Tweet Of The Month

An unfortunate failure to note whose account you're conversing with:

And who'd like to be a fly on the wall for this conversation? 

 

Post Title Of The Month

David Thompson and Laurie Penny, who could ask for more?

 

Quote Of The Month

DumbJon on Culture Wars:

"Confidence in scientific advice is collapsing for some reason. We're just lucky that there are no big issues requiring scientific input in this country right now.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, normal people are starting to wonder if there's some kind of connection between the bias in Academia and the terrible quality of its output.

Consider our nation's (apparent) modeler in chief, Neil Ferguson. Looking at his track record, I'm not sure he could predict an uptick in the death rate for members of the avian community in December. More to the point though, his track record is not just bad, it's consistently bad. Basically, he's doing science, but not the sort you can use to predict things or where you need to update your theories if reality keeps letting you down.

You know, that type of science."

Post Of The Month

Longrider points out someone pointing out the obvious...

Aren't You Forgetting The Damage To The Innocent..?

The film-maker Vanessa Engle calls it “vagina snap”: female-centred fluff that meets diversity targets, but is not the sort of documentary commissioners boast about, and certainly is not about to enter for awards submissions.

But don't they have their own awards for this sort of stuff anyway? 

...she has just found out that her 2019 film The $50 Million Art Swindle has been nominated for a Grierson award, the highest accolade in documentary film-making. This will be her eighth nomination, and yet Engle, who is 57, has never won a Grierson, or a Bafta for that matter.

“I will let you be the judge of whether it is right to be up for it eight times and never win it,” Engle observes.

So if I enter the London Marathon eight times (and never finish) they have to give me the medal? Cool! 

Why is this person getting a puff piece in the progressive press? Well, she's made a documentary about the effect of the disastrous Carl Beech case, and the effect it had on the victims.

No. Not those victims... 

When BBC Two approached Engle to make the film, she debated whether to say yes, fearful that publicising Beech’s lies more widely would cause people to feel sceptical when future survivors come forward with allegations of abuse.

“I didn’t want to tell the story of a liar at the expense of genuine victims of child sexual abuse,” she explains.

But she decided to go for it, first, to show the damage Beech had done to legitimate victim-survivors who might now struggle to have their stories taken seriously.

I think I see why you've not won anything. Try tweaking your moral compass a bit... 

And I Thought The Traditional British Silly Season Wouldn't Happen This Year...

...I should have known our wackademics had more fortitude than that! 

The Only Radar They Should Be On Is Targeting Radar...

 

Just how desperate for 'news' must you be to have this as a headline?

The role of a social media influencer used to sound like a made up job.

Wrong tense, I fear... 

Sunday Funnies...

Another great showing for the home country here!

Thank God Kevin Maxwell Is A Former Detective...

If you’re black in Britain, you’re nine times more likely to be stopped and searched for drugs, three times more likely to be arrested, four times more likely to be Tasered in London, or detained under the Mental Health Act, and twice as likely to die in police custody. More than half the people in young offender institutions are black or brown.

And he appears to believe that this is down to, you guessed it, 'racism'. Not their own actions. 

How should the police change?

Why should the police change? Isn't that a more important question? 

The first and easiest step is by admitting that systemic racism exists.

And that it's all on one side, and one side only, Kev ol' pal...? 

Twenty years after the report into Stephen Lawrence’s murder, the Met commissioner says the force is no longer institutionally racist, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. When wrongdoing is shown, it means accepting it publicly and doing something about it.

Except when you're black. Then you'll be excused anything.  

They Come To Conquer, Not To Co-exist...

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

About Time The Police Bared Their Teeth...

Ken Hinds has launched a legal challenge against the Metropolitan police after the force told him he was not qualified to call a demonstration under coronavirus health protection regulations because he was not “a business, a charitable, benevolent or philanthropic institution, a public body, or a political body. What this means is that you are encouraging anyone attending to commit an offence contrary to [Health Protection] regulations 5 and 8,” said a trainee commander in an email to Hinds last Thursday.

So what was his planned demo about? Well, you'll never guess... 

Hinds is one of a number of campaigners who had called for people to gather in Notting Hill on Sunday, the first day of the west London district’s eponymous carnival, which is cancelled this year.

“It is to tackle systemic racism – institutional racism – and it’s simply to address that, because all too often we are having inquiries and commissions that are saying the same thing but are seldom followed through … there is no change,” Hinds said.

“But what we are trying to say here is that this time it’s different. For the first time we’ve got a significant amount of white people supporting a black cause and joining up and calling for change. That’s a beautiful spirit.”

But the sort of white people that are supporting this wretched 'cause' aren't really saying anything the vast majority feel like listening to either, Ken ol' chum. 

Update: Predictably, when faced with opposition from activist lawyers, the Met promptly folded like a pack of cards. And so any violence their rank and file officers will now face will be on them.

BAME Vulnerability To Covid19 Still A Mystery...

Will scientists ever get to the bottom of it?

Police were last night forced to close Manchester's Curry Mile for the second time this week as crowds defied the local lockdown to celebrate Afghan Independence Day. Hundreds spilled onto one of the city's busiest streets where they waved flags, set of flares and even danced on car roofs.

Wilmslow Road in Rusholme, known as Curry Mile for its array of South Asian cuisine restaurants, was shut only last week amid similar scenes for Pakistan Independence Day.

Well, thank goodness St George's Day is behind us, eh?

Clap Harder, Citizens!

A fake psychiatrist who worked for the NHS for 22 years despite allegedly not having any qualifications has been charged with 13 fraud offences.

Zholia Alemi, 57, formerly from High Harrington, has been was (sic) charged with the fraud offences following an investigation by detectives in the area's Crime and Safeguarding Team. 

Alemi worked as a locum consultant psychiatrist for the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) between 2014 and 2015, mainly looking after disabled adults and children.

I would say it's beyond belief. But of course, it isn't. It isn't even uncommon. 

"The underlying insinuation...makes for some uncomfortable truths. "

Yes, it does, doesn't it? 

As Ian Wright's outburst shows, the racism runs both ways:

The Arsenal legend said: 'The racism is going through the roof today. Can somebody just answer me this: What does Micah Richards, Alex Scott, Sol Campbell, Clinton Morrison, or any other black pundit have to do with Sky's decision to get rid of these guys?

'All because three middle-aged white guys have got the sack.

'I kiss my teeth, say raasclaat and all that sort of stuff. What have they done? What have these guys done?

'Because a black person or a woman might get the opportunity to do this job. They might get a chance to do this show. Why are people upset?'

Because just as no-one should lose their job because they are black, no-one should lose their job because a corporation wants to employ someone who is black either. 

And it does black people no favours for everyone and his dog to know that that's the sole reason they got the job, does it..?

It's Over, Surrender, Give In...

Roald Dahl fans have slammed Sainsbury's for bowing to pressure and stripping Matilda mugs from their shelves after campaigners claimed it could 'encourage domestic violence'.

Good lord, what does it say? 

The 'offensive' £5.50 mugs carry the phrase, 'a brilliant idea hit her', an adaptation from a sentence in the children's classic, 'the germ of a brilliant idea hit her'.

Err... 

...Roald Dahl fans called on the supermarket to 'resist idiocy' and said no one was going to read the mug and think 'Oh it's fine (to hit you) honey, the mug said so'.

A spokesman for Sainsbury's apologised and said they are 'working with' the Roald Dahl team to remove the mug from sale and review the design.

Which idiots led this charge? Well, idiots like this one:

And this one: 

In other words, rabid feminists with smaller follower lists than the Twitter account for the Upper Bugford Horticultural Society...

Oh, and some fakecharity lobbyists, of course:

Women's Aid has also slammed the mug with Ruth Mason, its Head of Change That Lasts, stating: 'We were dismayed to see the Sainsbury’s design with the slogan.

'This slogan can be read two ways - and that is the problem.

'It can be read as the author Roald Dahl wrote in Matilda: ‘When at last the germ of a brilliant idea hit her'.

'However, it can also be read - as many have noticed and commented on social media - as a trivialisation of the violence that women experience in their own homes.'

Who'd read it like that? Only someone obsessed. 

'The design uses a different font and capital letters for the words ‘hit her’ which further emphasises the ambiguity.

'In addition, the quote is not in full and out of context.

'Perhaps it would be a ‘A brilliant idea’ to change the design and donate to domestic abuse charities instead.'

Ah. A shakedown. So thanks, Sainsbury, you've now made yourselves and everyone else a hostage to fortune by treating this lunatics as if they had a genuine grievance... 

Just Another Day In The Hood...

The accused double killer is facing his fourth retrial for two counts of murder. Ezeoke insists he was on the Grahame Park Estate, Edgware, on the night of the killings at the flat in Elmshurst Crescent, East Finchley.

The estate is said to have been the backdrop of a longstanding feud between a group involved with Ms Ekofo's son Ryan Efey, 22, and another, linked to Ezeoke.

Ah, such enrichment! 

The accused killer was found by police 'left for dead' with a broken eye socket during an altercation on 9 February 2014 connected to the rivalry, it was said.

A 'trophy' photograph which was taken by his attackers and shared widely on the social media platform Snapchat was later allegedly found on the phone of Kaydean Efey, Ryan's older brother.

Lovely! 

Mr Heywood added: 'It really boils down doesn't it to a very small group of people.'

For now, yes. But sadly, Mr Heywood, it's growing. 

Well, The Airline Will Be Happy...

Immigration detainees set to be deported to Europe have gone on hunger strike, the Home Office has said.

After all, they'll be lighter which will save on fuel, and less likely to have the strength to act up to get themselves taken off the plane. 

It's win/win!

Detainee support group Detention Action said it understood two deportation flights bound for France, Germany and Spain are set to go ahead this week.

Under the EU’s Dublin regulation, the UK can deport asylum seekers to the first EU country in which they arrived.

Which is only useful if you also then have a plan to stop them hopping on the first dinghy back to Dover, but still, baby steps...

Of course, the quislings are outraged. And doing their best to drum up sympathy.  

Website Detained Voices published two statements by people claiming to be refugees from war-torn Yemen now participating in the Brook House hunger strike.

One detainee, who claimed they had fled Yemen because they were tortured by rebel Houthi forces, said they would prefer to die in the UK than allow themselves to be deported to Spain.

Why? If you genuinely want to be 'safe from torture', what's wrong with Spain?  

The other detainee said they had come to the UK on a boat from Calais and will now be sent to Germany, where they previously had asylum applications rejected.

Ah. See? They come here because we are seen as a soft touch.  

Detention Action director Bella Sankey said the Home Office should not be deporting detainees to countries with rising coronavirus infection rates.

“These are people who have fled their countries and moved through EU countries to the UK because they feel safe in the UK.”

Thanks to quislings like you, Bella. It's about time the Home Office started to look at charging your organisation with aiding and abetting.  

Strange Coincidences...

Spotted by commenter Northish at this post:  

A man reported missing last week has been found dead.

Rocky Price, 54, from Accrington, had been the subject of a high-risk missing person search by Lancashire Police after he was last seen at 5.30pm on Thursday.

But it's just a name and...

Oh. 

Police had said they were ‘extremely worried’ for Mr Price as he had been ‘suffering from personal problems’. Mr Price, from the travelling community, was found dead in his van around midday on Saturday.

 Hmmm...

Investigations are ongoing, but police are not treating his death as suspicious.

Which must mean suicide. All rather strange. If this were a crime novel, then someone would be looking again at the SODDI* defence the lad used, wouldn't they..?

*Some Other Dude Did It 

It's Not A Factor Of Four Lives Anymore...

...photographs, letters, football shirts, beer cans and even a Pot Noodle were left by the side of the A4 in Derry Hill near Calne, Wiltshire, following the tragic collision yesterday morning.

Lovely! A chavshrine indistinguishable from someone's flytip. What a memorial... 

Retired builder Peter Connolly said 'I'd just nodded off when there was a sound like a bomb going off. It made the whole house rattle and shake. I was sleeping just 4ft from where the car struck the house.'

He said the collision into his property blew out the windows in his home and caused his wristwatch to stop working at the moment of the crash.

That's one hell of an impact. He's lucky that it's only the four idiots dead and not him or his wife, or any other innocent road users. 

Parish council vice-chairman Jim Cook said the speed limits were 'really not conducive to safe driving' because they suddenly went from 60mph to 40mph as motorists entered the village.

At the crash site, Mr Cook said it was a 'terrible tragedy' but that 'speed is such a factor of our lives these days'.

It's not a factor of mine. That's why I'm here typing this. And not in the mortuary. 

"Can I Get A Vowel, Please, Carol?"

Vahideh Hojatoleslami, 28, allegedly struck Oluwakemi Tayo after he kicked her fiancé out of the VIP area of Loft Studio in Willesden, north-west London.

Are we not enriched? 

The trial ran out of time and resumes on August 20.

There's time limits now? When did the process of justice become 'Beat The Clock'..? 

Update: It resumed, and....guess what?

Spellcheck Won't Save You This Time...

 

Oh dear!

When Sentence Construction Matters...

...because surely even Sussex Police can find a storM!

H/T:  The Jannie via email

Sunday Funnies...

Good to see the UK in No 1 position!

There's Only One Real Answer To This, Isn't There?

After working with international feminist organisations for more than a decade, I can attest that racism is prevalent in the sector. White women occupy the majority of leadership and decision-making roles. Black and brown colleagues are subjected to microaggressions and toxicities, ranging from awkward to harmful. This should be unacceptable in any workplace, let alone one whose aim is to end poverty, misogyny, and discrimination. These claims should be taken seriously – with legal action where appropriate.

BLM loons going head to head against feminist movement and charities?  

Wait, Since When Was Noting Social Media Profiles A Crime?

I mean, they are out there in the public domain. Isn't that the entire point of them?

   

It's no surprise that it's Essex plod involved in this attack on the Crimebodge website. 

Or that the 'officers' in the video are the biggest advertisement for believing the police farce to be an utter waste of time and taxpayer money... 

H/T: Fahrenheit211 via email

"Alexa, What's The Definition Of Insanity?"

 "Here's something I found in the 'Liverpool Echo'...":

A persistent paedophile caught with a video of a four-year-old boy being raped was finally jailed today. Timothy Cousins has twice previously been caught downloading indecent images of children being sexually abused.

Yet both times the 32-year-old, of Olivia Street, Bootle, was spared jail and given a chance to change his ways.

Twice. Not once, but twice.  

Paul Lewis, defending, urged the judge to spare his client jail again, arguing Cousins had responded well to supervision, but struggled when it finished.

How much are we spending keeping this recidivist alive?  

He accepted it was a "bold submission" but said Cousins "engaged well" and stayed out of trouble for a two-year period until his supervision ended on January 30 last year.

Mr Lewis said: "My submission is that the absence of supervision is causing him to reoffend. There are no substance misuse issues. There are no psychiatric or mental health issues."

If you thought that argument might fly, you may have the issues... 

The Female Equivalent Of 'A Karen'...

...shall henceforth be 'a William':

The victim was sent to hospital where he was treated for a severe laceration and given stitches for a head wound following the scuffle.

Along with a friend, William had been arguing with South Western Railway staff by the ticket barrier because one member was not wearing a mask.

 Err, maybe you should have merely concerned yourself with those who were wearing them incorrectly?

William said: 'My friend asked one of the station staff a totally reasonable and polite question: ''are you exempt from wearing a mask''.

'She'd snapped back saying ''none of your business''.

Because it isn't. She may be exempt.  

The 'Mail' has tracked down the passenger and interviewed him. He says, without any apparent trace of irony: 

'This man had nothing to do with it. He decided to interfere in something that was none of his business.'

*blinks* 

He said: 'I had a mask on and so did most of the other passengers, so I wanted to know why the same rules did not apply to station workers?'

It never occurred to you to wonder why it was 'most' of the other passengers then?

As he was speaking outside the station, Mr Adam was approached by security staff who asked him to move on. He told them: 'You people are a disgrace and as far as I'm concerned, if you're not wearing a mask, you're spreading a plague.'

At least it's not a plague of self-righteous morons, eh, William? 

South Western Railway said the member of staff who was not wearing a mask had a medical exemption.

No doubt muttering under their breath: "...now sod off!" 

They Just Want To Rub Your Face In It....

 ...even when you try to leave the real world behind: 

It isn’t just developers who are resistant to the idea of politics infiltrating their escapist fantasy worlds; many players are, too. Adelle was told on Twitter that: ‘This is just a game, it isn’t a tool for protest,’ and Ebonix says she often encounters Sims players who want to keep politics out of the game. Although, as Ebonix says: “BLM isn’t politics. It’s human rights.”

“Animal Crossing and other platforms like it serve as forms of escapism, which is great, except when real human life and dignity are at stake,” says Kat*, who organised another virtual BLM protest on her island. “Human beings suffering from systemic racism and violence don’t get the privilege of escaping from this reality, and neither should anyone else.”

If you think movements like BLM have anything to do with 'human life and dignity' then I've got a virtual copy of a bridge to sell you for in-game credits... 

'All Dogs Should Be On Leads', Right?

Yesterday (22 July) a dog attacked and injured a passer by in Cinnamon Lane, Glastonbury.

A 72 year old woman was walking opposite the children’s play area, at about 10am. She was attacked by a husky on a lead and in the charge of a man in his late teens or early 20s. She received a substantial bite wound to her leg, which required hospital treatment.

Oh. 

Avon & Somerset Police believe they have identified the dog and its owner. The dog has been seized by dog handlers and is now being cared for at police kennels.

At great expense, no doubt. 

H/T: Peter Wells via email 

Why Is Anyone Professing Surprise?

 

A report by Hope Not Hate...

Ah. We can usually safely ignore anything produced by this bunch of charlatans, can't we? 

...seen exclusively by The Independent before its release, said that years of dominance by Tommy Robinson and other figures focused on Muslims was giving way to rising white nationalism.

When we've seen the rise of black nationalism with the BLM movement, and also observed the obsequiousness of the establishment, why wouldn't this happen?  

“There’s this move from people previously focused on other topics like Islam, and alongside that is a contingent of the young British far right who have been embracing more extreme and traditionally fascist, white nationalist and antisemitic ideas,”

Mr Murdoch said. He warned that the younger group are active in online networks that have greater reach than the “old guard” of National Front and British National Party (BNP) supporters.

In other words, the younger generation are smarter, more social-media savvy, then the old guard. 

So let's see what their message is, and whether it could really gain popular support with mainstreamers?  

On its website, Patriotic Alternative claims that “native British” people are being eradicated and proposes extreme measures to protect “the indigenous peoples of the United Kingdom”.

It says it would call a “complete halt” to immigration and pay people “of immigrant descent … to return to their ancestral homelands”.

Patriotic Alternative claims that children are being exposed to pro-LGBT and anti-white “propaganda” and advocates home-schooling using its own package of hateful material on “history and culture”.

Well, I leave you to your own conclusions. But if I was an establishment figure, I'd be very, very worried. 

Oh, Beautiful!

'You get people like this – they're vermin.'

Yes, they are. And to see one get a taste of his own medicine is sweet indeed! 

Neighbours said the address where the tyres were dumped was the home of local man Matthew Worrall Parkyn.

When MailOnline tried to speak to him today a woman answered the door saying she was his ex and he no longer lived there.

Heh! 

A council investigation has been launched.

According to the commons library, the penalty for fly tipping can be a fine of up to £50,000 and up to 12 months imprisonment if convicted in a Magistrates' Court.

Why am I wondering if the investigation is into the flytipper, who's done a runner, or the businessman who took matters into his own hands? 

Update: It's catching on!

Boy, April 1st Comes Around Earlier Every Year...

 *blinks*

The Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) has published guidance on managing the risk of Covid-19 during intercourse after lockdown restrictions were imposed in March.

I... 

I just... 

H/T: Ian Jackson via email

"If all these fellows had known from the beginning they wouldn't be coming back they would have gone for it just the same. There isn't a single one of them that would have dropped out."

Via James yesterday evening, some very unexpected and sad news. 

Another of the greats is gone, and once again, my blogroll is missing a sturdy bulwark against insanity.

Once Is Happenstance, Twice Is Coincidence...

Surely the politician who also watches child porn combines the top-two hate groups of any decent hack?

Says who? Why, none other than Julie Burchill. 

Yes. That Julie Burchill. 

That makes twice I've agreed with her...

Judging by his Twitter, he seemed especially keen on the mad trans project of ending women-only toilets. In context of the fact that he had searched ‘for material for five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10-year-old girls… two men rape girl’ and was in possession of images of ‘the sexual abuse of very young children… featuring what appeared to be seven different children, aged between 12 months and seven years’ and the penetration of a baby, of course it makes sense he’s in favour of men being allowed in the ladies’.

And this 'man' - I use the word advisedly - is an MP. Let that sink in. 

But Julie reserves her scorn for those who would normally turn their fire on such a creature, had he been anyone other than a Labour MP:

It is a national disgrace that men such as Joyce, who drive the market for the rape of infants, are spared jail by the courts of this country. But it is a national scandal that our newspapers – usually so keen to police the morals of our public figures – close ranks to protect one of their own. What a shameful episode in the history of British journalism – the silence of the hacks, shielding the evils which take place behind the Wokescreen.

Preach it, sister! 

Worse Than Useless...

A 'devil' dog who mauled a miniature pinscher to death in London attacked a woman as she walked her border cross terrier three weeks earlier, it was claimed tonight.

The victim, known only as Zoe, 44, claims she was left with 'a hole in her arm' after she tried to separate the leadless bullmastiff from her pet Sid at around 8.30pm on July 16.

She believes the 'devil' dog is the same animal which attacked Renata Aladenika's miniature pinscher Rocco in Woolwich Common on Sunday.

What are the odds? How many of these things can there be in the area? 

Zoe said the attack took place near Woolwich Common in south London - and despite calling police she claims no action was taken against the owner.

Hardly surprising. They almost never do, until it comes around to bite them on the arse... 

Speaking of the incident on Sunday, Metropolitan Police said: 'There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.'

The force has been contacted for comment on the further claims.

Probably trying to figure out how to apologise to the owner of the beast for 'profiling' her... 

Update: The 'Mail' did the detective work the Met Police were too lazy to do in tracking down the bitch. And whaddaya know:

The owner of a 'devil dog' who mauled a miniature pinscher to death is a senior manager at a government youth offending unit, MailOnline can reveal.

She declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.

I just bet she did...

Well, Dawn, You Can Always Get A Job At The 'Mail'...

...when Starmer finally wises up and withdraws the whip:

 

/facepalm

It's Certainly Good Camouflage...

 

...if you think those are stripes!

Sunday Funnies...

And not a single mention of Epstein!

Insanity, Or Sinister Overreach..?

I'm going with the latter...

Unless they've got a method of policing thoughts now, of course... 

H/T: Peter McDonald via Twitter

If It Was A Dog, It Would Be Humanely Euthanised...

...but because it's human, we have to keep it alive.

The teenager who murdered teaching assistant Lindsay Birbeck has been unmasked as a traveller named after boxing legend Rocky Marciano.

The 17-year-old strangled the 47-year-old mother-of-two before hiding her in a wheelie bin and burying her naked body in Accrington cemetery, the same place where his grandfather, who shares his name, and other family members are buried.

Turns out the wheelie bin had a higher IQ that this worthless waste of oxygen...

Price, who has an IQ of just 65, previously could not be named for legal reasons as he is under the age of 18, granting him automatic anonymity.

But after he was found guilty by a jury at Preston Crown Court on Wednesday, reporters today challenged the restriction due to the severity of the crime.

At last, reporters doing their job! This wasn't a crime it was easy to predict, appearing to be one of those 'rare events' the police always warn about:

Price was a stranger to Lindsay, with the attack thought to be unprovoked and carried out while he was 'prowling' the area looking for 'lone females'.

Naturally, despite only getting a predicted 16 year sentence, his hired mouthpieces tried the court's mercy, claiming ordinary decent criminals may deal out some real justice: 

'There is certainly a potential that those in custody may feel a degree of revulsion about what he has done and may even verbally or physically abuse him.

'It maybe difficult for him to respond and report it to the appropriate authorities.

 

'The effect of revealing his name will also have an effect on various members of his family.'

Since they believe he's innocent, who cares about that either?  

Yes, Mary, There Are Issues. And They Are Yours.

It should have been a genteel afternoon singalong, with an audience of pensioners enjoying some fun, nostalgic tunes. But the well-meaning charity show erupted into a race row when one outraged audience member took umbrage at the inclusion of​...

The Horst Wessel Song? The Sex Pistol's 'Frigging In The Rigging'? 'Smack My Bitch Up' by The Prodigy?

...the classic music-hall number Camptown Races.

*blinks* 

Pianist Sarah Fisher – who was live-streaming her performance via Facebook to help isolated people deal with lockdown – was criticised for her ‘inappropriate’ choice of a song that dates from the era of ‘blackface’ minstrel shows and is famous of its ‘doo-dah doo-dah’ refrain.

 Is 'doo-dah doo-dah' another thing you're not supposed to say unless you're black, then?

While most of those watching were eager to type messages of thanks during the show, one of them – former BBC journalist Mary Stretch – was less pleased.

How did I know it'd be a BBC drone? 

Actually, we probably could have suspected given the high-handed manner in which she expressed her displeasure...

Soon a war of words was raging between Mrs Stretch, 66, and others who had tuned in. ‘Get a life,’ one audience member shot back. ‘A song is a song, nothing more. If you don’t like it switch off.’

But Mrs Stretch was adamant. ‘No, it isn’t just a song,’ she countered. ‘I know you think they are fun but there are issues.’

Only for you, love.  

‘I don’t blame Sarah at all for spontaneously picking it up and singing it in all innocence. But I hope from now on, because of what I have said, she and you won’t in the future. You might like to also consider why you should be comfortable, and demand the right to be so, when I am patently not.’

Because it's not all about you. And if you were the only one who had a problem, maybe you're the one in the wrong?

Although most of the audience had apparently enjoyed the performance, Toynbee Hall, the London-based charity which organised the show, backed the complaint.

Of course they did.  

In a message, manager Sam Crosby said that ‘to completely deny both the experiences of people of colour and the historical context of cultural artefacts, such as songs, is racist.

Oh, FFS! 

‘When these issues are raised in good faith, it’s a chance for us to learn how to be sensitive to people of colour as a group, recognise historical injustices and racist power structures, and not simply deny their feelings point-blank.’

Mary isn't 'a group', though, Sam. She's just one overly-sensitive snowflake.  

‘Any further comments along these lines will result in people being blocked.’

Ah. And clearly, so are you. 

Here's Another Worthy Cause For A Buycott Then....

Grocery store chain Trader Joe’s announced that it will not be removing popular international food labels despite being attacked as “racist” over the packaging.

Good for them! An unusually strongly worded statement, for a change:

“A few weeks ago, an online petition was launched calling on us to ‘remove racist packaging from [our] products,’” the company said.

“Following were inaccurate reports that the petition prompted us to take action. We want to be clear: we disagree that any of these labels are racist. We do not make decisions based on petitions. We make decisions based on what customers purchase, as well as the feedback we receive from our customers and Crew Members. If we feel there is need for change, we do not hesitate to take action.”

They have clearly learned from the Goya incident. Standing up to the keyboard warriors and Twitter bullies doesn't hurt your brand. It can, in fact, help it.

How Long Did It Take You To Realise This, Then?

In a statement, Scotland Yard said: 'We want to remind anyone who is taking part in a demonstration in a public place or at a public meeting, not to wear a uniform which is associated with a political purpose, as to do so may be committing an offence under Section 1 of the Public Order Act, 1936.' 

Why didn't you last time it happened, then? 

Going up to police officers and shouting they are ‘terrorists’ as they stand by, is a privilege you will not find in any other country but the UK. pic.twitter.com/9MfYJo0e9T

— Lukas (@LukasDegutis) August 2, 2020

This is, of course, yet another instance of a certain 'community' feeling that laws shouldn't apply to them: 

On Twitter, BLM UK added: '4Front do vital work in the community advocating for young people being harassed by police daily. This is one day before a commemorative protest for Mark Duggan which 4Front co-organised.'

Speaking outside Colindale Police Station, Temi Mwale of the 4Front Project said: 'Today started calmly, it started peacefully with us as community workers asking why a 14-year-old was being arrested?'

On suspicion of carrying 13 bags of drugs.  

'What has he done so we can inform his mum?'

The police will do that, as he's a minor. 

'I can’t go into too much detail, but this is several times this month this same young person has been harassed and been arrested.' 

With no doubt good reason. As 'community workers', aren't you looking to get drugs off the streets? 

Or do you need people to be high as kites to believe you're anything but professional agitators looking for a fight with the police?

Cynical, Moi..?

Bosses at the Food Standards Agency reviewing the shelf life of beef, lamb and pork are set to give the go-ahead for longer expiry dates before Christmas.

Chilled beef, including cuts sold in trays with plastic wrappings, are currently given ten-day use-by labels. But in future, this timeframe is expected to be raised to 21 days in the fridge, with pork and lamb having 15-day and 14-day deadlines respectively.

Well, I'm sure this is all based on clear scientific research and a desire to better inform the public about critical food safety issues.

Isn't it?

The move is part of a new drive to reduce 380,000 tons of meat waste a year in the UK, which is valued at £3 billion and is responsible for four million tons a year of greenhouse gas emissions.

Oh. 

How Not To Win Hearts And Minds Of The Community...

“It was 9.30am when I got a call from police telling me that they’d had to break into my unit so they could get upstairs.

"My immediate worry was that the unit was open, so I phoned my wife and rushed down there as quickly as I could.

“I honestly could’ve cried when I saw it. They had cut a square out of our roller shutter, smashed the glass of my door and then when they realised they were in the wrong place they cut their way into the upstairs unit.

“They told me I had to clean up and pay to reinstate the roller shutter and door, before posting on Facebook about how successful the raid was with footage of them breaking into my unit.

“It’s pretty obvious that it’s us they’re breaking into, we’re on the same industrial estate and the only ones with a board over their shutter. You can’t even get upstairs through our business, the units are separate.”

Yes, it's Essex Police. Quelle surprise...

"To pay for all the materials will be about £1,200. Apparently they’re going to now look at my damage claim, but will be speaking with the legal team.

“Of course mistakes happen, but all I want is an apology.

“I support Essex Police and all that they do, including tackling this drug operation. But not to ruin me, my business and my employees’ livelihood.”

Are they apologetic? Well....ha ha ha ha! Of course not!

An Essex Police spokesman, said: “Our enquiries into the discovery of 700 cannabis plants at an industrial unit in Canvey are continuing.

"On the morning of the warrant, Monday July 27, the officers involved were given a full briefing, which included both information and intelligence.

"Warrants are fast moving exercises and when we arrived, we discovered the building had multiple units and officers initially forced entry to a business in an adjoining unit.

"This was prior to finding the offending unit in a separate part of the building."

See? An innocent mistake any bungling gang of incompetents could make!

"We would like to thank the business for their co-operation and their support and make clear that this business is not involved in our investigation in any other way."

Then pay their claim immediately and make good the damage you caused without this doublespeak and prevaricating. 

We Woz Only Following Orders...

A motorist says he was "flabbergasted" to receive a £90 parking fine after taking a drive-through coronavirus test at a car park.

Wait, what? Bit difficult to do without parking, I'd have thought! 

His vehicle's details had been logged - by a camera using number plate recognition - when it entered the car park. Then when it left without a parking ticket being bought in the meantime, that automatically triggered the fine.

Oh, I see what happened! The idiot parking company didn't switch off the machine whiles testing was on. Right?

Well...

A spokesman for Highview Parking, which issued the fine, said: "The car park terms and conditions and the pay-for-parking system and tariff are set by our client - we do not have any involvement in setting these rules, or indeed when they do or do not charge for parking.

"We cannot confirm whether or not the car park has been repurposed by Enfield Council, just that we have been asked to suspend enforcement activity on specific days and times where they have agreed to provide space for Covid testing. However, the car park is still being used for retail during this time.

"As these are specific dates, we rely on notification of those dates in advance."

Well, surely you got that? From the ever-so-efficient public sector? 

Regarding the date of Mr Pugh's visit, the company said: "We were only notified that the site had been used for Covid testing more than a week later, and penalty charge notices were already issued.

It added that fines "issued to visitors incorrectly on this or any other specified date where testing is taking place" would be cancelled.

Ah. I think we can see who's at fault here, can't we? 

H/T: Longrider via email 

Yes, And..?

Who on earth is objecting to legal gun ownership?

The Gun Control Network...

Oh. Of course.

...said it was concerned by the prevalence of the weapons across England and Wales, which it said are similar to those used in mass shootings around the world and are not part of shooting traditions.

Traditions change.

Covered by firearm certificates, section 1 shotguns are multi-shot weapons that contain a magazine holding more than two rounds. Figures from the Home Office show there were 700 of these guns in Essex in 2019-20, a two per cent rise on the year before.

Is that all? 2%?

GCN said it is concerned by the legal status of multi-shot shotguns and semi-automatic 22 Calibre rimfire rifles.

Don't tell me that if you're sucessful in getting these banned you won't immediately go after Section 2 shotguns. Because everyone knows you will.

Peter Squires, professor emeritus of criminology and public policy at the University of Brighton and member of the organisation, said: "Both resemble the types of firearms used in mass shootings around the world, and by virtue of their magazine capacities and rapid-fire potential they represent the most dangerous civilian-owned guns.

"The fact that that they are few in number and little-used makes the case that they are manifestly not part of mainstream UK shooting traditions."

What do you care about shooting traditions? What do you even know about them?

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation said certificates are only granted following a rigorous licensing procedure.

Firearms director Bill Harriman said: "The number of section 1 shotguns held on certificates has not increased significantly and only relates to a small proportion of the total number of legally-held shotguns in England and Wales.

“Our licensing system is among the strictest in the world but is still open to all. BASC works continuously to see the right tone struck so that participants are not disadvantaged but public safety remains acceptable.”

And the government agrees.

A Home Office spokesman said: "The UK has some of the toughest gun laws in the world.

“Before anyone receives a firearms certificate, the police must be satisfied that the person is fit to possess one and they have powers to revoke certificates if there is a risk to public safety.”

So sod off, hoplophobes.

Here's Your Explanation, Judge Samantha....

...now do your bloody job:

When the case came before Judge Samantha Leigh at Basildon Crown Court in March, she demanded an explanation from the superintendent, saying Forbes had no way to protect herself and she “face-planted” the floor.

However, Essex Police has ruled the action by officers was justified.

So you can give her the justice she deser...

Despite these issues Forbes went on to admit five counts of an assault of an emergency worker, plus racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress and was jailed on March 4 for 16 weeks.

/facepalm 

It's 'Answers On A Postcard' Time Again...

 A question is posed:

Well, Reader, over to you. 

Oh, but before I go, let's have a look at these 'refugees', shall we?

One wonders just what it is they are 'fleeing'...

Didn't Go How You Planned, Dawn?

Labour's Dawn Butler has accused the police of racially profiling her after she was pulled over while driving in East London.

While someone else was driving, actually.  

Speaking to Sky News, she said: 'The institution is racist.

...

'So there is an institutional racism in the police, we know that, and it needs to be taken out. It's cancerous and it needs to be cut out out of the police force. It's urgent, it's really urgent.'

Unfortunately for Dim Dawn, her Tweet and the video (showing officers being perfectly polite) brought scorn from all but her fellow race hustlers. 

The MP said: 'I wasn't going to go live with this at all...'

Oh, please! You had a grin as wide as a watermelon slice all over your chops in that video. Couldn't wait to speak your brains like you often do. 

After the stop, former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said: 'This is so unsurprising. When will the Metropolitan Police give up on racial profiling?'

Yeah. That Diane Abbott. 

Kate Osamor MP tweeted to her backbench Labour colleague: 'Hope you're ok?'

Yeah. That Kate Osamor. 

With MPs of this quality, it's not much of a surprise Starmer's Labour Party isn't making headway in the polls against the worst Tory Party since....well, since the last one!

We were just going out to have a nice lunch. My plans were basically ruined. It’s a sunny Sunday, and you don’t get many of those.

Your Sunday was ruined, Dawn? Gosh. You know who else's Sunday was ruined? This kid. 

What a pity your race-baiting is moving that further down the headlines...

Whoops!

Oh, 'Telegraph'...!

 

/facepalm

H/T: Neil McCarthy via email

Another Cockup. 'Mail'..?

Or can you just not tell a cockatiel from a cockatoo?

Sunday Funnies...

Somewhere, an NHS hospital is probably still using one or two of these...

Sympathy Evaporating...

Hundreds of international students in the UK have turned to food banks after part-time work and funding from families dried up during lockdown.

Hmmm....

International students have to prove they have the funds to cover rent, fees and living expenses before being granted visas.

Well, that seems reasonable.

And surely some cognisance needs to be taken of the situation they find themselves in due to the actions of the government thanks to this pandemic?

"It's a very difficult time we are facing," says Rahemunnisa Shaik from Hyderabad as she piles groceries into a pram.

Wait, what? A pram...?

She is studying for a two year Masters in Business Administration at the University of East London (UEL).

She arrived in the UK for the start of her course last September with her husband who was her dependent for visa purposes.

She gave birth to their first child, a baby girl, in May.

*blinks*

"My husband is supporting me. He lost his job because of coronavirus."

His work at KFC was halted at the start of lockdown and he has still not been called back.

That's it. Send them back.

No, He Wasn't 'Troubled'...He Was Trouble!

Thankfully, not any more:

A parish councillor was gunned down in the front garden of his thatched cottage by a neighbour who was then killed in a police chase.

James Nash, 42, was in hospital last night with serious injuries following the attack in the pretty Hampshire hamlet of Upper Enham, near Andover.

Officers gave chase in a patrol car after the gunman fled on a motorcycle, but he later crashed.

 The victim has since died. 

A villager said: 'We don't know what caused the younger man to target James – there must have been a dispute of some sort.

'But I know that the shooter was a troubled soul who had had issues with drink or drugs.'

 Oh, really? 

The force said a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct had been made, adding that officers had attended an address in Enham Alamein parish as part of this investigation.

 I wonder if that is from the crash, or past cobtact with this lunatic?

A villager said: 'Alex had a history of petty crime over recent years and had got into drugs I think too. Nobody can understand why he has done what he has done.'

I think you really answered your own question there... 

Sartain, who suffers form (sic) paranoia, had come to believe Mr Nash was spying on him and was 'trying to get him sectioned'.

Pity he wasn't. Pity someone wasn't.  

It's Not Training That's Needed...

A blind man who was refused entry to a restaurant with his guide dog has instigated a landmark licence review which could set a precedent for disability training in the hospitality industry.

Why should 'training' be the catch-all here? And why should it apply - as of course it will - equally to all, when the issue is with a small subsection of society?

The Royal National Institute of Blind People complained to Tower Hamlets council on Mr Ortega’s behalf. It has triggered a licensing review, believed to be the first of its kind for a restaurant in the UK.

The charity wants conditions added to the diner’s licence, which will ensure staff have to go through training so they know the rules around discrimination against service dog owners.

Where did this latest incident happen, anyway?

Mr Ortega, a software engineer, and his colleagues were refused entry to the Indian restaurant last July.

Ms Fothergill said: “When Mr Ortega complained, the manager was called but he also confirmed guide dog Mercer was not welcome. The manager told Mr Ortega that not everyone liked dogs and that he should show some understanding of Asian culture.”

The restaurant is in Canary Wharf, London. Not Hyderabad.

He added that he had been to Manjal before with Mercer and had not been turned away. Naveen Bhandari, from Manjal, later wrote a letter to Mr Ortega apologising for the incident and offered the group a complimentary meal.

He said managers had realised their mistake and were going to allow Mr Ortega to dine there — but in the 15 minutes while they were preparing a table for him he had left.

See? It's not 'training' that's needed here. It's huge, swinging fines, or the immediate year's closure of any restaurant trying to get away with this.

*Looks Up 'Good Progress' In The Dictionary*

The 23-year-old attacked the security guard less than three months after posing outside court where he received a suspended prison sentence for a rampage and attack on police.

But despite telling the court he was “shocked and embarrassed” by his behaviour, Jupp attacked the bouncer in August last year.

Watch our amazing crtiminal justice system swing into action and...

Oh. Wait...

At Brighton Magistrates’ Court, he admitted the latest assault charge. But he was spared a prison sentence by District Judge Tessa Szagun because he has made “good progress” on his previous suspended sentence.

Err....

You Need To Get A Grip, Priti...

Police are investigating...

Burgary? Assault? Dangerous driving?

...comments posted on social media about asylum seekers staying in temporary accommodation at a York hotel.

Hmmm. OK, but maybe they are concerned that they are committing crime and the local population needs protection?

North Yorkshire Police tweeted that ‘hate crime’ would not be tolerated and it was concerned about some social media posts relating to asylum seekers housed in the York area.

“We are looking into the issue and stand committed to stopping hate speech,” it added.

 Ah. Guess not. What does Priti's office have to say? Will they rein in these maverick so-called police officers?

The Home Office said it took the wellbeing of asylum seekers and the local communities in which they lived extremely seriously.

“On the rare occasions that there are problems (Ed: really..?) in a local area, we will always work closely with the relevant authorities to address the issue,” said a spokesman.

“Hate crime has absolutely no place in our society and we have a zero tolerance approach towards attempts to undermine our tolerance and respect for each other.”

What if that 'tolerance and respect' is eroding faster and faster due to the increased perception that the government has no plan, no clue, and no intention whatsoever of halting the influx, though?

That they are slowly draining the coffers even more perniciously than Covid?

But maybe there's no real cause for concern here?

Oh.

Their comments came as it emerged that two asylum seekers have been arrested on suspicion of affray at the hotel where they are staying.

And when the council claims this as a victory, we see how hollow the State's attempt to claim all is normal really is:

A York council official has revealed that the organisation responsible for the asylum seekers’ accommodation was making arrangements to relocate four to alternative locations outside York, staffing levels had been increased at the hotel and police had increased visits to Clifton Moor.

More police, more staff, moving them around the country - this is what you do with dangerous troublemakers in prison. Not 'people looking for a better life'. Isn't it?

H/T: Mike Graham via Twitter

"“One does get the feeling that this was not a particularly well-run premises in terms of its licence.”"

You can say that again!

The Wimpy in Station Road, Portslade, could lose its licence after Sussex Police discovered faulty CCTV and dozens of empty vodka bottles when they were called to the sexual assault in March this year.

Subsequent investigations revealed two members of staff were working illegally and the owner had failed to disclose a drink-driving conviction.

Ooops!

Shop manager Peraslingam Nanthvavaraman, 40, of Sheppard Way, Portslade, overstayed a visitor’s visa in 2010 and is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to the attempted rape charge.

Mr Savill said the premises licence holder Kapilraj Vigneswaran had also failed to disclose a conviction for drink-driving.

Ah, well, at least they are providing spelling practice for court stenographers...

Conservative councillor Dee Simson was frustrated Mr Vigneswaran did not attend as many of her questions required his knowledge.

She said: “Part of our responsibility as a panel is to question the knowledge of the premises licence holder and DPS.

“Not having them here makes it really difficult.

“We need to ascertain their knowledge of the licensing act.”

I think we can take a guess at that, can't we?

It's Making Me Sick Too....

Last month, the radio presenter Clara Amfo sent a poignant message to listeners explaining why she hadn’t been at work the day before at BBC Radio 1.

“We talk a lot about mental health. And mine was in a really, really bad way yesterday.”

She spoke candidly of sitting on the sofa in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, crying, confused, upset at the news of “yet another brutalised black body”, and being unable to just suppress this and chirpily ask on live radio whether everyone had had a nice weekend.

Do you suppose the news that he held a gun to a pregnant woman's belly during one of his armed robberies caused her any 'pain' or 'confusion'?

There is a tendency to assume that ethnic differences in levels of risk for diseases are down to inherent biological differences. This assumption itself is a result of historical ideas of what race is, and the false notion that race is more of a biological reality than a social one with biological consequences.

Farrah Jarral is a broadcaster and doctor. Yes. A doctor.

Chae’s team measured racism by proxy, by looking at numbers of Google searches that used a racial slur. They mapped out the United States into chunks and coded them green, yellow, orange or red depending on whether the searches for slurs were greater or lower than average. The map itself is fascinating, with patches of the deep south covered in red. The map revealed that where the use of slurs was highest, mortality in black people was also significantly higher.

Correlation isn't causation, and maybe, just maybe, it's the presence of large numbers of black people stabbing and shooting each other that's the cause of the slurs, and not the other way around?

"'It was quite remarkable that she didn't suffer serious injury.' "

Perhaps her lips cushioned the fall?

McGuire denied being the driver, but all three friends picked her out from an ID parade.

At first she was arrested for attempted murder but finally pleaded guilty to attempting to drive dangerously with the intention of causing serious injury.

She also admitted another offence of causing actual bodily harm on another woman after slashing her victim's forehead with a pen knife.

Lovely!

Mitigating Keith Harrison said his client has shown 'genuine remorse' and has mental health issues.

We must have them too, for putting up with a justice system that hands out such feeble sentences...

Adapt Or Die...

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said the UK was nearing a 'pivotal moment', when new working practices could be adopted across the economy, amid pressure from employees for a new way of working.

Many people have adapted to working from home, while even workers in industries like manufacturing are keen on more flexible working hours, even if it means being paid less, it said in a report.

However it comes amid fears that a reluctance to return to working in city and town centre offices is having a detrimental knock-on effect on service and hospitality industries.

The service and hospitality industries only exist because people leave their homes and commute long-distance to work. That's why the transport facilities, which seem also to be a 'concern' to the government, exist too.

But if the work situation changes....why should they also not change?

The report said much of the innovation in working practices made necessary by Covid-19 - including, in manufacturing, more flexible shifts at different times of day, or staff working longer but fewer shifts to spread work between them over different days - have been helpful to workers, while maintaining production.

If production is maintained, and the business is happy, and the workers are happy...what's the issue?

Downing Street was urged to toughen up its 'back to work' message last night after a string of top firms said they would not be encouraging staff back to offices for months.

A Mail audit of big companies found many are not planning for the majority of workers to return to offices until at least towards the end of the year.

The government is therefore heading towards confrontation with civil servants, as they attempt to force them back to save the sandwich industry.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith told the Mail: 'The Government needs to stop with its mixed messages. It needs to stop being equivocal and be clear that it is safe to go back to work and take public transport.

'If you're under 40 and fit and healthy you have more chance of dying while riding your bike than dying from Covid. People need to start properly weighing up the balance of risk. These employers are absolutely bloody mad for not getting more employees back – all the other small firms that rely on offices being back will go bust.'

Why do so many modern Tories want the tail to be able to wag the dog?

"I've Heard The Word 'No' For The First Time Ever! And I Don't Like It!"

Tim Bracken, 14, said it took a month of hard shovel-work to construct the ramps, which are made from tightly packed soil piled over a log framework in woods near the Green Lane estate in Heathfield.

Do the woods belong to him or his family? Reader, they do not.

But Heathfield and Waldron Parish Council said it had received complaints about the “dangerous” jumps and intends to replace them.

But Tim was shocked.

Well, yes. I bet he was. It's probably the first time he's ever been told he can't do something.

“They’re destroying the ramps,” he said. “I’ve been coming up to these woods with my friends for two years and it’s taken us weeks to build them. Now, they’re just flattening them. I’m so frustrated.”

Awww, dry those eyes, kid!

Tim had been campaigning to save the jumps and an online petition to protect them attracted almost 800 signatures.

Is that all? And how many are idiots from other parts of the country or the world?

He said he “gets moaned at for hanging round town, moaned at for riding the jumps and moaned at for sitting at home” – and wonders what else he is supposed to do.

“The jumps actually get us out of the house,” he said.

Before they were razed, he said:“The ramps are what makes me happy and what helped me get through this pandemic – and there (sic) just gonna be destroyed like it’s nothing.”

But...that's not true, is it? They are going to be replaced with safe ones, at taxpayer expense:

A parish council spokeswoman said: “The Parish Council received a complaint regarding the jumps that the boys had built, they visited the site and having consulted with their insurance company are due to remove the jumps as they are considered dangerous, however at the same time they will be replacing the original jumps with safe earth jumps.

“The parish council are working with the community and the young people to ensure that there is a safe facility whilst at the same time ensuring that the close local neighbours aren’t impacted by an increased number of young people visiting the site.”

Learned a valuable lesson about civic responsibility, you have, young Tim. Personally, I'd have billed your parents for the removal cost if it was up to me...

A Thumb In The Eye Of Her Colleagues...

A Common Purpose plant in the police speaks:

Speaking after the three killers of PC Andrew Harper were jailed for manslaughter, Janette McCormick, deputy chief constable at the College of Policing, said attention was required to tackle the inequality and job prospects facing Travellers.

“There seems to be a deep-seated and accepted prejudice that demonises people from the community. You wouldn’t call any other ethnicity inherently criminal,” said McCormick, also the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers.

It's time to look more closely at the College of Policing. Because it's proving to be one of the main reasons for the decline in trust in - and respect for - the police. 

McCormick said it was important to note that the broader link between crime and UK Traveller communities was not conclusive.

“There is no evidence to suggest we have a disproportionately high crime rate around Traveller sites,” she said.

Why not ask the people who live around traveller encampments, and see the flytipping, abuse of animals, distraction burglary, roofing scams and blatant shoplifting rates soar?