Anthony Fauci's Covid hearing

In the UK, we have the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. It has been hearing evidence about the epidemic, and is handled in a much better way than has happened in the USA.

Due to the (understandable) refusal of Anthony Fauci to answer questions, conspiracy theories are going to spread.  I talked to a patient earlier this year who told me that he did not think COVID existed.  He has probably suffered from the vaccination, but while one of his issues has most likely been caused by it, that is not the case with the other matters that he thinks have been caused. 

So, a few quick points.

COVID exists.  It has particular CT appearances in the lungs which other conditions do not have.  

COVID vaccinations saved lives.  States in the USA with lower vaccination rates had higher rates of COVID during the pandemic.  Also in the USA, Republicans (who were more likely to minimise the importance of preventative measures) were more likely to die than Democrats (who were more likely to follow the evidence). 

The UK should have been better prepared.  Exercise Cygnus and Exercise Alice produced recommendations which the Conservatives ignored.  

The chumocracy in the UK resulted in contracts being given to people who failed to deliver PPE.

Death rates were so high from COVID that funeral homes in the UK were overwhelmed, something that also happened in the USA.  

Health care systems were overwhelmed by COVID, not just in Iran, but also in Italy before measures like social distancing and facemasks could be put in place.

Sadly, I doubt the COVID inquiry in the UK will hear the views of Jess Phillips on this. Her take down of Matt Hancock, the health secretary who was in charge of the NHS during the pandemic is as concise as it is passionate. Too many died in the UK who did not need to have.  But, I know that our inquiry will not be partisan like that in the USA as it is there to seek the truth.  

Lucy Connolly, Zack Polanski and hurty words

Double standards and Reform UK Ltd are something that happens quite often.  Lucy Connolly was (rightly) arrested and admitted her guilt about a tweet inciting racial hatred during the Farage riots of 2024. Nigel Farage has stated that Lucy Connolly is "living proof of what can go wrong" with free speech restrictions.  Despite this, Nigel Farage said about a repost by Zack Polanski "If I was to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski." Polanski, rightly, has taken down the post. Those in Reform UK Ltd should call for the same action to be taken against the leader of The Green Party that they took when one of their elected representatives reposted a message about shooting a Labour MP. From what I recall, an apology was enough then and should be enough now.  If anything, less action is needed, the T-shirt (which was on the 18th of 20 images) being a song lyric as opposed to the message about actually shooting a politician.

I abhor violence against ALL politicians.  While I did find the egging of Nick Griffin (then leader of the racist BNP) to be funny, it was wrong. That includes the milkshake episode with Farage.  I found it funny, but still was wrong to happen.  

I have commented on Reform UK Ltd and their attitudes to free speech before. I suspect it will happen again when they, again, show double standards. 

Workers rights in the UK, Trump, forced labour and unions

It appears that Unison and Donald Trump agree about workers rights in the UK.  Trump has imposed tariffs on the UK due to claims that it does not do enough against forced labour. This from a nation that has worse workers rights than the UK and makes use of illegal immigrants in work (therefore avoiding employment laws) more than the UK does.  

The video is about workers rights which unions have won, rights that many in the USA do not have.  It is out of date as Labour, under Starmer, gave workers even more rights.  

Andy Burnham and communication

It is not long into the Andy Burnham premiership and there appears to be a big difference. Communication. It is early days, and Burnham has been helped by the enforced media silence with Nigel Farage (all candidates in the Clacton by-election deserve the same media exposure), but it appears that he has ensured that he dominates the news cycle by early morning pronouncements. Which means that the media are discussing what he has said, working to his agenda, not setting the news cycle themselves.  The last time I saw such effective communication from a Labour government was when Alastair Campbell was in the thick of it.  It is early to get an idea of just how things have changed as there are another three years until the next planned election, but the outlook is so much better.

Donald Trump is the best at this, he dominates the news cycle, but part of that is because of decisions that many would say are insane. Nigel Farage has dominated the news under Starmer and may find it hard to regain the political momentum that he lost before his resignation thanks to all the sleaze allegations. 

Keir Starmer did loads, but his failures included an inability to let people know what Labour had achieved with him in charge. Which looking at what he did, is so sad. 

Andy Burnham has been left a nation, which despite public perception, is in a better place than when Keir Starmer took power.  This is despite the turmoil caused both by Brexit and Donald Trump. The economy is in surprisingly good shape compared to many of our G7 peers and NHS waiting lists are falling. If the Conservatives had did half of what Labour had did, they would be publicising it so well. It looks like the failure of Labour to communicate effectively is hopefully a message from the past.

Count Binface on democracy in Great Britain

Count Binface has spoken in the past about democracy in Great Britain, and he is so right. Elon Musk has commented about our tyrannical government. He is so wrong. There are arguments for and against our first past the post system and I have commented about Proportional Representation in the past. But the best argument for our current system is the way that someone like Count Binface has a chance to follow the likes of Martin Bell in being elected against a political party with far greater funding.

Comparing Louise Haigh to George Cottrell

There are levels of fraud and crime.  Comparisons have been made by Reform UK Ltd about how Louise Haigh, a Labour MP who had to resign as a Minister in November 2024 over an issue with fraud involving a mobile phone in 2013, her pleading guilty in 2014.

George Cottrell had been caught agreeing to launder money for undercover agents posing as drug traffickers in an FBI sting operation in 2017. Cottrell was a backer for Nigel Farage before and after his conviction. 

The Thai based billionaire Christopher Harborne is the man who donated the five million pound gift to Nigel Farage, to use in security, or it may have been given to thank Farage for Brexit (the story changes). While he is an innocent man, concerns have been raised about money laundering. 

And of course, there is Ben Delo. He has a conviction and earned a pardon from Trump.  Living in Hong Kong, he gave Reform UK Ltd the total of four million pounds before the rules on donations were changed. His conviction relates to US Banking laws. 

So, while Louise Haigh has a conviction for fraud involving a mobile phone, there are degrees of wrongdoing, and her crime, while wrong, are not on the same level as the backers of Reform UK Ltd. I do not think comparing her probably returning to government can be compared to the concerns with the Reform donors. 

Revisiting Nigel Farage and the Coutts bank scandal

In hindsight, Coutts probably did the right thing. In 2023, Coutts closed the bank account of Nigel Farage. He took action about this and a head rolled over this. Considering the donations that Nigel Farage and Reform UK Ltd have been given, this may have been the right thing to do.

Ben Delo, a man who was pardoned by Trump following a conviction, has donated money to Reform UK Ltd. It was reported that Ben Delo, who lives in Hong Kong, gave £4m to Reform earlier this year before the Government changed the law to put a £100,000 cap on donations from Britons living abroad. 

There also the five million pound donation to Nigel Farage for his personal security or as a reward for Brexit (depending on the time Nigel Farage is explaining it).  This one is from Christopher Harborne, a British crypto billionaire living in Thailand.  Who also has a conviction, but has not earned a pardon.

For once, this story has been given the attention it deserves, though most are ignoring the Ben Delo donation, as that appeared to have been declared and was to the party, not to Nigel Farage himself. The reason I mention this is that Richard Tice made an error with taxes (for a company), but was not hounded out of a job in the way Angela Rayner was. 

Nigel Farage has managed to avoid the consequences of this racist comments in the past. The question is if “The Establishment” in the form of Count Binface will be able to beat him. In 2024, he was elected with over 40% of the vote, which means that if all who did not vote for Farage in the last general election vote for Count Binface, then he may win! 

Quinta da Tôr and the Strait of Hormuz

We split up today. My wife was keen on visiting Quinta da Tôr, a vineyard with pools. Our son was not too keen so stayed in Santa Luzia. It was the right thing for him to do. He would not have liked it here, and we loved it.  Good wine, friendly service and pools to both swim and cool down in. 

As for the Strait of Hormuz, I naively thought that things would be sorted after the latest peace deal was agreed. But I forgot about the greed. I had realised that the reason oil prices are manipulated by the weekends was based on computer algorithms running. I came to this conclusion when I was wondering why the market kept falling for the same lies. To me, it would be logical for the market to anticipate this and switch off the algorithms, or at least prevent them from making oil trades, over weekends.  I do hope that this is all sorted out properly and soon because, as it is, too many farmers have not been able to fertilise crops and the longer this continues, the longer Trumpflation will increase global food prices. 

Trump may berate NATO nations for not providing him with direct aid in his diversionary war from him being in The Epstein files, but I am glad that we are not helping him directly to strike Iran. 

Restaurante Bica Velha

Another relaxing day. My wife and I woke a lot later than the children. We talked about what we could do and I ended up taking my wife for a drive along memory lane. I had hoped to visit Praia dos Caneiros but it was not to be. 

Later we returned to Loulé for dinner. While the rest of my family have enjoyed many great meals, because I am squeamish about sea food, I have not. But Restaurante Bica Velha has given me the best meal at a restaurant in Portugal so far. My son booked it, we are glad and may return. The picture, edited with an app is of part of the town, on the way to where I parked our car.

On a different note, my wife has not been too happy with the resignation of Starmer. For the record, she has not been his number one fan and we have had many a discussion about what she thinks is wrong with his policies, but she and I agree that he has done a lot for the nation. The country was in a much worse position when he took over and while there is a lot to do, so much has been done. We both agree that we want the economy to be better, but it is still doing well compared to our peers. Thanks to Starmer, not counting Israel and the USA, the UK is respected again across the globe. The NHS is in a better place as well. I just hope that these improvements continue once Starmer is evicted from 10 Downing Street. 

Labour, UNISON and workers rights

Listening to the radio, I was surprised to hear that the leader on Unison has said been "handing money over to the Labour Party and getting absolutely nothing in return" as Labour have brought about changes to employment rights. It is fashionable to bash Starmer, but doing this plays to the stance of Reform UK Ltd that they represent workers. 

The facts are simple. Labour have improved workers rights, Reform have promised to abolish the changes. If Unsion want a Reform UK government after the next General Election, they need to keep forgetting how Labour have not done absolutely nothing for workers.  While I understand that unions want more done, union leaders need to tell workers what Labour have done for employment rights now, or they will lose them after Farage gets elected in 2029. 

Crime and migration

JD Vance, the man married to an American woman of Indian descent, the US vice-president, blamed the appalling murder of the British teenager Henry Nowak on mass migration.  Technically, immigration causing murder is something that Native Americans would have every right to agree with. So, when it comes to the USA, he is right.

I have discussed race and migration before. In summary, our Royal Family are descended from immigrants. Immigration benefits our nation and countries with low immigration rates then not to do as well as those which make the most of managed migration. 

Soon, England will be playing in the World Cup. Many of our players are not ethnically white British. But few would want Saka out of the team.  Our nation is stronger thanks to immigrants and their descendants. Not just with The Royal Family, not just with sport, but with so many areas.  

I want our nation to take advantage of the Trump presidency to attract talent to the UK. And of JD Vance becomes President, I want to take advantage of that as well. 

Ava Santina, grooming gangs, rape, religion and race

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.

Does Tony Blair support Starmer?

My view is going to be controversial. I think Blair does support Starmer.  The intervention of Tony Blair in politics today actually raises awareness of what Starmer has done, in a way that Starmer has not been able to get across, to those on the left. 

Thanks to Blair, people have been reminded of the stance of Starmer on employment rights, net zero, the NHS and Trump. 

I do not know if this will bring back voters to Labour, notably from The Greens, but it is free publicity. 

Speaking to voters

My family have been depressed. This is because of the results of the elections yesterday.

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. 

Fertilisers and what the lack of chemical ones did to Sri Lanka

In 2021, the government of Sri Lanka banned the use of chemical fertilisers. As a result, crop yields fell and food prices went up.  As usual, it was the poorest who were hit hardest by the rises. 

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. 

I voted

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. 

Labour, Mandelson, Starmer and transparency

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.

Soft power and The Royal Family

I have been outspoken with my support for The Royal Family. I do not want an elected head of state, as I would much rather have King Charles in charge as the democratically elected alternative would be Nigel Farage.

Many have refused to accept the soft power that The Royal Family brings, but the state visit to the USA showed the importance of this.  

The Monarchy has flaws, not just Prince Andrew, but the way it did not speak out in defence of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, when double standards were shown to her, something many consider a sign of racism. 

Starmer, transparency and Mandelson

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” 

June 2025, Elon Musk tweeted that Trump featured in The Epstein files. 

November 2025, Trump was forced to release the files 

Two days after “missing” files were released, Iran is attacked.

As posted before, the files which were missing from the publication in November, contained allegations about Trump and a thirteen year old girl. 

Last of all, while many think that Starmer was wrong to sack Olly Robbins, the simple fact is that someone should have told Starmer sooner that he had inadvertently misled Parliament. Olly Robbins knew that and appeared to say nothing. 

Trump disrespects leaders other than Starmer

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.