Bruges Group Blog

At school, in a lesson in Geography, I learned about the creation of corries in Scotland. They were formed by the action of ice in grinding parts of the mountains there. The mountains lost their points and became rounded. That ice had been from one to three miles thick. It melted several thousand years ago, at the end of an ice-age. The former tops...

Hate: why we should resist it with free speech, not censorship, Nadine Strossen, OUP, 2018.   Nadine Strossen is Professor of Constitutional Law at New York Law School and she was the national President of the American Civil Liberties Union from 1991 to 2008. As she points out, "Discussions about 'hate speech' have been clouded by conclusory c...

In defence of democracy, Roslyn Fuller, Polity, 2019 This is a great book. Roslyn Fuller, the Director of the Solonian Democracy Institute, punctures with evidence and wit the arrogance and pomposity of those politicians and academics who tell us what to think and do. After the two 2016 shocks, the majority vote to leave the EU and the election of ...

It has been a week of melodrama in the latest instalment of the soap opera that is the Conservative & Unionist Party. Talk of a "pork pie plot", so called as the Rutland & Melton MP, Alicia Kearns, one member of the 2019 new intake of Conservative MPs was allegedly pivotal in it, was seized on by the mainstream media whose appetite for the ...

It can be incredibly satisfying and humbling to create and run a nonprofit organization to help various causes, people in need, and your community. Nevertheless, along the way, you may encounter many challenges that you may not expect. It will take a lot of patience, a lot of work, and the process to start it and to grow it may take a long time. As...

Despite being a lifelong Brexiteer I find myself disappointed in Boris, and am indeed in direct opposition to a number of the policies he is actively pursuing.

He 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.

Despite a great deal of talk the invasion of our country continues, as thousands, enthusiastically spurred on by the French, arrive across the Channel, adding to the problems we already endure of a lack of a sufficient number of schools, jobs, houses, GPs etc. While one sympathises with those seeking to improve their life chances the potential numbers run into millions, and I think of those parents, particularly in the old industrial areas, who have seen their children unable to obtain decent employment, who must now watch those with no ties to this nation, undercut wages and obtain housing which is in such short supply.

Boris is also presiding over an economic policy which is the opposite of that which produced prosperity in the past, increasing taxes at a time when the standard of living is under greater threat than it has been for many years. He has also failed to take on the vested interests in the Civil Service, NHS etc. who seek to preserve their privileges at the expense of the rest of us, and done very little to oppose the lunatics of ‘woke’.

Perhaps the worse failure is not following through on Brexit, allowing the EU, and their fellow travellers in the UK, to maintain many of the rules and regulations which are among the very reasons we voted to leave in the first pace. The Northern Ireland protocol is clearly incompatible with our status as a sovereign nation and must go.

On the positive side Boris has done well when faced with a medical emergency unprecedented for over one hundred years, both by his enabling of the vaccine rollout, and by his refusal to bow to pressure from the pessimists, allowing the country greater freedom as it became clear that the modellers were exaggerating the seriousness of the Omicron wave. Unfortunately he has not grasped the nettle concerning the NHS being overloaded with parasitical bureaucrats.

However the matter of drink parties, pursued by the Left, with the BBC acting as cheerleader, reveals the truth about the attitude of the British establishment to Boris, and the implacable hatred with which he is regarded by the Remainers for actually sticking to his guns, and delivering Brexit, albeit not yet fully.

The bureaucrats, the so called progressive Left, the judiciary, large parts of the media, and almost all of the chattering classes are incandescent that the British people actually dared to defy them, and voted to leave the EU. They still do not accept that this is an accomplished fact, and continue to try and reverse the situation. That fanatical Remainer Lord Adonis made the game plan clear when he said “If Boris goes, Brexit goes”. The BBC, even when war threatens in Eastern Europe, treats so called “Partygate” as if it was the most important challenge facing the nation.

These people accuse Boris of showing contempt for the electorate, but we must never forget that they did their best to negate the greatest democratic vote taken in this country, because they have more in common with their continental counterparts than with the British people. When the result of the 2016 referendum was declared one senior civil servant was reported as saying “it will never happen”. What arrogance!

Boris makes mistakes, and certainly needs to get a grip, but the true hypocrites are those who point at the mote in his eye, while ignoring the plank in theirs.

The radical potter: Josiah Wedgwood and the transformation of Britain, by Tristram Hunt, hardback, 352 pages, ISBN 978-0-241287897, Allen Lane, 2021, £25 This is a splendid study of the great Staffordshire potter Josiah Wedgwood. It is deeply researched and profusely illustrated. Tristram Hunt is Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum and an ex...

Skrill is a virtual wallet that helps in online payments and transfers. It has been around since 2001, and its primary goal is to simplify online transactions. Online shopping isn't a new trend. It has been around for some time, and thanks to its many benefits, it's becoming the norm in the shopping world. Below are five benefits of using Skrill wh...

Spartan victory: the inside story of the battle for Brexit, Mark Francois, paperback, 464 pages, ISBN 9798484798391, Kindle Direct Publishing, 2021.  Mark Francois, the MP for Rayleigh and Wickford in Essex, and chairman of the European Research Group, has written a fascinating account of that part of the battle for Brexit that was waged in th...

The cult of Wokeism, like Japanese knotweed is growing relentlessly and without radical surgery will consume all before it. The Marxist, identitarian left, unable to win at the ballot box, has instead hijacked British institutions with devastating results. The culture wars are real but largely only one side is fighting. Social conservatives must fi...

Who could have predicted that of all the Downing Street scandals of the last two and a half years, the parliamentary Conservative party would finally divide...over an actual party? In the name of public health, Boris Johnson and his government punitively repealed and restored basic civic autonomies as they pleased. Now it transpires that at a time ...

The case for a new Bretton Woods, Kevin Gallagher and Richard Kozul-Wright, paperback, 163 pages, ISBN 978-1-5095-4654-1, Polity Press, 2022, £9.99.  Kevin Gallagher is Professor of Global Developmental Policy and Director of the Global Developmental Policy Center at Boston University. Richard Kozul-Wright is Director of the Division on Global...

In this digital age, businesses seek to communicate more efficiently by using strategies such as electronic mail and faxes, which are instantaneous. Subsequently, securing such communication tools is an absolute must. Users should gather as much information as possible to make this happen. This article will focus on how to make a fax infrastructure...

Over its long and varied history Britain has suffered, from time to time, some terrible leaders, both Kings and Prime Ministers. Some have been ruthless tyrants, some just plain useless and some underhanded and treacherous. Tony Blair who was the Prime minister of the UK from 1997 to 2007, can be described as cunning and sneaky, thanks to him being...

Climate: all is well, all will be well, by Jeremy Nieboer, paperback, 71 pages, ISBN 978-1-8380658-5-0, Bruges Group, 2021 This is a very fine, thought-provoking contribution to the debate about climate change. Jeremy Nieboer proves that there is no tenable scientific basis for the proposed vast spending on the folly of decarbonisation. The author,...

After over 28,500 migrants were officially processed after crossing the English Channel in 2021, evidencing the porous nature of our border protection against potential terrorists, it emerged in the run up to New Year that there is active consideration of parole for 92 actual terrorists. I have an alternative. How about letting them serve their ful...

DFor libertarians, it has been another alarming week as the political class continues to use emergency measures to control their populations and the COVID-19 narrative. In France, (absolutely not because there is a presidential race in April), Emmanuel Macron has admitted he wants to "piss off" his country's 5M unvaccinated, exacerbating the divide...

Most law abiding people are aware than the criminal justice system is failing to apply to the guilty the sort of sentences which are deserved, and which are a deterrent to others. Too many escape with suspended sentences, and even those who are incarcerated may expect the actual time served to be significantly less than that handed out in the first place, while the frequent redefinition of murder as manslaughter is clearly intended to keep the extent of the former hidden from the electorate, as the liberals who have dominated the system for decades do not want it to be clear just how damaging the abolition of capital punishment has been. The number of youngsters stabbed to death in London in recent years is proof of this.

However there is another side to the coin, which is equally reprehensible, and that is the manner in which people are being subjected to totally unjustified sanctions, as one of the most fundamental principles of British law is that one is innocent until proved guilty, something that is being weakened on several fronts.

The justice system is being subverted by changes, emanating largely from too much attention being paid to the uneducated emoters of social media, and their so called Twitter storms. It should be obvious that accusations are proof of nothing, unless backed by some sort of genuine evidence, but we now have those accused being treated as guilty, in particular in relation to sexual matters.

Of course rapists should be punished, but there have been many cases where the complainant is proved to have lied, or which rely on ‘He said, She said’, without any substantiating evidence. We have seen instances of men being sent to prison, only to be released later, when it becomes clear that the complainant had consented to sex, only to regret doing so in retrospect.

Even worse, how on earth is someone supposed to defend themselves against assertions that they did something decades ago, as seems to happen far too regularly. Most of us can’t remember what we did a week ago last Tuesday, let alone decades ago. That employers punish the accused without waiting for a conviction is a disgrace, and failure to reverse such actions when the person is shown to be innocent utterly deplorable.

(One ridiculous anomaly involving those actually being guilty is that, in the UK, if a lad of seventeen has consensual sex with his fifteen year old girlfriend then not only is he convicted of a crime, but must sign the sex offenders register, which will blight him for life. He is also frequently referred to as a pervert by the self appointed moralists of social media. However if the couple lived in Japan, where the age of consent is thirteen, no crime would have occurred, and clearly normal heterosexual acts between those just past the age of puberty, while inadvisable for other reasons, are not perverted. There are many of us who would not approve of his actions, but, although breaking the law should be sanctioned, the punishment meted out is excessive, and too long lasting).

Those who are actually guilty should be punished, but no accused person, who is not found to be so by a court, should be left in a worse position than that they were in before the accusation was made, in relation to employment, residence or indeed anything else. We have seen Hollywood film producers drop actors because of such unproven allegations, while recent cases have also involved loss of reputation and worse suffered by those who have done nothing wrong. The often heard claim that “there is no smoke without fire” is nonsense, as anyone, even anonymously, can accuse another of wrongdoing without it appears the need to justify such claims. It is reminiscent of the Great Terror which followed the 1789 French Revolution when anonymous accusations of being an enemy of the people resulted in many being guillotined when they were actually the objects of sexual or business jealousy, or even just of personal dislike.

This sort of trial by public opinion, not facts, is made worse by the attitude of the police, who now seem to consider themselves a Thought Police, permitted to pursue people for their opinions. That one member of a force told a member of the public that he was speaking to him “to check on his thinking” proves this, while the way the police went on a fishing expedition to find anyone willing to corroborate the loathsome pedophile, Carl Beech, who accused Sir Edward Heath and others of crimes they did not commit was despicable. One police spokesman stated that the there was substance to the charges, and actually invited anyone with any further claims to come forward. That other liars then did so merely proves that accusations without evidence should be treated with utter contempt. Incidentally the supposed need for policeman to have attended university is yet another nail in the coffin of common-sense policing, as experience is a better guide to human nature than book learning.

The only way to stop these offences to natural justice continuing to hold sway is to ensure that those who make false accusations are held accountable. In the end Beech did go to prison, but how many others have enjoyed their fifteen minutes of fame at the expense of the innocent, and never been punished for doing so?

The Implementing Cisco SD-WAN Solutions (ENSDWI) exam certifies a participant's expertise of Cisco's SD-WAN solution, covering SD-WAN infrastructure, control system configuration, edge router operation, protocols, encryption, quality of the service, administration, and management. In both the cloud server and the office, you'll need to become a mas...

I am sure plenty of you out there will have been on websites such as YouTube and come across lots of videos which are based around gamblers playing slot machines, and surprisingly they are proving popular ones to watch. It soon dawned on plenty of people that not only can they film their slot play in land-based casinos and obviously load that foota...

Whether you're just starting out or already have an established business, you've most likely learned by now how important social media is in today's society, and specifically how important it is to maintain an active Instagram account. When you consider that Instagram has more than 1 billion active users and that about 90 percent of them follow at ...

On 7th January 2022, as the new law requiring NHS staff to be 'fully vaccinated' against covid-19 came into force, Health Secretary Sajid Javid was visiting King's College Hospital in London. Meeting some clinical staff, he was challenged by consultant Steve James, who calmly and rationally explained why the 'no jab no job' policy is nonsensical. D...

Material girls: why reality matters for feminism, by Kathleen Stock, hardback, 312 pages, ISBN 978-0-349-72660-1, Little Brown, 2021, £16.99. This is a splendid critique of the vexed theory of gender identity and of the unfortunate practices to which it gives rise. This theory is that we all have an inner feeling known as a gender identity and that...

Trans: when ideology meets reality, by Helen Joyce, hardback, 311 pages, ISBN 978-0-86154-049-5, Oneworld, 2021, £16.99. This is a very fine book, which puts the case for an objective, scientific and humane approach to the vexed questions of gender, sex and identity. Helen Joyce is Britain editor at The Economist. She observes that science shows th...

 Buying a home is a serious decision that should not be taken lightly. Individuals need to take time to research their options before taking the plunge. A buyer also needs to make sure they are seeking a home warranty to cover anything that might go wrong in their home. With this guide, buyers will learn more about home warranties and the reas...

It's clear that UK industry is in a period of adjustment post-Brexit. Despite the drop in FDI and disruptions like the global pandemic, there are nonetheless emerging industries where the UK has the potential for global leadership. The education technology (edtech) industry is undoubtedly one of them. 1. UK education pre-Brexit Prior to the Brexit ...

Most Important Factors about Sharing-and-Visibility-Designer Exam | How You can prepare yourself for salesforce Architect Exam by using Dumps Salesforce Certified Sharing and Visiblity Designer (WI22) is a very important certification that can help you in your career. It's the first step towards becoming an expert in salesforce. This post will give...

Market Overview From 2021 to 2026, the online gambling market is expected to grow at a rate of 11.49 percent each year.   There was a good thing about the COVID-19 pandemic: more people used the online platform to help them when they were in lockdowns. In one of the studies done by Lund University in Sweden, they found that people have become ...

Experts assure the interest in iGambling and online casino games will only deepen. The initial necessity to gamble at home has soon become an opportunity with many advantages. Now, every player has access to the top web casinos of the world where they can gamble with the same level of convenience as in the best Vegas casinos. As a result, they beco...

Its high taxes and high inflation which threaten Boris' premiership, not wine and cheese parties and expensive wallpaper.  Ladies, and Gentleman, Bruges Group Members, Welcome to 2022. Well, we are still waiting to get Brexit done. We have paid our £40 billion voluntary exit fee some years ago, but the European Court of Justice still holds swa...

Amid all the disruption caused by Covid a few truths have become obvious, that up to now have either been denied, or ignored.

The constant warnings issued by NHS trusts about the health service being overwhelmed by demand have finally made clear to many just how dysfunctional the organisation has become. Those of us who for years have pointed out that in fact this bureaucratic monster has an insatiable need for funds, due to the ridiculous numbers of box ticking bureaucrats involved, whose every response to a problem is to expand their administrative empire, while creating evermore absurd rules which must be followed by front line staff. Retired nurses and GPS, who have offered their aid in the campaign to vaccinate the population have reported that, thanks to bureaucratic intransigence, they have been rejected due to a supposed failure to meet the requirements of these pen pushers, even though the issues involved are irrelevant. No one doubts the commitment, and expertise of the doctors and nurses, but, thanks to the aforementioned facts, comments in the press, and by friends and acquaintances indicate that the myth that the NHS is above criticism has been debunked.

It has also begun to become clear to ordinary people that, at a time when many are losing loved ones, or suffering prolonged periods of serious illness, the constant harping on nonsense by the so called ‘woke’ is no longer a source of amusement, but is something which much be opposed, and indeed crushed. This rag tag alliance of sexual neurotics, supposed intelligent undergraduates, ignorant of history, and the plain deranged have had a good run of being taken seriously when they have rejected all sense, and denied historical reality in pursuit of their insane agendas, but more and more people are reacting with anger, not laughter. That they receive support from individuals in the entertainment profession, organisations such as the National Trust, and unfortunately even some errant members of the Royal family merely indicates that such irrationality can affect anyone, however eminent.

The bias of the broadcast media, in particular the BBC has also been exposed, as everything the government has tried to do in the face of an unprecedented crisis has been derided, criticised, and ridiculed. Whatever course is followed the BBC will oppose, making Boris damned if he does, and damned if he doesn’t. There is much that the Prime Minister may have done wrong, for instance in his embracing of the Green agenda, but there is no doubt that the left liberal agenda followed by these so called unbiased commentators ensures that he will receive no credit for those things which he has done right. These people, and I include those such as commentators on Sky News who choose to advise the Americans to transfer their support from the UK to the EU, think that they are there to make the news, not report it. The number of people who have stated that they will no longer watch the BBC makes clear that the latter has been rumbled.

However perhaps the most significant instance of realisation dawning is that, following the wide variety of predictions, modelling, and general advice, concerning the pandemic offered by experts, it is obvious that following the science is not as easy as first thought, and that scientists are not quite as infallible as their reputation suggests. Far from them being like Plato’s Philosopher Kings, dispensing absolute wisdom, they are more like the Gods of Olympus, squabbling among themselves, and pursuing their own agendas. While most are well intentioned some are also influenced by the desire for reputation, sometimes a liking for their fifteen minutes of fame, and occasionally by their connections with commercial organisations.

That the public have now become aware that their lives may be disrupted to no purpose should ensure that expert scientific pronouncements in general should be taken with a large pinch of salt, and actions taken only if the issues are examined dispassionately, and not subject to subjective factors arising from the fact that scientists are only human. It is to be hoped that the prospect of massive rises to domestic energy bills will awaken people to the fact that uncritical acceptance of the dubious theories of the vociferous Green lobby comes at a significant cost. While it may make some feel virtuous to airily talk of saving the planet the reality is that, unless the absurd demands of the climate extremists are rejected we shall all be very much poorer, with a standard of living permanently lower than that which we have known in the past.

Many scientists disagree with the claims that the theory of anthropological global warming is beyond dispute but, thanks to the craven action by politicians who have merely bowed before the environmentalists, we have closed coal mines, ignored the large reserves of energy available from fracking, and allowed substantial reserves of gas below the North Sea to remain unexploited. The fact that we are thereby reduced to buying gas from Russia, at a greatly increased cost, and forcing a greater dependence on those who wish us ill, does not seem to have occurred to the fanatics from dear Greta downwards.

If millions are not to be either reduced to poverty, or frozen in their own homes, the real cost of passively yielding to the clamour of an aggressive minority must be made clear, and a major change made to the direction of travel on energy policy, based on objective science, not on a supposed consensus that does not exist, except in the minds of those such as the BBC. As the public finds that the very real consequences of going Green involve losing their cars, and living in freezing homes, while paying through the nose for their energy, we may expect the uncritical approval of the environmentalists to disappear like the morning dew.

Congratulations are due to the Bruges Group for the timely publication of Climate: All Is Well, All Will Be Well, by Jeremy Nieboer. This is a scholarly and well-written publication, displaying immense intellectual rigour. It needs to be read by every MP and policy-maker. We do not agree with each of Nieboer's conclusions. In particular we do not a...

Fourth upon a time the Brexit elf went in search of the true Brexit. He had been over the moon all those years ago when the British people had voted to leave the EU. He looked forward to an early and complete departure. He expected the creation of a land of freedom. He looked forward to wise government from a newly independent and powerful Parliame...

Every time I sit down to write an article I feel like the main character in the 1993 film 'Groundhog Day', who was doomed to repeat the same day time and time again, as I must keep returning to the same issues, not because I wish to, but because nothing has changed, and not to take up the cudgels would be to grant victory to our enemies. I am sure that those intelligent enough to read the Bruges Group blog are already convinced by the arguments put forward, but they must continue to be made. In this I find myself in the company of many sensible political columnists, who are also returning to these subjects time and again.

The most significant matters upon which the future of this country depends remain, inter alia: the necessity to turn back the tide of political correctness which is allowing the Thought Police to become a reality; the objective to stop the lunatics of the Green movement from destroying our way of life in the name of an unproven theory; the defeat of the Marxists who seek to subvert a genuine desire to end racial inequality through their use of a undemocratic, and anti Semitic, political movement; the removal of the liberal elite whose loyalties lie with our enemies; the need to honour the result of the EU referendum.

This time I am concentrating on the cesspit into which our universities have fallen, where free speech and debate are being overridden by leftist fascists, who are determined that any views opposing their own must not be allowed to be voiced.

One major university which is at the epicentre of a political storm is Durham. Professor Tim Luckhurst, Principal of South College, is being investigated by university authorities about a speech given by Spectator columnist Rod Liddle on the theme of tolerating other people’s points of view. A small number of students walked-out of the event, an action which Professor Luckhurst called pathetic. Students complained about being “hurt” by Rod Liddle’s words, although they hadn’t actually listened to him, and the university then started a formal investigation into Professor Luckhurst, and banned him from engaging with students, including a planned talk in favour of free speech at the Durham Union.

This pathetic bunch of so called students have threatened a rent strike unless Professor Tim Luckhurst is ousted, and have said that “nothing is off the table” in terms of their tactics, suggesting that they will submit mass requests to transfer out of South College unless Luckhurst is fired. One student said: “Students aren’t giving up this fight because they are yet to feel safe again in South College. We won’t rest until we feel safe in our homes.” Following the talk, the presidents of Durham student associations called for “content warnings” ahead of future guest lectures, and hundreds of students protested and gave speeches demanding Luckhurst’s resignation. One wonders what from what sort of background these gutless wimps have emerged if they don’t feel ‘safe’ hearing a speech about the need for toleration of all points of view, as they retire to their rooms, no doubt in tears, over someone daring to suggest that free speech is a fundamental right. They clearly have absolutely no idea of what the real world is like if they think that listening to a different view to their own is somehow dangerous.

Perhaps they might like to think about inmates at Auschwitz who, on hearing screams one night, found that the Germans having run low on poison gas, were throwing small children directly into the ovens to be burnt to death. Think about what those children, true innocents suffered, and their little lives ending in such horror! The feeble inadequates at Durham seeking to destroy free speech should consider the real terrors in the world, before cowering from the views of others. Their threat to leave their courses should be enthusiastically seized upon, and they should be thrown out of the university immediately, as they clearly have no idea of the real function of a university, which should be opening minds, and encouraging debate, rather than closing it down. However at least thirteen of the university’s college principals have issued statements expressing sympathy with the student protestors, one saying that she stood in “solidarity with all those targeted in Rod Liddle’s speech”, while four departments have backed student demonstrators. Obviously it is not only the contemptible students who should be on the first train home!

The Durham branch of the University and College Union called for the University “to consider the full range of appropriate disciplinary action”, claiming that Professor Luckhurst had not “addressed the behaviour of his wife”, who was filmed remonstrating with students after Liddle’s speech, one of whom had called her a “bitch”. This Union supposedly represents lecturers, administrators, researchers, librarians, computing staff and postgraduates employed in teaching or related duties, which speaks volumes about the current lamentable state of universities.

The Wolfson College Student Association (WCSA) at Cambridge has instigated a witch-hunt after several students leaked images of compulsory “anti-racism” training to the media. The mandatory training included the standard woke rubbish about Britain being a cesspit of ‘white supremacy’, ‘microaggressions’ to be reported to the university authorities, heteronormative students needing to do ‘the work’ to become ‘allies’ of trans students, etc., etc. The president of the WCSA said the leakers wanted “to sow division, uncertainty, and distrust amongst their peers” and that it was “frankly cowardly” to defy the Association. Well how dare anyone resist their diktats! What this hunt for heretics proves is that a student mob, not the college authorities are now in charge.

Unfortunately the undermining of higher education seems to be prevalent throughout the English speaking world. In the USA they have begone beyond parody, and are wrecking their society, while even what was once regarded as staid old New Zealand is infected. Professor Garth Cooper of Auckland university, and colleagues, signed an open letter opposing the introduction of Maori mythology into science lessons. The Vice-Chancellor of the University initially said the letter had caused “caused considerable hurt and dismay among our staff, students and alumni”, although she has now stated that “our seven academics were free to express their views on Maori mythology and science. Others in our community were free to disagree, and to present the logic of their objections. There is no contradiction in the University’s support for the rights of our academics to disagree on matters that can be considered controversial, while at the same time acknowledging and being respectful in any debate that might follow”. A common-sense reaction for once!

The spread of this fascist ideology is also undermining the Open University, whose Professor Jo Phoenix has resigned after being “harassed and vilified” by her colleagues over her gender critical views, including being compared to a “racist uncle at Christmas”. She said: “The university has allowed things to escalate to a point beyond repair. My trust and heart have been broken.” She launched an employment tribunal case against the university, stating that it had failed to protect her from a campaign of “vicious bullying” by those who opposed her views, including her position that male-bodied prisoners should not be in female prison, and her criticism of Stonewall’s influence in universities, opinions which I have no doubt are shared by the vast majority of ordinary people.

When my wife was at Manchester University in the 1960s the students frequently held sit-ins and demonstrations about a variety of issues, but they did not attempt to close down debate, and certainly did not have a fit of the vapours at the thought that their views might be open to question. The question now must be why are the hard working taxpayers of this country subsidising thousands of imbecilic cretins infesting these institutions, both as students and staff? We need science graduates, and a limited number of those from valid humanity subjects, but we could save millions by returning the universities to the size they were sixty years ago, and sacking large numbers of the parasitic Maoist morons masquerading as lecturers.

Fake invisible catastrophes and threats of doom, by Patrick Moore, paperback, 207 pages, ISBN 978-8-5685-9550-2, independently published, 2021, £22.95.  This excellent book, by a scientist who was a co-founder of Greenpeace, exposes the bad science behind so much of the current wave of climate alarmism. Moore notes that "the great majority of ...

As relentless as Boris Johnson's demise, the boundaries of the ridiculousness of Wokeism continue to be pushed. At Durham University, the Chancellor faced calls to resign or be sacked by a tiny minority of students for allowing Rod Liddle a platform, despite him receiving a standing ovation for his speech, which leant substantially towards inclusiv...

The news on the18th December that Lord Frost was resigning his position as our EU negotiator due to his unhappiness with the decisions the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson was making, was one of the worst things to happen in these strange times. I personally was devastated. I have written to Lord Frost and reproduce my letter below.  Dear Lord Fr...

Parliament is now in recess until the New Year. Unless of course the Prime Minister decides to impose further restrictions on the English population's civil liberties. Having already moved to (so called) Plan B COVID-19 restrictions, rumours abound at the time of writing that plans for a 2 week circuit breaker lockdown are well advanced. It has bee...

I have been lucky enough to enjoy a 57-year successful career in business. I was also a board member of Business for Sterling and of Vote Leave and before coming to the UK I had some experience in USA politics. One of the things I have learned over the years is that when things are not going well, you might be working on the wrong thing! Another va...

Those who know the Bible will have been horrified by the massacre of the innocents, which took place when Herod the Great, King of Judea, orders the execution of all male children two years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem, in an attempt to kill the infant Messiah. Today we see a different sort of slaughter which targets the innocent.

As a Catholic I naturally abhor the killing of so many unborn babies, as every excuse is made to allow this to happen, despite all the promises made at the time abortion was made legal. However, for the moment I will reserve that argument for a different occasion, and concentrate on the deaths of those already born.

I am sure that I am not alone in feeling a sick anger at the murder of poor little Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. As so often the authorities, despite warnings from concerned relatives, ignored the obvious abuse, but no one should forget that it was the evil perpetrators who are fully responsible for this terrible crime. When I think that this little boy is recorded as saying “Nobody loves me, no one is going to feed me” I am consumed with fury that an innocent should die convinced that this was true.

Now we have the equally awful case of the sweet little girl Star Hobson, who was murdered at the age of 16 months by her mother’s female ‘partner’ while the mother herself stood by and did nothing. Indeed, while any normal person would, if they heard a child crying, try to help them, these two sub humans just laughed. As usual the useless social workers allowed these scum to talk their way out of it, but this time it is reported that, because they were lesbians, decided to treat the warnings from the family as being motivated by an anti-gay prejudice.

When my late mother was in her fifties, and after having raised two sons, she, as a convinced Christian, volunteered to work as a social worker looking after the less fortunate, including children. Many of her colleagues had a similar background. Suddenly they were all told that their services were no longer required, as all social workers were now required to have a university degree, so they were all dismissed, to be replaced by bits of kids, who had no practical knowledge of bringing up children, and, worse, had been through left wing indoctrination by the so called lecturers in the so called subject of sociology, so they were obsessed with applying the nostrums of the Left, rather than dealing with the real world. As a consequence middle class white parents are treated as guilty until proved innocent, while those whom the Left love to consider victims by virtue of their ethnicity or sexual orientation are excused time and time again.

However, despite the deserved condemnation of these useless ideologues one must reserve one’s true detestation for the actual perpetrators. I wonder if those liberals, from Sydney Silverman, and Roy Jenkins, onwards, who liked to virtue signal by opposing the death penalty, ever thought of the blameless victims, who might have been saved if vile criminals, such as these killers, knew that they would pay the ultimate penalty for their actions. Even if in some cases it would not be a deterrent, it would nevertheless be just what they deserve.

I anticipate that such liberals will respond by raising the danger of executing the wrong person as has happened in the past, but of course one must be absolutely sure that the conviction is sound, and in these days of advanced forensic science, with DNA testing etc., this is likely to be true. Any doubt should ensure that the death penalty would not apply. From all that we know about these particular cases, from previous cases such as Victoria Climbie, and from those of many other children murdered by those who should be caring from them, no such doubt exists.

This is all part of the wider crisis we face regarding law and order. I recall that, when capital punishment was abolished, we were promised that 'life will mean life' for murderers, yet this has proved to be a lie. On a daily basis we hear of fatal stabbing, and even shootings, in London and other urban centres, and while the liberals try and conceal the extent of the carnage by redefining murders as manslaughter whenever they can, the true scale is obvious to anyone who examines the daily reports. Additionally, so often when innocent children are killed by those who should be caring for them, or left to die of starvation by feckless adults, the perpetrators frequently get away with reduced charges, and pathetic sentences. When one adds to all this the fact that jail sentences are rarely completed in full, most criminals being released after only half has been served, it is certain that lawbreakers are being appeased, not punished. The principle to follow should be that advocated by Gilbert and Sullivan's Mikado "make the punishment fit the crime", as deprivation of liberty is not the only sanction that can be applied. Of course much more severe punishments must also be applied to those whose actions aid the criminals, such as middle class cocaine users.

I recall seeing a cartoon in the late 1950s in which a woman was being beaten to the ground by a group of teddy boys, and a psychologist was rushing over saying “there are some young men here in need of help”. This sums up the pathetic attitude of those who have been allowed to dominate the justice system for decades. Although they no longer do so, at one time opinion polls were held on the subject of capital punishment, always showing large majorities in favour of its use, but still the ‘we know better’ brigade has had their way. The blood of countless innocents is on their head.

Perhaps one day we will have a true populist government, which will replace the current set of social workers with those who can recognize evil when they encounter it, and heed the demand that the merciless killers of innocents pay the ultimate penalty, but I am not holding my breath.

"We were the 28 MPs who saved Britain, we saved our nation and this is the inside story of how we did it." The Rt. Hon. Mark Francois MP The Bruges Group led the intellectual debate for Britain to leave the European Union and now we have the story from within, the story of the ERG from an MP who was at the heart of Brexit. 28 Members of Parliament ...

As Boris hatred reaches yet another crescendo the media, opposition parties and remainers in the Civil Service and assorted Quangos hugged their self perceived purity. Like a pack of crazed Wolves scenting blood, they moved in for the kill. The impending power disaster. Possible wars in Ukraine and Taiwan. The woke destruction of culture and free s...

Compared to the rest of the world, European countries are known for their progressive gambling laws. National lotteries are pretty much a given, with the profits reserved to fill the government coffers. But when it comes to other forms of gambling such as card games and sports betting, things can vary depending on the country in question. To give y...

The privations that those in Scotland and the North have endured due to loss of power should act as a warning that we must cease to heed the nonsense emanating from the environmental lobby, else such misery will become commonplace throughout the nation.

There is no climate crisis. Fluctuations in temperature are due to natural processes outside human control, and when these result in rises in temperature, as they do regularly in historical and geological terms, the sea becomes less able to absorb carbon dioxide, so the amount in the atmosphere increases, the exact opposite of the process claimed by the Greens, who are putting the cart before the horse. The gas involved is not a cause, but an effect of variations in temperature, is actually benign, and is no threat to us or the planet. Indeed increases in its density led to the expansion of vegetation, and the creation of surplus food.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is driving the nonsense emanating from the Green lobby, is not a scientific body, but a political one, which is using distortion of the facts, including outright falsification, to advance its agenda.

The IPCC continues to use unreliable temperature records from weather stations, while ignoring those from satellites, and those from atmospheric balloons, which show that the claims made by the Greens are totally wrong. In fact the IPCC has not proved that any increase in global temperatures for the past 170 years is caused by CO2, rather than solar activity and, despite deliberate distortions of the data, are faced with the fact that there has been no warming trend since 1998. Indeed these people have sought to suppress the historical data concerning the warming of the Roman period, the Mediaeval warming, and the little Ice Age, as these invalidate their theories.

The public must insist that our government ceases to bow the knee to the extremists, and restores common-sense to energy policy. The Greens will never accept that they might be wrong, but they are not the majority, and can, and should, be faced down. Of course ordinary people must be prepared to stand up and be counted, else the lunatics will win. Charles-Marie Le Bon, a leading French authority on crowd psychology asked in the 19th century “Are the worst enemies of society those who attack it, or those who do not even give themselves the trouble of defending it?”, and this is a question that must be answered, and action taken before it is too late. Although one would never believe it from the mendacious coverage of the BBC a UN survey of public opinion only six months ago ranked climate action 13th in the list of concerns, so there is hope that there may yet be a sea change in the current apathetic attitude which is allowing a vociferous minority to dominate the debate.

One of the worst features of this campaign by climate extremists is their refusal to even consider the idea that they might be wrong, and their vicious attacks on opponents reaching absurd heights. The aforementioned Le Bon also said “Men dominated by a certitude cannot tolerate those who do not accept it” Lord Lawson, who argues that the science behind the claims of the environmentalists is not conclusive says that “I have never in my life experienced such extremes of personal hostility, vituperation and vilification” while one Green blogger states ”When we have finally gotten serious about global warming we should have war crimes trial for these bastards, some sort of climate Nuremberg”. Perhaps the most frightening example of this arrogant lunacy is a statement by a professor at the Karl Franz University in Graz, Austria who said “some global warming deniers will never admit their mistake and as a result they will be executed. Perhaps it would be the only way to stop the rest of them. The death penalty would have to be justified in terms of the enormous number of saved future lives”. These people are fascists.

We are constantly told that we must follow the science but this is a fallacy, as has been shown by the shambolic response to Covid from the scientific community, where some ape Private Frazier of Dad’s Army in crying “we are all doomed”, while others take a much more optimistic view, with the subsequent advice being given by each side being diametrically opposed. President Eisenhower warned that “Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific, technological elite”. Scientists are not selfless academics, living in splendid isolation, but human beings with their own prejudices and interests, who can advise, but whose words must not be treated as being immune to being contradicted.

In conclusion the IPCC was established to promote the theory of global warming, and seeks to undermine the foundation of Western civilisation by destroying the energy system which sustains it. It blatantly ignores natural phenomena, such as solar cycles and, ocean currents, as causes of temperature fluctuations, and refuses to give credence to the actual measurements produced by satellites and atmospheric balloons. It distorts and falsifies the data it claims prove its case, and asserts a scientific consensus where none exists. Many Green activists believe that they are on the side of the angels, but in fact they are supporting a movement which, if not stopped, will see the bankruptcy of the nation, the economic basis of our society undermined, and our way of life destroyed. All this in pursuit of a stubborn belief in a dogma, driven by ignorance, by what amounts to a global cult, hysterically promoting possibly the biggest lie given credence in human history.

For details of the data which underlies the above please read “Climate All is well, all will be well” by Jeremy Nieboer, published by the Bruges Group, and “The Real Global Warming Disaster” by Christopher Booker”.

Well that escalated quickly. I have felt for a long time and said for a while that the Conservative & Unionist Party is now misnomered. Even I am staggered by the depths now being plumbed. The globalist, green, high tax, high spend, manifesto breaking agenda is not conservatism. It is now a CONINO party (Conservative in Name Only). Jeremy Corby...

With 5 months to go until France goes to the polls to elect their next president, the stalking horses have begun to fall, leaving behind 3 main challengers (including 2 women) to Emmanuel Macron: Marine Le Pen, Valérie Pecrésse and following unprecedented polling prior to confirming his candidacy, Éric Zemmour. Whilst all representing differen...

After a lengthy period of mediocrity (even to the point of substantial anonymity away from London) since winning the leadership of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer's fortunes have taken a substantial upturn since the Owen Paterson debacle. Whilst Starmer with his forensic, albeit leaden footed questioning at PMQs has from time to time landed a bl...

As the sclerosis of wokeism spreads globally ever further and wider, let's take a whistle stop tour of some of the latest ridiculousness served up on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. US Democrats hate their own country, UK left follows The left of the American Democratic Party hates its own country. Where once it directed its ire at Donald Trump, ...

How many times have you been told, thought, heard or said "you can't say that"? As a minimum, with every passing month it will happen more and more to many of us. Comedians and authors are increasingly self censoring for fear of "offending" their audience. When did we lose the right to be offended? We rail against politicians not giving a straight ...

The argument put forward by Brexit critics in the past, and now, is a combination of such: 1) The world moves in large, multilateral blocs – hence being part of the EU, the closest possible multilateral bloc, means the UK can stay an active part of the world economy. In an era where big collective action must be taken, from bulk buying PPE in a pan...

The UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) talked a lot about ending all reliance on fossil fuels. But this ignores the dependency of industry on hydrocarbons. Modern society's ability to feed, clothe, warm itself, and to provide security, education, health, and culture all depend on industry. Wind and solar power depend on fossil fuels, s...

Since the European Parliament's lawsuit against Commission President von der Leyen over the Polish Court decision, the stand off between two of the three major institutions of the European Union has reached new heights, with the decisions by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), not to mention the Polish border crisis, setting the agenda. In both it...

Net Zero, will achieve Zero(and miss the real villain in the Climate debate) Latest analysis proves CO2 has no causative effect on global warming. The costs of achieving net zero will more than double the national debt. The UK is on verge of "monumental folly".  There is no man-made 'climate change'. There is no climate crisis There ...

1. IntroductionWho can deny climates change when you consider that Britain was covered in ice over a mile thick during various Ice Ages, vines were grown in this country during the Medieval Warming period and Frost Fairs were once held on the river Thames at various times throughout history with the last being held in 1814. The 'BIG' question is wh...

Since before the 2016 referendum and continuing non-stop, those against GB leaving the EU including - Joe Biden and other US Democrats , most EU bureaucrats, several European politicians (particularly the French) and of course our own Re-joiners - have been pursuing the following rhetoric: "You must not go against or interfere with the 19...

 Becoming a homeowner comes with a wonderful sense of excitement along with numerous responsibilities. When it comes to managing your house, you are going to need all the help you can find. It is important to realize the importance of understanding how the house needs to be taken care of, because any carelessness may cost you thousands of doll...

The very concept of the United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is multinational. As with any "coalition", there are tensions between states, not least due to historical disagreements but fundamentally the commonality of historic Anglo-Saxon Judeo-Christian values has made for a tolerant, inclusive nation. The United Kingdom...

 We face an existential crisis. It is not imminent, but for the sake of the planet's growing 7.9 billion inhabitants it must be prepared for. Those who govern, elected or otherwise, have a duty to ensure the security of those for whom they have accepted responsibility. The question is simple. "As Fossil fuels are a finite resource, what can re...

The decision by Poland's Constitutional Tribunal that the national constitution has primacy over EU law - a decision supported by the PiS government - has sent shockwaves around the EU establishment. The Tribunal decided that Articles 1 and 19 - referring to an 'ever closer union', and the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) respectively - ...

The best way to describe my pal John would be as a right wing socialist, if it is possible for such a thing.I got to know John at the Walsall Heartcare gym which is a charitable organisation set up to help those who have recovered from heart attacks or other heart problems, also those such as me who have recovered from strokes, I had a stroke in No...

After the 2016 referendum, when did people stop just holding a firm or ambiguous position in a debate and become formed into parties? Whereas people were expected to move forward for the common good, following the result, they continued to believe their 'side' was for the common good and the other 'side' the opposite. As a consequence, some of thos...

Many people dream of working for themselves. If your entrepreneurial goal is to run your own meat shop, you've come to the right place. Follow the guidelines below and your business will be off to a promising start. 1. Understand Your Market And LocationBefore you decide anything else, think about the meats and other perishables you'll sell and who...

 Avoid Food Recalls With These 4 Tips For food and beverage businesses, nothing is scarier than the threat of a major recall. It can cost millions of dollars and drain your organization of massive amounts of resources, materials, and man hours. Therefore, learning to prevent food recalls is key. The True Cost of Food RecallsWhile it's difficul...

The sun had shone all day, the people we had been meeting every time the Brexit battle bus stopped all of us anti EU, pro-Brexit campaigners, would pile out and meet mostly receptive people who were declaring they were going to vote to leave the EU in the run-up to the 2016 EU referendum. We had spent an hour or so on Worcester market and were on t...

Introduction The purpose of these notes is to present some facts about the campaign to stop global warming and climate change. The climate has changed in the past, is probably changing now, and will change in the future. The campaign is trying to stop the unstoppable. The natural factors affecting global temperature are very powerful: terrestrial, ...

On Thursday, Poland's Constitutional Tribunal concluded that the Polish Constitution takes precedence over EU law, rejecting the primacy of the latter. The long-awaited ruling came in response to a request from the Polish Government for the court to clarify the relationship between Polish and EU law and sets Warsaw on a collision course with Brusse...

How refreshing to return from Party Conference which was held in a state of near normality. The only element which was not completely normal was that there were less people. That I think was due to the fact potential attendees were worried it would in the end be cancelled or that vaccine passports would be demanded in some form. This in a nutshell ...

"Does the WTO promote trade?" is the research question that this literature review attempts to answer. The key word "promote" is taken to mean increase. The WTO is an abbreviation of the World Trade Organisation and has '164 members since 29 July 2016'[](WTO Members and Observers, no date) and was established in 1995 after the conclusion of many ba...

Recently, we moved home. I advised all the utilities and services by phone or online. I did so well in advance, so that no last minute hitch would add to a naturally stressful time. Everything worked perfectly, except the TV licence. At first, I was encouraged by what seemed an easy notification system. "Advise us three months before you move" the ...

In the modern-day, few things are more important to a person than their mobile phone. This isn't necessarily because people have a deep connection with their phones. It is mostly just since they are so crucial for day-to-day life in today's world. They allow you to maintain fast communication, keep up with current events, and much more. It is quite...

Where is the evidence that this ruling has saved anyone from being exposed to sub standard or dangerous products? We have heard so much from the EU Big Wigs and European politicians about how important it is to have checks on goods going from one part of the United Kingdom to another – mainland UK to Northern Ireland - it is therefore vital to...

The coronavirus pandemic changed the landscape of the world economy almost overnight. Certainly, industries who before would see handsome turnovers year on year had their custom suddenly wiped out – or at least massive reduced. We are all aware of the biggest losers from Covid, as the effects of their misfortunes were all around for all to see. Mor...

Keeping your business modern and up to date with the latest working, marketing and safety methods is essential to having a company that has potential to grow. If you are not willing to modernize procedures, your business could fall behind the competition and, in areas such as health and safety, you will run the risk of being non-compliant as well a...

A few days ago my wife and I were walking across the local supermarket car park when we met one of our teammates from our bowls club. After a few minutes conversation about the new season, and complaining about the dilatory manner in which the local council is dealing with the renewal of the club’s lease, we went to the shops, while he strode off towards the club. Nothing remarkable about any of that, except that just over 77 years ago, on 6th June 1944, he was landing on the D-Day beaches, and is now over 100 years old.

I reflected how heroic were the men and women of his generation, and also how modest. He refuses to say much about his wartime experiences, as they bring back too many memories of fallen comrades. One of our other fellow bowlers, who sadly recently died at the age of 96, spent the Second War in submarines, even being depth charged, while my parents, living in south east London were bombed in two wars, losing their house in 1940.

What a contrast we see as we contemplate the current scene, where pusillanimous weaklings abound, particularly in our so called universities. The fragile snowflakes who now infest these institutions are unable to endure ideas which conflict with their own, demanding trigger warnings, no platforming and safe spaces in case their sensibilities are offended. I suppose they burst into tears if anyone tells them that they might be wrong about something!

Of course this absurd state of affairs would not exist if it were not for the politically motivated, frequently Marxist, lecturers and university administrators who, instead of telling the students that they are there to learn, not impose ridiculous, and neurotic, ideas, actively encourage them.

As I write St Andrews University is reported as enforcing diversity modules before students are accepted on courses, involving the acceptance of being obliged to accept 'personal guilt' and only pass by giving acceptable answers to compulsory questions on sustainability, consent and good academic practice, as determined by the fascists setting the tests.

The applicants are told that acknowledging personal guilt is a starting point in overcoming unconscious bias, and, if the latter disagree, they are told that they are incorrect, and are forced to redo the course if they get too many wrong in the opinion of the arrogant dictators setting the questions. Students are told that equality does not mean treating everyone the same but that in fact ‘equality may mean treating people differently and in a way that is appropriate to their needs so that they have fair outcomes and equal opportunity’. Obviously how you determine such parameters is at the behest of the ‘woke’.

Some students, obvious insufficiently brainwashed by the Marxists at the secondary schools, have rightly objected, pointing out that this process is contrary to academic freedom and freedom of thought, but this is not the first university to move towards these courses, with Kent also making students complete bizarre induction training. Emeritus professor of sociology Frank Furedi, said it was 'a corrosive form of indoctrination’, while Professor of Education at Derby University Dennis Hayes said such courses are 'reducing universities to training institutions in woke ideology'.

How, and why, starting with a nation of heroes, have we reached this point, where so many of the younger generation seem frightened of their own shadow, and have no appreciation of free speech and democracy?

As far as the how is concerned one can hardly offer a better answer than that given, in that excellent film ‘The Lion in Winter’, by Henry II, when asked by his estranged wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, “How, from where we started, did we reach this?” answered “Step by step, step by step”.

The why is also clear, although vigorously denied by those who are seeking to undermine our society, and that is the burrowing away by the termites of Marxism, as they prosecute their ‘long march through the institutions’, corrupting everything, but in particular the education system. They know that the ordinary, sensible electorates of the West will never let them win at the ballot box, so they have sought a different method of achieving their ends. To brainwash the young, both at the level of at secondary, and tertiary education, has been their aim, and in this they have succeeded, convincing many that the West, and Britain in particular, has been the source of most of the wickedness in the world.

Marxists, despite many of them being apparently intelligent, are for the most part, morons, who refuse to recognize that, wherever Marxism has been tried, it has been a disaster, resulting in economic collapse, and dictatorship by monsters such as Stalin and Mao. Of course they always claim that this result is due to the fact that it was not implemented properly, but the millions who have died thanks to this insane philosophy would, if they could, attest to its fundamental evil.

Much more sinister are those who are aware only too well of the reality of Marxism, but are using it to try to achieve power for themselves. I was astounded to learn that there are Marxists, or their fellow travellers among imbecilic ‘woke’, who are now claiming that 2 plus 2 does not necessarily equal 4. This is of course the claim made by O’Brien of Orwell’s Inner Party in 1984, when he says “Whatever the Party holds to be the truth, is truth. It is impossible to see reality except by looking through the eyes of the Party”. To use the Labour Party approved vocabulary Marxists are scum.

So what can be done about it? A full return to selective education, with competitive exams providing the means by which those suitable for university can be identified, should be reinstated, while the ludicrous changes to the university system implemented by Blair must be reversed, with only a minority being sent to a much reduced number of institutions, with the whole system of fee paying and student loans abolished. The latter is unfair to the youngsters, and wasteful of taxpayer funded resources. It has also led to the ridiculous idea that policemen and nurses must have degrees, thus excluding those who have a genuine vocation, but lack formal qualifications in often irrelevant subjects. The scientific side of university education should be retained, but the vast bulk of the humanity courses, resulting in Mickey Mouse degrees in absurd subjects, should be abolished. The Marxist teachers and lecturers should be sacked, and told to do something more useful than corrupting young minds, like digging roads, while being excluded from any further involvement with education.

What will actually be done? I can say it in one word: Nothing. The chattering classes, and the majority of politicians are graduates, and clearly believe that if you do not have a degree it is surprising that you can walk and chew gum at the same time. The destruction of our society will continue, until a nation which is not in hock to these lunatics takes over. A nation of heroes will have been replaced by a population of snowflakes, who will be so surprised when they find that their fantasy world will not survive contact with reality.

I had the opportunity to speak to Lord (Peter) Lilley, a former speaker at a Bruges Group conference who served in Cabinet in the Thatcher and Major Governments as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Secretary of State for Social Security – and later in William (now Lord) Hague's Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer and De...

 Given I have not seen any coherent argument in the Media spelling out the true facts aimed At any members of the public who have been taken in by this ill thought through proposed policy of taxing private schools. It's time for a simple statement of the obvious to be circulated to as many people as possible. The notion Labour is trying to sel...

With travel restrictions lifting and people getting more confident travelling – it may be time to start planning your next trip. One place – with endless places – to visit is North America (especially Canada, the United States, and Mexico). If you are considering a trip there – here are some things you should know – from fun and food to safety and ...

At Conservative Party Conference this year, we are delighted to be hosting the 'Liberty Zone' on Monday 4th October 2021 at the Science and Industry Museum, Liverpool Road, Manchester, M3 4PF.  We are holding our annual Party Conference event this year alongside Time 4 Recovery, a group set up to pressure the government with oppositi...

This government's refusal to plan for Britain to be self-reliant in energy has produced a perfect storm of soaring prices, disrupted gas supplies and domestic steel and other essential manufacturing output compromised. Years of inertia have been the consequence of a near-religious belief that "the market will provide" alongside an unfounded fixatio...

You get to meet some interesting people on holiday, each year for several years my better half and I would return to the same hotel during the same two weeks in June where we would meet up with other regular returning guests. One of them was a senior accountant with a very large firm, he once told me every time they had to produce a cheque to pay t...

"I do".These two words might seem inconsequential without context, but they mean the world to any couple looking to spend the rest of their lives together. Exchanging vows with the woman you love will certainly send her over the moon and make her the happiest woman on earth. However, you don't have to wait until your big day to start making your br...

By Mike Clitherow Wow, so much coverage everywhere of the AUKUS agreement and the outrage in France. Must be the Remoaners dream to be able once again knock their own country and cry for an EU member state. "Those naughty two faced Brexit Brits " they will scream. For me an important point has been completely missed in all media coverage. So n...

In view of the problems associated with travelling abroad at the moment my wife and I have just returned from a motoring holiday around England, which, until the very end was pretty much trouble free.

However, as we reached the point of driving home from Bletchley Park, which, if one were not to take a very roundabout route through subsidiary roads, necessitated using the M25, we faced the possibility that the latter might be blocked by green scum (a noun approved by the deputy leader of the Labour party), leading to massive holdups.

These arrogant, and self righteous, green activists blocking motor ways are putting innocent people at risk, and disrupting the lives of many thousands, but, instead of an instant, and effective, response, we see the police colluding with them, and taking their part against understandably angry motorists. That the police actually escorted some of these imbeciles onto the road would be unbelievable, were it not for the previous behaviour of other officers taking the knee in sympathy with anti semitic Black Lives Matter demonstrators, and dancing with the troublemakers of Extinction Rebellion.

In their so called movement these people number a convicted dealer in heroin, and a holocaust denier, but incredibly they seem to believe that they are morally superior to the decent people to whom they are causing such problems. Unsurprisingly we are now seeing the result of the appeasement by the political and cultural elite of politically correct agitators, as those charged with defending us against criminals become instead their accomplices.

As an erstwhile supporter of the ordinary policemen and women I had assumed that the problem lay with their pusillanimous leaders but I am informed by friends, who are ex coppers, that actually the poison has spread to all ranks. This can only be made worse by the policy of recruiting only graduates in future, as these will be the products of university brainwashing by Marxist lecturers, and will be even worse. The police claim, probably with some justification that weak laws, and gutless prosecutors in the CPS, make it impossible deal with the green morons, but, if this is so, then it is up to our elected politicians to take action now.

The authorities must cease to indulge the arrogant agitators, because if they do not, and law abiding people find that they cannot rely upon the police to enforce the law, we shall see a descent into vigilantism as providing the only means of defending honest citizens from such parasitical nihilists. The growing energy crisis is merely the beginning of the disaster we face, thanks to our political elite having accepted without question the specious arguments of the environmental lobby, and its appeasement of the extremists who seek to disrupt our society.

One would have thought that the contrary, and frequently incorrect assertions made by so called scientific experts concerning the Coronavirus epidemic would have made clear that to ‘rely on the science’ means little when the science is itself questionable, but this is the mantra of those convinced that , in order to ‘save the planet’, we must sacrifice our way of life. A few years ago the scientific consensus was that we should fear the end of the current interglacial, but now the most vociferous claim that the opposite is true.

In all the propaganda from climate change obsessives how often do we hear about the medieval warming period from 950 AD to 1250 AD, when average global mean temperatures have been calculated to be similar to the early-mid-20th-century warming. Possible causes included increased solar activity, decreased volcanic activity, and changes in ocean circulation. Nothing to do with Man’s activities! This period was then followed by global cooling from about 1300 to 1850, and it should also be noted that we are actually still living in an Ice Age. About 50 million years ago, the planet was too warm for polar ice caps, but Earth has mostly been cooling ever since. Do the idiots shouting about climate change even know this? It seems unlikely, as we have learnt that one of the founders of Extinction Rebellion, when taxed with why she drives a diesel car, said that she couldn't afford an electric car, but that she needed to take her children to sports fixtures. At the same time one of the volunteers said that he could not afford solar panels, as the average cost was six thousand pounds. Are these people so steeped in their self righteous, holier-than-thou mindset that they cannot understand that it is precisely because ordinary people cannot afford to be deprived of their cars, or gas boilers, that they oppose the demands of these extremists? They are either not very bright, or blatant hypocrites, when they demand that we should sacrifice our standard of living at a time when China is intending to build hundreds of new coal fired power stations, their emissions already dwarfing ours.

While it is sensible that incremental steps be taken to replace finite resources these should not be undertaken at a precipitate rate, endangering our energy supplies, and undermining our economy, particularly when the contribution of this country to CO2 emissions represents less than one per cent of the global total. To reduce our gas storage capacity to an absolute minimum, to rely on the wind, which doesn’t always blow, and to make cars, and warm homes, too expensive for the working class, in order to appease the green obsessed chattering classes, are policies which will result in misery for millions in pursuit of a chimera. If the Conservatives wish to be reelected they should abandon this fixation on a dubious theory, and cease to listen to the environmental fanatics. The latter should transfer their attentions to the Chinese embassy, not the M25.

We should immediately restart fracking, launch a programme to develop nuclear power, both via main stations, and through the UK SMR technology envisaged by the Rolls-Royce-led UK consortium, while massively increasing our gas storage capacity, and ensuring that our coal stocks are rebuilt to the sort of level achieved by Mrs Thatcher, coal fired power stations being made available once again. Money should also be made available to develop tidal power, something which we, as an island, are in a perfect position to do.

Almost immediately on arriving home, thankfully avoiding the M25 halfwits, we were confronted with the petrol crisis, and we have not been able to find a single petrol station in our area open since. For the Remainers of course the supply problems are all to do with Brexit, but the reality is very different. Neglect and exploitation of HGV drivers has reduced the number in the profession, while the mere mention of petrol shortages caused the problem. It seems likely that this can be traced back to anti Brexit figures within the Road Haulage Association, who are so anxious to kiss the backsides of Brussels bureaucrats that they don’t care about the trouble they are causing.

Unless Boris drops this insane fixation with climate change, and puts the interests of the British people first, he will do what I thought to be impossible in 2019, and lose the next election.

 Why All Businesses Need Pro Audio-Visual Equipment in the Office Do you run meetings from the office that include your remote workers or contractors? How do you connect your in-house team with your remote team? If you're a small business, you probably have someone from the team create a Zoom meeting with their laptop. This can work, since it ...

On Wednesday, September 15th, 2021, the United States, United Kingdom and Australia announced a new trilateral security agreement, 'AUKUS', which has the purpose of improving collaboration in the defense sectors of the signatory countries including collaboration on artificial intelligence, cyber security, quantum technologies as well as undersea ca...

Hands up, who still thinks the Conservatives are a low tax party? If your hand is up, might I suggest you put it swiftly down and start writing some letters to the 321 Tory MPs who this week voted in favour of the biggest tax hike since the Second World War. Someone ought to inform them. Someone also might want to disband CCHQ come the next general...

Different opinion polls ask different questions. Survation's surveys of Scottish opinion ask, "should Scotland remain in the United Kingdom or leave the United Kingdom?" This question rightly offers both options. This follows the Electoral Commission's guidance that "A referendum question should present the options clearly, simply and neutrally." R...

SIR – Extra taxation on savers to fund the NHS and care-home fees is bizarre. Some paying the extra tax may have been motivated to save in order not to depend on the state in their old age. Now achieving that objective will be undermined. Others will be care-home residents, now having to make a higher tax contribution to fellow residents' costs.&nb...

I had the opportunity to speak to the Honorable John Manley, a long serving Cabinet Minister in the Canadian Government, having served in key posts such as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Foreign Affairs – among others. John Manley is also known for having authored the Manley Report on Afghanistan in 2007 and having been...

Clearly neither Wales nor Scotland could create their own currencies: they would have to stay with the pound or join the euro. And since the euro is hugely unpopular in Scotland (only 18 per cent of Scots want to join the euro) - and would simply introduce dependence on Brussels - that would mean sticking with the pound. Yet Alex Salmond seems...

The claim that a dark and heaving nightclub delivers the perfect breeding ground for Covid isn't particularly contentious. Lots of people packed tightly together, snogging, singing and shouting in a confined space with poor ventilation is perhaps the Department of Health's worst nightmare. Now, if you want to keep clubbing in Britain, the governmen...

 Economic victory in a free trade world will always go to the strongest economy – and the disparity is growing. Against this a new concept has emerged: technology sovereignty. This recognises that IT infrastructure lies at the heart of a modern society. And it's about far more than access to broadband. Networked computers are not only essentia...

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its sixth assessment report in August, setting off a chain reaction of apocalyptic responses. IPCC was set up in 1988 to scientifically understand human-induced climate change, its impact and possible responses. But every IPCC report since the first in 1990 has been accom...

Is America's precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan just a temporary setback, or does it signal a strategic retreat, an abdication from its role as world leader? If so, it will leave a gaping void, a vacuum that others will want to step in and fill. To be a world leader a country needs not only muscle (economic, military, demographic) but also a m...

Since Boris Johnson was elected with a thumping majority of 80 events have over taken his premiership. It was assumed that the biggest political headache would be Brexit. That proved not to be the case and in less than 3 months Coronavirus was upon us and all that has entailed. Sadly we have just copied the actions of the Chinese Communist Party, w...

The failure of the SNP to gain a majority in the elections to the Scottish parliament has forced them into a huddle with the equally separatist Greens – and into a series of increasingly unpopular policies. Dubbed a 'coalition of chaos', the new alliance in August between the Scottish National Party and the Scottish Green Party has been born out of...

At the beginning of Act V, scene 3, of the First Part of Henry the Fourth (Folio 1, 1623), prior to the entry of the King, the Prince, Lord John of Lancaster, and Earl of Westmorland, Shakespeare gives the stage directions “Alarum, excursions”. There is no doubt about what is meant and now, with a different spelling, and a non military connotation, we understand the word alarm to mean the sudden sharp apprehension and fear resulting from the perception of imminent danger, but clearly this is not the understanding of the ‘woke’ snowflakes now dominant in our police force.

No better illustration of this attitude can be found than in the Suffolk police investigating a potential hate crime because one anonymous local neurotic had complained about a pensioner, who, as an enthusiast for American Indian culture had installed a totem pole in his garden, which contained the image of a black person. The snowflake concerned claimed that this had ‘racist overtones’, but even the police decided that there was no case to answer. However the incident was recorded as “a possible public order offence, due to the visual representation which caused alarm and distress to members of the public”. To prevent further argument the pensioner concerned painted the black face white. I feel alarm as I contemplate the rise of China, and the fall of the USA, while I am distressed by reports of young children being murdered by their own parents, but I find the complaints of the idiots on Twitter to generate either amusement or nausea. I am sure that ninety per cent of normal people feel the same way.

What a pathetic, paranoid phobic anyone offended by such a representation must be, and how truly wretched the response from the police. This sort of waste of police time is occurring when violent crime is on the rise, when young girls continue to be abused by organised gangs of those the police are afraid to name, and ordinary members of the public find their interests ignored because the police claim to be over stretched. However it should be noted that, on the same day, the police are congratulating themselves on devising gender neutral uniforms, thus bowing to the demands of the liberal left.

I do not for one moment blame the ordinary copper who I am sure is disgusted as is everyone else by these displays of political correctness, but the senior ranks must be full of those with a very different agenda. Should this continue some of our favourite dramas of the past would need changing. Regan and Carter would be leading the Sweeney to arrest veterans at war memorials who were daring to wave union flags, and engendering hate against our ‘friends and partners’ the Germans, while DCI Gene Hunt would be raiding addresses where copies of Churchill’s war memoirs were believed to have escaped the ritual book burnings.

We have endured scenes of police ‘taking the knee’ in support of the Marxists, anarchists and nihilists of Black Lives Matter, while standing by to allow similar supporters of Extinction Rebellion to disrupt the lives of the public in the name of a cause based upon false premises. Unfortunately, if the liberal Left get their way, in future the police will only recruit those with degrees, so brainwashed products of our ‘woke’ universities will come to outnumber the real coppers. The majority of the lecturers and professors in humanities in these latter institutions are nothing but propagandists for those who hate our society, and desire to see it replaced by a politically correct dictatorship of those who think just like them.

All this political distortion of values is an insult to the brave men and women who form the thin blue line, and on whom we rely to protect us, and our democratic society. In the USA the lunatics of the Left have been advocating the defunding of the police, and should such people triumph in the UK, and fully undermine the ethos of policing, then the only way decent people will obtain justice is by the rise of vigilantism, a recipe for disaster. The timid middle class might do nothing, but one can be sure that the more assertive working class will not lie down forever as their daughters are violated, and their right to freedom of expression, crushed at the behest of these ideologues.

To destroy the police will first lead to anarchy, and then, as sure as night follows day, to some sort of dictatorship, with terrible consequences for all of us. Now is the time to reverse the direction in which the woke are taking us, and restore respect for the rule of law, not of the diktats of the morons of the liberal Left.

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The recent withdrawal of the U.S. and its ally forces from Afghanistan has been nothing short of being consequential. The ambiguity of Afghanistan's future has already been deemed a loss for the U.S. thanks to extensive media coverage and the Taliban's rapid conquest of the nation, despite Secretary of State Antony Blinken declaring it a successful...

Although we celebrated when European Communism collapsed at the beginning of the 1990s, it has proved not to be ‘The End of History’ as predicted by Francis Fukuyama, but more of a poisoned chalice, whose effects are becoming clearer day by day.

The Cold War has the advantage of simplicity as everyone, except the idealistic idiots of CND, and the traitorous fellow travellers who sought a Soviet triumph, were able to see that our most fundamental liberties were under threat from a totalitarian ideology, with ambitions to snuff out our democracy. We stood firm, and eventually the Soviets collapsed because of what Marxists would have referred to as their internal contradictions.

In the years that followed we came under came under attack from terrorists inspired by a mediaeval theology, and basically succeeded in driving them back. However the lack of a clearly identified enemy has led to the fragmentation of Western nations from within, as those who do not have a real foe have decided that they must find their opponents within their own society.

The Marxist organisations of Black Lives Matter, Stop the War and Extinction Rebellion have used reasonable causes to advocate extremist solutions, and have spread discord throughout society. The complete lunatics of ‘woke’ continue their campaign to denigrate our past, demonise all white people as ‘privileged’, and destroy free speech. Incidentally they might like to explain how my parents, who lived through the Great Depression, and saw a friend die of malnutrition in an English home, were ‘privileged’.

The absurd obsession of the American political class with these gender and cultural wars, to the exclusion of issues of real import, has led to probably the worst administration since the disastrous days of Herbert Hoover, with both the Presidency and Congress dominated by those who are consumed with the desire to argue about the inconsequential, while ignoring the truly significant. Not only has this already led to the betrayal of the people of Afghanistan, especially the women, but it has cast into doubt the future of the American place in the world, and to the future of NATO.

I am disgusted by the manner in which Western governments have scuttled out of Afghanistan, leaving the people to their fate. The inevitable result will be a resurgence of terrorist activity around the world, while the decent people of Afghanistan will once again be subjected to a mediaeval regime of bigots. It will embolden China, Iran and Russia, and make the world a more dangerous place for democracy. I dread to think of how of our troops those maimed in the conflict must now feel, while the loved ones of those killed must believe that they died in vain. In 1939 Leo Amery uttered his famous admonition “Speak for England” during the critical Commons debate on the German invasion of Poland and we in Tonbridge applaud our MP, Tom Tugendhat, for his similarly powerful speech on the debacle in Afghanistan.

I tremble for the future of those nations, such as Israel and Taiwan, for whom the retreat of the US to Fortress America will spell doom. For us the lesson must be that as America apparently reverts to inter war isolationism we must look to our defences. The most fundamental concept for any government should be patriotism, and the desire to put the interests of the people first, and its first duty, as is true of all governments, is the defence of the realm. We now face a world where Russia and China are hostile, Iran and associated Muslim states utterly opposed to our way of life, and, following the retreat from Afghanistan, America apparently reverting to inter war isolationism.

Obviously we are no longer the paramount military power in the world, as we were for over a century, but we are nevertheless, along with France, the only European nation which could, in the absence of American forces, resist an onslaught from the East. We must ensure that we are like a nest of hornets, sufficiently strong to make attacking us not worthwhile. This will entail immense cost, but, if American involvement in Western defences is to be curtailed, then it will be the only way to preserve our liberties.

To do this we need to double the size of the Army, and the RAF, while building a great many more Naval warships, including a large number of smaller frigates to guard our coasts, not least from the tide of illegal immigration crossing the Channel. In addition our military hardware should be built in the UK, necessitating reopening shipyards, and steelworks, while the insane policy of selling our most vital armament manufacturers to foreign owners must be stopped, and reversed. Importantly we must have a larger nuclear deterrent, which is fully independent of American control, while our capabilities in the realm of cyber space must be enhanced. All this would involve great expense, but that is the price of liberty.

Those who deride our martial abilities should remember that the UK’s DNA contains warlike Vikings, Saxons, Celts and Romans, that the British beat Philip II, Napoleon, the Kaiser and Hitler, and that when our freedoms are threatened we have always been a formidable opponent. I don’t believe that we have fundamentally changed, despite all the noise from those on the Left who hate their own country!