The food looked as spectacular as the view, though it was a bit hard to find on Google Maps. Fortunately we did not obey the instructions and found it anyway.
First of all, let me say that the murder of Henry Nowak is wrong, the actions of the police officer in handcuffing him appears to be inexcusable, and all rape, no matter who engages in it is wrong.
The issue of ethnicity/religion and crime was to be the topic of my post before the sentencing of Vickrum Digwa made the news. I think it is important to point out, that there is a huge bias in some when it comes to reporting certain crimes, while overlooking others.
I recently had a discussion about the Grooming Gangs and the initial lack of an investigation into them, despite there being an investigation into them, in fact, more than one. In that discussion, I was accused of ignoring rape by stating that there has already been an investigation. Doing this is an argument by many to try and occupy the moral high ground on flimsy terms.
Religion and child abuse are linked. People have quite rightly looked at those who claim to be Muslims who have engaged in appalling acts of grooming and rape. What I have not seen are investigations into the cover up of child abuse over a far longer period of time by both the Catholic church in the UK and the Church Of England. Some do not care about this, and instead just want to focus on Islam.
I have disagreed with Ava Evans in the past, notably when it came to having a Minister for Men, as I think that having one will help to combat the evil influence of the manosphere. I disagreed with her in this interview about how someone who is racist can repent as well.
But, I do not think that she should get abuse, again, for what she did in the interview. The irony of those on the Far Right (or patriots as they call themselves) wanting to protect our girls when so many are domestic abusers is sad. Let alone how many of them defend a stalker who has convictions for assault, fraud and travelling on a false passport.
In summary, rape is not confined to just one religion, but only one religion has been investigated.
We are all back together. We drove back today after collecting my daughter and loading up my wife’s car. Arriving at my daughter’s flat, we found one girl had lost her keys the night before and was to be charged for the replacement. Another parent, a mother in a Land Rover had decided to block someone in and walked off for ages leaving them trapped. Earlier she had parked just behind my wife but moved when I told her to do so. Fortunately for me, I did not ask. One person had hired a van and some men to help move him, and while they parked blocking people in, one person stayed with the van so it could be moved if needed.
The drive back was an uneventful one, other than terrible traffic as we hit rush hour. But when we got home, we relaxed and watched Ladies First. I liked it, my wife and daughter did not. My son who left during the film made no comment. But it appears that I am in the minority as the film was given terrible reviews by The Guardian and The Huffington Post, a score my daughter agreed with. I suspect it was more of a lesson for men, which is ironic considering the topic the film.
We are in Bristol. Tomorrow we collect our daughter and bring her back to Colchester. This hotel is not as posh as the one in the centre of Bristol, but is in a lovely area for dog walking, which our dog loves. The views from the nearby Clifton Bridge are fantastic as well. I would definitely return, but I doubt I can walk as easily to restaurants in the town centre from here.
I attended the Palestine protest in Colchester today. With it being to commemorate The Nakba, I was in two minds about attending. The protest talked about how Jews moved to Palestine during the British mandate in large numbers after the horrors of The Second World War. But, it failed to address the issue that Jews have faced over 2000 years of persecution and were forced out of Palestine/Israel. This included mass murder in York and the expulsion of Jews later. It is because of acts like this that I think the state of Israel should exist.
David Baddiel once wrote a book Jews Don't Count but sadly, it appears that for many in the West, Muslims don’t. All lives matter equally, be they Jewish, Muslim, Christian basically any or no religion. But some value the lives of one religion as being more important than others. The big mistake that has been made is in not appealing to the American Christian lobby. If they knew how Israel is evicting Christians from The West Bank, Israel would not be funded.
EDIT - This video includes an interesting view on Israel.
It was an enjoyable film with the cutting lines that made the first one so enjoyable. If you liked the first one, then you will enjoy this. While, like so many sequels, it is not as good as the first, it still is worth seeing.
For those who do listen to an interview with Anna Wintour, I hope this works. Just remember that this was broadcast before the second film was released.
My daughter was a vote counter and enjoyed her work helping democracy.
Personally, I expected things to be worse for Labour. When it comes to the next General Election, if it is held in 2029, tactical voting will help to stop ReformUK from being elected. It was tactical voting which meant that Starmer, despite a low share of the vote, won such a big majority in the last General Election. These elections mean there is a huge database of information which many will use to keep ReformUK out of office.
But the most important thing to do is to explain to voters, in soundbites, why ReformUK will make life harder for voters.
Two things that can be said is that there were few small boat crossings before Brexit, and can someone explain how our lives have been improved by Brexit.
As for Labour, they should not change leader now. Doing so will be stupid considering how things are going to get worse due to Trumpflation.
The attack by Israel and the USA has prevented chemical fertilisers passing through the Strait of Hormuz. This means that the whole world will experience what Sri Lanka did in 2021. But this will not be just one nation, this will mean price rises on a global scale. But it will not take effect now, it will take effect after the next harvests.
While Trump will deny this, it will be an example of Trumpflation. And voters across the globe will not be happy.
Today I voted. I voted Labour. It will not make much difference as Labour are facing annihilation across the nation (other than Northern Ireland where there are no elections). There are many who feel that a change of leadership will bring about a change in the fortunes of Labour, but while communication of the Labour message was terrible before, it appears that since Morgan McSweeney has left the team, that the message that Labour is sharing is being told better.
My message to those who want a change of leadership is that they are insane to think that a change of leader will change the media bias against Labour. Most the media dislike Labour and are also turning on The Green Party. It is interesting to compare the interview on BBC Today of Nigel Farage (at 2:16 on the link) to that of Zack Polanski (again at 2:26 but on this link). It was right to challenge Polanski on antisemitism, it was wrong not to do so with Nigel Farage.
Returning to Labour, there is the fact, or my opinion, that the markets do not want a change of leader. The economy is going to be under strain due to Trumpflation. We do not want to make the cost of borrowing worse by changing leader. Doing so means less money for public services with more going to lenders.
In summary, things are going to get worse even if Labour changes leader, and things would have been worse if Labour had not been in charge.
First of all, family. Our daughter is back. I worked this morning and at lunch, collected her from the station. We were all happy to see her, but I think that our dog showed it the most and for once, did not ignore her.
Watching it with my daughter was useful as she did point out things to me which I had missed before. It is a good film, and I have no style or sense of fashion. I look forwards to watching the sequel.
I realised that I had forgotten to post about this. Last month, there was a call for a Parliamentary investigation into the appointment of Mandelson as Ambassador to the Court of King Trump. Labour MP’s defeated it, but I think that they were wrong to oppose this.
If Labour have been honest, and I thought this was the case beforehand, then transparency and accountability are good things. Labour showed this before when they promised to release files relating to his appointment. Something many who have forgotten and therefore has not been mentioned in the numerous discussions on the matter.
Voting against this implies that there is more to hide on the matter. I do not like the way this looks.
For those who are unaware, someone tried to kill Donald Trump on the weekend during the White House Correspondents Dinner. Jimmy Kimmel is in trouble (again) for a roast of him on a fake dinner speech, which Trump, the narcissist, did not want to face. After all, he was not too happy when he was roasted in the past.
I believe Jimmy Kimmel when he says that his comments referred to Trump dying of natural causes. His age and physical health has been the subject of frequent speculation.
As a horror film, it is okay. I would not recommend it for that, but I do recommend it for how it shows how immigrants, and their descendants, can be mistreated.
My wife booked us an amazing meal for yesterday. She loves this chef who now has meals at her home. She missed booking a meal on other occasions and we almost missed this one. Fortunately there was a cancellation and she managed to get tickets for us.
The setting was beautiful, the food amazing, and we met some lovely people on our table. I am so glad she managed to get tickets and it will be great if we are lucky enough to return.
Starmer has come under a lot of flack over Mandelson again. Notably, if he had known that Mandelson did not pass security vetting for his job as Ambassador to the Court of King Trump.
There are going to be different views on this, some saying he lied, others backing him up. In February, Starmer ordered the release of documents relating to the appointment of Mandelson. My question is simple. Why would he do this if he knew that Mandelson failed the check?
We can compare the actions of Starmer to that of Trump when it comes to releasing files.
June 2024 Trump talked about releasing the Epstein files, but did talk about “the phony stuff”
A lot has been made of the way Starmer and Trump have fallen out. I would want them to fall out more if Trump engages in war crimes in that I would want the US to be banned from using UK bases to attack Iran. But, Trump has been shown being rude about Macron as well. We know from the past that he has little respect for other world leaders, apart from Putin. This video is just another reminder of that.
The strength of the film is in being able to talk about it afterwards. While you can do that with any film, this has more to discuss than most I have seen.
If you do not want any spoilers, do not click on the links to find out about the controversy surrounding it. I loved the film, and would watch it again. But none in my family would join me if I did so.
This was a film, which sadly was a disappointment. It is based on a book, I suspect that the book is better than the film. The film hinted at a lot more going on, but books are far better at developing characters than a film can be. And considering that this is a character driven story, like all, it is best served by a book.
The film does have shades of American Psycho, in that it deals with a dull life, where the main character comes to life in certain situations. One day, when I have more time to read, I may decide to pick the book up.
In summary, read the book, if you are to do neither, watch the trailer.
The current war with Iran happened despite a breakthrough in negotiations between the USA and Iran.
Since being elected for the second time, Trump imposed tariffs on Canada, despite negotiating a trade deal in his first term in office. This apparently was because the first deal was terrible!
The UK negotiated a trade deal with Trump in May 2025, only for Trump to go back on it less than a year later.
There are numerous other examples where Trump has decided not to stick to deals he agreed on, which basically means that there are numerous examples of where he cannot be trusted.
Arsenal started the final really well, pressing The Team That Rhymes With City really well, but the game changed and the pressure our players applied stopped. And then we were beaten, and sadly, I would have to say deservedly so. The season can progress in one of two ways. Arsenal can use this experience to continue to focus and go on to win something this season, or our main rival can be reinvigorated, stop dropping points and catch us. Again.
Trump is not pleased. He considers NATO members to be cowards for not joining in his special military operation.
I rewatched this again. For those who know me, and have read my earlier post on a similar issue, some may be aware I like fantasy Role Playing. I run an online campaign on a play-by post basis on Discord. Well, I run three. One of them has a nautical part to it, hence me watching it.
I still love the film. I will be watching the sequels, but from what I remember, none match the original, though some will have ideas that I will copy.
I love the characters, some better than others. It is a great kids film that adults love. And I am glad I watched it again. In the unlikely event that you have not seen this film, it is well worth watching it.
There are many on the left who are against the UK being part of NATO. It may be a redundant argument soon. Having started the war (or special military operation) against Iran (in my view because of allegations about a thirteen year old girl), Trump has realised that things are not as simple as he thought. The UK is not alone in being reluctant to aid Trump and Israel in this illegal war.
The winners so far in this war are:
Israel as no other US president would allow them to attack Iran in this way. They will not get another chance again.
Russia, as oil sanctions have been suspended, and if the war continues, will remain so.
Trump, as no one is asking him about the allegations involving a (then) thirteen year old girl.
For my research into role playing, I watched this film. I run three campaigns and this offered me the chance to learn for two of them, one being The Curse Of Strahd, featuring one of the most famous vampires in roleplaying, the other being a journey to the Isle of Dread.
Was it an enjoyable film? Yes. Would I watch it again? No. While the Guardian rated it below average, I would disagree, it is an average film. It could have been better, but it could have been worse and it was not.
First of all, family.
We went down to London to see my mother for Mother’s Day. We were to meet my brother, but due to a mixup with times, that was not possible. We were almost late due to issues on the A12, but got there in good time. While my daughter was not there, my Mum was very happy to see my son. My wife had bought her a selection of gifts which my Mum loved. The food was good, parking was available around the corner and the dog loved it as well.
I don’t know if the traffic would have been worse if The Epstein War was not taking place. It was something my Mum did want to discuss, even mentioning that a group of young men, who came into it, might be sent to fight in it.
Which brings me to the next topic, The Epstein War. While prices go up, it will cause harm to our economy. Living in Colchester, we heard some helicopter activity from the nearby base and my wife and I hope that this does not mean we are to help. Trump is an unreliable ally. While the first casualty of war is the truth, Trump is notorious for being ignorant about facts, and lying about them if the facts are inconvenient. An example of this is Trump blaming Iran for the murder of schoolgirls and their rescuers early in this one sided war.
In addition to this, Trump has stated that NATO allies would not come to defend the USA, even though the only nation that was invoked Article Five, is the USA, and allies heeded the call.
Once made aware of this, he lied, stating that NATO forces did not engage on the front, a comment he has since been forced to backtrack on.
Trump has since stated that the UK only joins wars once the US has won them. After that, he has called for the UK (and other nations) to send warships to help get oil out of The Gulf.
Ignoring the ethics of joining in a hugely illegal war, Iran may be able to overcome or bypass any naval escorts with huge waves which overwhelm the defenders. I don’t like the regime in Iran, not just for the way it exports terror, but also for the way it murders its own people. But in this conflict, Israel and the USA are in the wrong, and if anything, I back Iran in its call for compensation as a condition to end the war.
Yesterday, I watched this video. It is about prostitution, a subject I have discussed many times before.
My view remains the same, sex work, ideally, should be safe legal and rare. I suspect it will never be rare, but it should be safe and legal. It should not involve human trafficking, coercion should not be present, and support to help anyone involved in it leave it, if they wish to do so, should be available. And that also includes brothels run by women for women.
I am under no illusions about the darker side of the profession, but this video is worth watching.
As many of you know, I am considered a transphobe by many as I do not consider a transman to be a man, or a transwoman to be a woman. But I would never support the action in the video. Such toxicity and intimidation should face punishment by the law just as it has in the past.
Just remember the timeline.
In a June 2024 interview with Fox News, Trump talked about releasing the Epstein files, but did talk about “the phony stuff” it might contain.
In June 2025, Elon Musk tweeted that Trump featured in The Epstein files. The tweet has since been deleted.
In November 2025, Trump was forced to release the files in an increasingly rare show of support by both parties.
Just before the latest attacks on Iran, reports of missile files of allegations linking Trump to improper conduct with an underage teenager were released.
Then the not-a-war started, which has worked to divert the attention of most of the world.
And now the files are visible to all, in a redacted manner. But I doubt many will talk about this as the bombing of Iran will get more attention, which means that the objective of the conflict has been met.
