It's Not Such A Bad Idea...

But they picked the wrong games:

Civil servants played the graphic video game Grand Theft Auto to explore Britons' 'everyday lives'. Policy Lab, which was founded in 2014 to apply 'design thinking' to government policy, said it was 'crucial' for policymakers to use virtual worlds to learn about British people's 'hopes and dreams'. Popular games including GTA, Fortnite and World of Warcraft were all earmarked as relevant to the policy process.

Why focus on a game that simulates criminals in America when there’s so many other useful games that they could use? 

Researchers said meeting people online could be useful for those working remotely or who struggled to speak face-to-face.

This is undoubtedly true as playing World of Warcraft, and especially Guild runs to bring down bosses helped me immensely when holding Teams meetings with multiple participants. And Jurassic World Evolution would be of benefit to prison officers who have to keep their inmates from causing havoc in the outside world.

Policy Lab is funded by paid commissions and is hosted by the Department for Education, though any government department is able to use it.

I’m suggesting that council planning department train their town planners on SimCity or other type city builder -type games,  which would inform them that building more and more housing is doomed to failure if you don’t also build the underlying infrastructure that houses rely on. 

Policy Lab said it had worked with more than 7,000 civil servants to form policy through practical projects, building skills and knowledge and inspiring new thinking. A government spokesperson said: 'We are reforming the civil service to create a cost-conscious culture that relentlessly roots out waste, drives efficiency, and protects taxpayers' money. We are currently looking into this initiative.'

Its a damn good idea in my opinion if they just choose their games a little more competently. 

Superstition...

The 130ft high bridge where a young woman was hurled to her death on a bungled rope jump is to be blown up to prevent future tragedies, the Daily Mail can reveal.

 The bridge didn’t cause her death, humans did. Still, I guess there’s precedent….

Work started Wednesday morning, less than a week after 21-year-old Brazilian Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was hurled off the bridge to her death. The decision to demolish the dangerous structure comes after a heartbroken relative demanded action in a text to a local politician who for years has campaigned against the rogue cord and bungee operators using it.

I don’t know for certain, but if I’d been that grieving relative, I’d have wanted the law to focus on the people who failed her and not on the structure. 

We All Suspected They Did This ...

 .. and now we have proof: 

Police 'guided' the family of a hotel worker in 'toning down' their public statements after she was murdered by an asylum seeker – in case their words led to anti-immigration rioting. Rhiannon Whyte, 27, was stabbed 23 times with a screwdriver by Sudanese national Deng Majek while waiting at a train station.

Now Rhiannon's mother, Siobhan, has claimed police said they didn't want 'another Southport' when she told them her daughter's life support was to be turned off. She said: 'Did they tell us what to say? No. Did they guide us so it didn't look so aggressive? Maybe. I was aggressive – they toned it down.'

Confimation at last! 

Ms Whyte – who stresses that she is grateful for the help she received from the police in the aftermath of her daughter's death – added: 'I think they didn't want violence... they didn't want a riot.'

What help?  

When Rhiannon's family told police they were turning off her life support, officers quickly removed the migrants from the hotel. Ms Whyte added: 'Those migrants were out within two hours – I think that's because [the police] feared violence.'

See, they can do it when they want to, thus giving the lie to the claim that violence is not the way. 

It was only after Majek was sentenced that Ms Whyte mentioned the fact he had arrived in the UK on a small boat three months before the attack – and criticised Sir Keir Starmer. She said: 'The Prime Minister's got blood on his hands.'

He has, yes, but he's not alone in the government in that! 

Danger, Danger Will Robinson!

Amber heat health alerts are in place across southern and eastern England, with a heatwave set to develop in the coming days. Temperatures are set to climb above 30C (86F) on Friday, possibily up to 32C (90F) in south-east England, and potentially up to 34C (93F) or higher by Tuesday.

We used to call this 'summer', didn't we?

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued amber alerts covering the east, south-east and south-west of England, which are valid until 20:00 BST on Tuesday. Yellow alerts are valid across the Midlands during the same period.Amber heat health alerts are issued when high temperatures are likely to have a significant impact on health and social care services.

It will be a different story for Scotland and Northern Ireland with outbreaks of heavy rain.

That’s the sort of British summer that they are more used to. 

Nicely Topical...

 

..as we expect from Matt

Who Doesn't Have 'Normal Fingers' Then?

Hundreds of "stunningly beautiful" blue sea creatures have washed up along parts of the Welsh coastline. Velella velella, commonly known as by-the-wind sailors and closely related to the Portuguese man o' war, have been spotted on beaches across Anglesey, Gwynedd and Tenby.

The only 'stunningly beautiful' things to be found on Welsh beaches. 

One woman who found one of the free-floating hydrozoans on Tenby South beach said it was "like a crystal".

Ah, yes, that famously jelly-like substance, crystal. 

Marine specialist Frankie Hobro, of Anglesey Sea Zoo, said the creatures were beautiful but warned people not to touch them due to their sting.

Although their sting is generally considered "very mild" in comparison to Portuguese man o' war, Hobro advised people not to touch them. "You probably wouldn't feel it through normal fingers because human skin is fairly thick," she said.

I knoe it's the Welsh, but c'mon man, they have normal fingers! Don't they?  

Sunday Funnies...

 If you invent a time machine, read this before using!

'We Just Like Losing In Court'

Police chiefs are embroiled in a fresh woke row over official guidance that says biological men who identify as women can ask to be strip searched by a female officer. The National Police Chiefs’ Council and British Transport Police will next week face a High Court challenge after they published the guidance despite last year’s Supreme Court ruling.Women’s rights groups who have launched the legal action say the advice from police chiefs will put female officers under pressure to search detainees who are biological men.

The police refusing to obey the law? Say it ain't so!  

The NPCC guidance says that female officers can refuse to conduct an intimate search of a trans woman detainee.But women’s rights charity Sex Matter, which is bringing the legal challenge, argues that female officers feel that in reality they can’t opt out of their duties, fearing career repercussions. They claim in legal documents this amounts to discrimination and harassment.

It does, because it is!  

The NPCC said the guidance ‘was developed after a thorough process in response to last year’s Supreme Court ruling’ and is ‘explicit that officers will face no career detriment for refusing to carry out a search’.

Yeah, we the public know you are liars, especially when it relates to woke policies, , so don't expect your staff not to realise it too. 

This tweet sums up the situation perfectly:

Let's Blame The Crocodile!

 How dores the BBC, that bastion of truth, choose to headline the story about the lunatic who threw a child inro a crocodile enclosure at a local zoo?

I suppose we should congratulate them on their photo - it is an actual crocodile, the 'Daily Mail' was making do with a photo of an alligator..

Cambridgeshire Police said a 30-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder had been bailed and was "unfit for interview". He reportedly has learning disabilities and had been on a trip to Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon, with carers. It is believed the boy was attacked on Thursday by at least one crocodile after ending up in their enclosure.

We all know how he 'ended up' in there, the same way a young boy ended up at the bottom of the Tate Modern all those years ago.... 

Officers said they were called to the zoo at 13:34 BST on Thursday and were working to establish how long the boy was in the enclosure. Police said the crocodiles had not been seized or killed.

Why would they be? The police don't have any facilities to hold them, and they can't be interviwed!

Det Insp Verity McCann said: "Our inquiries are ongoing as we continue to understand the circumstances surrounding this distressing incident. 

"Our thoughts remain with the boy, and his family and specialist officers continue to support them through this difficult time."

I'm sure that's what they are doing, and not making sure they don't make a fuss or take to social media... 

The man who was arrested was from Norfolk, police said, and was not at the zoo as part of an organised group visit.

A witness told the BBC she had seen a man in his late 20s, accompanied by two women wearing lanyards who she believed may have been carers, walking through the zoo about 10 minutes before the incident.

The lanyard classes usually choose opportunities to create multiple harms, not singular, this is the only surprising aspect!

Cambridgeshire Police confirmed the suspect was white British after misinformation shared on social media.

And the 'carers'? What was their nationality? 

One visitor, who wished to remain anonymous, told the BBC... the crocodiles appeared calm and largely motionless during her visit.

They do that, until they don't. The inquest/h&s report is going to tell us more, but I doubt the stated injuries come from anything other than the fall from height.  

Well, Why, Against All Experience, Did You Believe He Would?

More than eight years ago my youngest daughter, Molly, died after being bombarded with suicide and self-harm material on social media. I had hope that Keir Starmer would finally take the measures needed to address the harm Molly was subjected to, but his social media ban for under-16s leaves me desperately worried for the safety of children online.

Why would anyone believe a word the man said? Well, apart from a man who wants the government to raise his child for him I suppose...

Instead of tackling the product safety issues that cost my daughter’s life, he is choosing to take a politically easy route which the evidence shows – and experts warn – will not work, and will leave children at continued risk.

Well, yes. He’s a politician and a beleaguered one at that who will do anything to cling to power, no matter what promises he has made in the past!

Parents are right that action is needed, and is needed now. But two years into this government, the prime minister has failed time and again to take on big tech with the tough regulation he promised in opposition. Starmer also promised me personally that he would implement effective measures to strengthen regulation and finally address the harm caused by social media. He has failed to keep either promise.

He hasn’t, as far as I can tell, kept any promises, unless it’s ones he made to the string pullers behind the scenes who want to see the UK brought low. 

He also promised bereaved parents after the recent consultation on children’s social media use that he would follow the evidence and take the time to consider his response then act decisively. Instead, he has rushed out a ban.

As we have seen in Australia, where a social media ban for under-16s came into effect in December 2025, teens and children are able to circumvent the ban – with 60% still accessing social media.

And they will do the same with this one, if he manages to get it through Parliament, of course. The man who will soon vie to sit in that seat may find that a little more challenging than expected.

Today’s news is giving parents false hope. But in this announcement, the prime minister has abdicated responsibility for product safety, and has failed to put forward a plan for tackling the algorithms that cost Molly’s life and, tragically, will cost many more.

If there's one thing that marks out this man, it's that concern for the welfare of children is little more than skin-deep.