Sunday Funnies...

 It really doesn't pay to listen to the lyrics and not just the music sometimes...

Deliberate Uglification

A heritage railway on the edge of Bristol has sparked controversy after it commissioned three of the city’s most famous street artists to cover one of its vintage carriages in graffiti as if it were a New York subway carriage in the 1970s.

Why? Heritage railways have a unique selling point - nostalgia, a longing for the good old days when grafitti would have been unknown? Whywould anyone want to piss all over that? 

But there has been quite the backlash against the Avon Valley Railway when they revealed the project on their social media. The railway operates as a charity, and runs steam trains up and down a former line across the eastern edge of Bristol that was closed down in the Beeching cuts of the 1960s.

The firm attempted to rein in the furore that they deliberately caused for no clear benefit in the first place:

Avon Valley Railway had to reassure heritage railway enthusiasts that the windows of the carriage was covered with latex first so the paint can just be peeled off, that the carriage is yet to be restored by the volunteers at the charity so nothing was damaged - and the paint will actually help protect the carriage until it is restored.

“We were delighted to host ‘Inkie’, ‘Jody’ and ‘Cheo’ to our station site at Bitton,” said Mark Hill, the general manager at Avon Valley Railway.

Why? It's as if Sciaperelli attempted to chase the clientele of Primark...

It's Schrödinger's Stabbing!

The married father-of-one confirmed he sustained wounds to his neck and hand as it was also announced that Counter Terrorism Policing would now lead the investigation with support from Greater Manchester Police. Police confirmed the attack has not at this time been declared a terrorist incident.

It simultaneously is and is not a terrorist incident! 

Chief Superintendent David Meeney, Commander for Manchester, said: 'Our local detectives have been investigating this incident at pace ever since we arrested a schoolgirl suspect on Tuesday morning. She remains in custody in Manchester. 'This has included ensuring the suspect is checked by health professionals to make an assessment while under the Mental Health Act, and to explore all available evidence to understand why this incident took place. 'Since our last update, further information has come to light that we have made Counter Terrorism Policing North West aware of. 

I wonder what that information might be - something they found at the girl's address, perhaps?

'I know this update will only continue to make our local community concerned by Tuesday's events.

It's so vague it can't very well do anything else, can it? 

And of course thanks to our justice system, we can't know anything about her, with the exception of her likely defence, apparently...

Stress All You Like, No-One Has Any Confidence In You...

A 14-year-old schoolgirl arrested after a teacher was stabbed in the neck at a school in Manchester yesterday has been detained under the Mental Health Act. Police confirmed the girl had been arrested on suspicion of assault after officers were called to reports of a stabbing at the Co-op Academy in Blackley on Tuesday morning. The 'serious incident' saw the school go into lockdown after a teacher was stabbed in the neck as he heroically shielded pupils from a girl allegedly attacking students at the school with a knife.

And of course, of most concern to the filth is that people don't talk about it, especially as social media is reporting the girl in question is other than white native English:

Chief Inspector Shilvock added: 'As our investigation progresses, we are aware that names relating to the incident are being circulated on social media, which are unhelpful for the investigation.'This is also causing concern with the victims and those that have been impacted, therefore we would stress that people do not speculate regarding this incident. 'Officers will remain in and around the area to provide support to ensure staff, students and the wider community feel safe. 'If you have any concerns, please speak to our officers who are there to support you.'

Who still believes that the police are there to support us?  If you still do, I've got a bridge for sale... 

A mother, whose son was already on his way home when she received the news, said on social media: 'This is all so scary. Parents found nothing out from school, it was all from Facebook. My child should be enjoying the last few days in school and not worrying and being in lockdown.'

This is why people take to social media, Chief Inspector. And it's why our snivelling coward of a Prime Minister wants to ban it.

All Part Of Life In A Big City, Eh, Sadiq?

Tributes have poured in from stars of the music industry to singer-songwriter Talay Riley, after he was stabbed to death in London. Riley, 35, was found at an address in Silvertown, east London, at around 9am on Friday having suffered stab wounds, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ah the glamourous life of a singer-songwriter, getting shanked by wannabe gangstas in exotic locales! Does Andrew Lloyd Webber know what fate may have in store?

Still, I’m sure the Met Police have things well in hand…

A man in his 20s was also taken to hospital with multiple stab wounds and remains in hospital, with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing. Three people were arrested on suspicion of murder on Friday. 

A 27-year-old man has been released on bail pending further enquiries, while a second man, 24, and woman, 25, have been released with no further action.

Oh… 

The day after the incident, two men were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a large fight in Barking on Saturday night. The incident occurred around 11.20pm on River Road, where three men, aged 28, 23 and 22, were discovered by emergency crews with stab wounds.

Another glamorous locale, another 'benefit of diversity', I have no doubt... 

 

I Don't Believe Any Grieving Family Wrote This...

 As Belfast erupts again for another night, as locals attempt to rid their community of the deadly threat the authorities have planted in their midst, the mutilated victim's family speeaks out..in someone else's words?

Meanwhile, Mr Ogilvie's family said they were 'completely devastated' by what had happened and called for calm.  

In a statement posted on the Facebook page of DUP MLA Phillip Brett, they said: 'We want to say a profound thank you to the local people who bravely stepped in during the attack. 

'We are aware of the tensions and talk of protests following this incident. We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome, and peaceful protest is the only way forward. 

'We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector and we depend on them to make our country work.'

Noe, the appeal for calm I can believe, it's a natural response, not wanting your loved one's memory tarnished, but the appeal for migrants? Sorry, I just don't buy that as a typical response to having an imported  low IQ savage who doesn't belong in the country butcher your loved one on the street. I wouldn't expect that from a 'Guardian' columnist, much less an ordinary family from Belfast! I sense the dead hand of the government behind this statement.

I Thought This Was A Parody, But It's So Hard To Tell Nowadays

A search is under way for two lesbian grandmothers who inspired a new children’s book after a chance encounter with a pantomime dame at Blackpool Pride.

It appears to be a real article, despite sounding like a parody… 

The women, whose names are not known, attended a reading by the popular performer Mama G in 2021, complaining to her about the lack of diversity in young literature. Mama G said she had been reading books to children at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens when the women asked if there were any featuring lesbian grandmothers.

Note the pronouns used… 

The question left her stumped. “I was like, erm, no. I don’t actually think I’ve ever seen lesbian grandmothers in a story, not even as a subsidiary character,” she said. One of the women, clearly disappointed, told her it was “so hard to find yourself represented in books”.

And yet, this is no female! 

The conversation prompted Mama G, whose real name is Robert Pearce, to write a children’s picture book where two older queer women are “front and centre for a change”.

I can remember when drag queens were acknowledged as men in make up and dresses, and confined to working men’s clubs and panto! Far less to be found in libraries reading to children.

Mama G, who is performing at Edinburgh fringe this summer, said the lack of diversity in children’s books was still a problem, despite the efforts of a number of authors and smaller publishers.

I think it’s a ‘problem’ we can well live with. What say you, Reader? 

How About Drawing Up Plans To Deal With the Africans In Ireland?

Protests against immigration have erupted into violence in Northern Ireland after far-right activists called for demonstrations in response to a stabbing attack that was captured in a graphic video.

Ealier yeaterday this article was all about the plans being drawn up to contain any disturbances. As we can see, waking up this morning to the news, they were ineffective. 

Ryan Henderson, the assistant chief constable, appealed for calm: “Sporadic pockets of disorder have broken out in a number of locations across Northern Ireland this evening, including incidents in which a number of vehicles have been set on fire. We are urging everyone to remain calm, act responsibly, and avoid any activity that could place themselves or others at risk.”

They are acting in defemce of their communities, because they can't trust you, the authorities, to do so.

Earlier, O’Neill urged the public not to be persuaded by social media accounts to start causing disorder. “For all of those people out there who are stoking up tensions in that social media space, who are happy to raise tensions, they do not represent us. We are good people and I don’t want to see anybody living in fear.”

But as a result of the attempted beheading (not a simple 'stabbing' as you are determined to keep raferring to it), people are already living in fear! Of the people who you are letting into the country and granting social housing to. And the Left wing press is determined to paint well-establised concerns as you being influenced by outside forces, not by those people have seen with their own eyes'

The victim was revealed to be Stephen Ogilvie, in his 40s, who last night remained in a serious condition in hospital. It is understood he lived in the same block of social housing as the suspect

Why?  The safety of the native population should be paramount, and 'asylum seekers' about whom we know nothing should not be hoiused in social housing, or be allowed to walk the streets. The streets on which the authorities themselves make sure not to live. 

The suspect travelled from Dublin to Belfast by bus on 10 February 2023 and claimed asylum, said Boutcher. “There is no trace of this suspect on any of our national security databases, and he was not known to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. I’ve been in direct contact with the head of terrorism policing in the UK. At this stage, we have no information to suggest that this was terrorist-related.”

It caused terror, didn't it?  

This Is No Way To Shed The 'Two Tier' Shame...

I'm beginning to think the Met Police's PR team contains some saboteurs:

The Metropolitan Police will not investigate the harassment of national treasure Dame Helen Mirren by a pro-Palestine activist, according to reports. The Oscar-winning actress, 80, was called an 'evil Zionist b****' by Corbynista Tom Carroll as she walked along the street in London with her husband, Taylor Hackford. 

Scotland Yard initially treated last year's incident as a possible hate crime, but have since decided not to proceed with the investigation.

 Why? 

It is understood the decision was taken after officers spoke to Dame Helen, who has long been outspoken in her support for Israel.

I feel they are trying to imply that she doesn't want the fuss, but they should say that if so. Or remind themselves that this is the UK and people don't have to 'press charges' here and do the job they are paid to do... 

Especially when the perp is a known danger to women:

In 2018, Carroll was wanted in connection with a brutal assault on an 84-year-old woman at Shoreditch High Street station in east London whilst he was on his way from a violent far-Left protest. Five years later he handed himself in to police in 2023 where he pleaded not guilty but was sentenced to 12 months' probation & 200 hours' community service for the lesser crime of threatening behaviour.

So, he got let off, and I could understand the police's frustration with that, but it's not a reason not to do their part. 

 

You're Right, It Does, And You've Drawn The Same Wrong Conclusions From It Again...

Watching the harrowing footage of what would become Yves Sakila’s final moments of consciousness, it is hard not to be reminded of the agonising death of George Floyd.

Had this one too consumed mass quantities of dangerous illegal drugs, then? 

Sakila was declared dead in a Dublin hospital on 15 May, a short time after being pinned to the ground by security guards outside Arnotts, a city centre department store.

Congolese-born Sakila had allegedly been suspected of shoplifting in the store and fled.

Maybe he should have remained in the store to plead his innocence then. 

In these deeply distressing images, the 35-year-old is being restrained by a group of security guards for nearly five minutes. He tries to protest but his shouts are muffled in the concrete when one of the men appears to put his knee on the back of Sakila’s neck. By the end of the video, Sakila has stopped moving.

The cause of death has not yet been established – an initial post-mortem examination reportedly inconclusive. Nor is it likely that the police investigation into claims of excessive force will establish exactly what was going through the minds of those involved.

Probably struggling to subdue a suspect who was trying to escape, no more than that.... Oh, and perhaps thinking about the danger they could have been in!

Yet, this is what I would like to understand. What would compel someone who can see that a person is being forcibly restrained by several men, to kneel on the individual’s neck? Would it have been different if the man suspected of stealing had been white?

No. Because it hasn't made any difference in this case. Securuty guards are there to stop shoplifting, and they will tackle you if you are black, white or sky-blue pink! And if shoplifting is a dangerous pasttime, it doesn't seem to have stopped anyone.

Six years ago we gathered and protested in the streets under Black Lives Matter banners. We were finally addressing the racism in Ireland that was overlooked for so long. Was all that in vain?

Not for the founders of BLM who made out like bandits, Sean!  

As black people in Ireland, it feels as though we are repeatedly asked to sweep such horrific “incidents” under the rug, as though they are isolated tragedies, unconnected to any patterns or larger systemic issues.

Well, they are clearly connected to the criminality that seems to be overly present in the black population. But I feel you wouldn't want to discuss that... 

But even after an event that has drawn international attention, most of the country appears to be in denial. The taoiseach, Micheál Martin, offered his condolences, adding that “the situation will have to be thoroughly investigated” and that “a lot of people are clearly very concerned about what has transpired here”. But showing no willingness to ask if racism may have played a part in Sakila’s handling lets the danger grow.

Because he can see that it clearly didn't.  

There are justified concerns about not prejudicing the investigation. But in a climate where former prime ministers join in the scapegoating of marginalised and often racialised communities for the shortcomings of decades of failed leadership, the lack of a profound debate about systemic racism risks enabling more violent behaviour in the future.

The discussion of 'systemic racism' as a policy is getting a hammering in the UK at the moment, but you do you, Sean.