Anything !
An open Group where anything can be discussed by anybody, as long as you are polite, respect others opinions, and behave !!!
Open Loop 971
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This is fascinating stuff, or at least I think so: https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/medieval-hungarian-duke-was-murdered-in-a-brutal-and-coordinated-attack-forensic-analysis-reveals Incredible that experts can find out so much detail. I had no idea that eating seafood could throw off radiocarbon dates (why would I have?)
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An amazing story from years ago. How an amazing woman , looking for her missing daughter changed the lives of thousands
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-17560518.amp -
Hero goes home - police appeal for family to be left alone
https://www.btp.police.uk/news/btp/news/england/two-day-operation-sees-17-arrested-in-county-lines-crackdown--east-riding/member-of-rail-staff-discharged-from-hospital-following-major-incident--cambridgeshire/
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Doncaster loves their fish and chip shop
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BRtaWsc5u/?mibextid=wwXIfr
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She writes a fantastic song and then devises a simple dance that almost anyone could do. Now it’s the new trend and some of the people doing it are brilliant
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNdELb9fL/ -
Madeira... (its long so don't start if you don't have the time or inclination to finish)
...a delightful gem of an island in the Atlantic ocean, about 350 miles west of Morocco.
An island with an airport that is acknowledged to be within the top five most dangerous airports in the world, due to the terrain and wind features. Only captains, who have flown a minimum of two hundred hours as a captain and who have been trained and authorised to fly into and out of Madeira, will be allowed to operate an aeroplane into or out of Funchal airport.
We have visited countless times and have never had a problem. That is until a week ago when we were due to fly home. Our transfer company picked us up three and a half hours before flight time, for less than a half hour journey, so we sat and waited for what felt like an eternity. Eventually a BA aeroplane came into view and roared as it decelerated down the runway passed the Terminal building.
We would soon be on our way, or so we thought!
We all queued patiently to be let out of the building and walk across to the aeroplane. The only decision was whether to board at the front or the rear. We were half way along, but figured that all the Club passengers would take their time getting out of the way of the Traveller passengers, so headed for the back. A good choice as it happens. Bags and coats were stored in the overhead lockers, seats were sat in with the hope that the third seat would remain empty. It did!
Those magic words resonated around the cabin "Cabin Crew, loading complete". Yes, we had that little more room to spread out into.
The cabin crew did their checks, tables stowed, blinds up, seatbelts on, floor space clear, emergency exits clear and we sat there.
And still we sat there. After which there was even more sitting.
Departure time arrived, departure time went.
Not a peep from the crew, so we sat there, strapped in and eager to go at the drop of a starter switch.
Nothing changed until 20 minutes after departure time when a female voice came over the tannoy system. "Ahem, ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain XXXX, my apologies for the delay but we have a problem. It isn't with the aeroplane, it is with me. I have become ill and am not fit to operate the aeroplane to London Gatwick. I have picked up a stomach problem and I'm spending a lot of time in the toilet. I have informed the company that I am declaring myself unfit and they are looking at the situation and will let me know how they can resolve the it, which I will relay to you when I have something to tell you. In the meantime I am asking the Cabin Crew to hand out some snacks". (Which turned out to be a pack of two oaty biscuits each). The Captain then continued to tell us that due to her condition she had blocked off the front toilet for her sole use, but the rear toilets were still available for the rest of us.
When she next came on to speak, we were told that another flight had recently left Gatwick for Funchal, but it had left before anything could be done to help our problem, other than there was a lot of capacity on the return sector and most of us would be transferred to that. However, there were 15 passengers who would be given hotel accommodation and flown home the next day on the same flight, but 24 hours late. A spare captain would be on board the Gatwick to Funchal sector to fly the aeroplane home with our captain on board as well.
So that's what happened, we were each given a voucher for 8 euros and told to go back upstairs and get food and drinks. Once we had deboarded, We had to traipse back through Border Control who cancelled our exit stamps and sat waiting for news. Texts arrived telling us that we had been checked in for the afternoon flight so it was a case of sitting and waiting for the new arrival, the second BA arrival that day. Eventually we were on the aeroplane and arrived without further problems at Gatwick.
Walking from the arrivals gate to baggage reclaim, one of the other cancelled passengers said "That was a bit of a palaver wasn’t it?" "It wasn't too bad" I said, "we found some food and drinks ok." "No, I meant having to go through arrivals and collecting the baggage, then checking in again, getting new baggage tags".
My wife's face dropped, she immediately launched, asking why we hadn't picked our luggage up and checked in. I explained that we had not been told anything about luggage. The airline knew which baggage belonged to whom and those being night-stopped would have theirs at their hotels, the remainder would be forwarded on our new flight.
If I could have found some earplugs at the time my hearing would be much better than it is now! All the way to baggage reclaim I was being sniped. "You go to the lost baggage office and get them to fill in a form I'll wait here in case the cases are on the carousel." I was told. So off I sauntered knowing (with crossed fingers) that my baggage was safe.
The lost baggage office was unoccupied "She's just popped out, she'll be back soon." I was told. So I waited, eventually two ladies arrived, the one who worked there asked if she could help. I explained the situation and gave her my baggage stubs, much tutting followed, accompanied by frowns and facial distortions, and that was just me, no I'm joking it was her, she advised me that the tags had been cancelled and suggested that she help me fill in an online form and directed me to a computer terminal. She asked me if I could describe my cases to her. I lifted my eyes from the screen and said, "Yes, rather like those two coming towards us!" There was my wife dragging the two suitcases my way.
I'm never sure why, in situations where you've been correct in the outcome and felt confident all along what the result would be, you are still in the wrong. The tutting, frowns and facial distortions continued, this time not from the lost baggage lady, but from the found baggage lady!
That's not quite the end of the story though, my wife had heard some passengers saying they would claim compensation for the delay. It looked as though we might be entitled to claim, our delay was over three hours and the flight distance was 1,525 miles which was between 1,500 kms and 3500 kms.
Of course if it is an event outside the control of the airline, they can dispute your claim. The fact is that had they had a qualified officer on board to replace the captain, the aeroplane would have flown. They didn't have qualified crew as a backup nor had any other contingency plans been made. Therefore, our claims were accepted and we were each compensated £350.
Add in the whole passenger list being compensated £350 each, 15 lots of transfers and hotel bills, aeroplane parking overnight, another captain being flown out the next day together with a host of other costs (ATC etc.), that was a very expensive stomach problem. (Something we don't know is, was it the chicken or the prawns?) -
Mental health , hotels and asylum seekers
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002m035?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile
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https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/more-than-half-of-bank-transfer-scams-originate-on-meta-when-will-tech-firms-face-fines-as0AB6F6KZxs
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I see this idiot has now gone to the Bilderberg conference!!, I wonder what the other attendees think of this idiot??
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Unfortunately there’s a lot now like Alan
But don’t tar him with the same brush 😃
https://youtube.com/shorts/ub_ABMfruOo?si=3SpkCrhkAg8gdyJ3 -
Dear UK, I hope this finds you well.
My Dad had a very simple rule. He loved everyone he met, but his family and home came first. If anything threatened that, he became a lion.
I see this happening in the UK. People are struggling.The NHS is failing. Cost of living soaring.Housing and social care capacity is full.
People, young and old, of all backgrounds, are concerned.
Polls show a gov that isn't giving confidence.The migrant crisis is huge.
The switch has to be made from calling everyone racist, from left and right battles, to undersranding that these are people who see their home,the UK, under more and more pressure, and are speaking out.
Please recover soon, UK and become great again -
There was a comment recently about the noise of fireworks compared to years ago.
The current legal maximum noise level for consumer fireworks is 120 decibels.
There is a petition to reduce the maximum noise level to 90 decibels.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/738192
There is also a petition to restrict sales of fireworks to organisers of events authorised by the local council.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/732559
A petition similar to the second one is started every year. It is doing better this time and both petitions have over 100,000 signatures which should mean it is debated in parliament. -
If this is correct, it's one of the worst things I've ever heard
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3epygq5272o
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I know some people will say it’s too early
But I love this 2019 Christmas advert for a small shop
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNdKbexbq/ -
Upsetting to see Farage refusing to condemn
His members that called children in care EVIL
https://youtu.be/1na9K3cNuY4?si=6b0YPvU-w-crR_NP -
Documents from the Epstein estate name Trump and Andrew Mountbatten Windsor
Summary
A committee of lawmakers in the US has released 23,000 pages of documents from Jeffrey Epstein's estate, including some that reference President Trump
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three email exchanges, before Republicans on the committee released a much bigger tranche of documents
One of the three exchanges released by Democrats is between Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in 2019, and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell
An email from Epstein to Maxwell in April 2011 reads: "I want you to realize that that dog that hasn't barked is trump.. [Victim] spent hours at my house with him"
The Democrats say the emails "strike a blow against the White House's Epstein cover-up"
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein - the White House says the release of the three email exchanges creates a "fake narrative"
The White House also says the "victim" referenced in the Epstein-Maxwell emails is "the late Virginia Giuffre, who repeatedly said President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever"
The source of the above was BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c2dr3z9egljt
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Trump ‘spent hours with Virginia Giuffre at my house’, Epstein claimed
In message obtained by Congress, sex offender claimed president ‘knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop’
Trump ‘spent hours with Virginia Giuffre at my house’, Epstein claimed
In message obtained by Congress, sex offender claimed president ‘knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop’
Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein pictured together in 1997
Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein pictured together in 1997
Susie Coen
US Correspondent
12 November 2025 4:31pm GMT
Donald Trump spent “hours” at Jeffrey Epstein’s house with Virginia Giuffre, newly-released emails claim.
Elsewhere, Epstein wrote that Mr Trump “knew about the girls”.
Three emails in which Mr Trump is mentioned by Epstein have been released by a congressional committee investigating the financier’s crimes. The emails are from 2011, 2015 and 2019.
In an exchange with his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2020, Epstein wrote: “I want you to realise the dog that hasn’t barked is Trump, [a victim] spent hours at my house with him, he has never once been mentioned.”
In an email marked as of “high” importance sent a few hours later on April 2 2011, Maxwell replied: “I have been thinking about that…”
The White House claimed the redacted victim in the emails was Giuffre, who worked as a masseuse in Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
More information at:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025/11/12/trump-spent-hours-with-epstein-victim-paedophile-claimed/ -
After young man dies
https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2025-11-11/man-jailed-after-supplying-cocaine-to-teenager-who-died-after-taking-the-drug -
They’ll be angry , no more carols, no nativity , no decorations - I can just imagine the next burst of BS from KGB news
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Shocking 😮 (Edited)
An NHS executive gets 28 years
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y05dq1glko.amp -
Primary school bans pork in lunch boxes..........
but U turns and claims it was a human error. How?
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/school-sutton-coldfield-blames-human-062200596.html?guccounter=1 -
I see LIEBOUR are carrying on as they normally do, unemployment now at 5% and rising!!.
Check what happens each time this bunch of idiots take power!! -
When you steal too much to spend - Cryptoqueen to be sentenced over £5bn Bitcoin stash
A woman, said by police to have bought cryptocurrency now worth billions of pounds using funds stolen from thousands of Chinese pensioners, is due to be sentenced this week for money laundering.
After fleeing China, she moved to a mansion in Hampstead, north London. The Metropolitan Police raided it a year later and made one of the world's single largest crypto seizures.
More than 100,000 Chinese people invested their money in her company - which claimed to be developing high-tech health products and mining cryptocurrency. In reality, she embezzled the funds, police say. As she awaits sentencing, investors have told the BBC World Service they hope to get at least some of their cash back from the UK authorities.
Anything left unclaimed would normally default to the UK government - leading some to speculate that the Treasury could stand to gain from the haul.
"If we can gather all the evidence together, we hope the UK government, the Crown Prosecution Service and the High Court can show compassion," said one victim we are calling Mr Yu, who says his marriage failed as a result of the fraud. "Because now, it's only that haul of Bitcoin [cryptocurrency] that can return us a little bit of what we lost."
Qian Zhimin, 47, arrived in the UK under a fake passport in September 2017, after Chinese police started investigating her.
She moved into a mansion on the edge of Hampstead Heath, at a rent of more than £17,000 ($22,700) a month. To pay for this, she needed to convert her Bitcoin stash back into money she could spend.
So she posed as a wealthy antiques and diamond heiress, and hired a former takeaway worker as her personal assistant, who she asked to trade the cryptocurrency into other assets, such as cash and property.
As Bitcoin rocketed in value, Qian could achieve what her company promised its investors - that they could "get rich while lying down". Her assistant Wen Jian - at her own trial last year, which culminated in a six-year jail term for money laundering - said Qian had spent most of her days lying in bed, gaming and online shopping.
But Qian was also drawing up a bold six-year plan for future schemes, according to her diary. Her notes outline plans to found an international bank, buy a Swedish castle, and even to ingratiate herself with a British duke.
Her grander stated objective was to become queen of Liberland, an unrecognised microstate on the Croatian-Serbian border, by 2022.
In the meantime, Qian had Wen look for houses she could buy in London. But her attempts to purchase an especially large property in Totteridge Common - an area known for its substantial, secluded residences - triggered a police investigation when Wen was unable to account for her boss's wealth.
Police raided Qian's Hampstead rental property and uncovered hard drives and laptops found to be loaded with tens of thousands of Bitcoin - believed to be the single largest cryptocurrency seizure in UK history.
Qian had set up the company through which money was embezzled just four years earlier, in her native China. Lantian Gerui, or Bluesky Greet in English, claimed to use investors' money to mine - or generate - new Bitcoin, and to invest in a range of pioneering technological devices.
But UK police believe this was an elaborate scam, and that Qian's company was simply using promises of high profits to pull more and more investors into the scheme.
"The more information we got about her involvement… that she was actually the leader of the fraud, not just a lower down member… it became obvious that yes she's very clever, she's very switched on, very manipulative, able to persuade a lot of people," Det Con Joe Ryan from the Met told the BBC.
One of her investors, Mr Yu, says he never suspected anything was wrong because the company drip-fed him a portion of his apparent earnings - just over 100 yuan ($14, £10) - every day.
"That made everyone feel really good, it even gave us the confidence to borrow a little more to invest in the company," he says.
He and his wife had initially invested 60,000 yuan ($8,429, £6,295) each. They were told, he says, they would make a 200% profit over two and a half years. They were soon taking out thousands of pounds' worth of loans at interest rates of up to 8%, in order to invest more.
In addition, Mr Yu reinvested his daily payouts back into the company as soon as he received them.
"There was no rule that you had to reinvest your earnings, but I suppose we were just too weak to resist. They just pumped up our dreams… until we lost all self-control, all critical judgment."
Cryptoqueen who fled China for London mansion to be sentenced over £5bn Bitcoin stash
5 hours ago
Tony Han
Global China Unit
Share
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Metropolitan Police Qian Zhemin - wearing glasses and her hair dyed red - standing in front of a building in Berlin. She is wearing a fur-lined bright blue coat. Metropolitan Police
Qian Zhemin enjoyed a lavish lifestyle of travel and shopping before UK police discovered her stash of crypto
A woman, said by police to have bought cryptocurrency now worth billions of pounds using funds stolen from thousands of Chinese pensioners, is due to be sentenced this week for money laundering.
After fleeing China, she moved to a mansion in Hampstead, north London. The Metropolitan Police raided it a year later and made one of the world's single largest crypto seizures.
More than 100,000 Chinese people invested their money in her company - which claimed to be developing high-tech health products and mining cryptocurrency. In reality, she embezzled the funds, police say. As she awaits sentencing, investors have told the BBC World Service they hope to get at least some of their cash back from the UK authorities.
Anything left unclaimed would normally default to the UK government - leading some to speculate that the Treasury could stand to gain from the haul.
"If we can gather all the evidence together, we hope the UK government, the Crown Prosecution Service and the High Court can show compassion," said one victim we are calling Mr Yu, who says his marriage failed as a result of the fraud. "Because now, it's only that haul of Bitcoin [cryptocurrency] that can return us a little bit of what we lost."
Qian Zhimin, 47, arrived in the UK under a fake passport in September 2017, after Chinese police started investigating her.
She moved into a mansion on the edge of Hampstead Heath, at a rent of more than £17,000 ($22,700) a month. To pay for this, she needed to convert her Bitcoin stash back into money she could spend.
So she posed as a wealthy antiques and diamond heiress, and hired a former takeaway worker as her personal assistant, who she asked to trade the cryptocurrency into other assets, such as cash and property.
Metropolitan Police A large house in Hampstead - a white pillared portico, and red brick. A large tree is at the end of the driveway. Metropolitan Police
On fleeing China, Qian rented this house in Hampstead
As Bitcoin rocketed in value, Qian could achieve what her company promised its investors - that they could "get rich while lying down". Her assistant Wen Jian - at her own trial last year, which culminated in a six-year jail term for money laundering - said Qian had spent most of her days lying in bed, gaming and online shopping.
But Qian was also drawing up a bold six-year plan for future schemes, according to her diary. Her notes outline plans to found an international bank, buy a Swedish castle, and even to ingratiate herself with a British duke.
Her grander stated objective was to become queen of Liberland, an unrecognised microstate on the Croatian-Serbian border, by 2022.
In the meantime, Qian had Wen look for houses she could buy in London. But her attempts to purchase an especially large property in Totteridge Common - an area known for its substantial, secluded residences - triggered a police investigation when Wen was unable to account for her boss's wealth.
A red brick house with white portico porch, statues outside and a large gravel drive
Attempts by Qian to buy this property in Totteridge sparked a police investigation
Police raided Qian's Hampstead rental property and uncovered hard drives and laptops found to be loaded with tens of thousands of Bitcoin - believed to be the single largest cryptocurrency seizure in UK history.
Qian had set up the company through which money was embezzled just four years earlier, in her native China. Lantian Gerui, or Bluesky Greet in English, claimed to use investors' money to mine - or generate - new Bitcoin, and to invest in a range of pioneering technological devices.
But UK police believe this was an elaborate scam, and that Qian's company was simply using promises of high profits to pull more and more investors into the scheme.
"The more information we got about her involvement… that she was actually the leader of the fraud, not just a lower down member… it became obvious that yes she's very clever, she's very switched on, very manipulative, able to persuade a lot of people," Det Con Joe Ryan from the Met told the BBC.
One of her investors, Mr Yu, says he never suspected anything was wrong because the company drip-fed him a portion of his apparent earnings - just over 100 yuan ($14, £10) - every day.
"That made everyone feel really good, it even gave us the confidence to borrow a little more to invest in the company," he says.
He and his wife had initially invested 60,000 yuan ($8,429, £6,295) each. They were told, he says, they would make a 200% profit over two and a half years. They were soon taking out thousands of pounds' worth of loans at interest rates of up to 8%, in order to invest more.
In addition, Mr Yu reinvested his daily payouts back into the company as soon as he received them.
"There was no rule that you had to reinvest your earnings, but I suppose we were just too weak to resist. They just pumped up our dreams… until we lost all self-control, all critical judgment."
Chinese social media Hundreds of people are seated in a huge venue in China - there is a stage at the far end of the hall and two big screens showing video. There is purple and blue neon lighting over the event.Chinese social media
Qian Zhimin's company staged huge meetings and banquets for current and prospective investors in China
Investors saw their daily payouts topped up for each new person they signed up. This helped the scam reach some 120,000 people, based in every one of China's provinces, according to documents from trials in China of the company's official promoters. Their deposits totalled more than 40bn yuan ($5.6bn, £4.2bn), the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has found.
A former company employee later testified that it was new investors' money that had been funding the daily payouts, not crypto-mining dividends.
Lantian Gerui's marketing exploited the loneliness of many middle-aged and elderly Chinese. Qian wrote poems about social responsibility, with lines such as: "We must love the elderly with the infatuation of a first romance."
The company also organised mass holidays and banquets for current and potential investors. These were used to promote yet more investment opportunities - slideshows and card machines at the ready.
Lantian Gerui also trumpeted its love of China as a nation, another ploy calculated to appeal to the elderly.
"Our patriotism was our Achilles' heel, that's what they exploited," says Mr Yu, who is in his 60s. "They said that they wanted to make China number one in the world."
A range of speakers endorsed the company, including the son-in-law of the late Chairman Mao, the founding father of the People's Republic of China - Mr Yu said.
"We in our generation all looked up to Chairman Mao, so if even his son-in-law was vouching for it, how could we not trust it?"
Watch our film on YouTube
The company even held an event in the Great Hall of the People, where China's legislature meets, according to an investor who attended the event and two others we spoke to.
"That bunch of [promoters], they'd take something red and persuade you it was white, take something black and convince you it was red," Mr Yu says.
Despite leading this high-profile enterprise, Qian was notoriously secretive, known only as Huahua or Little Flower to her clients, and communicating with them largely through the poems she posted on her blog.
But she would emerge for the biggest investors - those who put in at least 6m yuan ($842,000, £628,000) - inviting them to more intimate events, according to one of these clients, Mr Li.
"Those of us present, you could say that we were starstruck," he remembers. "We all saw her as our Goddess of Wealth.
"She started encouraging us to dream big… that within three years, she'd give us enough wealth to last our families three generations."
Mr Li, his wife, and his brother, invested some 10m yuan ($1.3m, £1m) between them.
The full story can be found here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg4w1g9ezko -
Head of BBC resigns followed by the Head of News (Edited)
Director General and Head of News leave
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cd9kqz1yyxkt
Perhaps now we’ll see some fairer coverage Less invitations to political parties with fewer MP’s and Laura Kunnesberg letting people she doesn’t like speak. -
Yet another of 2TKs one in one out merchants is already back!!, what an effin farce this crap plan is!!!
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Thoughtful People Will Like This Article
Comments will be welcome, don't you think?
https://www.postalley.org/2025/11/09/on-the-contrary-it-takes-courage-to-be-a-moderate/ -
I saw a news item yesterday which stated that the NHS spent 1.4 BILLION last year on green initiatives, and achieved sweet FA !!!. What a waste, they also spent 40 MILLION on that DEI shite!!!.
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How much longer can this farce go on
Simple question, why has the moronic Peler with an L been allowed to continue for so long? Please enlighten.
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https://news.sky.com/story/first-lady-mayor-of-london-in-800-years-celebrated-in-procession-13466515
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Medway remove flags for Christmas lights
https://www.medway.gov.uk/news/article/1986/statement_on_removal_of_illegally_erected_flags_in_medway
There are several reports on this. The flags are being given to community groups to create art work that brings people together.
Medway are a unitary council so are not under the remit of the Reform KCC council. -
After threatening bomb attacks and screaming at people in the street that ‘he thought’ were immigrants
https://www.essex.police.uk/news/essex/news/news/2025/october/epping-man-sentenced-over-bomb-threats-and-racist-assault/?utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery -
Interesting but worrying especially as there are a rising number of children aged 11-15
https://searchlightmagazine.com/2025/11/twice-as-many-far-right-referrals-to-prevent-as-islamist-cases/ -
More racism from Reform (pochin etc)
I have little interest in the Daily Blase (the poster makes me cringe) but this is an interesting bit of Parliament discussion.
https://youtu.be/fjkiSD1wjIU?si=__8Or2X9XlC8E9Jp
As usual Farage and Tice think it’s such fun
They don’t care a bit
