Bruges Group Blog

"Because you're mine, I walk the line", as the Johnny Cash song goes: Mario Draghi tried to walk the line, but he found himself unable to. The Italian Prime Minister and former ECB President has tendered his resignation to President Mattarella following a week of uncertainty as to the future of his technocratic government. The Draghi governmen...

Home improvement projects topped the list of things that Brits spent the most during the pandemic. The trend is expected to continue even as the pandemic shows signs of easing. Based on the 2020 Renovation Nation Report, UK homeowners spent £55 billion on home improvement projects. The various renovation works Brits took up include kitchen, bedroom...

Brand new online casinos are launched frequently. And while these establishments follow the usual process and activities of older platforms, they often come with innovative and unique features that separate them from their older counterparts. There are several gambling mediums online, but what differentiates the top platforms from the average ones ...

In a very revealing article many years ago called "Why I am Not a Conservative," a very famous libertarian let the cat out of the bag. He loudly denounced the argument for tradition and custom by calling for a form of anything goes liberalism and atheism. Some go even further, coming close to anarchy with their complete opposition to the state and ...

Democracy, liberty and the continuation of western civilisation is under threat. It is threatened by those we have elected to protect and nurture our society. A small number of self entitled politicians and bureaucrats take decisions without reference to their electorate. Sunak's decision to raise Corporation tax to 25% next year has everything to ...

Media freedom is one of the pillars of democracy in the modern world. The European Union is very involved when it comes to supporting press freedom and human rights among its member states. However, is this enough? Does the European Union put in the effort required to guarantee press independence? Not everyone would agree. Analysis of the state of ...

We hear about a crisis in mental health which requires urgent solutions, but it may be that, rather than any physical cause, this is the result of the way in which the realities of our modern world are affecting peoples’ perceptions.

Those living in these islands for the past two millennia have had much to cause them concern. The dictatorship of the Roman Empire, the wars between the original British and the Saxons, then those between the latter and the Danes, followed by the Norman Conquest, the many wars with Spain, France and others, culminating in the battles with Germany, and then the Cold War. In addition we have endured plagues, and famines, while much of the nation lived in what we would now describe as poverty.

Today we have been faced with the Covid pandemic, the renewal of war on the European continent in Ukraine, demands that we wear sackcloth and ashes for the past sins of our ancestors, accept blame for supposed climate change, and fret over matters of sexual identity. If there is any truth in American police dramas, as shown on TV, psychiatrists seem to be inventing countless new phobias, and other mental conditions, although it often seems that these are produced by defence lawyers trying to excuse the guilty.

There are however two major differences between our times, and the past. Firstly for many centuries, however bad things were, the vast majority had a religious faith, which offered a hope, and for most, a certainty, that there was an order to their lives. presided over by a beneficent deity, who would ensure that in the end justice would prevail, and they would enter a blissful new life. Now, with so many believing in no such thing, people face an existence in a vast, unending, perhaps eternal universe, with only personal oblivion to which to look forward at the end.

However, such thoughts may usually be far from most people’s thoughts, but what is not is the fact that the unprecedented expansion in communications brought about by the technological revolution is bringing concerns before us that would not have disturbed our ancestors. I can remember when the first live satellite signal to Britain from the United States was broadcast via satellite on July 23, 1962, but now we think nothing of speaking live to friends in Australia from our own studies at home. Where once, if one had an opinion on some issue which one wished to share publicly it was necessary to write a letter to a newspaper, or hold a meeting, now everyone with access to the Internet can broadcast their views to their heart’s content via social media. The inevitable result is that people are worried more and more by things of which they would not have been aware in the past, and expected to take positions on matters that do not impinge on their daily lives, and on which nothing they do or say would have any effect.

Boris Johnson's fall is due to a combination of factors. The man who was London's Mayor for eight years seems to have forgotten the reason for that success. He chose able lieutenants to implement his policy. As Prime Minister he desperately needed them. Without them, everything from BREXIT to Tax Cuts stalled and it seemed increasingly that the gov...

 The following analysis by Ben Habib is reprinted from: https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/ben-habib-we-are-being-hoodwinked-again-by-the-northern-ireland-protocol-bill-3750685 Ben Habib is a Newspaper Columnist and former Brexit Party MEP I am having a profound sense of déjà vu. In 2019 I said the Prime Minister's oven ready deal was a...

All-inclusive casino hotels have grown in popularity as a weekend getaway for Europeans. However, security concerns at casino resorts are not uncommon. Several reports have recently surfaced of various security issues at casinos in both the United States and Australia. Many people have questioned the safety of casino resorts in general, and especia...

 Nicola Sturgeon, Scotlands first Minister, has been banging on, yet again, about holding another referendum on Scottish independence and is proposing to hold a plebiscite during October 2023. This is despite the fact she lost the so-called 'once in a lifetime' independence referendum in 2014. If the people of Scotland go mad and vote to break...

Sir William Cash MPRt Hon David Jones MPMartin Howe QCBarnabas Reynolds The constitutional and legal position of the United Kingdom in relation to the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland (the "Protocol") is founded on Section 38 of the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 ("EUWAA 2020"). There are also pertinent issues relating to international ...

Mobile phones started out as a cordless means of communication. As such, they never really got much attention from the public. Fast forward thirty years; however, these portable devices are the most popular gadget in the world. So, how did this happen? The introduction of the smartphone combined mobile phone technology with the internet, giving peo...

 A level of involvement is the first thing a user notices when he first interacts with your profile. This indicator indicates the demand for your brand, its reliability and forms the first impression for both customers and advertisers. In this article, we'll look at how to quickly raise your profile stats and accelerate the promotion process. ...

Cannabis possession, use, and cultivation are now far less restricted than before. As such, more people are growing their own plants at home. That gives them a broader range of strains to choose from while also allowing more control over the quality of the finished product. It also gives people the opportunity to create ample supplies of cannabis t...

Where did the levy money go? That really is a question for the ages – and the recent NHS management review doesn't make it less so. The management review appeared to swerve fundamental issues of NHS reform and made proposals more in line with the status quo than proposals to bring efficiency and discipline to the health service. This has prompted t...

Take back control, they said. The UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership was their means of doing so. In response to the 11th hour intervention from the European Court of Human Rights which led to the flight being cancelled, the Home Secretary Priti Patel said "We will not be deterred from doing the right thing and delivering...

Background Rather like its contents, the government's Energy Security Strategy has an overarching theme of "better late than never" and contains a number of positives around the development and implementation of measures to mitigate against reliance on imported energy, whilst maintaining the nirvana of Net Zero by 2050. There are some bold commitme...

Michael Neu is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, Politics and Ethics at the University of Brighton. He writes, "Defenders of just liberal violence … fail to see that any attempt analytically to separate their philosophical arguments from the politics of their time – the attempt, essentially, to engage in apolitical moral philosophy about matters of ...

Anthony Coughlan is known to most of us for his heroic work for the National Platform of Ireland, which campaigns for Ireland's independence from the EU. As Michael Quinn writes, "He has tirelessly campaigned against the centralising and unaccountable EU bureaucracy; articulating instead the alternative case for a Europe of independent and co-opera...

 Claire Ainsley is Executive Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. In this useful book she shows that voters generally have very sensible views about what Britain needs to flourish. She points out that "by Labour's third successive victory in 2005, working-class support for Labour had waned, and non-voting rates of working-class voters i...

Being ambushed on his birthday to listen to a small group singing 'Happy Birthday' and sip a glass of wine may have been foolish of the PM. It does not count as crime in rational people's book. 10 Downing Street is a huge office. The Police issued 126 fixed-penalty notices naming only three recipients. The other 123 were presumably issued to specia...

Making a difference in the community is not an easy task. People that are passionate about making a change and helping those that need it most, often start nonprofit organizations. As the name suggests, these organizations aim to help the ones in need rather than to rack up a significant financial turnover.  However, taking up a project on suc...

In 1973 the French author and explorer, Jean Raspail, published his dystopian novel “The Camp of the Saints”, which portrayed the destruction of Western civilisation by Third World mass immigration to France and the West, much of it by sea. Its name comes from the bible’s book of revelation, which depicts the apocalypse. Unsurprisingly it was decried by many as being racist, and indeed it has been popular with parties and groups who espouse far right policies. However, it returned to the best seller list in France in 2011

It undoubtedly contains underlying assumptions about the differences between racial groups, which run contrary to contemporary beliefs. Those of us who espouse Christian values know that the young child in a Third World slum is as important, and worthy, as any rich denizen of a rich country, while the accident of birth should be no guide as to the life to which one aspires.

However there can be no doubt as to its relevance to the question which is becoming more and more central to the modern world, that concerning the mass movement of peoples across the globe, and in particular for us in the UK, confronting the continued, and growing problem of illegal immigration across the Channel. On one end of the argument would be a halt to all immigration, on the other a free for all, with no limits imposed, and where the line is drawn is of increasing importance.

In the modern world a full stop would be impracticable, as well as immoral, as those fleeing in fear of their lives must be given hope of a refuge. To open the door entirely would, apart from provoking a massive adverse reaction among the indigenous population, very quickly reduce the host country to chaos, and economic destruction. We have tried to compromise with limits applied, yet valid refugees being welcomed, in particular those from areas, such as Ukraine, where conflict is taking place.

When looking at the specifics it is clear that the vast majority of those coming across on small boats are young men, albeit accompanied bya much smaller number of women and children. In addition, interviews with those arriving reveal that a majority are coming from countries which are not being subject to violent conflicts. These facts make clear that the bulk of these migrants are in fact motivated by economic factors, and should therefore be taking their place with those who are taking the legal route to claiming asylum, not being allowed to jump to the head of the queue. It should also be noted that they will have been paying considerable sums to criminals, indicating that they are not destitute, while they are coming directly from France, a country not considered dangerous, and where they should be claiming asylum.

It is quite understandable that very many people from the third world would wish to live in the West, but we must also consider the fact that we lack the infrastructure ranging from GPs, housing and employment to absorb unlimited numbers. Those who constantly seek to block anything the government tries to do to stop the flow of illegal immigration refuse to answer the direct question as to how many immigrants they would consider too many, and instead resort abusing those attempting to find a workable compromise as racists. It is doubtful that the lawyers, and metropolitan liberals supporting open door policies would themselves find their own jobs and way of life under threat, as the burden would fall upon the working class in already deprived areas.

Those left liberals, indulging in their usual virtue signalling at no immediate cost to themselves, should reflect that, if nothing is done, there will inevitably be a reaction which could affect far more than immigration policy.

nologThe COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented impact on companies across the world. In the two years since initial lockdown, far too many businesses continue to struggle to make a comeback. The Prime Minister of England has officially urged people to go back to their offices and normal work environments. His goal is to get everyone back to living...

On hot summer days, you really want to feel the fresh breeze. The first thing that comes to mind is ventilation and air conditioning. However, the first option does not bring relief if the air temperature outside is even higher than indoors. In addition, drafts, even in the heat, can be very dangerous. Fortunately, there is a time-tested alternativ...

Marijuana or cannabis, better known as a weed in popular culture, is a flower from the cannabis plant. The latest hype in this industry is the pink panther weed. However, if you are a cannabis enthusiast, you must know that before buying any strain, it is essential to check the price and quality of the strain. But have you ever wondered if the pric...

Some people who start a business dream of it becoming an enterprise that is passed down through generations. While this is true for some companies and families, it can also be a fraught ambition. Families can be dysfunctional, and when that dysfunction is transferred to the workplace, it can be catastrophic for the business. Furthermore, there is n...

Getting your business into the eye of the public is a huge part of finding success in any industry, and the internet is the most efficient way to make an impact on the largest pool of potential customers. If you can refine your approach to digital visibility, you can really give your operation a leg up in the industry. Take some time for research n...

Initially, I didn't have much knowledge about CBD products. After my friend couldn't stop blabbering about some Cannabidiol wonder, I thought, why not find out for myself. I started with CBD gummies and then went on to buy a myriad of items… Yeah, well, you can't blame a girl for getting obsessed, can you? Lol. To get your supply, buy full spectrum...

GET ON YOUR BIKE No matter where we turn, it's the environment. It's the Earth! And like the Earth, my head is spinning from all of the information and the hypocrisy of private jet riding, elitist, globalists Davos attendees. However, I believe the answer is in the spin: spin the pedals. I believe it is time that we got on our bikes - especially th...

As an avid casino gambler, I've been around the block more than once and have seen every misconception about gambling in casinos. I can tell you that while they may seem true at first glance, they are all just myths that do not apply when it comes to the real world of casino gambling. Let's look at the top five myths and set the record straight onc...

Sex education of teenagers   Sex education is an important part of teenage life and needs to be taught in the best possible way. It is an important part of growing up and it is important for teenagers to be informed and educated about sex with realistic pussy. Teenagers need to understand the risks involved with engaging in sexual activity, as...

Casinos are a great place to dress up, especially if you're going to get a little more serious with your gambling. It's not just about looking cool and feeling comfortable — it's also about making sure you put in the right clothes to suit the temperature of the room. To that end, we will be exploring suitable ways to dress up for a night at a casin...

If Elon Musk succeeds in ending the left liberal bias on Twitter, which he will find hard, perhaps he might turn his attention to ‘NextDoor’, the local internet, where the same morons are allowed to run riot. Although I never touch social media, as so many of its users have obviously forgotten to take their tablets, I have used ‘NextDoor’, as one can advertise goods for sale, or seek information on local tradesmen etc. However it does also open the door to postings on any subject, so the woke, and other idiots, frequently add comments on a number of social issues, but always from the left liberal point of view. Any of us who respond are then subjected to abuse, with no effort being made to answer anything we say, the comments being full of claims, and no substance.

Remainers accuse Leavers of xenophobia, to doubt man made climate change causes the extreme environmentalists to call us scientific illiterates at best, although more usually morons, any statement pointing out that the British Empire was not all bad, and that one should leave the past to the past, is greeted with accusations of racism, as does any questioning of allowing thousands of illegal immigrants to land on our beaches, while if one dares to question the left consensus on sexual matters, particularly ‘trans’ issues this provokes completely over the top abuse.

I recently encountered this latter crowd when I dared to mention ‘so called’ trans men, pointing out that one female inmate of a prison had been raped by one such, as had a female occupant of a hospital ward. This generated hysteria, with me accused of being a rabid right wing transphobe, which some were unable to answer because they were so upset. Poor little snowflakes!

One particularly moronic woman posted the following “Your hate and fear is palpable. Your comments are abhorrent. You have absolutely no idea with regards to “ trans” personal issues and use media propaganda and stereotyping to spread hate, fear and paranoia. This is the same type demonising of the Jewish race and paranoia and hate that was spread in 1930’s Germany, U.K. and many other countries due to Fascism. So that illustrates exactly what you are. A Facist through and through filled with hate. Or in other words a sad little man”. This directed at someone who hates Nazis, and fascists, and who has always supported Israel!

This same lunatic followed up with “You have no hate yet you hate trans. You say you want to protect the rights of free speech but free speech begins with tolerance. Tolerance of everyone in our society not just the people we decide should have free speech. Women fought for rights and so do trans fight for rights. A trans person doesn’t choose who they are - they simply are the way they are. Those who aren’t trans are lucky enough to know who they are but I don’t expect you to understand that or to understand the mental anguish or persecution that many trans endure and yet you choose to judge and persecute trans people more by what incidents you read depicted propaganda in the media. Yes Goebbels and Mosley would have been extremely proud of you. Your hate is evidenced by your hate comments. You are the bigot. I believe In tolerance and equality. I think a trans person has just as many rights as the next person as a human being first and foremost and should be treated as such. The difference is I know trans people and value them. I also know women and value them. Just as much as I know men and value them. Each one is a person and as such are all entitled to rights. You don’t see any of them as people. You just divide them into labels that’s the difference and one label disgusts you. As for trying to protect women- don’t make me laugh. That’s your justification you tell yourself for your hatred. Keep lying to yourself because I can assure you no one else believes you”. This latter comment was because I dared to defend J K Rowling, and said that I supported the hard won rights of women.

After all this I replied in some anger, although without abuse, yet I then found that the ‘moderators’ had removed me from the forum for a week, because I had breached their laws on politeness. These latter must either be more snowflakes, who cry if they hear anyone arguing, or else just products of our modern education system, who believe all the rubbish the liberal left spouts. I suspect the latter.

What is clear is that most of these imbeciles are not themselves ‘trans’, but are merely virtue signalling to prove how wonderful they are (they think!). I expect that the few who do come under the ‘trans’ heading would rather be left alone to get on with their lives, but they are just cannon fodder for the mainly white, middle class, university (if you can call them that these days) educated idiots.

These people cannot be stopped from ranting, but it would be of great help if the silent majority, who rightly regard them with contempt, would join me in hitting back. If enough were then censored by the ‘moderators’ it would make a good case for closing the whole cesspit down.

This week has been another shocking reminder how far adrift today's Conservative Party are from the principles enunciated and implemented by its greatest peacetime leader Margaret Thatcher. To me personally, this has been dramatically emphasised by the loss of Westminster City Council to the Labour Party. Some thirty years ago as the Finance Chairm...

Is there a need for a rethink of the 21st century direction of travel of globalisation, the concept of a global village, 4IR, communitarianism and supranationalism, as conceived at the end of the previous century? Vulnerabilities of scale The devastating impact of the pandemic on economics, trade, logistics and the global supply chain, plus the imp...

It is past time to re-evaluate key U.S. assumptions about Europe and the European Union.  For far too long, America and Europe have had a very one-sided relationship. It is like a codependent marriage, in which one partner sacrifices his or her own needs for those of the spouse. That person's actions will completely revolve around the other pe...

Margaret Thatcher broke the mould of British politics. A grocer's daughter raised above the family shop. She benefited from free state education including university. She believed in equal opportunity. She believed in wealth distribution through hard work and getting rid of as much state intervention as possible. As Prime Minister she encouraged pr...

As the dreaded 2030 deadline for the cessation of the manufacture and sale of all conventional petrol and diesel cars approaches, I have to wonder if our Prime Minister and other Government Ministers really have a clue as to what they are doing and if they realise the calamitous confusion they have set in place for the average British person. As a ...

Boris Johnson is often dismissed as a know-nothing on economics, and Rishi Sunak prides himself on being rather good at it.  In his generally excellent recent Mais lecture, the Chancellor set out his vision for the UK economy. He aims for freeing up markets, improving regulation, and cutting taxes to incentivise investment, training and R...

Toothless EU 2014 embargo on export of weapons to Russia finally enforced on 8 April 2022  Removal of loophole covered up by EU – not mentioned in latest sanctions press release In our previous report of 25 March on EU arms sales to Russia between 2014-2020 we revealed how a clause allowed weapons contracts to continue to be fulfilled if they ...

Boris has offered his heart-felt apology to the nation for inadvertently breaking lockdown rules, for which he has been fined, but that is not enough for his political enemies unsurprisingly. Wednesday's PMQs were marked by a tiresome repetition by Opposition MPs demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister, using up precious parliamentary time ...

Research shows that the most frequently recommended method for improved mental health is actively seeking out your own leisure time. This is incredibly important, especially now that we are navigating a culture centered around overworking. We glorify the "rise and grind" mindset to a concerning degree, which is not only unhealthy but also promotes ...

Reclaiming one's ancestral roots is one of the common reasons for immigration. The good thing is that several countries enable people to claim citizenship by descent, and Italy is one of them. The Italian Jure Sanguinis process has no generational limits, and you can claim citizenship through your parents, grandparents, and generations before. But ...

Online casinos including kubet69, continue to grow in popularity, and the number of available games and promotions are great places to play since you can still enjoy your favorite casino games without having to dress up or go out. However,knowing how to avoid being scammed when trying something new online is also important. Online casino safety has...

Outputs from Spring Statement In advance of the promised reveal of the government's energy plan this week, let's start with the positives from Rishi Sunak's Spring Statement. 5 whole years of VAT free purchases on solar panels, ground and air source heat pumps. Not in Northern Ireland of course but they seem to matter less than ever to the Conserva...

The European Union and Davos-style globalism is saturating the globe on all continents. It pretends to make the world a better place. It does no such thing.  The Tower of Babel was real. The structure, reaching far into the skies, was built in the land of Shinar, in ancient Babylon. It was constructed some years after the Deluge, or what is co...

A few weeks ago, I saw a sign stuck to the plastic screen dividing me from a barista. To précis, electronic payment preferred, cash as a last resort. When I politely enquired as to why, I was told, albeit politely, that whilst it was not "due to COVID" (no sensible business is still using that schtick are they?) despite the transaction cost, it was...

United Kingdom rates of personal taxation are at their highest in over 70 years. They are set to increase further. Whether or not governments spend the money they raise wisely? That's another piece for another day but my overarching view is that individuals make better spending choices than "the state". This article examines the ways in which the T...

Crypto regulations would have been identical for both the EU and the UK. However, the Brexit game brings chaos, and hence the crypto regulations, including the famous Bitcoin and Ripple, are independently defined, yet few sections overlap. This guide will bring some light on the cryptocurrencies regulations in the United Kingdom and European Union....

The long European football season finally drew its curtains after Real Madrid defeated Liverpool via a lone Vinicius Junior goal at the UEFA Champions League final event in Paris on Saturday, May 28, 2022. Real Madrid won their 14th UEFA Champions League title. For many people who bet on football, the long summer break that follows the close of the...

US states courted for deals on financial services after US tariffs on steel and aluminium lifted.  A look at the improving UK trade with US and Canada While all eyes have been on the possibility of a large bilateral deal with the US, the two governments have been reaching across the pond to strike small deals that amount to great improvements ...

 Writing a resume can be a stressful and intimidating task. It is not easy to condense your life experiences into a one-page document - especially when you know that the quality of this document has a bearing on your happiness and your financial future! Online resume makers can take the pressure off. These web-based tools will walk you through...

By Andrew Rosindell  In 2019, we went to the polls with a simple choice, Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn, a choice to either Get Brexit Done or a choice for more dither and delay, maybe even a second referendum.  Thankfully, the people of the U.K. voted to Get Brexit Done and they did so with an overwhelming majority. Unfortunately, our fr...

RAF deploys fighter jets and Expeditionary Air Wing personnel to EU's Romania.  Once again, Brexit Britain flies to the protection of the EU On Saturday the Ministry of Defence announced that British Typhoon jets and Royal Air Force personnel are deploying to Romania. They will operate as part of NATO's 'Air Policing mission' for the Black Sea...

Voters are looking at Rishi Sunak's chaotic mini-Budget and concluding: the party stands for nothing at all.  Every so often, a member of the Question Time audience manages to capture the current mood. It happened when an elderly gentleman told a bickering Nigel Farage and Eddie Izzard to "shut up" during a programme filmed in the run up to th...

When Parliament fell to debating various versions of a Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and the EU some of us had no wish to enter binding arrangements with the EU that could continue to prevent us making sovereign decisions for ourselves through elections and Parliamentary votes. I along with 27 other Conservative MPs voted three times against ...

 While others close their Russian doors, French tills in Russia keep ringing. French companies find reasons to do business in Russia while British companies pull out Economic sanctions from Western nations were meant to send a message to President Putin: Stop the war and withdraw from Ukraine. The French are ignoring world opinion. Many busine...

The last two words of David Lean’s magnificent film “The Bridge over the River Kwai” are spoken by the character Major Clipton, when he contemplates the chaos surrounding him, as he cries out “madness, madness”. I have the same reaction when I look at the insanity which is distorting our culture, as ‘woke’ imbeciles are allowed to run amok, forcing changes which no one but they, and their idiotic followers want.

We now see a man, Lia Thomas, who has ‘transited’ to a woman, becoming the first transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming title. Anyone whom dares to question whether such people should be allowed to compete in the women's division after transitioning, is subjected to abuse, and threats for doing so. One of our sporting heroines, Sharron Davies MBE, has revealed that she has been subjected to such threats over her views on transgender women competing in women's sport, when she stated that it was unfair for such women for to be competing against normal biological females. She wrote: "I’ve received several threats to myself and my work because I present evidence based facts on the unfairness of male inclusion in women’s sport. Which is biological sex based decriminalisation. I will not stop bringing these actual facts into the light or be bullied into silence. I’m used to it now. But I feel we are turning the corner and open debate to find science based solutions are not far away that will protect the integrity and rights of females in sport as well as offering up ways to be inclusive but not as the cost of another groups’ rights."

Thomas' victory came after a civil rights complaint was submitted against the University of Pennsylvania for permitting this person to compete on its swimming team, it being pointed out that Lia's ranking was 462nd when competing in the male ranks. One competitor, Reka Gyorgy, complained to the athletics association about its decision to let Lia race against "biological women". However Labour equalities minister MP Charlotte Nichols disgracefully congratulated Lia on the achievement, saying "As a former competitive swimmer myself, indeed, I know full well how much training is required for a title like this. Anyone trying to diminish Lia Thomas' achievement because of lazy transphobia should frankly pipe down. Huge congratulations to her." That this nonsense should emanate from someone tasked with achieving equality for women is unsurprising, as Labour spokesmen and women now seem unable to distinguish between the sexes, something most normal people have no problem doing. The giants of the Labour past must be spinning in their graves.

Another example of this lunacy is the situation which has arisen at the Putney Tennis Club where the membership form has classed the option for 'female' as 'no longer valid'. The club stated that this was glitch, but, as one of its members says, “someone had to type in “Female (no longer valid)” , while another said that they suspected that the club had been taken over by ‘woke’ loonies, and this confirmed it.

Nottingham university continues to prove that it no longer deserves the name “University”, as it cancelling the offer of an honorary degree to Dr Tony Sewell, because his report on race in the UK failed to reinforce the former’s prejudices against white people. A statement was issued saying that "The university has strict criteria governing the award of honorary degrees, because these are conferred at our public graduation ceremonies. The criteria were revised a number of years ago to preclude us from awarding them to figures who become the subject of political controversy, so that a day of celebration for our graduates does not attract such controversy.” This from an establishment that has no problem cosying up to the fascists of Communist China.

A similar example of our so called universities being in the hands of the woke is of course Jesus College, Cambridge, again an institution willing to make excuses for China, but determined to remove the plaque in their chapel dedicated to the philanthropist Tobias Rustat because of false claims about his connections to slavery. For once right prevailed, and the decision of he Consistory Court of the Diocese of Ely was that the plaque should remain, but of course the monomaniacs of woke are determined not to leave it at that, being prepared to spend even more on continuing to pursue this false claim. In a similar refusal to accept outcomes the idiots at Oriel College, Oxford, with their “Rhodes Must Fall” campaign, refuse to accept that they have lost.

On a different front the Mayor of Woke, Sadiq Khan, has warned commuters that “staring” can be a form of sexual harassment and has launched a series of Transport for London posters that feature the mayor and British Transport Police’s emblems. So now we have the situation where a chap might be sitting there, absentmindedly thinking about his dinner, and finding himself suddenly accused by some neurotic female opposite of staring. Of course this sort of vague offence relies on the usual woke principle of guilty unless proved innocent, and can only provoke conflict where there was absolutely no offence committed.

When attending a recent football match I looked around at the crowd, and it occurred to me that probably almost no one there cared one iota about woke, and most would not even know what it was. This whole social movement is the product of largely white, middle class, university educated, metropolitan liberals, and is in fact an attack on working class culture by a bunch of elitists, who, in the past, would have been dismissed with contempt as twerps. The true blame for its spread rests with the organisations, and businesses, who choose to take it seriously, and allow their HR departments to persecute decent people in its name. Ordinary, well meaning citizens should treat the whole thing as the madness it is, and, where possible, boycott any body which is revealed as having adopted it.

ONE of the great lines of the proponents of renewable power is that the input energy (mostly wind and solar) is free, therefore producing renewable energy is less expensive that from fossil fuels. Even though wind isn't always available and therefore needs some back-up power – usually gas fired – the more wind generation there is the less gas will ...

Download PDF File Here Mr Sunak's Spring Statement was far less impressive than his rhetoric has made it appear. Once again a senior member of this administration reaches a Gold Standard in rhetoric, but at best a Bronze one in achievement. The claim does not stand up to examination that these were the largest reductions in personal taxation for th...

The European Commission is the executive branch within the broader European Union or EU. It apparently intends to introduce the continent's own digital euro bill sometime during 2023. This would coincide with experimentation done by the European Central Bank with a retail version of central bank digital currency across the union. Movement Among Mix...

The current cost of living crisis and stagnating growth highlight the importance of a re-examination of our approach to tax, trade and business, writes John Longworth. During the pandemic, conspiracy theorists loved to talk about the "great reset" that would be orchestrated by the Davos-loving global elites. If the events of the past two weeks is a...

It is constantly claimed that the purpose of the Irish protocol is to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland, but that is a lie. The real purpose is to disrupt the existing economic integration between Northern Ireland and Great Britain and instead promote integration between the province and the Irish Republic, and the chosen mechanism for...

Facts4EU.Org presents their review of the major Global Soft Power rankings in the world. Their analysis of these rankings covers every year from the first in 2010 until the latest for 2022. We reviewed the three emerging ranking systems that have over time become more and more detailed and analytical. We started with the Institute of Governmen...

The maiden official alliances among European countries happened shortly after World War II with the formation of NATO in 1949. Eight years later we saw the foundation of the European Economic Community as the countries joined their strengths in sharing bountiful industries that went on to serve a much wider spectrum of people instead of a single na...

For a few years it has been recommended to wear glasses with blue filters on the lenses while working with digital screens. Blue light glasses work thanks to an internal filter that has nothing to do with the color of the glass or the anti-reflective coating. This blue filter can be added to both prescription lenses and conventional sunglasses, inc...

By Professor Patrick Minford, CBE Patrick is the Chairman, Economists for Free Trade. He is Professor of Economics at Cardiff Business School, part of the University of Wales. Patrick is the author of The Cost of Europe, and Should Britain Leave the EU?: An Economic Analysis of a Troubled Relationship. Professor Minford is also a member of the Brug...

BackgroundIn one of the most egregious examples of the nefarious practice of fire and rehire, P&O Ferries sacked 800 workers via Zoom this week, without notice, attempting to replace them with agency workers on much lower pay and worse terms and conditions. By using security guards to escort hardworking employees forcibly and inhumanely off the...

Backs down on NI Protocol, then withdraws proposed rule changes, but wins in Appeals Court.  The Government is busy on Ukraine but what about the integrity of the UK? Despite past assurances of being willing to suspend the Northern Ireland Protocol it continues in place after the British Government revealed its true self yesterday. Firstly it ...

Director of the Bruges Group Robert Oulds recently gave an interview to GB News presenter Mark Dolan on Mark Dolan Tonight on the 19 March, 2022. Robert Oulds appeared alongside former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton OBE to discuss the threat corruption poses to football clubs and the World Cup - particularly how to end sportswashing. Recent sanct...

Huge fortunes can be won and lost in minutes, and it is a pastime that has been around for centuries, but when gambling you always need to keep a straight and level head, or you could find yourself experiencing the latter and not the former. There are of course plenty of casino games you can choose to get stuck into playing these days, and when pla...

- imagine doubling up on the policy that created the problem you now are forced to solve in order to survive...  This article is by Edgar Miller We cannot go on like this. The West must end its dependence on Vladimir Putin Writing exclusively for the Telegraph, PM says Russian leader has exploited our need for his oil and gas, but now we must ...

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has an agency known as Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), with the prime task of looking after the motor vehicle industry. The motor vehicle industry is widespread all over the country, with several stakeholders, and to keep an eye on them, FMCSA has issued some rules and regulations to keep ...

Amidst the economic, political and humanitarian carnage this week, International Women's Day came and went. It was pointed out to me by a digital sage that Margaret Thatcher (latterly Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven), the first woman ever to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is "never" (at least not to our mutual recollection), spoken of in...

The impact of loose monetary policy long after the financial crash reverberations had largely ended and repeated after the worst of the pandemic (creating the worst economic contraction for 300 years) had passed, is now taking its toll on inflation and interest rates. February saw a rash of economic metrics that when consolidated alongside other re...

Sir Richard Shepherd was one of the most principled and pleasant people that I knew in the House of Commons. Brian Sedgemore, left-wing Labour MP, once said to me "I much prefer the company of Tory MPs. Labour MPs are nasty people, they seem like nasty people, while Tory MPs are also nasty people but seem like nice people." But Sir Richard Shepherd...

There are still areas of our lives that have not benefited from the people's decision to choose independence from the EU. The unfinished business is harming our country and its future. One aspect of government policy that it shares with the EU, is the Green agenda drive to Net Zero. How a small island off the coast of Eurasia became a world superpo...

The USA is bust. Not officially of course and as Francis Underwood (I know, it was Urquhart first but humour me) would say, "You could say that; I couldn't possibly comment". With Federal Government debt in excess of $30Trillion and debt servicing alone of almost $600Bn per annum, the country is ill prepared in every conceivable way for a protracte...

Millions of column inches have been filled with Partygate. When government imposes draconian measures on your civil liberties through legislation and then ignores them themselves, this is understandable and in the public interest, so more than "fair game". I have noticed however that Labour sleaze gets rather less attention. With Rachel Reeves and ...

Listen to the podcast below Sir Richard Shepherd, for 35 years an independently minded Conservative MP, died last month. How should he be remembered? As a Eurosceptic and a natural rebel, certainly, and also as the founder of Partridges - one of London's most loved food shops. But was he, at heart, a libertarian or a traditional Tory or an old scho...

The first time I encountered Richard Shepherd was during the run up to the 1979 general election when he was standing as the candidate for the Aldridge Brownhills constituency, which was the neighbouring constituency to where I live. I had just come out of my local news agents and he was on his way in and saw me looking at him as I had recognised h...

What to Do if You're Facing Criminal Charges  Nobody ever wants to find themselves in a scenario where they're facing criminal charges. However, if you're currently in this situation, you have to get focused. There's no time to sit back and hope that things play out the way you think they should. You have to move with a sense of urgency. Sugge...

Recently, I tweeted as below. It is not exhaustive, this is Twitter after all but it serves as a useful starting point for a piece I did not think needed to be written, such has been my own "compliance" in the con. Canada has full despotism. New Zealand is descending further into tyranny. Germany has been muzzled by Putin’s gas yet suppresses its o...

Rollers.io casino is an excellent online platform that suits every online casino player. The casino's well-structured layout enables even novice players to navigate easily and enjoy the gaming experience. The site supports multiple languages, and the customer support team is available 24/7 and dedicated to responding swiftly to any queries. In this...

The campaign for a referendum on Net Zero appears to be gathering pace, with Nigel Farage openly discussing its evolution on his nightly GB News programme this week. Accepting the premise of global warming and the need to avoid the Earth's temperature overheating has become a settled issue for many but not all. Ground source heat pumps, electric ca...

I recently attended the funeral of one of my old office colleagues who, like me, worked for over forty years in the same organisation. At the wake I reminisced with other long term colleagues about our early days in the workplace, in the 1960s, and 1970s, comparing them with what we came to know towards the ends of our careers, and with what young friends now tell us about their experiences.

At one time health and safety rules and regulations, although obviously necessary in industrial environments, was confined in offices to exercising what was basically common-sense, while we had a personnel department, which dealt with matters of recruitment, and staff welfare. As in any social environment we naturally had our ups and downs with others, although, not being complete sissies, we could argue quite aggressively without it becoming anything requiring interference from anyone in authority, while many of us, myself included, met and married girls from within the office.

What a contrast we see today. Health and Safety has expanded to a ridiculous extent, far more than is justified by the reality, while that accursed non profession HR has spread like the plague throughout organisations, producing absurd policy documents, which only hamper effective working, and which most people ignore whenever they can. HR is responsible for making mountains out of mole hills when it comes to inter personnel relations, setting up inquiries to examine what we would once have regarded as trivial disputes. Far from being a department like Personnel, which tried to help staff, HR is an arm of management, allowing senior officers to keep their distance when implementing policies which treat staff unfairly. As far as romance in the office is concerned it would be a bold young man to make advances to a girl he found attractive, as the sexual Thought Police would be on him like a ton of bricks.

This increasing crushing of normal life is of course now everywhere, as the right of people to exercise free speech is more and more constrained by the metropolitan elite, aided and abetted by the morons of social media, with ‘twitter storms’, and cancel culture treated as valid by a weak, incompetent media, and enforced by politicians frightened to stand up for the values which this country has always represented. The Free Speech Union must now be at risk of overwhelmed by the number of people seeking help in opposing these fascists of the Left. We must not allow the latter to say “you can’t say that” without saying “Oh, yes I can”, and cease to listen to the whining from vanishingly small sexual minorities.

When we dare to oppose the rewriting of history by know nothing activists, or resent attacks on our heroes such as Winston Churchill and Douglas Bader, by those who would be living in a Nazi nightmare but for them, we are accused of being at best reactionary, or even of being Nazis. We now see what have been described as ‘blobs’ undermining our nation, via the education system, the health service and the civil service.

When I think of the brave men and women of previous generations who rallied to the colours, or stoically endured massive privations to save us from foreign tyrannies I have only absolute contempt for the pathetic wimps who now infest our universities, with their demands to ‘feel safe’, as they are too feeble to tolerate the idea that their opinions might not be shared by everyone. Clearly there are limitations on what the government can do to deal with these inadequates, particularly as they are often supported by the useless university authorities but, if I were PM, I would be seeking to cut off all funding to any educational establishment which yielded to their demands, while introducing policies aimed at ridding the country of the hundreds of Mickey Mouse degrees on offer, and forcing jumped up polytechnics to cease to be described as universities. Boris is not alone in the political class in avoiding this subject, but it is a matter which a truly determined Conservative politician should be addressing.

The bureaucrats in the NHS go their merry way, wasting vast sums on administration, while resisting any attempts to reform, while the upper echelons of the civil service continue their campaign to undermine Brexit.

The latest spat between a Left liberal Mayor of London and a ‘right on’ Metropolitan Police Commissioner would be funny, were things not so serious. Cressida Dick should never have been appointed head of the Metropolitan Police after the operation she directed as leader of Gold Command led to the death of the innocent Brazilian Jean Charles da Silva e de Menezes, an appointment condemned by his family. Nevertheless the desire of our political class to display their politically correct credentials ensured that they preferred to select the first female head, regardless of other issues.

Now that she is retiring there is an opportunity to make fundamental changes to the Met, returning it to its proper function of fighting genuine crime, but the continued dominance of the so called progressives makes such action unlikely. Unfortunately TV’s DCI Hunt is a fictional character, but it is his model of policing which would restore common-sense to the force, although whether any such as he could exist under the modern leadership is doubtful. An end should be put to the growing power of what is an embryonic Thought Police, spending time pursuing innocent citizens for using their right of free speech to oppose the nostrums of the politically correct, while the use of trained constables for monitoring computer crime should be stopped, a separate expert agency, on the lines of GCHQ, being created for such matters, who, once having established the details, could pass the evidence to the police for final action. The public wants the police to be visible on the streets, dealing with both petty and major crime, not sitting in offices looking at computers, or attempting to intimidate law abiding citizens by ‘checking their thinking’, as has happened on more than one occasion. However I do not think anything will change until we have a government that is not in thrall to the vociferous activists of the Left. Whether that will ever be the case is, at best, doubtful.

The government has signed up to the ludicrous Green agenda, which is set fair to totally undermine our economy, forcing people to abandon their cars, and to pay through the nose for energy, all to follow a theory based on the false premise that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere drives climate change, when an impartial examination of the scientific evidence, and the historical record, reveals that this is totally false.

When I was young we had serious politicians like Attlee and Churchill dealing with matters of true importance. Now we have a bunch of lightweights obsessing over rubbish such as ‘cakegate’. If this country is to survive in any recognisable form the ordinary, decent, normal people must fight back against those destroying it, whether they be the liberal left, or the lunatics who subscribe to the so called ‘woke’ agenda. I am sure that I am not alone in being sick of the nagging busybodies who seem to think that they have the right to order decent people about.

We will receive no help from the biased belly speakers of the BBC, or from politicians who know little, and care even less, of what the electorate really wants. We need leadership, not appeasement of the lowest common denominator with the biggest mouths!

With Westminster politics now on shutdown until 21st February, we can finally draw breath and reflect on the rise of Keir Starmer's standing as a future Prime Minister, not least in opinion polls when benchmarked against Boris Johnson. Starmer is enjoying a sustained period of Labour leading the Tories in the opinion polls, since their self inflict...

Cynical theories: how universities made everything about race, gender, and identity - and why this harms everybody, Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay, hardback, 351 pages, ISBN 978-1-80-075004-3, Swift Press, 2020, £20. This is an excellent study of the postmodernism and its offshoots Critical Race Theory and Social Justice. The authors state that ...

Sajid Javid's decision to pull back from forcing frontline NHS staff to be vaccinated or leave their jobs is a victory for the Workers of England Union, NHS100 and belatedly common sense. It is mendacious to claim that the evidence before the Health Secretary on COVID-19 is materially different to what was known in December 2021. Angelique Coetzee,...

Since Heath bamboozled us into joining the Common Market successive governments of all parties have treated the electorate and democracy with contempt. John Locke, in his Second Treatise of Government, declared: "The Legislative cannot transfer the power of making laws to any other hands. For it being but a delegated power from the People, they who...

Business Success Lessons for Every Aspiring Entrepreneur.  While entrepreneurship is a labour of love, it's also a business. Those who choose the latter should know that every action has an equal reaction — for better or worse. As an entrepreneur, you need to learn how to perform when times are tough and be prepared for these financial situati...

Break-up: how Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon went to war, by David Clegg and Kieran Andrews, hardback, 339 pages, ISBN 978-1-785-90706-7, Biteback, 2021, £20.  This is an absolutely fascinating account of Alex Salmond's appalling behaviour towards many of his female colleagues, and of the SNP's failure to deal fairly with the women's complai...

"Never glad confident morning again" This was the phrase used by Nigel Birch in the Profumo debate of June 1963 to encapsulate the situation in which Prime Minister Harold Macmillan found himself. Four months later, Macmillan decided to resign. I have always been struck by the similarities between Macmillan and Johnson. They both went to Eton and B...

Instinctively, I am sceptical about public inquiries and the like. Having lived long enough to see successive governments use inquiries as a means to avoid difficult questions "in the moment" and then avoid the same difficult questions when the findings of the inquiry are reported as "it is all in the report and we will learn the lessons from it", ...

 Whilst Plan B restrictions are now lifted in England, the Coronavirus Act, which grants the government sweeping draconian emergency powers, inter alia lockdowns, vaccine passports, work from home orders and mask mandates remains live legislation until 25th March 2022 when it is due to be renewed or it will expire. The government could termina...

Whether the PM had gatherings/meetings/parties at No 10 and/or Whitehall is merely 'froth' or 'fluff', compared with the events unfolding throughout the country and the world. It is this unbalanced focus on trivia that has increasingly annoyed me, to the extent that I have been motivated to put metaphorical pen to paper, in an attempt to highlight ...

A single question seems to recur throughout modern European history and it is known as "The German Question." Is it a black swan or a red herring? A white Horse, a blue moon, or yellow-bellied? Whatever your answer, it appears to have arisen again in the present context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Or as Biden refers to it, a "minor incursi...

Big Tech, so long the natural bedfellow of Planet Woke may just be starting to see the impact of its commitment "to the cause" through a, let's be generous, "correction" in their stock market capitalisation (numbers of shares in issue x cost per share). The mighty Apple, the nerve centre of Silicon Valley wokeism became the first company in history...