The Coffee House Wall – 23rd/29th January

Posted on January 23, 2017

This is the Coffee House Wall for this week. I won’t say that it is your chance to communicate with us, as we are all in this together. It is, nevertheless, the Conservative Blog post that has no particular theme, and where everything is on topic. Let’s just remember that we want to avoid ad hominem attacks on others. We don’t want to engage with trolls. We want to moderate our language ourselves as responsible and mature adults, choosing to use fruity language only where it is necessary. This is our opportunity to show what the Spectator Coffee House Wall could have been like.

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184 thoughts on “The Coffee House Wall – 23rd/29th January”

  7. RobertRetyred @ 12:42

    Someone should talk to these progressive fruitcakes, find out what they are saying today, Robert.

    Btw, it shows you how close these people are to the feeling of the ordinary people, the ones driving buses, stacking shelves, labouring elsewhere (most of these ‘the Donald will not be’es’ are politicians, or political pundits, it’s their fugging job to keep the finger on the pulse of the nation).

  8. The issue of the failed missile test was on the menu at the Spectator blog again, the saintly One now admits she knew, the whole affair doesn’t smell of competence, does it?

    And the judges at the Supreme Court are expected to say the House must have a say, how is she going to get out of this one?

  10. Frank P @ 11:47

    Good one, Frank, if somewhat over the top on the sins and boils everywhere, but that’s to be expected of Mr. Boot. He may have mentioned the Prince’s Rio speech in March 2009, in which he said: “The best projections tell us that we have less than 100 months to alter our behaviour before we risk catastrophic climate change.”

    If Baron’s skills in counting can still perform an elementary algebraic exercise, we are just about to hit the last few months of that climatic Armageddon he so meticulously predicted (the 100th month should be in July this year), the only catastrophe of biblical proportions the barbarian can detect is the wailing and sobbing of the progressive fruitcakes who cannot digest the triumph of the Donald, the polar bears are still roaming the the Arctic, he may like to go, join them.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environment/climatechange/4980347/Global-warming-has-reached-a-defining-moment-Prince-Charles-warns.html

  11. Malfleur @ 23:52

    The Bill may be a swamp cleansing going too far, Malfleur, it’s an expensive talking shop, but it allows the big boys to keep the smaller tribes in some order, no?

  13. This is only for the connoisseurs of things Russian, an interview with Navalny, once the darling of the anti-Vlad movement in the West, his rating amongst them dropped when he backed the takeover of Crimea, in the interview he isn’t very clear on this issue, he knows that opposing the Russian ownership of the peninsula would kill his chances of getting a respectable chunk of the votes, virtually everyone in Russia believes Crimea is theirs.

    The barbarian scans his blog, he focuses mostly on corruption, nobody’s spared, governors, ministers, even Medvedev, the PM got lambasted, but he still walks the streets of Moscow, free, has a number of supporters, financial backers, the barbarian intends to chip in as well, just for the heck of it.

    Unfortunately for him, the real threat to Putin will come from the Right, these are the forces that may dislodge the KGB Colonel, not Navalny.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=61&v=1u6XTUvaDBM

  16. “I have nothing to add to my previous post on this detestable fossil.”
    So said a commentator in relation to Ken Clarke and the Bilderberg fiasco.
    Well today he is weaving Brexit mischief, talking of the tyranny of the majority.
    At least the Commons will make short shift of him over Article 50.

  17. Baron 0018. Way I heard it Navalny is/was a British agent codenamed Agent Freedom, tasked by MI6 with working to destroy Russia. Probably part of the Christopher Steele ring.

  18. Robert Sheriffhales January 24th, 2017 – 09:03

    That phrase “tyranny of the majority” is indeed detestable as well as ridiculous, especially uttered by an MP who depends for his very existence in Parliament on the “tyranny of the majority”.

    Unfortunately the anti-democratic and arrogant obstructionists of Brexit are not being challenged robustly enough or being properly held to account by either the media or their fellow Parliamentarians. It is astonishing that they are allowed to articulate such tripe without being roundly condemned. It shouldn’t need commentators from Joe Public to vilify those scoundrels. That should be done by the Parliamentarians who are supposed to represent us and to promote a democracy which has always operated on the basis of majority voting.

    We get to hear plenty from these intemperate scoundrels but their well-deserved excoriation by other MPs is sadly absent from the media, whether unreported or simply never uttered to begin with. A robust defence of the system and condemnation of those people is required if public confidence in the Commons Jamboree is ever to be restored.

  19. “Nudging”

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4145298/Sainsbury-s-plans-help-customers-cut-meat.html

    Unelected apparatchiks funded by subsidised lobbying groups conspire with unelected corporates to impose on peoples freedom of choice without their consent. Yet another “initiative” paving the way for more restrictive and oppressive legislation by the Banning Brigade.

    First they came for the cigarettes . . .

    Inform choice. But stop treating people like your employees or children. We are not. Sainsburys is just a supermarket not responsible for the social conscience of England.

    Sick. Of. It.

  20. The Sky News “Ocean Rescue’ campaign has so far eschewed the leftist politicisation of the ‘Global Warming/Climate Change. It seems eminently sensible to draw attention to the exponential pollution of the oceans and the careless proliferation of throw-away plastic products. How long before the Climate lobby hi-jack the campaign and use if for their ‘redistribution of wealth propaganda’. Would appreciate other’s thoughts on this latest topic.

  22. It is reported that President Trump will retain Jim Comey and FBI Director.
    Interesting! The art of the deal? Perhaps Sessions rates him.

  24. Frank P @ 16:07

    One of the people who posted under the piece, Frank, by the name T. Clarke says:

    Who is Gina Miller?

    After trawling Google, it seems that Gina is the daughter of a former politician and former Attorney General of Guyana, and grandchild of a Guyanese landowner. Educated at Roedean, near Brighton, she appears to have left school early.

    Reportedly, she then worked as a hotel chambermaid in Eastbourne for a while. She studied law at university in London, but perhaps did not graduate.

    She married and gave birth to her first child; this wonderful daughter was born with different abilities, so she lives at home with her mum and the family.

    Gina divorced her first husband and married controversial financier Jon Maguire, but later divorced him.

    Her third husband, Alan Miller, made money in the city, and they have two children together”.

    In the barbarian’s view, it shouldn’t really matter who the woman is, not even why she decided to take the matter to the courts, the judges should have refused to consider it, it has FA to do with them.

    When the House voted for the referendum the sovereignty on the question whether to ‘stay or go’ passed to the voters, they decided to ‘leave’. It was then only a matter for the government of the day to start the process.

    It’s the same during an election, the House dissolves, the sovereignty passes to the voters, they elect the new House, the sovereignty passes to the new MPs, but only after the newly elected MPs take the oath of allegiance, make a solemn affirmation.

    The split decision of the Supreme Court confirms it, if it were as many seem to think a straightforward question of the law the decision should have been unanimous.

  25. Baron January 24th, 2017 – 17:22

    100% agree with your take on the court business. The government of the day undertook to implement the result of a decision which had been abrogated to the British public. The same government then failed to do that and whilst prevaricating about it because a cowardly, venal PM had broken his promise to see the business through and instead fled the scene, allowed a silly legal spanner to be launched into the works.

    The simple matter of the government doing what it had undertaken to do and which had the majority support of the people to begin with was then bogged down in legal mumbo jumbo by a rotten parcel of vested interest lawyers and tainted judges, with the government making a very poor case to boot. The sovereignty of Parliament was a complete red herring because Parliament had already voted in favour of abrogating that sovereignty to the people for the purpose of the referendum.

    The whole thing was and is an absolute disgrace.

    I agree with you about the split verdict negating the judgement too. It should indeed have been unanimous.

  26. Baron/Colonel Mustard.

    Agree with all of that, but I’m still curious as to why she was chosen to front the charade? The fact that the Mishchon de reya law firm fronted the action speaks volumes.

  28. I do hope this is so:

    “Speaking to the French conservative daily Le Figaro, Mr Kasparov said that Mr Putin would try to “destabilise” Western democracies.
    He said: “2017 is bound to be a historic, pivotal year. Decisive elections are being held in Germany – and in France – and Russia will launch a series of scathing attacks on Angela Merkel
    “Kremlin spies and hackers will do their utmost to discredit her re-election campaign. The Russian hack of the US election was just a taste of what’s to come.”

  29. The most important result of today is that the Supreme Court crushed Sturgeon.
    It is wonderful to see her floundering.
    She threatens R2 but everyone knows she cannot get away with this which just now would bankrupt Scotland.

  31. Malfleur 2352
    UNEXIT
    Splendid idea.
    Just what good have they done anyone these last few years.
    I lost patience with their response to Ebola and that dreadful Nabarro’s delayed actions.

  32. If Peston does not want it, it could be used to good effect round Nick Robinson’s neck.

  33. The lack of a tie worn by reporters, who have assumed the role of savants, is a mark of their contempt for the audiences who they beleive defer to their every pronouncement and intonation.
    Reflecting more than their own views they are, inevitably, (or why else would they be where they are?) an outward manifestation of the media organisations they represent. They are third generation creatures, the grand spawn and catspaws of the ‘radicals’ of the sixties and seventies, who, denied the opportunity of mediocrity abroad, embedded themselves in the brave new world of fab. Now, parodies of their progenitors, the ‘children of love, they continue to parrot the same tired, distorted unrealities and self-destructive cliches that served the West so badly then.
    As the fossilised lies which have come so close to destroying us are discarded we may take comfort in the fact that it is they, the ‘dressed down’ and the ‘Supremes’, that are now history, as they always do the tides have turned once again.

  35. I have always thought the wearing of a suit without a tie an extraordinary development. I’m not sure when exactly it began to become commonplace amongst those who rule over us or when media pundits took up the fad from politicians but I still think it looks wrong and does the fools no favours.

    It conveys no style but simply suggests that the wearer is either too lazy or incapable to knot a tie properly or so insistent on his own casual comfort over decorum that he might as well wear a tee-shirt and shorts or a baggy boiler suit.

    I rather suspect the writing was on the wall when the odious Blair contrived to have himself filmed returning jauntily to No.10 in blue jeans and carrying a guitar, trailing pretensions like the smoke from a steam locomotive.

    Dignity and gravitas is now alien to them all as they take gleeful selfies in their tie-less suits and bitch at each other on Twitter like teenage girls, devoid of either shame or embarrassment. As Noa succinctly observes we are now governed by the children of children and God help us.

  37. Colonel/Frank:

    It’s rather pleasing that one of the dissenting judges, Lord Reed, agrees with us. This what he said:

    “Ministerial decisions in the exercise of prerogative powers, of greater importance than leaving the EU, have been taken without any possibility of judicial control: examples include the declarations of war in 1914 and 1939.

    For a court to proceed on the basis that if a prerogative power is capable of being exercised arbitrarily or perversely, it must necessarily be subject to judicial control, is to base legal doctrine on an assumption which is foreign to our constitutional traditions. It is important for courts to understand that the legalisation of political issues is not always constitutionally appropriate, and may be fraught with risk, not least for the judiciary.”

    He’s spot on.

    If it were left to the Parliament to decide whether to remain or leave, the House were to decide to leave, would the deluded woman succeeded in her court application? Of course she wouldn’t, the courts would have rejected it, and rightly so for indeed the Parliament is sovereign, it’s decisions cannot be challenged in the courts of law (unless they are in breach of the Constitution).

    Sovereignty ultimately rests ad infinitum with the will of the people, it cannot be otherwise. In the last resort, it is the people who have the power to decide. If they were to rise they can dispose of all Parliamentarians, even physically annihilate them, yet there is no power in the world capable of wiping out the people, (dictators may keep the unwashed in slavery, but only through the application of force, and never forever e.g. communism in Russia, Nazism in Germany).

    The sovereignty of a Parliament in a representative democracy is transient because Parliament is a societal construct enabling us to go about our daily business, (having elected the agreed number of representatives to whom we entrust sovereignty, but only temporarily).

    If one were to argue that the ultimate sovereignty in a representative democracy resides with the Parliament, then what happens to the sovereignty when the House dissolves? Does it disappear into the thin air?

    The referendum was a case in which the sovereignty on the issue of our membership of the EU was passed to its ultimate holder, the great unwashed. We decided we leave, that should have been it, the government should have got down to implementing that decision. No court meddling was needed.

    The woman is misguided, the courts are wrong in accepting her application, the precedence will, as Lord Reed says, mess up our constitutional tradition.

  39. Colonel Mustard @ 23:30

    Good point, Colonel, the relaxation of the dress code is another example of the debasement in the society, it goes hand in hand with metallic embellishments, tattoos and stuff.

    Few weeks ago, Baron went to a restaurant, the man placing the cutlery on the table had both hands tattooed in multi-colours, a large ring in one of his ears, his face either not shaven well or growing a stubble, another irritating innovation of the times. The barbarian, not in a friendly mood anyway, stood up and left.

  40. Frank P
    Being two stones lighter, and not having been one of the 15% who have a serious recurrance, after a TIA in October, tends to make one appreciate even the smallest gains we make in our personal and societal preservation.
    And we have the Article 50 trigger and the Dutch, French and German elections to look forward to.
    UKIP are looking good to take Stoke. Like the cold spell killing the bugs in my garden I welcome the liberal/leftist cull arising from political climate change.

    Colonel Mustard – yes, well said, indeed they are ‘lazy and incapable’, mistakenly assuming their over-familiarity will provide them with a short cut to camaraderie and trust. And as the odious Blair so us so did the weak, weaselling camera trollop David Cameron.
    So far at least, for which I thank the God of Manners for his small mercies, we have been spared Theresa May ‘dressing down’.
    As for Jeremy Corbyn, his post revolutionary look remains oddly comforting, conforming to the stereotype of 1984 he confirms the drab, intellectual void that is the consequence of a lifetimes’ confusion of ideas with reality.

  41. Malfleur @ 00:00

    Roberts couldn’t be more right, Malfleur, his biggest enemies are indeed on the American soil, he has to be careful though, the domestic enemies have alot of power.

    On the CNN news a blonde female anchor was talking to the in-house expert who kept ranting about the Donald undermining American democracy because of his, the Donald’s, observation that 2-3mn people voted illegally. The rant lasted minutes, the expert got so heated that at one point the barbarian thought he may implode, get swallowed in his own ar$e.

    Isn’t the suggestion of a vote rigging by the winner rather courageous? Shouldn’t those who’s job it is investigate? Why should the remark undermine American democracy anyway?

  42. Sorry about the errors like ‘would the delude woman succeeded’ rather than would have e succeeded, and others, it’s all done i na hurry, but you got the message, one hopes.

  43. I think not wearing a tie is more than a nod of deference to the mud-slimes who regard it as Haram. We really are fxxked over here. Who’s going to turn up with the cojones to the minimum necessary, ban halal, proscribe islam, close the mosques and deport about 10 million of them?

    Still, it’s all going very well across the Pond. The trade union leader I saw interviewed today said repeatedly that their meeting with the President was “the most incredible meeting of our careers.” And if any of your friends or family have a go about Trump’s immigration policy, refer them to Clinton’s State of the Union address in 1995 which could have been Donald’s blueprint!

  44. Romano Verdi @ 20:48

    The showman Peston mimics the KGB Colonel, Romano, the Kremlin man’s all the rage today – a bare chest, macho postures, relaxed mood. The thing Peston hasn’t tried yet is stripping to the waist, getting on a horse, shooting a bear, but give him time, he may.

  45. Baron

    Indeed he needs to be careful. If you read on, towards the end of the article, when dealing with the threat to Trump from the CIA (and others), Roberts writes”

    “….If he is assassinated, we need to take up our weapons, burn Langley to the ground and kill every one of them….”

    Fighting words for a former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under Reagan and a cat lover into the bargain.

  46. I can’t account for this posting not being included in the current period (i.e. the one starting on the 23rd January) but showing instead as the last one in the previous period. However, for what it’s worth I’m posting it again here because I heartily support what the Colonel, Frank and Baron are saying about the Article 50 case.

    “Herbert Thornton
    January 24th, 2017 – 19:11

    The Supreme Court (majority) ruling that Parliamentary approval is required to invoke Article 50 seems to me to be an unfortunate judicial usurpation both of the Royal Prerogative and of the Sovereignty of Parliament.

    There is of course fat chance that Parliament will respond by enacting that the judgement is mistaken and that the issue was not within the jurisdiction of the Courts.

    But it is enough to make me uneasy enough to ask a very bizarre question indeed. Does it, for example, open the door to somebody, some day, claiming that Britain’s Declaration of War against Germany in 1939 was unlawful?

    Again of course, there’s fat chance of that, but I think the Supreme Court majority have muddied the legal situation instead of clarifying it.”

  47. Baron

    “..The thing Peston hasn’t tried yet is stripping to the waist, getting on a horse, shooting a bear, but give him time..”
    Crikey! I’m not sure the even the beeb’s budget would run to all that, at least in one financial year.
    Perhaps instead and in keeping with it’s trans-values, the ‘Piston’ could borrow a chest wig from the Lost Kingdom wardrode, the Evan Davis penis ring, or Sandi Tosvig’s testesterone supplement. http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/celebrity/88815-2014072288815

  48. SHE WHO WOULD VALIANT BE

    Herbert Thornton

    On Article 50, there may be some of us who are hoping that on Friday President Trump will help Mrs. May, in the American idiom, grow a pair

  49. Herbert Thornton,

    I suspect that, in future years, the Supreme Court judgement will be seen as a lacuna, considered to be wrong in law and ignored by a robust and truly independent judiciary.
    Still, it would be nice to see Blair (and Cameron) on trial for their dodgy middle eastern warmongering.

  50. BERLIN/ATHENS (Own report) – The German Fraport Company is preparing,
    under very strong protests from Greek trade unionists, to take over
    the operation and management of 14 of Greece’s airports. The
    concessions, which Fraport was awarded back in late 2015, will entrust
    the German company with the operational and management functioning of
    Greece’s most profitable regional airports – for a duration of 40
    years. Annual profits are estimated to begin at 90 million Euros. The
    Greek state with retain 23 regional airports, including several that
    are in acute deficit, but must still be expensively maintained, as
    links between remote islands and the Greek mainland. One of the most
    powerful Greek oligarchs has a share not only in Fraport’s profits
    from the current takeover, but has for years been involved in
    operating the Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg. Fraport is one of the
    few German companies still investing in Greece. Many others are
    withdrawing from the country. The country’s crisis had led to a
    massive reduction in consumption, which does not permit attractive
    profits. The most important exception to this rule is the tourism
    sector, from which the Fraport airports can make profits in processing
    vacation flights.

    more
    http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/59000

  51. Irishboy January 25th, 2017 – 00:30

    I hadn’t thought of that, but it is a very good point. There is absolutely no doubt that those who rule over us generally show a disproportionate concern for minority interests, especially the imported ones, and the reverse, hence their coining of contemptuous terms like “populist” for majority concerns. Of Cameron, especially, I could imagine such misplaced deference and attempts to curry favour. That would be entirely in keeping with his facile nincompoopery.

    Slightly divergent, but one of the interesting aspects of our times is the way that supposedly conservative politicians meekly adopt the pejorative terms of their enemies, like “populist”, thereby giving them a legitimacy, and “talk around them” rather than challenging them robustly and head on. It is an appeasement and cowardly. It also concedes the narrative and contributes to it becoming lore. For example I found it appalling that the term “pale, male and stale” was bandied around jocularly in Parliament without a single MP calling it out for the vile racist, sexist and ageist bigotry it represented. The pinnacle was Clarke referring to a “tyranny of the majority” without being immediately flung out of the Tory party on his ear. Prodded with verbal sticks the Tory party just rolls over. The only one I have seen come out fighting and fling the narrative back at the “progressives” is Philip Davies MP:-

    https://heatst.com/politics/philip-davies-mp-my-first-week-on-parliaments-equalities-committee/

    And I am sure he is considered more embarrassment than icon to his “conservative” colleagues.

    But getting back to ties I shall watch closely for the politicians taking it a step further and appearing in suits, no tie and with their shirts buttoned to the neck.

  52. Baron January 25th, 2017 – 00:13

    Indeed. It began with the male fad for wearing an earring which had hitherto always been associated with pirates, a certain type of West country seaman or what must now be called the travelling community. Similarly tattoos were more an adornment expected of seamen or of the military rank and file. As a boy tattooed ladies resided only in carnival freak shows. Neither earrings nor tattoos were considered “respectable”. Now vast swathes of the female population disfigure their natural beauty with permanently etched ink stains and both sexes sport the sort of metallic or wooden tribal adornments associated with the New Guinea jungles.

    Debasement is exactly the word. A self debasement to perversely align with the self-bolstering nonsense of wanting to “be special”, a narcissistic self-indulgence, like running marathons in silly fancy dress costumes. “Look at me! Look at me!”. The ADHD of modern “adults”. A curious swing of the pendulum too far for a people once noted for their reserve and gentility.

  56. Noa (00:18)

    Very pleased to learn that you survived your ‘near miss’. Now I understand.
    Thank you for the reminders that regardless of the trials, tribulations and vicissitudes of our brief occupation of this mortal coil, the alternative, still the ultimate enigma, is unacceptable. So:

    https://youtu.be/-ECUtkv2qV8

  57. @RobertRetyred – 09:27

    “Former PM David Cameron to become president of Cambridgshire-based Alzheimer’s charity”

    How will he know?

  58. Ostrich (occasionally) – 10:21

    Happy New Year to you! 🙂

    I thought he was an Oxford man.

  59. Malfleur January 25th, 2017 – 08:51

    Snidery and Malfleur

    Interesting that you should choose to respond to what was my response to Baron’s observation rather than to Baron’s observation. And to presume to know what is good for me too.

    Sorry, but I just don’t have the time for Alex Jones. The contents may be crucial but the packaging to get to them is excessive and that voice not conducive to enduring the effort. Xien loi! Please don’t hold a grudge about it.

  63. Frank P 09.48
    Thank you for the sentiment and good wishes.
    My naturally grumpy disposition and intolerance of fools, liberals and socialists of every hue will reassert itself as need arises. 😉

  65. Colonel Mustard on Earrings

    ‘Snidery’? Perhaps you misunderstand the word. I simply pointed out that your theory of the earring was inconsistent with the taste of Sir Walter Raleigh, the glass of fashion in the Elizabethan age. I am not sure what Alex Jones or indeed Baron has got to do with this and I fear that you may be having another hissy fit coming on.

  66. Baron on Threats to Trump

    I remember a few weeks ago you mentioning that each time you turned on the TV you did so with feelings of foreboding. I shared your feelings and continue to do so.

    I received the following from a blog to which I subscribe and which seems only too persuasive. I hope prompt evasive action is taken by the real friends of the president:

    “Robert Steele: The Execution of Donald Trump – When & How…

    I put my name on this post because I care deeply about the future of the United States of America and I am quite certain that plans are developing for the execution of Donald Trump. One possibility is that he will be fed small doses of an undetectable substance that will make his own idiosyncracies pale — he will become visibly erratic and out of control, to the point of incoherence on camera — think Hillary Clinton’s 9/11 spaz attack repeated daily.

    This will done coincident with the manufacture of a major foreign “threat,” a significant false flag attack at home, and the long over-due collapse of Wall Street that will be blamed on Donald Trump’s “irrational” handling of the economy. The mainstream media will rush to tell everyone “we told you so” and bombard the public with a never-ended stream of “the madness of King Donald” stories.

    His treasonous Chief of Staff, positioned for precisely this purpose, will consult with the Speaker of the House, and with the consent of the Vice President (not complicit in the plot but falling prey to the fakery), execute Section 4 of the 25th Amendment:

    Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

    President Trump needs the A Team across three fronts: electoral reform, public communications, and counterintelligence. The Republican Party is not a powerbase, it is the cesspool that will drown him. He needs a new Chief of Staff with gravitas and absolute loyalty to sustaining the president and the power of the presidency against all enemies, the vast majority of which are domestic. Imagination and innovation are needed, as well as a grip on reality and a deep deep understanding of just how vulnerable he is.

    Every day that passes brings us one day closer to the execution of Donald Trump. He does not know what he does not know, and he is way over-confident in the small group around him, none of whom actually have a grip on the nuances of taking down the Establishment and surviving to talk about it. He is surrounded by the Establishment. If this were a game of chess, they are four moves away from checkmate.

    All this will happen within the year. In the meantime, George Soros will continue to fund protests, there will be funded cop killings and small false flag attacks focused on re-igniting a race war, and everyone will lie to Donald Trump and tell it’s going to be just fine. No, it is not. He is a dead man walking.”

    http://phibetaiota.net/2017/01/robert-steele-the-execution-of-donald-trump-when-how/

  67. Malfleur January 25th, 2017 – 18:16

    Snidery – the practice of sly malicious disparagement. No, no misunderstanding there!

    Just to avoid any confusion on your part my “theory of the earring” was nothing more than a recounting of association in response to a comment from Baron. It was not a formal history of the male wearing of earrings which of course extends far beyond Raleigh who was, in any case, a seaman. Shakespeare might have been a better shit-balloon for you to throw. . .

    Thus much, Sir, I have briefly overronne, to direct your understanding to the wel-head of the history, that from thence gathering the whole intention of the conceit, ye may, as in a handful, gripe al the discourse, which otherwise may happily seeme tedious and confused. So humbly craving the continuance of your honourable favour towards me, and th’ eternall establishment of your happines, I humbly take leave.

  72. To go back to the Supreme Court dissenter:-

    “Ministerial decisions in the exercise of prerogative powers, of greater importance than leaving the EU, have been taken without any possibility of judicial control: examples include the declarations of war in 1914 and 1939.
    For a court to proceed on the basis that if a prerogative power is capable of being exercised arbitrarily or perversely, it must necessarily be subject to judicial control, is to base legal doctrine on an assumption which is foreign to our constitutional traditions. It is important for courts to understand that the legalisation of political issues is not always constitutionally appropriate, and may be fraught with risk, not least for the judiciary.” ”

    I am no constitutional lawyer but the last time I looked we were ruled by common law extending back largely to the Middle Ages in relation to the relations between Crown and Parliament.
    What is clear is that the King could do what he liked but if he wanted money to do it he had to ask Parliament.
    As in the Middle Ages this involved mainly the Kings forays onto the continent at the whim of the King, so today the Crown prerogative to withdraw from the continent is the prerogative of the Crown and responsible ministers.

    Neuberger needs to go back to school.

  73. “Relocating the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would amount to a “declaration of war against Islam” that would require the formation of an armed group to liberate the holy city, said prominent Shiite Iraqi cleric and powerful militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr”

    Yes it is.
    So let us see the colour of your armed group Mr Muqtada.

  74. The Donald started well.
    But do not spoil it with torture.
    Amongst other things his Defence and State Department team are too smart to let him proceed and he gets to look stupid.

  75. Frank P
    Let normal service be resumed. A variant to the same theme expressed by Alex Boot.
    “…The existential threat to the West no longer comes from the East, from a Russian army crashing through Poland and Germany and driving for the Elbe and Fulda Gap.
    The existential threat to the West comes, instead, from the South.
    The billion-plus peoples of the Maghreb, Middle East and sub-Sahara, whose numbers are exploding, are moving inexorably toward the Med, coming to occupy the empty places left by an aging and dying Europe, all of whose native-born populations steadily shrink.”

    http://takimag.com/article/new_president_new_world_patrick_buchanan#axzz4WnNHu2S7

  76. And while we are on words Lilly Allen, whose father is my favourite actor has been stirring it up:-

    “The gay community has rallied against Lily, with one person tweeting: “Please don’t refer to us as F*GS, we are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender if anyone has to be labeled.”

  77. Noa 0803
    It does not need to be so.
    If the U.S. Can build a wall so can “we”.
    With the Balkans closed we have enough naval boats to tow all Mediterranean boats back to Libya etc.

  78. Telegraph facts
    “Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon gives any EU member the right to quit unilaterally, and outlines the procedure for doing so
    There was no way to legally leave the EU before the Treaty was signed in 2007
    It gives the leaving country two years to negotiate an exit deal
    Once set in motion, it cannot be stopped except by unanimous consent of all member states
    Any deal must be approved by a “qualified majority” of EU member states and can be vetoed by the European Parliament
    In November 2016, the High Court ruled that the Government cannot trigger Article 50 without MPs voting on the matter first. The Supreme Court upheld the ruling in January 2017”

    My thoughts now are on the need for approval by the EU States and Parliament.

    What if they say no?

  79. And what do we know about Antonio Tajani, the President of the EU Parliament.
    Well, for a start he is a Commission Insider, having been, I think European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship.
    So he is not going to give us an easy ride.

  80. And before I get the tube, I see that the New President has been studying Al Capone:-

    “‘It’s carnage. You know, in my speech I got tremendous – from certain people the word carnage. It is carnage. It’s horrible carnage. This is Afghanistan – is not like what’s happening in Chicago. People are being shot left and right. Thousands of people over a period – over a short period of time.
    ‘Chicago is like a war zone. Chicago is worse than some of the people that you report in some of the places that you report about every night,’ he mused.
    He said he would ‘love’ to help state law enforcement to address the violence which was getting in the way of Chicago being a ‘great city’. ”

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4158718/Trump-admits-getting-nuclear-codes-scary.html#ixzz4Wr0w7r59

  81. Romano Verdi

    Really?
    Control over the Mediterranean and Turkish migrant routes is no longer controlled by Britain.
    How do you propose to enforce border controls? Especially when the EU and Germany have thrown open the Gates of Europe to neo-mongol savages?

  82. @RobertRetyred 25th – 22:01

    “John Pilger: ‘The truth is… there was no one to vote for’ (Going Underground US election special)”

    John Bilger? Didn’t know he was still alive (nasmuch as there has ever been anything alive between his ears).

  83. Romano Verdi January 26th, 2017 – 08:13

    The approval is for the Exit “deal” and not the Exit. The EU cannot prevent the UK leaving but the current 2 year negotiating period is naive and was based on the assumption that no country would have a viable internal mechanism to leave and even if it did then an agreed deal within 2 years must be possible, finger in the wind.

    Neither the EU nor the British government expected to have to do this. The EU has been busy making it harder for its puppet states to operate independently and ramping up its rigid federal structure whilst the British government surrendered to the EU and gave up its confidence (and capability) to operate as a world power decades ago. Don’t confuse the bluster from Mrs May with any kind of capability to operate globally and strong. The establishment she presides over doesn’t operate like that. It is full of the very worst kind of operators who connive, dissemble, back scratch, concede, appease and fudge, mainly for their own or others vested interests but hardly ever in the interests of the English people. As the state has grown, at both local, devolved, Westminster and EU levels, so have the political complexities and dependencies within its structure, to operate as much if not more for its own benefit rather than to best serve the people. The state now operates like the management structure of a corporate giant and we get to be treated like its employees.

    Currently the Leave voters represent a strike faction not even represented in talks because those appointed to Brexit are part of that state establishment and management structure. There may be boasts and stated intentions to deliver the will of the people but, even ignoring the apparently empowered “spanner in the works” faction, those responsible for delivery will soon be immersed in realpolitik and beset by unelected civil service advice. This, if I know my onions, will be replete with fudging and dodge, wetter than a drenched towel in a steam bath.

    The way things have panned out so far demonstrates that the government has no real power in this. The power lies with those who want to de-rail the process. Really, in any kind of just and moral reality, it is the likes of Tim Farron who should be being brought to scrutiny by the court as to his right to impede the process of leaving the EU. A notice for him to cease and desist is required, because the people having made the decision and the government pledged to deliver it, his activities become subversive and treasonous rather than reflecting any valid “right”. He is a conscientious objector, a clear and present danger to the sovereignty of the nation, and needs locking up for the duration. All these tinpot party leaders, from Farron to Sturgeon, seem to confuse the leadership of their tinpot party with leadership of the United Kingdom.

  84. Colonel Mustard.10.54

    A sadly effective analysis of the government and governance of modern Britain.
    Even then it is incomplete; not directly touching on the pernicious weeds and brambles of socialism that pervade the structures of modern society, multi-cultural dogma and ignorance combined, re-inforced through the practiced piffles and poltroonery of a complaisent and controlled media and an education system which delivers thought control through the instillation of political correctness in the young.

  86. Ostrich (occasionally) – 10:26

    I don’t remember Pilger very much at all. Perhaps he was a man before his time, because his activities appeared to be so bitty and without anything joined up thinking. Though now, looking back I think he could have been more influential if his approach had been different, though I don’t have any ready made suggestions.

    I found it interesting in that, give my slightly negative views of him, he did accept Trump had won, Trump was inevitable and he could see it might turn out really badly, but that was still better than Hillary! And it might turn out OK, but we don’t yet know what that means.
    It sounds confused, but then, we live in times where forecasting the future is not easy. With Hillary, the predictably would have been part of the horror.
    At least he is acknowledging that there is a big mess to clear up, and I wouldn’t call him a Trump fan.

  87. I rarely see any news from Venezuela.

    Considering just how this ‘Successful Socialist State’ was being lauded not so long ago, its demise is nothing short of amazing.

    It is a warning to us all.

  89. … plus this comment:

    Former SecState Kerry showed up at the widdle womyn’s hissy-pissy fit to show solidarity with menopausal wenches and youngsters blissfully unaware of their own ignorance. He brought his Golden Lab dog,Ben,(named for Ben Franklin!) in an attempt to garner interest in himself. The Men in those Higgens boats must be besides themselves in Heaven,laughing at his ridiculousness.
    Posted by: Nori at January 25, 2017 7:18 PM

  90. Noa 1019
    When I said “we” I meant that it is not beyond the wit of “western man” to strangle the threat. The Greeks are fed up. The Italians are fed up. All it would take is a right wing French Government to persuade Merkel that cutting off the Muslim tsunami is preferable to EU breakup.

  91. Colonel Mustard 1054
    I cannot disagree but one small point. To mention Farron and Sturgeon in the same breath is to couple 2 very different animals. Farron is a joke and is understood as such throughout the land. Sturgeon is a cobra. She is dangerous. She spouts treasonous statements in a way that often sounds sensible. It was easy to ridicule Salmond but Sturgeon puts her points forcefully as a voice of reason.

  92. More evidence to heap on the bonfire:
    ‘Leave the dying Church of England,’ urges former Queen’s Chaplain
    http://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/leave-dying-church-england-urges-former-queens-chaplain

    It isn’t just the C of E, every activity, every discipline, has treacherous forces working opposite to what is expected, from MPs that don’t recognise the law, or logic, to those in schools and further education that work towards those who Big Joe was highlighting.

    Let us hope these Times of Change are a change for the better. 🙂

  95. Roman Verdi
    How could you?
    However suited to the Pandemonium that is Westminster the coupling of Sturgeon and Farron created a most appalling mental picture; and imagine the offspring…

  96. Romano Verdi January 26th, 2017 – 12:36

    I agree with your observations on Farron and Sturgeon but I only coupled them as leaders of tinpot parties who both believe that somehow gives them the right to try to lead the nation.

    Farron represents only 3.7% of the population of the United Kingdom, his party was not elected to government, yet he presumes to speak on behalf of the British people and the media let him. Charade!

    Sturgeon represents only 3.1% of the population of the United Kingdom and less than half the voting population in Scotland yet she presumes to tell the British government what to do and to speak on behalf of all Scotland – and the media let her. Charade!

    Farron is a fool, but a dangerous fool as long as he is treated with respect and disproportionate attention by the media.

  97. Mrs. May seems to be caught off guard by the applause which keeps interrupting her speech she is giving in the USA at the moment. Is it something that she is unfamiliar with in England?

  98. Farage on Fox finds himself “agreeing with every single word” Mrs. May said. “Bravo!”, he says.

    Go Anglosphere!

  99. The President on radical islamic terrorists:

    “They’re sneaky, dirty rats”.

    That Trump – so snide

  100. There is a question mark over Fillon: it’s the level of corruption that he has been involved in.

    Is it enough to be considered for high office?

    He had better get some advice from Christine LaGarde.

  101. RobertRetyred
    January 26th, 2017 – 13:19

    Thanks for posting the text of the Article 50 Bill.

    I enjoyed reading it all the more because it’s such a beautiful example of first rate draftsmanship.

  105. As all eyes are on the Whitehouse, Breitbart London reports that the Germans are once again trying to control the agenda:-

    “One female caller asked the panel if it was possible for the Americans to impeach the newly inaugurated president to end what she called the “Trump catastrophe.”

    The first person on the panel to answer the caller was Constanze Stelzenmüller, a former editor of Die Zeit and a fellow at the Brookings Institution in the United States. She said, “There has to be a qualified two-thirds majority of the Senate in order for a removal of office to take place,” adding, “These are politically and legally pretty high hurdles, a lot would have to happen for it, we’re far away from that.”

    While Ms. Stelzenmüller was speaking, Mr. Joffe — who is also a member of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University — interrupted saying, “Mord im Weißen Haus zum Beispiel,” which translates to, “murder in the White House for example.”

    Breitbart London contacted the U.S. Secret Service regarding the comments. The Secret Service has confirmed to Breitbart London that they are aware of the video and statement in question.”

    Guantanamo for Joffe?

  106. Meanwhile, the good Teresa is sticking it into Blair:-

    “This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past. The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over. But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene. We must be strong, smart and hard-headed. And we must demonstrate the resolve necessary to stand up for our interests.”

  109. Noting that David Bowie is now being commemorated on postage stamps, it is fortunate that stamps now have integral adhesive on the reverse side and that we won’t have to lick an androgynous arsehole. It is also a good incentive to correspond by email more often and whenever possible. Who is responsible for these wacky official choices?

  111. Now THAT’S what I call a photo op:

    http://americandigest.org/mt-archives/grace_notes/the_circle_of_life.php

    As a father of four, grandfather of 12 and great-grandfather of two, these ‘first crawl’ moments were the happiest of my life. Enjoy Ivanka! They grow up so quickly – first steps to follow … let those be recorded similarly. It will keep the feet of others who share that carpet firmly on the ground and remind them of what elected power should faci!itate.

  112. Romano Verdi
    January 27th, 2017 – 07:52

    Yes, I’ve read it. The two are quite a bit different. I much prefer the elegance and strength of the words used in the Government’s Bill.

    In particular, subsection (2) of section 1 of Peter Bone’s Bill includes an unfortunate indication of deference to E.U. law –

    “(2) The notification must meet the terms of Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union”.

    The declaration in the Bill introduced by the Government on the other hand is, in my opinion, much better. It reads –

    “(2) This section has effect despite any provision made by or under the European Communities Act 1972 or any other enactment.”

  113. Tom Newton Dunne’s condescending question to Trump at the joint press conference at the White House today accusing the POTUS of being ‘brash’ was well fielded by The Donald. The political Editor of The Currant Bun accusing anybody of being brash is in itself the irony of the day. Who do these jumped up grubb street hacks think they are, these days? Particularly when fheir ultimate boss is The Dirty Digger.

    The think a PPE and a an OBN passage to editorship of the gutter press raises them to a higher (and unbrash) elevation? FMOBB!!

    One expects Laura Kuntsberg to do her best, as a BBC (agitprop) agent to try to sabotage these early attempts to forge a good working relationship between the UK administration and the new POTUS, but Dunne needs a kick in the tabloids.

    I thought Teresa May and Trump saw them both off. Great start. My estimation of our PM rose by several points today. Let’s hope her own party rise to the occasion and that the. Brexiteers grow balls as a result.

  115. Frank P @ 16:41

    The Donald doesn’t sound presidential, Frank, he sounds like the man on the street, it’s unusual, somewhat startling, one is taken aback after Obama’s high rhetoric, but refreshingly original unless one were to hear the last President who talked, behaved, acted similarly – Harry Truman.

    The other thing the great Mark may have mentioned was the dinner the Donald had without telling anyone, apparently he just felt like dining on a stake, went to have it, nobody knew about it, the press only learnt about his dinner choice because an MSM journalist was in the same restaurant.

    This upset the MSM poodles, they got used to knowing all about the Hon Muslim, his choice of breakfast, preference for drinks, the sound of his farts (sorry, Baron made this one up).

    The most amazing thing is Trump seems unconcerned about all this, he just keeps on surprising.

  116. If Baron’s scanning the last postings is anything to go by, you seem to pleased about the closeness of the May-Trump relationship, (many in the media certainly are what with the bust of Winston back in its place, the two getting together well, the Donald holding May’s hand and all that).

    The barbarian cannot say he likes it that much, not even the talk about the UK-US trade agreement being the first. We don’t have much to offer to the Americans, not even our depleted financial sector, positioned geographically so well, could stand up to NY, the American companies could and very likely will dominate in any trade deal, they have over $2.5tr stashed offshore, could buy a large chunk of our businesses, insist on their standards, force us accept their conditions of trade, tax, solving of disputes.

    All we have, the Americans don’t is the solidity of our institutions, including the judiciary, the illustrious history, still the remnants of the respect we’ve earned when Britain ruled the world, stood up alone to the Nazi menace in the recent past.

    Our breaking away from the yoke of Brussels should have given us another chance to do what Baron suggested before, we should have carved for ourselves in international relations the role of the ‘older statesman’, the arbiter of inter-state brawls, adjudging disputes, confrontations, feuds without taking sides, or getting close to anyone – be it the Republic, China, Iran or whoever.

    What Baron fears is the Donald’s ‘America first’ may actually be only good for us if our and America’s interests coincide, which, Baron’s sorry to to say may not be that often. Even on immigration our boil differs from theirs, we have long standing relations with the Commonwealth, plenty of EU immigrants, they have the Mexicans, a totally different knot to untied. Similarly on China, oil, Russia et hoc genus omne.

    Still, the barbarian may get it wrong, we shall see.

  118. Frank P @ 16:10

    What pi$$es the barbarian, Frank, is that the singer is now played (and celebrated) on Classic FM. To think of Elgar, Mozart, Bach and the purveyor of pop as the same hurts.

  119. Herbert Thornton @ 17:44

    Whatever it takes to get out of the yoke of Brussels is fine with the barbarian, Herbert, let’s just go, leave, depart as soon as possible, let them stew in Mutti’s made swamp.

  120. Colonel Mustard @ 16:31

    The two ‘fishes’ up north, Colonel, are getting more than just irritating, someone should hook them up, carve and turn them into a tasty snack for the canine population, the woman is particularly unbearable, the barbarian cannot stand her voice alone, the impudence of hers yapping about yet another independence referendum seems bottomless. Doesn’t she realise that it may put people off her, the regional party she leads?

  122. Good to see that the President has been invited to make a state visit to Britain. Shall we perhaps see him wearing a kilt? I see though that rent-a-mob is already being organized to respond. It should be George Soros who is taken to dine on a stake (See Baron @ 00:54)

  124. Baron

    Or more accurately the joke of Brussels.

    Apologies. I was just delivered a new supply of puns.

  125. Wednesday 27 January 1663/64

    I came across this entry in Pepys’ diary:

    “…A gentleman never dances so well as the dancing master, and an ordinary fiddler makes better musique for a shilling than a gentleman will do after spending forty, and so in all the delights of the world almost….”

    Is this the first notation in our history of the cult of the amateur?

  127. Baron
    January 28th, 2017 – 02:00

    In order to preserve the equality of men and women, the “Male Ejaculation Bill” requires, does it not, that a parallel Bill be enacted making it an offence for a woman to –

    (a) menstruate without reasonable excuse; or

    (b) having become pregnant, to fail to carry and deliver her baby.

    And to show “reasonable excuse” the woman would have to prove that she had tried her best in the relevant month to become pregnant, but through no fault of her own had failed to become pregnant.

  128. “(b) having become pregnant, to fail to carry and deliver her baby.”

    Sounds dangerously like popery to me.

    I condemn this statement and claim my £100 under the Popery Act of 1698.

  129. CNN has criticized Donald Trump, saying that his determination to keep his campaign promises verges on an obsession. Wow! ‘Obsession’ is of course a synonym for ‘crazy’. I had some character on the Wall suggest a few weeks ago that I was obsessed with Infowars.com…

  130. Dust of your jackboots mien liebschen.

    Newsletter 2017/01/26 – Leader and Followers

    BERLIN (Own report) – Leading German media are demanding that the
    German government transform the EU into “an effective counterforce to
    Trump” and, thus become “the savior of the free world.” Berlin must
    assume “a leading function” in the EU and assure that the rest of the
    member states “follow.” Germany must take the “responsibility for
    leadership.” It is “Europe’s last powerhouse,” one journal writes, in
    a snub to France, which, over the past few years, was unable to
    contend with Germany in the power struggle, and has lost much of its
    influence. Non-German observers doubt that Berlin will be able to
    sustain its claim to leadership within the EU. In Germany’s capital,
    an abundance of “triumphalism and sense of mission” is felt, reported
    an experienced foreign policy expert. There is a widespread conviction
    that “Germany has a mission in Europe, to lead the others down the
    right path.” Berlin refers particularly to France “with contempt.”
    “The French have no idea and must be disciplined.” The expert sees the
    possibility of coalitions in opposition to Germany being formed among
    EU countries. The German government is launching a new appeal for a
    common military policy and for “sticking together against Russia and
    the new US administration.”

    more
    http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/59001

  133. Just seen this posted:

    It’s easier to fool somebody than to convince them they have been fooled.

    So, Climate Change will have more than its fair share of stubborn believers.

  134. Noa

    Hasn’t the transformation already happened, which is why we are Brexiting?

    And see my last post. 🙂

  137. Noa January 28th, 2017 – 09:21

    The more it changes the more it stays the same.

    “There may be trouble ahead . . . “

  138. This week’s Spectator has a feature hatchet job on the non-conformist Dutch politician and dissenter Wilders by Ian Buruma. It is replete with the usual presumptive tripe of the kind spouted by “arts intellectuals” on the BBC.

    Wiki tells me that:-

    “Buruma argues for wholehearted British participation in the European Union because they are the “strongest champions in Europe of a liberal approach to commerce and politics”.”

    which of course depends on your sense of humour and what you mean by “liberal”. But in any case it is quite hard to discern “participation”, wholehearted or otherwise, in the UK/EU relationship so far. The EU is not a Union in the strictest sense anyway as the labyrinthine hegemonic structural schematic reveals:-

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union#/media/File:Political_System_of_the_European_Union.svg

    National governments are shown at the top but in reality sit at the bottom of the blue coloured federal construct to the right, as Cameron so ably demonstrated when he attempted to wring his half-hearted concessions from the jumped up town clerks running it.

    Buruma begins with a swipe at Trump and the madness of the US for electing him. He then quickly descends to the ad hominem of describing Wilders as a “vulgar rabble-rouser with dyed blonde hair” before a pretence of considering the man’s case where his elitist, intellectual bigotry is never far away. Buruma should have studied this Euro-Islam report on the Netherlands in order to take a more balanced view and to appreciate that Wilders is reflecting the existing concerns of a significant proportion of Dutch people rather than rousing them as a rabble. As with many liberal intellectuals he does not just dismiss worldwide Islamic terror as a factor in the perception of Islam but doesn’t even mention it. His head is stuck as firmly in the sand as those of so many Euro-politicians who talk gravely about security and the threat of terrorism as though it is a completely separate issue from immigration.

    http://www.euro-islam.info/country-profiles/the-netherlands/

    The problem is that there, as here and elsewhere, the elitist, intellectual and generally left wing “establishment” are simply out of touch with the concerns of ordinary people who have to actually live cheek by jowl with the consequences of their liberal immigration and multi-cultural policies imposed without consent. Their high-minded rhetoric does not just exaggerate the positives and ignore the negatives of mass immigration but descends to scorn for those who do not conform to loving it or who publicly dissent from the idealism around it, an idealism often dangerously naive and distorted. Buruma flings around “populist” as the latest dirty word, blissfully unaware that it is he and his kind who have caused that backlash. It is astonishing that the very same people who once railed and protested as dissenters against the establishment are now themselves an establishment which is repressive, intolerant and hidebound, the chimeric ideals of which now assert supremacy over the realities and aspirations of ordinary people.

    History teaches that in all great societal upheavals the instinct for repression only fuels the instinct for rebellion. By meeting genuine concerns with fluffy-headed ideals liberal intellectuals like Buruma are not just missing the point but making things worse. They always talk big about the need to engage with and understand the catalysts behind disorder but they have a blind spot when it comes to their own role as catalysts. Buruma could have written an article examining that rather than indulging in a long sneer at populism which just confirms that he is part of the problem and not the solution.

  139. @Baron 28th – 01:58

    “the woman is particularly unbearable, the barbarian cannot stand her voice alone,

    I do sympathise with your sentiments…and yet…and yet… Around half a century ago I was friendly with an apartment-full of Glaswegian girl students. Somehow, in those days, a Scottish accent was really quite pleasant. 🙂

  140. Ostrich (occasionally)
    January 28th, 2017 – 17:05
    Particularly when you want to get your leg over.

  143. The harridan of the Clyde is at it again. Well, I too would like a referendum on Scots independence, confined to England, the subject? do we still want the Scots to be part of the United Kingdom? I for one would be happy to be shot of the moaning sods and would enjoy the spectacle of the Harridan being told by Europe that hell would freeze over before they would admit her to its paradise.

  144. Sheriff Clarke:
    ‘I’m Tired of One-Percenters like Mark Zuckerberg’ Lecturing Us About Who We Are

    Saturday on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend,” Milwaukee County, WI Sheriff David Clarke ripped the critics of those that oppose President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting refugees from certain countries from coming to the United States and in particular Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who he pointed out has his own wall at his home in Hawaii.

    “First of all, I’m tired of one-percenters like Mark Zuckerberg and others lecturing us about who we are,” Clarke said. “I know who I am and most Americans know who they are. We are a sovereign nation. If you’re going to be a sovereign nation, you have to have borders and you have to protect those borders. Mark Zuckerberg has no idea of who’s coming into this country and what it takes to vet those individuals. I as a law enforcement officer in my 39th year. We do a lot of vetting of people.”

    “I’m tired of all the crocodile tears about the kids — the poor kids coming,” he added. “We’re not talking about that. We’re talking about able bodied grown men, fighting age that should be back in Syria, back in the Middle East, fighting for their country, coming over to the United States to spread jihad.”

    http://www.breitbart.com/video/2017/01/28/sheriff-clarke-im-tired-one-percenters-like-mark-zuckerberg-lecturing-us

  145. Knock:Knock!
    Who’s there?
    Mohammed.
    Prove it.
    We’re all called Mohammed.
    Well … fuck off, Mohammed.
    Please Mr Trump.
    No thanks. Next!

    Word has it that the Mayor of London has cancelled his New York trip.

  146. I hope that President Trump advised Prime Minister May that she should now lift the outrageous ban on Michael Savage entering the United Kingdom initially imposed by Jacqui Smith.

    (Lest we forget:
    http://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/12/590x/secondary/Jacqui-Smith-393290.jpg )

    Dr. Savage was an early supporter of Trump’s run for office who was on “the Savage Nation” a number of times. Savage, who incidentally has his plant collection in seven museums world-wide, is respected by the President across a range of issues.

  149. What a to-do o’er t’Pond. The Muzzies are running around like chickens with their heads cut off. The SHHTF! Whatever Trump may or may not be, he is most certainly the Shit Stirrer in Chief at the moment. Even his closest cabiniet team are looking a little startled. As for the other ‘World Leaders’? Bwaaahahahaha. Pass the popcorn missus!

    Tomorrow, I’m out with the rubber dinghy – mining The Wash!

    Btw. What’s this shit about Mexico passing a 20% tariff cost on to American consumers [if The Donald makes Mehico pay for the F*”%\ing wall] ?

    Great! Buy British instead! The £/$ exchange is favourable for the Septics – visit little ol’ Cornshire. Brighton is now a Mecca for you LGBT debauchees.
    You’ll love it. You can come and watch your POTUS visit Buckhouse, Windsor and do some pheasant shooting in Sandringham. And have a round of golf on one of The Donald’s beautiful courses in Scotland or Ireland. But watch out for the wee midget harridan. MacTrumpish would have to get on his knees to shake hands with her. I can hear her now ( … and while you’re down there Mr President …!”

    Another bonus, they will have a statue of Saint Diana of Kensington and AIDS in Kensington Gardens by the time the State visit comes off. Fuck Mexico – let them sweat.

    Doesn’t he suit that desk in the Oral Office better than the last five PsOTUS? Come on – you know it makes sense?

    But I do wish he would stop sending me begging letters.

  150. The Beeb is definitely not conducive for my blood pressure. It is bad enough that most of their presenters sound as if they had received elocution lessons at the Sunderland Co-Op, but yesterday, on BBC 4 the announcer was pure Caribbean, what the fuck are they playing at? It is only a matter of time before the news is read by a witch doctor in a grass skirt and a bone through his nose

  151. Stephen Maybery January 29th, 2017 – 08:45

    It’s a continuation of New Labour’s “rubbing the right’s nose in diversity” which seems to mean the disproportionate representation of minorities on TV and radio.

    Have you noticed the number of TV adverts now depicting mixed race couples where it always seems to be the female who is white? It’s a combination of virtue-signalling and propaganda but the recent proliferation of it is a bit sinister as though they are all getting pressure from somewhere to do that. There was a recent piece about this, how creative teams come under strong pressure from the diversity “commissars” monitoring production meetings to tick all the “progressive” agitprop boxes. So presumably this is happening in corporate advertising too.

    I’ve been watching “Taboo” on BBC 1. Supposedly set in 1814 it is astonishingly anachronistic and degenerate even for the BBC, with the F-word deployed every five minutes and any excuse to show gratuitous bonking and other sexual acts as blatantly as possible. Of course, being the BBC, there are no commendable, upright or heroic characters as role models. They are all unpleasant and sneer at each other like the modern Islington lefty set. Given the rigid societal courtesies and conventions of the Regency era I find it difficult to believe that the (real) Hon. W. Fullarton Elphinstone, chairman of the East India Company would behave in minuted committee meetings like the Alistair Campbell character in The Thick Of It, f-ing and blinding at everyone as he plots murder and mayhem. The pendulum has swung a long way from Quality Street! Thoroughly repulsive but catch it as an example of just how pernicious and negative an influence on society the vile BBC has become.

  152. Why Turkey? Why did the saintly One go straight to the fiefdom of the tin pot Sultan? Was a £100 deal to build a plane the real reason (the sum sounds trivial compared with the project cost of the F-35 estimated upwards of $1.45 trillion by the time it’s over).

    When she was there did she lecture him on human rights, asked him to release the thousands of imprisoned journalists, demand he cuts off ties with jihadi groups in Syria?

  153. Colonel Mustard @ 10:27

    Yes, Colonel, the poorly educated Slav also noticed the boost to the melanin content in the skins of the many performers of TV commercials, but this may be indicative of what is to come, the still ‘raibower’ future of this country, Britain was, still is, by far too pinky.

    The one of the new breed of commercials Baron admires most comes from the bank of the Black Horse promoting mortgages (?) and in it, somewhere in the middle, a young man on his knees holding a box with an engagement ring is proposing to another young man, standing in front of him, his face radiating surprise, but untrammelled happiness.

    The commercial is a scan of other inhabitants of our country benefitting from the bank’s offerings, but as the camera reaches this bit – the joyful expression of love in the enlightened Britain – it stops momentarily, as it should do for everyone to suck in this blessed moment.

    This is so priceless, so cool, so touching, so tear inducing, so inclusive that every time the barbarian sees it he wishes he could stop the running of the commercial, freeze it, cut it out, admire it 25/8 …..

  154. Stephen Maybery @ 08:45

    The barbarian should be the last one to complain about the bard’s tongue, Stephen, (what with his saying over and over again ‘he vanished into the thin air’ and stuff like that – you all too kind letting him h getting away with it).

    What pi$$es him though is, he cannot understand what is said, the patois, jargon, cant or whatever one calls it is undetectable because the pronunciation of words is not clear enough, (also because often there is the noise of a heavy background music). Inferior diction seems to be in vogue even when the performers speak Queen’s English.

    Recently, one of the channels ran the original Ladykillers, the one with Peter Sellers and Alec Guinness. One could catch every word spoken by everyone, not only the ones spoken by the charming Katie Johnson, whittles would one expect from a captain’s widow, but others, too, including the slow-witted ex-boxer “One-Round” Lawson played by Danny Green. If they could have done it, why not today’s actors and performers?

  155. The Global outcry over Donald Trump’s immigration ban is greater than the 1000+ rapes on New Year’s Eve at Cologne’s railway station.

    But it was the women’s fault, after all, as the Cologne Mayor stated at the time.

  156. Baron,
    Thank you my old son, I can always rely on you to cheer me up. Your comments on the Lloyds ad had me in stitches. I have not seen it but can imagine all too well the scenario. I look forward to a screening of the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet, staring two black lesbians and Gina Miller spouting the Winter of Discontent.

  157. Iraqi-born Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi is now banned from the US, presumably because he holds an Iraqi passport, which leads to the incredible conclusion that our MPs, our representatives in our national parliament, can have legal, strong allegiances to at least another country that may not have our interests at heart.

    Preposterous!

    And then, of course, Boris was in the same situation.

  160. RobertRetyred @ 13:50

    Is Zahavi one of the tests of the ‘special relationship’ being special, Robert?

    The saintly One should have stuck to her first comment about the Donald’s immigration ban, the answer she gave to a journalist in Turkey, tell the Blonde Inseminator to keep in line, too.

    One doesn’t criticise in public policy measures of ordinary allies, to be as critical as the latest statement from No10 about the Republic’s new immigration policy vis-à-vis the seven countries of Islam would suggest the relationship will be anything but special.

    In private, it’s a different matter, one may say what one wants, but to say publicly in a strongly worded statement that one disagrees with a major policy announcement of an ally as close as the Trump’s Republic smells of a forthcoming suicide. How can she expect the Americans to treat us as a ‘special friend’ when talking trade, when she so openly assails a key measure the Donald promised to pursue before he got elected, and after taking oath of office?

    You may recall Baron telling you there isn’t much we have in common with the newly minted ‘special friend’, the issue of immigrants being one of the bones of contention. What the saintly One did fits more with Baron’s idea of Britain as an ‘older statesman’ of international politics.

    The US new policy on immigration may indeed be not the right response, it seems to Baron to have the potential of engendering bigger headache (if implemented without some adjustments) than what’s currently in force, not only only because it’s impractical, not doable in the context of the current legal framework both in US domestic and international law, but also because the list of countries excludes the country that’s the nest of jihadism, the heart of it – the Saudis.

    It would have been far better if the Donald went for an enhanced scrutiny of immigrants from the selected countries (including Saudi Arabia, the re-checking of immigrants from those countries already in the Republic), supplemented with a proclamation that each new arrival would have to sign.

    The proclamation would be his or her endorsement of secular laws, the Americans belief system, the US constitution or whatever, but it would also expressly relegate Islam to the private domain only. It would have to be signed, the names of those who signed it would be published. Any breach of it would lead to an expulsion from the Republic, only one appeal allowed if the person were to challenge it in the law courts.

    (The publication of the signatories’ names is important here, the signed proclamations would amount to the repudiation of Islam (with sharia and all the other crap) as the basis of governance, the most fatal danger for any democratic regime in Baron’s view, but you can challenge him on it)

    What the Donald has done doesn’t seem like it can prevent another terror attack, one can buy a fake passport together with fake identity at little cost.

    The reaction to it, both amongst the supporters of the old Obama regime, but also amongst those who want to reverse the corrosion of our secular democracies from religious based systems of governance, is unlikely to be wholly positive. The former ‘usual suspects’ matter not, the latter group does. The Donald shouldn’t anger as many as possible, rather aim for the reverse, he will need backers for battles other than the one on immigration.

  161. A few thousand people were a little inconvenienced on 9/11 so who gives a fuck about a few being inconvenienced now . Trump is right.
    Only the usual traitorous lefties are kicking up a fuss.
    Do I care, no . Fuck them.
    Donald’s supporters are not complaining .
    You can clearly see the divide in these new politics.
    It’s patriotic against traitorous lefties.

  162. As far as I can see the Judge who interfered in the Hon.Trump’s immigration policy was nominated by Obama and sworn-in on Friday 27 Jan. 2017.

  163. OMG – Trump is doomed 🙂 🙂 🙂

    I say that in jest 🙂 but May/Farron/Sturgeon will find it harder and harder to maintain a rational set of policies. Hollande/Merkel are the doomed, and are continuing to dig that hole ever deeper! 🙂

    ‘You have NO moral standing’ Galloway blasts liberal Obama fans for criticising Trump ban

    George Galloway tweeted:

    “Obama deported more folks than ALL US presidents put together. If you were with Obama you’ve no moral standing.”

    and also said:
    “Bill and Hillary Clinton and Obama until LAST WEEK murdered a million Muslims. Trump imposed a travel ban. And HE is the No1 villain?”

    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/760301/George-Galloway-Barack-Obama-Donald-Trump

  164. RobertRetyred @ 18:35

    The protesting mobsters are wrong in accusing the Donald of a behaviour that’s un-American, the Republic had similar bans imposed before, one by Carter in 1980 (see below), another by Reagan on HIV bearers, also, in the mid-20s, the US shipped out of the Republic more people than they allowed in, but this isn’t Baron’s point, Robert.

    What’s the aim of the ban? Is it to show the voters of American that he can be tough, or is it to prevent more acts of terror on American soil?

    If the former, the toughening of immigration policies is fine, if the latter, Baron reckons it will be a failure, it will not prevent further acts of terrorism. Furthermore, it cannot stop Islam spreading its core message that’s incompatible with secular democracy – that of ruling the world.

    In fact, it may push those adherents of Islam (or their non-Islamic backers) who are at the margin of committing an act of terror over the edge, they may go ahead, do harm either in the US, or to American interests abroad.

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/point/261062/carter-banned-iranians-coming-us-during-hostage-daniel-greenfield

  165. RobertRetyred @ 16:26

    The judgment of the saintly One on the issue of the ban is as flawed as was the one on the Trident test failure, Robert.

    She should have stuck to saying ‘it’s up to the Donald, nothing to do with us, any problems that may arise re British passport holders or nationals falling under the new restrictions will be dealt with in the proper diplomatic channels’. That’s it. That should have been the line of argument for her, the Blonde Inseminator, the other woman whose name escapes Baron.

    The government never criticises the Saudis who behave very badly what with little of any human rights for gays, the beheading of women in public, bombing civilians in Yemen. The Ministers of the Crown avoid the criticism because it’s big business, plenty of jobs.

    Why TF are we taking the moral high ground on the Donald’s immigration policy when we want something more from him than we do just flogging arms to the Saudis? We want a top notch trade deal, we bloody need it badly. Is the way to go about it pleasing few deluded anti-Donald fruitcakes rather than the new American Administration?

    Madness, we’re governed by brainless halfwits.

  167. Baron – 19:45

    In the short term, you may be correct, but in the long term anything must be better than our current ‘do nothing’ policy. Just look at Germany and Sweden, though I think they have given up handing out teddy bears! Even if it just makes more realise just how incompatible it is, it will be one step forwards. Similar policies have been enacted before and banning isn’t unheard of in other countries. And it won’t be the only policy to address this problem.

    Baron – 20:01
    It is media driven and you are correct. I think it is the first time that the sainted one has shown her wishy-washy political leaning where there is no defence available. However, the momentum is in the right direction in so many places … we have done well to get to where we are.

  169. Baron

    “Did you know about the hon Muslim’s ban? How come the barbarian missed it?”

    Probably because he can’t be arsed to watch Infowars.com enough.

  170. Herbert Thornton @ 20:40

    A rather unusual take on Japan, Herbert, but what is the point of the narrative, you reckon? The barbarian was lost, and he read it twice.

    The Japanese as peoples have alot in common with both the Russian and Germanic tribes, they tend to trust their leaders unequivocally, dislike dissent, favour collectivism over individualism, consensus rather than dissension.

    They do have a problem with the Donald’s regime, a dilemma bigger than the Germans have in Europe, they’re surrounded by potential threats not so much from Russia (even though there’s no formal peace treaty between the two countries), but certainly from both Koreas and China. Their southern flank isn’t much promising either. (The unwashed of Okinawa are also increasingly unhappy with the presence of American troops on their soil).

    If the Donald were to leave them to fend for themselves what do they do? Can they ally to any of those countries? A hard one for them.

    That’s more for the Colonel to speculate, no?

  172. Malfleur @ 00:32

    You’re quite right, Malfleur, the barbarian owns up willingly, his fault indeed. In his defence, nobody has brought it up on the Spectator site even though there were a number of blogs covering the subject, those who posted must have missed watching Infowars, too.

    It’s strang e nobody in the MSM, the ‘non-fake news’ experts, the ‘truth’ purveyors, spotted this one either, (which is of course understandable).

  173. Malfleur @ 00:47

    You’re spot on on the MSM, Malfeur, but the trans fats are apparently needed, in moderation.

  175. Baron
    January 30th, 2017 – 00:42

    First of all I like the article because of my sense of mischief and (to use an English idiom) I always enjoy seeing the effect of a cat put among pigeons – (in this case, Japanese pigeons). This happens in these two paragraphs –

    “How can a samurai break all his allegiances without losing face? How can he save his ass, when his armor begins to burn? It is not easy; the etiquette of honor is extremely strict, even if honor consists, if stripped of its decorative layer, of brainlessness and sleaze.” and –

    “It is worth remembering that throughout Japan’s history, not all samurais were fighting for honor. Most of them were for hire.”

    That last sentence – “Most of them were for hire.” is, for me, a punchline very much like the last word in the play The Captain of Köpenick.

    In the play a cobbler (who has been impersonating a German Army Officer) is given what the authorities think of as a last pleasure before being sent to jail. They set up a mirror so that he can view – and admire – himself wearing the Captain’s uniform.

    Instead if admiring himself he doubles up with laughter, points to his image in the mirror and shouts – “RIDICULOUS!”

    Now to answer your question about the aim of the article. I’ve come round to thinking that it isn’t satire, but a rather serious essay, designed to make everybody think.

  176. Baron January 30th, 2017 – 00:42

    To understand the article understand Vitchek.

    “Vltchek is also working on a 1,000-page novel called Winter Journey that describes the state of the world through the eyes of “disgruntled globalized left-wing intellectual”.”

    Here is a less impenetrable piece, defending North Korea and attacking the US, which provides a litmus test for all we need to know about Vitchek. It is not satire:-

    http://www.voltairenet.org/article190705.html

    And Vitchek seems to know as much about the “samurais” (sic) as Thornton does. For anyone who knows a bit more that “punchline” fails to deliver. He probably should have used the example of yakuza rather than samurai.

    Now what or who does Thornton’s “sense of mischief” and sudden interest in Japan remind me of . . . . . ?

  177. Paraphrasing Farage (Fox News) : All these demonstraters we see ,where were they in 2011 when Obama banned Iraqis for six months.
    Jimmy Carter banned Iranians ; Bill Clinton sounded off about his intention to expel illegal immigrants.

  180. Colonel Mustard @ 07:44

    Thanks, Colonel, the name Vltchek was hard to place, sounded like a westernised Slavonic transcript, the barbarian had to google the man, it got more mysterious still he’s “a Czech-born, (born) in St. Petersburg, later becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen, working as “political analyst, journalist, and a filmmaker”.

    Still, he seems to have been endorsed by Chomsky for either a book or a film, your link places him squarely into the Guardian corner, however he gives a number of facts in th epiece the barbarian wasn’t aware of e.g. the help to Egypt in the 1973 war with Israel.

    His black and white slicing of the world is not something the barbarian favours, and certainly not when it comes to North Korea. Your highly suspicious mind though may be pushing you too far on Herbert, the barbarian doesn’t see anything to link him with the one we all love to hate.

  181. Herbert Thornton @ 05:17

    An intriguing answer, almost as much as the linked piece, Herbert, thanks, if anything it shows how differently our minds work, the barbarian finds the example of the laughing military quite perplexing, you right, the piece does make one think, but then don’t other narratives?

    (Apologies for the shortness, Baron has to go now).

  182. Baron January 30th, 2017 – 10:04

    See Noa January 30th, 2017 – 09:48

    It’s either just a coincidence or the OWALTH has been stalking again.

  183. Baron January 30th, 2017 – 10:04

    ” . . . the help to Egypt in the 1973 war with Israel.”

    I have seen references to a North Korean MiG-21 squadron deployed to Egypt in the air defence role and to 30 North Korean pilots flying MiGs for Egypt in the war but the facts behind those assertions are elusive.

    What is less believable is that the US would “never forgive” North Korea over that trivial footnote in history. Especially after the Vietnam War. More like wishful thinking on the part of Vitchek!

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