This is Northumberland 26 August 2022
The My energy bill can't be going up that much, can it edition?
This is Northumberland UK calling 19 8 22
Guilt through familial connection has come for the noted abolitionist Edmund Burke. His brother apparently was involved in the slave trade. Thus despite his own record of campaigning against the slave trade and the excesses in India at a time when it was deeply unfashionable, the House of Commons will be listing his portraits and statue as having a ‘connection.’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/08/24/anti-slavery-mp-edmund-burke-put-transatlantic-slave-trade-register/
Is Big Brother already on campus in the UK? Reporting microaggression by app now exists in England. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/08/20/report-microaggressions-qr-codes-campus-lamda-students-told/
The Conservative Party Leadership Contest trundles on. It looks like Truss has just about trussed up Sunak. Hard to pretend to be a man of the people when you are married to one of the wealthiest people on the planet. This cartoon of Maybe lose the cushion says it all: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/morten-morland-times-cartoon-august-25-2022-pdmdxst5r
However in an effort to save his campaign, Sunak has come out and said that he was silence about the lockdowns and the affects he worried about. Certain people like Johnson’s former advisor Dominic Cummings who had to go to Barnard Castle for an eye test and Lee Cain who enjoyed a party called Sunak’s word rubbish and wrong. Recollections differ. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/08/25/rishi-sunak-accused-spouting-dangerous-rubbish-criticism-no/
The guessing game of who will be Truss’s gatekeepers has already started. If Nikki De Costa gets one of the positions, her views on Identity politics are well known and she is closely aligned with Transgender Trend. Both candidates at hustings yesterday stated that a transwoman was not a woman. https://conservativehome.com/2022/08/25/trusss-number-ten-appointments-if-theyre-not-right-from-the-start-her-government-will-be-blown-off-course-and-may-never-get-back-on-it/
The Queen’s health continues to be fragile (she is in her 90s) and there are plans afoot to have the ‘kissing hands’ ceremony take place at Balmoral, rather than at Buck House where it is traditionally held. The Queen is currently on her 10 week stay at Balmoral. The Queen, however, will be the one to decide where this ceremony happens. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/queen-may-appoint-new-prime-minister-at-balmoral-over-health-fears-ngmgkdz0s
Labour continues to be missing action, despite the massive strike action looming, even criminal defence barristers are going to be manning the picket lines in the coming weeks.
The cost of living crisis should play in Labour’s favour. The energy cap has increased incredibly (up 80% today) with many already struggling to pay its fee. Cue frantically googling energy saving tips. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/energy-price-cap-calculator-bills-what-it-means-cbbxd3ppc
However, it does make it hard for certain poster people of the crisis and austerity living such as Jack Monroe, the Bootstrap Cook as this expose points out. https://medium.com/@AwfullyMolly/jack-monroe-saint-or-scammer-80ec92f37bb6
Rather allowing good produce to go waste, the discount grocery store announced that it would be selling stunted produce in its shops and called on other supermarkets to do the same. Oftentimes supermarkets have certain size requirements for fruit and veg. To cope with the cost of living crisis, more and more British consumers are turning to the German discounting giants of Lidl and Aldi. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/08/25/supermarket-sell-stunted-fruit-vegetables-avoid-waste-drought/
In Coercive Progressivism (love this term from Caitlin Flanagan!) overreach, an employee of the Gilded Balloon theatre decided to confront and verbally abuse theatre goers because he judged them to be gender critical feminists based on their appearance and that they were attending a comic performance about vaginas. The employee has now been moved to a different theatre where presumably he will not be confronted with middle-aged women enjoying themselves. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/edinburgh-fringe-audience-harassed-by-venue-employee-in-trans-row-90jk2tjpc
Speaking of Edinburgh, the binmen are on strike, resulting mountains of rubbish, the sort normally seen Napoli when their binmen strike. This Matt cartoon says it all:
The literary spat of the summer involving the chairperson of the Society of Authors and a growing variety of authors continues. Author and creative writing professor Philip Hensher took umbrage on Monday to being told to ‘play nicely.’ Philip Pullman made several appearance on various twitter feeds, explaining he wasn’t sacked but quit in disgust. Kate Clanchy whose troubles on twitter caused Pullman to resign revealed that on the evening before the Society of Authors issued its ‘play nicely’, the chairperson was busy calling her the polystyrene packing of publishing. One suspects there will be more in the Weekend papers as the chairperson appears determined to keep on tweeting. This substack spills more of the behind scene letters and complaints which author after author sent in and the stock dismissive responses they had in turn. Many considered they were alone in their concerns rather than being united in their disgust at the handling of the situation.
Manchester United beat one of their arch-rivals Liverpool mid week which was a shock. They played like they were actually a professional team which has the ability to score goals. The transfer window remains open and much speculation remains about the deals still to be done before it closes. It happens every August, fills column inches and makes for pleasant conversation. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/08/25/10-big-deals-could-still-happen-transfer-window/?li_source=LI&li_medium=li-recommendation-widget
Finally:
The mystery of the speeding car which never left the compound… so how was it photographed speeding? Answers on a postcard https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/08/22/mystery-couple-return-spain-speeding-fine-car-left-airport-meet/
Off to see if there are any more lights etc which can be turned off in the house, counting the number of quilts, blankets, wool hats etc which will be employed in the coming months and eyeing up the beeswax which needs to be made into candles.
TYTY as always, Ma'am. Me? I'll sum it up thuswise:
Burke? Connection? I guess the Woke still hold the House of Commons.
Big Brother has arrived.
I laughed at the cartoon. TYTY.
Phew, I read the article on Truss's Number Ten Appointments. You're politics over there sound just as bad as these here. Everyone against the Conservatives, no holds barred and no prisoners taken. I dunno who Transgender Trends is, so dunno her position.
I read a lotta the Medium article on Jack Monroe. What can You say?
Yeah, I know. Can't *have* middle-aged women enjoying themselves. *Nobody* is in favor of that these days.
I read most-a LoobyLou's article. Then it dumped to the page to sign up for her newsletter. Dunno. But I got most-a it, and I'm appalled. What You guys have endured is simply horrible. And her claiming to be innocent, and the victim. Makes me wanna puke.
I didn't have time to solve the mystery of the speeding car. (Hope Sherlock Holmes did. ;-)
Cain't thankee enuf... If You post on Common Sense, I'll just give You a quick hat-tip, because I'm sure You'll (eventually) see this one. TY again, Michelle.