Ukraine Invasion: This isn't a war it's a special military operation in the Donbas - LIE

 "This isn't called a war it's called a special military operation in the Donbas," says the Russian ambassador.

Kyiv is 722km away from the Donbas area.

Kherson is over 533km away from the Donbas area.

There are multiple areas of invasion into Ukraine all hundreds of Kilometres from the Donbas area.

Its clear that Putin is lying and this is no special operation, this is an invasion, a war, an act of aggression and an attempt to take over another country.

The Russian Ambassador blatantly lies in the UN and to the world

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXQgjp0pZcI

Ukraine Invasion: American funded germ warfare labs in Ukraine

American funded germ warfare labs in Ukraine

The US does fund a Biological Threat Reduction Program in Ukraine, as it does in other countries in the world. Which appears to be based on identifying outbreaks (deliberate, accidental, or natural) of the world’s most dangerous infectious diseases. The latest of which was Covid.

Some might suggest it's just a cover for Germ Warfare but still seems like a strange place to base them if they were germ warfare. Plus Russia is well aware of them and has never asked for them to be moved.

From a common-sense point of view why would the US base germ warfare labs in a country so close to Russia, so easily spied upon by Russia, so easily attacked by Russia, so easily captured by Russia. The US could base germ warfare research labs anywhere in the world, way away from Russia and probably do.

Another example of Putin's multiple lines of disinformation, building a reason for continued aggression.

LINKS

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/us-biolabs-have-been-developing-new-biological-weapons-in-ukraine

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/feb/25/tweets/there-are-no-us-run-biolabs-ukraine-contrary-socia

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/02/25/fact-check-claim-us-biolabs-ukraine-disinformation/6937923001

https://thebulletin.org/2022/02/us-official-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-risks-release-of-dangerous-pathogens

https://www.opindia.com/2022/02/russia-ukraine-invasion-bioweapons-labs-patrushev-putin-wuhan-coronavirus

https://www.opindia.com/2022/02/russia-ukraine-invasion-bioweapons-labs-patrushev-putin-wuhan-coronavirus

https://www.snopes.com/news/2022/02/24/us-biolabs-ukraine-russia

https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/does-the-us-have-a-secret-germ-warfare-lab-on-russias-doorstep

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/us-biolabs-have-been-developing-new-biological-weapons-in-ukraine

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1200679

https://ua.usembassy.gov/embassy/kyiv/sections-offices/defense-threat-reduction-office/biological-threat-reduction-program

https://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/biological-weapons-bioterrorism-and-vaccines

U.S., Ukraine sign pact on germ threat

https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/05-829-Ukraine-Weapons.pdf

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/COMPS-672/pdf/COMPS-672.pdf

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/pro-kremlin-propaganda-in-ukraine-changes-tone

https://thebulletin.org/2022/02/russian-media-spreading-disinformation-about-us-bioweapons-as-troops-mass-near-ukraine

False allegations of biological-weapons use from Putin’s Russia
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-china-nikolai-patrushev-vladimir-putin-biological-weapons-1581896

https://www.thedailybeast.com/russia-china-team-up-to-peddle-insane-us-covid-lab-theory

https://www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Health-Readiness/Global-Health-Engagement/Biological-Threat-Reduction-Program

Ukraine Invasion: Russia has already broken 3 points of the Budapest Memorandum

Russia has announced that its nuclear deterrent has been put on "special alert", its highest level.

Whilst it's a normal threat from Putin suggesting aggression from NATO or Ukraine to qualify its own unwarranted aggression. It's getting close to breaking another of the Budapest Memorandums no. 4 or has that broken it? NATO countries will of course be avoiding being drawn into Ukraine's actual fighting. But where does it stop? Putin continues to push and is obviously seeing NATO's reluctance to do anything as a sign of weakness. How long is his bullying allowed to continue?

4. The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America reaffirm their commitment to seek immediate United Nations Security Council action to provide assistance to Ukraine, as a non-nuclear-weapon State party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, if Ukraine should become a victim of an act of aggression or an object of a threat of aggression in which nuclear weapons are used;

That doesn't mean if Nuclear weapons are used it means if they are threatened. 

Russia has already broken No1 & No2

1. The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine, in accordance with the principles of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine;

2. The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America reaffirm their obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine, and that none of their weapons will ever be used against Ukraine except in self-defence or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations;

 

To reiterate How long is Putin's bullying allowed to continue?

LINKS
https://web.archive.org/web/20170312052208/http://www.cfr.org/nonproliferation-arms-control-and-disarmament/budapest-memorandums-security-assurances-1994/p32484 

Ukraine Invasion: President Zelenskyy's, speech to the Russian people [English subtitles]

 I have copied the video to here in case the YouTube video goes missing original link was https://youtu.be/p-zilnPtZ2M

President Zelenskyy's, speech to the Russian people [English subtitles]

Powerful speech the more I find out about this man who was unknown to me and I wager most of us in the UK the more respect I have.

How many of our so-called leaders would stay rallying the troops and people when the offer of evacuation to safety is/was there.

He knows his fight is one to the death for if they fail he's unlikely to come out of it alive. 

Respect

Unless of course, Putin deems he doesn't want a Dead martyr and wants to put him on trial for fake crimes.

Ukraine Invasion: UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace “We stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine

 These off the cuff blase comments really annoy me

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and are pursuing every option to support them in their defence against President Putin’s unprovoked and illegal invasion.

Sorry Mr Wallace you might be showing support you are not standing shoulder to shoulder. If you were you would be on the front line or at least in Kyiv standing shoulder to shoulder with the Ukraine people and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ukraine Invasion: President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy - The Fight is here

In response to the US offer to evacuate him Volodymyr Zelenskyy replied as seen in the above tweet 

“The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.” 

Today the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stands leading his country against the invasion of nuclear power, Russia.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a former actor and comedian, with no political experience appears to be showing formidable leadership qualities in rallying his countries troops and people in the defence of their country.

Who knows what can be achieved.

Ukraine is fighting for its life, Russian soldiers don't seem to be clear what they are fighting for or even why they are there.

Let's hope that Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine are able to beat the odds.

Fortune favours the brave.

LINKS

https://www.axios.com/ukraine-volodymyr-zelensky-russia-invasion-248d6e91-d48e-4c05-925f-46b7a0e7bf59.html?

Ukraine Invasion: Greed or insanely clever?

Most of Europe does not allow anonymous investments.

The two biggest offshore havens with great capacity to receive anonymous investment are the United States and the United Kingdom.

The UK allows anonymous ownership of property.

In May 2016, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron organized a big international conference to oppose anonymous ownership, presumably because of sheer embarrassment. He lamented that 99,000 buildings in the United Kingdom had anonymous owners.

The USA allows not only anonymous ownership of property but also anonymous money transfers.

So either the UK and USA have been complicit in turning a blind eye. Or maybe they have been playing a long game.  Allowing Russian investments so that if an occasion such as the Ukraine attack happened, massive amounts of Russian money could be frozen.

Greed or insanely clever?

LINKS

https://www.democraticaudit.com/2016/04/06/david-cameron-and-the-tax-havens-transparency-is-only-partial-answer-to-a-much-bigger-question/

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/apr/07/david-cameron-offshore-trusts-eu-tax-crackdown-2013

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/05/david-cameron-left-dangerously-exposed-by-panama-papers-fallout

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-announces-new-global-commitments-to-expose-punish-and-drive-out-corruption

https://www.ft.com/content/c1a49662-17a1-11e6-b197-a4af20d5575e?mhq5j=e7

Boris Johnson's economy lies

Why do we hark back to distant times which have no bearing on the now? The main point is Johnson is a lying b'stard always was always will be.

We were/are told the UK is outperforming everyone in Europe, which is clearly a lie.

https://www.nationalworld.com/.../inflation-rates-in...

When comparing inflation over the last 12 months, the UK’s rate has proportionally grown more than all but Spain, Belgium and Ireland.

And if you compare the current rate with our closest neighbours, the UK’s CPI is at the upper end of the scale.

However, it is not as extreme as Spain (6.1%), the Netherlands (6.4%) or Belgium (7.59%) and only sits 0.2% above the EU average.

When you take into account the direction of travel of inflation rates, a more nuanced picture emerges. 

UK prices grew 0.1% in January 2022 compared to December 2021, which was in line with the EU average.

The real picture is we are a little above the EU average. Not doing better than all of Europe.

It matters not now, that inflation was whatever when Labour was in power when arguing this particular point.

Same as it doesn't matter that Thatcher created the biggest unemployed totals and would have been voted out if it wasn't for the Falklands. Very opportune that but another argument.

Or that they have continuously created more debt in the UK every time they are in power, in fact, creating more debt than every other government combined since 1901.

It doesn't matter that the NHS was created on Labours watch, a service so incredible and game-changing that the Tories now try to claim to be proponents of and a service that no doubt everyone on here has at some time used and saved thousands in doing so.

The fact that they increased the UK debt by over 850 billion, during the worst austerity since the war and whilst claiming the UK was bankrupt, and they were able to give away 94 billion in tax concession to big corporations, who had neither asked or expected it, should be a wake-up call for everyone who has even a modicum of intelligence.

The problem is the continuous lies more than by any other politician in UK history.

Johnson's high wage economy

 Johnson's high wage economy is a great plan for the UK. Although maybe "plan" isn't the correct word as we've seen no plan on how this would be achieved.

Baring in mind that the Tories for years said that unions claims for higher wages were unrealistic as the economy would spiral out of control.

We have the bank of England also saying please don't ask for pay rises. 

So when, if ever, is this high wage economy going to be achieved. How is it going to be achieved?

Or is the government just firing out sound bites that they know the people want to hear but they also know aren't achievable.

Interesting that one or the other has to be wrong on the economy the bank of England or the Government.

Interesting that no breaks are being put on bankers bonuses. The same people that were complicit in the 2008 crash.

Interesting that councils are saying that below inflation rate pay rises are unrealistic.  bearing in mind that anything below inflation is a pay decrease.

Interesting that we are now letting those Johnny foreigners back in because we haven't got enough staff for the NHS or Care homes. Could have told them that 3 years ago.

So come on Boris when and how does this high wage economy get achieved, what's the plan.

 
I have little doubt that there is no plan. Just sound bites for the sheep.

Why would Boris Johnson want to mislead the parliament?

Lie to parliament or the more politically correct mislead parliament? They are one and the same to me. However, in parliament, an MP cant accuse another of lying, so they have to use the term mislead. One can mislead by omitting detail but Johnson rarely does that he just states incorrect details, which is lying. I'm not in parliament so I'll go with the term lie

Boris Johnson is well documented for lying and I believe has been sacked twice for it.

I always thought Johnson was a pathological liar. The most dangerous type of liar as they actually believe what they are saying is true, even though it's not and they will defend the lie even when its proved to them that what they are saying is incorrect.

However, I've since discovered that the key feature of a pathological lie is that it has no obvious motivation. This is clearly not the case with Johnson as there is always the motivation behind his lies.

In a 1941 article titled “Churchill’s Lie Factory” Joseph Goebbels wrote:

“One should not as a rule reveal one’s secrets, since one does not know if and when one may need them again. The essential English leadership secret does not depend on particular intelligence. Rather, it depends on a remarkably stupid thick-headedness. The English follow the principle that when one lies, one should lie big, and stick to it. They keep up their lies, even at the risk of looking ridiculous.”

Ring any bells?

Johnson likes to think of himself as Churchill and wrote a book on him, he is also distantly related. Boris and Winston are 11th cousins twice removed!

So why does Boris Johnson lie to parliament and the general public?

Johnson works on the principle of if you tell a lie and keep repeating the lie it becomes the truth in the minds of the general population. Regardless of what parliament thinks, Johnson knows that if he can fool the public they are the ones who vote him in.

COVID ~ Did the UK run out of PPE during the 1st wave of Covid

Just going by the parliamentary public spending watchdog report the answer has to be YES!

Why would any Government go out and source substandard quality PPE if we had enough?

May 1 2020

The tweets were terse and, to the uninitiated, obscure. “Gowns” — “examination gloves” — “green aprons” — read the messages from the accounts of procurement leaders in the UK’s National Health Service. But to their colleagues in other hospitals, each represented a cry for help, signalling shortfalls of key items of personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to keep clinicians safe while they fought a once-in-a-century battle against coronavirus.

November 25, 2020

Today’s report by the National Audit Office (NAO) finds that government was initially reliant on stockpiles of personal protective equipment (PPE) that proved inadequate for the COVID-19 pandemic. In a rapidly deteriorating situation government made a huge effort to boost supply, but it has paid very high prices due to unusual market conditions and many front-line workers reported shortages of PPE.

10 February 2021

The UK government wasted hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on poor quality and unusable personal protective equipment (PPE) while leaving frontline workers insufficiently protected from covid-19, the parliamentary public spending watchdog has concluded.

 

LINKS

https://fullfact.org/health/ppe-shortages-first-wave

FT - How poor planning left the UK without enough PPE

BMJ - Covid-19: Government wasted millions on poor quality PPE, spending watchdog finds

NAO - The supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic

Labour won't get into power for the next 2 or 3 General Elections.

Doesn't matter how much Labour try to slag the Government down with their little schemes, Labour won't get into power for the next 2 or 3 General Elections.


Hopefully, because by then Tories really will have no excuse for their incompetence and we can check how much bankrupt Britain (Their words not mine) owes by then.

They always seem to have something that comes along and saves them. Thatcher it was the Falklands (By design or incompetence? another argument) The Cameron, May & Johnson, run its been covid. We won't bring Brexit into it because everything was going to be so much better, so it can only be covid.

There's one gamble that did pay off.... the Vaccinations.  Although Johnson is like the gambler that plays the fruit machines puts in £900 wins £400 and claims he's won.

The rest of the gamble/incompetence has cost fortunes, the one pays for the rest, although we are not seeing any financial evidence of that yet.

Upping NI to "Fund the NHS" just means that those with money pay less, normal for the tories.
I'm all for funding the NHS but everyone should pay the same percentage and not when the Tories are spunking our money up the wall ...to coin a phrase.

And let's not forget we would not have the NHS if it wasn't for William Beveridge (Beveridge Report 1942) who was Liberal and the Labour government who put it in place although Bevin couldn't get all measures through which is why doctors surgeries are privately owned to this day amongst other things.

The NHS was put in place when the UK really was bankrupt after the war. Would the Tories have done the same?

I'm sure you have availed yourself of NHS services over the years?

What would your circumstances be had you had to rely on the insurance-based model that was in place before the war that few could afford?

Your treatments and drugs over the years would have cost hundreds of thousands of pounds and it's unlikely you would still be covered on insurance.  Unless you're lucky enough to have not needed it in which case what a relief to know that it's always there as a safety blanket for that unlucky moment.

LINKS

https://ifs.org.uk/taxlab/taxes-explained/national-insurance-contributions-explained

https://www.income-tax.co.uk

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/jan/28/middle-income-earners-hit-hardest-national-insurance-higher-percentage-uk-rishi-sunak

https://www.if.org.uk/2021/09/09/national-insurance-young-people-and-lower-earners-hit-the-hardest

https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/a-caring-tax-rise

https://www.sochealth.co.uk/national-health-service/the-sma-and-the-foundation-of-the-national-health-service-dr-leslie-hilliard-1980/a-national-health-service

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Beveridge

Tony Blair Knighted

 Tony Blair Knighted

Apparently, Tony Blair got Knighted or Anthony Charles Lynton Blair if the media is to be believed and there's already a petition ....

https://www.change.org/p/the-prime-minister-tony-blair-to-have-his-knight-companion-of-the-most-noble-order-of-the-garter-rescinded?

Now I've checked on the Gov website new years honours list and even downloaded the spreadsheet.
Tony Blair or Anthony Charles Lynton Blair doesn't appear

Which is somewhat strange

Obviously, I'm looking in the wrong place

I only started looking because the first mention of this, I saw, was on a Laura Kuenssberg spoof site on Twitter.

Laura Kuenssberg Translator

@BBCLauraKT

BREAKING: Tony Blair has been given a knighthood for killing a million innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan

10:38 PM · Dec 31, 2021·Twitter Web App

 
Since then it's all over but I've still not found it on the Honours list unless the queen has a separate one.

But it's amazing how many people, judging from their comments, think the 

Laura Kuenssberg Translator

 on Twitter is the real Laura Kuenssberg.

LINKS

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1044469/ny22-honours-list-spreadsheet.csv/preview

https://www.gbnews.uk/news/new-years-honours-full-list/195300

https://twitter.com/BBCLauraKT

COVID ~ Pinged and PCR Test Saga

Finally got the PCR test back 12 days after being pinged for close proximity. Bearing in mind Xmas was in the way.

Timeline ....

Tues 21st pinged on app close proximity of someone who tested positive.

Gov website says all I need to do is 5 days of LFTs no isolation.

I work in care homes, work says I need a PCR test and do LFTs every day till I get the result of PCR.

 
Trying to get a PCR test is a nightmare as although there is a selection for NHS and care workers on 1st page of the PCR ordering page, all routes lead to the answer "You don't need to do a PCR test"

Wrong... I do because NHS and care home staff do need one it says so on the Gov website.

Also, work says I can't work till I get the PCR test result

Anyway, long story short finally managed to get around the system and order the PCR test.

Sent PCR test back the next day on 24th, got it on 23rd but didn't arrive till late in the afternoon so missed all post.

Got a negative email back at 04:05 this morning 02/01/22

The test was done on 29th Dec (I can see from the email)

That's 12 days after being pinged

Which would appear to be a pretty pointless exercise.

LFTs I believe are pretty accurate if they give you a positive there is a high chance it's correct.

LFTs I believe are not so accurate on false negatives so you might get a series of negatives but you actually have it and do not have symptoms.

If the latter then for 12 days I could have been spreading it around

By the time I got the PCR test back, I was out of the isolation period anyway.

We've all got to catch this and all varients albeit in a controlled way.

Keep calm and carry on

COVID - Just how bad is Omicron

Daily Covid cases have gone through 100k for 1st time ever. In comparison daily deaths are 90% less than the peak of deaths in February 21.

 

We all need to catch this and variants ....albeit in a controlled way.

Keep calm and carry on

On the face of current information it would appear Omicron is in the majority no worse than a cold even to the unvaccinated.

The caveat to that is regardless of what the viruses some will always be affected worse than others. 

 

 

Daily Deaths

Daily cases 119,789 - 23 Dec 21
Daily Deaths 147 - 23 Dec 21 (5 Jan22 would match the 12 days back in Jan)
Percentage 0.12
Daily Deaths - 52 (12 days prior to cases peak) 12 Dec 21
Percentage 0.043

Peaks
Daily cases 67,794 - 8 Jan 21
Daily Deaths 1824 - 20 Jan 21 (12 days after cases peaked)
Percentage 2.69
Daily Deaths - 317 (12 days prior to cases peak)
Percentage 0.47

Daily cases 129,471 - 28 Dec 21
Daily Deaths 143 - 27 Dec 21 (One would expect this to be much higher but its not)
Percentage 0.11

COVID ~ Downing Street Party

To start its not about a party its about the morals of the party leading the country.

 

1. Mr Johnson says a party didn't happen. Oh sorry he's been assured a party didn't happen.
2. 10 Downing street is the PMs home.
3. If he was at home it should be obvious to him whether a party went on.
4. If he wasn't there it should be easy for him to ascertain whether a party went on in a matter of days if not hours.
   
5. Why does it need an investigation? - again basically to kick the can down the road so that people forget.
   
6. We now have the police saying they don't investigate old cases but there are several old cases from a similar time being investigated.
7. Sajid Javid said categorically there was no party, not that he'd been assured a party didn't happen. 100% a party didn't happen.
8. The get out clause here would be that in the video staff are joking about a party that wasn't a party 
1. "It wasn't a party it was cheese and wine"
2. "Is cheese and wine alright? It was a business meeting"
3. "This fictional party was a business meeting ...and it was not socially distanced"
4.  So Sajid Javid will say when its proven a party did happen that no he didn't lie a party didn't happen it was a cheese and wine business meeting!
9. UPDATE - And now Allegra Stratton resigns over a party that didn't happen? 
10. Boris Johnson says he "doesn't just take responsibility for things that happens in this building, I take responsibility for everything that happens in this government". Although seems he's quite happy to let others fall on their sword. Which makes one wonder exactly what responsibility he's taking?
11. Responsibility without accountability is where the problem lies.
12. But as a Conservative MP pointed out in PMQT seems like this story has been released to distract from something else.
    

LINKS

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59532066
https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/08122021-downing-street-party-scandal-who-is-allegra-stratton/

Covid - Moderna Booster Jab

Had Covid booster jab today so thought I'd log the side effects if any.

The vaccine was Moderna, Vaccine Lot 3004737.  

Got offered the Flue jab while I was there, never had it before but took them up on that as I was there.  Was asked if left or right-handed, Covid jab goes in the left arm and Flue jab in the right arm.

You are likely to be asked to wait for 15 minutes after your booster vaccine. This is so that in the very unlikely event of a severe allergic reaction, help will be at hand.

Waited for 5m and then went and sat in the van for 10min.

Not had Moderna before 1st 2 jabs were Pfizer and the only side effects with that were slightly achy arm on 1st one and 2nd like an insect bite.

Apparently, Moderna is more intense and gives very slightly better protection but you get slightly worse reactions to it, so we will see.

Common side effects are logged as

• Having a painful, heavy feeling and tenderness in the arm where you had your injection – this tends to be worst around 1 to 2 days after the vaccine
• Feeling tired
• Headache
• General aches, or mild flu like symptoms

 

So had Jab at around 1200 06/12/21

1316 - Very slight heavy feeling in the left arm

2221 - Ache in the arm, can feel it if I move the arm but more noticeable when I press it. Noticed my hands and fingers went very cold, I was wearing fleece and weight training gloves indoors and couldn't get warm in the afternoon. Have warmed up now.  The flu jab arm is fine.

0100 07/12/21 - Arm aching and unable to lie on it in bed - I sleep on that side.

1100 07/12/21 - Arm tender to touch but not aching, feel more tired than normal.

2226 07/12/21 - Same Arm tender to touch but not aching, feel more tired than normal.

0100 08/12/21 - Arm was aching when I lie on it otherwise wasn't, but unable to lie on it in bed.

0100 09/12/21 - Arm OK now and able to sleep on it.

LINKS

https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-booster-how-to-choose-the-right-shot-pfizer-moderna-2021-11?r=US&IR=T

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/safety-and-side-effects/

Insulate Britain protesters, Police are a disgrace or are they?

Lots of meltdown over this one

'Police are a disgrace!' Britons react to 'wish-washy woke' M25 protest response

“I didn't see any real effort put in to move them by force. I want my council tax refunded as it's obviously not being used for policing.”

Mr Liddell-Grainger backed 'much tougher sentences' for 'arrogant and stuck-up' climate anarchists who 'cause immense harm to people's lives and livelihoods'.

 And many more comments

Yes, Police could have arrested protestors for obstruction of a British road

Obstruction of the Highway

Section 137 of the Highways Act 1980 says that “if a person, without lawful authority or excuse, in any way wilfully obstructs the free passage along a highway he is guilty of an offence”. The penalty for this offence is a fine and not imprisonment.

Any occupation of a road is potentially an obstruction and a series of court cases have established a highway can include the grass verge at the side of a road, a footpath, an industrial estate, the pavement outside Parliament and, since the Occupy protests of 2012, parts of the churchyard at St Paul’s Cathedral.

In examining ‘lawful excuse’, courts need to decide if an activity causing an obstruction is itself lawful and whether it is reasonable: in the case of a protest, taking into consideration Article 10 (freedom of expression) and Article 11 (freedom of assembly) of the ECHR. For example, the peace campaigner Brian Haw’s long-term protest in Parliament Square in London was found not to constitute an obstruction of the highway as it was deemed reasonable, bearing in mind his right to protest.

However, there is also a right to peaceful protest

Freedom of speech and the right to protest peacefully are protected by both the common law and the Human Rights Act 1998.

Furthermore, the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights) as implied in Article 10 (the Right to Freedom of Expression) protects a right that’s fundamental to our democracy – freedom of expression – which means that we’re free to hold opinions and ideas and to share them with others without the state interfering. Article 11 (the Right to Peaceful Assembly) of the Human Rights Act 1998, meanwhile, allows for peaceful protest to take place without disturbance from authorities – unless of course any act of hostility or violence were to take place.

and the catch 22 on this is 

"Peaceful protest can only take place on public highways"

 

It's quite easy to see why the police were considering this before acting.

It's also easy to see why members of the public trying to forcibly remove protestors then found themselves targets of the police, the members of the public were not acting peacefully. Simple one for the police to act on.

Now whilst I don't necessarily agree with blocking the M25 and being stuck on the M25 or any motorway for 3 hours isn't fun. We should be careful with the calls to remove the right to protest or fine people more heavily for protesting. It's a little picture big picture thing dating back to many 100s of years before the suffragettes in 1913. The government is already chipping away at these rights, so be careful what you wish for.

LINKS

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9992613/Eco-mob-block-M25-AGAIN.html

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/13/climate-protesters-arrested-after-blocking-m25-junctions-in-rush-hour

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1492341/Extinction-Rebellion-news-topless-protester-XR-Insulate-Britain-M25-traffic-chaos

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1492439/police-M25-protest-Insulate-Britain-traffic-blockade-climate-change-latest-tiktok-video-VN

https://news.sky.com/story/m25-traffic-drivers-warned-to-avoid-parts-of-motorway-as-climate-protesters-block-slip-roads-12406944

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/09/16/m25-protesters-blocking-motorway/amp/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9997159/The-Insulate-Britain-protesters-strolled-M25-police-let-walk-free.html

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/16144087/travel-chaos-eco-warriors-block-m25-second-time-2/

https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/93/human-rights-joint-committee/news/156037/government-plans-to-change-law-to-restrict-demonstrations-breach-human-right-to-protest-says-jchr/

https://netpol.org/resources/common-criminal-offences/

https://www.daslaw.co.uk/blog/right-to-peaceful-protest

https://nationallegalservice.co.uk/uk-protest-rights/

COVID - Dominic Cummings inquiry

Cummings inquiry 26/05/21

Dominic Cummings main comments

"Matt Hancock lied and should be sacked"

The Gov had no plans for an emergency situation, chaotic incompetence.

PM Boris Johnson  said "I'm more concerned with you (Dominic Cummings) having the powers to resolve the chaos, chaos isn't that bad it means that everyone needs to look to me to resolve the chaos" 

Lamp in march lateral flow tests could have been available in march which would have reduced the impact of the autumn spike of cases. Money should have been put into Lamp and LFT in march but the time was wasted.

Let the body's pile up in their thousands was that said "There are various versions of this rumor, the BBC version is correct"

Untested people sent back into care homes - PM said "What on earth are you telling me? (polite version) Hancock told me people world be tested before being sent back to care homes"

PM said "If i shut down the borders we wont have any tourism company's left" we said if you don't there wont be any left anyway.

Essentially PM had responsibility for devolved nations tighter restrictions but was delayed due to not wanting to effect tourist industry.

"The system is creaking and at some stage people are just going to stop obeying orders from this PM as its not a legitimate government."

Surely you going to learn the lessons from march, PM said no were "going to hit and hope"

"If you took the top 1% of the country then any of them would have dealt with Covid better"

Patrick Valance was very clear, the data was very clear the PM didn't accept the advice.

You should not sack him the time to sack him is when the inquiries come along.

Do you think Michael Gove is culpable - I don't think Michael had a huge amount of responsibility regarding this.

Asians all do what their told - who said that? - "I don't want to get into who said what in specific meetings"

Do you think Boris Johnson is a fit a proper person to get us through this pandemic?  "No"

"We still don't have a proper border policy"

COVID - Oxford University/AstraZeneca partnership & The EU

Unlike me to not be knocking the UK Gov but .... credit where credit due.

The Oxford University and AstraZeneca partnership came out of the UK Govs dedicated Vaccines Taskforce,  basically the Gov fitted them together.

Oxford University’s vaccine research was given £20 million Government funding.
AstraZeneca will work with global partners on the international distribution of the vaccine, particularly working to make it available and accessible for low and medium-income countries.

Both partners have agreed to operate on a not-for-profit basis for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic.
Only the costs of production and distribution are being covered.

Uk got early access because Gov basically took a punt on it being successful as they ordered millions of doses before the trial results were out.
EU ordered 3 months later so unfortunately behind us in the queue.

The agreements between Astra and UK & EU have not been released but apparently, Astra saying that it was a best endeavours agreement. So not sure how far EU will get with that one. If it goes to court the agreements would have to be released.
EU supply will happen when previous commitments have been fulfilled.

Think there's a lot of smoke being blown around.
EU because they were late ordering, but then would you order a car if there was no guarantee the engine would work.
UK Gov took a speculative punt and this time it paid off. If the trials had failed then would have been a different story, I guess they were sweating for a while there. But it didn't and so we were front of the queue.

In the big scheme of things, there seems to be some disparity with costs of the vaccine being sold to smaller countries for double the price, but I guess whether that is true or not will come out in the wash.

LINKS

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-04-30-oxford-university-announces-landmark-partnership-astrazeneca-development-and

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55836463

https://www.politico.eu/article/charles-michel-says-eu-could-invoke-urgent-measures-response-coronavirus-vaccine-shortfall/

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-european-union-demands-plan-from-astrazeneca-to-deliver-promised-vaccines-as-row-continues-12200919