What fresh hell is this, again?
Unsurprisingly, the MSM are again showing us this morning what they really think of us plebs: the thickos wo read the Red Tops are getting their fix with stuff on ‘teh royals’, the less thick peasants reading the Broadsheets are presented with stuff on the ‘shame’ of the Rwanda flight, the economy and the EU (link). I’ll mention in passing that seeing the photo of the former PM Mr B. at the ceremony for the Order of the Garter was utterly stomach-turning.
Two ‘staples’ on which the MSM survived for months and even years have vanished. There were no covid ‘news’ and the war in the Ukraine has now become something to be hidden well below any other reports, the only hold-out being the DT where the editors still run a ‘live blog’. This might as well have been written in Kiev. The most egregious of those ‘news’ is that the bad Russiains have destroyed the last bridge out of Severodonetsk so that the poor civilians cannot flee. Not one word about Ukrainian military groups being holed up in a factory complex (paywalled link).
I mention in passing that the authors of that DT propaganda blog refer to an ‘investigation’ by Amnesty International according to which hundreds of civilians were killed in Charkov by Russian cluster bombs. Not one word, neither by that NGO nor of course by the DT, the Kiev mouthpiece, on the ongoing shelling, with cluster bombs, by Ukrainian military of the city of Donetsk where yesterday five people were killed and over 33 injured. That was reported by TASS and so must be Russian propaganda (link).
Does it occur to the chief editors in the MSM that their partisan reporting has made us ever more disinclined to believe a word they say or write because they haven’t given us the whole story, for years? Does it not occur to them that our disinterest in their partisan reporting is due to their unmitigated refusal to give us both sides of important events? Doesn’t it occur to one the other of their ever so clever ‘thinking heads’ and opinion writers that our political ‘apathy’ is due to the fact that we are no longer content with being presented with a ‘Labour’ or ‘Tory’ spin of a news item which is lacking in objective, factual reporting?
The accusations of ‘fake news’ when reported in ‘alt media’ and especially in social media not controlled by Big Tech have become stale. The Westminster critters still rely on their illusory ‘power’ to influence public opinion while more and more of us are getting our news elsewhere. Blocking and prohibiting access to other news channels isn’t working any longer. Moreover, those writing or speaking on such channels are doing what our wonderful MSM editors are not: they always provide the sources, leaving it to us to check out what they were saying, to make up our own minds.
Meanwhile, Mr ‘e, clearly delusional, vowed to ‘take back’ the whole of the Donbas and the Crimea, provided the stingy West gives them even more ammunition and advanced weapons systems (link). Also meanwhile, Poland’s PM is demanding that the NATO allies – that includes us – should replace all the military stuff they’ve sent to the Ukraine: “We expect the gaps that have arisen in our resources to be refilled also within the framework of allied support mechanisms,” (link) – as if our Armed Forces are sitting on mountains of military hardware and have the capacity to manufacture more of that stuff to give away.
I assume some ‘correspondents’ in the Westminster MSM do glance occasionally at Reuters which is, after all, not providing ‘Russian propaganda’. There’s an intriguing item showing that, en coulisse, the think-tankers and other political influencers in the West are pondering how to get out of that mess – and how to distribute the spoils of a beaten Ukraine (link). One has to go to Larry Johnson’s blog to read why the Ukraine is so important, economically, for the West (link). One has to go to India, to Mr Bhadrakumar’s blog, to read about what is being whispered in the USA, by important ‘players (link).
This information, those talks are of huge importance especially at this time when our economy is struggling, not least thanks to the government’s support for sanctions generally and militarily. Don’t think for a minute that an end to the shooting war in the Ukraine will mean that we won’t need to pay out more to Kiev, not when the USA is planning to support Kiev with $1.5 bn a month (link, machine translator needed). That money must come from somewhere …
Is that why BJ so cavalierly refuses to cut taxes unless ‘inflation is under control’? I see this as a cynical ploy to keep the Treasury coffers full:
“Boris Johnson is not planning to cut taxes for households until inflation is brought under control, meaning action is unlikely before next year. Downing Street and the Treasury fear soaring prices could “spiral”, even further if a tax cut is adopted soon to help with the cost of living. Both the Bank of England and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development predict inflation will only start dropping next year. It means that pressure to bring forward a planned income tax cut and reverse the increase in National Insurance is being resisted for now. Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, has refused to promise personal tax cuts in his autumn Budget, only going as far as pledging help for businesses.” (paywalled link)
Why institutions like the BoE believe inflation ‘will drop’ next year is not explained. There are murmurs of a recession but interestingly enough no mention is being made of stagflation. I cannot help but think that this is just the ticket as far as the international neofeudal class is concerned. New military hardware has to be manufactured after all, and plucky, corrupt Ukraine has to be supported. That’ll cost us while being a nice little earner for those economic overlords. Perish the thought that ‘things will get better’, not when the government has its tax boots firmly stomped on our necks!
At least we still have this one week in which the days are getting longer. From next Tuesday onwards it’ll be downhill all the way: the days will get shorter again, the economy will tank a bit more. But no worries! There are the summer holidays to come and there will be more theatre to keep us from asking serious questions of our ‘rulers’. What was this about making hay while the sun shines?
Wednesday 15th June now.
Unfortunately some guy writing for Ukip has sent me an email saying Boris et al are right to support Ukraine against Russia.
It is actually self contradictory AND contradicts Ukip’s stated defence policy.
I suppose I’d better write back pointing that out.
Jermany supplied defective pumps to the Russians, to pump gas to Jermany. The Nord 2 pipeline (who knew it was open?) in consequence is hobbled to provide only 60 pct of previous gas supply. Jermany is now wetting itself because their industry shall be dented, or shall collapse, due to hardly any energy. I suppose they are all looking forward to unheated Christmas.
It is reported on BBC online website that a number of British journalists have been banned from Russia. Contrary to what is pumped out on BBC and other biased news outlets, the Russians obviously have some sense. I wish to goodness these journalists were banned from espousing their garbage on our screens as well. Defund the BBC, or better still get rid of it altogether.
‘Defund the BBC.” No establishment party will defund the BBC. People will have to defund the BBC themselves.
I don’t enjoy a generous index -linked pension and I certainly am not going to contribute to the BBC one.
https://bbcpa.org.uk/bbc-pension-increase-2022/
Thank you Viv for the links. The Larry Johnson one was particularly instructive.
I knew Ukraine was potentially very rich in food and fossil fuels. Now I know it has all the useful mineral deposits in abundance as well.
Hardly surprising is it that ‘the West’ has continued to gang up against Russia, even though the USSR is long gone.
It is reported on the BBC news website and probably elsewhere that the European Union are preparing a legal case against Britain with regard to plans by the government to unilaterally tear up parts of the Northern Ireland protocol. Who cares, it was high time that Johnson stood up to the European Commission and showed a bit of backbone and political conviction over this and other issues. It is two and a half years since we supposedly left the EU and we are still talking about possible changes. The European Union will never move an inch over this or anything else which might be of benefit to this country, and it is about time they were told that they can go and take a hike. We passed the point of negotiating with them ages ago. Did we not vote to take charge of our own destiny in the 2016 EU referendum and be a fully independent country, but why has it taken the breaking of Covid laws by Johnson and cost of living and fuel increases to get his mind re-focussed on delivering what he promised to do back in 2019. I have no time for Johnson and don’t trust him an inch, but if he starts delivering on Brexit and Immigration, then I might just start to change my mind over him…..
Yes Colin Hussey. He has been forced into taking some action, on some issues, because of pressure from some of his back benchers. But the fact remains that he is totally useless and untrustworthy in himself.
The only good reason for him remaining in situ is that the alternatives are no better, probably worse.
His idiotic carbon neutral policies remain, virtually unchanged.
And his subservience to Biden/NATO/USA over Ukraine, also.
It remains to be seen whether the Rwuanda flight has any effect.
Also he hasn’t a clue how to run the economy.
Is there ANYTHING to like?
Received some very good suggestions from Ukip lately on how things should be done. That probably beside the point though. Just have to wait and see what happens until the next Gen. Election.
The judgement made by a judge, without the help of a jury as was the case Depp v Heard in the USA, on Banks v Codswallop is an absolute disgrace and shows how low the judiciary in the UK has sunk. How can he say that lies were published and defamation caused unfairly to an individual and yet rule it amounted to nothing?
On another attack on justice, it appears that rape of children, even as young as 10 years, is not a serious crime and now can be forgiven simply by an apology!!! No record will even be kept so the perpetrators are encouraged to repeat the crime over and over while others will be watching and learning. Unbeleivable!! Meanwhile, the police and judiciary will pursue someone for saying or writing the unfashionable or “incorrect” words and opinions to the fullest extent even leading to imprisonment.
Astonishing, how low this country has sunk, Watch the comments by the Lotus Eaters on Sunday12 June —
Those convicted serial rapists must have their tackle removed in its entirety. Let them pee like a girl for the rest of their miserable lives.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/06/14/education-tsar-threatens-to-fine-university-institutions-for-taking-chinese-money/
“…Under the new measures, all university groups will be required to declare all foreign funding amounting to £75,000 (~$91,500) or more, as well as all funding of any amount originating from authoritarian regimes such as China, with groups risking being handed fines should it be found that the foreign funding risks compromising freedom of speech…”
Sounds good? He misses the point. Our own government is complicit in suppressing free speech not only in our Universities but throughout the whole education system.
How about fining any establishment that condones:-
The cancel culture, which stifles debate…
The teaching of CRT (marxism), the re-writing of history and the violence and destruction of property associated with it…
The promotion of the LGBT agenda and its associated “isms” which pander to a very small minority of the population. (positive discrimination)…
The climate change ideology, and will not permit any debate on the subject…
The list goes on. It would be ironic if government had to fine some of its own departments for “Compromising Free Speech”.
I heard this today.
“Idolising a politician is like thinking that a stripper really likes you.”
I’ve written lots about both the British and global economy over the years but I’m surprised about how quickly some of my predictions are coming to pass. Over the years I often have listened to economic and financial commentators that I’ve learnt to trust but suddenly these people seem to realise the reality of the abyss into which they are starring, they look ashen faced.
Many people are still waking up but expect chaos as reality becomes apparent; I predict that things will get really nasty on a lot of levels by the end of the year. I hate to say this, it makes me feel depressed but now I think the Britain is finished, for the Brits at least.
It looks like Donald Trump will make a comeback at the mid term elections in the US but those that subjected the US to this coup will not give up the US. Probably the US will be drawn into conflict with China via Taiwan probably, the Ukraine will be supplied with weapons that will prolong the conflict and things will explode between Israel and Iran.
Britain will have no wealth, with broken supply chains, food and much else will be scarce and racial tensions will explode.
I’m sorry to be so negative but this is the picture that I see.
Here you’ll find a map of all of the food supply and processing centers that have been destroyed recently.
https://iceagefarmer.com/fire/
I wouldn’t disagree flyer. Our real enemy is within.
I hesitated over flyers comment RACIAL tensions would explode. Then realised that some areas of UK were suffering from vast numbers of muslim men outnumbering the native population.
Perhaps we shall see POLITICAL tensions explode, rather than racial.
Otherwise flyer’s gloomy picture is pretty near the mark.
Flyer that is not soo negative! It’s going to be a lot worse than than that!!!
Racial tensions will explode. But not only here – right across Europe.!
https://rmx.news/article/europes-migration-problems-set-to-worsen-as-survey-show-more-than-half-of-young-africans-plan-to-emigrate/
You may find this comment disjointed. It is meant that way
Cutting Taxes vs Inflation. There are literally ( or maybe figuratively. I never know )hundreds of taxes masqurading as private industries . Many imposed because that industry looked a little too prosperous. Many of these taxes can be abandoned with nil effecr other than a small averaged out increase in prosperity. Examples abound. Air passengers, Road tax . The various taxes Duties, etc that surround hydro carbons. Many of these it can be argued , are beneficial, as they force greater efficiency. And you can’t argue about that.. But.
But that is not why it’s done. At least , I bet it isn’t. I guess we have to make money less attractive. Or allow alternatives. We know that Science has other better alternatives , so why ? I suspect thicko Politics, idleness, A failure of Science without assistance The best example I can think of is Rolls Toyce or Solar panel roofs. And what do we get The abominable but strangley attractive but silly windmills. It is hard to imagine anything less helpful.(maybe Cortez, ?) Only a large numberof politicians could have come up with whatever it was in Glasgow.
Science with/without assistance. Silicon valley and banking , Scotland, Aberdeen Banks and government . Governments simply do not understand some things, and so miss some obvious connections or jumps or steps. So come up with your own favourite , a committee. Sage, cobra ? And diffuse the blame.
The Civil Service is far from daft. But we are. And clearely many things have gone wrong. But governments are vaguely organised. We do not even understand the word at all. And cannot fight back.
RE “organisation” TG. Absolutely vital to our being able to fight back together with cooperation, not competing factions.
Summary of what they called Mr Z’s Betrayal Rat Trap, on UK Column yesterday, as the impending end game accelerates:
“If I don’t fight the Russians I will be ‘disappeared’ by the US, UK, and EU.
“If I don’t fight the Russians my Azovs will execute me for treason.
“When Ukraine finally understands I was bought and groomed by the West to run their proxy war against Russia they will execute me for treason.”
Interesting Farage last night. Who is running the country? It appears to be left wing activities, Judges, lawyers, The Supreme Court and The Church and of course the EU/ international law. Rwanda plane may go with just the crew? 80 seat majority in Parliament no matter at least half of them prefer the above.
Tony Benn, all those years ago, described how civil servants ‘bounced’ ministers – steering him or her to following their agenda – a phenomenon satirised in Yes Minster. Institutions have always run this country and governments with majorities large enough to override those vested interests have been rare. Thatcher and Blair used their majorities to respectively improve and degrade the country. Johnson has simply squandered the opportunity he had.
Thatcher had a clear idea of how she wanted the country to be, as did Blair except he was thwarted by Brown over joining the euro (thank God) which would have buggered us even more royally. But what is Johnson’s vision? Its absence emboldens the various institutions and quangos, by now even more woke and elitist than in previous decades. Parliament, reduced to a jumped up county council by EU membership, still has no idea about how to govern as a sovereign nation, but it is the change in the MSM and the judiciary that is facilitating our slide into neo-feudalism. That some people search out alternate sources of news – us – makes little difference to the climate created by the BBC, Guardian et al, among voters at large.
The profitability of print media is now so precarious that editors are utterly fixated on just trying to survive. An example is the infuential New York Times. It was found that articles about racism increased sales. Its fuelling of identity politics was thus less ideological than commercial, displacing any connection to reality or concern for the consequences of promoting division.
The Guardian sits atop a £600 million Scott Trust but still has to behave commercially – hence its continuing obsession with race to retain its core supporters – but the BBC has no commercial interest in promoting its divisive agenda. That appears to be pure snobbery, a stick it to the atavistic masses, mixed with the heady belief that it can socially engineer the country.
As to the new judiciary, it was Blair’s abolition of the Lord Chancellor’s office and creatiomm of a Supreme Court that paved the way. A fully independent judiciary sounds good but in the context of institutions long marched through by the left it led to what we have now: judges interpeting the law and using the law to support the modern clerisy. The latest example is the judgement against Aaron Banks. I read the full judgement yesterday. In summary: yes Codswallop libelled Banks with false claims about Russian funding but no damages are due because as a vile Brexiteer he does not deserve a protected reputation and the lovely Guardian darling should not have to pay.
The reason Putin wants to take over Eastern Ukraine are the oil and gas fields there. Ukraine could supply gas and oil to the West through pipelines that already exist. This would defeat Putin’s plan to hold the West to ransom by gas deprivation.
Harold. Read Larry Johnson’s blog link that Viv has kindly provided above regarding the mineral and agricultural wealth of Ukraine which,arguably, is of far more economic interest to the USA than Russia. Russia has plenty of these resources itself and is engaged in the Ukraine for national security purposes in response to the eastwards march of NATO.
Why Ukraine is the fault of the West Prof John Meirsheimer Chicago University
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiuwPTtx6z4AhXJEsAKHZ0_AWIQwqsBegQIBRAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DJrMiSQAGOS4&usg=AOvVaw2dz38a_9R3CFEjZ4-EX_U6
Russia’s purpose is to deprive the West of Ukrainian gas
Try to keep up!
Harold One minute you are banging on to us that fossil fuels have had their day and the future is alternative energies and the next minute suggesting that Putin is seeking to deny us that which is to become obsolete. Which is to be?
It’s not yet obsolete but it will be in the future.
Plus it needs to be when nutcases like Putin control it.
Jake…..well, as I said yesterday Harry is a Walter Mitty mark 2 and makes things up as he goes along to fit his argument. He would make a good politician, or perhaps indeed he is a politician already. Perhaps he is in parliament, who knows Anyway he is good for a titter or two………
HA- always good for a laugh, or good for an insult
Putin’s plan to hold the West to ransom by gas deprivation?
Still drinking the narrative, I see.
Remind me who imposed sanctioned to stop receiving oil and gas? Putin was happy to continue to supply it, and did so (and is still doing so, via Greek shipping (strangely not sanctioned) and rebadging cargo through the back door to the two-faced West.
There’s no point in him cutting it off until he has control of Ukrainian gas.