RAF BOMB TARGETS IN NORTHERN IRAQ
The Express reports: RAF Typhoon jets destroyed an ISIS cave complex using the military’s new 2,800lb Storm Shadow warhead, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed and they also fired laser-guided Paveway IV bombs during the attack on the underground base in northern Iraq last Wednesday. It came after Iraqi forces recently identified a significant number of Daesh fighters using cave complexes south-west of Erbil. Despite the caves being particularly difficult targets, two RAF Typhoon FGR4s used the Storm Shadow missiles to strike their targets precisely. Two Typhoons then carried out more attacks on extremists on Thursday, using six Paveway IV guided bombs. They were acting in support of ground forces from the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service. Two days later, RAF aircraft struck another group of caves used by Daesh with eight Paveway bombs. On Sunday, six of the bombs were used to smash caves in the same remote, mountainous area. The MoD said: On each occasion, our aircrew have exercised their utmost care in checking there were no signs of civilians in the area before conducting the strikes and subsequent surveillance to ensure their successful completion.
TRIBUTE TO SARAH EVERARD HI-JACKED SAY FRIENDS
The Daily Mail reports that a memorial commemorating the Battle of Britain was daubed with graffiti during last night’s anti-police protests in Westminster. The letters ACAB – All Cops Are B******s – were scrawled above a list honoring the airmen who died in the Second World War battle. The word ‘racist’ was also written under Winston Churchill’s immortal remarks following the fighting that ‘never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed, by so many, to so few.’ The protests were sparked by the murder of Sarah Everard and are being led by a feminist group accused of ‘hijacking’ her death. Helena Edwards, who attended Durham University with the 33-year-old marketing executive, said she had planned to attend her vigil on Clapham Common on Saturday but decided not to over fears her death had been ‘hijacked’ and went on: ‘ it was wrong to try and blame other people for the actions of one ‘psychopath’, adding: ‘Sarah was a victim of one of the most horrific crimes imaginable. She was extremely unlucky – that is all there is to it. Explaining that many of Ms Everard’s other friends also decided not to go, she claimed it was ‘not a tribute to her anymore’ but had been taken over by political campaigners.
PLAN TO GIVE MORE POWERS TO POLICE A THREAT TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH
The Daily Mail reports that a controversial plan to give the police more powers to crackdown on protests has come a step closer to becoming law tonight despite claims that the curbs would make a dictator blush. MPs overwhelmingly voted to progress the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, despite some Tory backbench unease. The bill gives forces more powers to combat non-violent protests which cause significant disruption to the public or on access to Parliament. The draft legislation includes an offence of ‘intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance’.
UK FISHING DEAL STRUCK WITH NORWAY AND THE EU
The Express reports that Britain has secured a historic agreement with Norway and the European Union for fishing in the North Sea. British fisheries will be able to increase their catch of haddock and whiting under the deal agreed upon after negotiations conducted with the UK as an independent coastal state. In the past, the EU has always carried out such negotiations on the UK’s behalf.The negotiations saw Britain taking a leading role in agreeing to limits on the fishing of cod, haddock, plaice, whiting, herring, and saithe in order to ensure the stocks are sustainable for years to come. The deal struck is worth £184million to the UK economy.
JABS ARE OK NOW SAY FRANCE AND ITALY
From The Times: France and Italy prepared to drop their suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine last night after the European regulator said it was firmly convinced that the benefits outweighed any risks. President Macron and Mario Draghi, the Italian prime minister, said that they would “promptly restart the administration of the Astra Zeneca vaccine” if it was cleared by the European Medicines Agency tomorrow.A statement by the EMA that there was no sign the vaccination had caused blood clots was described by Macron and Draghi as encouraging. Seventeen European countries have paused use of jab in recent days. In response to concern that the suspension could further slow immunisation rates on the Continent, the European Commission has urged governments to stop sitting on vaccine stockpiles.
BORIS VOWS TO USE MILITARY FORCE TO DEFEND THE UK
The Telegraph reports that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will pledge to defend the Falklands and Gibraltar with the military, leaked documents have revealed. The Prime Minister has vowed to use the Armed Forces to protect the UK and its citizens, which includes its responsibility to ensure the security of the 14 overseas territories. In leaked papers seen by The Telegraph, the 100-page strategy, entitled Global Britain in a Competitive Age, sets out how it will protect overseas territories by deterring and defending against state and non-state threats. It adds that the Armed Forces will deter and challenge incursions in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters and will maintain a permanent presence in the Falkland Islands, Ascension Island and the British Indian Ocean Territory. It also says there will be significant investment in the sovereign base areas in Cyprus which will assure our ability to contribute to security with allies in the Eastern Mediterranean. It will be seen as a commitment to the sovereignty of the Falklands and Gibraltar at a time when tensions are high. Recently, members of Spain’s Vox party in the Andalusian Parliament urged Madrid to scrap the UK’s post Brexit Agreement as they called for Gibraltar to be liberated from the UK.
CHINA POSES INCREASING RISK TO UK INTERESTS SAYS REPORT
The Times reports that sensitive sites and technology will be made more secure to allow Britain to trade with an increasingly powerful China, a landmark defence, security and foreign policy review will say today. China poses the biggest state-based threat to the UK’s economic security and presents a systemic challenge to British prosperity and values, according to a leaked copy of the report a report titled Global Britain in a Competitive Age, which will say China’s military modernisation and growing international assertiveness in the Pacific region and beyond will pose an increasing risk to UK interests. It states Britain will not hesitate to stand up for its values and will increase protection of critical infrastructure, such as the national grid, transport and water supplies.
COLD WAR WITH CHINA A MISTAKE SAYS JOHNSON
The Times reports that Boris Johnson warned that a cold war with China would be a mistake as he faced a backlash from his backbench MPs over plans to build deeper trade links with Beijing. The prime minister said that Britain had to strike a balance in its ties with China and that the government’s integrated review offered a clear-sighted approach. Tory MPs and experts criticised the government for a “grasping naivety” and urged Johnson to take a tougher stance. It came as a leaked video emerged of Domonic Raab, the foreign secretary, telling officials that Britain would seek trade deals with countries that violated international standards on human rights.
POLICE CHIEF SAYS RELAX RESTRICTIONS ON PROTESTS
The Times reports that one of the country’s most senior police chiefs has urged the government to relax restrictions on protests, saying that police could not win when it came to enforcement at events. Sir David Thompson, the chief constable of West Midlands police, said officers were unfairly criticised for being “either woke and over-tolerant or cracking down too hard”. Thompson, whose force is the third biggest in England, said the current regulations should be “quickly realigned”, adding that a rethink was needed before the end of lockdown rules in June.
£10.000 FINE THROWN OUT OF COURT
The Daily Mail reports that a teenager who was fined £10,000 over an alleged Covid-breaking party has had it thrown out by a magistrate – who said police ‘bandied’ the big penalties around and blasted the CPS for mishandling the case. Isaac Parsons, 19, was accused of holding a get-together at his Wiltshire home last year, which police said had between 80 and 100 people in attendance. On September 4 police posted on Facebook they had issued the £10,000 notice – which would result in a criminal record – for the party after officers were called to the house in Devizes. At the time, it was an offence to hold a gathering of more than 30 people in a private dwelling, and the teenager had been charged under the CoronavirusRegulations. The fine was initially appealed by the family and yesterday their solicitor asked for a dismissal ahead of the trial – on the grounds that the wrong sections of law were quoted in the fixed penalty notice. The Crown Prosecution Service wanted to amend this, but the District Judge at Swindon Magistrates Court refused – stating the case wouldn’t have ever come to court if the correct law was used and a £100 fine was issued.
AND FINALLY
From The SUN: A furious mum has lashed out after her daughter was put in isolation at school because her earrings were against new rules – but can’t be removed until shops reopen. Charlotte Robertshaw, 34, claims her daughter Eloise, 15, has been failed by her school after being told she’ll have to spend six hours each day on her own and even eat alone. Her daughter, who is a Year 10 pupil at Trinity Academy in Bradford, West Yorks, has worn ear studs for two years without an issue as it was allowed. But new rules, which were enforced in February after a different Trust took over the school, forbid any jewellery from being worn. The single mum-of-two said the school was being unreasonable, as they will have to wait at least a month to remove the studs once piercing shops are open again. Nick Robinson, Executive Principal for Trinity Academy Bradford has said: “A Trinity MAT school has high standards, consistently upheld by all, and the future of the new Trinity Academy Bradford will be secured by doing the simple things well, by all of the people, all of the time.”
Fat Boy tub thumping on his prepardnes to use armed forces to protect Britain and its Territories if necessary.
Is there an election coming up?
I do believe there just might be Jake! I noticed the same thing as you, along with loads of bumph coming through my door.
Policeing by consent. You won’t get that unless they know you. They won’t know you if they never speak to you. They won’t speak to you unless you’re familiar . They can’t speak to you unless you’re available. They certainly will not trust you without evidence you are jto be trusted.
The vast all powerful Civil Service as the Noble Crown Prosecution Service is just ludicrous.. Nit pickers anonymous.
TG Spokes……..you missed a bit out, ‘but if you are on a committee especially a UKIP one, you will be known to them whatever the conditions are’ Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa’
Now THAT is interesting.
I feel that street protest are not a problem in themselvesalthough people do get over-enthusiastic. But the police seem to me to be well trained and well disposed. to control ordinary enthusiasm.
I believe that the problem and its solution lies in the governments own hands. Small changes are all that is needed. Not huge all change lefty acts of parliament. So much could be done now , immediately with no disagreement. So, Why don’t they do it ? It is perfectly possible to monitor every person in a protest every foot of the way if needed. I would suggest that the perpetrators are immediately recognisable. They have their own uniforms and weapons and actions and engineer their own opportunities.
The problem is :- Not enough policemen or women or others monitoring. Our police are still superbly trained and generally the best. Their officers and leaders are perhaps not quit goodenough.? That’s usually the case.
Very soon there is going to be huge unemployment. The country itself could do well with well trained, motivated., and respectable youngsters in uniform.. There’s too many wild maniac kids who need a purpose. There are too many wild kids of good blood, uniforms are the answer without creating a nazi youth etc IMHO we needto have several coppers in every high street and visible for the young to get used to talking to them.
Education, Justice, Forces, Political corruption and every other area of the state could benefit for less nonsense and more reality, and better quality.
We also need to make arrests easier, while making punishment different, and proof and evidence less microscopic or idiotically forensic.
If Isee another line of policemen on their knees looking for a cigarette butt with lipstick on it , I shall swoon.
Sir David Thompson sounds more sensible than most, without actually necessarily agreeing.
TG Spokes……your posts generally never make a lot of sense and this one is no exception to that belief, but they are nevertheless comedy gold, and always raise a titter or two. Like ‘our police are still superbly trained and generally the best. Their officers and leaders are perhaps not quite good enough. A contradiction in terms I would say…….
Why do women feel unsafe?
There’s a really good explanation here:-
https://melaniephillips.substack.com/p/the-real-reason-women-now-feel-unsafe?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxNDc4NzA4OCwicG9zdF9pZCI6MzM4MDExMDUsIl8iOiI3V2pSdSIsImlhdCI6MTYxNTk5Mzk0OCwiZXhwIjoxNjE1OTk3NTQ4LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNzc2NTUiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.8k5hfBSmWA92W19Zc0_KKs2-ovWtJmiqw62wRo9feHI
That last item, in the Sun, about ear studs must be complete rubbish. And I’m not blaming the Sun here.
The mother must just be seeking a moment of fame on social media. It is just not possible that ear studs once in can only be removed by the ear piercing shop.
When my ears were pierced many years ago, sleepers or studs had to be kept in for 1 month, or the hole would heal up. After that the wearer could remove them and either go without, e.g. to attend school, or insert decorative earrings e.g. to attend a party.
It seems to me that Nick Robinson does not have hight standards, looking at his bullying of a young girl. Where are his standards of tolerance and sympathy for the position he has put this child inn by his arbitrary enforcement when the child can not get the Studs removed.
He actually is the sort of idiot we seem to be getting in leftwing educators these days
The Home Secretary wants arbitrary power to decide what protests are allowed. A police state in fact.
Yes Michael Newland, it does look like that. On the other hand the problems with protests started before lock downs began. Toleration towards XReb in Central London seemed reasonable – perhaps a bit lenient but hey, freedom of speech.
Bending the knee to B.L.M. was just plain outrageous. That surely suggests a problem within the management of the police.
I do not like the Government taking control of the ‘right to protest’ either but the Metropolitan police did not do very well either.
PPB – what is XReb?
Extinction Rebellion. Beg pardon if I’m wrong but I thought that was how it was abbreviated.
Mass protests in London, 2019, mainly about the so called global warming due to CO2.
CO2 means carbon dioxide.