto! everyone has a decent home.
I prefer a site value tax which avoids having to requisition anything, which would be very cumbersome. Then buildings will not be left empty like all those tiers of property in London above business premises.
I am curious about all these decisions being taken by Burnham on assumption of office of PM, and which seem to reflect those of a dictator rather than of a democratically elected leader (which I know he was not) of a democratically run political party (which I know Labour is not).
Arrr Jesus, the reality confronting Andy, Healey and the rest of the war on Russia halfwits is even more shocking than previously understood…
‘Exclusive polling by YouGov has found only 6% of people in the UK would volunteer to fight for the country in the face of an “imminent” invasion.’
https://news.sky.com/video/poll-suggests-britons-would-not-volunteer-to-fight-off-an-imminent-invasion-13565978
So just 4.2 million…. a further 14% would serve once conscripted which would mean 14 million in total. A bigger problem might be equipping them all.
Iran getting ready to bomb Perfidious Albion’s bases in West Asia – and the surrounding areas, as the new PM of England Burnham continues to allow US bombers to use English RAF bases, and Diego Garcia, as staging posts to bomb Iran.
Iranian subs could get close enough to Diego Garcia, to then launch a missile that could reach the staging post, Iran could hit Akrotiri and Dhekelia on Cyprus, Jufair in Bahrain, or Duqm in Oman – Donnelly Lines at Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE, I think Iran has already hit the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and Saudi Arabia: British personnel are stationed at 15 locations, including King Fahad, King Khalid, and King Faisal air bases – which are used as a staging post to attack Yemen, and there are other less well known English targets in the region.
The UK population is around 70,000,000, so I’m guessing your figure of 6% (4.2 million) includes children, the infirm, pensioners and so on, and I guess your 14 million total includes the same cohort. You and the armchair generals may need to rejig these figures in the event of a nuclear exchange.
Watch the video from Sky and it’s 6% of the total population. Another 51% claimed to be ineligible through age or infirmity.
So it’s around 1 in 8 of the eligible cannon fodder. Really, it’d depend on how credible this “invasion” threat was. It’s not 1914 any more and it certainly doesn’t help when our media feeds us what turns out to be one “terminal inexactitude” after another while leaving out anything that doesn’t fit the approved narrative.
Pears Morgaine
The bigger problem would be to find enough Barracks and to feed them from The Local Food Banks.
The British don’t have a Military Force that went after the sun set on the Empire.
Roundabout the time of The Suez Crisis when the Yanks had to remind the UK who was in charge of the world now.
Anyway the UK is now in the sights of Iran.
A sort of far off Gulf State.
It comes to something when a small nation like the UK manages to brass of a heavily armed nation like Russia and a country that the threatened nation thought were only good at making beautiful carpets.
Donald is proving to be The Wizard of Oz and the UK and Germany as well as France are The Tin Man – The Cowardly Lion and a Scarecrow.
Only Dorothy is brave so that omits Von Der Lying.
What a mess, and all due to Kow Towing to the Wizard and previous Wizards in the first place.
Fair enough the US is powerful nation but, it doesn’t mean you have roll over and over like Toto every time the US Wizard of the day shouts jump.
Wizard of Oz analogy over now.
Well, 14 million + 1 as we assume you’ll be ‘ doing your bit for the War Effort ‘ too, right? Grandad’s Army Needs You, Mr Migraine
It really has come to * something * ( not quite sure what ) that people like yourself are actually trying to big-up the number of potential fighting men – and women no doubt, y’know * Feminism * n’aw that; oh wait, have you included the ‘ Trans ‘ Corps in that number. wonder what latrines they would be assigned? FUCK! just think of the potential Court Marshals there could be for ‘ in the Field ‘ misgendering . And while we’re in the realm of fantasy scenarios, eg your image of WW3 being more-or-less WW1 with The Hun onside for a change, would the ‘Trans ‘ Corps be part of a larger Queer Battalion?
And how many of that ” 14 million ” ( lol ) could be dragged away from watching, eg Chelsea v Man City to go and die that Zelly can add another few $million to his Offshore Haven Account? Just think if a decisive battle clashes with the F.A Cup Final! Same if Strictly Get Me Out Of Celebrity Big Brother On Ice is showing, that’s gonna put the kibosh on taking St Petersburg, no?
I wouldn’t bother with the numbers game, Mr M, if it all goes inter-continentally ballistic the outcome will have nothing to do with who has the largest army, they – and we – will all be vaporised before any Normandy-on-the-Volga Saving Private He/They * heroics * could occur.
Ah well, if perchance even a single survivor emerges from the smouldering, Post-Thermonuclear wasteland, they can always declare to the sunless, humanity-vacated void……” at least we didn’t let Putin win “. It will all have been worth it, eh?
Feel better for that?
I was simply putting some numbers to the percentages. No need to get so over excited.
I’m not at all excited, never mind overly so. Just having a laugh at your ridiculous ruminations. Could you not put your intelligence to better use than playing that Fantasy Numbers Game: eg HONESTLY remembering how * we * got to this demented contemplation of End of Days scenarios? Don’t bother saying anything as terminally stupid as ” because PUTIN attacked Tellytubbyland East in an unprovoked act of aggression “. If you do, I’ll have to conclude that the ‘ intelligence ‘ I imputed to you is as chimeric as your vision of a winnable WW3
Robert HUghes.
I’d imagine he’s already employed within another arm of the English military, maybe Hubble road or Denison.
Military Intelligence … if only !
Military, possibly – but I don’t know about the intelligent bit, lol.
” Strictly Get Me Out Of Celebrity Big Brother On Ice”
You could be on to something there, Robert. I’d definitely pay money to watch that, as long as it wasn’t hosted by Ant & Dec!
It is worth remembering that during World Wars I and II, a sizeable proportion of the British Army was made up of Indians, and many of those Indian soldiers being volunteers.
INDIAN SOLDIERS IN FRANCE DURING WORLD WARS
Suppose that Britain were to fight World War III, we must recognise the country no longer has an empire it can draw volunteers from. It would have to beg its former colonies, especially India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, to supply soldiers and volunteers. This would literally be uncharted territory the British armed forces are sailing into, if Britain expects the same level of participation it was able to command during the previous World Wars.
The other large-scale alternative would be to depend on mercenaries drawn from across the world to fight for Britain.
” The other large-scale alternative would be to depend on mercenaries drawn from across the world to fight for Britain.”. What about all those migrants that have entered EUK in the last few years? Maybe that’s why Mass Migration has been allowed to happen.
Good point about the lack of * Commonwealth * to draw cannon-fodder from ‘ this time ‘
Jen.
Colonial troops have always played a big part in English wars, during the Second Boer War, London had colonials from all over the world fighting against the Boer – even gunslingers from the US fought for Whitehall.
WW3 will not resemble previous wars to any degree. The conscription, boots on the ground model is outdated. Flash, bang, wallop , stone age would be closer to the reality.
Stevie Boy
Bette informed people than myself will tell people that each war in history is an increase in technological capability ( more dead bodies for your buck ) and we are now in the era of AI operated war.
The Drone Gaming Players on all sides will lose their jobs and it will mainly rely on satellites – servers and whether the phone masts are working.
It will become impersonal which is a great leap from the old style of – throw enough troops at the enemy and we blast our way through.
Trump and Iran as well as Israel are warring but this is basically missile and drone throwing at each other.
The thing is that in history it is rare that countries can be Changed by Air Power alone.
Once you do change the Regime the winners troops have to go in and occupy the place to make sure that the change remains unchanged.
Maybe Robots will do the occupying?
They will need big batteries or some ground breaking B & Q extension leads.
The Guerilla fighters will be trained in sniping the robot’s batteries.
They will issue the Message to the antis in the voice of Trump:
‘ You have 20 seconds to comply!’
‘ Like the Europeans and the UK have always done.’
They don’t even need to be told – it’s instant.
I’m sure the US just thinks – how would we like them to submit their pre- surrender?
As mentioned before. One high-altitude EMP (nuclear) bomb can disable continent wide electronic communication. No phones, no internet, no GPS, no EVs, no renewables, no power grid, no Tesco’s. I’d suggest any war under such conditions would be unfeasible and the public would have bigger issues to deal with.
Stevie Boy
Agreed, it will be a missile and drone fest, of which Ukraine and Russia now have a lot of experience, as do the Zio-Monsters – though they’ve hunted down and killed women and children, the Ukrainian Neo-Nazi terror force, are currently training terrorists in the Sahel, France wants the Sahel states back under control – so it can continue to asset strip them.
I’ve read recently that Russia is now using AI enabled drones, as opposed the usual (FPV) drones.
People have calculated that in the Great War, the Dominions and the empire added about 25% to the British war effort.
Is Andy Burnham the most full of sh*te PM in Britain since Tony Blair? He is literally saying that an office in the Holy City of Manchester, full of civil servants, special advisers, a few ministers, and occasionally even himself, is an “engine for growth”. This reminds me of Margaret Thatcher saying the big place in Britain where lotsa wealth was created [sic] was the City of London. You would have thought Burnham, being from a historically industrial region himself, might actually have a clue what “engine” and “growth” actually mean. No engine ever produced anything in an office, whether an office full of financial crooks or an office full of public “servants”.
Burnham is like Donald Trump, saying he’s going to solve everyone’s problems. He says he’s going to reindustrialise every part of the country (what, even parts that were never industrialised in the first place?) and “solve the housing crisis”.
The promised “political decentralisation”, meaning giving more power to the regime’s local authorities, is scary. Those who studied Covid legislation (IIRC, 300 or so pages in one statute that suddenly appeared as if from nowhere) are aware of what the scumbags who run local authorities were itching to do at that time, egged on and “enabled” by the centre. (It matters not a jot whether the centre is in London or Manchester.)
Apparently Burnham’s is the kind of decentralisation that involves one office in gang-run Manchester “(driving) reindustrialisation and growth across every postcode of the UK.” But wait, “growth cannot be imposed from the top down”. Well which is it? What’s the difference between driving and imposing?
Apparently he’s even working on a 10 year plan. Meanwhile he’s lowering pubs’ tax bills – just to show he means business, like.
AB = Amazing Bullsh*tter?
“I have a clear plan and I know how to get things done.”
Note to journalists: no mention of “honeymoon period” until you receive the okay.
What badge is the regime’s “king” wearing on his lapel in the propaganda photo which shows him shaking hands with Burnham – with him standing still like a fixed fount of honour and Amazing BS man moving towards him from left field, indicating he “means business”, is “hitting the ground running”, etc.?
https://media.vanityfair.com/photos/6a5f7b28f1a97185202a4725/master/w_1600,c_limit/2286280482
I’m no botanist but it looks like a small carnation to me.
There’s a caption to that photo doing the rounds:
“Andy Burnham! The last time I said that I was telling my brother what to do with his holiday snaps from Epstein Island.”
As long as citizens continue to vote for mainstream political movements, this will continue to happen. Then, when someone dares to question the mainstream and provide an alternative solution, we are instructed by the Guardian to gang up and call them an extremist. Those in power have got us right where they want us.
Wake up
Indeed Martin Wright.
Where is our grasshoppers movement? They are bullshit protected, Modi tried to calm them with fine words, but they are not having any of it. People prepared to die at the hands of riot police, for the sake of sacking the education minister who is trying to cheat the young.
My guess is that Modi will have to let him go, or be damned.
Fret not about reduced social mobility, increased inequality, deprivation and all of the other benefits of living in the wor;d’s greatest democracy because Great Britain will be at war very soon.
Currently, the UK is providing all manner of military support to Ukraine and although we do not admit it military personnel and contractors have been killed. Equally we have military in the middle east and of course aside of tooling up Israel with munitions the UK provide satellite targeting data and intelligence for attacks on Gaza and Lebanon.
And now it emerges that RAF Fairford in the UK is being used by USAF lancer bombers to attack Iran. By anyone’s book we are at war albeit that we do not say it, and we are ramping up spending for the big one.
This Craig will stir pride in the Great British breasts. Dulce et decorum est in pro patria mori brings great British pride. What greater pride can one have than losing a son or a daughter fight some evil regime. The masses, or at least a good proportion of them love it, and clamour for it. Crikey, after the Argentinian team displayed a Malvenos is Argentinian banner no lesser a man than Nigel Farage and potential next prime minister said we needed to hurry up and bolster the Royal Navy. Bra’s, bare boobs and nickers waving the task force off is standard British fare.
Or do I misread the situation.
You do.
Only 6% say they would fight for Britain even in the face of *imminent* invasion of the homeland.
That’s despite unrelenting and ever-increasing chauvinistic, warmongering programming from the politicians, the BBC and the rest of MSM.
Even in the face of that wall of propaganda from every ‘respectable’ source, and under no obligation of commitment, only 6% could bring themselves to say what they’re supposed to say.
That’s encouraging. It means that virtually nobody accepts the lie that the UK is threatened. So as I wrote earlier upstream, why this absurd proposition that Britain is threatened and massive rearmarment is necessary? It can only mean that NATO intends to strike Russia first.
I think it says even more than that.
Unlikely to give pause to the warmongering elite though.
In Burnham’s first call with Rutte the NATO secretary general he explicitly said that his appointment of war hawk John Healey as chancellor is ‘a signal of his intent.’
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-call-with-nato-secretary-general-mark-rutte-20-july-2026
With all the war mongering and wondering who’s behind it, here’s interesting articles suggesting that maybe MI6 has taken over the government. They are certainly heavily involved in Ukraine, ME and we can assume China as well as oppressing UK citizens. “the barnstorming colonisation of government by MI6”
https://www.ukcolumn.org/article/the-spy-who-came-in-from-up-north-part-1
https://www.ukcolumn.org/article/the-spy-who-came-in-from-up-north-part-2-how-mi6-took-over-british-intelligence
The second part gives a shout-out to Craig, who apparently shared a ‘role’ in Warsaw in 1995 with MI6 spook Tom Hurd.
As to who is behind the UK russiaphobia and the Ukraine warmongering. Two MI6 assets, Chris Donnelly and Paul Mason have starring roles as puppet masters for John Healey, as covered here:
https://thegrayzone.com/2026/07/24/leaks-starmer-healey-advised-russia-war/
Genuinely frightening. The craziest warmongers of all are now running the asylum.
Without Kit Klarenberg, who would even know?
* funny * how none of the Zellyots here and elsewhere EVER address these types of influences on the origins, motivation and conduct of the Proxy War; just stick rigidly to the ‘ unprovoked aggression ‘ on ‘ poor-yet-rich, weak-yet-strong, getting hammered-yet-winning ‘ UKraine
As if the Minsk bad faith never happened, as if the Fascist Azov Hyenas never waged attritional war on the Russian-speaking areas, as if the US never instigated, funded and organised a coup against an elected leader, as if the Oxbridge Sociopaths of MI6 have not been in that country for years, poisoning its socio/political systems and fueling rabid hatred of Russia, as if it hasn’t been the decades-long intent of the CIA that seems to be in complete control of US Foreign Policy to create as much difficulty and strife in Russia with the ultimate aim of installing a compliant puppet Admin in order to take control/exploit that country’s vast resources.
No, none of those things happened, MI6 are simply true friends of embattled Democracies and noble regimes bravely resisting the dark forces of Sauron Putin’s Blood Red Orc Army. The CIA are like benign mentors leading the country to Blackrock Utopia. Grimm Brothers
This tale, told by cynical psychopaths, believed by idiots, full of mesmerising sound & manufactured, impotent fury, signifying a degree of propaganda capture unseen since WW2
At least on that occasion there was a clear enemy that had to be resisted – and defeated ( albeit even that narrative is not as straightforward as * history * would have us believe ). Very difficult – for ‘ the masses ‘ anyway – to know who the REAL enemies are these days; but a casual look at the state and behaviour of successive UK Govs, their absolute contempt for the people who put them there and whose interests they are supposed to serve ( not those of the MIC and fanatical neoliberal/con ideologues ): the total shitshow they’ve made of, well, everything, and now possibly inciting The Greatest ( Shit ) Show On Earth, to understand the real enemy is ‘ within ‘. And always has been
Robert Hughes.
The Neo-Nazi dictatorship in Ukraine, struck a tourist resort in Russia, with drones killing at least eight people, including kids in the swimming pools and their parents around the pools in Russia’s Zaporozhye Region.
The Neo-Nazi’s – know they can’t win so they are just lashing out at any targets they can hit easily – committing war crimes is in their nature
“Russia must’ve been hiding weapons in the holiday camp and using the children as human shields.”
Turning round the usual knee-jerk response whenever Russia kills Ukrainian civilians.
Pears Moragine.
No I think you have perfectly described what the Zionist do in Gaza and the West Bank – they bomb the likes of hospitals and fabricate unbelievable stories that Hamas had weapons – or operational bases below the hospitals, of course the Zio-Monsters blow up homeless Palestinians in tents, and murder children looking for water, then when the ambulances crews arrive to help them, the bomb them as well.
Of course the Yanks are partial to blowing up the odd school and cancer hospital.
The only difference I can see between the Zio-Monsters and the Ukrainian Neo-Nazi’s is that the Zio-Monsters imprison anyone they want to (illegally) then torture them to death – and the Neo-Nazi’s just shoot anyone near the front line under the guise that they are pro-Russian.
While we wait for Craig’s next missive, perhaps a postscript to my earlier contribution, if I may. Off topic!
In 1952, four months after my family moved to our new council house as I described, my baby brother died of mercury poisoning at the age of eight months. It was a national scandal at the time. The mercury was administered by teething powders for babies which were available in high street pharmacies. They called it Pinks’ disease, but it was not a disease. It was mass murder. As far as I am aware, nobody was ever charged with the offence, and the company responsible escaped any criminal charges.
Condolences, not much has changed.
Walt King
Condolences on the loss of your brother, government machinations towards the public, with Folic Acid added to bread cakes etc, of which carries risks, and in England fluoride is added to drinking water, which also carries health concerns.
When I was a kid, just about all housing had lead pipes – which the water passed through, you could have suffered from lead poisoning if you drank enough water that was exposed to the lead pipes, children and babies were especially vulnerable to being poisoned.
https://www.totalhealth.co.uk/blog/do-you-know-what-government-putting-your-bread
Thank you, Walt King, I’m sorry for what happened to your family. Sadly, despite the “national scandal”, they continued to use mercury in dental amalgams (50% mercury) and in vaccines (only removed very recently). It causes autism, ME and dementia and other neurological conditions. I have been chelating mercury from my brain for ten years, at my own expense, having been shunned by the NHS who are still determined to cover it up.
Thank you, I didn’t know that.
The below opens the door for Iran to attack those countries military hardware, and not just US bases in the countries.
“Bahrain and Kuwait under the cover of UAE intelligence and defence carried out attacks on Iran — WSJ”
Bring it on.
PS thanks to you and Squeeth.
Probably the United States ‘sharing the blame’ as usual. They are too arrogant and deceitful to admit their own incompetence.
Well the Zionist and their main aider and abettor in genocide the American’s, finally managed to get the chief prosecutor at the ICC Karim Khan sacked – on trumped up sexual assault charges, the sacking was to get the warrants and prosecutions of several top genocide committing Zionists such as Netanyahu requested by Khan, to have the requests dropped altogether.
The ICC’s board voted in secret to remove their chief prosecutor.
Call me an old cynic – but I have my doubts that all those wildfires breaking out across Europe, and Canada actually began as wildfires, for an old cynic like me I’d say they were deliberately started – to further push the Climate Agenda Hoax – which collapsed on its arse, when they decided to build and force upon countries those so called “Data Centres” – which are water and energy guzzlers, not forgetting that they pollute a site as well.
The starting of wildfires definitely drains resources and costs the public purse, so they can have a huge impact on a nation regardless of whether or not a population sees or just reads about them, I have a few ideas as to why they are being started, but I’ll keep them to myself.
Yes and the so-called water bombers are actually dropping oil stolen from Russian tankers for that specific purpose.
Sarcasm doesn’t befit you.
Meanwhile.
German authorities refuse to answer – if they knew about the attacks on the NordStream pipelines before they happened, citing they don’t want to upset their allies.
“The German government has refused to clarify whether it received warnings ahead of the Nord Stream sabotage, Ostdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (OAZ) reported on Friday, citing a written response to an opposition lawmaker.
Anna Rathert, an MP from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, asked the chancellor’s office whether it received any information from foreign intelligence agencies before the twin pipelines, which were built to deliver Russian gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea, were bombed in September 2022.”
Republicofscotland
July 25, 2026 at 14:08
FFS RoS
It may have been temporarily occupied by Russkiy orcs but “Russia’s Zaporozhye” oblast/region is de jure and soon will again be de facto Ukrainian.
Calling Ukraine a “Neo-Nazi dictatorship” is just pathetic.
Zelenskiy has had to respond to street protests re his dismissal of ministers.
Vlad the Bad has invested billions to keep Russia’s streets safe for autocracy.
But tankies gotta tank, I suppose…
You’re right, it’s a palaeo-nazi dictatorship.
Squeeth
July 26, 2026 at 00:14
If refusing to surrender to a brutal and unprovoked attack makes you a Nazi then Stalin’s USSR was neo/paleo-Nazi.
Explains the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact, I suppose.
https://primary.jwwb.nl/public/p/n/u/temp-drutgektdyvefhccyffm/bc9qak/cartoon-2.jpg
JK redux
You still don’t get it even after all this time, the West has made if not a hero out of Putin then its bloody close, Washington, Westminster and Brussels along with other Western nations, have done everything in their powers to break Russia, whilst backing a genocide and covering up widespread paedophilia in the ranks of Western leaders and business folk via Epstein.
Putin is no hero, but I’m sure the Global South sees Putin in a better light than warmongering paedophile infested West (Its leaders), the same applies to Iran – many folk see Iran as bulwark against Western hegemony, I suppose in some ways it is – the Wests leaders have created a worldwide fan club, that backs Russia and Iran due to Western leaders actions and inactions, and they don’t even know it.
Well Putin has proved himself to be the best recruiting sergeant NATO could’ve wished for. Three new members since 2022, 1,500 extra miles of border to fortify and the potential for missiles to be placed within spitting distance of Russia’s second city. If anyone gets the blame for leading Russia to destruction it’ll most probably be him.
Putin and Iran only heroes to those whose self hatred has festered to the point that they look upon anyone who could be an opponent of the west as beyond reproach. Craig has alluded to this mode of thinking in the past, it’s Identical to the thinking of people who support Israel because they’re the ‘only democracy in the ME’ (personally I think it’s really because they see the Israelis as white).
Well Iran and Russia are not my enemies or the enemies of many Scots for that matter, and I’d bet for many folk in England Wales and NI they are not their enemies either – Westminster is the enemy for many Scots, as are their colonial puppets at Holyrood.
For those who seek to dump English control over Scotland via treacherous House Jocks, Scotland is at war with England, but not a shooting war, a war of restoration over subjugation, and the battlefield is the international stage, vi a the UN.
Well Iran and Russia are not my enemies
I’m sure they’ll sleep that much better for knowing that. The problem is their attitude towards you, it won’t save you from becoming a victim if they choose to attack the UK. I’m not saying any such attack will be military, possibly a bit of terrorism, cyber attacks and economic warfare such as we’ve already had from Iran.
I expect that kind of attack – the English security services are doing it as well to other nations, and Scotland is trapped for now – in English decided wars, but things will change over the next couple of years, and although Westminster animosity towards Scotland will grow, after the restoration of our sovereignty, its important that Scotland remains neutral, and able to defend itself.
Pears Morgaine
‘Three new members since 2022, 1,500 extra miles of border to fortify and the potential for missiles to be placed within spitting distance of Russia’s second city.’
This is where we all came in.
Russia wanted Ukraine to be neutral and not a member of NATO.
It still isn’t a member of NATO so, why isn’t it?
If Finland or Sweden allow nukes to be installed in their countries the Russians will not be best pleased.
Inevitably Russian Nukes will be aimed at them ( maybe they are now?)and the rest of NATO and the Western media and politicians will be crying foul.
I will ask you the question:
Why isn’t Ukraine a member of NATO now?
it may as well be.
I don’t know the answer to that – do you?
My best guess is that NATO wants to be AT war with Russia but not IN a war with Russia and this is why they are using Ukraine as a non NATO proxy.
MARK M CUTTS
July 26, 2026 at 16:07
“If Finland or Sweden allow nukes to be installed in their countries the Russians will not be best pleased.”
If Russia can’t overrun its neighbour – a country 1/3 its population – in 4 years, what threat can it offer to Finland or Sweden?
Sure it could use nukes but that will have consequences.
Between 2010 and 2014 Ukraine was neutral and abandoned its drive to join NATO. Unsurprisingly this all changed with Russia’s annexation of Crimea and incursion in the Donbas regions. Putin has said that Finland and Sweden joining NATO was not a problem so why is it a such a major problem with Ukraine?
As I’ve said before as a sovereign state Ukraine has the right to join such economic or military alliances as it chooses.
JK Redux
Ok.
So, the Russians are coming and want to take over Europe but they are incapable of beating Ukraine.
What’s all the Euro/US fuss about then – they are no danger?
it’s a massive contradiction.
The truth is the Russians are not very pleased and they weren’t pleased when Ukraine went away from neutrality and threw their trusting lot in with ‘ NATO Security.
The same security guarantees from the US ( which is effectively NATO) that The Gulf States trusted.
The fact is Finland and Sweden have put their faith in the samee US/Euro Security Gurantees.
They are now a Nuke Target for Russia – if necessary.
I hope the Nukes don’t start flying but the non nuke missiles have and things will get scary for all sides concerned.
The US has two Buffer States for now – The Pacific and The Atlantic and I’m utterly unconvinced that the US would no go all out on Nuclear War because Sweden/Finland and Ukraine got nuked.
It has always been the case that Article 5 is words only and not a guarantee.
The Europeans seem intent on testing that theory.
The ‘ Putin wouldn’t dare ‘ tactics worked for 8 years until the invasion of Ukraine and there are many Russian people urging Putin to finish the war off.
Literally as a non Nuke deterrent.
Not only the UK is on Iran’s to do list -Ukraine is too.
The wider these things get the more the danger of someone(s) doing something very stupid.
Many nuclear incidents have come from accidents or mis-readings of the other side.
Eventually your luck runs out.
I don’t believe we’ll be seeing Russian tanks rolling through Paris or Brussels anytime soon and whilst some voices are calling for Russia and Iran to strike European and British ‘decision making centres’ and weapons factories with nuclear or conventional missiles I think locally launched drone attacks or arson by useful idiot sympathisers is more likely. It allows for some deniability. More cyber attacks on distribution networks is another possibility. Not all out war but economic and societal destabilisation.
Some might argue that this has already begun.
MARK M CUTTS
July 26, 2026 at 22:31
A bit incoherent Mark.
Russia is still capable of doing great harm to its neighbours and of course could use nuclear weapons.
Both the above at enormous cost to …. Russia.
The rational response to Russian aggression against Ukraine and threats to its neighbours is support for Ukraine and solidarity among Western countries.
Any nuclear armed State could use nuclear weapons – that doesn’t grant them impunity.
The USA was defeated by the North Vietnamese and the Taliban. The latter also defeated the USSR..
Neither the USA nor the USSR threatened use of nuclear weapons against either.
JK redux and pears Morgaine
That is not my point.
What I am saying ( and it doesn’t matter who’s side you are on) is that ordinary missiles can lead to extraordinary missiles being fired if one side is backed into a corner.
North Vietnam and Afghanistan didn’t have nukes.
The North Koreans because of those examples now has them.
This isn’t Numeric Escalation it could become Qualitative Escalation.
Might start with a so called Dirty Bomb from a country that doesn’t have nukes and we all escalate from there.
Of course it’s MAD – everyone knows it but some Hawks think that they can fire first and get away with it.
Receiving nothing back.
That is MAD.
This is the theory that the closer you can get to Moscow the quicker your nuke will arrive – conveniently forgetting that a load of other nukes are in submarines and maybe hidden like Iranian Missiles.
The thing is the US wouldn’t want to be involved in a Nuke war with countries that could destroy them.
Trump is mad but, not that MAD.
This is the article 5 moment and the US has paid lip service to an attack on one is an attack on all.
The main thing for them is not to be attacked themselves and despite the rhetoric they obviously wouldn’t like it a Baltic Sate was attacked but I’m sure they would not sacrifice the US for one of those states.
Not even for plucky Little Britain.
The fact is that (apart from Ukraine ) Europe needs American Security Guarantees – including nukes.
Supplying missiles is one thing for the US – carbonising their own folks to meet their end of the deal isn’t and it never has been.
As I say – they are not that MAD and neither is Putin and the Iranians.
It can though release a dynamic of its own and get extremely serious very quickly.
Within minutes, depending on what happens.
It’s getting very dangerous indeed.
MARK M CUTTS
July 27, 2026 at 14:42
The only country that occasionally threatens use of nukes is Russia – via State TV propagandists.
Just as N Korea is now immune from attack, Poland, Germany and Ukraine need to acquire nukes to deter any further Russkiy aggression.
JK Redux
If nuclear weapons are a detterrent then all countries should have them?
Germany – Ukraine and any one else.
The Western theory is that they might end up in the hands of Rogue States who will use them at the drop of a hat.
I can only remind everyone that only one country has used nukes on an other country – you know the nation who did that twice.
They are the country that Ukraine and the Europeans put their faith in currently and even Trump in some of his wild utterances has issued threats to use them on iran.
By the way that doesn’t mean that having nukes stops you from being attacked conventionally.
As we are witnessing now.
What I am saying is there seems to be either an ignorance or a wilful ignorance from the EU ( not the US) that you can back Russia into a corner and get involved in a war without any consequences.
It can easily get out of control.
Everyone can have their plans but for Europe it is a massive gamble and as I say the US will exit when it gets out of hand and have a chat with Russia to not nuke them.
An interesting note is that The Soviet Union hadn’t developed a Nuclear Weapon when the US bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a warning to The Soviets.
The Soviet Union tested one on August 29, 1949.
Yes, that was proliferation ( now two countries had a bomb) after that happened there was a Proliferation of Anti Nuclear Campaigns in the Western World.
Not much said when the US did the deed but, a lot of worrying after The Soviet Union developed a Nuke of their own.
The world since has been crying that this is not fair.
They still say this now about Iran for example.
I would still ask you and anyone else on here or anywhere else.
Why is Ukraine not a member of NATO by now?
Logically it should be but it’s not.
Why is that?
Why doesn’t Ukraine have nukes as a deterrent to Russia?
Prominent House Jock and a major treacherous b*stard to Scotland – Sir Ian Wood dies aged 84 – he helped England rob Scotland of its oil for decades and was knighted for it.
https://nitter.poast.org/Prae54Rae/status/2081719250897523099#m
As has been stated Gary Stevenson has been saying the same thing. He is advocating for a wealth tax on extreme wealth, I tend to agree, especially when an extraordinary amount of the pubs on the high are street ( freehold of buildings ) are owned by one private equity company and the rental from those pubs goes to an offshore tax haven in the Caymen Islands. Particularly sickening, when you consider that Margaret Thatcher broke up what she termed as the “monopoly of ownership by breweries of public houses” and limited the amount of pubs that could be owned by the breweries!
Craig,
Are you, I wonder, familiar with the work of Fred Harrison. He has spent the last 50 years of his life trying to persuade anyone who will listen, but particularly governments, to reintroduce land as the third element in economics, (land, capital and labour), which was conveniently removed from the discussion in the early 20th century. This of course was lobbied for by the people who benefited most (the big land owners). This then moved the taxation burden to labour and capital only.
His premise, as I understand it is that instead of the wealth from house sales going to the seller, that wealth goes to the community, along with a charge to maintain the services and the systems in the area where you have decided to live. The more desirable the area, the higher the charge.
The quid-pro-quo for this system is that all other sources of taxation are removed, wages, businesses, VAT, etc.
Intriguing….