What's made you grumpy today?

[Slim]

Jacob Rees-Mogg was on Iain Dale's LBC show this morning, talking about Ann Widdecombe.

Iain asks him why he'd asked people to pray for Ann on his social media account.

Jacob explains, matter-of-fact, no embarrassment, that Ann is in Purgatory at the moment. She has to wait a while before joining "God" in his eternal glory (I forget his precise words) and a few prayers would help her along the way.

Jacob can't help it of course, his head has been fucked with - although a bit of humility, a bit of "we believe this" instead of stating his absolute rubbish as established fact would have been nice.

But what really annoyed me was that there was no pushback, no gentle reminder from Dale that Jacob had no evidence whatever for his claims. If he'd told us that he'd been cavorting with goblins in a cavern under his patio, there'd have been a bit of a comeback I think, so why was this absolute unmitigated shite about "purgatory" allowed to pass unchallenged?

[captainkurtz]

If I was of that persuasion, I'd be saving my prayers for other people, tbh.

[David L]

The police have arrested a 28 year-old WHITE man in connection with Ann Widdecombe's murder.

A WHITE man, I say. A WHITE man. NOT a black man, definitely NOT a man with dark skin.

[Nickslikk2112]

The police have arrested a 28 year-old WHITE man in connection with Ann Widdecombe's murder.

A WHITE man, I say. A WHITE man. NOT a black man, definitely NOT a man with dark skin.

Well, the Reformistas always want to know whether it was a Black or Brown man involved.

[David L]

The police have arrested a 28 year-old WHITE man in connection with Ann Widdecombe's murder.

A WHITE man, I say. A WHITE man. NOT a black man, definitely NOT a man with dark skin.

Well, the Reformistas always want to know whether it was a Black or Brown man involved.

In most cases they are just interested in knowing whether the suspect is foreign or of non-British origin. That's a legitimate question.
They've narrowed it down a bit here but given there are sections of society that are disproportionately involved in criminal behaviour and are non-British and also WHITE, the authorities may still have an awkward situation on their hands. Mostly, because even though we have more than enough home-grown criminals in the UK, recent governments have been hell-bent on importing thousands more. That angers many of us.

This smacks of trying to control the narrative.

[The Picnic Wasp]

Jacob Rees-Mogg was on Iain Dale's LBC show this morning, talking about Ann Widdecombe.

Iain asks him why he'd asked people to pray for Ann on his social media account.

Jacob explains, matter-of-fact, no embarrassment, that Ann is in Purgatory at the moment. She has to wait a while before joining "God" in his eternal glory (I forget his precise words) and a few prayers would help her along the way.

Jacob can't help it of course, his head has been fucked with - although a bit of humility, a bit of "we believe this" instead of stating his absolute rubbish as established fact would have been nice.

But what really annoyed me was that there was no pushback, no gentle reminder from Dale that Jacob had no evidence whatever for his claims. If he'd told us that he'd been cavorting with goblins in a cavern under his patio, there'd have been a bit of a comeback I think, so why was this absolute unmitigated shite about "purgatory" allowed to pass unchallenged?

Well, all I can say is that if someone of another faith other than (Catholic) Christianity had been interviewed by Iain Dale, he probably wouldn't have rubbished their belief system. His reasons for that probably wouldn't be questioned these days. Jacob Rees-Mogg is entitled to the same.

I quite like JRM. His cartoon persona would be welcome alongside MPs like Binface in the house. Serious UK politics took a sabbatical this decade so I'll settle for a pantomime for a few years until we're using Chinese currency.

[David L]

Jacob Rees-Mogg was on Iain Dale's LBC show this morning, talking about Ann Widdecombe.

Iain asks him why he'd asked people to pray for Ann on his social media account.

Jacob explains, matter-of-fact, no embarrassment, that Ann is in Purgatory at the moment. She has to wait a while before joining "God" in his eternal glory (I forget his precise words) and a few prayers would help her along the way.

Jacob can't help it of course, his head has been fucked with - although a bit of humility, a bit of "we believe this" instead of stating his absolute rubbish as established fact would have been nice.

But what really annoyed me was that there was no pushback, no gentle reminder from Dale that Jacob had no evidence whatever for his claims. If he'd told us that he'd been cavorting with goblins in a cavern under his patio, there'd have been a bit of a comeback I think, so why was this absolute unmitigated shite about "purgatory" allowed to pass unchallenged?

Well, all I can say is that if someone of another faith other than (Catholic) Christianity had been interviewed by Iain Dale, he probably wouldn't have rubbished their belief system.

I agree but the reason for that would be, principally, that doing so would endanger his life.

[David L]

The police have arrested a 28 year-old WHITE man in connection with Ann Widdecombe's murder.

A WHITE man, I say. A WHITE man. NOT a black man, definitely NOT a man with dark skin.

So, after Devon and Cornwall police immediately stated that there was no evidence to suggest that Ann Widdecombe's murder was politically motivated or connected to terrorism, which is the first thing most of us though would be behind it, the investigation has now been taken over by the counter terrorism police.

Man drives from Rotherham, murders ex-MP with well-known right-wing views, steals no property and returns to Rotherham? Uh, What's that all about?

They think we're all stupid.

[dom]

Maybe the police should hold back in making pronouncements until all can be properly verified.

The only issue with that is that it leaves a lovely vacuum to be filled by extremists and conspiracy theorists.

I don't envy them in getting the balance right

[David L]

Maybe the police should hold back in making pronouncements until all can be properly verified.

The only issue with that is that it leaves a lovely vacuum to be filled by extremists and conspiracy theorists.

I don't envy them in getting the balance right

I think we all know from recent events, the last thing on their minds is getting the balance right.

[Slim]

In 1991 I went to a place near Matlock, a gunsmith and shooting accessories shop, to be measured for a target rifle shooting jacket. Then three weeks later, I went to pick it up. Those were the only two times I went there. It was about a 20 mile drive north of Derby. I'd been in the East Midlands, and at Rolls-Royce, for about twenty months.

I don't know what made me think of that last night, but I've always remembered the location. It was at a place called Via Gellia Mills, an old Victorian cotton mill building converted into retail and business units.

So I had a look on Google Street View. It looked so familiar. I recognised it instantly. Yet it was thirty-five years ago. That gave me a melancholy feeling I haven't been able to shake off.

Highslide Image Viewer

What really gets me is to think of everything that unfolded in the following ten years. If someone had asked me on one of those spring days in 1991 what the next ten years might hold, I'd have assumed I'd be in the same job, and living in the same house. But in fact those years unfolded a bit like a whirlwind. I moved to London and worked for two financial organisations. I had a string of relationships and interesting foreign trips. Even the world itself was about to change: the Internet, mobile phones, Britpop and digital TV were all just round the corner as well. Mundane things now sure, but all part of the tapestry of the 90s that was going to unfurl. Part of the story.

I think it's jealousy. I do enjoy life now, but my story is sort of settled. The last chapter is predictable. I feel jealous of the young man who rocked up there in his Talbot Sunbeam with all those chapters and experiences still ahead of him that he couldn't have predicted. Actually I feel a bit jealous of the life he already had. That job in a big company, being pally with lots of interesting people. Just a seven-minute drive from home.

I have a powerful urge to go back to Via Gellia Mills, now. But the sad truth is that I think it's a desire to step back into 1991, and of course I can't.

I still have that shooting jacket, it's in the loft.

So: four months later, which in itself is a bit of a sad reflection on the passing of time (I'd have guessed I'd posted that about five weeks ago), I went back to Via Gellia Mills this afternoon. I'm still processing it - I think I'm a little bit disappointed because I didn't get a sudden "back here!" feeling. It didn't feel familiar. It can't have changed, but I didn't step back into 1991.

But interestingly a certain poignancy is starting to kick in, like the delayed action of a medication, hours after the event. Just the thought "I went back there". The place itself holds no great emotional significance, it's just a place I went to during a particular time. It's the time it belongs to that's significant. I suppose it's a place that's like a pointer into that time, because it only belongs to that time.

Innocence. What I didn't know. Perhaps that's what it means. Maybe a year, maybe 18 months after I went there in 1991, I got involved in a torrid relationship with a girl at work that degenerated into a painful love triangle. I started career climbing as well, maybe a year later. Promoted to section leader. I had no thought of doing that on that day in 1991, whenever it was. I wasn't competitive, I was just happily getting on with it.

I only spent ten minutes there. We were en route to Matlock, where we had a nice day out. I wasn't actually sure which of the units was the gunsmiths where I had the shooting jacket made.

I've just been into the loft to unzip my old shooting bag and get that old jacket out.  Instead, and greatly to my surprise, I found an excellent condition and rather posh Walther shooting jacket. And now I vaguely recall that I gave the old jacket to a friend of similar build at my old rifle range in London in the late '90s. I cannot for the life of me remember why I bought a new jacket. Must have been '96 or '97 when I was living in East Dulwich. How odd that I've always remembered where I bought the first one, yet I have no idea where the second one came from.

[Fishy]

Feeling gutted? Five ways to cope with England's World Cup defeat

For ffs bbc.. surely there is other fkn news..

Maybe just get over it instead of turning into some angst ridden potential mental health problem.. jaysus

[Fishy]

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is one of 26 new peers to be given seats in the House of Lords in one of Sir Keir Starmer's last acts as prime minister.

wtf is going on?

[David L]

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is one of 26 new peers to be given seats in the House of Lords in one of Sir Keir Starmer's last acts as prime minister.

wtf is going on?

What's been going on forever

[Matt2112]

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is one of 26 new peers to be given seats in the House of Lords in one of Sir Keir Starmer's last acts as prime minister.

wtf is going on?

What's going on is that someone who's explicitly stated the House Of Lords and peerages should be abolished has given a peerage to someone who has gladly accepted that peerage and who has also explicitly stated the House Of Lords should be abolished.