INDY REF
From the Daily Mail: The SNP today vowed to hold another Scottish independence referendum if it wins a majority at May’s election and says Boris Johnson will have to take legal action to stop it. Nicola Sturgeon’s party says a ‘legal referendum’ will be held after the coronavirus pandemic if there is a pro-independence majority following May’s election.
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS
According to the The Times the UK is facing a constitutional crisis that will strain the Union as new polls reveal a majority of voters in Scotland and Northern Ireland want referendums on the break-up of Britain. A four-country survey commissioned, based on separate polls in Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales, also found that the sense of British identity that once bound the country together is disintegrating.
COVID
The Daily Mail reports: People who have received their first Covid-19 jab must stay at home for three weeks after their injection because it can take that long for immunity to ‘kick in’, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam warned last night. He said that while getting vaccinated was ‘something to celebrate’, recipients of the jab needed to ‘stay patient’.
LOCKDOWN ANXIETIES
The Mail on Sunday reports: Life in lockdown is leading to a significant deterioration in the nation’s mental health, according to an exclusive poll. Some 41 per cent have suffered a decline in their state of mind since the start of the pandemic, the Deltapoll survey for The Mail on Sunday found. People are eating more (42 per cent – against 9 per cent eating less) and drinking more alcohol (29 per cent versus 24 per cent). The knock-on effect is that 49 per cent have gained weight, and only 16 per cent have shed the pounds. A total of 28 per cent found the outbreak made them want to spend more time with their partners and 22 per cent were arguing less with their family. Boris Johnson’s approach to the crisis is broadly supported, with 47 per cent saying his Government is doing the right thing against 41 per cent who say it is doing the wrong thing.
BREXIT EXPORTS
The Guardian reports today: British businesses that export to the continent are being encouraged by government trade advisers to set up separate companies inside the EU in order to get around extra charges, paperwork and taxes resulting from Brexit. In an extraordinary twist to the Brexit saga, UK small businesses are being told by advisers working for the Department for International Trade (DIT) that the best way to circumvent border issues and VAT problems that have been piling up since 1 January is to register new firms within the EU single market, from where they can distribute their goods far more freely. Rachel Reeves, shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and shadow minister for the Cabinet Office, said: “Once again we see this government’s sheer incompetence and lack of planning holding British businesses back and slowing our economic recovery. They’ve got to get a grip on this now and stop leaving our businesses out in the cold.”
BREXIT BANANAS
The Independent reports that at least £100,000 of tariffs have been slapped on Fairtrade bananas from Africa because of Brexit, prompting mounting anger that farmers face ruin. Ministers are under pressure to explain why the levies are being charged, despite an announcement that a last-gasp deal was struck between the UK and Ghana on New Year’s Eve. Both banana exporters in the developing country and UK shipping firms are losing money on deliveries – £20,000 a week, says one company – while the crisis continues.
GREEN POLICIES
From the Guardian: Householders buying brand new homes in the next four years are likely to find an unpleasant surprise awaiting them in the future. Homes built today will have to be retrofitted with energy efficiency measures and low-carbon technology, at an average cost of more than £20,000. The extra costs will amount to more than £20bn for the whole of the UK, if the government’s targets of building 300,000 new homes a year are met. Critics say the costs could have been avoided if ministers had agreed to bring in low-carbon standards sooner. The government this week set out proposals to change building regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but declined to bring forward its proposed future homes standard from the scheduled 2025 commencement date, disappointing advocates of greener homes.
VACCINATION
The Times reports: Up to half of those in some areas with a high ethnic minority population are refusing the coronavirus jab amid fears over the vaccine. Hesitancy about receiving the inoculation is said to be most acute among black people, with doctors and public health chiefs concerned that poor uptake rates will prolong the pandemic, which has already hit minority communities hard. Birmingham’s public health director warned that in some parts of the city with the largest black and Asian populations, 50 per cent of people offered the vaccine said they did not want to take it.
PROTESTS HELD IN RUSSIA
The Independent reports: Tens of thousands of protesters took to streets in dozens of cities across Russia on Saturday in protest at the poisoning and imprisonment of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, laying down the gauntlet to authorities who had threatened the full force of law – and more – in return. In Vladivostok in the far east, where the protests began, officers charged into crowds, and dragged demonstrators away at random. At least one lost consciousness by the time he was delivered to a police van. Journalists and photographers were among the more than 3,068 arrested nationwide, often violently, The use of violence was condemned by both the US and UK. Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said: “We call on the Russian government to respect its international commitments on human rights, and release citizens detained during peaceful demonstrations.”
IRISH AWARD FOR MICHEL BARNIER
The Express writes that Michel Barniersparked a brutal Brexiteer backlash after the top EU diplomat took a swipe at the UK during an award speech this week. Mr Barnier received the European of the Year Award from the European Movement of Ireland. This was the first time the award recipient was not an Irish citizen. During his acceptance speech, the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator took a dig at the UK’s future. Mr Barnier suggested that a campaign to re-join the European Union is inevitable in the UK. Viewers took to Twitter to voice their outrage at the remarks, claiming “it is really sad you have been rewarded for a negotiation disaster between the EU/UK”. One joked: “If you are the best, I cannot even begin to imagine how absolutely appalling the rest of the nominees must have been.”
WINTER WEATHER
The Mirror reports that Britain is set for another blast of heavy snow and rain in the wake of deadly Storm Christoph, which caused chaos up and down the country. The Met Office has issued new snow and ice warnings for swathes of the UK with up to 6ins expected in a -10C Arctic freeze.The latest spell of severe weather threatens further misery for flood-weary residents of England and Wales. A slow-moving band of snow, sleet and rain will sweep in from the west on Sunday morning and it could dump 6ins (15cm) of snow over Dartmoor and Exmoor in South West England, and as much as 4ins (10cm) above 100m in parts of Shropshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire. Rural communities could become cut off if roads become impassable, drivers should expect treacherous conditions and delays, and power cuts may occur, forecasters warned.
YOUNGER PEOPLE DON’T WATCH BBC
The SUN reports: new research has found that half of all the people in this country aged between 16 and 34 don’t regularly watch anything on the BBC. And the problem is made worse by the fact that the BBC is desperately trying to woo these younger people by getting more and more ‘right on’. Which alienates the only audience they have left. An article by Jermey Clarkson takes a critical look at programming and says that he is ‘fed-up’ and often watches Netflix and Amazon.
BBC HOME SCHOOLING
From the Daily Mail: A BBC programme aimed at nine- to 12-year-olds includes the astonishing claim that there are ‘over 100 gender identities’. The film, ‘Identity – Understanding Sexual and Gender Identities’, is being offered on the corporation’s website as part of its relationships and sex education package. It comes despite Government guidance published last year which advised schools to exercise caution when teaching children about gender issues.
UNIVERSAL CREDIT PAYMENT
The SUN reports: RISHI Sunak has offered to give six million people a one-off £1000 payment as part of plans to fight off a rebellion over Universal Credit. The lump sum would be an alternative to continuing boosted payments for UC claimants, which have temporarily been increased by £20 a week but are set to end soon.
has wee Burney told her voters to refuse British Vaxx and join the EU Queue ?
Soon sort out the so called independance majority.
If we don’t rise up against the Green Policies they will be the death of us; that is if the vaccines don’t do the job first. Somehow we must re-educate the youngsters fresh from indoctrination aka education.
”Barnier received the European of the Year Award”
It should have gone to Prime Minister Johnson.
Credentials – at last minute fired the last two Brexiteers left, Cummings and Frost then, a la Remainer May took over the talks and like May sold us out.
Re “Green Policies”
This is total drivel. A new house can be built to “Green” standards (ie high insulation) at very little extra cost. The reason it hasn’t been done is to keep the fossil fuel sellers happy.
Retro fitting existing houses is another matter entirely.
I have such a house myself, I have no gas and no heating bills.
I export three time more electricity than I consume and am paid around £1000/year as a result.
This how I can run the Rolls Royce.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_solar_building_design
I am very surprised that no mention has been made on this site of the fact that the Johnson government have just changed the law and extended Lockdown powers to local authorities to the 17th July 2021. So potentially that means another six months of national lockdown to come, and to hell with the economic consequences, collapse of small to medium business, the self employed, mass unemployment, and treatment of other serious diseases like Cancer etc, and our precious civil liberties and freedoms which are being cast aside with reckless abandon. You really do know that you live in a totalitarian dictatorship, when the government of the day tries to push this fact under the carpet hoping that nobody will notice. How far we have sunk as a democracy since Johnson was elected beggars belief. This government needs to be got rid of, and as soon as possible.
The Times and it’s beloved Polls. Well we know polls are run and fiddled to ‘prove’ a pre decided point. Let’s hope if the SNP do what they threaten there are some left at Westminster with enough balls and sense, to take appropriate legal action.
Bananas. Oh dear now I’ve started eating bananas lately. Should I panic? Will they disappear off the shelves?
Another Panic Panic headline, Winter Weather. Funny that, I’m sure I can remember that all happening during previous Winters.
This is sinister stuff, it’s an academic paper that shows how these pandemics like COVID-19 are game planned and this is an example.
The SPARS Pandemic 2025-2028: A Futuristic Scenario to Facilitate Medical Countermeasure Communication
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/jicrcr/vol3/iss1/4/
This is suspicious stuff and an interesting line of research, it seems that there are plans for many more vaccines.
This is quite scary stuff Flyer, these people are quite insane and need to be stopped. As for the Biden “inauguration” what a fiasco. The sooner he and his communist friends are removed the better. That will require a toast.
Apparently there was a 2016 pandemic “rehearsal”
I understand the outcome was the cabinet suffered a rash of ashen faces
Not quite sure why, but I think not only was it strong meat, but it was pretty evident we hadn’t got a clue how to handle it
I think these “war games” are highly necessary, it’ s obvious our lot still haven’t got a clue how to handle it,Even now,!
An interesting video here of Biden’s inauguration, it was taken from the balcony where the reporters were and it looks weird, unreal, there were only around a hundred people there.
https://t.me/realx22reportchat/97804
Biden, who’s he? He is supposedly the new President of the USA, but who really cares. Personally I don’t give a flying fig. The so called ‘special relationship’ doesn’t exist and died when Ronald Reagan, the last great US President stepped down all those years ago. The USA might share a common language with us but they are 3000 miles away and their existence is of no consequence to most of us. The so called ‘special relationship’ only exists in the minds of politicians once in a while whilst they dine lavishly and quaff huge amounts of wine at our expense, whilst talking absolute garbage. What is important however, is that we have someone at the helm in this country who can offer proper leadership which is severely lacking at the moment, and someone who will put the interests of the citizens of this country first and foremost.