- “Rachel Reeves’s dramatic fall from grace is 100% deserved” – At least Rachel Reeves can now put ‘Britain’s worst chancellor’ on her CV, says Ben Wilkinson in the Telegraph.
- “Farmers aren’t miners” – In the Spectator, Charles Moore argues that comparing today’s farmers to the miners of the 1980s is flawed – farmers aren’t striking, and their plight is rooted in socialist disdain for land ownership and eco-zealotry.
- “Cops must stop wasting time chasing petty tweets while real crimes go unsolved” – Free speech campaigners are demanding an overhaul of laws they say are stifling free speech and tying up overstretched forces, says the Sun.
- “Children in Need chairman quits over payments to scandal-hit LGBT charity” – Children In Need’s chairwoman has quit over £460,000 of grants awarded to a controversial transgender youth group hit by a series of child sex abuse scandals, reports the Mail.
- “Government to relax noise restrictions on heat pumps for Net Zero” – Ministers are set to relax noise rules, enabling heat pumps to be installed closer to property boundaries in a bid to advance Net Zero goals, says the Telegraph.
- “Elon Musk to be summoned by MPs to testify about X’s role in summer riots” – Elon Musk will be summoned by MPs to testify about the role of his social media platform X in spreading disinformation during the riots which rocked England and Northern Ireland over the summer, according to the Independent.
- “Why Elon Musk hates Starmer’s Britain” – Once a fan of Britain, Elon Musk now sees Starmer’s U.K. as a cautionary tale, writes Adam Luck in the Telegraph.
- “SNP makes business ‘virtually impossible’ in Scotland, says Trump son” – Eric Trump has lashed out at the Scottish Government insisting it is only his family’s “love” for the country that has kept them investing, reports the Mail.
- “Useless Europe is sleepwalking into oblivion” – The world is being remade in Silicon Valley’s image while the EU watches from the sidelines, writes Sam Ashworth-Hayes in the Telegraph.
- “If it’s a crime to call a politician stupid, we’re all in trouble” – If you think the muzzling of free speech in Britain is bad, just wait until you hear what’s been going on in Germany, says Michael Deacon in the Telegraph.
- “The absurdity of human rights law” – On Substack, Dr. David McGrogan argues that the absurd ambition of human rights law – to reconcile all rights for all – isn’t a flaw but the driving force behind the expanding power of the modern state.
- “Binyamin Netanyahu faces arrest if he flies into Britain” – Binyamin Netanyahu faces arrest if he enters Britain after Keir Starmer backed an International Criminal Court ruling for the Israeli leader to be put on trial for crimes against humanity, reports the Times.
- “Do no harm: the progressive case against assisted dying” – In the Spectator, Labour MP Gill Furniss explains why she’ll vote against the assisted dying bill, arguing it could harm the vulnerable and shift focus away from better palliative care.
- “Australian councils join call for action over DNA contamination in Covid mRNA vaccines” – Two Australian local governments have joined a grassroots campaign calling for state and federal officials to take precautionary action over Covid vaccine safety concerns, writes Rebekah Barnett on her Substack.
- “Et tu, John?” – On the WATN? Substack, Profs. Norman Fenton and Martin Neil dissect the Stanford professor John Ioannidis’s latest paper, exposing its circular assumptions about vaccine efficacy.
- “Covid vaccine boosters rejected by majority of Americans” – A Pew poll reveals 60% of Americans plan to skip their next Covid booster, according to the Telegraph.
- “The ‘experts’ who enabled RFK Jr.’s rise” – Anti-vax sentiment was a fringe concern until officials began misinforming us about the pandemic, says Matt Ridley in the Spectator.
- “Half of Ukrainians want quick, negotiated end to war” – Gallup’s latest surveys of Ukraine show 52% would like to see the war end as soon as possible.
- “Less than 24 hours to provide submissions on new social media age ban” – Why is the Australian Government rushing through its social media age ban? wonders Rebekah Barnett on her Substack.
- “Matt Gaetz withdraws nomination as Trump’s Attorney General” – Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration to serve as Trump’s Attorney General amid accusations he had sex with a 17 year-old girl, reports the BBC.
- “The Maga think tank masterminds shaping Trump’s second term” – Ideas by the influential America First Policy Institute give an insight into how the President-elect will govern, says Tony Diver in the Telegraph.
- “Ellen DeGeneres ‘leaves U.S.’ for Cotswolds following Trump win” – Disillusioned by Donald Trump’s election victory, Ellen DeGeneres has reportedly left the U.S. for her Cotswolds home, reports GB News.
- “‘MAGA cockroaches’: the Left-wing ‘echo chamber’ rivalling Elon Musk’s X” – Bluesky’s rise following the re-election of Donald Trump reveals an increasingly polarised social media landscape, says Matthew Field in the Telegraph.
- “The Trump dance is sweeping U.S. sport – and the Premier League could be next” – The “Trump dance” craze has hit U.K. sports, with Barnsley’s Stephen Humphrys leading the charge, notes Thom Gibbs in the Telegraph.
- “Don’t expect Democrats to give up on wokeness anytime soon” – There are deep structural reasons why it will be very hard for the Left to correct its woke course, says Yascha Mounk on his Substack.
- “Book review: Defend The West; The Culture of Freedom” – Dr. Kevin Donnelly’s new book is a clarion call to anyone who values the culture of freedom, writes Stephen Lacey in the Catholic Weekly.
- “The Emperor’s new ad” – Jaguar’s makeover is a fairytale of naked wokery, says Laura Dodsworth on her Free Mind Substack.
- “How did Wolf Hall escape the attentions of the BBC’s diversity commissars?” – Wolf Hall is one of the few remaining jewels in the BBC’s tarnished crown. Presumably that’s why it was allowed to get off relatively lightly from the attentions of the Beeb’s resident diversity commissars, writes James Delingpole in the Spectator.
- “BBC Royal Correspondent failed to declare extra pay” – BBC Royal Correspondent Jonny Damond has apologised for failing to declare outside earnings from corporate events, reports the Telegraph.
- “‘Strong Eagle Man’ quits Canadian Government after accusations he faked indigenous heritage” – After months of being under fire over his indigenous ancestry and his personal business dealings, scandal-plagued Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault has finally quit, writes Michael Higgins in the National Post.
- “Cormac McCarthy had relationship with 16 year-old ‘muse’ when he was in his 40s” – Cormac McCarthy, one of America’s greatest novelists, reportedly had a relationship with 16 year-old Augusta Britt in the 1970s when he was 42 and married, according to USA Today.
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Thursday Morning Lower Wokingham Rd & Dukes Ride
Crowthorne The noisiest response of the month so far – possibly
I truly admire your dedication in such cold weather!
Half of Ukrainians want quick, negotiated end to war
I conducted my own poll, using exactly the same methodology as this survey in order to verify its validity, but, for reasons of time, conducted it within the Vatican City, asking the simple question: ‘Is the Pope a Catholic?’
The results were astonishing.
58% said ‘Certo!’. 40% said ‘No spikka da inglish’ and an Irish nun in the Cupola di San Pietro told me to ‘Feck off!’
So the methodology of the Ukraine survey is definitely valid, except in Dublin where they have no conventional deterrent, only Guinness (and nuns) instead.
“Ellen DeGeneres ‘leaves U.S.’ for Cotswolds following Trump win” AArgh! No! We don’t want her here either thanks. If she moans about Trump on her visits to Daylesford she won’t get much sympathy either. (Actually, I have no idea whereabouts in the Cotswolds her house is, but all this crowd seem to end up shopping at Dalyesford. It would be amusing to see her visit the nearby Diddly Squat farm shop run by Jeremy Clarkson!)
Whoever she is she will be barred from his pub.
Yes I don’t know who she is either and care even less.
She has just been photographed visiting Jeremy’s pub with her “wife” to watch The Coors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-qGLb003t4
‘Ghost’ aircraft hit Russian Command bunker, Kursk
Wednesday’s target was a command post where Russian—and potentially North Korean—officers directed the 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops attacking the 250-square-mile salient that 20,000 or more Ukrainian troops hold in Kursk.
The strike involved five Ukrainian Su-24 bombers, each clutching a pair of the precision-guided missiles.
The geolocated strike destroyed a command post, killing 18 military personnel and injuring 33 others. Among the injured were three North Korean military members, reportedly two male officers and a female medic, likely acting as a translator.
The explosions look small, but Storm Shadow carries 1000 lb dual warhead and most of the damage is underground.
Most of the Russian casualties were officers from the Southern and Eastern Military Districts. It is also reported that Lieutenant General Valeriy Solodchuk, the deputy commander of the Leningrad Military District and a former commander in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic in 2014, was present at the site.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/11/20/ukrainian-bombers-fire-10-bunker-busting-storm-shadow-cruise-missiles-at-russian-commanders/
The latest package of defence equipment for Ukraine includes ammunition for HIMARS systems, shells for 155mm and 105mm artillery guns, 60mm and 81mm mortar rounds, drones, Javelin and AT-4 anti-tank systems, and tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided (TOW) anti-tank missiles. Small arms and ammunition, explosive munitions, and equipment for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear protection will be included in the package,
“The United States will continue to work together with some 50 Allies and partners through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and its associated Capability Coalitions to meet Ukraine’s urgently needed battlefield requirements and defend against Russian aggression,” the Pentagon wrote in a release.
It was also reported on Wednesday by Agence France Presse (AFP) that Biden had approved the supply of anti-personnel landmines to Ukraine. It marked a policy shift opposed by rights groups, but was triggered by a change in Moscow’s tactics favoring infantry over mechanized units, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
“They don’t lead with their mechanized forces anymore,” Austin told reporters while visiting Laos. “They lead with dismounted forces who are able to close and do things to kind of pave the way for mechanized forces.”
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-military-weapons-nuclear-42d5d374faf445b811c6abe422da05eb
I thought it was WW1 style trench warfare on the front. Has this changed?
GERMAN TACTICS IN THE “MICHAEL” OFFENSIVE MARCH 1918
‘In the early morning hours of 21 March 1918…….columns of “Stormtroopers” armed with flame weapons and grenades assaulted immediately behind the rolling barrage.
The “Stormtroopers” by-passed resistance new German tactical doctrine, or “infiltration tactics,” answers these questions. These tactics emphasized the squad as the maneuver unit.
Squads were to by-pass resistance and to continue to attack deep to the rear of the enemy positions.
The Germans organized the fire support plans to capitalize on surprise and shock effect. Extremely violent but short preparation fires culminated in a rolling barrage to protect the infantry advance.
Regular infantry formations followed the infiltration units to reduce bypassed strongpoints and to keep the spearheads supplied.
The result of these innovations was a radical doctrinal change in tactics which came very close to breaking through the western front defense after years of stalemate.’
‘President Joe Biden has approved provision of anti-personnel land mines to Ukraine, a U.S. official told Reuters, a step that could help slow Russian advances in its east, especially when used along with other munitions from the United States.’
https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-approves-anti-personnel-mines-ukraine-us-official-says-2024-11-20/
Anti-personnel mines that are banned by more than 150 countries, including UK, sadly not by USA and Russia. The same types that children pick up years later to play with …
Biden is a sad case of a senile man at the end of his presidency with a huge grudge on his shoulder.
The anti-personnel mines being provisioned by the US are “non-persistent” and become inert after a preset period
Of course, and with what percentage of reliability?
Non persistent AP mines are battery operated. Anyone dumb enough to own an EV knows that all batteries go flat after a period of time. The non persistence of non persistent AP mines is, consequently, 100%.
I read that these mines can be remotely exploded – to supposedly remove the danger when the enemy is no longer there (some weird thinking by some engineers) – which is presumably why they have batteries. But the explosive material is anyway still lying around.
Your fixation with North Korea is highly amusing but you sadly seem to enjoy the devastation that war brings.
Your Su-24 bombers understandably stayed at the maximum distance from their target to avoid destruction by Russian air defence. According to Putin, “Regrettably, the attack and the subsequent air defence battle resulted in casualties, both fatalities and injuries, among the perimeter security units and servicing staff. However, the command and operational staff of the control centre suffered no casualties and continues to manage effectively the operations of our forces to eliminate and push enemy units out of the Kursk Region”.
Furthermore,
“The escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, instigated by the West, continues with the United States and its NATO allies previously announcing that they authorise the use of their long-range high-precision weapons for strikes inside the Russian Federation. Experts are well aware, and the Russian side has repeatedly highlighted it, that the use of such weapons is not possible without the direct involvement of military experts from the manufacturing nations …
“I wish to underscore once again that the use by the enemy of such weapons cannot affect the course of combat operations in the special military operation zone. Our forces are making successful advances along the entire line of contact, and all objectives we have set will be accomplished.
“In response to the deployment of American and British long-range weapons, on November 21, the Russian Armed Forces delivered a combined strike on a facility within Ukraine’s defence industrial complex. In field conditions, we also carried out tests of one of Russia’s latest medium-range missile systems – in this case, carrying a non-nuclear hypersonic ballistic missile that our engineers named Oreshnik. The tests were successful, achieving the intended objective of the launch. In the city of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, one of the largest and most famous industrial complexes from the Soviet Union era, which continues to produce missiles and other armaments, was hit.”
Finally,
“We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against military facilities of those countries that allow to use their weapons against our facilities, and in case of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond decisively and in mirror-like manner. I recommend that the ruling elites of the countries that are hatching plans to use their military contingents against Russia seriously consider this.”
(http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/75614)
So here we are again, on the brink of nuclear destruction because a senile US President is surrounded by war hawks who are disappointed that their term of office is about to end after years of trying to weaken Putin and Russia, and having achieved nothing of the kind: quite the contrary, because the whole of Russia is now behind Putin and his Russia is now leading the world economically in fourth position. The true achievements of the US warmongers have been the creation of BRICS, creation of a multi-polar world and the beginning of de-dollarization.
The only question is will we survive these dangerous idiots the next two months until Trump’s presidency?
I read that Biden is trying to strengthen (through military capacity) Ukraine’s negotiating position, for the inevitable compromise under Trump. But I think that your general analysis is sound.
The mystery is not so much why the Biden regime is trying hard to muddy the waters prior to the January changeover, but why the UK government obediently jumps when the lame duck cracks the whip.
Interest rates in Russia 21%
There is a shortage of essential items in the shops.
The Russian Army has lost its reputation.
The recent Russian ballistic missile attack on Dnipro was inaccurate and ineffective.
Russia occupies less of Ukraine than it did immediately after the invasion.
Ukrane will shortly possess ballistic missiles of ts own, and, shortly after that, nuclear warheads for them.
The successful U.S. strategy is on the brink of achieving its primary aim:
Peace
When were you last in Russia? Here, one of many ‘walks’ through Moscow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCkpBZJ44f4.
When was USA ever interested in peace as opposed to dominance? Did you ever really believe USA cares in the slightest about Ukraine or its people? Or was it only ever a country with useful natural resources to exploit as well as a 2,000km border to Russia – in other words, a wonderful location to place missiles?
Analysis by political scientist Masha Hedburg for Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies estimates that between March 2022 and July 2024, at least 25 peace plans were put forth.
All have been rejected by Russia.
Russian Telegram channels report that two men robbed a supermarket in Moscow of 25 packs of butter. An employee tried to stop them, but then one of the men pulled out a knife.
Police have already detained two suspects, they are 29 and 25 years old. A criminal case was opened. The men face up to 10 years in prison.
Until 2022, butter was supplied to Russia from all over the world, but then imports decreased by 10 times – from 40 to 4 thousand tons. After 2022, only Belarus remained as a supplier of butter to the Russian market, and it is not able to fully meet the demand, although its goods make up 15% of all Russian dairy products.
There was one very good peace plan – extremely profitable for Ukraine at the time – discussed and signed in Istanbul 2022 …
Never heard the one about the butter. I will immediately send my ex-colleagues in Moscow some butter for the poor souls. I am surprised civil war has not broken out!
https://news.sky.com/video/putin-warns-he-could-new-use-missile-to-attack-us-and-uk-military-facilities-13258106
‘Putin said Moscow had tested a new intermediate range missile in a strike on Dnipro. Putin said the new missile could be used against countries that have allowed Kyiv to use their missiles to strike Russia.’
Putin is flirting with disaster.
The US Air Force has taken delivery of the first copy of a new missile that arms-maker Northrop Grumman designed for a critical mission: rolling back enemy air defences to clear the way for follow-on aerial bombardment.
This capability wins any future European war, quickly.
What, another American wonder weapon?
‘Nov. 18, ATACMS “inflicted fire damage” at an arsenal in Bryansk, with 12 secondary explosions recorded, destroying Russian warehouses with ammunition’
‘November 20 Storm Shadow’ missile strike targeted a command post in the village of Maryino, Rylsky District, in Russia’s Kursk region, caused significant casualties, Russian media reported on November 21.
The attack, reportedly carried out with British-French Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles, resulted in the elimination of 18 Russian servicemen and left 33 others injured.
Among the wounded were three North Koreans: two men with severe injuries and a female medic who sustained minor wounds.
Most of the casualties are reported to be officers from the Russian Southern and Eastern Military Districts. Lieutenant General Solodchuk, the first deputy commander of the Leningrad Military District, was reportedly present at the command post.’
Is it hypersonic?
I don’t think USA has been very successful with hypersonic missiles yet although I am sure our Kiev correspondent will come up with a report to contradict that.
The success of Ukraine’s air defences during the latest engagement marks the latest blow to the reputation of Russian hypersonic weapons, which Moscow has touted as highly advanced systems that are basically unstoppable. Kyiv has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to shoot them down.
The Kinzhal (Russian for “dagger”) is an advanced air-launched ballistic missile based on the ground-launched Iskander that Moscow claims is a hypersonic weapon. This is misleading because even though it can reach hypersonic speeds — at least five times the speed of sound — and features a certain amount of manoeuverability, it lacks crucial characteristics.
The Oreshnik did a very good job of dropping 36 warheads on the targeted factory!
The Russian ballistic missile attack on Ukraine caused no significant damage and did not result in any loss of life.
This outcome is not entirely surprising.
The new ballistic missile, based on a missile originally designed as a delivery vehicle for nuclear warheads, likely lacks the accuracy needed to inflict substantial damage using conventional warheads.
While the immense destructive power of nuclear payloads can compensate for a lack of accuracy, conventional warheads must strike their targets with precision to be effective.
In the face of current threats tge Labour government does what? Dispose of our only two assault ships, lots of helicopters and cancelled a drone development programme.
Has the Minister not seen the effectiveness of drones in Ukraine?
We don’t want to waste our money on all that stuff, let’s instead spend £22bn on removing a trace gas from the atmosphere and hide it under a rug… far better use of limited funds!
“Energy price cap rises again – with cost of bills expected to stay high for months”
“Britain will be a clean green superpower!”
Ed Miliband
Don’t we already have the most expensive electricity on the planet?
American response when the ICC issues an arrest warrant for Putin “It’s an action of an international evidence-based body that will stand the test of history.”
American response when the ICC issues an arrest warrant for Netanyahu “The Court is a dangerous joke.”
OK America, which is it, evidence-based or a joke?
Depends on the question and who’s asking it clearly
Heat pumps are to noisy
Simples
Change the law, allow more noise!
Does anyone share my puzzlement about the row that has broken out over Tottenham Hotspur’s Uruguayan footballer Rodrigo Bentancur’s comments about his South Korean teammate Son Hueng-min? As I read it Bentancur was reported to have said that he couldn’t tell the difference between Son and his cousin in terms of looks. That has been expanded into a race row which assumes Bentancur thinks all far eastern people look the same and is therefore a racially abusive comment. But couldn’t Bentancur’s comment have been about family similarities rather than a comment about race? It appears that Son has not taken offence over the comments but Bentancur has been fined heavily and suspended from several games by the game’s authorities. This issue of what is a racial comment is becoming an absolute nightmare!
White Liberals offended on behalf of people who aren’t offended. Again.
Perfectly understandable on the part of Bentancur; many people share family similarities. A friend and colleague visiting UK from South Korea recently was amazed by the similarity between my brother and I. I had the embarrassment twice this year of not having been able to tell the difference between 2 Welsh brothers who manage a contractor firm. Maybe both Bentancur and I should visit Specsavers.
Sporting authorities and woke newspapers have a toxic obsession with race identity.
Starter’s support for criminal charges against the Israeli PM is an outrage against democracy and nations right to self defence.
His views are political not legal or logical. If he really thought the charges justified he would have brought them against Blair and his war monger colleagues while still DPP.
Can someone ask in Parliament about the numbers and proportions of deaths of non belligerents in Iraq and Afghanistan compared with Gaza. It seems to me the IDF has behaved with exemplary care in its operations.
IDF has behaved with exemplary care?! What news sources are you accessing?
Middle East Eye (https://www.middleeasteye.net/) is fairly conservative; today’s headline, Israeli strikes hit emergency entrance of north Gaza hospital. The Electronic Intifada (https://electronicintifada.net/) will probably not suit you purely because of its name but it has masses of information on what is happening in Gaza. Random titles: Israel carries out field executions, massacres in north Gaza; Surge in Israeli attacks on northern Gaza; Israel committing “gravest international crimes” in north Gaza. The website has countless photographs showing the incredible destruction of the area carried out by Israeli bombing. AntiWar.Com (https://antiwar.com/) is a good ‘daily newspaper’, often simply transferring you to reports on other websites. Latest headlines: Israeli Attacks in Gaza kill at Least 71 Palestinians in 24 Hours; Israel Steps Up attacks on Displaced Palestinians Living in Tents.
You just need to see some of the photographs available on these websites to realize Israel is attempting to wipe out all Palestinians, without the slightest care about anything, especially not world opinion.
Your question to Parliament would be a good one but you would never receive an honest reply which, certainly as regards the continual destruction in Gaza, would anyway be impossible. The standard answer would be “that is classified information”.