Chomper Higgot

I look forward to seeing criminal proceedings against those making death threats.

A bit of good news at last.

You are aware the US has a large very effective military weapons manufacturing industry that turns a profit and has very well entrenched political support from both sides of the house?

It’s the race of the victims of police violence that makes this a race related issue, not the race of the officers. Let’s quit with this pretense that police response dealing with black people is the same as their response when dealing with white people.

You forget. Russia went into Afghanistan long before the U.S. You also forget, it’s the Ukrainians who are the indigenous combatants and the Russians who are the invaders.

The prize for first a President and son duo to be under Federal Criminal Investigation goes to Donald Trump and his son Donald Trump jr. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-18/donald-trump-jr-mueller-report

Oil and gas are commodities, the price paid in the US is set by global supply prices, hence the price paid is impacted by supplies into the world market from all sources. The US consumer benefits from oil wars and brutal ‘oil backed’ regimes.

Let’s extend that to include oil wars?

Why not stick with the reality we have?

Correct, UK business are struggling: 57% of UK’s small businesses at risk of closure in 2023. Not a sunlit upland in sight. https://www.businessleader.co.uk/57-of-uks-small-businesses-at-risk-of-closure-in-2023/

To be clear, the FBI we’re invited by Biden’s personal lawyers to conduct the search, hence no search warrant required: "This was a voluntary, proactive offer by the president's personal lawyers to DOJ to have access to the home," said White House spokesperson Ian Sams. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-doj-searched-bidens-home-after-voluntary-proactive-offer-by-2023-01-23/

Well the Tories gave us an example of trying to re-write the economic model. They crashed the pound, came within hours of destroying the nation’s pensions industry and delivered a PM term in office less than the shelf life of Lettuce.

More trouble for Lake. Posting voter signatures online, a felony. https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/31/kari-lake-investigation-arizona-elections-official https://www.azleg.gov/ars/16/00168.htm

The UK is the only G7 nation not to have recovered its economy to pre-COVID levels. That’s in the bag.

Personal experience differ, which is again why verifiable data matters.

Please correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t you post this?: “To be accurate you should explain and say something like " my local high street looks bleak. Lots of changes since last time I saw it". You’ve asked for local observation and then object to local observations. Which brings me back to precisely why verifiable data is so much more informative.

“To be accurate you should explain and say something like " my local high street looks bleak. Lots of changes since last time I saw it". You mean like these examples I gave: “Shops that were thriving five years ago, struggling six months ago, closed since the summer. There is no longer a shoe shop in town, the nearest is 20 miles away.” “The closure during the last year of local businesses that have been trading for decades.”

Personal experiences differ. Which is why verifiable data is so much more informative.

Do you have health insurance in Thailand? If not think very carefully about the options ahead of you if you do indeed move to Thailand. Not just how you’ll pay for healthcare but also the burden of care on your wife.

By example: The closure of two banks in the local town and the replacement of one with an ATM lobby. Shops that were thriving five years ago, struggling six months ago, closed since the summer. There is no longer a shoe shop in town, the nearest is 20 miles away. A once bustling market (founded 800 years ago), now down to 4 stalls doing very little trade. The closure during the last year of local businesses that have been trading for decades. A marked reduction in the availability of goods and food stuffs in local supermarkets. The closing of local bus services, and the cancelling of services due to lack of drivers. The near doubling of demand for help from the local food bank since August 2022 when I personally was volunteering there. All of the businesses/utility companies etc I’ve contacted while here providing appalling customer contact service ( Still getting the pre-recorded telephone message ’due to COVID we are facing unprecedented staff shortages’)

December 12 month food inflation at 16.8%. Hard times for millions already struggling to afford food. https://www.statista.com/statistics/537050/uk-inflation-rate-food-in-united-kingdom/

Sadly I wasn’t talking about the weather, yesterday we were treated to bright sunshine and clean, crystal clear air. But even that cannot brighten the economic gloom of this once thriving economy.

You are right it’s only January. I’m in the UK, it’s already bleak.

Fantastic musician who’s given us so me of the most memorable music of the 20th century. My sound track for today is already loaded and being played. Thank you Maestro RIP.

Took me to and from many happy times and some that were a bit of a challenge. I recall seeing my fist 747 at Paris Orly, it appeared to me at the time to be something out of science fiction.