FLY THE FLAG
The Express reports that the Union Jack is set to be flown from every Government building in the UK every day of the year under a new scheme to celebrate Britain’s heritage and pride, with planning permission needed to fly the EU flag. Government ministers are set to outline their guidance plans this week to allow the Union Jack to be displayed all year round. Currently, the flag is flown on designated days. Under current Government guidance, the Union Jack must be flown on all UK Government buildings in England, Wales, and Scotland on days, such as the Queen’s birthday.The new plans were part of the Government’s aim to protect the Union. The new plans will also see managers of public buildings in England having to apply for planning permission if they want to fly the EU flag. The news comes after claims BBC Breakfast presenters Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty made fun of Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick for displaying the Union Jack in his office.
MAJOR POLL BLOW FOR STURGEON
The Express reports: A new poll has found only 22 percent of Scots think another referendum on leaving the UK should be a priority at this time in a major blow to the SNP. A Survation poll, which surveyed 1,011 residents aged 16 and over living in Scotland between March 9 – 12, 2021, conducted for pro-UK group Scotland in Union, found 70 percent of Scots believe “a second independence referendum is not a priority at this time”. This includes 49 percent of those who voted for the SNP during the 2019 General Election. Senior SNP figures have publicly suggested they will try and hold a second referendum this year if they secure a Scottish Parliament majority.
BRISTOL PROTEST TURNS VIOLENT
From the Daily Mail: Six police officers have been seriously injured with some suffering broken arms and ribs after a ‘mob of animals’ turned on officers this evening, smashing through the windows of a police station and setting a police van alight during a ‘kill the bill’ riot in Bristol. Thousands of activists, claiming to protect the right to demonstrate peacefully, had gathered in the city centre for the ‘Kill The Bill’ demonstration to oppose plans to give police more powers to deal with non-violent protests. But footage captured the descent into anarchy as protesters clashed with police armed with batons and pepper spray. Mounted officers were seen attempting to disperse a large crowd gathered outside Bridewell Police Station. Later a group of hooded protesters tried to smash the windows of the glass-fronted building and another mob set fire to a police van parked in nearby Bridewell Street. In other scenes, officers with police dogs were seen attempting to hold back large crowds as demonstrators scaled the walls of the police station and threw fireworks
PROTEST TO KILL THE BILL
The Daily Mail reports that earlier hundreds of people gathered in Bristol on Sunday for a demonstration against plans to give the police more powers to deal with non-violent protests.The controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill would give the police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests, including those deemed too noisy or a nuisance. Those convicted under the proposed legislation could face a fine or jail. The protest was taking place on College Green in Bristol city centre, where hundreds of people had gathered – despite lockdown laws being in place. MPs including Theresa May have raised concerns over the impact it will have on freedom of speech. The bill will see new powers given to the police and Home Secretary to deal with protests that are deemed to have caused ‘serious unease, alarm or distress’. It will also raise the maximum sentence for defacing statues to 10 years, while new measures are also expected to crack down on knife crime. The bill will mean that Home Secretaries will be able to create laws to define what ‘serious disruption,’ to communities and organisations means.
BOOKING THAT FOREGN HOLIDAY IS RISKY SAYS DEFENCE MINISTER
The Daily Mail reports that Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, further dampened hopes of a swift return to foreign trips as he stressed the Government ‘can’t be deaf and blind to what is going on outside the United Kingdom’. Mr Wallace said ‘we can’t put at risk’ the progress made during lockdown by being ‘reckless’ and importing coronavirus variants from abroad. Surging Covid-19 infection rates in some European countries have spooked officials in Whitehall who fear travel restrictions may have to be kept in place for longer than had been hoped. It came as ministers are reportedly working on a new ‘traffic light’ scheme which could be rolled out in the coming months to allow the return of non-essential travel to some countries.
SOME MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE MISSED OFF JAB LISTS
The Guardian reports: Some of the country’s most clinically vulnerable people have yet to receive the coronavirus vaccination, Guardian analysis shows. Ministers had said all clinically extremely vulnerable adults would be offered a vaccination by 15 February, but more than a month later some people who are housebound because of health problems have yet to be offered a jab they can actually access. James Taylor, the executive director of strategy at the disability charity Scope, said: “We’re alarmed that disabled people are slipping through the net and struggling to get vaccines at home, or have been missed off the list for vaccinations at home. Others have said they feel like they have slipped through the system, after being invited to a vaccination appointment they cannot attend and then told their condition does not merit a home visit.”
UK FACES TWO MONTH COVID JAB DELAY IF EU BANS EXPORTS
The Guardian reports that Britain’s Covid vaccine programme faces a two-month delay in the event of an EU export ban, derailing the government’s plans to reopen the economy this summer, an analysis for the Guardian reveals. A ban, due to be debated by leaders of the 27 EU member states on Thursday, would badly stall the UK vaccination effort, and would be likely to force the government to extend restrictions on people’s lives. It would not, however, provide a significant boost to EU member states troubled programmes, according to a report by the data analytics company Airfinity. The comparatively small number of doses that would be kept within the bloc would speed up the full vaccination of every adult in the EU by “just over a week”, the research suggests.
BORIS SAYS GET TESTED TWICE A WEEK
The Express reports that Boris Johnson will urge all adults to take a Covid test twice a week as part of new plans to help prevent future lockdowns. By testing regularly, health officials hope to be able to quickly identify areas with rising infection rates and take appropriate action to stop further transmissions. Experts believe that this could make lockdowns a thing of the past. An advertising campaign to encourage people to play their part will soon be launched by Number 10.
WOMEN HAVE LITTLE FAITH IN CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE
The Independent reports that half of women have little or no faith in the authorities to prosecute crimes against them, according to a new poll. Almost a quarter have “no trust at all” in the Crown Prosecution Service, the research by Savanta ComRes found. Almost as many men (40 per cent) as women (51 per cent) have little or no confidence in the official prosecution service, the figures show, laying bare the scale of the challenge just days after an outcry over the murder of Sarah Everard. The findings show just one in 10 people have “a lot of trust” in the CPS to prosecute crimes against women.
OXFORD APOLOGISES FOR HAVING TAKEN SLAVERY CASH
The Times reports that the head of one of Oxford’s most prestigious colleges has apologised for the historical acceptance of donations linked to the slave trade. Dame Helen Ghosh, master of Balliol, said its research showed the college had accepted 39 contributions worth £2 million in today’s money from benefactors with links to the slave trade between 1600 and 1919. This was equal to one in ten of all donations received over that period. She said it was a tricky area, adding: “Of course, looking back on this now we are sorry that we took those donations — whatever might have been in the minds of people who took them at the time.”
AND FINALLY
From the Times: They are normally found in the Arctic where they use their tusks to make breathing holes in the ice but a young walrus has been spotted on rocks on the Pembrokeshire coastline after swimming thousands of miles. The RSPCA believes it is the most southerly sighting of the species, which has occasionally been seen in Scotland. On Saturday, a member of the public called Welsh Marine Life Rescue, which was initially sceptical about the sighting. “We thought it was a spoof call because we don’t get walruses down here,” Terry Leadbetter, the founder and coordinator, said. But shortly after that we had another report from somebody sounding quite sensible saying it was definitely a walrus so we went out and sure enough it was.”
Notice the Guardian rubbing their hands with glee that the EU are going to prevent us lifting lockdown by stopping our jabs supply.
Who reads the guardian the drivel rag
Read on Adam, Harry Again thinks it’s all true if the Guardian says so!
Oxford apologising for historic slavery connection ….are they mad….well yes they are! – Where’s Franc’s apology for 1066 and all that? – And Italy for the Roman invasion – And Hannibal and Attila and Genghis etc etc – And Homo Sapiens compensation to the Neanderthals and Flores People and the mega intelligent Elongated Skull folk of Peru.
I agree Lindsay except if you meant France invading in 1066 I have to correct you. It was not the French it was the Norman Conquest in 1066. The ‘Normans’ were in fact Northmen who had settled in parts of France and become ‘civilised’ into French style Feudalism as a means of governing.
As I understand it, that was why we were then embroiled in the Hundred Years War. The Normans had intermarried with the French, so claimed chunks of France as their own as well as England.
Any way you are quite right about Dame Helen Ghosh and all her like being mad.
I particularly like the suggestion we all apologise to the Neanderthals!
P.S. Do you think that walrus knows something homo sapiens has not yet worked out?
And where are the German reparations for WW2?
They have never paid a thing to the UK though other European countries got money.
Interesting reading.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_reparations
Lindsay Gatward………what do you expect when you have wokish left leaning people in charge like Dame Helen Ghosh. Incidentally a past Director General of the National Trust, who thought she was a cut above the staff and volunteers. I am so sick and tired of these people. Why doesn’t she renounce her Dame title and hand it back if she thinks our country is so bad..
???????
The utter crackpots in Bristol should be directing their frustrations against the politicians not the police who are only enforcing laws,and often badly made ones, set out by politicians.
Yes Jake. They were crackpots. Perhaps infiltrated by Antifa?
Trouble is, Saturdays peaceful anti lockdown protests had been really useful, now the Bristol loonies have put the clock back.
“The comparatively small number of doses that would be kept within the bloc would speed up the full vaccination of every adult in the EU by “just over a week”, the research suggests.”
But that’s not the point. The point is “ Britain’s Covid vaccine programme faces a two-month delay in the event of an EU export ban, derailing the government’s plans to reopen the economy this summer, “
Next winter they’ll reduce the inter-connector contribution to the UK’s struggling National Grid and watch the damage to our industry with great satisfaction.
JF
The UK/France High Voltage DC link is bi-directional, ie power goes both ways depending on demand/wind/sun which peaks at different times in France and the UK.
Ergo the French won’t be cutting anything off, they need the link as much as we do.
There are other links with Europe and Ireland too.
They all need to be in place to make fullest use of renewable energy.
I’m not at all convinced by what you say Harry Again. I’m sure they could cut it off just when we need it. Also it is obvious that Macron is anti British, so will do all he can to destroy our economy further, hoping we’ll crawl back to the EU.
Agreed ! The little Boney part, would cut off his nose to spite Britain ✌?Archers to the front line
I was an electrical engineer (now retired)
Who are you?
That’s right Julian. That is what I foresee.
I’d like you, or someone to look into just what we can do about it. Would repealing the whole Trade and Co-operation Deal help? Can we quickly get dependable energy fed into our grid. Is there any way to get a controlling stake over that inter connector?
Presumably this is Fat Boy and Gove’s massive cock up.
Now is the right time to stop the billions of pounds going to the eu for charity, we must ban the import of German cars and French cheese for a start.
They will loose it Boris grew balls, follow all that with a foreign road users tax of 3 grand a lorry to Ireland , they would be snookered!
“… Britain’s Covid vaccine programme faces a two-month delay in the event of an EU export ban, derailing the government’s plans to reopen the economy this summer…” Hooray to the first and as for the second, they wouldnt reopen the economy anyway.
Re “And Finally ;” it’s not a walrus, it’s a squirrel.
There’s a simpler explanation…….. It’s all true.
Harry Again. That explains a lot about you. You clearly read and believe everything the Guardian says.
DNFTT (do not feed this troll), You really are wasting your time and effort encouraging it.