Not impressed by today’s “News” …

 

Here we go again: depending on your favourite paper we have the miscellaneous ‘horror’ news such as one old lady dying of hypothermia (Express) or that there are now more complaint about ‘Raab bullying’ (Grauniad). The rest is ‘rah-rah, the leopards are coming’. Happy days – not! Check out the MSM offerings in the usual place (link).

There’s one paper not toeing that line. The DT reports that the current M&S ‘chief’ is ‘baffled’ by the NI protocol proposals currently being negotiated. So he wrote a letter … We know that the ‘big’ UK businesses have been anti-Brexit, but this letter sadly documents that said business leaders’ are as clueless and idiotic as the Remain/Rejoin lot in Westminster. After much scrolling down to see what this article and letter were all about, I found this:

“The exact labelling changes being proposed by London and Brussels is unclear, given talks remain behind closed doors – though some form of change has been floated in public.” (paywalled link)

Obviously, we peasants aren’t worthy of being informed by judicious leaks but ‘Big Business’ chiefs are. And here it becomes surreal:

“Using different product labelling could theoretically ease the need for customs checks at the border. But Mr Norman [M & S Chief] argues in his letter that it would send costs soaring for producers […]: “A costly labelling solution will mean customers will be hit by reduced ranges, higher prices – at a time of huge inflation and when the economy in Northern Ireland is already disadvantaged – and a worsening of availability.” […] “This proposal adds cost, labour and complexity at a time when the supply base really does not need it and is struggling to stay on its feet to the specific advantage of EU producers.” (paywalled link)

Blimey. So making little stickers and sticking them on ‘products’, such as stores up and down the country have used to tell us something is ‘reduced’ on ‘on sale’ is too expensive? And this is one of the ‘Big Bosses’ of industry?

No wonder our economy is on its knees! No wonder Brexit hasn’t been done when all those Bigwigs, be it in Westminster, be it in ‘Big Business’ are always in ‘that’ll cost’~ mode, with a mental attitude of ‘nothing can be done’. Where has the inventiveness gone, the spirit of innovation which once was a hallmark of this country?

And so to the other ‘general’ theme, of Leopards and the Ukraine. Never mind that said tanks need to be taken out of mothballs and won’t appear ‘on the scene’ immediately. “We” are showing Russia what’s what, ok yah? But here’s the snag – enough is not enough:

“Ukraine has said it expects the West will send long-range missiles capable of striking almost 200 miles behind Russian lines. The sophisticated weapons systems would be used to target Russia’s fragile supply chains, hitting ammunition depots, warehouses and other infrastructure critical to supporting its invasion.” (paywalled link)

This ‘expectation’ was also the subject of the DM’s leading article early this morning, shamelessly copied from the DT, with one twist (this and other emphases are mine)

“In a devastating blow to the Kremlin, nine countries joined Britain yesterday in agreeing to send tanks to destroy Russia’s forces in eastern Ukraine. The coalition came together just 48 hours after Boris Johnson’s rallying cry in the Daily Mail, imploring the UK’s allies to end their dithering.” (link)

Is ‘The West’ now dancing to the tune of BJ? Crikey – he must come back as PM, right? One item which has been utterly overlooked by our MSM is an utterance by the German Foreign Secretary who said at a meeting that ‘we are at war with Russia’.

Here’s the video clip – note the ‘correcting explanation’ by twitter ‘moderators’. Phew … Perhaps this explains why the DM saw fit to publish a piece by a Russian expat starting with the sentence “Britain is at war with Russia.” (link). The rest of this piece is the usual ‘Putin bad’ elaborate. 

And then there’s Mr Tobias Ellwood … Yesterday we mentioned how he criticised – justifiably – the state of our Armed Forces. Today he’s in the DT again, saying that: “‘Massive arms factory’ must be built in Poland to help Ukraine win war”(paywalled link). Yes, words utterly fail me yet again and again, especially when I saw this next:

“While the Conservative MP welcomed the decision to deliver Western-made main battle tanks, he told The Telegraph the model of donations to Kyiv with differeing [sic!] supply chains and types of ammunition was “unsustainable”. “It’s just not feasible in the long term,” he said. “Tanks today, yes. But we need a strategy to make sure Ukraine can defend itself.” (paywalled link)

What is it with these Tory MPs, so keen on warmongering and on keeping yon war going? Where are Labour politicians to tell us that we need to combat poverty here at home rather than waste money on foreign wars and arms? There’s more:

“With Western military stocks dwindling, Mr Ellwood said the creation of an arms factory in Poland could help transform the Ukrainian armed forces into a more independent military. The concept is modelled on a microchip factory opened by Taiwan, which fears a Chinese invasion could cut it off from the West, in the United States. “Let’s do the same with Ukraine so they can procure their own equipment to their own specification, probably Nato standard, and have a constantly protected supply chain,” […]” (paywalled link)

It sounds so rational, doesn’t it! I’m sure our own military will be delighted to support such outsourcing of arms manufacturing. After all, “we” don’t have stuff or energy to do it ourselves. You might like to read this long essay by ‘Aurelien’ on that issue.

I leave you with a most delicious piece of news. The Times reports on a project by the grauniad to investigate the paper’s ‘historical links’ to slavery. Three producers involved complained about how they were treated by said paper – not that we’re told what happened. They left and wrote an email, as one does:

“The email, obtained by the news site Deadline, said: “A key issue was the lack of any serious desire from The Guardian to face and interrogate its own historic role, what that has meant for its journalism to date and what accountability might look like in the future. This left room for microaggressions, colourism, bullying, passive-aggressive and obstructive management styles that have caused frustration and stress for members of the production team. The institution is now looking for other producers to finish our work and has ignored our concerns. The outcome of this project is a huge indictment of the paper. The irony of dealing with institutional racism, editorial whiteness and ignorance on a project about the legacies of slavery hasn’t been lost on us — and deeply undermines the integrity of the project.” (link, paywalled)

Ouch – that’ll hurt, to be on the receiving end of full-on blatant wokeism! Not one expression, not one word from the woke arsenal is lacking, and it’s all aimed at yon bastion of wokeness: how I laughed!

That’s all I have for today. I dunno if “we” are at war or not. I do know that our country is in deep trouble when even the allegedly hard-headed pillars of Big Business are incapable of envisaging simple solutions because it doesn’t fit their worldview of ‘Brexit Bad’. As for our MPs … I’ve long abandoned all hope. Have a good day.



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