I Guess It Runs In The Family...

An Oxford student described as "a bright star who was going to set the world alight" tragically died...

Oh dear! Of illness?  

...after accidentally walking off a seaside cliff.

Ummm.... 

Her devastated family believe her death was avoidable and are now urging Thanet District Council to "prevent such a tragedy from being repeated".

Well, that's understandable, I mean, there should probably be railings up at lea...

Wait, what? 

Oh... 

Popular Simone Norowzian, 21, had been staying with friends in Margate when she climbed over some railings, not realising there was a sheer drop on the other side.

Well... 

During the hearing in Maidstone, the undergraduate was described by her sister Claire Norowzian as “a sensible girl” and a passionate thespian.

“Simone was entering her final year at Oxford. She was a keen actor and had her whole life ahead of her,” Claire added.

“She couldn’t clearly assess the danger. She thought she was climbing over the barrier to a hill to the beach.

“We believe her death was preventable and avoidable. We believe it is the council’s responsibility to prevent such a tragedy from being repeated.”

What, exactly, should they have done? They had a railing. But your 'bright' sister decided to climb over it! 

She wasn't alone. What do her friends say about why she'd do such a thing? 

“We decided to go to bed and Simone wanted a cigarette. She and I walked out into the car park and I realised she was very intoxicated.”

Case closed. It's not 'the responsibility of the council' at all. What did you expect them to do, slap the booze out of her hand? 

"We're All In This Together"..?

A group of 31 Metropolitan Police officers are facing a £200 fixed penalty notice after breaching Covid-19 regulations while on duty.

Oh...? 

Earlier this month, the Met received an allegation that a number of officers had their hair cut by a professional barber while at Bethnal Green police station. The incident happened on Sunday 17 January. A local investigation was launched and it has been decided the 31 police officers who had their haircut should each face a £200 fixed penalty notice.

I'd say it's beyond belief, but actually, it's perfectly in keeping with the modern police farce, isn't it? Especially the Met. 

Local policing commander, Detective Chief Superintendent Marcus Barnett (Ed: Really..?!?), said: “It is deeply disappointing and frustrating that my officers have fallen short of the expectation to uphold Covid-19 regulations. ”

I'm sure it is, Marcus ol' chum. But it really shouldn't be surprising, now, should it..? 

The brave boys in blue so eager to run off women who dare to sit in the fresh air in a park for ten minutes have form for deciding the rules don't apply to them. 

Increasingly Dystopian...

There was a strong response to a story published in the ECHO yesterday about passengers being removed from buses as part of a police operation linked to lockdown restrictions.

The 10 passengers were each dealt with after they were deemed to be undertaking "non-essential travel".

Well, good! Hopefully that 'strong response' was anger at the police suddenly taking it upon themselves to determine what's 'non-essential'? I mean, didn't we fight a war to...

Oh.   

I never thought I'd say this but...maybe we should be more European?

Floydington1 replied to those criticising the measures and said: "It's not [police] who are disgusting, it's the idiots who won’t follow the rules spreading the virus. They are that stupid they can't understand if people don't move the virus can't move and it will just die out, what's difficult to grasp about that."

Frances Rowland said: "If these people on the bus were out for essential food shop or to visit their support bubble then they would not have been removed from the bus or fined."

Meanwhile, not to be outdone, police at the other end of the country are cracking down on...people who sit in their car having a takeaway coffee?

This pandemic has certainly shown us all just how terribly thin the veneer of civilisation really is, hasn't it?

Yes, But What About Parking And Refuse Collections?

A new leader of Merton Council was officially appointed last night (Wednesday, November 18).

Councillor Mark Allison was chosen to succeed councillor Stephen Alambritis, who was the leader for 10 years.

And his plans for the borough? 

Cllr Allison was first elected to the council in 2002 and was previously deputy leader and cabinet member for finance.

He said: “I am proud to announce that next week I will launch Merton Together a joint campaign with our partners to support our residents.

“Together means being more inclusive, my wife and son are mixed race and I live in a mixed race family. The events of this year, from George Floyd to the treatment of black footballers have made us even more determined to fight for diversity and justice.

“These are my values and will be at the heart of my administration. I am delighted to announce the most diverse and ambitious cabinet in Merton’s 65 year history, two thirds women and more than half from an ethnic minority.”

Oh. I was hoping there'd be something in there about the things the people of Merton care about. Guess not. 

Just Fix My Dish When It Breaks, And Make Good Shows...

...because that's all I care about. And I very much doubt I'm alone in that: 

Sky has pledged that one in five of its staff will be from a minority ethnic background by 2025, under a new recruitment target that could lead to 1,500 more black, Asian and minority ethnic workers being hired.

Not good workers, just ones that tick a box. Is that an indicator of a company that's going places? 

The move is broadly in line with predictions that a fifth of Britons will be from minority ethnic backgrounds by 2031, and follows research that found Sky’s workforce was not representative of the areas where it operates, including around its west London HQ where 48% of the population is BAME.

Maybe those people around its HQ don't want to work for Sky? Maybe they don't have the qualifications? No matter! They must be employed by them, or else...what? 

Sandra Kerr, the race equality director of Business in the Community, said her organisation’s research had shown that BAME workers voiced higher levels of ambition to be promoted and to be fast-tracked than white counterparts and were more likely to have higher education qualifications.

Well, of course they do. They see their credentials for promotion every time they look in a mirror. 

They Should Call It The Hypocritic Oath...

Leading intensive care doctors have told NHS staff not to blame people breaching lockdown rules for hospitals coming close to breaking point and for the death toll from Covid nearing 100,000.

Oh? What have they been saying, then? 

In an example of blaming the public for patients dying, Professor Richard Schilling, a leading cardiologist at an NHS hospital in London, tweeted recently his view that: “Joining the chain of death should have the same social stigma as drunk driving. One good reason: my wife [also a doctor] and I have seen pregnant women in different hospitals dying of Covid with teams standing by to cut the baby out post-mortem. Good enough?”

Well, actually, no... 

Maybe I'm Getting Old....

... or maybe the definition of 'news' really has changed?

The 'Mail' Invents A New Italian Dish...

Hmmm....it's a pass from me!

Sunday Funnies...

And I thought it was just because I was getting old....

One Of Those 'Children' They Don't Want You To Taser, I'm Guessing..?

It follows two separate incidents on 1 October 2019, when the defendant was aged just 14.

Shortly before 4pm that day, he approached a 16-year-old boy in Orme Road and demanded he empty his pockets. He then punched the boy, who attempted to continue on his journey, and then stabbed him in the arm. The victim called police and was taken to hospital for treatment. Nothing was reported stolen.

The defendant then travelled by train to Goring railway station. About 4.50pm, he became involved in an altercation with another 16-year-old boy. The altercation continued into the station car park, where the defendant stabbed the victim three times to the chest and abdomen area, requiring hospital treatment.

Imagine the sort of 'child' of 14 that feels confident about attacking people a full two years older than him. 

That's the sort of 'child' that the bleeding hearts tut-tut about when they hear that police have used a Taser... 

Chief Inspector Sarah Leadbeatter, District Commander for Adur, Worthing and Horsham, said: “Thankfully the two victims in this case recovered without suffering life-changing or life-threatening injuries, but it could have been a whole lot worse. Carrying a knife puts you and those around you at significant risk, and possession of any offensive weapon in public is a serious offence. This is reflected in the sentence imposed.”

Oh, so it was a decent sentence for a ch... 

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, received a custodial sentence of four years and six months at West Sussex Youth Court on Monday 18 January.

/facepalm