Yes Indeed, That’s Why These Things Happen Here

Florence Eshalomi, Labour MP for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green, told BBC London she wanted people to feel safe within their community. "Stockwell is a vibrant, diverse, close-knit community. We are going to make sure that there is a visible police presence to reassure people," she said.

It's in such 'communities' that these things happen, Florence.  

A 16-year-old boy who died after being shot in south London has been named by the Metropolitan Police as Lathaniel Burrell. An eyewitness to the killing in Stockwell told the BBC the teenager was shot dead by a man dressed as a food delivery driver on a moped.

Lathaniel - who locals have said was a "very bright" school pupil - died on Paradise Road, near Stockwell Tube station, at about 14:30 GMT on Tuesday. The Met Police has called it an "enormously shocking incident".

Let's have a look at this bright lad whose death was so unexpected, shall we? 

 Oh...

The eyewitness said two boys came down the stairs at a block of flats when the moped rider took out a gun and fired, adding that the teenager who died was well known in the area and was involved in gangs. Police said inquiries were still ongoing, no arrests have been made, and detectives are keeping an open mind about the possible motive for the attack.

So open.... 

What About Mugshots?

Possessing photos of a Muslim woman without her hijab should be made a criminal offence, MPs have proposed. The Commons' women and equalities committee said pictures of a Muslim woman without her headscarf – taken without her consent – should be considered 'non-consensual intimate images'. Such photographs should be treated the same as child sex abuse images, possession of which can carry long prison sentences, the MPs said.

So what if they are arrested and require a mugshot? Oh, wait, we've already seen police cowardice with regard to that, havent we? They'll be delighted to have an excuse. 

The proposals will deepen concerns that Islam is poised to win legal protections which are not afforded to other religions under British law.

Concerns that Labour are doing nothing to dispell. 

It comes after a planned definition of Islamophobia being championed by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was slammed for risking 'a blasphemy law by the back door'.

No, they are planning it via the front door. They've just got that bold. 

 

Is It ‘Thatcher’..? It Usually Is…

The key culprit, in my opinion? Screen time.

Oh. Silly me.  

On a child’s first day at school, it’s normal to expect a few nerves. But they should be able to move around confidently, pick up stationery, make new friends, build a relationship with their teacher and start to feel part of a wider community. Instead, a recent survey reported that some children in England and Wales are unable to sit up or hold a pencil. I have seen kids racked with separation anxiety and unable to form bonds. Upset and confused, they miss instructions and hold back or lash out. To a busy teacher this looks like a lack of ability, or a disruptive child to be managed. Children are simply being set up to fail.

Hmmm, sounds to me like this 'busy teacher' is simply getting her excuses in early... 

For a while, it seemed as if the pandemic might have been the culprit for delayed development. Lockdowns undeniably had an impact on the development of children raised during that period as they were unable to play outside and interact with others, but five years on, it would seem that this was a short-term issue masking a much longer-term trend.

Wow, can't blame the pandemic? I thought that could be blamed for everything. But then I'd reckoned without the modern bugbear: tech. Specifically, tech in the hands of someone they don't like. 

More and more parents relied on smartphones to work, organise their lives, shop, and keep in touch with friends and family. Burnt-out and distracted, they spent less time actively parenting. In turn, they handed their kids a device to keep them entertained. The result has been children growing up with less physical activity and face-to-face social interaction. Imagine spending a year immobilised in a cast – your muscles would weaken and your movements would become awkward. Now, think about children missing foundational years of muscle development, when practice should be natural and constant, because, instead of moving, children have been incentivised to sit quietly with a device.

An expensive device, at that! So at least this won't affect Labour's preferred voting demographic, eh? 

Even more worryingly, these outcomes are not being distributed equally among children; they affect those who already face significant disadvantages due to economic and racial inequality.

Economic inequality? Does anything say as much about the reason for such 'inequality' as buying a £600 babysitting device and then claiming you can't feed your own kids? 

More Police Incompetence

A teenager who was savaged during a dog attack has been hailed a “hero” for shielding his puppy and younger brother during the ordeal. Police were called to Stanley Gardens in Herne Bay on Tuesday afternoon after a 17-year-old boy and a Dachshund had been attacked by an aggressive dog.

I'm getting so very sick of these stories. If the boy had been younger, the consequences could have been so much worse... 

The teenager required medical attention, with doctors creating a body map of his injuries before flushing and dressing his nasty wounds. In the aftermath of the ordeal, his mum Cara told KentOnline Dougie is lucky to be alive and a younger child “wouldn’t have stood a chance”.

And what did the police do? The usual.  

Despite reports of the dog being an XL bully, officers are working under the impression it is a Rottweiler-bulldog cross-breed.

'The impression'? Why is it only an impression? Well, Reader, it's because despite this attack, and all the recent damage caused by out of control dogs, the police action has been...well, it'd be an exaggeration to call it 'action'. 

The offending mutt was secure at its owner’s home when officers attended and police opted not to seize it as it is not a banned breed, offering advice on using a muzzle instead.

A police spokesman has confirmed an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

I wonder if that investigation will include READING THE FUCKING DANGEROUS DOGS ACT.... 

The act specifically beefed up because the useless lazy bastards in the police farces whined they didn't have the powers to deal with dangerous dogs. So they were given more powers. Why aren't they using them?

Why aren't people in the areas these mutts are roaming taking their own measures for public safety?

Slowly, But Surely, Common Sense Returns

A Christian school worker who was sacked after she shared Facebook posts raising concerns about lessons in LGBTQ+ relationships for primary schoolchildren has won her battle in the court of appeal. Kristie Higgs was dismissed from her role as a pastoral administrator and work experience manager at Farmor’s, a secondary school in Fairford, Gloucestershire, in 2019 after an anonymous complaint from a parent at the school. On Wednesday, three court of appeal judges ruled in her favour, describing the decision to sack her for gross misconduct as “unlawfully discriminatory” and “disproportionate”. Higgs welcomed the ruling as “a landmark day for Christian freedoms and free speech”.

And it doesn't stop at schools - the world of business is shaking off its DEI chains too! 

Say what you will about Goldman Sachs, the company goes with the current. So when it starts to renege on DEI (Diversity, Equality and Inclusion) initiatives, we should, I think, take note. Previously the firm’s policy had been only to take to market companies which had two ethnic minority board members, one of them a woman; now it’s dropping that requirement. One reason, says the company, is that it’s job done; boards are already sufficiently diverse so their diktat isn’t needed to bring about change.

And we can see the results all around us.... 

The reason Goldman Sachs is not giving for the move is the influence of Donald Trump. The President has made clear that the carnival is over for the DEI enforcers; it’s not going to be a reason to recruit or retain staff at government level, and corporate America is joyfully following his lead. Deloitte’s, the London based global accountants, is dropping the insanely annoying policy of requiring staff to provide their preferred pronouns. All small stuff, but all blowing in the same direction.

Hurrah!  

But the question is, will the UK follow suit?

The old saying goes 'America sneezes, and Britain catches a cold' so...yes! And it can't come soon enough. 

Goldman Sachs has a collective policy on governance for the US and Europe, so the UK is on this front, simply being drawn into the US current. Jason Tarry, the chairman of John Lewis, told my colleague, this paper’s business editor, Jonathan Prynn, that he has no intention of backing down on the diversity and inclusion stuff, because it’s part of what he sees as the company’s identity.

Which is why even a mighty company like John Lewis is no longer what it once was. 

Me, I can’t wait to see public bodies, including the BBC and publicly funded arts bodies, follow suit and abandon their stupid email signoffs, which does nothing except to annoy recipients (well, me). I would be very glad if every institution appointed people to jobs on that old metric, merit, rather than on the basis of DEI. In short, I think Donald Trump is onto something. But it’ll take far longer for the cultural rollback to happen here.

But every movement has to start somewhere.... 

As Feral As Their Mutts

A couple reportedly punched and kicked a woman who asked them to put their dogs on a lead.

Police are investigating the assault following the incident in the Cotswolds on Sunday, February 16. It was reported that a man and woman were walking two Rhodesian ridgeback dogs on a footpath near Eyford House in Upper Slaughter at around 12.25pm. A woman, who was walking her dog in the area with her partner, asked the couple to put their dogs on a lead after one of the ridgebacks reportedly bit her dog.

Ridgebacks are nothing to mess with, but sadly, the owners are worse. 

The man then reportedly punched the woman in the face, before the woman grabbed her from behind. They pulled her to the ground and kicked her in the ribs, Gloucestershire Police said.

Lovely people.  

Gloucestershire Police are asking the man and woman to get in touch and give their account of what happened. They are also appealing for information from witnesses.

What could they possibly say that would excuse that behaviour? 

The couple are described as being white and were both wearing matching black wax jackets. The woman had blonde hair in a ponytail and was wearing a pink cap and the man had short, cropped hair and a grey goatee beard and moustache.

Chavs. It's always chavs.  

And What’s Wrong With That?

Labour MPs said that while they strongly supported breakfast clubs, it was clear that the emphasis on the clubs helping to end child poverty was evidence of a wider initiative to “soften us up” to be told that the two-child benefit cap would remain.

Well, yes. If government (in reality, the taxpayer) has to feed other people's children, limiting them seems sensible, surely?

They said there were now signals that ministers would reject scrapping the cap this summer despite the fact that most experts and charities say it would be by far the most effective way of reducing poverty. Introduced by the Tories in 2017, the two-child limit prevents families from claiming child tax credits or universal credit for more than two children.

Proof the Tories did get a few things right, if only by accident.  

A group of Labour MPs has been pressing for the government to meet them halfway by extending the cap from two to three children, which they claim would cost very little. But government insiders suggested that the idea had already been rejected by the government’s own child poverty taskforce which is chaired jointly by Phillipson and the work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall.

Principled of them to decide not to encourage the breeding of more voters, though maybe it's because Rachel from Complaints is too worried about the so-called Black Hole in the finances. 

Last July seven Labour MPs were suspended from the whip for voting in favour of scrapping the two-child limit which has been criticised by several senior figures in the party as punitive and indefensible. But while ministers have suggested they would like to see it lifted they have said this can only be done if the public finances allow.

And they don't.  

Do You Hate The MSM..?

Reader, I don't think it's possible to hate them enough:

This was sent out before police had confirmed a cause of death, and while they were still working on a theory of carbon monoxide poisoning, which they are now rowing back on. 

Remember when the MSM  tried to tell everyone that bloggers on social media were poisoning the news well by jumping to conclusions, unlike the seasoned and responsible professiona journalists in the MSM? I do. 

And then we have headlines like this, from those fearless guardians of the truth:

If you're thinking something along the lines of 'Don't fancy yours much!', Reader, you'de be right. It's not a woman. 

Another Sacrifice To The NHS...

...and no-one will face a single day of jail time for it:

A schizophrenic man brutally killed a Travelodge receptionist after a string of errors saw him moved into a hotel without medication, a coroner has ruled. Stephen Cole, then 32, savagely attacked Spanish national Marta Elena Vento, 27, who was working at the Travelodge in Christchurch Road, in Bournemouth, with a set of hair clippers on December 9 2020. Cole attacked her during a psychotic episode and struck her with a grooming appliance in a 42 minute assault.

Cole, described as 'completely disengaged' had been released from jail despite the reservations of a prison psychiatrist. He had left prison with just a four week supply of the antipsychotic drug that kept his condition stable. He was later seen by several health care professionals and police officers before the fatal attack.

Today, Dorset coroner Rachael Griffin ruled that Ms Vento was unlawfully killed.

But not, Reader, by those medical staff and police officers who utterly failed in their job. Of course.  

He was later moved into the Travelodge on Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, with staff not told about his condition or his violent outbursts. On December 7, a police offender manager for sexual or violent offenders, visited Cole at the Travelodge and described him as 'completely disengaged' and 'almost blank'.

However, he failed to inform Travelodge staff of the danger he posed to them or guests and simply left.

I think he didn't really understand the term 'manager'. 

The coroner said there was a 'systemic failure within PPG care' which created a chain of events which led to her death.

You don't say? 

Benjamin Burrows, the lawyer representing the family, said: 'The clear conclusion is that Marta's death aged just 27 would have been avoided.

'If Practice Plus Group had provided continuity of care to Stephen Cole on his release from HMP Winchester it would have probably meant that he stayed on his medication and he would not have relapsed into psychosis.'

'The same would have happened if Dorset Police had properly assessed and managed Cole's risk.

'Either of those steps would have prevented Cole killing Marta. This is very difficult for the family to come to terms with, but finally gives them the answers they have been waiting for.

And hopefully a good reason to take Practice Plus Group to the cleaners in a civil suit. 

Without Human Agency..?

Of all the MSM, the 'Guardian' was the only one to admit to human agency behind this latest atrocity.

President of the State Criminal Police Office, Andreas Stenger, said at a press conference that the suspected driver - a 40-year-old German man - shot himself in the mouth when he was arrested, local newspaper Mannheim24 reports.

A German man? Or one of the 'new Germans' we are left to wonder. 

The man reportedly used a blank round and is currently being treated in hospital. His condition is thought to be stable. The public prosecutor told local media that there are indications that the perpetrator is mentally ill.

He has a record: 

His latest conviction was in 2018, when he had to pay a fine for a hateful comment on Facebook.

Interesting... 

 

And Why Would They Do That, When DOGE Has Shown How They’ve Been Wasted?

 

These are all good reasons to withhold your taxes. Can the tactic work? Is it right? Morally and politically motivated tax nonpayment has an honorable, if not always successful, history. After the Roman empire’s destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD Jewish people refused to pay Rome’s “temple tax”. Rome responded by destroying more temples. Gandhi’s salt tax protest, on the other hand, was the first step toward India’s independence from the British empire. The American Revolution was a tax revolt, and that worked – although some colonists resisted taxes levied by the revolutionaries and, after independence, the states as well.

Well, indeed! It's almost as if, when you show people how to keep their own money, they want to continue to do so, isn't it? 

One of the diabolical features of what geographer Ruth Wilson Gilmore calls an “anti-state state” like our current regime is its ability to turn acts of resistance against the state against themselves. Principled prosecutors and agency heads resign rather than carry out the president’s illegal orders – leaving only Maga flunkies in their places. Civil servants quit rather than pervert the services or science they’ve devoted their careers to – leaving the work unguarded and the workforce decimated, precisely as the wrecking crew intends.

This is the modern interpretation of 'decimated', despite the actual effects being closer to the original 10% reduction. 

Thanks to intentional staff shortages at the IRS, your missing tax payment might go unnoticed, just as the Trump family’s multibillion-dollar fraud escaped the agency’s auditors for decades. But if tax evasion is a secretive act, tax resistance is civil disobedience, a public, political act. The reason to withhold your taxes is not to cheat the government of much-needed funds. It is not even to cheat the crooks now running the country, satisfying as that may be. It is to expose the criminality of what is being done – and not done – with the money the state has a legal and moral obligation to collect and then to distribute, to serve all the people.

Can anyone imagine what this idiot would have said had Republican voters decided to withold their taxes rather than see them spent on Biden's pet prtojects? Sher'd have demanded they be sent to Guanatanamo!  

Inspector Terry Murphy Is Either A Fool Or A Liar...

At a press conference on Thursday, Insp Terry Murphy, from Avon and Somerset Police, called the incident "incredibly rare" and said there would be an increased police presence in the area over the coming days.

"Our thoughts, first and foremost, are with the family of the young woman who's tragically died as a result of yesterday evening's incident.

"A full investigation is now well under way to establish the full circumstances of the events that led to her death," he said.

This latest Bristol attack comes a scant few days after his colleagues in Cheshire Police (where the dead girl hailed from, coincidentally) had to expend 19 rounds of ammo to bring down one of these mutts who'd nearly killed an 84 year old man. 

And he'd probably barely finished speaking before the press were alerted to yet another attack. 

So, is he a fool or a liar? Or just another arrogant senior police officer who knows he can spout utter bollocks and never be called on it? 

Chilling!

Nice one, Matt...

Does It Make You Illiterate Too?

Because the prospect of your children growing up to work for the 'Daily Mail' truly is terrifying.

Sunday Funnies...

When you've just had enough of the antics of Hollywood types...

Whipping Up A Furore

Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud, a former director of WWF who worked for the charity for 27 years, said: “The WWF name, certainly from my experience, had a lot of leverage. If I approached people, they wanted to hear what I had to say … WWF has an influence, and it still has an influence.

“I think the public will be even more than surprised, perhaps shocked. I know that it’s the sort of thing that I have difficulty getting my head around.”

What is 'the sort of thing' he's talking about?  

The wildlife charity WWF has been working to support the trade in polar bear fur at the same time as using images of the bears to raise money, it can be revealed.

And if you're shrugging right now, welcome to the club! 

Despite their endangered status, polar bears are hunted commercially in Canada, the only country that still allows the practice after it was banned by Russia, Greenland, the US and Norway. An annual average of 300–400 skins are exported, primarily to China, where a full pelt sells for an average of $60,000 (£48,000) and is often used for luxury clothing or as a rug.

And despite all their campaigns, WWF is just fine with this. Because what they decry in public, they support in private. And for good reasons:  

A two-year investigation has found that WWF has helped facilitate the international commercial trade in polar bear furs as part of its support for the policy of sustainable utilisation. The idea is that by licensing the exploitation of a small number of animals for economic purposes – such as for fur or trophy-hunting – the status of the species overall will be improved.

WWF has also claimed a ban on the international commercial trade would damage the livelihoods of Indigenous communities. 

Never mind the animals, respect the savages!  

WWF has made clear statements about its position regarding trophy-hunting and the trade in elephant ivory. It has said it is “not opposed to hunting programmes that present no threat to the survival of threatened species and, where such species are involved, are part of a demonstrated conservation and management strategy that is scientifically based, properly managed, and strictly enforced, with revenues and benefits going back into conservation and local communities”.

WWF said in a 2013 statement: “If, at some stage in the future, polar bear populations become so diminished by climate change and habitat loss, and/or if international trade presents a greater threat, we would want to revisit the Cites listing issue. But we’re not at that point.”

So make hay while the sun shines!  

Premeditated Excuses

An 87-year-old great-grandmother who died after being punched to the floor by a stranger at a train station in Birmingham had been trying to break up an argument at a Pret a Manger, MailOnline can reveal.

Dorothy Chiles suffered a broken hip and other injuries in the vicious assault at Birmingham New Street and passed away six weeks later.

The incident isn't recent, either... 

The horrifying incident actually happened on November 19 last year but only came to public attention after British Transport Police revealed earlier this week that Dorothy had died as a result of what they called an 'act of senseless violence'.

It happened after a row began when two strangers bumped into each other - and one made a racist remark, with Dorothy's only involvement as a would -be peacemaker. And one eyewitness to the attack said: 'The old lady was trying to calm her down but the woman just violently punched her. She was killed for her kindness.'

The 'Mail' has tracked down an eyewitness. 

A man who watched the entire episode unfold revealed: 'The older lady had approached the much younger white woman who was shouting and screaming at staff and customers in Pret. 'The woman was clearly very agitated and getting worse.

'She was shouting things about how she was autistic and saying that people were picking on her.

'As the older lady got closer to try and console her, the younger woman without warning spun around and knocked her backwards onto the floor.

'It was kind of a punch with a closed fist and it pushed her over.

'The older woman was left sprawled on the floor and train station staff and other commuters rushed to help her before she was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital in an ambulance.'

Another eyewitness gives an identical statement: 

'Other people started having a go at her about using racist language.

'This seemed to wind her up even more.

'She was shouting loudly and saying 'Why are you having a go at me? Why are you picking on me? I have autism'.

'As she got more and more angry and upset, that's when the older lady who was standing nearby came over I think intending to console her or calm her - but instead she was attacked for her kindness.'

It seems the brandishing of a diagnosis is now used to excuse the following actions. Because it works. 

Police say a woman in her 20s was initially arrested on suspicion of GBH but later held on suspicion of manslaughter and released on conditional bail pending further inquiries.

Who'd bet against her ever seeing the inside of a court?