“The home secretary is single-minded about recreating Australia’s abuse of people seeking asylum in the UK. Mr Downer is an architect of Australia’s offshore detention camps, which led to rampant child abuse and detention conditions described…as cruel, inhuman and degrading” (Bella Sankey)
Fighting Talk
After mediocre sleep, fatigue and achiness persisted. I managed some stretching Monday while Phil got brekkie then disappeared. To mark Valentine’s Day, he presented me with a candy-striped bag containing more old postcards, including 2 of Chester’s Eastgate from different eras. I itched to go and take photos with the box brownie sometime. I gave him the arty catkins card I’d made, later sharing it on social media.
I stayed in the bedroom posting blogs, hampered by blinding sun between showers. My siesta severely disrupted by canalside pile-drivers, I covered my ears until they quit for 10 minutes shut-eye. In the metro, Prof. Paul Hunter explained covid re-infections accounting for 1:24 of the total, weren’t necessarily milder but strengthened immunity. We giggled at a ghost telling people to eff off at Dead Woman’s Ditch.
Petrol prices up, Northern PowerGrid sent trillion-pound compensation cheques to customers who’d suffered disruption during last months’ storms. The Met Office warned more was to come with Storm Dudley crossing the UK Wednesday into Thursday, followed by Storm Eunice on Friday.
The Metropolitan Police Federation declared ‘no faith’ in mayor Khan. Meanwhile, commander Julian Bennett who wrote the drugs strategy and held misconduct hearings leading to 56 sackings, allegedly took LSD and cannabis. investigating the source of the Jimmy Savile nonsense, Scotland Yard’s CCDH* had messages from Telegram users including Tommy Robinson, calling for Keir’s execution. He told Radio Newcastle he didn’t like to talk about death threats. With no case for re-joining the EU, he wanted to make Brexit work. Did he have any ideas to share with Rees-Moggy? Boris went to Rosyth shipyard to dress up and warn we were on the edge of a precipice. He meant Ukraine not Brexit! Urging Europeans to move away from reliance on Russian oil and gas, he said “we need to find alternative sources of energy and…get ready to impose some very, very severe economic consequences.” Hmm. Wouldn’t sanctioning oligarchs hurt London more than Moscow? And was his fighting talk mere bravado after Mauritius planted their flag on the Chagos islands?
Startled awake by heavy machinery Tuesday, it persisted on and off for the second day running. I left earplugs in and increased the telly volume to lessen the din. Though still achy and fatigued, I managed some exercise then sat abed and worked on the laptop until coffee fooled me into thinking I was better. I donned comfy clothes, tidied round the bedroom and stuck antique postcards on the mirror, then flagged and took lunch back to bed. A changeable day with some sun, I suggested Phil go to the co-op before storms arrived. Finding no sweet potatoes nor substitute turnips, things were bad!
Vlad asked Sergei Lavrov if there was any point in continued talks. Serge replied they weren’t exhausted but couldn’t go on forever. As the Russians moved some troops from the Ukrainian border, Olaf Scholz sat at the other end of the Kremlin’s long table to say they must converse. Vlad wanted to discuss missiles and military transparency, Jens Stolenberg expressed ‘cautious optimism’ but called Vlad’s’ tactics the ‘new normal’ and planned NATO battle groups as a counter-measure. Mixed signals didn’t encourage Boris but the 3.00 a.m. Wednesday invasion predicted by a ‘US intelligence source’ proved untrue.
UK covid deaths fell for the second week, by 10%. Up in Wales and care homes, the over 80’s made up almost 2/3 of fatalities. Global cases down 19%., rules would relax in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Up in Eastern Europe, why did Vlad choose now to ditch the long table and meet Bolsonaro at a tiny one? Leaving behind 105 fatalities from ruinous heavy rain and mudslides in Petropolis, the Brazilian anti-vaxxer refused covid testing. Jabs for 5-11 year olds were approved across the UK, Prof. Sarah Gilbert became a dame and the Runnymede Trust proved their case that The Cock broke equality laws hiring tory mates Dildo and Mike Coupe. Failing to end the Freedom Convoy blockades, Ottawan police chief Peter Sloly resigned and emergency powers allowed protesters’ bank accounts to be frozen. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association tweeted they didn’t ‘meet the threshold’ to invoke the act.
Sucking Swizzles drumsticks in the evening, we groaned at a clip of the interminable BBC Novax interview which basically boiled down to him saying ‘I’m special!’ “He’s special alright!” laughed Phil, “another tennis player who’s boring because he eats boring food.“ “Yep. He never eats lollies!”
Roused by noisy engineering works again Wednesday morning, I head fug and achiness persisted and my legs felt leaden going up stairs. Glad of a respite from Westminster shenanigans during half-term, I took it easy, worked on the laptop and tried to book train travel. As something went wrong at check-out, I went round in circles trying to work out what, eventually found a phone number on the NR website but angry and frustrated, left the call unmade. Bright clouds signified a full moon somewhere in the stormy night sky, which abated at some point after midnight. During mediocre sleep, I dreamt of meeting friends and doing a work. Was it a post-covid world?
Sotrovimab cut the risk of hospitalisation and death in vulnerable patients by up to 80% and Paxlovid by 90%. The cabinet office asked the Met if they planned to publish the 300 Partygate photos, along with number and reasons of fines. According to Boris’ lawyer, if he wasn’t drunk, he could say it was part of a normal working day! Cost of living increases at a 30-year high, household goods doubled in price while wages rose 4.3% Oct-Dec 2021. Not keeping pace with inflation, 2/3 cut back on buying clothes, eating out and take-aways. Care workers were added to the Shortage Occupation List. As Bonnie Prince Charlie’s heritage foundation was investigated for cash for honours, brother Andrew settled out of court with Virginia Giuffre apparently for £12 million and came bottom of a poll of most popular royal – unsurprisingly topped by the queen. Ahead of Storm Dudley, 66 mph winds hit Emley Moor. At least it shut the engineers up!
Stormy Rhetoric
Determined not to stay abed another full day, I ignored aches Thursday, exercised, wiped round the kitchen, took coffee back up, worked on the laptop and rang NR to book train tickets. Having to spell MARY to the Indian woman, I wondered if she was in Bangalore. Pain eased, I ventured outdoors, breathed deeply of fresh air and went to the co-op in case Storm Eunice precluded a Friday trip. Not too busy, I didn’t initially don a mask but as elderly gammons coughed in the second aisle, I hastily stuck one on. No bacon at all, I settled for cheap gammon steaks. The irony wasn’t lost on me! Storm Dudley left grey dampness in its wake and a shower descended as I plodded home. After lunch, I fetched the laptop down and joined Phil channel-hopping between Olympic curling (his favourite) and figure-skating (mine). Repeatedly falling, controversial Kamila Valieva was out of contention. The distraught 15 year old wasn’t comforted by heartless ROC coaches but at least her ordeal was over and medals could be awarded after all the palaver.
In an NHS Confederation survey, 4/5 senior staff in England thought mask-wearing should continue in healthcare settings and over 3/4 disagreed with government scrapping isolation rules and free testing. Other surveys found less people self-isolating, but more shopping and commuting. 1/5 trains cancelled caused issues for those compelled to travel to offices. Reportedly 251 sex offence allegations against Met staff last year, the CPS prosecuted 3 cops for sharing misogynistic and racist WhatsApp chat with Wayne Couzens. Luhansk separatists considered ‘increased’ Ukrainian shelling a ‘large scale provocation’ and returned fire. Kyiv disputed the claim. Ben Wally went to a NATO summit in Brussels and said it was important Vlad understood they were ‘deadly serious’ in facing the threat posed and Trussed-Up Liz parroted Jen’s rhetoric of Russian ‘false flag operations’ as a pretext for invasion. Amid reports Nasty Patel was to end the golden visa for oligarchs and hire Alexander Downer to review Border Farce, Dr. Shola on Jeremy Vine said she couldn’t do her job. Yep, she was good at the nasty rhetoric but absolute rubbish at doing stuff! The former Australian asylum tsar an architect of their inhumane immigration policy, the PCS said his support for pushback made him a ‘wholly inappropriate choice’. Clare Mosely of Care4Calais railed: “The Australian offshore asylum programme was one of the most reprehensible systems in the world, leading to untold human misery and widespread condemnation. That Pritti Patel looks forward to Mr Downer’s findings is telling. It is clear that the references to a ‘threat’ at our border refers to Channel migrants, but they are no more a threat than any bus-load of ordinary British people.” Bella Sankey added Nasty was intent on ‘recreating Australia’s ‘abuse of people seeking asylum’ and their offshore detention camps led to ‘conditions described by the International Criminal Court as cruel, inhuman and degrading’. After an ACAB knifeman was shot dead at Gare du Nord Tuesday, Angela Rayner outraged Guardianistas by saying police should shoot first, ask questions later. Adding criminals should be antagonised, her views were formed growing up with anti-social behaviour. That’s Ashton for you!
Coinciding with a spring tide, storm warnings were at red, and the army put on standby by cobra. The public were urged not to travel and particularly not drive to the coast for spectacles of crashing breakwaters. Phil’s Friday morning appointment in Leeds looking dodgy, he discovered train cancellations and NR sent me a message advising against all non-essential journeys. After a Prime film, I went to bed to watch QT.
Jake Berry called The Glove-Puppet a powerhouse but didn’t know why he needed a Levelling Up white paper. While Andy Bunman welcomed London-style ‘level bus fares’, he said with services cut, rhetoric was all very well but in reality: “the north/south divide has got wider during this pandemic.” Broadcast from Leeds, I wondered why he was on rather than Tracey Brabin, then she popped up on Newscast to add there was less footfall on the buses but ending covid support was counter-intuitive because of the need to increase usage. £22 billion for the Brownfield Land Release fund the only new money, with strings attached, she said government must be true to devolved power and let mayors make decisions for the communities they knew and understood. She looked forward to ‘Disrupter’ Gove’s daytrip to Yorkshire. Maybe she’d take him to Betty’s tea room for a Fat Rascal which she thought were from Cheshire. Yorkshireman Chris Mason on hols, Adam Fleming chuckled he was stuck with his kids at Tod services. No such place existed. Had he picked the name of a northern town at random? Temp presenter Alex Forsyth claimed to have invented Levelling Up.
Silvery rooftops belied the oncoming storm Friday. Phil snorted at warnings of catastrophe: “Storm Eunuch more like!” But with torrential rain and more train cancellations later, he agreed he’d have got stuck in Leeds. Reaching 85 mph at Emley Moor, record 122 mph winds battered The Needles and 200,000 homes lost power. Falling debris and trees resulted in 3 fatalities while a tree killed a man sweeping leaves in Ireland.
P&O ferries to Calais and Welsh trains were suspended, the A6 closed at Buxton as did the Prince of Wales, Severn and Humber bridges. Roofs torn off buildings, the millennium dome was a wreck. Where would they hold the festival of Brexit? In Europe, 4 died and a crane fell on a hospital in Belgium.
Meaning to do something active, I ended up writing all day while watching skating and curling. Concerned when Phil dashed out in the blustery afternoon for extra bread, he found it not as bad as it looked and no signs of devastation. GB women got to the curling final. Phil not realising he missed a nail-biting tie-breaker, I joked I knew more about his favourite winter sport than him!
No doubt sparked by schoolkids’ letters on Partygate, new DoE guidance on political impartiality in the classroom called BLM ‘partisan’. Criticised by unions and anti-racism campaigners, Mary Bousted of NEU predicted decreased student engagement and Hope Not Hate’s Nick Lowles said it focused on: “creating a debate about the culture wars rather than helping pupils learn about racism and prejudice.” Uncle Joe still believed war was imminent as Russia announced ‘massive’ nuclear drills involving multiple missile launches. Serge mocked the ‘fake’ warning. In the week’s business news, M&S raised minimum wages to £10 an hour, NatWest were to close 32 branches and American coffeeshop giant Starbucks cut back UK sales of Fairtrade coffee due to supply chain changes.
Call of the Wild
Flood warnings spilled over into Saturday. With trees on lines and trains in the wrong place, travel disruption continued. Rain turned to sleet, then snow. Pastel-shaded icing coated the hillside until the flakes grew in size. The kettle did the weird mental thing. As we now used the blisteringly fast second-hand kettle (putting up with lairy red plastic and lurid neon blue lights) to save money, it seemed likely the inundated water system was to blame. Icy lumps formed on telegraph wires and evaporating snow created vapour which reascended as liquid. As the sun came out, we seized the opportunity for a trip to the nearby clough. We waded down the slushy street where half-frozen puddles held fallen leaves captive and snowmelt deafeningly dripped from gutters. We found pavements on higher lanes rather slippery. My anxiety increased trying to dodge a huge family group and speeding traffic at junctions. In the clough, stunning colours competed for our attention with the sounds of nature. Large drops plopped in the blue swamp. Curly copper leaves rustled in the crisp breeze. Yellow narcissi sprung from squelchy earth. A fat red robin called to potential mates. Silvery light shone on wildly gushing streams.
Seeing a manmade red snail on the way into town, I didn’t think anything of it until another on the old pub sign made us wonder if it was a red snail trail. The centre quiet, I remarked it only took a week of storms to clear it! We grabbed a few items in the convenience store and went home, where Phil disappeared upstairs leaving me to faff with groceries and lunch. Back and legs aching from the short walk, I collapsed on the sofa (for more walks, see Cool Placesi). Watching Lucifer, Phil joked he could be the ecumenical adviser with his knowledge of angels and demons. I thought they already had good ones. Drifting off, I composed a haigaii, and unusually didn’t wake during a night of fuzzy dreams – no doubt due to the fresh air and exertions.
Agreeing with The NHS Confederation, BMJ and WHO (flummoxed by the prospective end of isolation requirements), Wes Streeting told Sunday Morning that labour’s ‘living well with covid’ plan involved sensible precautions and preparedness for future variants. Sophie gave him a hard time on their response to Boris’ anticipated easement and then asked The Bumbler next to nothing about it! Amid the usual bluster, he gave us a primary school history lesson on The Ukraine and evaded Partygate questions.
I’d gone to bed before being drawn into the women’s curling final and viewing the end highlights, wondered if they were at it all night. GB Beat Japan, confounding pundits. The men getting silver, it was our only medal of the whole games. No trace of the snow, the day started cold and became increasingly wet. I hurried bathing and dressing. Losing mobile and telly signals for a few hours, we watched iPlayer then had a break from the box. He hoovered the attic while I picked up where I left off spring-cleaning the kitchen. The corner shelves gross, I developed backache and a raging thirst. At a packed Elland Road, Leeds vs Man Utd was like the old days, complete with broken heads. The Swamp must have evoked tribal memories!
Omicron-specific Moderna vaccine would be trialled in Leeds, Hull and Sheffield. Stun grenades and pepper spray were used to clear the Freedom Convoy and arrest 170 in Ottawa. Mini Macron again spoke to Vlad raising hopes for a diplomatic solution but with shelling in Ukraine’s separatist region and renewed American warnings that Russia planned a war within days, hadn’t we been here before?
Aware of sirens upriver as Storm Franklin blew in, we escaped flooding. 150 warnings in total, Northern Ireland bore the brunt with a threat to life in South Manchester as the Mersey burst its banks. Since the system came in 7 years ago, it was the first time the UK had been hit by 3 named storms within a week. The all-nighter severely disturbed sleep.
* Centre for Countering Digital Hate
References:
i. My Cool Places blog: https://hepdenerose.wordpress.com/
ii. My haigas: https://wordpress.com/posts/mondaymorninghaiga.wordpress.com
The Corvus Diaries 