DJ360

I repeat, once more, that I support the stopping of 'the boats'. However, it seems that Govt. has given up on that and has now decided to gather up the 'Boat People' and ship them off to Rwanda. James Cleverly our latest Home Secretary is there as I type..trying to (re)establish the 'safety' of Rwanda. One reporter stated rather tellingly that so far, the UK has managed to send three Home Secretaries, but no Migrants, to Rwanda.... I agree that many boat arrivals may not have a case for Asylum, but that doesn't mean none do. Quoting 'legal' routes means little or

Can you point to your source for this? It doesn't align with any immigration figures I can find in Govt's own reports. Because, the debate which erupted last week was not just about 'irregular' arrivals, which the Govt. seems to have no answer for ( and which I suspect they don't WANT to solve before the election, since they see it as a voter winner),but also about the increase in LEGAL migration, which many people are equally unsettled by and not just for reasons of xenophobia. Of course there was..hence the outcry over cuts at the time! We were s

P.S. Thanks for the good wishes re: the knee. It is coming right slowly, but seems to be suffering from the cold weather and a few 'post op' issues which are taking longer to resolve than was the case with the first one.

Well exactly. This is the Govt's own site quoting Home Office statistics, yet it presents a complex picture from which it is difficult to extract real trends. It reads like a profit and loss account which starts by simply comparing arrivals to departures, before examining categories of migrants etc. However, it also highlights the true complexity of the issue and pulls the rug from under the 'Send 'Em All Back' brigade. I'm not disputing the above and clearly the Trafficking needs to be stopped, but as I've previously said, those figures are small compared to the total

I've been meaning to post something about the recent annual migration statistics for a few days now, but It's all too much of a faff on the phone and I'm still not too comfortable sitting at the P.C. for any length of time with my new knee.. still here goes. Firstly, @letsavagoo I think we're into semantics here Let's. Of course I don't advocate stealing. All I'm saying is that it is inevitable in my view, due to the nature of the situation for many refugees/asylum seekers * (* Delete as applicable), that the boats will carry a mix of people

All fair points Jill and ones I'll try to raise with him on Monday.

Today I received a communication via LinkedIn, which I barely use. It was from a BBC Radio chap, enquiring about Bestwood, Coal Mining and Gangsters. He'd picked up my name from something I posted yesrs ago on Stuart Frew's blog. I guess he doesn't understand the huge difference between Bestwood Colliery Village and Bestwood Estate, much less the wider context of the original Bestwood Lodge, etc. Eitherway, he's going to call me on Monday...so whilst I'm happy to help him, I think I need to politely put him straight on a couple of assumptions.

That lets me out of Turmeric then.. I take aspirin daily..

I think I'm just experiencing my first ever Arthritis Flare Up. Since the cold weather landed, a relatively minor niggle with my right thumb has extended to pain up to the elbow. Left hip and right shoulder are 'kicking off'. Also getting earache which seems related to jawbone and odd digestive issues which according to Mr Google can also accompany arthritis. Most intriguing.. both knees have gone stiff and painful. That's a bit odd since the arthritic bones have supposedly been replaced by metal an d plastic.... Lots of questions for the 'Orthopaedic Specialist' at my six week fol

I really must check to see if mine has arrived yet. Thing is... with my vast wealth, it's easy to overlook a few hundred here or there...... Eitherway, it will help a bit towards the almost £6k I've had to spend on a new boiler and gas fire. It has to be said though, that whilst I'm happy to accept cash bribes over both fuel and state pension from the current administration, no amount of money would induce me to vote for them.

I was only 8 in '57, but the song always reminds me of hearing it at the annual kids Christma Party at the Deerstalker pub at the bottom of our street.

@nonnaB Sorry to hear of your woes Nonna. Please rest up and get well soon.

It's a significant point until you look deeper, because you aren't comparing like with like. As I understand it, Central Govt. has responsibility to provide accommodation and other support for asylum seekers whilst their claims are processed. This mostly because they are not allowed to work whilst in the claims process, but also, presumably because you don't want effectively stateless people wandering about willy nilly. Native homeless, on the other hand, are the responsibility of Local Authorities, who generally don't have sufficient cash to cope with the numerous social

In my view, whether Starmer has that figure or any figure in mind is all a bit academic without some definitions. We have effectively 'floating' immigration figures to meetc'shortage' occupations, then we have other legal migrants, asylum seekers, who may or may not succeed, and 'illegals'. I'm not prepared to define all small boat arrivals as illegal because clearly traffickers, and the lack of safe legal routes contributes to some migrants' decision making . So what exactly is Starmer proposing?

Part of the problem with the likes of Anderson, is that many less educated voters will agree with him, because they simply won't understand the implications of doing what he demands. They will not understand the relationship between Govt., Parliament and The Law, which protects our democracy and prevents Govts from overstepping the mark. If Govts ever establish the idea that they are above the Law, we are sunk. Then we have the chorus of demands that we should withdraw from the European Court of Human Rghts, for the same reasons I.E. the Govt. doesn't like being 'ckecked' by it

And bang on topic... So, there you have it folks! Straight from the Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party.. You can just ignore any law that doesn't suit you! Beam me up Scotty!!

Surprised nobody has yet commented on the Supreme Court ruling that the Govt's plans to 'export' asylum seekers to Rwanda. A couple of points : By far the most important is that once again we have been shown that the Govt, just like everyone lse in the country, is subject to the rule of Law. It is that principle which (just about) protects us from Dictatorship. Second point, in my view. Of course we have an immigration problem, but I'm convinced that the present Govt doesn't want to solve it by for e g., seriously tackling people smugglers, or the huge asylum cl

Well yes, sort of. That's what I've been saying on here for a long time, but I believe it goes much further than just an insult. 'Commie', 'Lefty', 'Snowflake' etc. have all been used as general insults in an attempt to belittle genuine views which challenge the 'status quo', 'reactionary' or socio politically conservative views. However whilst you and I know that 'woke' is now used as a general label for any and all challenge, there does genuinely appear to be an large element of the electorate which actually believes that 'woke' is a conspiracy . A coordinated 'plot', which should be met b

Off the back of the above Esther Mc Vey is a currently serving Tory MP who, along with her husband, also a Tory MP, is a presenter on GB News. She has just been appointed as a minister by Rishi Sunak, with a brief which is being touted as 'Minister for Common Sense'. This in my view is best understood as a formalisation of Tory 'Culture Wars', surrounding Tory perceptions of 'woke', gender issues and many other areas of socio- political controversy. As such, it is my view that Mc Veys appointment boils down to a formalisation of Tory 'culture wars', at public expense. It is also

As I've already pointed out, GB'News', platforms numerous former and currently active piliticians, not just as interviewees, but as presenters. By far the majority of those are Tory Party members, or from other right wing groups. I found ONE former Labour member in the list of GB staff Ofcom has rules around 'news' broadcasting. As far as I can tell they concern impartiality, especially in content delivered by politicians who are campaigning for election. As you might expect, there are numerous grey areas. I remember at one point that someone, possibly Ofcom, said th

I've seen bits of it, but I find it nauseating. It's not a News channel, it's a right wing propaganda channel. Almost a sort of 'Daily Mail does Telly'. Other 'notables' on there are Farage (of course..), Arlene Foster, Lee Anderson, Eamonn Holmes etc. Some are overtly far right, other just seem to be there quite possibly because it's the only broadcast 'Gig' they can get. Other opinions are available.

Huge swathes of UK property, business, banking and private individuals etc., have historical connections with slavery. That won't change. Is it possible that the NT calendar you refer to assumes that in a nominally Christian country, most people know the dates of Christmas, Easter and other Christian festivals, but are less likely to know, Eid, Diwali etc.?

The cost after Govt. subsidy is almost twice the cost of my new boiler. However I applaud you for your Green credentials.

It's just a reference to the number of Tory MPs on GB News From memory, McVey and her husband (Phillips?), Johnson, Rees Mogg etc. Cameron wouldn't qualify, and is unelected, but can hold one of the great offices of state.