Early Risers.

[jjb1970]

13 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Without getting too political, the impact of Farage and Trump is due to the fact that, unlike the mainstream parties who are all singing in the same opera (they may be singing different arias but they are all singing in the same opera) they are singing from a distinctly different (political) song sheet. And this resonates with a lot of people who, quite frankly, don’t like opera. 

 

The political establishment and the media are desperate to label people turning away from the old mainstream as extremists and whatever label they like (deplorables being one) as that is easier for them than looking in a mirror and reflecting on the fact there are perfectly rational reasons many have lost confidence in politics, are sick of the failures and want change.

 

I can't stand Farage and don't have a high opinion of most of the alternatives riding the wave of disillusionment but I don't blame those voting for alternatives given the sorry state of the 'respectable' mainstream.

[iL Dottore]

11 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

 

The political establishment and the media are desperate to label people turning away from the old mainstream as extremists and whatever label they like (deplorables being one) as that is easier for them than looking in a mirror and reflecting on the fact there are perfectly rational reasons many have lost confidence in politics, are sick of the failures and want change.

 

One of the things I despise in modern politics, is how many newspaper columnists, political pundits and the like sneer, belittle, insult, denigrate and dismiss people who have different views to them. What is more galling is that those who make such pronouncements tend to be smugly superior - considering themselves to be morally better.

 

And yet, were you to take one of their many pronouncements that go unremarked upon (such as - for sake of argument - “X are a bunch of thickos”) and replace X with Y, there’d be howls of (predictable) outrage (it’s “Hate Speech” etc.)

 

Hypocrisy and double-standards don’t even begin to cover it.

[polybear]

28 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

 

The political establishment and the media are desperate to label people turning away from the old mainstream as extremists and whatever label they like (deplorables being one) as that is easier for them than looking in a mirror and reflecting on the fact there are perfectly rational reasons many have lost confidence in politics, are sick of the failures and want change.

 

I can't stand Farage and don't have a high opinion of most of the alternatives riding the wave of disillusionment but I don't blame those voting for alternatives given the sorry state of the 'respectable' mainstream.

 

Bear, in a moment of boredom happened to read a certain "extremist" manifesto - and much (if not all) made a lot of sense to me; more so that the cr@p coming out of the "regulars".  Can they pull it off?  Can they be believed?  Well I reckon the regulars don't exactly have a great record for either of those points, so I'm not so sure they can do much worse.

 

 

 

 

[Hroth]

2 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Bear, in a moment of boredom happened to read a certain "extremist" manifesto - and much (if not all) made a lot of sense to me; more so that the cr@p coming out of the "regulars".  Can they pull it off?  Can they be believed?  Well I reckon the regulars don't exactly have a great record for either of those points, so I'm not so sure they can do much worse.

 

 

 

 

 

We got that over how we would all benefit from BREXIT, yet none of the cloud cuccoo land advantages have yet to appear.

 

Its amazing that anyone would want to vote for politicians that dumped the UK in that soup.

 

[roundhouse]

Good morning from a sunny Surrey at the moment but it did chuck it down earlier and this changeable weather is to continue today so putting an undercoat on the garage facia and frame has been put off till maybe tomorrow.

 

It was a busy day yesterday. Gardening at MIL was minimal yesterday as we drove home just after lunch and made it into London without getting wet. Great White Worm to Farringdon, Elizabeth line to Stratford then C2C on diversions via Stratford to Barking from the same platform. A curve done and only a 10 minute wait for another C2C diversion via Stratford then via an extremely rare  connecting line to Limehouse and onto Fenchurch Street.  Then it went pear shaped as the C2C train was diverted into Liverpool Street due to a points failure so we got off at Stratford. A half hour wait and we finally travelled over this bit of track. It was only in use yesterday as today and future weekend diversions will all be into Liverpool Street.

 

Made it into Seething Lane Tap House as the heavens opened. Luckily it stopped raining as we walked over Tower Bridge and various hostelries back to London Bridge station and a Great White Worm home.

 

Kitchen units plinths have been rmeved htis morning then refitted after checking that the gas pipe is 22mm diameter so that the boiler negineer can price fitting a new boiler. The current one is still working but its probably over 20 years old and parts are now hard to get plus its on borrowed time.

 

Next task is to take apart one of my G gauge garden locos to find out why the motor in one truck has stopped working.

[jjb1970]

Something which is always thought provoking is to read media articles and political statements about a story you are familiar with. I regularly see articles and statements concerning work related matters and ask myself the question - if these people are so clueless on this story are they any more informed about anything else?

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

My (cynical) view is that book burning – and it’s modern cousin, the promotion of soshul meeja over reading – reflects the fact that reading books means that people get exposed to many different points of view, get a wider and better understanding of the world and therefore are more likely to question the establishment and status quo. If you get enough people doing that then the regime’s grip on power can become very tenuous indeed and they can’t have that. 

 

 

The current book-burning enthusiasts are more concerned with the chance that their offspring will be enticed  into a lifetime of debauchery  due to accidently reading a book where two men or two ladies hold hands, its an inevitable  slippery slope after that.

 

In the same vein several Bluey episodes are censored  by Disney Plus and one is banned outright. This one involved a pretend childbirth scene that has the dad pretending to give birth, which is obviously a comical representation and includes such features as  the "midwife" keeping asking for updates on the cricket.

It is unclear whether the episode is banned due to it showing childbirth, or whether it is banned because it shows a male giving birth, which is obviously #wokeleftytrans.

 

This is the same channel that is currently heavily promoting the latest series of the Kardashians, a family you'd definitely  want your kids to get their values from.

 

  But then again most of the book burners are against any gun control measures  that may reduce the risk of their littlies getting gunned down in the school  library, so  that's obviously preferable  to the risk of exposing them to any  naughty books while they are in there.

 

 

But then again again, their Orange Cult Leader has been adjudicated to have sexually assaulted one woman and convicted of paying  hush money to another in order to  cover up an incident that he committed while his wife was nursing their just-born child, things that they seem totally fine with, so nothing surprises me there.

 

 

Edited June 16 by monkeysarefun

[Hroth]

5 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

The current book-burning enthusiasts are more concerned with the chance that their offspring will be enticed  into a lifetime of debauchery  due to accidently reading a book where two men or two ladies hold hands, its a slippery slope from there.

 

In the same vein several Bluey episodes are censored  by Disney Plus and one is banned outright. This one involved a pretend childbirth scene that has the dad pretending to give birth, which is obviously a comical representation and includes such features as  the "midwife" keeping asking for updates on the cricket.

It is unclear whether the episode is banned due to it showing childbirth, or whether it is banned because it shows a male giving birth, which is obviously #wokeleftytrans.

 

This is the same channel that is currently heavily promoting the latest series of the Kardashians, a family you'd want your kids to get values from.

  But then again most of the book burners are against any gun control measures  that will reduce the risk of their littlies getting gunned down in the school  library, so  that's obviously preferable  to the risk of exposing them to naughty lefty books.

 

But then again, their Orange Cult Leader has been adjudicated to have sexually assaulted one woman and convicted of paying  hush money to another in order to  cover up an incident that he committed while his wife was nursing their just-born child, so nothing surprises me there.

 

 

 

 

All I can say is...

 

 

Well, Private Frazer said it for me!

 

[jjb1970]

The thing I find funny or tragic (depending on mood) is how similar those on the left and right are.

 

We had years of right wing pundits and politicians defending the right to hold views others find offensive, the right to protest and the sanctity of free speech blah blah blah while on the other side limiting speech on social media, cancelling people with the wrong views blah blah blah was both correct and necessary. 

 

Now we have both right wing and left wing pundits demanding controls on what people should be allowed to say about a certain contemporary issue, ranting about protesting students and wanting them kicked out of school and black listed blah blah while those on the other side are using the same arguments once used by the anti-woke mob (i.e. freedom includes the right to hold contrary views, to protest etc) and finding themselves on the receiving end this time.

 

I don't think these people are oblivious to the hypocrisy on all sides and the fact that what upsets them isn't the principle of controlling things but rather what should be controlled. I think in most cases they do have sufficient self-awareness but don't care and hope most won't call them out on it.

 

 

[polybear]

30 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

We got that over how we would all benefit from BREXIT, yet none of the cloud cuccoo land advantages have yet to appear.

 

Its amazing that anyone would want to vote for politicians that dumped the UK in that soup.

 

 

It could be argued that the Voters did that.

As for advantages yet to appear, could that be the fault of the current bosses of The Big House? 🤔

 

20 minutes ago, roundhouse said:

Kitchen units plinths have been removed this morning then refitted after checking that the gas pipe is 22mm diameter so that the boiler engineer can price fitting a new boiler. The current one is still working but its probably over 20 years old and parts are now hard to get plus its on borrowed time.

 

I'm a believer in "if it ain't busted...."

Out of interest, is it the Engineer saying that parts are scarce?  A common tactic in my experience in order to sell new boilers.  It may be worth phoning the manufacturer and speaking to their spares dept. to ask them what the situation is.

 

I'm also a great believer in system boilers rather than combi boilers - a S.B allows the use of a copper storage tank in an airing cupboard (if you still have one) - which means you can have an immersion heater for those times when the boiler does pack up....

 

(Bear still has a Back Boiler, incidentally)

[polybear]

Spot-on....

[polybear]

 

 

[Hroth]

 

 

Was his name Mellors, by any chance?

 

ION

 

Just watched some of the fillums on UToob of Pete Waterman and the Railnuts working on "Making Tracks IV - Up to the Junction" in preparation for the exhibition in Chester Cathedral this August.  The amount of bickering and cross-purposes reminded me of here...

 

https://chestercathedral.com/events/event/20340/2024/08/01

 

The last three have been well worth a visit!

 

 

 

Edited June 16 by Hroth
Update

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

We got that over how we would all benefit from BREXIT, yet none of the cloud cuccoo land advantages have yet to appear.

 

 

Speak for yourself!  Those post-Brexit free trade agreements are working really well.  ( Not for you but, unfortunately)

 

Total Australian Beef and lamb  exports to UK,  2023: 15,650 tonnes.

 

Total English Beef  and lamb Exports to Australia: 0 tonnes.    (In March, a UK exporter of beef jerky had its shipment blocked by Australian border control  because the UK government had not requested access.  Turns out that the UK government had somehow neglected to add in a reciprocal arrangement  into the Australian Free Trade  Agreement when it came to meat.)

Edited June 16 by monkeysarefun

[Hroth]

23 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

Speak for yourself!  Those post-Brexit free trade agreements are working really well.  ( Not for you but, unfortunately)

 

Total Australian Beef and lamb  exports to UK,  2023: 15,650 tonnes.

 

Total English Beef  and lamb Exports to Australia: 0 tonnes.    (In March, a UK exporter of beef jerky had its shipment blocked by Australian border control  because the UK government had not requested access.  Turns out that the UK government had somehow neglected to add in a reciprocal arrangement  into the Australian Free Trade  Agreement when it came to meat.)

 

You know, it doesn't surprise me.  That mob couldn't organise a pi$$-up in a brewery.

 

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

As it’s Father’s Day, I was treated to breakfast in bed, but we should use bowls really, it’s much less messy. It was raining when I got up this morning, but it’s stop now and the sun is trying to shine, I doubt it will last. I’ve no plans for today, as I’m expecting visitors throughout the day, so there doesn’t seem much point in starting anything really, so the plan is to potter about downstairs in the office and come back upstairs when it’s time to open the door, or eat. 
 

Back later. 

Brian

[iL Dottore]

As I see it, most of modern politics consists of US and THEM.

 

The “US” all have gone to the same schools and universities; have done the same degrees; depend heavily on the “knowing someone who knows someone who knows someone” network for patronage, jobs and promotions;  they cluster together in well-off to wealthy areas of a city or town; they manage to get paid very well for doing things that - charitably - could be described as “light work” (a.k.a. “non-jobs”); though they may disagree on minor points of detail, overall they buy in to the same political and social orthodoxy;  they think they know best for everyone and they are usually (by money, location and patronage) well insulated from the consequences of their actions and decisions….

 

And then there is the “THEM”, i.e. everyone else….

[The White Rabbit]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

Bear (fur or no fur) often has to wear a fleece in the evenings.

 

It's all Hippo's fault....

 

What, climate change? 😉  Poor Richard... Though I also had to put my fleece on yesterday pm, that's not normal for June. 

 

Re politicians (ugh...) and the post turtle post - I've seen that, though with a picture of the Orange One included. And on the B word, I get the distinct impression that certain parts of the establishment have deliberately and hypocritically tried to sabotage implementation rather than giving it their best efforts. So 'we' end up in the worst of all worlds. With an indirect consequence of increasing voter alienation - which some commentators have said is why we got the result we did in the first place. No wonder a fair few folk are getting very disillusioned with 'things'. 

 

Anyway, that's quite enough of that - time for some G word while the sun's out. No fleece required so far... 

 

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

We got that over how we would all benefit from BREXIT, yet none of the cloud cuckoo land advantages have yet to appear.

Its amazing that anyone would want to vote for politicians that dumped the UK in that soup.

Those same politicians are now  fighting over the same (now empty) soup bowl (Reform vs. Tories). 

43 minutes ago, polybear said:

It could be argued that the Voters did that.

As for advantages yet to appear, could that be the fault of the current bosses of The Big House? 🤔

The voters were well and truly led down the garden path, mainly by social media. A good example, it was pointed out frequently that as a member of the EU we could travel anywhere in the EU without passing through border controls but if we left we would have to pass through border controls. This was dismissed as 'fake news' by the supporters of Brexit. We now have to go through border controls. What was put forward as fact has turned out to be fake news. A good example was the story that the EU paid for Ford's to transfer car manufacture to Turkey, this was put forward as fact but was fake news.

 

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Up a bit earlier this morning now I'm sitting down to watch 'Carry on up the Khyber' on ITV3.

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

In the same vein several Bluey episodes are censored  by Disney Plus and one is banned outright.

Interesting, I don’t have Disney+ nor do I want it. Especially after online YouTube reviewers like Nerdrotic (US) and The Critical Drinker (Scottish it would seem) post scathing and provocative reviews about how Disney+ has ruined the Star Wars, Dr Who and Marvel franchises.

 

You may disagree with a lot (if not all) of what they say, but one thing they point out is the huge gap between “the Critics” and The Audience” in rating these films and programmes.

 

 

Current TV and film making: another example of “the proles” being told what to think???

[Hroth]

5 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Up a bit earlier this morning now I'm sitting down to watch 'Carry on up the Khyber' on ITV3.

 

Complete with the ironic last frames "We're Backing Britain"...

 

[Barry O]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

It could be argued that the Voters did that.

As for advantages yet to appear, could that be the fault of the current bosses of The Big House? 🤔

 

 

I'm a believer in "if it ain't busted...."

Out of interest, is it the Engineer saying that parts are scarce?  A common tactic in my experience in order to sell new boilers.  It may be worth phoning the manufacturer and speaking to their spares dept. to ask them what the situation is.

 

I'm also a great believer in system boilers rather than combi boilers - a S.B allows the use of a copper storage tank in an airing cupboard (if you still have one) - which means you can have an immersion heater for those times when the boiler does pack up....

 

(Bear still has a Back Boiler, incidentally)

As it happens there is someone who gets a very nice pension from a job representing some people in parts of England. Not a bad pension either especially as he didn't bother turning up very often because the rest of the peopke involved recognised that he is a self centred gobble person who couldn't take any responsibility..

 

We have a pressurised system with an immersion heater fitted as well.

 

Baz

[Debs.]

If you suspect your dear companion has a concerning health issue, please don't neglect it!

🤔

 

It might be a slow puncture!!!😱😳🤭

Edited June 16 by Debs.

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

That mob couldn't organise a pi$$-up in a brewery.

 

I think the problem is  is that as a member of the EU for Donkeys years, the EU have done all the trade negotiations on your behalf. So your government had been protected from the cold harsh world due to it being part of a trading bloc and have therefore allowed in-house trading skills to disappear.

 

Meanwhile, here in Australia, Canada, NZ, India and so on - we have always had  to make our own way in the world of trading policy, (especially when the UK abandoned the Commonwealth to  join  the Common Market).  As a result, over the intervening   years, we have all  acquired street skills in  trade that no one in the UK government has ever had to face before,  and thus has no answer to. You sent Liz  Truss here  to organise our trade agreement  for instance.  It was like lambs to the slaughter,  LOL.

 

  So now its the UK government with its hubris that showed up during the Brexit debate "We are the UK, we had a huge  Empire awhile ago  and  everyone will want to trade with us on our terms!"  VS  reality.

 

 

Edited June 16 by monkeysarefun