This is Northumberland Calling 6.6.25

The Received Wisdom isn't always right edition

Hello America (particularly Central Ohio) this is Northumberland calling.

81 years ago, the beaches of Normandy were stormed and the liberation of Europe from the Nazi yoke began to be a certainty. As Merz said to Trump yesterday, for him as a German he was very pleased that the Nazis were defeated. Today, Ben Wallace, the former UK defence secretary has done an op-ed in which he praises Reagan’s Pointe du Hoc speech from 1984. The op ed includes a brief account of what happened at Pointe du Hoc and how many brave Americans lost their lives in pursuit of freedom for Europe. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/06/d-day-anniversary-america-great-trump-maga-pointe-du-hoc/ or https://archive.ph/jdtM0

The UK Strategic Defence Review has been released. I suspect it will be ‘overtaken by events’ at the NATO summit later this month. It is widely trailed that the US will ask for and most likely get a commitment from NATO countries to spend 5% of GDP on defence. However, a certain percentage will be devoted to domestic infrastructure resilience (dams, roads and the like) which is why the UK is relaxed about the increase. This is the SDR – the two-pager highlights tells you much about the general direction of travel – towards drones and swifter procurement. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-strategic-defence-review-2025-making-britain-safer-secure-at-home-strong-abroad

This is an interview with Fiona Hill, one of the main authors of the SDR. She also wrote the definitive leadership profile to Putin. Interestingly Putin leans into the Cuban Missile Crisis fears that the generation who lived through it possess (ie Trump and Biden’s generation). She also discloses that an American military officer was involved in the SDR and that the Americans are most concerned about the access to their overseas bases, including Diego Garcia on the Chagos. To many the UK is viewed as a giant aircraft carrier because of its strategic position for the US. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/from-the-coal-house-to-the-white-house-fiona-hill-the-briton-who-profiled-putin-lf82z8c26 or https://archive.ph/oNIcU

Against received wisdom, Labour won the by-election in Scotland. The election had been called due to the death of the SNP MP Christina McKelvie. It was widely expected to be a contest between the SNP and Reform with the SNP walking it. In the event, Reform surged, the SNP collapsed but the Labour vote did not really waver. The Conservatives came fourth. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/06/06/labour-pulls-off-shock-by-election-win-in-hamilton/

Zia Yusuf Reform’s chairman has resigned following the burka ban row. He is a Muslim and doesn’t believe society should compel items of clothing one way or another. The new Reform MP has called for a ban on the burka as not being compatible with Western society. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/06/05/reform-chairman-zia-yusuf-resigns-eve-hamilton-by-election/ or https://archive.ph/wPrrh

Although face veiling has a long history, the burka with its mesh insert apparently dates from the 1890s when a sheikh wanted to protect his harem from the male gaze. Many modern Islamic scholars have issued fatwas against wearing the burka but certain Islamic sects, most notably those connected with the takfiri movement (i.e. the Muslim Brotherhood) embrace the notion and compel women to wear it. The very late invention of the garment explains why traditional women’s clothing from the Islamic world does not include the item of clothing.

According to Wikipedia, these are the countries where the burka is banned (wholly or in specific circumstances): Austria, France, Belgium, Denmark, Bulgaria, the Netherlands , Germany (partial bans in some states), Italy (in some localities), Kazakhstan, Spain (in some localities of Catalonia), Russia (in the Stavropol Krai), Luxembourg, Switzerland, Norway, Canada ( Quebec), Gabon, Chad, Senegal, the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Niger, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan , Türkiye (in the judiciary, military and police),Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, and China (Xinjiang). So you can see that the ban does include Muslim countries.

This is an op-ed from Suella Braveman gives the argument why the burka should be banned in Britain. Even the ECHR agrees that the burka is not compatible with European culture and can be banned (see the above list for the European countries who have banned it) Basically it is inconsistent with integration. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/05/burqa-inconsistent-with-integration-islam-culture-uk-west/ or https://archive.ph/c3YoY

Personally I think education, particularly education about why and when the garment came about and indeed the fatwas against wearing it should be part of the answer.

The long-supressed Olson-Kennedy research into puberty blockers in the US has been published. At best, it found a neutral outcome. It did not replicate the Dutch study (hint no research has replicated the Dutch study). Olson-Kennedy supressed the results for fear of having them ‘weaponized’. Given the side effects which include sterilization, in order to justify the continued use, the results should have been far more positive imho. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.14.25327614v1

The NHS Confederation has had to concede that the Supreme Court decision has rendered its trans policy ‘out of date’, in short unlawful and will be updating the guidance. In the meantime, it has pulled the guidance. I suspect the settlements in Peggie and the Darlington Nurses will come in due course. If not, Peggie is set to resume on 16 July. The law has been clarified and the ‘claims by activists to certain privileges which trans people were supposed to enjoy were in fact false. It is why employers keep losing at tribunals. The Supreme Court clarified that the Eq Act 2010 and therefore the duties of employers operate on the basis of biological sex (as first defined in 1970 by Corbett v Corbett) rather than certificated sex (birth certificates can be altered for a number of legal reasons) as the activists had claimed. https://archive.ph/2025.06.05-171348/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/05/nhs-chiefs-forced-to-rip-up-trans-guidance/

The National Trust decided to allow the defacing of JK Rowling’s name on a piece of stitched artwork meant to celebrate ‘virtuous women’ and display the artwork as it was a ‘visitor engagement’ project. The NT have known about the defacement since November 24. Women’s groups were unhappy when the garment went on display. A feminist activist undid the defacing stitching over JK Rowling’s name. The NT have now covered up the garment and say it has been defaced. 7 times JK Rowling’s name was stitched and twice it was defaced apparently. It is hard to see the NT allowing defacement of any other name in this fashion. The feminist is unrepentant. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/media/article/jk-rowling-national-trust-x0r70fqn8 or https://archive.ph/7Fpa2

Two operatives in the pay of the Russian Wagner group have gone on trial at the Old Bailey for their part in burning down a warehouse full Ukrainian aid. They also accused of plotting to kidnap the owner of a Mayfair restaurant. I suspect once the trial is over, the Rest is Classified will do a episode as it does link back to the earlier spy trial this year. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/04/british-wagner-spies-plot-kidnap-mayfair-restaurant-owner/ or https://archive.ph/TaoQI

The White Stork project on the Knepp Estate again has storks – three fledglings. It aims to reintroduce storks to England and has the support of the Gerald Durrell foundation. Knepp and Storrington are now the UK’s only stork village. You can watch the nest live here (fingers crossed for another successful year): https://whitestorkproject.org/live-cam-feed/

Here:

It has been raining. Sunshine and showers. Hooray! The garden is actually growing.

The bees are doing well. I made it through May without a swarm. A swarm in May is worth a load of hay, a swarm in June a silver spoon but a swarm in July is not worth a fly. Basically, if they swarm in July, just let they go. I am currently checking for Queen cells as it takes 7 days before the Queen cell is capped. The bees will only swarm if there are capped queen cells. However, once they have made up their minds to swarm, there is little a beekeeper can do. Creating an artificial swarm works, if you can find your old Queen.

My new editor came back from her holiday and let me know she has the partial. I am continuing to write the first draft as I am enjoying myself.

Paddy in the meadowy bit of the garden, helping out with grass trimming.

Paddy is enjoying being outside. He does not go out when I am doing the bees. He has a deep distrust and fear of buzzing creatures, having been stung in the past.

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