Wednesday Blether.

Bumbling Boris is claiming to have achieved a deal with the EU.  A deal worse than the one he and his ERG rejected not so long ago.  As normal he has sold people out, this time it appears to be the DUP who are not happy with the Irish situation.  This may be because it interferes with their control in Northern Ireland, it could however be because the deal is just Bollocks!  
It appears we now go to the House to get backing, hopefully this will fail but we never know do we...

 
Well done the people of Canning Town!
The absurdity of Environmental Protesters hindering Londoners trying to get to work has shown the depth of stupidity within this so called movement.  Like Brexit this is manipulated from a centre by the rich desperate for a cause.  This week it is the environment, last week the homeless, that did not last, again a new cause will come and carrying the Guardians close to them they will call out those listening to their fears and ignoring reality.  From needless blocking of streets, accompanied by the workshy or those with sufficient money income to live on the streets and by Thespians desperate for publicity they hinder the world turning and accomplish nothing with regard to changing politicians minds.  The middle class at play, nothing else.  We ought to praise the people of Canning Town and elsewhere for dragging these nutters from the trains and offering appropriate advice regarding their movement.
So who are XR? Who is leading this? Why are we not told?  Are we to believe that an organisation that begun last October could reach this level without a guiding hand?  Who and what is behind this?  Clearly they do not care about the environment.  For them blocking the streets and bringing sad people to do their work for them is very Steve Bannon in my view.  There is much more to this than meets the eye and we ought to be told who is running this.

ITV

Now here is a cause the protesters can follow.  The Franco like abuse by police on those unhappy with Madrid's abuse of the Catalan politicians jailed for having a referendum.  The harshness of the sentence reveals not only the judges closeness to the government but also the fear in Spain of the country breaking up.  That fear will be realised by the treatment offered here.  Franco tactics indeed but Franco no longer is in control.  The Catalans will obtain their wish democratically and Madrid will not stop them. 

The latest Trump saying. "America and Italy go back thousands of years!" 

Protest the Rain in Spain...

With monsoon like rain teeming down I was forced, last night, to walk miles in the rain to attend, under compulsion, the St Paul's men's meeting 'SPAM.'  This spiritual gathering, in the Liberal Club, occurs every month, it is a crime to miss it.  Having no wish to be forced to sit on the 'Cutty stool' and be preached at by the prelate for an hour concerning my sin of not obeying I attended, in spite of the rain coming in through the holes in my worn out shoes.
As the gathering progressed we discussed the NHS, the Great War, painting and decorating according to the wife's instructions, the Holocaust, the use of metres rather than feet and inches, all the while attended cheerfully by the barmaid attendant of the premises.  To enable discussion nourishment was provided, 60/-, 70/- and 80/- was noticed and indeed the spirit was abundant in one quarter also.  These short get togethers bring about a feeling of 'team spirit,' a binding of personalities, a warmth of companionship and a question as to the genuineness of the prelates insistence that today was 'Buy the Priest a Pint' day.  I hope he got home all right...  
These rich men, 40 years of paying into a pension has paid dividends for some!  My £10 a week from the NHS pails into significance besides them.  This also enabled them to ensure a wife was given driving lessons so she could collect them after the meeting had ended, the end coming when one wife arrived and threw us out, thereby proving her worth and his displeasure.  
I sloshed my way home in the dark, fumbled my way upstairs and collapsed in a warm spiritual contentment.

Guardian

While the media concentrates on Trump's latest farce, the Turks invading Kurdistan, less attention is given to the Spanish 'Franco like' approach to Catalan independence.  The English media play this down implying the Spanish are doing the correct thing, indicating their willingness to do the same to Scotland, and even worse is the lack of criticism of this disgraceful jailing of Catalan politicians who dared to separate  from Madrid. 
While the EU leaders are quick to condemn the Turks under their somewhat desperate leader Erdogan, they have said nothing regarding the Spanish inquisition.  One Scots MEP spoke in the European Parliament but nothing has come of that as far as I can see.  Riots followed the 13 year sentence handed down by the Spanish 'Judge Jefferies' and I suspect these may continue for a while. It may indeed be a proper referendum next time, and where will Spain be then?  Sensitive political handling is required, Spain has not offered much inclination that that in recent years.  Fear of the nation splitting, Franco's memory and the division that leaves, short sighted politicians all combine to offer an unstable future which ham fisted handling will not ease.

Bumbling Boris has been told to fix things by midnight tonight.  The question is, who will he sell out to get himself an agreement - if he gets an agreement?  Does he care, will it happen, will it go on....?

At last the Met is doing its job.  The children and fantasists are being removed from the streets, roads are being opened, and London returns to its normal terribleness.  What has been achieved?
Nothing!
Police costs have mounted, vast number on overtime and all to be paid.
Crime risen around London and probably much of that not reported as there is no-one to report it to, they are all in central London confronting men dressed as Brussel sprouts!
Streets blocked and much hindrance to daily traffic, many small businesses losing money.
And the environment effect?
None.
Planes still fly, taking the celeb protesters home.
China still builds faulty Nuclear power stations and faultier cola fired ones.
India does no stop kicking Muslims and Christian around to turn of their smoking power stations.
Trump continues...well that's a big environmental health risk!
The USA continues to allow polluters to buy Presidents and candidates.
So what has the protest movement achieved?
Nothing.
There is a grown up way to protest, this was not it.
Lock them all up!

Viva Catalonia

The Atlantic

To most people Catalonia is probably famous mostly for Barcelona football club and the Gaudi architecture found in the city.  The Scots however appreciate the nationalistic emotions engendered by years of oppression by a bullying centre.  In the Spanish civil war this area suffered under General Franco's right wing army and since then the government in Madrid has not lessened the hold over the region.  The supposed United Kingdom comprises Four sovereign nations Spain about a dozen.  If Madrid and the corrupt government found there (are all governments corrupt today?)  allows independence for Catalonia then the Basque region and others may decide also to secede from Madrid rule and that would upset many people.

The Catalonia government decided to hold a referendum to gauge the desire for independence within the state.  The Spanish government took this to court and found this was against the constitution and the court banned the referendum.  Naturally this did not stop it!  Today the vote went ahead and heavy handed Spanish riot police, not the local Catalonian police, attacked the places where such votes were being held, crashing into the buildings, removing voting papers and fighting with those inside who resisted.  Men, women and children were abused, some indoors others attempting to vote.  Still others blocked streets and were forcibly attacked with clubs and violently removed.

  
While the thuggish police assault Catalonians attempting to vote peacefully many world leaders remain quiet.  Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have said nothing as far as I can see, Boris Johnson mutters about 'constitution' and keeps quiet, only Nicola Sturgeon has spoken out against the violence and a demonstration against the violent crackdown occurs outside the Spanish consulate in Edinburgh with no riots.  
The reason they keep quiet is the fear if Catalonia win independence others will follow Scotland certainly will and with Brexit bringing economic collapse sooner rather than later this is at least one good thing to come out of this corrupt and incompetent government.  
The sad thing is that had Madrid allowed a referendum, indeed encouraged one with appropriate questions (to their advantage) a peaceful result may have shown no complete desire for independence.  However now they have assaulted so many and revealed their desperation it is not unlikely that Catalonia may declare UDI and break away anyway.  What could Madrid do about that? What would the result be?  We wait and see.
The right wing media and the BBC are playing it down of course, they follow the Tory line.