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Equality Democracy Truth Courage
Issue #35, May 28th 2020.
Disinfecting the Labour Party
Tom Watson rightly said, “only sunlight can disinfect Labour of anti-Semitism now”. It is in this spirit that the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) decided to investigate the Labour Party’s dealings around anti-Semitism. The leaked report into the Government and Legal Unit (GLU) of the Labour Party was prepared by Labour Party staff “to comprehensively respond to the Commission’s investigation, and aims to provide a full and thorough account of the evolution of the Party’s disciplinary processes in relation to dealing with complaints of antisemitism. It sets out the evidence of what has... PAGE 18
THE PEOPLE’S PAPER
thewordmedia.org THE REALITY OF LOCKDOWN
DEATHS IN FRANCE
The ‘mass house arrest’ programme that we are presently enduring has nothing to do with mitigating the effects of the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its associated disease, COVID-19. According to a briefing by the UK’s Chief PAGE 3 Medical Officer...
Why Cummings’ crime matters
DEATHS IN SPAIN
Dr Mike Galsworthy - the online commentator and government critic - was again on air on the 24th; Yet more duplicity in government: this time in regard to their Svengali, Dominic Cummings. Let's talk about the PAGE 6 Cummings...
DEATHS IN NETHERLANDS DEATHS IN IRELAND
Breaking bread with Chris Williamson
37,460 DEATHS
Salads are an ideal meal during the extended warm weather that we are currently experiencing at the moment. Cooking a hot meal indoors when it’s hot outside isn’t a great combination. But salads can PAGE 31 be a bit boring...
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state agents in Castle Barnard report a 144% increase in property searches in the area. Houses with a bit of ‘unspoilt’ woodland attached must surely be favourite. The latest guidance from the daily panel of talking heads on the BBC involves a Track and Trace initiative. If you think you have any of the main symptoms of Coronavirus, you can either use the App (if you can find it) or dial 119 and tell the operator whom you’ve been near. #degrees of separation from Dominic Cummings? The BBC have been desperately looking for good news and descended with lights, cameras, and interviewers on a small road in North Leeds, having been tipped off that their annual street party was to be a social distancing occasion. Everyone interviewed put the boot into Dominic Cummings; heaven only knows what the Beeb will feel able to broadcast. The Queen has given UK Prime Minister Johnson permission to exercise in the ground of Buckingham Palace as he continues to recover from Coronavirus-19. Since she isn’t going to be around she feels perfectly safe, depending on whom he brings with him and what they do in the woodland. Hairdressers and beauty salons are to be allowed to open from July 4th, if any are still in business. This is particularly good news for UK Prime Minister Johnson who really does need his hair cutting badly. Former Crystal Palace Football Club owner Simon Jordan has criticised Football’s ‘Project Restart’ for not taking into account the financial needs of English Football League Clubs. Many face heavy losses if they are forced to play in front of empty stadiums, especially clubs used to large crowds, such as Leeds United. The National Lottery has still been running throughout the lockdown. A £33million winning prize will be shared between an English player and someone in France. Presumably, but not definitely, the French winner will want paying out in Euros. The oldest, most distant Diskshaped Galaxy so far has been found 12.3 billion light-years away from Planet Earth. This
means that any light, X-rays, radio waves, TV signals, picked up today emanated 12.3 billion years ago. Our solar system is only (only?) 4.5 billion years old, so anything could have happened to the distant Disk Galaxy in the meantime. Liverpool FC Manager Jürgen Klopp is poised to sell Xherdan Shaqiri, Sadio Mane, and Adam Lallana for in excess of £160 million. He has clubs lined up to buy. Klopp intends to spend £60million of the money on Adama Traoré Diarra from Wolves. This would leave the Reds with a surplus of around £100 million which might serve as a down-payment on one of Cristiano Ronaldo’s legs. Tyson v. Tyson: Tyson Fury says he has accepted an offer to fight Mike Tyson as the former heavyweight champion boxer seeks to restart his career. Count your ears before and after each round Mr Fury; better still stay at least 2 metres away from ‘Iron Bite.’ According to Labour ex-leader Jeremy Corbyn only 2% of school support staff (teaching assistants, technicians, office workers, cleaners) said they felt reassured by the Prime Min-
ister’s speech saying that it would be ‘safe’ if the numbers of children currently attending school in the UK increase from June 1st, The Prime Minister also moved to quash the idea of an enquiry over the movements of his chief adviser Dominic Cummings between March 31st and 19th April; Labour will call for Cummings’ removal before the weekend after someone claimed he was a socialist. Piers Morgan (my enemy’s enemy is not necessarily my friend) has insisted yet again that Dominic Cummings should be on his way out (which is surely what the controversy has been all about.) Morgan’s personal and anecdotal research around the various TV and news channels finds the same thing being said over and over again: there is one rule for them, another for the rest of us. Surely someone with Piers’ contacts could break into the security of Dominic’s phone and find out where he’s been and whom he’s been talking to? Similarly, that Master of Health and the English Language Matt Hancock, allegedly Secretary of State for Health told the UK today that if you have any of the
symptoms of Coronavirus, you should GO and get tested. From India: Parts of Madhya Pradesh forest is buried under a blanket of locusts. State Authorities are working to deal with this plague of insects. The area has suffered a series of natural and man-made disasters in the last few weeks. Four Minneapolis police officers have been dismissed after film footage showed one of them kneeling on the neck of a black man, George Floyd, who begged with them saying “Please. Please. I can’t breathe.” One of the officers told Mr Floyd to relax. Dorset Eye reports that Dominic Cummings made more than one trip to Durham; it claims that he was photographed in Downing Street days before he was again spotted in the North East on April 19th. A Yorkshire Supermarket has identified the reasons for the
early panic buying of toilet rolls as lockdown was announced in March. Morrison’s think it’s an input / output issue. What goes in can be meat or fish, milk or cheese, eggs or potatoes, but what comes out is pretty much the same for everybody, and has to be dealt with the same way. That is, I suppose, unless you are on a car trip to Castle Barnard and have to find some dock leaves when you need to make an unscheduled stop in the woods, if your eyesight is good enough to spot them. Nettles are just not good enough. Now be told. In some totally Cummings-unrelated non-Coronavirus News today, President Trump has raged at Twitter and threatened to close down social media platforms. It is not widely known but the authority which registers website domain names is regulated by US State Department. Could Trump do it? Would he do it? Anyone’s guess is as good as ours.
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May 28. 2020
WORD
THE REALITY OF LOCKDOWN
The
mass house arrest programme that we are presently enduring has nothing to do with mitigating the effects of the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its associated disease, COVID-19. According to a briefing by the UK’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty on May 11th, the majority of people in the country will never catch SARSCoV-2 and the great majority of those that do will be either asymptomatic or develop only mild to moderate symptoms. According to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), the infection fatality rate (IFR) of SARS-CoV-2 is 0.26%, which is
slightly higher than the typical IFR of seasonal flu. Many more people are likely to have been exposed to the virus than lockdown proponents believe. The virus has risen and fallen in a predictable pattern and is now receding with the onset of summer – as you would expect. The idea that the only way to combat SARS-CoV-2 is to shut down society and tank the economy is preposterous. The real reason for the lockdown is to slam the brakes on a failing financial system and reset the economy in the interests of the money-power elite. Holding out for the continu-
ation of the lockdown isn’t sticking it to the boss class. The boss class has already won. Billionaires have seen their wealth rocket in the past two months; $6 trillion has been pumped into Wall Street. The lockdown is driven by the money-power elite. There is no ‘People’s Lockdown’. Globally, millions of workers have already lost their jobs. Millions more will lose their jobs in the coming months. Hundreds of thousands of small businesses will go to the wall. The Bank of England is talking of the worst recession in 300 years. The United Nations World Food Programme has warned of a global famine of ‘biblical proportions’ caused by the deliberate shutting down of economic activity. The cultural characteristics of the lockdown reflect the personalities of the people driving it, i.e. fascist and anti-human. The behaviours prescribed by sinister euphemisms like ‘self-
isolation’ and ‘social distancing’ are at odds with the reality of human experience over millennia and can only have been dreamt up by individuals with no experience of or desire for normal human socialisation. Life-affirming activities such as concerts, theatre and sport have been shut down and may never again be experienced in the same way. And during the most beautiful spring weather for half a century, people have been told to stay indoors, thus depriving them of exercise, fresh air and sunshine, three prerequisites of a healthy immune system. The architects of this dismal scheme must be delighted by the enthusiasm with which their fascist and anti-human behavioural programme has been adopted, not to mention the alacrity with which repressive legislation, suspension of elections, use of surveillance drones and snitching on neighbours have been ac-
cepted by the public at large, even by the Left, which has raised nary a murmur in protest, instead expending much of its activist energy on striving to keep the lockdown going. The post-lockdown future will be characterised by an even closer alignment of corporate and state power, intensified monopolisation, increased surveillance, compulsory vaccinations, restrictions on assembly and organisation and the use of personal medical data to inform access to goods, services, employment and travel. By rejecting collective immunity, a time-proven method of fighting viral infections, in favour of herd obedience to the money-power elite’s policy of repression, the Left has walked into a trap. When the masses understand that they have been conned, there will be the most almighty backlash. If the Left doesn’t wake up soon, it will find itself on the wrong side of history.
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May 28. 2020
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Sacrificial herd immunity
T
he mass house arrest programme that we are presently enduring has nothing to do with mitigating the effects of the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its associated disease, COVID-19. According to a briefing by the UK’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty on May 11th, the majority of people in the country will never catch SARS-CoV-2 and the great majority of those that do will be either asymptomatic or develop only mild to moderate symptoms. According to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), the infection fatality rate (IFR) of SARS-CoV-2 is 0.26%, which is slightly higher than the typical IFR of seasonal flu.
AUTOPSY ON HER
Many more people are likely to have been exposed to the virus than lockdown proponents believe. The virus has risen and fallen in a predictable pattern and is now receding with the onset of summer – as you would expect.
Majesty’s opposition
T
his past year hasn’t been good for us. First, the death of the Corbyn Project . Then, the failure of the main opposition party to address the witch hunt of so many innocent Labour members by their own party, under faux pretexts of anti Semitism. Then Australia was burning. Then the worst pandemic in 100 years. This latter event so large and significant that it almost buried those previous events, yet how can we forget that had this virus hit with a left government in charge , Britain wouldn’t have had the worst death rate in Europe, and shocking contempt for
human life and their own rules exhibited by the Tories?
Many ideological tricks have led here. Many people have come to harbour strong dislike — of those most ardent supporters of the public, like Corbyn. Such a thing doesn’t happen naturally, more likely it’s been manufactured via television and media. And repeated and endorsed by authority figures, so called journalists. Or, as the fashion was around 2016, let’s call them presstitutes. Speaking of 2016, that’s when this cataclysm can be traced back in recent memory.
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WORD
2016 was a pinnacle of hope for socialism. Corbynism was riding its wave. Labour became the biggest left wing party in Europe. Around the country you’d see youngsters singing “Oh, Jeremy Corbyn” and people talking on trains about social justice. Then came Brexit, another ripple. Then came a new age of internet censorship that managed to slowly poison this rebellion against the establishment. Subtly, slowly. Like a cancer.
At the same time that hope was re-emerging in the West that people can prioritise solidarity over greed, tech corporations started to censor the online world by stealth using algorithms under the pretext of two things: fake news, and conspiracy theory. These two con-
»
cepts started to flood in unison like a shameless official Pavlovian programming exercise, training the public to dismiss anything but the BBC/Guardian establishment as something shameful, a dirty exercise in thinking and connecting the dots that must be immediately quarantined and ridiculed. When alt news sites said the anti Semitism crisis wasn’t as organic and fuelled by true concern for Jewish people as might appear on superficial examination, they were immediately branded as fake news. When people started to provide evidence of this orchestrated effort to smear a whole movement that supports Corbyn as anti Semitic, authority voices and algorithms started to paint these people as con-
The witch hunt goes on All you had to do is say taboo words like Rothschild or Soros
spiracy theorists. Hide them in Google search results.
All you had to do is say taboo words, like Rothschild or Soros. New laws of logic were drawn as if out of someone’s backside to insinuate that uttering certain words is offensive in itself and questioning the accusations, evidence of guilt. If it sounds medieval it’s because it is. Yet since 2016, people started to gently be herded towards rejecting thinking, on command, and quarantine it themselves under the umbrella term “conspiracy theory”.This is not to say there aren’t outrageous conspiracy theories out there, because there are. There are people who truly have lost the plot and ended down a sterile hole of paranoid speculations. Or recently, when Craig Murray put forth his common sense association between the famed visit to Barnard Castle and the fact that Barnard
The idea that the only way to combat SARS-CoV-2 is to shut down society and tank the economy is preposterous. The real reason for the lockdown is to slam the brakes on a failing financial system and reset the economy in the interests of the money-power elite.
Castle is the home of pharma ploy things that people have giant GlaxoSmithKline.. and come to trust: TV presenters, Cumming’s 12th of April vis- corporations, entertainment.. it came two days before the all underpinned by a coherent company announced working worldview. on a new COVID-19 vaccine.. Twitter thought police rallied As this worldview started to shame the dirty bastard. to crumble post Iraq war, Because Dominic’s propaganda has gone explanation of up exponentially. having driven The ubiquitous up North “to phrase “concheck his eyespiracy theosight” makes ry” has played more sense. It role Many ideological ain major feels like the disengagtricks have narrative that’s ing the public handed down is from connectled here testing us, someing the dots. Inhow; testing how stilling fear of quesmuch people can sustioning for fear of public pend disbelief and accept ex- ridicule. It’s become common treme perversions of truth. place to see people say “I am not a conspiracy theory but..” The main distinction be- as if to apologise for thinking. tween this kind of totalitari- I.e., what journalists and inanism and the one I grew up vestigators used to do. Back under for five years (com- when we had real journalism munism) is the quality of its and the only real journalist deception. Western propagan- wasn’t withering in solitary da is so sophisticated as to em- confinement in Belmarsh.
It’s a mess
Holding out for the continuation of the lockdown isn’t sticking it to the boss class. The boss class has already won. Billionaires have seen their wealth
rocket in the past two months; $6 trillion has been pumped into Wall Street. The lockdown is driven by the money-power elite. There is no ‘People’s Lockdown’. Globally, millions of workers have already lost their jobs. Millions more will lose their jobs in the coming months. Hundreds of thousands of small businesses will go to the wall. The Bank of England is talking of the worst recession in 300 years. The United Nations World Food Programme has warned of a global famine of ‘biblical proportions’ caused by the deliberate shutting down of economic activity. The cultural characteristics of the lockdown reflect the personalities of the people driving it, i.e. fascist and anti-human. The behaviours prescribed by sinister euphemisms like ‘self-isolation’ and ‘social distancing’ are at odds with the reality of human experience over millennia and can only have been dreamt up by individuals
with no experience of or desire for normal human socialisation. Life-affirming activities such as concerts, theatre and sport have been shut down and may never again be experienced in the same way. And during the most beautiful spring weather for half a century, people have been told to stay indoors, thus depriving them of exercise, fresh air and sunshine, three prerequisites of a healthy immune system. The architects of this dismal scheme must be delighted by the enthusiasm with which their fascist and anti-human behavioural programme has been adopted, not to mention the alacrity with which repressive legislation, suspension of elections, use of surveillance drones and snitching on neighbours have been accepted by the public at large, even by the Left, which has raised nary a murmur in protest, instead expending much of its activist energy on striving to keep the lockdown going. The post-lockdown future will be characterised by an even closer alignment of corporate and state power, intensified monopolisation, increased surveillance, compulsory vaccinations, restrictions on assembly and organisation and the use of personal medical data to inform access to goods, services, employment and travel. By rejecting collective immunity, a time-proven method of fighting viral infections, in favour of herd obedience to the money-power elite’s policy of repression, the Left has walked into a trap. When the masses understand that they have been conned, there will be the most almighty backlash. If the Left doesn’t wake up soon, it will find itself on the wrong side of history.
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WHY THE CUMMINGS INCIDENT MATTERS; WHAT TO DO. (WRITE TO YOUR MP)
D
r Mike Galsworthy - the online commentator and government critic was again on air on the 24th; Yet more duplicity in government: this time in regard to their svengali, Dominic Cummings . Let's talk about the Cummings thing. Important because it highlights the current corruption right at the heart of government ; the arrogance associated with it . With one rule for them and their privileged few and another set of tougher rules for the rest of the population. Even when Dominic Cummings was interviewed about this aspect ,
his reply was ‘it doesn't matter what you think’ . He hereby just ‘passed off’ lots of other people's suffering the public kept themselves from sick loved ones , ones that may have even passed away , and so forth . Furthermore we see that the cabinet themselves have debased themselves by throwing a protective ring around Dominic Cummings! - You would have wished the same kind of zeal with care homes, just a few months ago! One thing that gets me as a scientist specialising in health is that, on the 23rd, in a briefing , we saw them actually trying to create new rules to accommodate Dominic Cummings mis-deeds ! ; That is not only a dangerous precedent, but it also erodes
the reputation of our national science and expertise in health - this really really has to stop and the public know it : if you look at polls that just come out , (YouGov) , 68% of people say he clearly broken the rules, only 18% disagree; that's a 4:1 ratio . You've got a government that have been lying : by contradicting what the police have been saying ; In putting out information that contradicts further evidence that Dominic Cummings didn't just make one journey taking covid-19 on a road trip across the country : he was also out and about with family sniffing bluebells. In the evening of the 23rd, the government started going silent when there was that second set of revelations from the Mirror and
the Guardian. But on the 24th Tory MP Steve Baker ( Mr Brexit hardman ) urged Cummings to go, and two more conservatives followed. The Spectator (where his wife works); Tim Montgomerie, Julia Hartley-Brewer (right wing commentators) as well. All understand that this is an unacceptable level of arrogance by an individual - that we all need to address. So: you write to your MP: it's easy to do by putting it into Google- you'll be taken to the parliamentary website by postcode. It is a very effective thing to do, whether they’re Labour or Conservative- every cabinet member is feeling uncomfortable with Dominic Cummings. Write down your personal stories - where you have had to sacrifice for the sake of abiding
by the rules ; how it feels for you - looking at the free reign that Dominic Cummings has been given. Or, if not, attack the open flouting of clear rules what this does to our country and what this does to our safety ; When we already have the worst record in Europe and second worst in the world in terms of the pandemic. If you're a conservative write to your local conservative association. Ask them to get behind the conservative MPs that have come out against Cummings ; to do the right thing. Go and do that today - don't let this burn away. It looks like the indignation is really moving now. If you want to see this remedied for the sake of our country- just go and write to your MP, thank you. By Dr.Mike Galsworthy, UCL, 24-05-20
If you want to see this remedied for the sake of our countrjust go and write to your MP
Dominic Cummings ‘it doesn't matter what you think’ .
EVERYONE SHOULD WEAR MASKS!! E veryone should wear masks in COVID-19 crisis, say Cambridge researchers Governments and health agencies should reconsider the current guidelines with regards to widespread mask use in the COVID-19 pandemic and recommend that masks be worn by everyone, argue a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge CAM.AC.UK 1. You wear mask - the other doesn't mask and is infected = 70% chance of transmission 2. Other way round , wearer is infected = 3% Chance of transmission 3. BOTH with masks, one infected = 1.5% chance of transmission (Assuming the chance is 1 if no masks are worn.) The trouble is looking at it from a self-orientated perspective instead of a collective effort. If self-orientated you will only care about point 1 and hence not care about wearing a mask etc. https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/ everyone-should-wear-masks-incovid-19-crisis-say-cambridge-researchers
Using a 3D face Shield protects even further since it cannot penetrate PVC. and deflects air vectors away from the face. Face shield made by Cambridge Based Mathematician: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/78 2816618 Also watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P 27HRClMf2U&t=121s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W 5yVGmfivAk&t=75s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B ga_qG30JyY&t=745s Look at South Korea, China, Taiwan ,states that ALL wore face protection from the very start...very suggestive results. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/china/ https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/taiwan/ https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/south-korea/ Oh...and now Thailand as well has almost fully recovered...do you know what they did? Everyone wore face masks. And this is a country which does not have anywhere near the
medical capacity or financial resources of the UK. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/thailand/ -Significant numbers would be saved from infection even if only 20% of people are masked. Much more if EVERYONE DOES IT!! Why the UK folks don't wear masks 1. Government indoctrination - Government say, people do. If Govt. say masks are ineffective people believe them and ignore medics and mathematicians. Govt. in the UK have approved suppliers to the NHS which overcharge for PPE to the NHS (Your Taxpayers money) What should cost £3.99 costs £24.95 making huge amounts of money for ministers by manipulating the market which they have a vested interest in. It is financially in their interest to dissuade the use of masks. Minsters line their pockets with your taxpayers money and think nothing of it. 2. Popular Media - Anyone who covers their face is considered sin-
ister (e.g. a mugger or criminal) Popular in UK/US culture and media of a bandit or baddie covers their Mouth and face to hide their true intentions. In westerns bandits cover their faces to protect their identity. Hoodie street gangs do the same. 3. Social Hierarchy - Social hierarchy in most Asian cultures is dealt with in Language. They have different pronouns for different levels of Hierarchy. (e.g. in South Korea they have different words for 'older brother' and 'younger brother'.) In the UK it is determined by tone of voice, accent and facial expressions of the lower face (i.e. mouth and nose) so those who consider themselves to be of higher order than those around them will be less inclined to wear masks. 4. Patriarchy - Similar to point 3. The UK do not have gender pronouns. This is why European countries still have issues with point 3 but not necessarily point 4 (this one). This is a probably reason why face mask wearing is less of an issue, but still and issue in Europe. 5. Fear of imminent harm - Deep in-
grained into the UK psych this one. If someone covers their face it means imminent danger either from that individual or a person close by. i.e. even when we know they are the 'good guys' such as the SAS in balaclavas we still fear it because it means there maybe terrorists nearby.Also banks in the UK mandate no face coverings for security purposes and put signs everywhere. UK is one of very few countries who do this. 6. Ridicule - UK really fear ridicule but really enjoy dishing it out by spitting on people , heckling people, swearing, etc. Especially from passing vehicles at pedestrians. I'm sure it happens in other countries but happens a lot here. If you are wearing a mask you are a prime target for being ridiculed. Also ties in with point 3 nicely as it is to do with social heir achy. 7. Vanity - Picking up girls, looking cool or being accepted or the way one looks and what 'social class' they belong to is a big issue here and can determine how much you earn by just the way you look. Some UK individ-
uals will vehemently deny this but that's because they are usually the people who are at extreme ends of the social classes. Status is a big deal in the UK. Again the people who gain most benefit from this are the people who will try to deny it the most. 8. Childhood indoctrination - People in the UK are taught from a very young age NOT to cover their mouth, especially when talking because it's considered VERY RUDE. In some Asian cultures it is sometimes polite to cover ones face while talking (e.g. disagreement, embarrassment, excessive laughter etc.) Popular heroes (Bananman, Batman etc.) have the lower face visible whereas the baddie has lower face covering or coloration or beard (e.g. General Blight, Bluto, Jason). Also happens in films for Adults (e.g. Hannibal, Mandible). See point 2. 9. Ministerial fear - Ministers fear that if they mandate face coverings the UK public will revolt for some of the reasons above and it will cause social disorder.
10. Middle East and Asian folk .There has been much controversy and prejudice in the UK about covering faces in public for some time due to the influx of Middle East Asian cultures . BTW , I am a UK born caucasian. (So that should eliminate any comments about prejudice because the above points apply to the segment of society that I belong to / am talking about!!!) Everyone should have the choice, because we don’t live in an authoritarian state. A government’s job is to maximise the aggregate utility of the population over time. We live in a liberal democracy. Despite having access to information, very few people are currently wearing masks. Revealed preferences matter more than expressed preferences. A reasonable cost–benefit analysis would conclude that the costs of mandating wearing masks outweigh the benefits. Martin Sewell, North Petersfield 2005-20
May 28. 2020
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POOR DOMMY NO MATES
CLIFF JONES
For years, separately and together, Dommy and his wife have lived in London. It seems that they managed to do this without being on speaking terms with any nearby relatives, without forming a single friendship and without neighbours willing to pop to the Co-op and leave a bag of pasta on the doorstep. Perhaps there isn't a Co-op at the end of their street. So he and she had no choice but to drive the best part of 300 miles to find a friend. That meant staying on a farm with a nearby wood all, we have been told, subsidised by the EU. Cummings is known to despise Parliament and the Civil Service on the grounds that they do not understand or connect with 'the people'. Not quite minor aristocracy he and his wife fall into the category of 'well-connected'. Not, however, connected to people willing to pop to the shop for their mates. We know that, like Blair when prime minister, he makes much use of focus groups. They enable him to walk into a meeting of elected representatives and, when they mention the anxieties and concerns of their constituents, contradict them by referring to his own personal alternative 'democratic' system. We grew up believing that we lived in a country with a working, seldom perfectly, system of government; that the system allowed at least for a bit of democracy; and that the Divine Right of Kings belonged in the history books. This man, this unelected man, this personal appointment of the Prime Minister, believes in the Divine Right of Cummings. He has the power to decide who advises which secretary of state; he has the power to order a police officer to throw out advisors he does not like; during the LEAVE campaign he had the power to paint a lie on the side of a bus; and earlier he had the power to push Gove to dismantle the school system in England. He has power. He is not, however, in any way shape or form accountable to us. And so we must consider our Prime Minister. For Johnson truth has always be an option. In practice, however, he has a tendency to shoot off his mouth first and
later think of some way to pass off prejudice and lies as the product of his sense of humour. He implies that if we persist with our criticism we have no sense of humour. As Cummings demonstrated during his garden chat with, I assume, chosen journalists, he has the Blairite ability to construct a narrative. This is what Johnson desperately needs: a story to tell: a story full of 'facts' but facts that keep enquirers away from the heart of the matter. Cummings is well aware of how close to the edge he now is but his boss is not famous for his intellect. And he gives his boss something else that he needs: attention to detail. Ah! Those journalists. I did not hear one of them ask why he had to drive so far to find a friend. The defence offered by Cummings made much use of that word, 'reasonable'. This is a word of which lawyers are very fond. If you convince a jury that it was reasonable for you to stick a knife in someone's back you get off. In this case all Cummings had to do was to convince his jury of journalists that it was reasonable for him to behave in a way quite different from what the public were being told to do and he walks free. Well, shall he? It seems that his boss is happy to support him. But his boss has little or no connection with the 'people'. He thinks that Cummings is able to communicate to him what the people are thinking. Especially in this case my guess is that Cummings has failed to pull off the trick of convincing the public. The longer he stays the more precarious becomes the position of the Prime Minister. How soon might that dawn upon him? By the way, just a thought, can you not order food and supplies via phone and internet? Perhaps the signal was no good in London and much better in Durham.
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President Trump has taken the extraordinary step of threatening to close down social media platforms. The threat came after Twitter added fact-check links to his tweets for the first time.
The battle between the president and the social-media companies has been brewing for a time. But now it feels as though an all-out war is looming between Donald Trump and Twitter ahead of the US presidential election, in November. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told Congress that Hong Kong no longer merits special treatment under US law. The declaration could have major implications for Hong Kong's trade hub status and is likely to anger Beijing. "No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground," he said in a statement. It follows Beijing's plan to impose a controversial new security law on the territory. The security law was "only the latest in a series of actions that fundamentally undermine Hong Kong's autonomy and freedoms," Mr Pompeo said. "It is now clear that China is modelling Hong Kong after itself," he added. Liverpool are interested in signing Wolves’ Spanish winger Adama Traore, 24, with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp reportedly personally contacting the player
POLITICS AND EVENTS
US playwright, author and Aids activist Larry Kramer has died at the age of 84. Kramer wrote the landmark 1985 play The Normal Heart, about the early years of Aids, and 1992's The Destiny of Me. He was a pivotal and confrontational figure during the Aids crisis in the 1980s, co-founding the first gay men's support group and aggressively lobbying officials to take action. Italy and Belgium have joined France in moving to ban the use of the controversial hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19 patients as questions continue to mount over its safety. Hungary's government will submit legislation to remove emergency powers granted to PM Viktor Orban, which set off hysterical reactions from EU officials and Western media which warned the country was sliding into "dictatorship." The German government has voiced alarm over the threat from the far right, after new figures showed a dramatic increase in anti-Semitic and politically motivated crime. More than 350,000 deaths from the new coronavirus have been recorded worldwide since it first appeared in China in December, according to the latest AFP tally.
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The pandemic has now killed 352,494 people across the globe. The United States has recorded the most deaths with 99,724 fatalities. It is followed by Britain with 37,460, Italy with 33,072, France with 28,596 and Spain with 27,118.
SpaceX's landmark launch to the International Space Station - the first crewed mission to blast off from US soil in almost a decade – has been scrubbed due to bad weather. One million UK businesses have claimed £15bn from the government's coronavirus job retention scheme to cover the wages of 8.4 million furloughed workers, official figures show A man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of 16-year-old Louise Smith, who disappeared on VE Day. The teenager was last seen alive in Somborne Drive in the Leigh Park area of Havant, Hampshire, on 8 May and her body was found in nearby woodland at Havant Thicket last Thursday.
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CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT ADVISOR DOMINIC CUMMINGS DROVE HIS WIFE AND 4 YEAR OLD CHILD FROM LONDON TO DURHAM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE VIRUS LOCK DOWN AND AGAINST ALL GOVERNMENT AND SCIENTIFIC ADVICE
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Oh, Dominic...and in front of our son as well I have wet myself.
ck. a b d n a tle s a c d r a n f Bar o n w o t he t o t s e l i 60 m r us. e r i h v t r 9 u 1 f d a i e Cov h t He drove h t i w ring e f f u s , e im t e h t t a , as w e f i w s i H ak? e r b t e l i o at r o f p o t s rus i v Did he e h t g actin r t s ’ n d o l i c h c i c l e b h u ep sk t i h r t f e o h s d r i e? e d n b r o l o m a t e e o l m i g o k t s o Did he rig his child to thes 4 year old son t by takin ng by leaving hi well-bei th? a p o h c y s ap s g n i m m c Cu i n i m o D Long road Is This is a round trip of at least 539 miles
Are we nearly there yet? Mummy, Daddy, I want a wee. Are we there yet?
The Journey from London to Durham is nearly all on the motorway. Surely he would have needed to stop at a service station? Cummings has insisted that he drove all the way without a single stop. That would mean that his 4 year old son was not allowed to go to the toilet for nearly 5 hours. We at the word think that the technical term for this is – child abuse.
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QUOTES OF THE WEEK:
KINDNESS
'No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted'. Aesop (C6 th. century Listen to 'Be kind BC), Greek slave women! whenever possible. & storyteller. It is always possible? Dalai Lama. Harriet Tubman 'Remember I know the world there's no such thing is bruised and A good idea as a small bleeding, and will keep you awake act of kindness. though it is during the morning, Every act creates important but a great idea a ripple with not to ignore will keep you awake no logical end'. its pain, it is during the night. Scott Adams also critical to Marilyn Vos Savant (author & cartoonist) refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Every great dream Like failure, chaos begins with a dreamer. contains informaAlways remember, tion that can lead you have within you the to knowledge strength, the patience, and even wisdom. the passion to reach for the Like art. stars to change the world.
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UNITY NEWS
Parents from a Steiner school in Gloucestershire are taking legal action against Ofsted/DfE over their school’s forced closure • Distinguished QC and human rights lawyer Michael Mansfield takes on case. • Action highlights growing concerns over Ofsted’s lack of accountability and scrutiny of decision making. • School’s closure part of Ofsted chief’s alleged ‘witch hunt’ against Steiner education. A group of parents and supporters of Wynstones, one of the UK’s oldest Steiner schools (est. 1937) based in Gloucestershire, are fighting back against a decision by the Department for Education requiring it to close down following a controversial Ofsted inspection in January this year.
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We are seeking recompense for the devastating impact the school’s closure has had on many of the 220 children and their families. The whole Wynstones school community has been deeply traumatised by this experience. Teachers demoralised and facing redundancies, families scrabbling to try and find alternative schools and children thrown into diagnosable anxiety and depression.” He continued: “We believe that Ofsted has operated in a highhanded manner without regard for real educational principles, using “safeguarding” as a pretext for closing the school.” The Wynstones case comes at a time when criticism of Ofsted and the way it operates is increasingly under scrutiny. Many teachers, parents and educators believe this amounts to bullying and subjective targets which promote a culture of fear in schools and a potentially harmful impact on children’s mental health and education. Dr Richard House, freelance educational consultant,a former university lecturer in education and member of the Wynstones group said, “We are pursuing a judicial review to highlight the fact that while Ofsted has great power to judge and regulate others, it is arguably itself above the lawbecause of the enormous costs involved in mounting court action. We are seeking just recompense for the harm caused by this forced school closure and to put the case for a different, more sympathetic approach to assessing educational outcomes which takes full and informed account of pedagogical diversity. This case is not just about Wynstones, it is shining a strong light on a much wider malaise in how England’s schools are currently evaluated and held to account.”
The school’s overnight closure, with just a few hours notice, left over 200 children and their families without any education provision or assistance from either the DfE or the local education authority. Teachers were ordered to have no further contact with their former pupils or parents – even if they passed them on the street; while children, some studying for GCSEs and A levels, were left high and dry with no support or help from other agencies. Arthur Edwards, a parent of two children at the school at the time of its closure and spokesperson for the group behind the action, exFunds are urgently needed, however, to cover the legal costs of a plained: judicial review to help this small but determined band of parents take on the might of Ofsted and the DfE. “
• The Wynstones Parents Initiative is a group of over 50 parents, many giving testimony to the trauma experienced by the sudden school closure and lack of support. See separate report from a parent survey on the impact of the closure: https://tinyurl.com/yd5ja4hp). A Crowdfunding campaign has raised over £16,000 and other fundraising events are planned, however to issue the claim a further £15k is needed. https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/justice-for-parents-and-childr/ • The WIP group’s website can be found at http://wynsted.org • Richard House’s new book, Pushing Back to Ofsted, shows in detail how irrational and unfounded many of its Ofsted’sjudgements are, not only of Wynstones but more widely.
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WOMEN who made a DIFFERENCE 100 years after the end of World War 1 it is fitting to remember the heroics of the only British woman to officially serve as a soldier in that war. She was Flora Sandes, born 22 January 1876 in Nether Poppleton, Yorkshire, England. The family moved first to Suffolk when Flora was nine and then to Thornton Heath in Surrey. The family were reasonably well off and she was educated by a governess. However she enjoyed riding and shooting and often said she wished she had been born a boy. She soon learnt to drive and as well as working as a secretary she spent her spare time training with the First Aid Yeomanry Nursing Yeomanry (FANY), an all – women mounted paramilitary organisation. This enabled her to learn first
100 years after the end of WW1 it is fitting to remember the heroics of the only British woman to officially serve as a soldier in that war.
aid, horsemanship, signalling and drill. Flora left this group in 2010 and with another renegade from FANY, Mabel St. Clair Stobert, joined in the formation of the Women's Sick and Wounded Convoy. The Convoy saw service in Serbia and Bulgaria in 1912 during the first Balkan War. When the First World War broke out in 1914 she volunteered to become a nurse, but was rejected through lack of qualifications. Undeterred she joined the St. John Ambulance unit raised by American nurse, Mabel Grouitch. On 14 August she left England with a group of 36 women to help with humanitarian crises in Serbia. They arrived at the town of Kragujevac, the Serbian forces fighting against the Austro – Hungarian offensive. Now she joined the Serbian Red Cross, working in an ambulance for a Serbian regiment. When riding with a Serbian soldier she impressed him with her equestrian skills that he told her she was wasted as a nurse and she should enlist as a soldier. This would fulfil herMELKI desire to be the equal of any man, be a soldier and fight as one. In 1915 she kept trying to get to the front despite many trying to dissuade her, including the British Consul. Whilst with an ambulance during what was termed the Great Retreat through Albania all the other ambulance staff were killed or
fled. She now got her chance to be a soldier being enrolled as a private by General Milos Vasic. Flora quickly rose to the rank of Corporal but was seriously wounded by a grenade suffering extensive shrapnel wounds to her body and a broken arm. She later was awarded the highest Serbian Military decoration, the Order of the Karadorde's Star as well as being promoted to Sergeant Major, thus becoming Serbia's first female and foreign officer. Unable to serve in the army now she wrote an autobiography, based on her letters and diary. She used the book to raise money for the Serbian army, through a charity she set up with Evelina Haverfield, to help give comforts to Serbian soldiers and prisoners. She spent the rest of the war running a hospital for wounded servicemen. Life after the war was anything but dull. In May 1927 she married Yuri Yudenitch, a former White Army general. They lived for a time in France where she worked for a time at Paris' fa-
mous Folies Bergere nightclub. Later they returned to Serbia 9then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and for a time drove the first taxi in Belgrade. In 1927 she published a second biography and also lectured extensively on her war time experiences in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, France, Canada and the United States. In April 1941 Germany invaded Yugoslavia and she and her husband were briefly imprisoned by the Germans but were later paroled. Sadly her husband fell ill and died in hospital in September 1941. She returned to England to live in Suffolk, virtually penniless and alone, but still had a sense of adventure and love of travel, visiting with her nephew, Jerusalem and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). Flora died in hospital in Bury St. Edmunds on 24 November 1956 aged 80. As well as a stamp commemorating her in Serbia, a street is named after her, in Croydon a pub has been named after her.
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Hope and Good News
France: Following a lawsuit by Amnesty and others the government cancelled an order of 6 boats for the Libyan coast guard. They would probably be used to force refugees and migrants back to the awful conditions they face in Libya.
Sudan: At the end of last year the government repealed oppressive public order laws which governed, among oother issues, the presence of women in public gatherings.
Argentina: New president, Alberto Fernandes, has vowed to legalise abortion. It joins Uruguay and Cuba as the only Latin American countries to permit the procedure.
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Flora Sandes As well as a stamp commemorati ng her in Serbia, a street is named after her, in Croydon a pub has been named after her.
Netherlands (Utrecht): Back in the 70's car use in the Netherlands was as dominant as in the rest of Europe. Due to pressure from activists, angry at the number of traffic deaths, particularly among young children, city authorities prioritised cycling and walking. The people have benefited from cleaner air and quality of life with the result from one study showing the changes have saved 6,500 premature deaths annual and life expectancy has increased by over 6 months! Utrecht, now third, after Amsterdam and Copenhagen as bike friendly cities. They are not resting on their laurels as they are building the world's biggest high density, car fee residential district for more than 12,000 people. It is also home to a 12,5000 space bike-parking facility underneath the train station. Utrecht is a city built around the needs of people not polluting vehicles with a population of 360,000 and an estimated 125,000 bike trips per day.
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Death race
Grassroots Black Left calls for an urgent probe why four times more black people have died from the virus
We’re still waiting
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rassroots Black Left has called for an urgent investigation into why four times more black people are dying from coronavirus than white people, and urgent action to halt this.
We demand that the party and trade unions champion the cases MELKI of any NHS worker or carer within our communities victimised by management for refusing to work without adequate PPE. This applies to transport workers, including cleaners, as well. GBL notes that at least 37 of them have died in London as a result of Covid-19, including 28 bus drivers.
OF the 119 NHS staff who died from Covid-19 last month 63 per cent were African, Caribbean or Asian, while these people are only 40 per cent the NHS workforce.
This ethnic group, referred to as black, are more than four times more likely to die from the virus infection than white people, latests statistics have confirmed. Experts say these stark racial differences are partly down to Black people being more likely to live in poor areas and to have jobs that put them at greater risk. But Nick Stripe of the Office of National Statistic, told the BBC: “A remaining part of the difference has not yet been explained.”
for a statement from the Labour leadership decrying the abhorrent racism revealed in the leaked report against Black members
A disturbing and under-reported aspect of the pandemic is that it has led to an increase in hate crimes against Asian, particularly Chinese people. They have been scapegoated and targeted for attack by racists who ignorantly claim they are responsible for the virus. Irresponsible politicians, including US President Donald Trump, and some media outlets, have fanned the flames of this xenophobia. A Runnymede Trust report showed cases of racist abuse, always a feature in the NHS, almost tripled last year during
the time of the government’s “hostile environment” policies towards immigrants. And Labour's leaked report on the mishandling of antisemitism accusations also confirmed almost, accidentally what Black members have always suspected about the institutional racism and hostility within the party. At a time when Black patients represented one third of all intensive care virus patients the government finally anwered a call for an inquiry into what to do about the deadly racial inequality But offering a role to Trevor Phillips, former chair of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, triggered objections
from Grassroots Black Left who argued his involvement will add to suspicions that the inquiry will be a whitewash. Labour’s has has also launched its investigation under Baroness Doreen Lawrence which wss welcomed by the Black pressure group which called for its members to consulted, help with gathering evidence and to collaborate with MPs. The Government’s announcement that GCSEs and A-Levels will be replaced by teacher assessments also rang alarm bells with the pressure group, because studies show that Black boys face systematic undermarking by UK teachers. The Black group has supporting the joint trade union statement sent education
On its past record, we cannot trust the Labour Party bureaucracy to champion Black issues when the lockdown ends. It is therefore our responsibility. secretary Gavin Williamson in which it said their three million members would not return to work until ministers can guarantee adequate safety policies are in place. It believes this is an essential demand because of the government's failures which have resulted in Britain having the highest numbers of Covid19 deaths in Europe and the second highest in the world. The Black group argues that the priority should be to save lives, not the railroad through a reckless and premature
reopening businesses in order to put private profit before people, it argues. It advises the Labour Party to stop pressing the government to publish plans for lifting the popular lockdown but instead to tighten it until new Covid-19 cases can allow successful testing, tracking and tracing. They urge Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer not to shy away from going on the political offensive on behalf of the public to whom the the Government has lied and let down.
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om Watson rightly said, “only sunlight can disinfect Labour of antisemitism now�. It is in this spirit that the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) decided to investigate the Labour Party’s dealings around anti-Semitism. The leaked report into the Government and Legal Unit (GLU) of the Labour Party was prepared by Labour Party staff “to comprehensively respond to the Commission’s investigation, and aims to provide a full and thorough account of the evolution of the Party’s disciplinary processes in relation to dealing with complaints of antisemitism. It sets out the evidence of what has happened, explains the evident shortcomings in the Party’s work, and assesses the improvements the Party has made in the last two years in particular.� It is indefensible that the unredacted report was leaked. The privacy and welfare of individuals is affected. One Labour Party member was astonished to learn that he had been sent a warning about his conduct which he never received. The world now thinks that he was warned about his conduct when he was not. And for what was he supposedly warned? Or was he to be warned? He does not know. The report is a very interesting read, both for what is there, and for what is not there in a “full and thorough account�. The attacks upon it are also interesting for what is alleged and for what is not alleged. “Statistical inaccuracies�, “emails taken out of context�, but not that the emails are altered or forged. It is also a very reasonable complaint that although there appears to be criticisms of individuals formerly employed by the Labour Party there was no attempt to contact them to see what they might have to say, to give “a full and thorough account�. Some former members of staff, such as Sam Matthews a senior manager at an important time, gave interviews to the Panorama program “Is Labour AntiSemitic?�. The report team were anxious to rebut his allegations. According to Matthews, the team made significant mistakes in their investigation of Matthews’ conduct.
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One passage of messages in a WhatsApp group “senior staff discussed Abbott crying in the toilets and telling Michael Crick, a Channel 4 reporter at the time, where she was:
Many Labour Party members will be astonished to learn that the elected Leader of the Labour Party has no authority over most Labour Party staff. The Leader appoints LOTO (Leader Of The Opposition) staff, but not the people who run the Labour Party. All mainstream Labour Party staff are appointed by the General Secretary, who is appointed by the National Executive Committee. In addition to the 9 NEC members elected by the membership, and 1 BAME member elected by BAME members, there is 1 member elected by the Socialist Societies, 13 trade union members,, The Leader, Deputy Leader and three Shadow Cabinet members, 1 from Young Labour, 1 from the European Parliament Labour Party, 3 from the Parliamentary Labour Party, 1 from the Scottish Labour Party, 1 from Welsh Labour, 2 Labour Councillors, and the Treasurer who is elected by Conference. When Jeremy Corbyn was first elected as Leader of the Labour Party he did not have a majority on the NEC. It was not until 2018 that he could ease out Iain McNicol and put in Jennie Formby. Jennie then replaced a number of staff. A new General Secretary will very likely restructure and reappoint to create a Labour Party appropriate to the Labour Party’s perceived needs.
08/02/2017, 13:04 Patrick Heneghan: Abbott found crying in the loos 08/02/2017, 13:27 Julie Lawrence: đ&#x;˜˘ 08/02/2017, 13:27 Tracey Allen: Abbott memorial cupboard works well 08/02/2017, 15:52 Patrick Heneghan: Diane in Leon on vic street 08/02/2017, 15:52 Fiona Stanton: Shall we tell michael crick 08/02/2017, 15:53 Patrick Heneghan: Already have đ&#x;˜˘ “ Dianne Abbott was crying over death threats made to her. Labour Party staffers may not have known why she was crying, but were happy to tell Michael Crick that she was. Why would Fiona Stanton a Regional Director of the Labour Party and Patrick Heneghan Executive Director of the Labour Party think it in the interest of their employer, the Labour Party, to tell Michael Crick? The conduct disclosed above falls within “any incident which in the NEC’s view might reasonably be seen to demonstrate hostility or prejudice based upon ‌‌race, religion or belief; sex...â€? The Rule goes on to say “The General Secretary ‌ shall investigate and report to the NEC...â€? So why was this not done? Disciplinary proceedings are confidential of course, but the report describes disciplinary proceedings taken against dozens of Labour Party members – but not these two. Elsewhere the report alleges that staff in the Government and Legal Unit were unaccountably slow in dealing with antiSemitism cases even where there was clear and compelling evidence. “Many staff, including GLU staff and senior staff with responsibility for managing and overseeing GLU, were bitterly opposed to the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, and seem to have been demotivated, or largely interested in work that could ad-
“Sunlight� Tom Watson rightly said, “only sunlight can disinfect Labour of antisemitism now�. vance a factional agenda. At its extreme, some employees seem to have taken a view that the worse things got for Labour the happier they would be, since this might expedite Jeremy Corbyn’s departure from office.� One very telling exchange on the night of the 2017 General Election reads: 08/06/2017, 22:41 Emilie Oldknow: What's the atmosphere like there? 08/06/2017, 22:41 Simon Mills: D epends which side of the building! 08/06/2017, 22:41 Patrick Heneghan: Awful 08/06/2017, 22:41 Patrick Heneghan: Help 08/06/2017, 22:42 Simon Mills: Split between euphoria
and shock 08/06/2017, 22:42 Julie Lawrence: We are stunned and reeling. 08/06/2017, 22:45 Tracey Allen: They are cheering and we are silent and grey faced. Opposite to what I had been working towards for the last couple of years!! đ&#x;˜˘ 08/06/2017, 22:46 Emilie Oldknow: We have to be upbeat 08/06/2017, 22:46 Emilie Oldknow: And not show it Tracey Allen worked directly to Iain McNicol. “Opposite to what I had been working towards for the last couple of yearsâ€? needs some explanation from a paid employee of the Labour Party. Why would an Assistant General Secretary of the Labour Party not be upbeat about the
Labour Party gaining seats in a General Election? It comes as no great surprise to anyone who knows the Labour Party that some internal systems in the Labour Party were less than impressive. “In the period until spring 2018, the Labour Party’s investigation shows that Labour HQ and GLU failed to: � develop any consistent system of logging and recording complaints; � develop any consistent system of logging and recording disciplinary investigations, or tracking their progress; � develop any consistent system, process or training for investigating and progressing cases; � develop any general guidance or training for staff on
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regarding
� develop any specific guidance or training for staff on decision-making regarding antisemitism complaints; � develop any detailed or coherent guidelines for investigating complaints based on social media conduct, including how to identify Labour members from social media accounts and how to treat different forms of social media activity; � recommend or enact any reforms to the ineffective NEC and NCC disciplinary procedures, to bring in new systems suitable for a mass member party of 500,000 people or more, and capable of dealing with a much enlarged caseload; � implement the Macpherson principle of logging and investigating complaints of racism as racism. “This investigation has revealed to the Party that in this period, before Jennie Formby became General Secretary in spring 2018, GLU failed to act on
the vast majority of complaints received, including the vast majority of complaints regarding antisemitic conduct. Systematically reviewing all letters sent to members by GLU from 1 November 2016 to 19 February 2018, the Party has found that GLU initiated investigations into just 34 members in relation to antisemitism in this period. More than 300 complaints relating to antisemitism appear to have been received, however. At least half of these warranted action, many of them in relation to very extreme forms of antisemitism, but were ignored. Almost all of these complaints were forwarded from one inbox to another, and many of them were identified as Labour members and sent to the Head of Disputes, Sam Matthews, for action. The Head of Disputes rarely replied or took any action, and the vast majority of times where action did occur, it was prompted by other Labour staff directly chasing this themselves.� This completely shambolic picture reflects the situation as it was in GLU before Jeremy Corbyn was elected Leader. It was exacerbated by a rapid growth
in party membership, because more members will lead to more casework. Added to that was a significant rise in the volume of complaints about antiSemitism during the Leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. “In Chapter 3, the report explores how GLU functioned from 2015 to early 2018, the processes and procedures that existed, and the approach taken in relation to antisemitism complaints at the time. It shows how disciplinary procedures, in so much as they existed, were dysfunctional, slow and flexible to the factional requirements of staff. Despite detailed guidance from Shami Chakarbarti and Jeremy Corbyn on different forms of left-wing antisemitism, GLU failed to develop any guidance or training for staff, and made highly inconsistent, and often poor, decisions on antisemitism complaints throughout this period. GLU also failed to act on the vast majority of antisemitism complaints submitted in this period, with the energy that applied to the “Validation� process of 2016 not being transferred to the process of creating a functioning disciplinary process for all types of complaints.�
The Jewish Labour Movement put out a statement for the 2019 General Election: “This crisis of antisemitism in the Labour Party stems from a failure of leadership from Jeremy Corbyn. When the answer has been to take swift, decisive action, the reality has been equivocation and token gestures. Time and time again, the Party has not engaged in good faith to try to implement the actions that we believe are necessary to tackle anti-Jewish racism. “The disciplinary process has buckled under the weight of antisemitism complaints, and instead of implementing an independent process we’ve seen delay, obfuscation and botched decision making. Political interference is endemic in the system, which is used to protect the leaderships’ friends and allies, rather than ensure the Party is a safe space for Jews.�
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The Report tends to show that the disciplinary section was shambolic before Jeremy Corbyn became Leader, and remained shambolic until Jennie Formby became General Secretary. Jennie Formby began to make improvements, but as the list of failings above shows there was a mountain to climb. Also, the sheer scale of complaints for which files had not even opened was at first unknown and unsuspected. Reviews under Jenny Formby of past decided cases showed qualitative failures. In 2016, when McNicol was general secretary, nobody was expelled from the party for antisemitism. In 2017 just one person was expelled. In 2018, the year Formby took over, this rose to 10. In 2019 to 45. Formby also oversaw a tenfold increase in the number of suspensions from 2017 to 2018, and a twenty-five fold increase in suspensions between 2017 and 2019. For JLM to blame the failings of GLU on Jeremy Corbyn’s office is shown by the email trail to be incorrect. First, because for most of the time Jeremy Corbyn had no power to change staff or internal practices. And second because the email trail shows that the LOTO office was pressing for more action on antiSemitism. Matthews says that the emails disclosed show only part of the picture. Two of the people who took part in the JLM press conference to publicise the JLM submission of a report to the EHRC, Dan Hodges and Sam Matthews, were working in the GLU when the GLU was a disorganized shambles. According to the partial email trail disclosed Sam Matthews was leading the “delay, obfuscation and botched decision making�. One issue that shrieks at one from reading the report is that there seems to have been no form of triage. Clear evidence of Holocaust denial should have been dealt with quickly – but were not. The JLM has a legitimate interest in the Labour Party investigating anti-Semitism cases quickly and thoroughly. Were JLM initially taken in by Sam Matthews? Why have they not recoiled in horror now that Sam Matthews’ role is clearer?
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POLITICS AND EVENTS
Forgotten Bands: The Bronski Beat /
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COMMUNARDS
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have to admit that I thought I didn’t like music of the 1980s, my life being devoted to working hard and coming home to help with the kids, but in reality I spent hours arguing with my mother on the phone. She could start a fight in an empty room, often being quite sarcastic.
Bronski Beat
One of her biggest dislikes was of gay men. “When you are a father, you’ll know exactly what I mean,” she said; I never did.
Good sound
“Your dad … it is such fantastic was in the stuff, with high energy armed forces performance and lively for six years and engineering, that you never met one,” get drawn in. What was another do I mean by pearl of wisdom. That one of their that? best friends was the Many of the band’s most obviously gay bloke songs and videos referany of us had ever met was de- enced the life of a gay person nied. He was just a nice guy who growing up in Glasgow, or anhad a succession of lodgers. ywhere really. Smalltown Boy What she would have thought of has Jimmy watching blokes getthe Bronski beat is unfathoma- ting changed at the swimming ble, if she’d bothered to take any baths then being ambushed in notice. a side street and brought home by the cops having suffered Steve Bronski formed the ‘queer bashing.’ His mum and openly gay band in 1983 with dad in the video were quite cold Jimmy Somerville and Larry and his supposed dad wouldn’t Steinbachek. Steve and Larry even shake his hand when slipplayed synthesisers and per- ping him a tenner to go away on cussion, which works well, and a train. Jimmy left the band to Jimmy sang in a falsetto voice form the Communards with the which is immediately recognis- wonderful Richard Coles, posable. Mum wouldn’t have rec- sibly the campest guy ever to ognised these three as gay as grace a pop video in Never Could they had what she called ‘nice Say Goodbye, with his massive haircuts,’ unlike, say The Sweet double breasted suit, his rolling who ‘looked like girls,’ but were eyes, his wire frame spectacles, and his ostentatious dancing. totally straight!
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(Somerville) looks like a worm with a bad case of whatever it was Dominic Cummings had, but once you get a Communards or Bronski song up on YouTube, you really have to eat the entire packet; an evening disappears.
The pair of them had a massive hit with Don’t Leave Me This Way, 1986, featuring the deeper voice of Sarah Jane Morris and Jimmy’s falsetto, which I admit is even better than my own. His dancing isn’t. He looks like a worm with a bad case of whatever it was Dominic Cummings had, but once you get a Communards or Bronski song up on YouTube, you really have to eat the entire packet; an evening disappears. Part of it is remembering songs you affected not to have listened to during the nasty Thatcher years, but it is also such fantastic stuff, with high energy performance and lively engineering, that you get drawn in. What do I mean by that? Well give them another listen! Somerville went solo; rumour has it that he was a beast to work with, though the videos show him to be a tiny man. Perhaps that was what made him so allegedly belligerent towards anyone who risked getting close to him; I don’t know, but it’s quite
»
Don’t Leave Me This Way, 1986, features the deeper voice of Sarah Jane Morris and Jimmy Somerville’s falsetto, which I admit is even better than my own.
a good legend. He recorded You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) in 1988 or 1989, while Richard Cole went on to become a Church of England Minister. I think he’s had his own battles to fight there. There are some avenues still closed to people with certain sexualities. The most impressive thing about the Communards, and Jimmy himself, is that despite a huge wodge of their output being covers of songs made famous by other artists, Jimmy’s voice makes them entirely his own.
NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE
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Communards
n 1948, every household received a leaflet saying... "Your new National Health Service begins on 5th July. What is it? How do you get it? It will provide you with all medical, dental and nursing care. Everyone – rich or poor, man, woman or child-can use it or any part of it. There are no charges, except for a few special items. There are no insurance qualifications. But it is not a charity. You are all paying for it, mainly as tax payers, and it will relieve your money worries in time of illness." It was brilliantly simple, and revered across the World. It was
incredibly civilised, and was this country's finest creation. That basic message of a service that cares for all people when they get sick has been lost over time. Although never perfect, it was by far the most efficient system
of health care. Labour supporters are proud that it was they who created the NHS, but this county's population at the time also demanded such a programme. Later on Tony Bliar/New Labour assisted in the trajectory of turning it into a business. We can't wait for the next election, but must act now in whatever way you can. John Pilger's film 'The Dirty War On The NHS', and Dr Bob Gill's 'The Great NHS Heist' are both free to watch on You Tube. They'll tool you up with all the knowledge you need, so make use of them.
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TRIVIA QUESTIONS
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Questions General Knowledge 1 What are the four terrestrial planets
1.
The University of Bedfordshire is based in which town?
2 What is the chief component of
2.
What is the plural of index?
3 How many teeth does a human
3.
The board game Trivial Pursuit was invented in which country?
adult have
4.
Famous for also being a clown, who was the most popular English actor and entertainer of the earlier 1800s?
world.
5.
Name the trivia guru and co-presenter of the TV quiz show Pointless?
5 Who famously said, "You must
sand
4 Name the slowest animal in the
POLITICS AND EVENTS
yourself extra point if you can
May 28. 2020
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The Word
name them all)? 2 Which of the four nations of the UK have removed the “priority need” aspect of their Housing Act. 3 Who is the current UK Chancellor of the Exchequer. 4 When is the new coronavirus bill due scheduled to end 5 When was the UK misuse of drugs act established
be the change you wish to see in
6.
The Gateway Arch is a 192 metre high monument in which American city?
7.
Who wrote the book 'The Invisible Man'? Where in London is the UK's largest fish market?
9.
What was the first name of the historical Field Marshall, Lord Kitchener?
10. In the Royal Navy what rank comes between Rear Admiral and Captain? What colour is the background of the Saudi Arabian flag?
12. Starting with the letter 'm', what name is given to the strip holding and separating panes of glass in a window? 13.
International 1 Which of these is a famous
8.
11.
the world."
Which scholar supposedly exclaimed 'Eureka!'?
Sport 1 In 2017, which former Welsh Rugby Captain marked the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK by making a documentary about homophobia in football. 2 Who is the Current Manager of
14. What well used word is given for the division of Indian society into social groups?
Celtic Football Club
15. What is the literal translation of the Latin word 'trivia'?
unseeded players to win
16. What does the 'WH' stand for in the high street chain WHSmith?
Wimbledon and in what years did
17.
4 Where and what year was the
Who is regarded as the father of the modern British police force?
they win?
18. Name the wife of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy? 19. The International Standard Book Number is how many digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007?
athletes represented the United
20. YouTube was bought for 1.65 billion dollars, in 2006, by which company?
States in Nazi Germany in the
22. In which decade did Billy Butlin open his first holiday camp at Skegness? 23. Especially used for measuring the depth of water, how many feet are there in a fathom? 24. What was Victoria's lastname before she married David Beckham?
Spanish Steps, Spanish Canal or Spanish fountain 2 A Kangaroo and Emu feature on which countries coat of arms 3 Enchiladas originated in which
5 How many African American
1936 Olympics Politics 1 How many categories of policy are devolved to Wales (give
22ND MAY 2020 Answers
country? 4 What is the capital of Hawaii?
General Knowledge
5 What abbreviation is this
1 Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars
international organisation OECD
https://theplanets.org/terrestrialplanets/
3 Who are the only two male
world’s first car race held
21. Can you name the UK prime minister's official country residence in Buckinghamshire?
tourist attraction in Rome
TV/Film
2 Quartz
1 What year was “Porridge” first
3 32
aired
4 Three Toed Sloth
2 Who is the current presenter of
5 Mahatma Gandhi
who wants to be a millionaire 3 Who presents of “The Mash
Sport
Report”
1 Gareth Thomas
4 What is the speed that the
https://www.theguardian.com/s
bomb rigged bus in not allowed
port/2018/nov/18/gareth-
to drop below in the 1994 film
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2 Neil Lennon
that the Darth Vader
http://www.celticfc.net/pages/ab out 3 Boris Becker 1985 & Goran Ivanišević 2001 http://en.espn.co.uk/blogs/sport /story/319187.html 4 Paris to Bordeaux and back to Paris. A total of 730 miles in 1895
Answers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Luton Indices Canada Joseph Grimaldi Richard Osman
6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.
St. Louis H. G. Wells Billingsgate Horatio Commodore Green Muntin Archimedes Caste
15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23.
Three roads William Henry Sir Robert Peel Carla Bruni 13 Google Chequers 1930s (1936) 6 feet
https://historycollection.co/toda y-history-worlds-first-car-race1895/ 5 18 https://www.ushmm.org/exhibit ion/olympics/?content=aa_athle tes&lang=en
Politics
20to%20the%20situation.
1 The 20 areas in which the
5 1971
Assembly can legislate cover the
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uk
delivery of local services –
pga/1971/38/contents
education and training, fire and rescue services, health services,
International
highways and transport, housing,
1 Spanish Steps
local government, social welfare,
https://www.italyguides.it/en/laz
planning (except major energy
io/rome/squares-and-
infrastructure) and water supplies
fountains/spanish-steps
– agriculture, fisheries, forestry,
2 Australia
culture, including the Welsh
3 Mexico
language and ancient
https://mobile-cuisine.com/did-
monuments, economic
you-know/enchilada-fun-facts/
development and the
4 Honolulu
environment.
5 Organization for Economic
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Cooperation and Development
volution-settlement-wales
https://unstats.un.org/unsd/iiss/
2 Scotland
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ns/homelessness-scotland-
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update-30-september2016/pages/8/
TV and Film
3 Rishi Sunak
1 1974
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/ministers/chancellor-of-the-
71036/trivia
exchequer
2 Jeremy Clarkson
4 2022
3 Nish Kumar
https://www.gov.uk/government
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Trivia Questions Across
4. 6. 7. 8. 10. 12. 14. 16. 17. 19. 20.
Welsh assembly Doses not believe in state involvement ruddy right winger P.M. Centenarian Captain (3,5) Not on the left Said "Common sense is not so common" Started as diggersq Doesn't like foreigners Leader of the House (4,4) Republican Eire
SUDOKU
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Down 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 9. 11. 13. 15. 18.
Holborn M.P. Leaders make speeches here(6,3) Informer Class traitor Lib-Dem The other party Left ethos First Labour MP (4,5) rule by a small elite Former Leader
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POLITICS AND EVENTS
PUZZLE Can you find the 9 letter word?
PUZZLE ANSWERS
May 28. 2020
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To teach or not to teach
T
his is an up-date for readers on the proposed start date for Primary pupils in Reception, Y1 & 6 to start attending school from 1st June. All the teaching union, besides the ASCL are in agreement that 1st June, is still too soon for many pupils to return to school in England. Evidence from SAGE as highlighted in The Guardian on Friday 22nd May clearly stated an ‘effective testing and tracking system was necessary for more pupils to return to classrooms’. Many people are still worried that the present government are not at the preferred stage in developing such a testing and tracking system. So what does this mean for teachers and the teaching unions, it has meant many last minute risk assessment plans being put in place by Head teachers with mainly the involvement of the staff involved; but a number of local authorities have left the decision up to individual schools and parents, leaving no nationally or even regional common policy in place, confusion and worry being the prevailing feeling left. The NEU and other teaching unions are continuing to support any member who feels particularly vulnerable to this terrible virus and consulting with Head teachers on their plans to implement adequate social distancing and cleaning of surfaces in classrooms. Ultimately it looks like there will be a partial reopening of England Primary schools on 1stJune, but many serious questions continue to be asked why Public schools will not reopen until September, but our children seem to be slowly being asked to return to school.
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INTERNATIONAL ROUNDUP MARTINIQUE and GUADALOUPE The French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe have been suffering the consequences of a chronic pollution problem and today French lawmakers designated the state as the main culprit. French President Emmanuel Macron has described the use of pesticide Chlordécone for many years as an "environmental scandal".
SWITZERLAND
MYANMAR
French police notified Switzerland that a convoy of 35 traveller caravans was headed for Switzerland. The border post was unguarded. By the time Swiss police arrived the caravans were now all in Switzerland. They were headed for a traveller permitted site. Relays of police escorted them all the way. Switzerland is in lockdown.
Myanmar will release almost 25,000 prisoners in an amnesty to mark the traditional New Year, the president's office has announced. President Win Myint said on Friday that 24,896 people jailed across the country, including 87 foreigners, would be freed unconditionally. It is not known whether any will be political prisoners.
SUDAN Sudan has confiscated assets valued at $4 billion from former President Omar al-Bashir, his family members and associates, the country’s anti-corruption body said. “Our initial estimates of the value of the assets, shares in different companies and buildings we have confiscated is $3.5 billion to $4 billion,”
MOZAMBIQUE The Mozambican Constitutional Council recently nullified two loans from 2013, $622 million to Proindicus by Credit Suisse for maritime security and $535m to MAM by stateowned Russian VTB, respectively. A special parliamentary inquiry found they violated the constitution because they were not declared to parliament for authorisation. Simply put, the parliament of Mozambique should not be expected to repay the loans they never knew of. Three ex-Credit Suisse bankers have admitted guilt for handling kickbacks on these loans.
INDIA Cyclone Amphan has hit West Bengal. The tropical cyclone brought flooding, strong winds and heavy rain to the Indian state of Odisha, with the effects spreading to Bangladesh. Winds gusted to 66 mph at Paradeep, with a 24-hour rainfall total of 8.19 inches. Charles James is the Secretary of Labour International Constituency Labour Party. He writes in his personal capacity.
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THE PATIENTS EYE
NOT ALL IN THE SAME BOAT
W
CHILE With 40% of the country on lockdown, many cannot work. The government has pledged food baskets to the poor, but this has sparked unrest because the people need to eat now and the Government is very slow about food distribution.
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hen my resting pulse was 130bpm, blood oxygen down to 92%, confined to my bed with fatigue, muscle cramps, my lungs crackling when I breathed, and strong pains in my kidneys and liver, I worried about how we would survive in London with our 20 month old if my wife began to show symptoms; our immediate families are 175 miles away in the North of England. We’d not been shopping or within 2 metres of other people for a month before my getting ill, except when two runners brushed past us on our permitted daily exercise walk 4 or 5 days before.
Did I have coronavirus or something else? I couldn’t have a test; I wondered how much worse I’d get and whether we’d need social services involvement. Could they take on extra children during these unprecedented times? My lack of eligibility for testing and buying a pulse oximeter, usually £15 but now £45 made
me feel that we were fending for ourselves with whatever resources we had. We’re fortunate to have space for our toddler to run around and £45, so I wasn’t waiting for my lips to turn blue before trying to get to a hospital. Alone like all self-isolating households, doing our best to get through and stop the virus’s spread, breaking the chain of infection, and hopefully preventing deaths of more vulnerable people; for two weeks we didn’t even stand outside our door to clap for the NHS.
Cummings’ wife, which had been circulating in the media while I was poorly. She said they were isolating as a family due to contracting coronavirus, cleverly entertaining their 4 year old with a toy stethoscope and doctors bag, and advised other families to make the best of it; a game for the child. We’re all in the same boat.
I wasn’t bed ridden too long; the high pulse rate and the abdominal pains lasted only a few days, although other symptoms continued to develop. The crackling in my lungs worried me and my blood oxygen has taken 4 weeks to rise up to 97%.
This wouldn’t work for our boisterous toddler, but if it’s the best Cummings expected when battling a deadly virus, then I should expect no more. Nowhere in her account did she mention several trips between London and the North, visiting family for childcare or any other reasons while confirmed as infected and in contravention of lockdown rules, potentially bringing the virus from the hotspot in London to Durham.
Miraculously my wife hasn’t developed symptoms so we weren’t both incapacitated at the same time and unable to care for our son; I don’t know how we’d have coped. I read an account from Dominic
Seems it is one rule for some and another for the rest, reinforced by government ministers ready to rewrite retrospectively the rules of the lockdown and accommodate Cummings’ behaviour, claiming the rules
were only ever advisory, despite lots of televised footage to the contrary. Did people struggling to cope with the virus during the lockdown, dying alone without family attending their funerals, misunderstand the rules?
We are not in the same boat and never will be; we’re different boats in the same storm. Dominic Cummings is in a yacht permitted to moor in a safe harbour whilst the rest of us stay out at sea in whatever vessel life has provided for us and WE are to blame for it.
More fool them? Is this really the Conservative mind-set? Johnson’s ally Jacob Rees-Mogg blamed victims of the Grenfell inferno on the national media for obeying the authorities’ instructions to stay in their flats and for not having the common sense to get out.
Whatever the outcome, it’s worth remembering it when we’re next told that ‘we’re all in it together’ during a crisis, when ‘difficult decisions’ are being made and when we must ‘tighten our belts’ or ‘take it on the chin.’
They’ve never cared about us; we take the risks and make the sacrifices, never them.
The most dangerous thing is not Cummings knowingly driving around the country with a deadly virus, but the government’s attitude towards the interests of ordinary people.
It’s always we who bear the cost.
Do not forget this.
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Agony aunt column Auntie Maggie answers your problems from beyond the grave Dear Maggie I went on a long journey recently and took my wife and four year old child with me. Being a conscientious parent, and as I had the virus, I did not want to stop the car for food or toilet breaks that might have resulted in other people being infected. So, after 400 miles both my wife and child wet themselves…twice. It smelt so much I then had to go and make another journey without them. Am I a bad husband and father? Dom, from Durham, London and Barnard castle. Well Dom, what we have here is a case of trading off personal morality versus the rules. First rule of public life is do what you think you will get away with, it sounds like you managed to do that initially, although your car not needing petrol for hundreds of miles is a bit of a give away. Second rule is, if you get caught, deny it all, Joey Goebbels advice as always been “Make the lie big, keep it simple, keep saying it, eventually they will believe it. ” Next rule is use the 'Old Boy' network get an Old Etonian school chum to vouch for you, if they won’t then blackmail them. If all else fails then, pluck the old heart strings, position yourself as a Martyr to misfortune and a noble Crusader for civil freedoms. As for personal morality, Haha don’t make me laugh...
Hiya, Mags, old girl I have been stuck at home for weeks now with my dysfunctional family. It is really playing havoc with my mental health. I can’t even pop out for a pizza anymore. Do you know of a number where I can order some entertainment in? Andrew, from Windsor. Andy, you are in luck as Tramps nightclub have teamed up with Pizza Express and they deliver a Quattro Formaggio with one or more 'Hostesses', they even bring all the 'specialist' stuff. It was all the idea of Max Mosely. Don’t worry about Covid-19 all the young ladies wear heavy grade PVC P.P.E. Have a swinging time!
Dear Margaret Before the virus happened I was winning at a game that I was playing with my friends. Then when Covid 19 started they told me I had to stop playing. I think the virus is a conspiracy from some people in Manchester to stop me coming top. They got together with Bill Gates, the Chelsea pensioners and toffee makers to deny us being the master team. Should I invade Poland? Jurgen, from Liverpool Jurgen Mein Liebling, thank you so much for getting in touch. As you quite rightly say, they ARE all out to get you. But the important thing is not to think of it as invading Poland, so much as liberating the Polish from the tyranny of Socialism. As for football, concentrate on the mountain of cash you have and enjoy the extra 90 minutes of leisure time a week.
Dearest, Margaret For many years I have enjoyed dressing up in a mini skirt and blonde wig and cruising around for sex in public toilets. This gives me great joy and relief and is none of anyone else’s business. My question is, should I finally come out as a Tory? All my love, Miranda Dear Miranda, my attitude is 'Boys will be Boys' and anything goes. As for you being a Tory, take your pick Conservative or Labour party, both are desperate for members these days.
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Vegan recipes
May 28. 2020
COOKING WITH CHRIS WILLIAMSON
ROUND UP
F
acts seem to be surplus to requirements nowadays. How do you verify whether something is true or not, when the internet is crammed full of hearsay and speculation. Detailed below are some 'Facts' that may or may not be, well, fact. But in this post truth era, you have to decide what to believe.... TETRIS IS GOOD FOR YOU The simplistic computer game TETRIS naturally appeals to the problem-solving part of our brains, which is why avid players tend to have Tetris dreams. This has been dubbed the “Tetris Effect” or “Tetris Syndrome”. Players who game for extensive periods often begin seeing Tetris shapes not only in their sleep but sometimes in the world around as well. In both scenarios, they begin to imagine how to clear these falling shapes by fitting them together. Real-life Tetris that they can’t turn off. Side-effects of Tetris Syndrome seem to be harmless, however, some scientists have claimed that there may be several benefits from playing Tetris.
A COMPILATION...
These range from helping patients recover from post-traumatic stress, helping smokers quit nicotine, to suggestions that Tetris strengthens a the cerebral cortex. It’s also thought that Tetris can improve spatial awareness in those who play it regularly. But generally speaking it’s a waste of time. SAFE RUBBERY SNUGGLES Longing to give his grandmother a hug white still protecting her from possible COVID-19 infection, 29-year-old Antony Cauvin, of Stratford-upon-Avon, created the “Cuddle Curtain.” This protective measure is essentially a plastic shower curtain featuring sleeves of disposable gloves—enough give for a tight squeeze! Footage of Anthony and his grandmother embracing for the first time since lockdown has been viewed millions of times on Facebook.
MAN MARRIES CAT
In an attempt to raise money for an animal shelter, Scott Perry of Los Angeles is saying “I do” to his cat. Scott adopted the love of his life, Olivia, from LA’s Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in 2015, but it was the past two months of quarantine that inspired him to take the plunge. Complete with a Zola page and registry—a fundraiser for the shelter—the Perry’s wedding is beginning to take shape and will occur tomorrow, Saturday, May 23rd, live on his Instagram page. When it was posed to Mr Perry that he could just do a sponsored walk instead he said “That would be ridiculous”. YOU’RE NOT IN KANSAS NOW MATE David Ostrom of Paola, Kansas, sought legal permission to sword fight his ex-wife and her attorney so that he can “rend their souls” from their bodies. A court-ordered psychological evaluation determined the duelling dad is not crazy, rather upset with his child custody arrangement. While medieval dramas like Game of Thrones may have
raised the profile of the idea of trial by combat in more recent times, the legal process for the procedure, bizarrely, still holds some weight in the United Kingdom’s archaic justice system. As recently as 2002, a British citizen tried to opt for this kind of trial in the face of a motoring offense. AMERICAN LIZARD FULL OF S**T Humans apparently aren’t the only ones gorging themselves in quarantine. A Northern curly-tailed lizard in Cocoa Beach, unfortunately, passed away due to its avarice. The lizard had been dining near a pizza parlour in Cocoa Beach, Florida, where it was found by a curious biologist from the University of Florida. She noticed this particular lizard was swollen. At first, she thought it was pregnant, but later discovered it was severely consti-
pated. The lizard’s bowels had become congested after eating pizza-greased sand, and had developed a fecal bolus clog that made up a staggering 80% of its weight! According to biologists at the university, this smashed the previous reptile record by nearly 60%. Mmmmm Pizzagreased sand. PUNCH A BEARDY Scientists had already determined that Homo sapien skulls had better evolved to take punches to the face than their now-extinct brethren, but now scientists think the beard may have aided early man in combat as well. Much like a lion’s mane protects its throat from fellow predators, dense beards may have evolved to soften blows to the jaw. According to the Journal of Integrative Organismal Biology, a messy, fluffy beard is better at absorbing blows than a finely combed beard or no beard at all, reducing bone-breaking impacts by as much as 50%
STRAWBERRY-ALMOND -KALE SALAD WITH CITRUS VINAIGRETTE alads are an ideal meal during the extended warm weather that we are currently experiencing at the moment. Cooking a hot meal indoors when it’s hot outside isn’t a great combination.
S
Maggie, and I have been searching out interesting combinations. There are plenty to choose from. We tried this one the other day that we found on the website of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
But salads can be a bit boring night after night, so my partner,
It’s really easy to make and more importantly it’s delicious.
Ingredients • 1 bunch kale, stemmed • 1 lb. strawberries, sliced • 1/4 cup sliced almonds • Juice of 1 lemon • 2 Tbsp. olive oil • 1 Tbsp. agave • 1/8 tsp. salt • 1/8 tsp. black pepper • 3-4 Tbsp. orange juice (optional) Instructions 1. Tear the kale into bite-sized pieces and massage with your hands until soft, about 30 seconds. (This makes the kale easier to eat.) Place in a bowl and add the strawberries and almonds. 2. To make the dressing, combi-
ne the lemon juice, olive oil, agave, salt, and pepper and pour over the salad. For an extra kick, splash orange juice over the salad and enjoy! What could be easier than that? It makes 3 to 4 servings, is delicious with some wholemeal bread and as it’s so quick and easy to make, it gives you more time to enjoy the sunshine. Enjoy!
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EX TOTTENHAM BOSS READY TO RETURN TO MANAGEMENT
POCHETTINO Reveals a Return to the Premier League is His Top Priority WTO report claims a Saudi company are behind illegal streaming service beoutQ. If true, the proposed takeover of Newcastle United will be in doubt
I
t seems like an age ago that Mauricio Pochettino was being linked with a switch to Man United, a move which of course never materialised. Incredibly though, it’s only six months since the Argentine was let go from his post at Tottenham. A clause inserted into his previous contract by Daniel Levy had until now, essentially prevented him from joining a new club. However, the clause is up, and the Argentinian is searching for his next project. A Manger in Demand Pochettino will have plenty of possible destinations whenever he does decide to dive back into management,
having gained plenty of admirers during his five years at Tottenham. His free-flowing style is a joy to watch, and his desire to continually press and pounce on the counter makes his teams a nightmare Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Mauricio Pochettino to play against. Despite not winning any trophies, the Arthe Lilywhites jersey. Saudi takeover goes through gentinian oversaw In a recent in- of course. Poch would have a Spur’s highest terview with virtually unlimited amount of premier league Sky Sports, money to spend on new and finish in over P o c h e t t i n o exciting players, and, given 50 years, and, made it pretty his stature as a coach comMy idea is to keep guided them clear that he pared with Newcastle’s curliving in London, but plans to come rent quality in the dressing to their first I am open to other European fiback to Eng- room, he’d likely have plenty nal since 1974, lish football. of time in which to build his countries and back when Pat He did however team and chase success. clubs Jennings donned leave the door open Whilst Newcastle is a logifor other offers, stating cal option, recent events have “I love England. My idea is to cast serious doubt. Earlier keep living in London, but I this week, a report released am open to other countries by the World Trade Organand clubs.” isation claimed that Saudi Which clubs could Pochet- Arabia are behind the pirate tino realistically join though? satellite tv and streaming serPotential Suitors vice beoutQ. The service ofIf rumours are to be be- fers illegal access to a number lieved, then Newcastle Unit- of different sporting events ed is perhaps the most likely including football, and if the destination, provided the claims are true, the sale will
I love England
»
World Trade Organisation claimed that Saudi Arabia are behind the pirate satellite tv and streaming service beoutQ
»
Despite not winning any trophies, the Argentinian oversaw Spur’s highest premier league finish in over 50 years
not go through. The other two clubs who get mentioned a lot are Manchester United and Real Madrid. United were of course chasing Pochettino for over a year whilst he was at Spurs, with the deal coming close on more than one occasion. Whilst they have enjoyed somewhat of a bounce back under current coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, it does feel like a temporary solution, and most fans would be thrilled to welcome Pochettino. Real Madrid seemed like the most likely destination at one point, after Zidane had won the champions league for the third time and decided to step down. Zidane has since returned to the club though, and it seems unlikely that a club legend such as he would be pushed out to get a new manager in. If you’d have asked me last week, I’d have said Newcastle. However, the only place I can see him going at the moment, is Manchester United. By Craig Watson