Israel Criticism - Labour Beyond Too Late

Having resisted any change of approach to the continued Israeli assaults on Gaza, the bombing, shelling, rocketing, the gratuitous slaughter of those desperately queuing for aid, the deliberate prevention of aid agencies from getting into the occupied territory, Keir Starmer’s Government has now decided to tell the world that it sort of disapproves of what is going on.

That’s after proscribing Palestine Action, a group practising non-violent direct action, with the all-too-predictable result that scores of peaceful protesters have been arrested, sometimes violently, by Police forces around the country. It comes after the Government continued weapons sales to Israel, and indeed provided aerial intelligence too. So how strong is the disapproval?

Here’s the BBC report: “The UK and 27 other countries have called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, where they say the suffering of civilians has ‘reached new depths’ … A joint statement says Israel's aid delivery model is dangerous and condemns what it calls the ‘drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians’ seeking food and water”. There is more.

“Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said more than 100 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire while waiting for food over the weekend and that 19 others died as a result of malnutrition … There have been many international statements condemning Israel's tactics in Gaza during the past 21 months of its war with Hamas. But this declaration is notable for its candour”. Do go on.

The statement tells “The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity … We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food. It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid”. How so?

Ah well. Here we encounter the Israelis’ preferred aid distribution solution, the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The Beeb report notes “Last Tuesday, the UN human rights office said it had recorded 674 killings in the vicinity of the GHF's aid sites since they began operating eight weeks ago”.

This from al-Jazeera: “Israeli soldiers have deliberately shot at unarmed Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza after being ‘ordered’ to do so by their commanders, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports … At least 549 Palestinians have been killed and 4,066 injured while waiting for food aid distributed at sites run by the [GHF]”. Target practice. Bit of fun, eh?

One soldier told Haaretz “It’s a killing field”. The BBC reports the Gaza health ministry as warning “33 people, including 12 children, have died in the past 48 hours” from malnutrition. Also, “The journalists' association of Agence France Presse … says the last reporters in Gaza will die without immediate intervention, warning its colleagues are at risk of starvation”.

On top of that, “The World Health Organization (WHO) says Israel's ground offensive in central Gaza has compromised its efforts to continue working, after its facilities came under attack. The UN agency accused Israeli forces of attacking a building housing its staff and their families in the city of Deir al-Balah on Monday and mistreating those sheltering there. Its main warehouse was also attacked and destroyed”. So what of the UK arms sales?

They appear to be continuing, as does the aerial reconnaissance out of Cyprus. So the condemnation of Israel is not much of a condemnation - more a recognition that Labour long ago lost the room on this one, and is now, some might say cynically, trying to appear concerned. When they aren’t.

As Owen Jones, who has been right from the start, has put it this morning, “A tipping point has been reached … Gaza is now starving to death in front of the whole world … Those who facilitated and justified this abomination were given ample warning for 21 months … You have no excuses, and nowhere to hide: you will be held to account for what you've done”.

No-one can claim they didn’t know. No-one will be swayed by shouts of “waah anti-Semitism”. Because they did. And it isn’t. We see you, Keir Starmer.

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Tommy Robinson’s Loadsamoney Lunch

Once again, Stephen Yaxley Lennon, who styles himself Tommy Robinson, has been in the news, and for reasons which may cause his latest campaign to develop not necessarily to his advantage. The Great Man, and four of his pals, were asked to leave the Hawksmoor restaurant near Piccadilly Circus in central London, staff and other diners being uneasy at their presence.

Lennon and his associates complied with the request, but later, he kicked off in no style at all on Twitter, X, or whatever Muskrat’s calling it this week, passing severely adverse comment on Hawksmoor, its management, and generally claiming the eatery was being dishonest about why he was chucked out. TripAdvisor had to temporarily disable reviews about the site.

This was most likely due to Lennon’s faithful followers using whatever means they could employ to dump on somewhere they had not visited, probably would never visit, but ejecting their hero just had to be A Very Bad Thing. The sequence of events was all too predictable. “Just been kicked out of Hawksmoor steak house for no reason. Literally juts [sic] had our starters”.

So said Lennon’s pal, former EDL Guramit Singh. Followed by The Great Man himself in full Headmaster mode. “Full campaign coming soon [Hawksmoor] your discriminatory behaviour will not be tolerated, please tell your CEO will beckett to contact me” he thundered. And there was more.

“These are the other companies that are part of the Hawksmoor group , I will be contacting each of them to understand whether they support discrimination against patriots”. But they aren’t part of the Hawksmoor group. On he whined: “How can you say it’s not political when your staff or guests issue could only have been with my political views?” But the real question went unanswered.

And that, for all those who have donated, and continue to donate, to Lennon’s endless appeals for funds, is the question of how much that lunch at Hawksmoor might have cost. Who was paying? Yes, the restaurant waived all charges when they asked the party to leave, but what might have been the final tally had they stayed? Fortunately, Hawksmoor’s website provides us with a sight of the menu, and the cost of all that upmarket dining.

Guramit Singh’s post showed oysters, so, just for illustrative purposes you understand, let’s say each person had three of those. That’s £12.

He also mentions starters. What d’you reckon? Hawksmoor smoked salmon and Guinness Bread, perhaps. Which adds £16 to the bill.

On to steaks: one of Lennon’s posts shows lots of steaks. How about a nice 350 gramme fillet steak? Lovely. And that adds another £57 to the total. Plus an additional £4 for one of those rather upmarket sauces.

Not forgetting sides: we saw chips, too. Beef dripping chips. And maybe some buttered English greens. Each costs £7, so that’s another £14.

What to wash it down with? How about a couple of Hawksmoor Lagers? The least expensive item on the beer menu. Two at £6.75 makes £13.50.

And there’s just got to be pudding. A Chocolate anglaise, perhaps. A snip at just £10. All of which adds up to a total of £126.50. Put the service charge and a tip on top of that, and you won’t have much change from £150.

Anyone out there still thinking that bankrolling Lennon is anything more than spraying your assets up the nearest wall might care to read The Great Man’s superior insights into what is happening on the US West Coast right now, where initially peaceful protests have become rather less than peaceful, after Combover Crybaby Donald Trump sent in the National Guard uninvited.

Cue Lennon pearls of wisdom: “America is being destroyed from within yet again … Soros paid agitators mobilizing the invaders to attack … Round them all up and deport them together, along with the Soros family and associates”. Wibble. Hatstand. Yet he effortlessly takes his followers for marks while being prepared to blow rather a lot of money on Loadsamoney Lunches.

Right now, he’s in the Bahamas. While appealing for money. Er, hello mugs.

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Banksy And Wiggy Ha Ha Ha

Reform UK’s self-appointed Oberscheissenführer Nigel “Thirsty” Farage has at least one principle which he maintains unwaveringly, and that is the concept of strong borders. No-one should complain at nation states deciding for themselves who is let in, and who is not. But now a problem has entered, and it concerns one of his Bestest Pals from the recent past.

During the campaign leading up to the 2016 EU referendum, Nige was backed to the hilt by the self-styled “Bad Boys of Brexit”, those being businessman Arron Banks, and his slippery sidekick Andy Wigmore, the pair giving the appearance of being the very personification of J J Hunsecker and Sidney Falco. Banksy and Wiggy were, also, big Trump backers.

So it was no surprise to see Banksy wanting to celebrate the return of The Donald to the Presidency, at a rooftop venue in Washington, DC. But here, as Caroline Wheeler of the Murdoch Sunday Times has told, a problem entered, as in, Banksy didn’t. Here’s what she had to say about it.

“Arron Banks, the multimillionaire businessman who helped fund the Brexit campaign, is unable to attend his own £150,000 party celebrating Donald Trump’s return to the White House after he was denied entry to the United States … [he] was due to host 300 guests at the lavish ‘Stars and Stripes and Union Jack Party’ on the ­rooftop of the historic Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington this Friday night”. Except, now, he wasn’t. Do go on.

“Invitees include the president-elect and members of his family, Elon Musk, the US senators Rick Scott and Pete Ricketts, and the former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. The guest of honour is Farage … But Banks set to miss the occasion after his electronic entry permit to the US … was blocked. His business partner, Andy Wigmore has also had his entry to the US denied. The pair claim it is a ‘political decision’ and criticised the Biden administration”.

What was that about sovereign nations controlling their borders? How did Nige and his pals put it … “taking back control”? How will Isabel Oakeshott spin that one? And when will the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog mention it (no word as yet)?

But all is not lost for Banksy. According to the Mirror, “A furious Mr Banks appeared to mockingly declare that he would instead cross the border from Mexico ‘along with the hundreds of thousands of gang members’ to join the party”. Of course he would. I mean, that “Open Tex-Mex border” claim must be true, mustn’t it? Wouldn’t be just a right wing pack of lies, would it?

The Mirror also had more on Banksy’s response. “Mr Banks blasted the decision to deny him US entry, branding it ‘a political decision and revenge for the failed Russia Hoax’. In a long statement, he ranted about President Joe Biden being to blame and hit out at the ‘dying fake media’”. Rather than the more prosaic explanation, which is that he was just refused entry to the USA.

Nige was, of course, all sympathy. “He was also backed by Reform UK leader Mr Farage, who posted online: ‘Arron Banks is a good man and a friend of America. It is astonishing that US Citizenship and Immigration Services have denied him entry for the inauguration.’” And Banksy wasn’t finished.

“I was accused of Russian collusion in the Brexit campaign, investigated and cleared by the National Crime Agency … I would estimate it cost me over £100million in lost business and legal fees. My businesses were de-banked and attacked by vicious opponents during this period. All for supporting Brexit and President Trump”. All of which has stuff all to do with his entry denial.

As a spokesman for the US embassy in the UK put it, “Visa records are confidential under US law, therefore we cannot discuss the details of specific visa cases”. Of course not: they can leave the discussion aspect to Banksy, Wiggy, and Mr Thirsty to pontificate that it’s all so terribly unfair.

While many others look on, try unsuccessfully to suppress the urge to laugh out loud, and conclude “Oh dear, how sad, never mind”.

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Labour, Caps, And Cruelty

Tuesday evening’s vote came and went, and despite the threats, seven Labour MPs voted for the SNP amendment urging abolition of the two child cap. As a result, all seven had the party whip removed for a period of six months, but what is most disturbing is not the keeping of 300,000 in poverty, but the uncaring and even triumphant attitude of many in the Party.

All that this blog had pointed up in the run-in to the election was on display; the attitude, the entitlement, the inability to see those 300,000 as individuals, and once more the tendency to frame the event as the “grownups in the room” putting one over on the Rotten Lefties™, or even the additional framing of anyone capable of showing a shred of empathy as mere “Trots”.

Anyone not yet taking that on board need look no further than Duncan Robinson’s article for The Economist, “Why Britain’s Labour Government Enjoys Hippy Punching”, and yes, the “grownups in the room”, having declared that anyone able to show empathy is a “Trot”, have also decreed that those individuals are also “hippies”, a word they couldn’t define.

Other than to point at said lefties, that is. Here’s a flavour of the article: “Hippy-punching is in vogue for two reasons. Partly, Labour’s leadership think it is good politics. More voters lurk to Labour’s right than to its left. It can afford to lose ‘vegan’ constituencies such as Bristol Central to the Green Party. A single voter in marginal Leigh [yes, Leigh is now ‘marginal’] is worth more than a pile of them in the Labour heartland of Liverpool”. Do go on.

“A positive piece in the Sun, a reactionary tabloid, is worth 99 simpering editorials in the Guardian, the hippy bugle … Partly, Labour’s leaders simply enjoy it. The party has a near-psychotic approach to its internal politics, and people now at the top have long dreamed of kicking lefties out of the party”.

There was more. “‘Country first, party second’ is a well-worn slogan of Sir Keir’s Labour. Factionalism still comes before both. Work combines with pleasure”. But not all remaining Labour MPs are enamoured of the puerile game playing, as Adam Bienkov of Byline Times noted.

“Keir Starmer's allies saw last night's vote as a ‘virility test’ but suspending MPs for voting to lift children out of poverty is the politics of Johnson and Cummings … Why some Labour MPs are furious about the ‘draconian’ treatment of the rebels”. Richard Murphy saw the very public fallout from the vote and added “That’s good news. Bullies who pick on those supporting the vulnerable really should be called out in public”. And it got worse.

Pro-nationalist Scots outlet The National splashed a photo of Labour apparatchiks celebrating, telling “LABOUR’S MESSAGE AFTER VOTING FOR TWO-CHILD CAP … ‘Celebration’ picture posted in aftermath of vote sparks condemnation”, to which Dan Hancox added “Good to see this made a front page. If you're going to spend 4 years lecturing the left that they don't know how to work with the media, are too unserious to effectively 'play the game' etc - then you deserve this”. It also revealed another NEC player.

Right in the middle of that group, rictus grin on display (as so often), the bloke holding a plastic glass half full of (apparently) beer, is one Abdi Duale. Who he? One of those on the NEC who has worked behind the scenes against the left, pal of Luke Akehurst, now celebrating the maintenance of poverty.

I have a question for Duale, Akehurst and indeed Morgan McSweeney: after all the self-congratulation, answer me this. How many members and supporters has this less than “grown up” behaviour alienated? How many people will be there to turn out and canvass for Labour next time round?

The Lib Dems held by-election trophy South Shropshire, and both constituencies that came out of the Tiverton and Honiton split. Labour failed to hold on to Mid Bedfordshire, in addition to all the independents taking seats from them, or running them close. What advantage will accrue from having your pure strain of authoritarianism lording it over everyone else?

It’s almost as if no-one in the Labour machine thought of that. Sad, really.

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Rachel Reeves And Bad Economics

The incoming Labour Government, we are told, is looking to economic growth to drive us forward towards the Brave New World of not being a member state of the European Union, but performing considerably better than under the last days of the Tories. But new Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves doesn’t seem to have figured her economic basics.

While some in the media class tell anyone listening that Ms Reeves at 11 Downing Street means that the grownups are back in charge, she steadfastly refuses to move the one lever of the economy which would almost immediately generate more economic activity, get the economy growing, and would be hugely popular with many of Labour’s voters.

So we arrive at the Two Child Cap. This relic of Tory austerity was imposed to limit the payment of child benefit to a family’s first two children only. Its imposition means that, from the third child onward, no child benefit will be paid. This has left many families struggling, and has made them the target of bad faith actors in the right leaning part of our free and fearless press.

SHOULDN’T HAVE THEM IF THEY CAN’T AFFORD THEM comes the plaintive refrain from obscenely overpaid hacks and pundits, few if any of whom have recently, if ever, been in the situation faced by many of the families affected, many of which are both “in work” and still having to rely on the generosity of food banks. The solution is glaringly straightforward.

And that solution is to remove the Two Child Cap, paying for the extra expenditure by taxing the very well off. It is, whisper it quietly, a no brainer. Moreover, it is plainly redistributive: it takes a relatively modest amount from those with a strong Propensity to Save, and gives to those with a rather stronger Propensity to Spend. An explainer on this is required.

Rich people get a tax break? They already have more money than they need, so are most likely to save the additional funds. Hence Propensity to Save. The less well off, on the other hand, almost always have less money than what they need to support a half decent lifestyle, so any extra is going to be spent, and in short order too. Hence their Propensity to Spend.

Additionally, the well off will notice a small reduction in their overall wealth less than those less well off. From there it can be seen that the imposition of the Two Child Cap effectively removed purchasing power from the less well off - thus reducing economic activity. Removing the Cap will immediately restore spending power to the less well off. More economic activity follows.

After all, the effect of removing the Two Child Cap is not dissimilar to that of giving less well paid workers a pay rise - the propensity to spend is strong, and yes, economic activity will be heightened as a result. That pay rise has been “hinted” at by Ms Reeves. But still the Two Child Cap is clung onto, as if an act of economic redistribution would cause the sky to fall in.

This matters: how the Chancellor acts will tell us whether this Government really wants to improve the lot of those at the bottom of the pile, or whether it’s merely a case of the new authoritarianism behind the Labour leadership telling the world “nah, not doing that, cos that’s what Trots do”.

Removing the Two Child Cap is an economic no-brainer. If Rachel Reeves wants to be both competent and consistent, she must act. That is all.

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Don’t Mention The War, Sorry, Brexit

Perhaps the most surreal aspect of the General Election campaign is that the party most likely to form the next Government - Labour - is steadfastly refusing to recognise the elephant in the Economy room. The Elephant which has resulted in higher taxes, a decline in the UK’s ability to trade freely with its nearest neighbour, and therefore its attractiveness and competitiveness.

The name of the Elephant is Brexit. And Labour would rather not mention it, so frit are they of the fury that would rain down upon them from the general direction of our free and fearless press should they dare to Go There. This level of cowardice before gaining power gives every impression of enduring after Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves take up residence in Downing Street.

But at some time, Labour will have to talk about the Elephant. Meanwhile, the Lib Dems are unencumbered by Labour’s cowardice, and John Sweeney, who is now fighting Sutton Coldfield for them, has put it directly: “I remember listening to the Brexit result in my little backyard and then it started to drizzle. Our wonderful country was conned something rotten: we have ended up with a broken economy, a blighted future and our national security endangered”.

And his solution? “The sooner we are back in the European Union the better and, if elected, I shall campaign for that … Vote for me and I shall fight for you”. Fight is the right word. Because the overmonied and intolerant part of the media class, less affected by Brexit, will fight to keep it.

They will always be able to summon a member of the punditerati to tell whoever reads the final article that the UK imposing economic sanctions upon itself is a small price to pay for the benefit of keeping all those FORRINS from making decisions that affect Brits. Screwing over farmers? Throwing the fishing industry under the nearest bus? Not their problem.

While the comfortable part of the media class can still dine at their reassuringly upmarket restaurants, can still summon tradespeople to patch up their over-valued properties, can still get domestic help without breaking the upmarket bank, and can still use the app to hail a private hire vehicle and therefore keep the hoi polloi away from them, Brexit will be excellent.

Typical of that media class is one Iain Martin, who claimed “‘The Office for Budget Responsibility says UK GDP will be around 4% lower every year than it would have been had we remained inside the EU,’ reports the [Observer]. This is not what the OBR says”, only to be Community Noted and for Jonathan Portes to tell him “This is *precisely* what the OBR says”.

In the meantime, Edwin Hayward, who has written a little on the subject, has put together a thread (HERE) where he groups the benefits of EU membership under the headings of Economic Benefits, Freedom of Movement, Education and Research, Consumer Rights and Protections, Health and Safety, Workers’ Rights, Environmental Protection, Citizenship and Legal Rights, Data and Digital Rights, Cultural and Creative Industries, Trade and Business, Security, Political Influence, and Future Potential.

Put yet more directly, improving the lot of all those Ordinary and Hard Working People without sinking yet deeper into decline and a vicious cycle of higher taxation, and without Sterling losing all remaining credibility, is going to be, er, challenging without returning to the EU. With or without another poll.

It will also involve not giving con men like Nigel “Thirsty” Farage and his ability to talk well, but lie badly, equal status with leaders of democratically constituted political parties (which Reform UK, being a limited company with no internal democracy, cannot claim to be). Treat him on merit. Or lack of it.

But above all, Labour has to have the courage to talk about the EU. To be straight with the voters. This may well risk the bad faith lobbyists who lied and conned their way to success last time to crawl out of the Tufton Street woodwork. So what? They will have to be faced down whatever happens.

The average Polish citizen will soon be better off than their British counterpart. John Sweeney is right. The UK has to rejoin. That is all.

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Kemi Badenoch Sells The Pass

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch represents the constituency of Saffron Walden, sitting on a majority of more than 27,500. As such, she is one of the few Tories likely to survive even the most serious swing away from her party come the General Election. This means she can afford the occasional lapse into serious stupid territory, such as her latest “Brexit Freedoms” whopper.

Kemi Badenoch

This has come via the obedient recycling of a press release by the inmates of the Northcliffe House bunker, where readers were told “Pavement dining to become a 'permanent feature of the high street' as Business secretary Kemi Badenoch announces plans to remove red tape for pubs, restaurants and cafes to make the most of 'Brexit freedoms’”. Ri-i-i-ight. Do go on.

“Kemi Badenoch yesterday announced a package of reforms to boost businesses. Plans unveiled by the Business Secretary include proposals to remove regulations that make it hard for pubs, restaurants and cafes to get permission to serve customers outside”. And given the by-line of the Mail’s political editor Jason Groves. Billed as “Brexit freedoms”.

There was more. “Pubs could also be given the automatic right to sell takeaway pints. Temporary allowances were granted during the pandemic but are due to expire next year”. Is this another of those “Brexit freedoms”? Whatever. “Small firms like cafes and corner shops could be permitted to 'self-certify' for some functions, meaning they would not be 'subjected to needless inspections or mandatory training courses' before they can serve customers”. But there is a problem with this meaningless drivel.

Despite quoting Ms Badenoch (or “Mrs” Badenoch in last-Century Mail speak) more or less verbatim, telling “This Government is seizing the benefits of Brexit by reducing burdens on business, pushing down the cost of living, and driving growth in every corner of the economy”, someone doesn’t get it.

One problem Groves did not have with his article was finding photos to illustrate the idea of “pavement dining”. Because - especially in big cities, like, er, London, within walking distance of Parliament, and indeed the Mail’s offices, there is rather a lot of “pavement dining”. And it gets worse.

There is also a significant amount of “pavement drinking”, as anyone who has visited places like the Euston Tap will know. This is on account of most drinking space at such places not being inside the building that dispenses the beer. Outside tables, tall ones for standing, and a more normal height for sitting and eating, are an established feature of many outlets.

For starters, that allows those who cannot manage without a smoke to visit and enjoy the food and drink on offer. And the idea that this is a “Brexit freedom” is bunk. From where I live, a trip across the river to Lisbon brings home the reality that in many of the city’s streets, there is so much outside seating that just walking has become a veritable obstacle course.

Indeed, I can think of one craft beer outlet where all the seating is outside on the street (AMO Brewery on the Rua Bernardim Ribeiro, for those asking). One of the most recommendable Bifanas (look it up) in town, from the hole in the wall at Afonso’s just off the Rua Madalena, has to be consumed standing up, or sitting under the big tree nearby. This is not a rarity.

The demand for seating at the legendary A Brasileira café is for the outside kind. Because guidebook and people watching. And seeing how many punters you can cram on to one of those passing trams (officially 58, which is grim enough, but unofficially rather more). Portugal is an EU member state and likely to remain so. This claimed “Brexit freedom” ISN’T.

But such is the grovelling subservience of the Mail, part of its desperation to prop up the rapidly-eroding credibility of the Government, that it is prepared to have its political editor put his name to this slice of baloney, mainly because Ms Badenoch is seen as a rising star of the Tory party. This is thin gruel to put before the readers. Which just enforces the sense of impending wipeout.

The voters know what pavement dining is like. They’ve visited the EU.

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Israel Out Of Excuses - And Friends

Time was when the state of Israel, its security agencies and forces, its representatives, and its advocates got a free pass from most in the UK. It was the only democracy in a region with so many hostile neighbours. Its explanations were routinely accepted, its lapses tolerated: the other lot, after all, were those ghastly brown people, and they didn’t really count.

The involvement of the Israelis in the Suez farrago did not sully their good name. Lifting Adolf Eichmann from his South American hideaway? Well, that was a Nazi, and he had it coming. Even when Mordechai Vanunu was lifted in Rome and whisked off to Israel, that too was tolerated. Little fuss was made when perhaps the Italians might have been justified kicking off about it.

Not any more. Not when we can see what the IDF is getting up to not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank and southern Lebanon. When Mark Regev rocks up to the nearest TV studio and does his panicked schtick about the baddies wanting to drive his country into the sea, when Tzipi Hotoveli slouches in her seat and sneers “Blame Hamas”, little mustard is cut.

It is no longer plausible to play the “self-defence” card when Israel is not only armed to the teeth with modern weaponry, including the nuclear kind, but is seen to have been freely loosing off that weaponry in the general direction of anything that moves in the West Bank and Gaza. Hence the country’s social media cheerleaders getting more and more hysterical of late.

Any question as to whether it is justifiable to cut off power and water to Gaza, an act which almost certainly represents collective punishment and therefore equates to a war crime, is met with howling “anti-Semitism” accusations. Those objecting to the wiping out of Gaza’s health system are instantly smeared as “Jew haters”. There is no peaceable disagreement.

At first, our leaders stood four-square behind Binyamin Netanyahu and his fellow gangsters. But then something happened: the protests at the mass slaughter, the forced starvation, the gratuitous killing of aid workers, the increasingly desperate excuses from the IDF and their cheerleaders, became greater. Those marching numbered in their hundreds of thousands.

Attempts from unappealing and unpleasant politicians like Suella Braverman, who called the overwhelmingly peaceful protests “hate marches”, had no effect, perhaps because those marches, especially in London, contained a sizeable Jewish contingent, which was enthusiastically applauded by their fellow protesters. There was no “Jew hatred”. Just peaceful protest.

So politicians began to move towards calls for a ceasefire, though in the case of Keir Starmer and the rest of the shadow cabinet, this progress came agonisingly slowly. And still the ceasefire calls contained get-out clauses, giving the Israelis sufficient nods and winks to carry on the indiscriminate slaughter. But this week the mood has changed, perhaps decisively.

When it was Palestinians being killed, there was a collective “meh”. But the killing of seven aid workers in a deliberate and targeted drone strike, including three Britons, that was different. The IDF and its apologists claimed this was a terrible mistake: they would learn from the incident. But it was not a mistake, and they will learn nothing. The aid workers were killed deliberately.

Why? Simples. This would frighten aid organisations and stop the aid reaching beleaguered Palestinians. Starvation would be made worse; more would die. The aid organisations were indeed duly frightened off, and this time, the Israeli excuses received little more than ridicule. Worse for the IDF and its apologists, the abusive denunciation of critics is not working.

Showing empathy for the Palestinians is not anti-Semitism. Recoiling in horror at the mass slaughter is not Jew hatred. Willing an end to starvation and a lack of basic healthcare is not an attempt to drive Israel into the sea. And now, at long, long last, too late for tens of thousands already dead, the US President has begun to lean on Netanyahu. He needs to lean a lot harder.

The USA, and other Governments, know they have the power to end the slaughter. They need to use it. Their people will not judge inaction kindly.

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Mail Scone Hypocrisy EXPOSED

The National Trust, that most British of institutions, has for the past two years been under sustained attack from a dubious convocation of bad faith actors: the Tufton Street brigade, the right-leaning part of our free and fearless press, and overlapping both of these, a group calling itself Restore Trust, which is trying to get its placemen elected to the NT on the flimsiest of pretexts.

What the f***'s this got to do with me, c***?!?!?

Having accused the NT of “rewriting history” (another pack of lies), these vested interests then failed to get their people elected to the NT, and so then whined about the body being “undemocratic”. Yes, democracy is undemocratic. Most of the wacko propaganda has been invented by the increasingly desperate and downmarket Telegraph. But not all of it.

So it was that the Daily Mail, claiming an “exclusive” for its non-revelation, declared earlier this week “National Trust secretly makes all its scones vegan - while critics condemn 'woke' use of vegetable-based spread instead of butter”, once again deliberately misusing the word “woke”. There was no secret, but there was another attempt to associate “vegan” with “bad”.

Anyhoo, do go on. “They are the much-loved staple enjoyed with jam and cream at its tearooms across the country … But the National Trust is now risking the ire of diners after admitting its scones have gone vegan - and that they 'may taste different to the traditional version’”. Big intercoursing deal.

Sadly, there was more. “Critics have condemned the use of a vegetable-based spread instead of butter in the baking as a 'virtue-signalling betrayal', in what looks like yet another woke row involving the charity”. A row about people being “alert to injustice within society, especially racism”? What does that have to do with scones? It doesn’t. But the Mail was not finished. Yet.

“Campaign group Restore Trust, which wants to rid the charity of its 'divisive ideologies' and 'activism', slammed the move … Chairman Cornelia van der Poll said: 'It is unfortunate that the National Trust can't even get scones right, let alone bigger issues such as properly looking after the properties in its care.’”. Restore Trust, having lost twice as NT members saw them coming, inventing “ideology” the Trust doesn’t have, and “activism” it doesn’t do.

(c) Kate Whitaker

Only after the Mail tells its readers what to think does it also tell “Last night, a spokesman for the trust said: 'Our cafes serve millions of customers a year and we work hard to accommodate dietary needs and allergies. Our scones are made with vegetable-based spread. This means our iconic plain and fruit scones can be enjoyed by those with dairy allergies and vegans.’”

What it has not told is that there is no secret, and that the Mail has been caught trying to play both sides of the field (again). Celia Richardson, the NT’s communications director, responded to the “secret” dishonesty by reminding us “National Trust scones have been made without butter for many years and we publish all our recipes”. More crap Mail propaganda, then.

And it got worse as she told yesterday “Stand by for the National Trust's Coleen Rooney moment. It's a Wagatha Christie-style discovery, but for scones, and it's big”. Big, y’know, big. BIG! And, just to really upset the Mail, she pronounces it “s-con” - not “s-cone”. So what’s the reveal?

“Yesterday the Daily Mail claimed [the National Trust] has 'secretly' stopped using butter in its scones in a 'virtue-signalling betrayal' of heritage. It now transpires the very same Daily Mail glowingly published our scone recipe in 2018 MADE WITH MARGARINE!!!” Under the headline “National pleasure: Fruit scones”, the Mail had gushed “Celebrate the great British tradition of afternoon tea by serving up some of the truly scrumptious recipes from a new book by the National Trust”. Could it get worse for the Dacre doggies?

It certainly could. “National Trust tearooms around the country are proud of their scones. Serve simply with good strawberry jam and generous spoonfuls of clotted cream for the perfect afternoon tea”. And there was the recipe. No butter. But 115 grams of soft margarine. Gushed over by the Mail.

No secrets, and bang to rights again. The inmates of the Northcliffe House bunker are full of crap. But you knew that already.

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Santa Drives A Tram

It’s that time of year again, when Zelo Street takes a break for the Christmas period to travel, meet, catch up, relax and recharge the batteries for the year ahead. As I’m no longer resident in the UK - something that the brains trust of trolls has yet to figure out, bless them - here’s some views of one recent tradition that happens every December across the river in Lisbon.

Ho ho ho - it's a Proper Tram™

The city’s operator of buses, elevadores and trams, Carris (pronounced Ka-Reesh) takes two Proper Trams™, as in genuine 1930s ones, and turns them into Christmas Trams, or Elétricos de Natal. A word in the ear of those thinking the tram they boarded to experience the crush on Line 28 (cos it’s in the guide book, duh) was all 1930s - those are not Proper Trams™.

Not really a Proper Tram™

Those trams you see in everyday service have been given 1990s electrical systems, trucks, motors and controllers. They have a pantograph as well as a trolley pole, and are known as Elétricos Remodelados (remodelled trams). But back to the Christmas Trams, which this year have been giving trips to school-age children, and later, families. The trips sold out. Very rapidly.

Another Proper Tram™, another Ho Ho Ho

Because of drainage works (don’t ask) this year’s trip has been from the Carris depot at Santo Amaro, west to Algés and back. The trams carry a green livery, and have Santa at the controls (honest). They were snapped passing Pastéis de Belém on the outbound leg, and with the backdrop of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos on the return. Another word in the tourist ears.

Premium tram tour. But not really a Proper Tram™

Look at all those standing outside Pastéis de Belém, eating the Pastéis de Nata they bought from the takeaway shop. The Pastéis cost the same if you go in the café and have a sit down. The coffee is excellent. And you can freshen up with a visit to the bathroom. Also, you get the Pastéis served warm from the oven. And that’s the only way to really enjoy them.

Return trip, and more Ho Ho Ho

Another tourist tip: if you want to visit the Monastery, go early doors. Later in the morning, all the coaches rock up and the queues get horrendous. In the New Year, I may write up more tourist tips, and maybe a Lisbon craft beer guide. Plus where you should visit, and more importantly, where you should avoid, when it comes to dining out. But, once again, I digress.

Feliz Natal to one and all

Arrangements for Christmas are already being made, the menu has been circulated, transport and hotels booked, and that will be that for blogging until after the festivities. It’s wall to wall sunshine here in Pinhal Novo, so a relaxing afternoon walk beckons. Have a relaxing Christmas, shut the horror show out for a few days, and hopefully I’ll see you all on the other side.

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Guido I’m A Celeb Claim WRONG

One group of media observers never learns, and that is the cohort willing to take the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog on trust. Rather too much of what emanates from them is right-wing propaganda - such as recycling press releases from the so-called Taxpayers Alliance and the rest of the Tufton Street gang - and there is a significant amount of pro-Tory spin. And then there are the flat-out gaffes.

WRONG

Or, as some might call them, talking well, but lying badly. Today has brought a particularly fine example as the Fawkes folks have attempted to polish the usually unflushable turd that is former Brexit Party Oberscheissenführer Nigel “Thirsty” Farage, only to find themselves covered in more than confusion.

Nige is the star turn on this year’s series of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, with ITV for some reason ponying up well north of the cool million mark in order to secure his attendance Down Under. And rather than give him a brief mention and point out that he’s a spiv and a congenital liar of no known principle, The Great Guido has sung The Great Man’s praises.

So it was that readers still awake were told at 1059 hours this morning of “Farage’s Jungle Challenge Debut”, with those chez Fawkes gushing “Farage’s debut on I’m A Celebrity last night didn’t fail to entertain, as he was made to stick his head in box of snakes to win tokens. Farage wasn’t concerned about the challenge, joking he’s had experience with snakes before … in the European Parliament”. Laugh? I thought I’d never start.

But there was, sadly, more: “The GB News presenter said he hoped those who hate him will hate him a little less after the show, admitting he could understand why Hancock joined the show last year. Though not sure even a reality show could clear Hancock’s reputation”. Yes? Yes yes? Yes yes yes?

And then came the howler, made that much worse as it had already been rumbled an hour before. “Over 10 million viewed the show last night making it ITV’s highest rating of the year, and up by over 1 million viewers on last year’s launch. So much for the boycott from the left”. Yeah, take that Rotten Lefties™! Nige’s ratings are bigger than yours!! Nyah nyahdy nyah nyah!!!

But, as Captain Blackadder might have observed, there was only one thing wrong with the viewing claim: it was bollocks. We know this as another of those making the 10 million plus claim, Brexiteer Martin “Dipshit” Daubney, had sneered “I’m A Celebrity viewing figures peak at 10.3 million … ITV’s highest rating of the year … 1 million more than last year”. There was more.

“All thanks to Nigel Farage. Some ‘boycott’”! He even helpfully added a link to the ITV press release. But the bad news was not long in coming, as the Tweeter known as Otto English broke it to Daubs gently: “This press release is from November 2022”. Super TV had the right story.

“RATINGS [I’m A Celeb] returned to 6.95 million viewers last night - the lowest launch rating since SERIES ONE in 2002 … It’s down 2.2 MILLION on last year’s opener”. And the time stamp on that Tweet? 0959 hours. That’s a whole hour before The Great Guido. It appears that Daubney then deleted his effort. And the time on the Otto English Tweet? 1019 hours.

So have the Fawkes folks deleted their post? Still live, and still unaltered, at 1520 hours, or five hours after Otto English. Heck, even the BBC has got the story, telling “The return of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! was watched by an average of seven million viewers on Sunday according to overnight ratings … That's just over two million fewer than watched the first episode last year, which attracted 9.1m”. That’s been up for more than an hour.

And even Adam Brooks, aka Essex PR, held up his hands, admitted he got it wrong, and conceded that the viewer numbers were down on last year. But while Twitter, X, or whatever Muskrat is calling it this week, is having a field day at “Dipshit” Daubney’s momentary embarrassment, the Fawkes rabble does not appear to have been called out. Not yet, at any rate.

Good of them to remind us of their gold standard journalism. Or maybe not.

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Starmer Weasel Words On Gaza

Still the death toll mounts in Gaza as the IDF continues to rocket, bomb and shell the beleaguered enclave. Now it has exceeded 8,000, with north of another 1,000 buried beneath the rubble of all those flattened buildings. So it is understandable that there have been calls for a ceasefire, which have crossed the UK’s political divide. Those included Labour front benchers.

They also included London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. So what would party leader Keir Starmer do? What would he say, as a human rights lawyer, about the clear violations of international law by the IDF? What would a cold but empathetic leader have done to show his human side? What would Nietzsche have done?

But for some reason, Starmer cannot mention the C-Word: almost in an echo of Doctor Radcliffe in The Ipcress File, the word cannot come out, as if the speaker has been prevented from uttering it, except to deny its validity. Nor would he say that Israel had committed war crimes, even though he did not hesitate in the case of Ukraine and Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.

Politicians, he now says, should not make such pronouncements. So, let’s see how the BBC has reported it. “Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said he understands calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, but argued it was not the ‘correct position’ at the moment”. What’s the “correct position”, then? Wait for a few more thousand corpses to be generated? But there was more.

“More than 60 Labour MPs have called for a ceasefire, but Sir Keir insisted his stance of calling for a humanitarian pause was ‘the only credible approach’ … He said a pause would allow aid to get in to Gaza and for civilians to leave … He argued that a ceasefire would leave Hamas's infrastructure intact, enabling them to carry out future attacks”.

A “humanitarian pause”, to use Starmer’s happy phrase, IS a ceasefire. Using the P-Word, rather than the C-Word, is just being pedantic and driving it round the houses. In any case, if it’s long enough for aid to get in, and civilians to leave, it’s a ceasefire. And whether the Israelis, some of whom claim all who live in Gaza are terrorists, will allow anyone out is uncertain.

Moreover, WHAT “Hamas infrastructure”? But back to the Beeb report. “He said a humanitarian pause was ‘the only credible approach that has any chance of achieving what we all want to see in Gaza - the urgent alleviation of Palestinian suffering’”. Not much alleviation of Palestinian suffering if the IDF can lay off for a few hours and then carry on bombing the crap out of them.

Starmer may feel constrained by the stance taken by the likes of Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who has mischaracterised marches in solidarity with those in Gaza as “hate marches” and attempted to smear concerned citizens as anti-Semites. He may also worry about criticism of Israel being used by our free and fearless press as a stick to beat him with.

Chris Dillow, not a raving right-winger, has concluded “For me, this justifies Starmer's position. Any criticism of Israel would be misconstrued by these liars & their agents in the media as antisemitism & support for Hamas. We cannot have honest, reasonable debate under these conditions”. He’s right. And those liars are the ones like Ms Braverman and her fellow Tories.

The problem, though, is that once again Starmer is not only behind the curve of public opinion, he has disregarded the second part of Galbraith’s dictum on leadership: “A leader can compromise, get the best deal he can. Politics is the art of the possible. But he cannot be thought to evade”. Starmer is evading.

And the result, as Deltapoll has told, “Net approval for [Keir Starmer] has fallen by twelve percentage points and is now negative. Net approval for [Rishi Sunak] has fallen by eight percentage points”. What else can be causing that fall, except the inability, or unwillingness, to call out Israel for busting international law, and being frit of calling for a ceasefire?

No use thinking the media will cover for him. The voters have him sussed.

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Strong Hint - Ceasefire NOW

Hundreds of thousands of those showing solidarity with the Palestinian people have gathered in central London today. It looks as if the 300,000 total reckoned to have attended last week’s march has been exceeded: maybe not the million some are suggesting, but probably around half that. Why there should be such a large presence today is not hard to figure out.

Beginning yesterday evening, the state of Israel cut off Internet connection to the whole of Gaza, along with power. In the darkness, the rocketing, bombing and shelling of a defenceless civilian population continued, intensified, and rained down death and destruction through the night. Supposedly safe areas were targeted as indiscriminately as others. Including hospitals.

This last came after Binyamin Netanyahu claimed, possibly with a straight face, “Hamas-ISIS is sick. They turn hospitals into headquarters for their terror. We just released intelligence proving it. Here it is”. A slick graphic accompanied the Tweet. But just as Hamas and ISIS are two different organisations, reality and Bibi’s claim are most likely also very different.

Later, the IDF claimed that they had killed a Hamas commander, as if this justified trashing whole areas of Gaza. Meanwhile, in the dark and with no means of communication, ambulances could do no better than drive towards the area of the latest bombardment. The death toll, previously at 7,000, with well over 1,000 missing beneath the rubble, will have risen yet further.

Collective punishment. An occupying power cutting off essential services, including power and water. Preventing aid from getting through. Around 3,000 of those 7,000 dead are children. While our lame political leaders - both Tory and Labour - sit on their hands and hope it will all go away, others make their feelings known. Overnight, that meant the USA and Australasia.

As Jewish Voice for Peace told, “HAPPENING NOW AT NYC'S GRAND CENTRAL STATION: THOUSANDS OF JEWS AND ALLIES HOLD AN EMERGENCY SIT-IN, DEMANDING A CEASEFIRE IN GAZA. WE'RE TAKING OVER THE GRAND CONCOURSE. WE'RE REFUSING TO ALLOW A GENOCIDE BE CARRIED OUT IN OUR NAMES. CEASEFIRE NOW! NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE!” The iconic concourse packed solid.

Why so? Quds News Network: “On the left side of the picture is Bilal Saleh, a Palestinian farmer. This morning, he was picking olives in his land in the village of Sawiya, north of the occupied West Bank, a few minutes before Israeli terror settler militias raided his land and shot him dead in cold blood”.

He wasn’t anything to do with Hamas. And those who murdered him will face no criminal sanction. The West Bank has seen a steady stream of bloodshed, with Palestinian houses demolished, as settlers appropriate more land from those who have previously lived there. Yet there are organisations wanting to shut down protests, occasionally deploying easily disproved claims.

Like the so-called Campaign Against Anti-Semitism, which howled “Tomorrow there is yet another ‘National March for Palestine’. As we said at our demonstration, [The Metropolitan Police] must impose conditions under s.12 of the Public Order Act. Central London cannot be allowed to become a no-go zone for Jews every weekend. Make arrests, not excuses”. However.

Jewish Voice for Labour had already shot that particular fox. “March for Palestine: Jewish Block … Join Jewish Comrades on Saturday 28th October 11:30 to demand CEASEFIRE NOW … Meeting point: Cleopatra’s Needle, Embankment, WC2N 6NU”. Some “No-go zone for Jews” that was, with seven Jewish organisations joining the march. CAA research fail. Again.

Meanwhile, LBC host James O’Brien asked the obvious question: “How can calling for a ceasefire be controversial? It’s literally asking people killing civilians to stop. You can ignore the calls, disagree with them or try to explain why the killing ‘must’ continue, but trying to silence calls to end this carnage goes against all our values”. It cannot be answered with “look over there”.

What part of “CEASEFIRE NOW” do our political leaders not understand?

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Gaza - Starmer Behind The Curve

A quote attributed to Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin, one of the leaders of the 1848 Revolution, was the probably apocryphal “There go the people. I must follow them, for I am their leader”. The leader who is behind the curve, only making their mind up after everyone else has made up theirs. The quote could so easily have been attributed to Labour leader Keir Starmer.

There are ever louder calls for a ceasefire in the Israel and Hamas conflict, which would mean, mostly, the IDF desisting from its round-the-clock rocketing, bombing and shelling of Gaza, where whole neighbourhoods have been levelled and over 7,000 killed, including more than 3,000 children. But here Starmer is as the proverbial rabbit in those approaching headlights.

It has been claimed that he is reluctant to move until the USA has joined the ceasefire call. This may dismay some, but is understandable: ever since the Suez débàcle, Israel has known to which country its wagon should be hitched, and that country is not the UK or France, with whom it joined in the deception that ended the brief premiership of Anthony Eden.

Eden thought he could win over Gemayel Abdul Nasser; he learned some of the language, had done that sort of thing before. He won no-one over: Egypt seized the Suez Canal, Eden, the poshest of PMs, denounced Nasser as a “fah-sist”, and cooked up the deception with the French and Israelis, which was bust when US President Eisenhower told them all to desist.

It was a re-election year; Ike wanted to present himself as a man of peace. From that point on, the UK followed the US, sometimes managing not to look too slavish, but on occasion, as with Tony Blair backing Dubya Bush over Iraq, showing just how far, and at the expense of a serious amount of credibility, UK Governments were prepared to go to please Washington DC.

Starmer has already shown himself to be less than totally nimble when challenged on the behaviour of Binyamin Netanyahu and his pals. We are now being told that when he said Israel was within its rights to cut off power and water to Gaza, he was misrepresented. He was not. The audio is out there. Cutting off water and power to an occupied territory is a war crime.

That’s as in Section 33 of the Geneva Convention. Not only have Starmer and his team tried to rewrite reality, they are now in the Ledru-Rollin camp over calls for a ceasefire. One by one, senior Labour figures are calling out their leader, and with the certainty of night following day, are stating unequivocally that a ceasefire has to be called for.

Starmer’s latest headache has been induced by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has demonstrated his considerable abilities by getting his own ducks in a line first. Like the Community Security Trust, who met Khan and later Tweeted approvingly “Thank you, Sadiq Khan, for challenging antisemitism and all forms of hate crime.” They could hardly denounce him after that.

And so it came to pass that the Mayor told earlier today “Thousands of innocent civilians have already been killed in Israel and Gaza. With the humanitarian crisis set to deteriorate even further, I’m calling for a ceasefire”. Full stop, no ifs, no buts. Which puts his party leader in one of those Very Difficult Positions. He can hardly suspend Khan. What does he do?

His minders can’t retrospectively redefine reality: the claim he was “misrepresented” will join other chin-stroking moments on shows like HIGNFY and be repeated relentlessly. He can’t sit this one out. On Israel and Gaza, he cannot get away with standing for nothing. 7,000 dead in Gaza, 1,000 unidentified bodies buried under the rubble, and counting. DO SOMETHING.

Remember Galbraith’s definition of leadership. “All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership”. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has now confronted that anxiety. He has called for a ceasefire.

Quit waiting for the USA. Get off the fence and show some leadership.

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Rishi Sunak Slags Off Himself

With the Tories still well north of 20 points behind Labour in the polls, amateur Prime Minister Rishi Sunak needed something to take to Conference season, something his loyal followers could sell on the doorstep. So-called Inaction Man had to become active. So what would a sensible PM have done? What would an honest PM have done? What would Nietzsche have done?

"Honest" Sunak - not waving but drowning

Such is the desperation of not only the Tories, but their cheerleaders in and around our free and fearless press, that the answer consisted not merely of talking well, but lying badly, but a retrospective redefinition of reality, so that Sunak could claim he was ditching a host of policy commitments that had not existed in the first place. And the press followed him down his rabbit hole.

Here’s the claims put out on Sunak’s behalf. “We’re stopping heavy-handed measures … Taxes on eating meat … New taxes to discourage flying … Sorting your rubbish into seven different bins … Compulsory car sharing … Expensive insulation upgrades”. The first four of those five points do not exist, so to claim they are being stopped is a flat-out lie.

And the fifth, on insulation upgrades, is firstly a “no citation” claim (how is it ‘expensive’?), and secondly, the beneficiaries are in most part going to be the landlord class - the already well off. So the only real change proposed will not benefit working people. “There is nothing to be scrapped.. You're making a series of claims that aren't true” he was told on the Today programme.

His response? “I don't think its right to chase the short term headlines, just assert some goal for the future without a clear plan to deliver it and without being honest”. But that is exactly what he is doing. And the short-term headlines are just as he would have wanted, with the Daily Brexit, still called the Express, leading the way with the fantasy and propaganda.

“‘HONEST’ RISHI: NATION WON’T AND CAN’T PAY NET ZERO BILL”. Putting “HONEST” in quote marks? OH WHAT A GIVEAWAY! The Mail was also bending reality to suit itself, with “I’LL SPARE FAMILIES RUINOUS COST OF NET ZERO, VOWS RISHI … PM takes on eco-zealots in bold move that could transform Tory fortunes”. But the Sun went one worse.

“Sun Campaign Victory … Rishi delays bans on new cars & boilers … Scraps meat & flight tax in eco pushback … Given us a brake!” As Harold Macmillan almost said many years ago, could we have an English translation of that? The supporting article, under the by-line of the odious flannelled fool Master Harry Cole, still pretending to be a journalist, maintains the dishonesty.

“THE PM hailed The Sun tonight as he delayed crippling net zero targets”. What makes them “crippling”, Master Cole? You wouldn’t be just recycling a Downing Street press release, would you? He also claims “he bins petrol car ban” when no ban on petrol cars is proposed. He should have said NEW petrol cars. So “Drivers have a five-year reprieve from going electric” is crap.

Then we get “A ban on gas boilers was binned, along with taxes on meat and flying”. Would that be NEW gas boilers? So misleading again. And those taxes on meat and flying don’t exist. So that’s lying to boot. And it got worse. “Mr Sunak … announced ‘BONKERS proposals for seven household bins, forced car pooling and taxes on meat and flying would never return’”.

There is no proposal for seven household bins, or forced car pooling. But the non-existent taxes on meat and flying get another mention. So why is the Sun going all-in with the whoppers? “Writing in The Sun today, the PM added: ‘Hard-pressed families shouldn’t have to pay an unaffordable price to reach net zero’”. Ah, the Murdoch mafiosi get a press release, sorry article, out of it.

And what makes current Net Zero proposals “unaffordable”? It’s just another example of what Peter Oborne called “shovelling it on” - don’t bother with doing any analysis, don’t interrogate your source, just recycle what they feed you. Master Cole gets called a “Political Editor”, yet all he and his contemporaries are doing is recycling press releases for the Tories.

It’s the only recycling scheme the press can agree on. So it will continue.

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