Ray

Top tip: Seen a house you like but can't afford it? Just put up some flags on the nearest lampposts and watch the value plummet!

The Reality Trap Reform's struggles in local government

New post just out:

"The Reality Trap"

On Reform's struggles running councils.

What it tells us about how they'd fare if they won a general elections. And about how broken our system of local government is.

(£/free trial)

open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...

Good morning Robbie Gibb you and your cabal still got your pernicious grip on the BBC?

Good morning Robbie Gibb you and your cabal still got your pernicious grip on the BBC?

‘Utter hypocrisy’: tobacco firm lobbied against rules in Africa that are law in UK British American Tobacco pushed Zambian ministers to drop or delay ad bans, health warnings and restrictions on flavoured products, letter shows

Utter hypocrisy’: British American Tobacco lobbied against rules in Africa that are law in UK.

The he company makes money by selling products proven to inflict disease, disability and premature death, but profits always come before people.

Corporate power responsible for so many problems.

the government is investing £560m to reform children's social care and expand and refurbish children's homes.

it is unacceptable for providers to profit excessively from vulnerable children.

20k per week per child being a common rate charged by private providers.

Better with Labour. 👍

Good morning Robbie Gibb you and your cabal still got your pernicious grip on the BBC?

White House is going all out to make GB News feel at home Simon Marks (Extract from article) When Donald Trump visited the UK in mid-September; not not enough attention was paid at the time to one history-making element of his joint press conference with Sir Keir Starmer: Both men proffered their traditional opening statements, and then turned to questions from the assembled press corps. After Starmer invited Trump to select an American reporter to pose a question. Trump instead directed his gaze at Bev Turner, the GB News anchor who had recently relocated to Washington, DC. Turner had travelled back to the UK aboard Air Force One, and, for the first time in recorded history, an American president failed at first blush to pick a reporter representing a US-based news outlet to ask a question while on foreign soil. Today, as Trump threatens to sue the BBC for $Ibn ($760m) over Panorama's clumsy editing of his 6 January 2021 speech ahead of the Capitol riots, GB News is in the ascendancy at the White House. From the moment Turner arrived to expand the network's Washington bureau, Trump and his top lieutenants have embraced her nightly, two-hour live broadeast as a vehicle for advancing the US President's agenda. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, has slammed the BBC, posting on X over the weekend that BBC News "is dying because they are anti-Trump Fake News" while going on to say that "everyone should watch GBNEWS!” Nigel Farage's admission that he discussed the BBC crisis with Trump on Friday is also a fresh indication of trouble ahead for Starmer, who should fear the open communication between the two political soulmates, as well as the US administration's backing of GB News. In short: Trump has got the BBC and its fact-based journalism on the run - and GB News is enthusiastically on his side.

* LEFT FOOT FORWARD Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has increased his shareholding in GB News, as the arch Brexiteer continues to deepen his relationship with the right-wing channel. According to the latest documents filed to Companies House this week, Farage has increased his shares from 300,000 to 500,000. It comes as Farage continues to rake it in from the channel, making £60,000 for just 20 hours of work according to his latest register of interests.

Farage is a GB news shareholder and is paid through a private company for his appearances on the channel.
So, here he is shit-stirring with Trump over the BBC and grifting his nasty little arse off…
There is really nothing of ours he won’t ruin to grab for power and wealth for himself.
(iPaper+LFF)

Grandad.

Sgt James O’Connell MM 2nd Middlesex, killed attacking near the Hannebeek in the Ypres salient 31.7.1917.

Body never recovered . His widow, her six week old twins and five other children had a future of intense poverty.

A grateful nation was not that grateful.

Remembered.

Good morning Robbie Gibb you and your cabal still got your pernicious grip on the BBC?

Why are ICE agents being paid during the shutdown, but not air traffic controllers? 🤨

Majority of people not proud of post-Brexit Britain, new survey reveals Attitudes poll also suggests people increasingly believe UK is divided, that ‘culture wars’ exist and life was better in past

Majority of people not proud of post-Brexit Britain, new survey reveals

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Local RefUK - Reform leader of Worcestershire County Council Monk slagging off the clusterfuck of the previous Tory administration she was part of.
Vote Reform: get the worst of the terrible Tories. #ukpolitics

'No frills' private school racks up £170k loss New accounts for the firm behind the school show it had a cumulative £174,175 loss as of August last year

"Developer unveils independent school idea for #Sunderland".
This is a bit wierd - seems it's the same company who believe 'the state should not be involved in education' & have links to libertarian University of Buckingham. (schoolsweek.co.uk/no-frills-pr...)
www.sunderlandecho.com/public-notic...

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan with colleague stood in front of C40 cities info board.

When I was first elected, evidence showed it would take 193 years to bring London's air pollution within legal limits.

Due to our policies, we've done it in 9.

In Brazil this week, we showed that cities are giving the world reason to hope when it comes to tackling the climate emergency.

Good morning Robbie Gibb you and your cabal still got your pernicious grip on the BBC?

A NASTY PIECE OF REFUK from Runcorn: 6 Months of Racism, Shit-stirring, and Lies by Pochin. #ukpolitics

Good morning Robbie Gibb you and your cabal still got your pernicious grip on the BBC?

Good morning Robbie Gibb you and your cabal still got your pernicious grip on the BBC?

Black people can't be English, insists Reform councillor Councillor Alexander Jones - hailed by Nigel Farage as "young, energetic and exactly what’s needed" - made the inflammatory comments on Facebook

The New World has picked up our story about Reform's Doncaster mayoral candidate appearing to claim non-white people can't be English www.thenewworld.co.uk/rats-in-a-sa...

The majority of Americans are good. We have heart. We have compassion. When we see others struggle, we want to lend a hand.

For too long, we’ve been divided and pitted against each other by those who crave obscene wealth and power.

Let’s change that. One election at a time.

Belgian court convicts two for EU funds misuse linked to Nigel Farage's Brexit group | Euractiv Verdict ends decade-long probe into alleged misuse of EU funds by associates of top Brexit campaigner

Farage is a man of very little of anything, bar BS. This is a guy whose business (literally) is to ween as much as possible from state funds and extremists. He cares not of how, where or what the repercussions are of his greed.

Read this little article…

Link!

www.euractiv.com/news/belgian...

This is the kind of investigation James Comer was made for…

Today .

Bladdered

Airbnb works with charity to help London domestic abuse victims A pilot scheme will provide 60 survivors with free emergency accommodation in Airbnb properties.

I’m proud to be working with Airbnb and Women’s Aid on an innovative new pilot that will provide domestic abuse survivors, and their families, with free, emergency accommodation and the holistic support they need to recover and move forward.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Politico: "Reform's Richard Tice insisted on Times Radio that the upstart movement never promised to cut council taxes — despite presenter Stig Abell reading out Reform election leaflets pledging just that."

These people are very happy to lie. It is the Trump playbook: sowing confusion at any cost.

YouTube video by Cambridge Law Faculty Reflections on the Brexit Revolution: 2025-26 Mackenzie-Stuart Lecture

This is a must listen lecture…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztqL...

NHS staff bearing brunt as ‘ugly’ racism of 70s and 80s returns, says Streeting Exclusive: Health secretary and NHS England chief warn of winter pressures and rising levels of abuse

NHS staff bearing brunt as ‘ugly’ racism of 70s and 80s returns, says Streeting

Racism promoted by too many UK political parties, social media platforms and right wing press to promote their own agenda

Minorities scapegoated for failed economic policies.

Good morning Robbie Gibb you and your cabal still got your pernicious grip on the BBC?