- “Author Martin Amis dies aged 73” – Martin Amis, once the enfant terrible of British letters, has died, reports the Telegraph. Boris Johnson leads the tributes.
- “Martin Amis, literary giant, dies aged 73” – The Sunday Times announces the death of the literary giant in a rather uncharitable piece.
- “Martin Amis, prodigiously gifted novelist who captured the zeitgeist of the 1980s and 1990s” – Telegraph obit.
- “Martin Amis obituary” – Observer obit.
- “Martin Amis, Acclaimed Author of Bleakly Comic Novels, Dies at 73” – New York Times obit.
- “How long before the misery of ME is taken seriously?” – According to sufferer Sophie Palmer, ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) is a serious and potentially life-threatening neurological illness of viral origin. She’s written about her struggle with the disease n the Conservative Woman.
- “What Healthcare Professionals Learned from the Pandemic” – Thorsteinn Siglaugsson examines the track record of health professionals during the pandemic and concludes they got almost everything wrong.
- “Far-Left protestors have abandoned Marxist discipline in favour of chaos” – Telegraph columnist Janet Daley laments the fact that protest groups like Extinction Rebellion are now just happy to cause chaos without any realistic political objective.
- “It’s not O.K. to be fat – and there’s nothing unkind about saying so” – Camilla Tominey in the Telegraph doesn’t think we should replace the word ‘obesity’ with ‘chronic appetite dysregulation’, as some health experts have proposed. Sometimes, shaming fat people can be life saving.
- “Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s surging support unmasks Democrats’ disquiet at Joe Biden” – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential bid is doing surprisingly well, reports the Telegraph.
- “American and British voters are being failed by the same big immigration lie” – Douglas Murray in the Telegraph questions the logic of liberal politicians who advocate for open borders even though they were in favour of strict border controls during the pandemic.
- “Mayor Sadiq Khan says he is suffering from PTSD after death threats” – The London Mayor claims all the abuse he’s received on social media has left him suffering from PTSD. Is there a violin small enough? The Daily Mail has the story.
- “How supercar owners dodge Ulez charge despite massive CO2 emissions” – Sadiq Khan has been accused of condemning 600,000 Londoners with older cars to massive tax hikes while allowing super car owners a free pass. The Daily Mail has more.
- “‘Loud’ heat pumps spark nuisance complaints” – The Government has launched a review of heat pumps over fears they might be too noisy, reports the Telegraph’s Science Editor Sarah Knapton.
- “Hurtling towards net zero at any cost will be a mistake” – Lord Frost sounds the alarm about the disastrous Net Zero policy in the Express.
- “The sad decline of BBC Radio 4” – Gareth Roberts in the Spectator isn’t surprised Radio 4 is haemorrhaging listeners – it’s just one finger-wagging, woke lesson after another.
- “White theatregoers urged not to attend play aimed at black audiences” – A theatre in east London says that one-off performance of race satire Tambo & Bones should be “free from the white gaze”, reports the Telegraph.
- “English gardens put non-white people off Chelsea Flower Show, says diversity ambassador” – Manoj Malde, the Diversity and Inclusion Ambassador of the Royal Horticultural Society, says gardens designed by people with “double-barrelled” names don’t connect with people from African backgrounds, says the Telegraph. How does he know?
- “Husband of murdered MP Jo Cox leads backlash against film that shows attempt to kill Boris Johnson” – The husband of murdered Labour MP Jo Cox last night led criticism of a new film about an attempt to assassinate Boris Johnson.
- “AI take over… MPs should beware, robots could do a far better job” – According to a recent survey, 26% of Brits would be willing to go on a date with a silicone-skinned sexbot. And a surprisingly large number think AIs would be better at running the country than politicians.
- “The 25 reasons why I fear China will rule the world” – David Wright in the Conservative Woman lists 25 reasons why, in the not so distant future, China may take over from the U.S. as the world’s dominant super power.
- “Time To Heal: Former Pussycat Doll Jessica Sutta’s Experience With Neurological Symptoms After the Moderna Vaccine” – Former Pussycat Dolls member Jessica Sutta experienced severe neurological symptoms after receiving the Moderna vaccine. Full report in the Epoch Times.
- “How Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse gamble backfired” – Simon Hunt in the Spectator discusses the ongoing business disaster that is the Metaverse, a colossal misstep by Zuckerberg.
- “Norway’s Government Uses Oil Wealth to Pressure U.S. Firms” – Norway is trying to use its sovereign wealth fund, built from the country’s oil riches, to push ESG gobblegook on U.S. companies. The hypocrisy is jarring, says the WSJ .
- “If Your Toddler Isn’t Talking Yet, the Pandemic Might Be to Blame” – Children who spent little time socialising during the pandemic are struggling to talk, reports the WSJ.
- “‘If you are black you have to be a certain way” – Adam Afriyie reveals why he rejected the Labour Party’s attempts to recruit him.
- “Unexplained closure of Triggernometry’s bank account” – Konstantin Kisin tells Mark Dolan on GB News that Triggernometry’s bank has told him it will close the account in 60 days without offering an explanation.
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Re. the decline of Radio 4: for me, the final nail in its coffin was in August 2020, when every hour on the hour we were subjected to Saint Boris casually saying “We have to squee-eeeeeeeeeeze the brakes on reopening”, while the self-employed watched their businesses crumble before their very eyes; and the serious news voice speaking in colloquialisms such as “the government has decided to hit the pause button”. Also constantly hearing “corrrrrrronavirus” did not help, to say nothing of all the three-word slogans.
Switch your TV and radio off while you can, before government-mandated Alexa-like devices are speaking this stuff in your home whether you want it or not. I refused to watch the coronation while it’s still possible to refuse.
And if your toddler is not talking yet; no, not a “pandemic” to blame; LOCKDOWN is to blame. It is vital to make that distinction, and we must keep correcting anyone who avoids the L-word.
With reference to your last point, I totally agree and always correct people when they blame various hardships on the ‘pandemic’ rather than the lockdown rules.
My favourite example of this is at a Village Hall looking at the ruined blown laminate flooring which happened because of neglect during lockdown. A lady said “The Pandemic did that”…ermmm no…..
Was the floor also ruined by hand sanitiser dripping on it?
Gave up in it years back. Woman’s Hour for example became Transgender Hour thanks to Jenni Murray. Today? God help us. Now, I only listen to it to remins myself why I do not. Always works.
And Radio 4 “comedy”. No. No. NO.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/20/tambo-and-bones-theatre-white-black-audiences/
Will ‘white gazers’ be allowed to travel on buses that stop near / at the theatre venue?
I have brown eyes. Ohhh, the dilemma. Do I look or don’t I..?
You could wear ‘shades’ – keep them guessing…
Looking forward to Adjoa Andoh criticising it for being terribly black after the “rich diversity” has been removed.
I bet Jada Pinkett Smith is kicking herself for missing that little gem of an excuse in defence of her recent cultural appropriation of Cleopatra – although it would have to be widened from just white to Egyptian, other non-black and ‘white-adjacent’ etc groups too!
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/20/english-gardens-non-white-chelsea-flower-show/
Even our gardens are at risk of causing offence now, sigh 🙄
Why on Earth does a horticultural society need a diversity and inclusion ambassador?
If non-white people don’t like English gardens I suggest they stay away.
I am not a fan of many celebrations enjoyed by black, brown and yellow people. Fortunately, I have come up with a workable solution – I stay away.
Am I entitled to a prize and if not why not?
For me the interesting question is why. Why do some people think or pretend to think that this is a “problem”? Why do people feel the need to attack our cultural and scientific achievements? Is it perhaps some combination of jealousy and embarrassment?
I agree tof and ‘English Gardens’ are very much a niche speciality within the world of horticulture. Perhaps those lacking a distinct white and English ancestry are simply not able to appreciate the subtle complexities of an ‘English Garden.’ That is not criticism just an explanation of why English Gardens may not appeal to those who are not of an Anglo-Saxon heritage.
Indeed different things appeal to different people, and given that race and culture are to an extent aligned and there are identifiable differences in the prevalence of certain tastes, you may well find that a given race or culture is under or over represented in a given sphere. As to why, for the race hustlers, the answer is always “racism”. Quite possibly for example Chinese people are not interested in English gardens or Western classical music but no-one cares – neither the Chinese nor any one else. Perhaps because the Chinese have their own monumental achievements to be proud of and are not interested in being portrayed as victims but are instead trying to become a global hyperpower.
Spot on tof.
It’s also a way to destroy the culture. Once these ideas have been seeded (no pun intended) by any person/group with influence that anticipates the likely outcome, some people will use their imagination and apply it to any possible situation in the belief that it is the right thing to do/improve their social image/not lose business etc. but the original intent is then well hidden.
Indeed. Who wants to destroy our culture and why? This is the question we must explore and wake people up to. I think there are different actors involved. Some are hustlers trying to make a turn from this, some are those persuaded they are victims, and some perhaps using it to create a vacuum into which they can insert themselves to get richer and more powerful.
Good point, HP. The ‘stay away’ card trumps the ‘I’m offended by anything that doesn’t include me and my race’ card.
Thanks Aethelred 👍
I have a garden and it’s in England. It’s cultivated to take into account geology, geography, local climate, soil type/structure and aspect to the sun. I make the most of both traditional and modern plant varieties and organic growing techniques to produce the best outcomes for my plants and my stomach – everything from an 18th century climbing rose to F1 hybrid veg, for example. How in god’s name can that possibly be described as racist? The CRT/DEI crowd are really clutching at straws now to justify their irrational insanity.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/20/its-not-ok-to-be-fat/
I was going to comment on this but I’d better keep schtum.
I don’t have a problem with people being fat but I do have a problem with it being normalized. Sticking obviously overweight, sometimes literally ‘obese’ women on the cover of magazines, especially the fitness mags, and then dressing it up ( or down, as it’s usually swimwear they’re wearing ) as ”body positivity” and that we must all embrace this look as inspiring doesn’t really make me wanna get down the gym and watch what I’m putting in my body. From the examples I’ve seen it’s always women too, which is just shameful. I mean, in the name of equality they should at least stick a champion Sumo wrestler on the cover of Men’s Fitness. 😮
Your last line made me laugh Mogs! This is probably why:
‘Sumo wrestlers have a life expectancybetween 60 and 65, more than 20 years shorter than the average Japanese male, as the diet and sport take a toll on the wrestler’s body. Many develop type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, and they are prone to heart attacks due to the enormous amount of body mass and fat that they accumulate. ‘
“It’s not O.K. to be fat – and there’s nothing unkind about saying so”
So long as the skinnies will stop it with the ‘Eat a salad and get down the gym, Fatty’, like there is one cause and one solution to weight gain.
I’ve got no axe to grind on this one and people’s weight is their own business, but isn’t “eat a salad and get down the gym, Fatty” broadly speaking good advice. Perhaps it would be better put as “eat better and do more exercise” which is I suppose how I would put it if someone asked me for advice. Of course there are other causes and solutions, but for a great many people the combination of the availability of limitless calories without the corresponding need to burn a lot of them just to stay alive means they are carrying a bit extra – me included.
I can agree with that ToF. I think it was the advent of snacking culture in the 1970’s and 80’s and then the explosion of fast food in the 2000’s that has done a lot of damage. At the same time, schools stopped ‘Domestic Science’ and so people genuinely don’t know how to boil an egg or make a nutritious meal. Its only getting worse. Big food and big fast food just fill everything with sugar to monkey around with your pancreas. I like to show people this picture when they talk about my other pet hate, the food bank. Its from the early 1950’s here in the UK. A WEEKLY ration, add veggies and some bread. Most folk would consider this to be one decent breakfast now.
Yes, agree with all your points. Public health would be enormously improved if people ate better and exercised more, however I am now highly suspicious of any official body pushing a “public health” message or attempting to nudge or bully people into changing how they choose to live their lives, even when I agree in part with the message.
Dutch people *love* their carbs. It’s just cultural for them. They eat many junky things here. Bakeries are the busiest shops and even sugar lumps in bread is a thing. Breakfast is either sandwiches or ice cream sprinkles ( hagelslag ) on bread. Bread for lunch. Pasta or something with potatoes for tea. But they are *all* flipping slim. Honestly, whenever I see anyone overweight they appear to be of foreign descent ( if I can’t hear them speak and ascertain that they’re actually foreign. )
However, what the Dutch also prize culturally is physical activity. Schools finish 1230 on Weds here as kids are encouraged to go do activities, which is always sports, in my experience. It’s encouraged from an early age, everybody does some form of sport and the gyms are always full. But exercise alone cannot offset a poor diet, especially as we get older, so I’ve also observed that Dutchies are not greedy, they don’t graze all day and portion control is just the norm here. I come for a visit back home to the UK and it’s a total eye-opener, I can tell you!
This recent piece by Lionel Shriver on the benefits of stigma is very good, IMO.
“My point being that stigma isn’t always bad. It can attach to particular conduct for good reason. Collective disapproval is a powerful tool for encouraging behaviour that’s in the collective interest. More recent campaigns to remove the stigma clinging to overtly destructive conduct are therefore questionable. That includes the crusade to embrace “fat pride”, which wages a two-pronged war on conventional assumptions about both aesthetics and health.”
Western society is built on stigma – UnHerd
“Mayor Sadiq Khan says he is suffering from PTSD after death threats”
Ah..! The latest victimhood. PTSE used to be known as ‘Battle Fatigue’, and before that ‘Shell-shock’. Thats not to say people who have lived through non-battlefield traumas can’t suffer too, but it appears to have become the NHS’s catch-all for mildly anxious people who are then put on medication and six month reviews, until when-ever. It also stops people asking you awkward questions, because you know, mental health. If there’s one person who needs a few awkward question coming their way, it is Khan.
If I thought this was real and true I would be very happy. Unfortunately, as Neil says, it is just another excuse to avoid awkward questions.
Realistically, isn’t the modern treatment protocol for ‘battle fatigue’ to withdraw the affected combatant from battle?
We need a brave doctor to step forward and to let the public know that his “cure” is for Khan to be forcibly retired as he is no longer fit for his job.
We might as well use their own bollockology against them.😀
Bollockology! I’m going to keep that one for reuse!
Thank you.
A word I invented after some years working in the Civil Service where the English language was routinely mangled and brutalised for corporate purposes. I always took the P.
Simple remedy – if the heat is too much, he should get out of the kitchen. He deserves no sympathy. Just deserts.
“Mayor Sadiq Khan says he is suffering from PTSD after death threats”
My heart bleeds!
Imagine if he were to be stabbed in the stabby mc stab face city he created!
The irony, the karma!
“English gardens put non-white people off Chelsea Flower Show, says diversity ambassador” –
Chelsea is there to showcase the very best of the English style garden. I’m sure if people of other cultures want to see that, they they can come along and enjoy themselves. Why does everything have to be reduced to some false ‘common-denominator’ of complete inclusivity. If you left the garden plots as a square of lawn, there’d be some swivel eyed diversity loon saying that grass was racist.
They hate our success and want to destroy it because they can’t match it
Also, Chelsea has had various African or Caribbean gardens over the years. I can think of the Barbados garden one year and a South African medicine garden another year.
“The 25 reasons I fear China will rule the world…..”
24 of those at least are because of the Australian MSM propaganda campaign..a bit like our own Russia/China one….and the illogical Sinophobia ….taking over from the barely cold Russophobia…..
A more realistic title would be “better the devil you know…..”
I fear the China Communist Party because I think they are in cahoots with globalists at the WEF, IMF and elsewhere.
…I don’t doubt it..but so is every other Government and globalist nutter…are you as worried about them..and if not, why not?
Oh yes, I’m worried about other Governments including our own and the leader of no opposition. I think the CCP are further down the road to totalitarianism using current surveillance technology e.g. social credit scores and a CBDC: –
Kristalina Georgieva CBDCs China
I suppose a benefit of this situation is that the destination is clear unless enough of us resist.
Another interview with Jessica Sutta.
https://rumble.com/v2o0vy4-pussycat-doll-jessica-sutta-shows-vial-of-her-blood-clots-after-vaccine-inj.html