COVID
According to the Daily Express Boris Johnson may extend lockdown restrictions until April 2nd as Nursing Home deaths are presently soaring.
Sources are reportedly saying that work is being done quietly and go on to say that announcements depend on the progress of the vaccination program, suggesting that “the mood was very much about things happening later in the spring rather than early on.
POLITICS
Theressa May has made her most strident criticism of Boris Johnson, accusing him of abandoning Britain’s global moral leadership. Writing in the Daily Mail she goes on to say that the election of ‘decent’ President Biden offers a ‘golden opportunity’ for Britain to play a key role in making the world safer.
The SUN reports that campaigners at FairFuelUK say the Treasury has finalised plans for a 5p increase in the cost of petrol and diesel regardless of whether they decide to keep the £20 UC [Universal Credit] uplift. Rishi Sunak the Chancellor reportedly told Tory MPs “drastic measures” will be needed to foot the £6billion Universal Credit bill worth £1,040 to each claiming household.
FISHING
The Guardian has a report that may give some hope to the British fishing industry which is facing difficulties following the signing of the trade deal with the EU. Exporters have been hit by what is described as ‘Red Tape. DEFRA has said that a £23 million compensation package has been put in place to compensate firms who can show that they have suffered ‘genuine loss’.
THE INAUGURATION
The Independent leads with several stories reporting on the inauguration of President Biden with Griffin Connoly reporting that ‘the world is watching’ as Donald Trump leaves the White House under the cloud of impeachment for fueling an attempt to block the most foundational and sacrosanct American tradition: a peaceful transfer of presidential power. 25000 National Guardsmen wearing full camouflage and armed with assault rifles will be standing guard in Washington. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday. “No force — no force — will prevent tomorrow’s Constitutional proceedings from taking place,”
Meanwhile the Daily Mirror reports that President Trump has warned ‘it’s only the beginning for the ‘movement’ he created and goes on to say that the ‘Republican bragged about his achievements in a boastful speech but failed to take any responsibility for the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters’.
EU
The Daily Telegraph reports that Brussels has warned Britain against deregulating the City of London or introducing “light touch” financial rules after Brexit on Tuesday. The Commissioner Mairead McGuiness said that British Firms would not be given access to the bloc’s single market unless UK rules were sufficiently robust. Ms McGuinness said she would not grant equivalence to 28 sectors until the UK gave more details on how far it planned to diverge from EU Rules.
The Daily Express reports that Emmanuel Macron’s banking chief is already gloating about the huge financial benefits France has seen from Brexit, claiming the UK’s departure from the European Union has immediately driven almost 2,500 jobs and “at least €170bn in assets” across the Channel. Bank of France chief executive Francois Villeroy de Galhau said while London remains Europe’s financial hub, other major European cities such as Paris, Dublin, and Frankfurt are scrambling to remain active.
CULTURE
The Times reports that top celebrity and musical stars including Sir Elton John and Sir Simon Rattle, have accused the government of “shamefully failing” the country’s performers with its Brexit deal. In a letter published in The Times today, signed by more than 100 musicians plus dozens of other prominent figures in the industry, they say that the government’s “negotiating failure” threatens the future of cultural exchange with the Continent.
The Guardian writes: Joe Biden won the US presidency as a “woke guy” who proudly defended trans-rights and Black Lives Matter but also set the agenda on economic recovery, the shadow foreign secretary, Lisa Nandy, has said, as Labour seeks to build new alliances with the Democrats. Lisa Nandy is the Labour Shadow Foregn Secretary who also says she will seek to improve the standing of the U.K that has been damaged by Boris Johnson.
I was wondering what Traitor May was up to, until I got to the end of News Review.
Then I realised she’d be far more at home in the present Labour Party!
How the hell can anyone want to be ‘Global Britain’ and LEAD internationally while at the same time wanting COMPROMISE instead of confrontation?
Surely it is obvious that in compromising one is giving up leadership.
Moral leadership on the world stage? What the hell is that supposed to mean? It is Trump who has started no wars and brought his troops home.
Four years ago, not long after Pres Trump won a landslide victory, I was with a couple of relations eating in a restaurant.
Next to us were a couple of women (say ~30s) who in +loud+ voices were saying things like ‘what an idiot that trump is’ and ‘who would vote for a nazi / mysoginist / liar / etc’. It went on and on.
After some five or ten minutes of this, I, in my stentorian (working on consruction site in a high wind) voice said ”ladies, what sort of idiot do you have to be to lose to ‘that idiot’ President Trump? And to your other comments, who would vote for someone standing on a platform of ‘you know I’m as bent as a nine dollar note, so vote for me? Please peddle it somewhere else.”
This rather killed their conversation as most of the other diners had stopped to listen. My sister told me off for making a scene. (Loud voice again) ‘I’m here to enjoy a meal not to hear some drunken tarts air their misguided political views”. The women left shortly after, and I much enjoyed my meal. But you probably guessed that last bit.
Now we know vote rigging is the only way to beat Pres Trump. And now the rules of the game are established with four years to prepare, it will be ‘gloves off’ for all the hackers across the world.
More popcorn anyone?
Nice one Biscotte. Very CONFRONTATIONAL!
They dont like it up’em, and many like my Sister dont like to make ‘a scene’. It works for me in such situations.
Potential advisor to Remainer May? Y/No?
Y. Except she’d never give you the job.
Of course care home deaths are soaring.
Put Do Not Resuscitate notices on residents, keep them isolated from loved ones, and give them a vaccine which may well finish them off – what did they expect?
Oh yes. I’d forgotten the DNR scandal. My reaction was – people do die in care homes, people die in old age and go into care homes in old age. They are there to die.
Trump does not take responsibility for the intergalactic extermination of the Capitol by the evil warlords of the universe? Oh wait, that’s the Hollywood version based on the MSM reports, well the actual events involving some idiots and agent provocateurs are not so important are they?
Uncle Joe supports, along with many other Dems, the violence of BLM but he’s a good guy, Nandy says so and takes the knee before him.
Now where have we heard that before in relation to a Demo-rat POTUS.?
The hypocrisy of Left knows no bounds (and I include the vile creature May)
Again I am in total agreement with Jim R…..
I think President Trump did say..”be careful what you wish for……”.
And I reiterate …..if it hadn’t been Trump…..we would have had Clinton……even now she appears as a harridan, totally interested in herself…..probably resentful of her lying husband having been President.
But she will now remain in the shadows.
The real danger now for America…….? That is the THIRD TERM of Obama no less. Neither Biden or Harris are truly of any relevance……and the people he has hired? Mostly Obama acolytes…….
I wish America success………..but with this new ‘team’ ? This is going to be an uphill battle….is Biden up to a battle? No!
A great shame if Trump really has gone. Not looking forward to 4 years of Biden and co.
Pauline, not to worry, we have got enough to worry about in this country with the two clueless numpties in charge here, namely Johnson and Hancock. We have to remain focused on what is going on within this country at the moment. We can deal Johnson and his inept government a fatal blow in the forthcoming local elections in May by placing our votes in favour of the new up and coming parties of the right, instead of the ‘past the sell by date’ Conservative Party, in an effort to get them to change course. However, what happens in the USA is down to the American public now and well beyond our reach. They have made their bed and will now have to sleep in it…
I keep saying Colin, if we get any elections with the covid dictatorship in power.
My Tory MP is expecting police and crime commissioner elections anyway. Wanting to know how I will vote. (Didn’t have to answer that bit – he’s not bad really – on the whole.)
So I’ve told him they and graduate entry into higher ranks should be abolished.
I hope it is a good sign that he expects elections to take place.
I’d love to see Heritage take control of London. Then I’d like ALL Blair’s devolution abolished.
Yes I agree we have enough on with our own problems.
Apart from Police commissioners where I think we’ll get a vote this year : I think the only real way we could hit back at Johnson & co is through mass civil disobedience? Pull off all those disgusting masks and tell ’em where to stuff their jab.
We also need to make clear, if we’re asked, that we don’t want to throw even more money at the police so that they can bully and terrorise us even further.
Still no Debbie. Really hope she’s on the mend and my best wishes to her. she does a heroic job.
Agreed Jim R.