Gotta Catch 'Em All!

All the grocer's apostrophes, that is...

Heathrow's Busier Than We Ever Dreamed!

And just think, those 130 million passengers all cram into the 650 planes that land or take off daily!

H/T: Stephen Brown via email

Sunday Funnies...

I'm astounded they could limit themselves to just five...

Tweet Of The Month

Two real corkers vying for the top spot this month:

Post Title Of The Month

Look, Tim, just have the award in perpetuity!

Quote Of The Month

DumbJon on the furore surrounding Gove's admission:

"Teachers: stop showing the kids unlikely public information films about how one tab of molly will turn them into a werewolf and just lay it out to them. Ask the kids: seriously, do you want to be as cool as Michael Gove?"

Post Of The Month

LegIron on the fluid political relationships of Chukka Umunna...

The Cringing Is A Signal You've Lost...

My sons (one is almost 6, starting kindergarten in the fall; the youngest turned 3 in February) just started going to a day care center for two days a week (Monday and Friday).My boys seem to like the center so far. The only hiccup has been “the brown guy” that is in their classroom (their words for him … I’ll call him “T”). Let me state that we live in a predominantly white area, and this is my boys’ first exposure to anyone looking different than them.

 As we see, it isn't how this child looks that is the real problem.

I’m treading very carefully here and trying not to sound like a pretentious, entitled white lady. I’m working through some guilty feelings on both fronts there, but I know I am no better than anyone and I’m trying to teach my boys the same thing.

Really? Hmmm. My mother taught me and my brother that to be born an Englishman or woman is to win first prize in the lottery of life...

But back to why this self-hating milksop's children have problems with their classmate:

Both of my sons have complained that T has hit them and generally makes a lot of noise in class. I mentioned this to an employee in their classroom (not the teacher herself, who was tied up at the moment), who told me that T has “boundary issues”...

Which is teacher-speak for 'is an arrogant undisciplined little thug, but I don't want to be called racist'.

Is there anything else I should be doing here? I don’t love the hitting part, and I would be just as upset if it were any other kid in the room doing it. However, I feel concerned that it’s T that my sons have zeroed in on because he is the only “brown guy” in the room.

He appears to be the only disruptive and violent influence. I think you'll find that's why he's singled out. As indeed he should be. But you carry on with your self-doubt.

And the solution offered is....well....

...as a “brown girl”—of the Black variety, to be exact—I am keenly aware that there are some significant differences in how you and I may communicate, and in how our respective children may communicate, and (you see where I’m going here) in how T may communicate in comparison to your sons or other children in the classroom.

Anyone who 'communicates' with their fists shouldn't be in a classroom with other children. If Little Miss HandWringer doesn't see that, the adults in charge should.

I wonder what his alleged boundary issues might be, as behaviors that may be identified as disruptive, mischievous, or inappropriate in “brown” children are sometimes labeled as free-spirited, easily excited, or tenacious when exhibited by white ones. The pathway to prison often begins for rambunctious Black and Latinx children at this very stage of their lives. Teachers often carry the same preconceived notions about people based on race that we see on tragic display with each viral video of a violent police encounter...

Ah, yes. The chimpout phenomenon, I believe it's referred to.

So, DWtBaS, if this situation weren’t bothersome enough … now you have to think about this child’s future being threatened if he gets suspended from school and how his family might be impacted if they were to lose their child care.

Do you think this chippy little Millennial would try that tack with anyone else? No. Because they'd rightly tell her to shove it.

But even before we get that far, Little Miss Handwringer's missive is one big 'Please, excoriate me!' virtuesignal.

I pity those boys.

This Is Unknown In The History Of Mankind!

A nursery has been told it “requires improvement” by inspectors after a report said...

There were live electrical wires exposed? They'd employed a foreign murderer? Not enough 'diversity'?

...children are "disobedient, throw toys and say inappropriate and unkind things to others".

In other words, 'are children'.

Little Stars Nursery in Devonshire Road, Gravesend, had previously been given an “inadequate” rating and despite improvements since the last Ofsted visit was criticised for failing to “manage children’s challenging behaviour”.

Funny how no-one ever dares criticise the parents, eh?

Reading the report, it's actually clear there's very little wrong with this place:

The report said: “The manager and staff communicate well with parents and keep them involved in their children’s learning.

“Children are allocated a key person who gets to know their individual personalities well and enjoy the company of staff.”

It added that “safeguarding is effective”, and that “the manager ensures that she always deploys staff well”.

So what's the issue?

However, the nursery was criticised for planning “generic” next steps for children, such as reading books, and described their overall behaviour as “poor”.

Wait, I thought encouraging reading was to be cheered as a way to stop us all wearing MAGA hats in the future? I just can't keep up!

To improve, Little Stars was instructed to implement effective behaviour management techniques, and ensure children have “a better range of resources, activities and adult-led learning opportunities”.

Anything else?

It also suggested the nursery creates more opportunities for pupils “to explore and investigate the natural world”.

Some nurseries go a bit too far in this regard...

Oh Dear, How Sad, Never Mind...

A man accused of bringing large amounts of drugs into Gloucestershire has been killed in a driveby shooting in Birmingham last month.

Wait, wait, I know it's here somewhere....

Following his death his family told Birmingham Live : "Our family, friends and all who knew Dante are absolutely broken beyond belief.

"Dante was the epitome of kind, caring and thoughtful.

"The tributes that we have heard are testament of this.

"Dante will be terribly missed. Not only is his murder a huge loss to our family but also a considerable loss to the community."

Oh, I'm sure there are other dealers, love...

It's Spreading...

We predicted it would.

Councillor Rohit Dasgupta was sent a copy of the flier passed to some parents in Forest Gate last week.

The leaflet attacked the introduction of relationships and sex education (RSE), which will become compulsory in schools from September 2020.

The flier claimed the new curriculum would "pervert the course of natural child development" and promote homosexuality and transgenderism to children.

Hard to disagree.

Cllr Dasgupta, a lecturer at Loughborough University and councillor for Canning Town south, said: "These leaflets are homophobic and transphobic and I don't want anyone in the LGBT community to feel worried or scared to express who they are."

Shouldn't everyone be able to do that, no matter to what 'community' they claim to belong?

I Thought Charity Began At Home..?

Leftover food from Tesco branches in Bow and Barking are being used to feed...

Hard up pensioners? Workers on minimum wage? Struggling single mothers on Universal Credit? The homeless?

...needy refugees and migrants in Newham.

Oh...

Ruth Bravery, chief executive of The Renewal Programme, said: "Food is so important. The refugees and migrants we work with have no recourse to public funds and so do not have the money to cover their daily living needs."

That's not true, is it?

Free housing, and more money than they'd probably have in their countries of origin!

Tesco's head of community Alec Brown added: "I would invite any group that thinks they could benefit from the scheme to contact FareShare, as we have the capacity to help even more good causes."

I've listed a few above. Why aren't they first in your mind?

Give Up. It Doesn't Matter What You Do...

The outgoing (hurrah!) PM is busy trying to ingratiate herself to every bonkers activist group going.

Announcing the plan for the permanent monument on Saturday, Theresa May said it would be a “lasting legacy” to the “tremendous contribution” of the Windrush generation as events were due to take place for the first Windrush Day to mark 71 years since the first arrival.

Are they happy? Reader, they are not...

However, Arthur Torrington, the chair of the Windrush Foundation, said the government was behaving “arrogantly” and “treating the Caribbean community like children” by not consulting with key groups, while he noted just 13 Windrush victims have so far been granted emergency support by the government.

What's the one got to do with the other?

He said that the community wanted it to be in Brixton, in Windrush Square, and that Waterloo station had “nothing to do” with Windrush.

“Windrush is about 1948,” he said. “We don’t understand why the government can’t consult more. This monument is being imposed to our disgust.”

So there's no link to Waterloo Station? That'll come as a surprise to....wait, Floella Benjamin?

May established the Windrush Commemoration Committee to consider how best to create a permanent, fitting tribute to the Windrush generation and their descendants.

The committee’s chairwoman, Lady Floella Benjamin, said: “Having a Windrush monument located at Waterloo station where thousands of Windrush pioneers – including children like myself – first arrived in London, will be a symbolic link to our past as we celebrate our future.

“The committee is determined to build a monument of great beauty and emotional impact which will lift the hearts of those who visit when it’s unveiled. I hope it will inspire pride and a sense of belonging to all those associated with the Windrush story.”

Sounds like that's a forlorn ambition.

But, But...Obesity Crisis!

A photograph posted on social media claims to show a child's lunch at Stourport Primary School and has been met with outrage from parents who say they have since complained to the school.

What did it consist of, turkey twizzlers smothered in butter?

...comprising one fish finger and seven chips.

*laughs*

Parents report to pay £2.10 each day for hot lunches. The school's website says its lunches are sourced from local produce and provide "healthy nutritional meals".

Can't do them under the ASA, since it mentions nothing about size of portion or value for money!

Stourport Primary School refused to comment on the complaints.

Sensible. It's a no win situation if you do. 

To Be Fair, John, They Don't Have To, Do They?

The story in question being a typical 'person tries to ingratiate himself with the woke community, finds there's always someone even woker' thing that we've seen so often over at the blog of David Thompson (his latest is a peach!).

"Don't Eat That Filth!"

It seems the very essence of illogical behaviour that hospitals across Northern Ireland have vending machines which stock unhealthy drinks and snacks as health experts warn of an obesity crisis in the province.

Almost two thirds of adults here are classified as overweight or obese and treating obesity costs an estimated £460m a year.

"Eat a nice nutritious listeria sandwich instead!"

Send Them All For Anger Management Training!

Passengers and crew pinned the 25-year-old woman to the ground while the aircraft returned to Stansted Airport around 5pm yesterday...

...'Cabin crew grabbed her to stop she starts scratching them hitting them, she then got pinned to the floor by cabin crew and passengers, a passenger even sat on her.

'She kept getting up and running back towards the door, she had six people sitting her we had to fly back to Stansted for the police to get her.'

How dare they manhandle a lady, am I right? And I don't want to see any disturbing levels of support for their actions either!

Which One Gets The Banner Headlines In National Newspapers?

Accident:

The family of an elderly woman who was hit by a police motorbike in the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s motorcade has revealed the full extent of her injuries.

Irene Mayor, 83, has suffered a broken pelvis, broken arms, a broken leg and bad head wounds after she was hit by the bike in Richmond, west London, on Monday.

Her tearful sister, 89-year-old Joyce Shore, told the Daily Mail that Ms Mayor “may not get through this”.

Deliberate assault:

The 74-year-old was walking his dog on a narrow footpath at the end of Honeysuckle Lane in Worthing at about 5pm on Monday.

A cyclist sped down the lane on his bike and viciously attacked him. The man was taken to Worthing Hospital by his family, where he is still being treated for major bruising to his face and left ribs and a fractured pelvis.

The pensioner told police he had spoken to the cyclist before the incident about his speed.

Anything to put the boot in, eh, MSM?

It's The Daily Homophone Again!

/facepalm

H/T: Stephen Brown via email

So That's Where It Got Its Name...

...I've always wondered.

Sunday Funnies...

I don't think No 1 is all that freaky, actually....

They Do Things Differently In Russia...

Tensions between Roma people and Russian villagers in the region of Penza boiled over last week, leading to a deadly brawl, arson attacks, forced evictions and even accusations of a hidden US hand in the violence.

Videos posted from the village of Chemodanovka in the Penza region showed houses owned by Roma families on fire after an ethnic Russian man was stabbed to death during a mass brawl along racial lines.

Four more were admitted to hospital after the street fighting, which was said to have been caused by complaints from Russian villagers against the Roma over sexual harassment.

This, however, isn't the West. There were no immediate recriminations and pledges that people would be arrested and vilified for 'racism'/

Then, suddenly, the Roma were gone, leaving behind 90 empty houses.

Heh!

The governor’s office said it believed 650 Roma people had left the village of Chemodanovka, as well as the neighbouring village of Lopatka, but not by force.

Mmmm, of course. That happens all the time.

When the region’s governor, Ivan Belozertsev, arrived to try to relieve tensions, he took the unusual tack of blaming the US.

What's unusual about that..?

“America, the west, has poured enormous amounts of money into preparing people here … they’re in every region, including ours, and they don’t want to solve problems, they want to destabilise the situation. They bring fake information here,” he told a crowd of residents on Sunday.

Lots of questions being asked in the progressive media. None of them being 'Why does this keep happening to this ethnic group?'...

They F*** You Up, Your Mum And Dad....

Or in the case of today's modern chavling, the mum. Since dad doesn't seem to be in the picture.

Ocean’s mother Karen Easdown, 51, said: “Ocean was being bullied and she kept getting excluded.

“They excluded her over a nose ring, then over her socks.

“Then they said her eyelashes were too long – but who doesn’t wear false eyelashes?”

Normal schoolgirls, love. Schoolgirls who don't have mothers happy to send them off to the halls of learning looking like....well, like your daughter.

Like someone rejected from 'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding; for being too trashy-looking...

“First of all they told her she would be allowed to go to prom as long as she didn’t go to the end-of-year barbecue.

“But now they’ve suddenly changed their mind and told me she can’t go.

“I’ve already spent £155 on her dress.

“Her twin sister is going (Ed: She's called 'Unity', it seems...) and they have always done everything together – but not this.

“They’ve told us if she does turn up she will be arrested.”

Hmmm, just 'changed their minds', eh? For no good reason?

In an email to Ocean’s mother, seen by The Argus, the school said: “I wrote to you earlier in the year to clarify our expectations for Year 11 prom.

“This is by invitation only and the governors and school uphold the right to exclude any student who does not comply with our criteria.

“Unfortunately we have not seen an improvement in Ocean’s behaviour, therefore and with regret, we have decided to exclude Ocean from the prom. Action

“We would appreciate your co-operation in ensuring Ocean does not attempt to enter the premises or the security company will be informed and appropriate action taken.”

So nothing whatsoever to do with her appearance, and everything to do with her behaviour? Colour me shocked.

And...how dim do you have to be to show the newspaper reporter the email that blows your story out of the water?

So, Theresa May Wasn't Always Wrong...

Lord Dubs, whose life was saved when he came to the UK on the Kindertransport as a small child, spoke on Tuesday at a rally outside parliament organised by Safe Passage and another charity, Help Refugees.

He appealed to the government to resettle 10,000 child refugees in the next 10 years. He said Theresa May had previously urged him to drop his amendment to the Immigration Act 2016, known as the Dubs amendment, to allow some of the most vulnerable child refugees to come to the UK because she feared “others would follow”.

“We parted without agreement,” said Dubs.

Good. It makes a change to see our useless ex-PM do something sensible for once...

Time To Make Up Your Minds, Ladies...

Is it 'I'm the equal of any man, how dare you treat me differently!'..?

Or is it 'Waaah! You manhandled me, you brute!'..?

Police began looking into the incident on Thursday night after footage seemed to show Mark Field pushing the female Greenpeace activist against a pillar and grabbing her neck.

There were calls for Field to lose his position as a Foreign Office minister.

In the fevered atmosphere and times in which we live, any activist should be considered a potential threat, shouldn't they? And treated accordingly.

No matter that gender they are. 

The Liberal Democrat former cabinet minister, Sir Ed Davey, called on Field to resign from the government.

“No ifs, no buts about this. The sight of some penguin suited Tory minister behaving in a violent way towards a female Greenpeace activist absolutely stinks.”

You male chauvinist pig, Davey! Who needs your white-knighting? Am I right, ladies?

Or are you all just opportunist hypocrites?

What Does It Take To Get Essex Police To Investigate Properly?

A spokesman for the police said the force have been carrying out house to house inquiries and are reviewing CCTV footage in the area.

An assault? A mugging?

Essex Police are investigating after the stickers, which they described as anti-Muslim, were placed over various bus stops in Long Road, Canvey.

Oh...

The incident is the second case where anti-muslim posters have been put up in South Essex.

Around May 19, at least a dozen posters, carrying a white supremacist logo, went up on roads in Rayleigh with the message 'Islamists not welcome', and 'stay back or we will kick you back'.

Ah, well, while they are out knocking on doors they might accidentally stumble over clues to the hammer-wielding muggers roaming Canvey with impunity.

Stranger things have happened!

"The night they drove ol' Bicester down...."

A woman from Oxfordshire posted a photo of the flag hoisted up by the van on Facebook this morning, saying today is the third day she has seen it up.

An offensive flag? I wonder what it it? Skull and crossbones? Swastika? ISIS?

Well....no.

The 26-year-old woman, who has asked not to be named, said she reported the van to police at Bicester Police station but they cannot take it down.

She said: "They've spoken to him and explained the meaning behind the flag but he's expressed it was a gift from a friend in the southern states so for that reason they're powerless to get it taken down because no crime is officially being committed but I can speak to the council about it."

What is it about modern life that makes people think they have the right to demand others do as they say simply because they are 'offended'..? 

Who Could Resist?

Brighton and Hove City Council is hoping the private sector can work with it to provide homes for “some of the world’s most vulnerable refugees”.

The city has already taken 13 Syrian households as part of the national Vulnerable Person’s Resettlement Scheme.

An offer you can't refuse..? I suspect it soon will be.

The Government funds local authorities for refugees arriving here...

I'mma stop you right there! 'The government' doesn't have any money. The taxpayer is on the hook, As always.

"Google..? Nope, Never Heard Of It..."

Iria Suarez-Gonzalez became one of Spain’s most notorious killers after she and a friend were convicted of the savage murder of a schoolgirl in 2000.

Media reports from the time said the stabbing of teenager Clara Garcia was driven by Iria and her friend, who wanted to know 'what it would feel like to kill someone'.

And, when released, obviously wanted to know what it felt like to move to another country and start teaching their kids...

Years later, this newspaper can reveal the 35-year-old of Botley Road, Oxford, went on to become a teaching assistant at West Oxford Primary School.

Whoops!

She was back in court in February this year, facing one count of fraud by false representation for allegedly not disclosing the murder as a previous conviction in her initial job application to the school.

At a hearing at Oxford Crown Court this week, however, the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case altogether accepting that there was 'no evidence' to convict her.

You mean, she did disclose it?

A spokesperson for the CPS said: "We keep all cases under continuous review so we can consider any new information that comes to light.

"In this instance, it emerged Ms Suarez-Gonzalez’s conviction was spent which resulted in the charges being dropped.”

Under Spanish law, all crimes committed by minors can be expunged after 10 years once the offender reaches the age of 18.

Handy if you feel like getting a job working with children. But Google is forever.

Following the hearing, Oxfordshire County Council – which overseas the school – pointed the finger at the school and said hiring staff was its responsibility.

You all dropped the ball on this one. As usual.

"I See Your Mice Infestation, And Raise You...Ants!"

Kayley Chapman, 22, and her partner have been living with daughter Ruby, five, and two-month-old baby Scarlett in a one bedroom flat in Whitehawk, Brighton, since February.

She said her daughter’s room is unsuitable, the stairs are impacting on her health, and one ant infestation was so bad, the insects were crawling over her baby’s crib.

Ah, the modern way of pressuring the council to rehouse you - go to the local rag with a sob story Stevie Wonder could see through...

The young mother said: “When we told the temporary accommodation people that this flat was unsuitable they told us that if we didn’t take it we would be homeless.

“And we wouldn’t get any help from the council whatsoever.

“The way we have been treated by the council is utterly disgusting.”

They've put a roof over your head. Yes, that is pretty disgusting, say all the taxpayers working their fingers to the bone so you can outbreed your situation.

Kayley said her daughter Ruby’s room is unsuitable and she has to sleep next to a boiler. Plus there is a false window from the toilet which looks into her bedroom.

Oh noes! Oh, the horror! Peter Rachman was never so callous!

Ms Chapman told a council official that the room was so small that her daughter would not have enough space for a wardrobe.

Ms Chapman said she is asthmatic and is currently recovering from haemorrhaging during pregnancy.

She added that having to fold up her daughter’s buggy to navigate the stairs a number of times each day is making both conditions worse.

Maybe she should have considered that before breeding?

Ms Chapman says the council has ignored her concerns and “have an answer for everything.”

She added: “We just want somewhere inappropriate (sic) and for the council to take into consideration that we have difficulties.”

Which are entirely of your own making. Why should the council care?

Titter Ye Not!

A new partnership of Weymouth SEA LIFE Adventure Park and Weymouth College will support 'Pride by the Seaside'.

Students from the college went to the aquarium to find inspiration for a sea creature themed entry for the Pride parade.

Julia Cohen from Weymouth College said: "The students were particularly drawn to the seals, the Fairy Penguins....”

SNORK!

Don't Expect Any 'Fast, Effective Relief' From This Rennie...

A convicted armed robber was given a last chance to avoid prison after ...

Declaring his intention to go straight? Saving an orphan from a house fire? Impressing the judge with his commitment to his aged mother?

...failing to show up for community service.

Ummm...

Judge David Rennie accepted the case had exceptional circumstances and imposed a two-year suspended prison sentence, with 300 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation sessions with the Positive Futures Programme.

Oh, yes! I remember this case now.

But last week, Bassett, now 22, appeared back before the judge at Hove Crown Court after failing to attend the unpaid work days.

Andrew Stephens, prosecuting, said Bassett has only completed 37 hours of unpaid work in the past year, leaving 263 hours outstanding. He said the probation have had no contact with him since April, and believed all options had been exhausted.

Except one, of course. But heaven forfend the judge actually does what he's put in place to do!

Judge Rennie invited a tearful Bassett into the witness box to explain why he should be allowed to continue with unpaid work, despite being brought before the courts for breaches in November and February, and most recently in April.

He didn't even bother with any inventive excuse. Why should he, after all?

Bassett, formerly of Hailsham, said: “I messed up, I know I have messed up badly. All I can do is apologise.”

He knew it wasn't worth the effort.

Judge Rennie said: “If we meet again, you will be sending yourself to prison.”

He'll have to. You clearly won't!

Compare And Contrast. Again.

Appalling cruelty resulting in a 10 year ban on keeping animals:

A dog owner has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years after he tried to kill a terrier by shooting it four times in the head with an air rifle before dumping the animal in a bush.

Microchip details revealed Hancock's former partner owned the dog and an RSPCA investigation found Hancock, from Hedge End, brutally attacked the dog and dumped him.

He was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal following a trial and banned from keeping pets for 10 years, ordered to carry out 200 hours community service and pay £1,621 in costs.

Appalling cruelty resulting in....wait, what?

Paul Oliver was handed a 16-week suspended jail term for allowing his hounds to kill four cubs, causing their “painful, terrifying” deaths.

However, Oliver, who was master of the now-disbanded South Herefordshire Hunt, was not barred from keeping animals because he would have lost his job at a stud yard.

District Judge Joanna Dickens also imposed a 12-week suspended sentence on Hannah Rose, the hunt’s kennel maid. 

Explaining her reasons for not banning the couple from keeping animals, she added: “I think the chance of any reoccurrence is minimal.

“I also take into account that to disqualify them from being in control of animals would cause them to lose their current employment and any hope of future work, as this is their livelihood.”

Those are what we call 'consequences', judge. Aren't they?

"No More Broadband, Thanks, I'm Full!"

They must be hungry for success!

H/T: Dave Ward via email

I'm Sensing A Flaw In Your Design...

Thank goodness the designer didn't go into zoo work!

Sunday Funnies...

Celebrities! Is there nothing they can't do?

In Which I'm Forced To Agree With Piers Morgan...

Councillor Andrew Gordon, who represents Lee Chapel North on Basildon Council, took to Twitter to condemn the Good Morning Britain host’s “toxic views”.

About immigration? Racism? Jeremy Clarkson?

The controversial GCSE question asked: “There are 84 calories in 100g of banana. There are 87 calories in 100g of yogurt. Priti has 60g of banana and 150g of yogurt for breakfast. Work out the total number of calories in this breakfast.”

Piers said: “This country is going completely bonkers. We don’t re-write the entire maths paper which has a perfectly reasonable question because somebody may have a trigger moment.

Otherwise - here’s what will happen - with this snowflake generation, you end up with zero questions. You won’t be able to ask any questions about anything because it may trigger somebody and their anxiety - it is nonsense.”

Errr, in other words, like a stopped clock, Morgan is actually right...

What's this idiot's beef, again?

In response Mr Gordon said on Twitter: “My girlfriend had an eating disorder and is unfortunately no longer with us. I had an exam days after she died which asked me to count calories. That question broke me. Piers Morgan if you ever want to be educated on the subject, drop me a line because your views are toxic.

“Unfortunately, I just have to accept there is no real support for people in my shoes. I failed the exam, but oh well.

“That man is so dangerous, he is pushing a narrative that is dangerous and Good Morning Britain just sits back and allows him to shout over everyone who disagrees.

“There is absolutely nothing to gain from exposing someone to such a question. Compassion costs us nothing.”

This isn't 'compassion', any more than coddling a child in cotton wool is 'compassion'. Sooner or later, they have to contend with life, and the realisation that it isn't run to their own personal wishes and desires. They have to learn to cope.

How can anyone elect someone who advertises to the world that he can't?

Another BabySeal™ Bites The Dust...

Ginario Da Costa, Edson's father, said: "Edir's passing has left a huge hole in our lives. Seeing him with his little boy made me so proud, but now his son will have to grow up without his father.

"Losing Edir has broken my heart. We will forever feel that if things had been done differently his life may have been saved."

He added that hearing details of the last moments of Edson's life had been extremely traumatic for the family and something they would never forget.

"We cannot help but wonder whether Edir would still be here had the police identified the risk of Edir choking earlier and taken steps to help him," Mr Da Costa said.

Did the poor man have a medical condition? Was he brutally restrained in a dangerous and illegal fashion?

Well...no.

Cmdr Musker said: "The inquest heard evidence that Mr Da Costa had chosen to swallow 88 wraps of controlled drugs wrapped in a plastic bag in the course of being stopped to avoid detection by police.

"This was not immediately apparent to the officers involved. It is clear that swallowing drugs is a lethally dangerous thing to do."

Well, it's apparent to everyone except the family of this waste of oxygen.

And to the usual suspects, who see yet another campaign slip through their fingers:

Edson is one of five young black men who died within a six-month period following police restraints, according to the charity Inquest. It slammed the tactics the officers and Met's legal teams employed during Edson's inquest.

Deborah Coles, Inquest's director, said she believed "a hostile environment was created through the defensive and combative tactics of police lawyers, who sought to narrow lines of inquiry and divert attention away from the circumstances that resulted in Edir's death.

"This adversarial approach must not be tolerated as it fundamentally undermines the ability of an inquest to seek the truth."

Translation: "Waaah! S'not fair! How dare you not just roll over and let us excoriate you for doing your job (for once)!"

Susie Labinjoh, head of civil liberties at Hodge & Allen, representing the family, said the inquest highlighted concerns about how police respond to people suspected of placing drugs in their mouths.

"A great deal needs to be done, both with officers on the street and those in the control room, to ensure tragedies like this do not happen again," she added.

What 'tragedy'..?

I Feel Most Sorry For The Mice...

The mum of a 15-month old baby who has been in and out of hospital has slammed her housing association for forcing them to live in a house infested with mice.

Brooke Keen, 24, has taken her daughter Desire to A&E about six times in the last seven months with sickness and diarrhoea.

Brooke believes her daughter’s condition is linked to the mouse problem in her flat on Waters Road, which is run by Phoenix Housing Association.

...it can't be nice having to live with chavs, the poor little things.

The mum-of-two, who has lived in the flat for five years, told News Shopper: “I used to love my house, but now I don’t want to live there. I don’t even want any of my stuff because of the mice.”

Despite pleas to Phoenix to be moved out of the house, the housing association has not placed her in a new property – instead using temporary measures to try and get rid of the pests.

She claims the problems have continued despite traps and poison being laid, and despite Brooke's attempts to clean and ventilate the flat.

The pictures in the paper don't show a lot of cleaning, it has to be said...

Brooke, who has a history of depression, believes the ordeal has taken a toll on her own mental and physical health.

Of course she does. How better to get the move she wants than to try the old excuses?

In March, Brooke moved back in with her mum, Carina Keen, in Thornton Heath.

So she hasn't been living there for the last three months after all?

“I’ve seen how it affects her. I watch her washing her hands all the time, like she’s paranoid," Carina told News Shopper. “She should be happy in her own home. Your home is a place you should feel safe. She shouldn’t have to keep running back to me."

She shouldn't expect to sponge off the taxpayer forever either, yet here we are...

Never Say Never, Kim...

Kim Leadbeater is extremely angry. This Sunday marks the third anniversary of the murder of her older sister, the Labour MP Jo Cox.

Oh, it's that time again? Let the griefwhoring begin! Mind you don't step on the toes of the Grenfell Tower mob, love...

‘This week, with the anniversary, is always difficult but then every day is difficult. The sadness and sorrow never disappear. I still haven’t processed what happened properly. We’re very lucky that that individual who killed Jo will never be out of prison.’

Hmmmm, really?

What assurances has the Cox family received that they can confidently say this, I wonder? Because with the parole board, it seems anything can be excused:

The panel said it had found McGreavy had “developed self-control”, and took “full responsibility” for his crimes. It also said he had a “considerable understanding of the problems he has had and what caused them”.

The problems 'he has had'. Not those he caused. So why won't the same apply to Cox's killer some time down the line?

But never mind, there's virtue signalling to be done:

‘Our politics feels bitterly divided. Brexiteers are labelled fascists, Remainers called traitors, people who disagree with us are “The Enemy”... it’s a total mess.’

The statistics seem to back her up. In the short period since Jo was killed, the number of people charged with sending malicious messages has risen by 38 per cent, and the number of death threats reported to the police has risen by 70 per cent in two years.

‘The people I have spoken to are struggling to pinpoint why this is happening, but what I’m clear on is that we need to fix it,’ she says.

It's happening because finally, the public have woken up to what a shower of shits they've elected. 

What A Load Of Caltrops!

Security pins left "lying around" the floor of a Merseyside superstore are a danger to life and limb, said concerned shoppers.

The potential dangers were highlighted by thalidomide survivor Kevin Donnellon and former Sefton councillor Ralph James, who likened them to "lo-tech anti-personnel devices".

The tags are standard in most clothing stores. However, it was the potential for injury from them being left "pin upwards" on the floor of the Tesco Litherland superstore that concerned campaigners.

Health and safety first!

Kevin Donnellon, 57, is a dad-of-two and thalidomide survivor from Crosby who uses a powered wheelchair.

He said: "I'm always on the lookout for the pins. They're lethal. It's not just the odd one, there's loads.

"As you can see, they are extremely long and sharp and must have presented, during the many years they have been in use, a severe danger to anyone stepping on them such as young children, guide dogs and could easily deflate tyres in wheelchairs or prams."

So how many guide dogs have been injured? How many kiddiewinks punctured? How many wheelchairs put out of action?

Ralph James, 65, a former Sefton councillor from Bootle, said he had picked up "dozens" of the security tags on his visits to the store.

He said: "It's an inherently unsafe design. They bounce out of the box staff throw them in and end up lying all over the floor of the exit aisle at a 45-degree angle.

"There's a danger they could cause sepsis if they were stepped on and caused a puncture wound.

"I want to prevent somebody suffering injury or possibly death as a result of some sort of infection setting in."

Hmmm. I'm starting to think the answer's 'None'. Despite them being around 'for years', according to the complainants...

A Tesco spokesperson said: "These security tags are the standard type used in clothing stores across the UK.

"Unfortunately these particular tags seem to have been misplaced and so we will remind our colleagues of the correct way they should be disposed so they are not found on the floor."

Is that fancy business PR speak for 'Oh, go away & get a life!'...?

This Poor Kid Has No Chance At Life, Has It?

Natasha Tourmentin, 24, told News Shopper her four-year-old son Leo was violently sick after taking a single bite of the burger, which she believes contained traces of cheese.

Leo is severely allergic to eggs, milk and nuts, which means Miss Tourmentin has to take extra care over what he eats.

Except when she's buying him fast food, I guess.

Last month, when Leo was in hospital for an allergy test, Miss Tourmentin bought him a burger.

“He was just refusing to eat anything. He only wanted McDonald’s.”

Let him go hungry. It always worked when my mother tried it (albeit there weren't many McDonalds around back then)!

The mum, who is studying beauty at Bromley College, went to the Lewisham branch of McDonald’s and explained his cheese allergy to staff.

“I even checked the allergen book in there. They gave me a plain burger with ketchup and gherkins, which he can eat, so I gave that to him.”

You clearly didn't check the allergen book very well, then. It states that they can't guarantee there's no cross-contamination.

After Leo’s extended stay in hospital following the reaction, Miss Tourmentin complained to McDonald’s – but had to wait a long time for a response.

“I called into the branch when it first happened and he was still in hospital and they said they would investigate it. It took them over two weeks to respond and it was such a half-hearted apology. They gave me £20 worth of vouchers.

“It’s not good enough. It could have cost somebody’s life,” Miss Tourmentin said.

You complained about their food 'nearly killing' your child, they gave you vouchers to buy more of it, and you're complaining it's not enough?

When Is An Expert Witness Not An Expert Witness...?

Well, there's a question indeed! A fellow blogger brings me this little gem (pun intended):

Between May 2011 and February 2015, more than 70 victims - mainly vulnerable pensioners - were conned into investing into one of five companies which invested in the diamond and carbon credit industries.

In total, they lost £3.5million and today at Southwark Crown Court eight defendants walked free from court after a judge was forced to deliver not guilty verdicts on multiple fraud charges.

Well, fraud cases are notoriously hard to prosec...

Wait a minute!

The case collapsed following “chaotic” disclosure failures and after the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) key witness, Andrew Ager was discredited as “wholly misleading”.

Oh dear. Well, expert witnesses are often too obscure in their field yo convince a j...

Wait a minute!

Mr Ager, the CPS’s expert witness on the carbon credit trading market, admitted that he had no academic qualifications, had received no training nor had he attended any course on the carbon credit trade.

He said that could not remember if he had passed any A-levels and that he had never read the only book published on what was supposed to be his area of expertise.

Instead, he claimed that he had learned “from his environment”.

Ha ha ha ha ha!

Never mind, CPS, it's only taxpayer's money. And it's not like you'll be on the hook for it, is it?

Who Could Have Predicted This?

Apart from 'anyone with any sense', that is:

Teen knife killer Jordan Jobson has once again ruined her chance of freedom by failing to behave during a spell out of prison. Samantha Madgin's murderer had been due to come before a parole board next month, and was being held in a low security 'open' prison in preparation for when she gets out.

But ChronicleLive understands she has now been returned to a closed jail after failing to comply with conditions when she was allowed out on day release.

The #pussypass has been working overtime on this one:

She was originally handed a minimum jail term of 15 years.

But after two separate appeals that was reduced to 11.

Perhaps she should have gone for another, they might have given her some cash out of the poor box too...

Bench Wars!

Two more gangsta rap fans are demanding their town commemorate their hip hop hero.

Oh, the floodgates are now open!

The fans, who gave their names as Neil Whitemore, 40, Graham Staines, 37, want a plaque in Lancing in memory of rapper Tupac Shakur.

It comes after a bench in honour of fellow gangsta rap star Eazy-E was installed in Newhaven, following a £1,500 fundraiser.

Well, lads, there's your target. How are you doing?

So far, the Lancing pair have raised £20 for a small plaque to be fixed to an existing bench in Monks Recreation Ground.

LOL!

Mr Staines said: “Tupac was taken from us too soon over 5,000 miles away in Las Vegas.

“When he died, a little bit of Lancing died too.

“The one in Newhaven is too shiny and new and doesn’t represent the struggle of a young African American male in the late 1980s and early 1990s.”

I'm sensing...parody, here. Is it just me?

He was murdered in 1996, aged 25, amid the notorious East Coast/West Coast hip hop rivalry.

The Lancing fans are hoping to avoid reigniting similar tensions between their town, in West sussex, and Newhaven, in East Sussex.

Mr Whitemore said: “Music is something that keeps us together, but in other cases, it actually divides us.

“I just hope Newhaven and Lancing can get along, I mean, no blood has to be spilled over this.”

Yup! Thought so. Cunning wheeze, lads.

A Lancing Parish council spokeswoman, who “actually has heard of Tupac” but “doesn’t know how”, believes the campaign will be rejected.

Well, it's been more amusing than most stuff in the local rag...

Those Damned Far Right White... Oh!

The courts are failing to properly deal with a "growing trend" in Islamophobia, said the head of the city's Muslim Welfare Association after a man called takeaway staff "paedophiles" during a drunken tirade.

Some skinhead I bet, pasty-white, covered in tattoos and...

Mohammed Iqbal, also general secretary of the Tallow Hill mosque, said Ravdeep Nangle's case was an example of hate crime which needs "harsher punishment".

Oops!

Nangle also challenged one Shakeeys employee to fight him outside due to his religion – all just weeks after being released from prison for crashing head-on into a taxi while drunk.

Shafquat Reaz, prosecutor, said the row had started because “they were all Muslim” while the defendant is a Sikh.

Well, goodness!

H/T: anon via email

They Gave The Wrong Bitch The Needle...

Emma Butler, who has 38 previous convictions for 78 offences, was ordered to keep her bitch muzzled after it previously attacked a cop who was searching her home back in 2015.

Butler denied police orders, however, when she took the six-year-old dog to a One Stop shop on Hillside Road, Huyton, without its mouth gear on March 1, Liverpool Echo reports.

I think that's 'defied' police orders. And 'mouth gear'?

Are they getting stories edited by people with English as a second language now in Scousetown?

The victim, two-years-old, bent down to pet the dog while her mother shopped at the store, Liverpool Crown Court heard. It was at this point that the dog went for the child, biting her face and leaving her left cheek scarred.

Who, apart from the idiot owner and the mother who wasn't watching her child, is responsible for this?

Butler received a suspended sentence for the dog’s first attack on the police officer and the court heard that she had a history of breaching court orders.

So they just piled more on and hoped for the best?

Cheryl Mottram, defending, said: "She is quite frankly devastated by the incident and the fact that a young child has been injured in this way and that it will have an ongoing effect on the young child and her nervousness around animals particularly dogs.

"As an animal lover, she feels deeply sorry for that impact."

If she was a genuine animal lover, why wouldn't she ensure that her 'pet' wasn't in a position to harm anyone and so sign its own death warrant?

Mottram urged the judge to impose a suspended sentence, because of the harmful effect Butler being jailed would have on her children.

Her request was denied however, as the judge said he had to balance Butler's interests again the seriousness of the incident.

Butler was jailed for 15 months and her dog will be destroyed.

I'm inclined to think that sentence is the wrong way round...

Musical Interlude...

Let's all sing along!

 

He's not wrong, is he?

"Hey, 'Argus' Editor, Should We Stick A Headline On This Story?"

"Nah, it's good. Most of our 'readers' can't read anyway..."

I'm Not Entirely Sure What Flowers Have To Do With It....

...can you enlighten us, 'Mail' editor?

Sunday Funnies...

Well, I only own two of these products, so I'm good...

It's About Time. Again...

Last Wednesday, we reported how a grieving teenager was charged with ‘causing a public nuisance’ after standing on a ledge over the M602 and threatening to jump, declaring that her life ‘isn’t worth living’.

The 18-year-old, who had just lost her mum and had been self-harming, was berated by magistrates for causing ‘a massive inconvenience’ after her desperate actions closed the road for 20 minutes.

Well, yes. And so they should. Why is the newspaper taking out an onion for this nuisance, instead of the emergency services and innocent members of the public?

Her story prompted outrage from mental health campaigners and M.E.N. readers alike.

So, the usual suspects. *rolls eyes*

Yet within days, another troublingly similar case has come to light, in which a 27-year-old woman - who had disappeared from the Meadowbrook psychiatric unit in Salford after a row over her medication - wandered out into traffic on the same motorway earlier this year.

Police charged her with the rarely-used offence of being ‘excluded traffic’ on a motorway. This morning she was convicted of exactly that, before being taken back to the same unit.

The court heard, in her defence, that while she had 'caused cars using the motorway to slow down', she hadn't put anyone else in danger.

Which is bollocks. Any time you force vehicles to slow down on a motorway, you are indeed putting them and other vehicles at harm. No wonder the court convicted her.

Note that she wasn't sent to prison, just back to the mental health ward.

Stuart Lucas, of the charity’s Manchester branch, said: “Whilst we understand that the police are sometimes placed in stressful situations, a person who is obviously struggling with aspects of their mental health should be treated with understanding, patience and dignity, and not criminalised."

How much patience, Stuart? Because what the Manchester Evening News only mentions in passing (and clearly their thick as mince readers missed) is that both of these are repeat offenders.

In each of the two cases, the vulnerable women in question had repeatedly been discovered by officers in a similar part of the M602.

Yet rather than that being taken as a sign of the severity of their mental health crises, they were prosecuted.

People serious about killing themselves just do it. People whose 'mental health issues' manifest as attention-seeking don't. And these people need to realise there are consequences.

Hurrah For Science!

About 350,000 tonnes are caught every year and served in restaurants from Spain to Chile and from Mexico to Australia. But many octopus fisheries are reported to be in decline, and fish farmers have turned to rearing of octopuses to try to replace these dwindling catches. Wild-caught males and females would be allowed to mate, and their fertile eggs would be grown in containers into adults to be sold to markets round the globe.

These efforts have foundered, however, because octopus larvae eat only live food – which has made feeding them difficult and expensive. Keeping young animals in water whose salinity and temperature are carefully controlled has also proved tricky.

Oh, dear, This looks insurmountable.

These drawbacks have prevented octopus farms from making progress – until recently. Aquaculturists have learned that the young of some octopus species are less fussy about the food they eat and have used these species as basic stock for breeding. There have also been advances in controlling the environments in which octopuses will be raised.

As a result, several companies have said they will soon be ready to sell farmed octopuses. The Japanese seafood company Nissui is one has reported hatching octopus eggs in captivity and has predicted it will be selling market-ready octopuses next year.

Hurrah! The appliance of science is wonderful, isn't it?

But wait. There's always a fly in the ointment somewhere:

...the case for octopus farming is weak, according to Jacquet and her co-authors. The main markets for the animals – the US, Europe, Japan and China – are areas where people are already well-fed.

Octopuses are delicacies and do not deserve to be the focus of intensive farming.

What the hell has 'deserving' got to do with it?

Man's ingenuity has - once again - provided the opportunity for a once-scarce resource to go from a delicacy to an affordable food. Just as it did with salmon and oysters. Who could object?

At present, these farms are still at the development stage, said Peter Godfrey-Smith of Sydney University, a contributor to the paper.

“That means campaigners and activists don’t have products or outlets to target. But when universities and research institutions consider supporting these projects – and that is beginning to happen now – it will make sense to object. Why should research money be used to support a project that will inevitably have so many welfare and environmental problems once it is scaled up?”

Ah. Of course. Progressives. Which, these days, is defined as 'people who want mankind to never, ever progress.

Home Furnishings You Didn't Know You Needed...

A group of homeless people who call themselves a ‘family’ have set up camp at a Plymouth park.

Around a dozen homeless people arrived at Millbay Park earlier this week, and we went to meet them. Several tents, a black leather sofa, and even a stop/go sign have been used to make the place feel homely.

A what..?

Oh....

Because After Two Years Have Elapsed, He'll Be Different?

Wanless was banned from keeping animals for two years after pleading guilty to causing alarm or distress to another member of the public and entering an area he was not allowed in.

Because he's clearly no stranger to the court...

Wanless, from Walton, appeared at Staines Magistrates’ Court on 21 May where he was handed a 16-week sentence, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work over the next 12 months and forced to pay victim surcharge of £115 and costs of £85.

From his well-paying job, perhaps?

Clearly, Not Concerned Enough To Do His Job....

Stephen Harris, defending, said his client was “shocked and embarrassed by his behaviour” and “apologetic”.

He said Jupp has struggled with anxiety and depression, and had lost his medication which did not help with his erratic behaviour.

Mr Harris asked magistrates to impose unpaid work and a community order for the offences.

What, seriously? You've got to be kidding!

Magistrate Chris Bell said he was concerned by Jupp’s previous attacks on police officers.

Well, of course! So you sentenced him to a long sp...

Oh, Of course not.

He ordered Jupp to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and 25 rehabilitation sessions.

Jupp must also pay £90 compensation to Mr Newman and £200 to Sussex Police.

He must also pay a £190 fine and £200 court costs, which will be added to the £725 he already owes the court.

Who thinks the court and these people will ever see a single penny?

Anyone? Bueller?

Third World Borough, Third Rate Council...

The review into a restaurant that repeatedly hired illegal workers has been delayed...

Oh..?

...because of the possibility of it having traded for years without a licence.

/facepalm

Police asked Kingston Council to revoke the licence that allows Lal Akash in New Malden to sell alcohol and serve food until late at night, after they visited three times with immigration officials in the last five years.

On each occasion, the first in 2015 and the most recent in February this year, they found staff without legal permission to work in the UK – a total of five across the three visits.

Home Office records show that some of the workers were being paid cash in hand, and were living upstairs in return for a few hours of work several days a week.

At least one of them, at the most recent visit, was in the country illegally.

Only one!?

The High Street restaurant owner, Jomirul Hoque, went to the Guildhall on May 1 for councillors to decide whether or not to revoke his licence.

But the meeting had to be postponed because Mr Hoque might not in fact be the licence holder for Lal Akash – the council cannot find any record of his application form.

He bought the business in 2001, and his name appears on a licence in 2007, but council staff could not work out whether proper procedures had been followed.

That's the highly trained and businesslike local public services we've come to expect!

The meeting was adjourned for two weeks while staff search their files – there were a lot of changes to the rules and the way the council kept its records in the mid-1990s – and they promised a full audit of all licences from this period, to ensure the confusion does not happen again.

Yes, they are always going to be 'learning those lessons', aren't they?

"No! We Don't Want Responsibility!"

More than 120 schools today back a pledge to ban ‘corrosive’ mobile phones.

In an open letter, dozens of headteachers say every school should implement a ‘phone-free’ policy to end the ‘disruptive’ influence of the devices.

Well, what's stopping them? If they want to, they can.

The letter, organised by the think-tank Onward, has been signed by 30 school executives and heads who run some of the best-performing schools in England – including academies ranked in the country’s top ten.

See? Just follow the example set by these schools.

Or...don't. It is, after all, their choice.

In a challenge to other schools, the headteachers argue that phones can be ‘corrosive to otherwise calm and structured learning environments’.

They say: ‘A firm policy against their use is the best way for schools to maintain order in the face of the disruption that mobile phones can cause.’

Maybe those other schools feel their time and money is best spent on other approaches? I repeat: it's their choice.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds has backed a ban but stopped short of bringing in nationwide rules, insisting that headteachers must decide their own policies.

Quite right.

What's the matter, people - aren't you supposed to teach responsibility and judgement, rather than slavish acquiescence to rules?

"Respect Ma Authoriteh!"

Police are investigating claims school pupils...

Stole from local shops? Dealt drugs in the playground? Planned a school massacre?

...set up a malicious social media account to harass their teachers.

*blinks*

“Some posts suggested inappropriate behaviour from teachers, while others were poking fun at the authoritative nature of others.

“The school has taken the view that this is a personal attack on the school and its staff.

“The school has contacted safeguarding authorities and union representatives to determine a course of action.

“The school was advised to contact the police and pursue the creators for hate crimes.

“These so-called memes, for a lot of young people, are like the equivalent to newspaper comic strips which are notorious for spitting in the face of authority.”

Hey, maybe the kids are alright after all! Such unbelievable pomposity needs pricking!

Anyone with information should call police on 101.

King Edmund School declined the chance to comment.

Heh! I'll just bet they did...

Facepalm Moment....

Diverse authors and storylines are not just necessary for ethnic minorities to relate to: they also discourage stereotypes in society of these marginalised groups.

Do they really? Let's see...

Last month, sociological researcher and Soas teaching fellow, Emma Dabiri, released her debut book Don’t Touch My Hair with Penguin.

In this pioneering work, the Irish-Nigerian speaks not only of her experience with her natural hair and wearing it out in Ireland, but also the intricate history of black hair.

Ah. Next up: 'Watermelons And Fried Chicken: My Story'.

'Animalistic', Eh...?

The best friend of a pregnant woman who was allegedly stamped on by a group of students during a horrific attack says she is disgusted that the case has been closed by police.

Harris Girls’ Academy Bromley apologised yesterday after the woman accused students of repeatedly stamping on her after she intervened to stop a young girl from being bullied.

The victim, 19, who is three months pregnant, was left fearing for her baby’s life after the attack outside Penge Sainsbury’s on May 13 at around 5pm.

Hmmm. Doesn't sound like the behaviour you'd expect from their publicity material:

The school is also an Ofsted 'success story:

Harris Girls’ Academy Bromley received a glowing “outstanding” rating following an inspection visit last November.

So how to square this circle? And how can the case be closed by police?

A police spokesman has told News Shopper that the case is now closed. This is despite a 13-year-old girl being arrested.

The statement read: "Police were called at 16:55hrs on Monday, 13 May to reports of a fight on High Street in Penge.

"Officers attended. A 19-year-old woman is reported to have been assaulted by a group of teenage girls when she intervened upon seeing them surrounding another teenager.

"A 13-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of assault and taken to a south London police station.

"The victim was conveyed to hospital where she received treatment for minor injuries before being discharged.

"The case has since been closed due to a lack of evidence."

There's no CCTV? Really? In Penge High Street?

And When You Still Don't Get The Viewers?

David Baddiel and Frank Skinner’s football song Three Lions has been rewritten as a feminist anthem to cheer on England’s women team in next month’s World Cup.

It'll take more than that to make it popular...

The theme of the reworked tune swaps low expectations about the England men’s team with sexist attitudes about women’s football in general.

The lines “That England’s going to throw it away, gonna blow it away” are replaced with “That we don’t have the skill in their eyes. Well we’re tired of the lies”.

And “All those ‘well done girls’” replaces “oh-so-nears” as the source of wearing down England supporters.

It's the supporters you need onside. Preaching at them isn't going to do it, even if it's set to a catchy beat.

Fancy That, A School That Demands High Standards!

Parents have reacted to the news that a previously outstanding school has been branded inadequate after inspectors raised serious concerns over pupil safety.

The King John School, in Thundersley, was criticised by Ofsted inspectors for not keeping the most vulnerable pupils safe or following the legal rules designed to protect them.

Hmmm, what's the problem, exactly?

Details of exactly how the school and the Zenith Multi Academy Trust which runs it, failed to protect vulnerable children were requested by the Echo, but both refused to respond.

A mystery! But wait...

Lisa Read said: "Bullying is not ‘rare’. The school need to open their eyes on all matters.

"It’s not just about achieving above average.

"The school is far too channelled into the academic results and ignore children’s wellbeing and safety."

Wait, isn't that exactly what a school should be concerning itself with?

Mary Wheeler added: "It’s a great school. They just seem to be failing those with more complex social needs.

"Safeguarding is deemed inadequate as kids haven’t been educated enough on county lines, drug dealings and gangs. This will be rectified sharpish I can assure you."

Ah. Silly me. It's not. They should be more concerned with pushing whatever agenda takes the fancy of the DoE on any given day.

Ofsted inspectors acknowledged that the quality of teaching is high, and outcomes for pupils are good, particularly at the sixth form, while the curriculum was also praised.

Seems as if this school is doing exactly what it should be praised for, not condemned.

"Should We Hire This Ex-Daily Mail Guy For The Advertising Section, Boss?"

"Sure, what's the worst he could do...?"

H/T: Dave Ward via email

Only In Liverpool...

...would you get a story like this!

Sunday Funnies....

Ugh, I'm regretting reading No 4 now..!

You Might As Well Give In, You've Already Lost...

Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson is crying. The headteacher at Anderton Park primary school in Birmingham has suffered eight weeks of protests outside her school gates over her decision to teach LGBT-inclusive content to her young pupils, the vast majority of whom are Muslim.

After repeatedly putting on a brave face when I ask her how she is feeling, she finally admits: “I am in despair”, and then breaks down. She is struggling for control as she continues:

“I know one of the phrases that’s associated with domestic abuse is the crushing of the spirit of a woman. And that’s what I feel is happening. We can’t give in.”

Really? You're a woman of your convictions, then? Pity the same can't be said about your backers...

The local Labour MP, Roger Godsiff, says that...“It was wrong of the government to give headteachers the power to decide what LGBT content to teach children at different ages, he says.

“I think that the government guidance should have been more prescriptive as to when the different elements of the Equality Act were appropriate, in the government’s opinion, to be taught to children. Governments are elected, people have recourse to hold their politicians to account. Headteachers have had this burden put on them, and in some cases are going to end up in the situation Anderton Park is in.”

He blames the academies system. “If schools were still maintained by local councils, in a situation like this Birmingham council could have put down a programme about how the elected representatives of the council believe the protected characteristics of the Equality Act should be taught. And then headteachers could have said: ‘we’re doing what we’ve been told to do.’”

There speaks someone who has no courage, no convictions. "Big boys did it and ran away" "We were only obeying orders!"

What about fellow MP Jess Phillips?

“People have been too scared to stand up to this protest, including the Department for Education,” says Phillips.

...

She is deeply concerned that the protests will spread to other schools and bring in other faiths. “If we allow the protests at Anderton Park Road to change the way we teach in British schools and create a two-tier teaching system, where kids in white neighbourhoods can have all the equalities and kids in Asian neighbourhoods have to have things kept in the dark, they win.”

"We can't let this happen, or we'll lost control, and that will never do!"

But back to Hewitt-Clarkson:

The government is shifting the responsibility for LGBT content – including the highly sensitive question of whether any LGBT content is “age appropriate” for primary school pupils – from politicians on to the shoulders of individual headteachers, she says.

“I’ve had eight weeks of protests as a result. It’s just unforgivable.”

While she is trying to deal with the protests and run a school, policymakers are “sitting in their offices in Whitehall looking at the Thames”: “They’re not working out how we’re going to sort out our deficit budget, our Sats results, all that stuff I’m doing in my job as headteacher. It’s not OK to write policies in Whitehall that affect me in Birmingham so badly.”

When they write policies you agree with, I bet you're all for it.

That's why these protests are a warning sign. It's because you're weak. And they know it.