Titchy

 So, it appears the Far Right are overjoyed that the demo organised by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (also known as Tiny Tommeee) attracted 100,000 people - or thereabouts.  
Now not all of them were violent racists.  Not all of them were thugs.  But a certain number were.
And there were people who had just become 'concerned' apparently - after reading a lot of far right rhetoric, in the press and social media.

So it seems worth noting that this wasn't a huge event.  In October 2019, the anti-Brexit march attracted between ten and twenty time that number (depending on estimates).  And none of the Remainers attacked the police.

So we know who the real patriots are, and they weren't those marching last weekend.

Reform and Vaccines Redux

 Further to our previous post on ReformUK (who we keep wanting to call REFUK) and Vaccines, this piece from the Guardian today:

The General Medical Council is examining comments by a controversial doctor who used a speech at Reform UK’s conference to link Covid vaccines to cancer in the royal family, amid mounting condemnation of him by senior medics.

The regulator, which is charged with upholding professional standards in UK medicine, is also progressing with an investigation into Aseem Malhotra, currently an adviser to Donald Trump’s health secretary, Robert F Kennedy, over a previous claim. It may consider whether to stop or limit his ability to work as a doctor in the UK in the interests of protecting the public.

There have been warnings from medical bodies that his “pseudo-science” remarks could undermine trust in doctors.

Keir Starmer used prime minister’s questions on Wednesday to hit out at Reform UK and Malhotra, saying: “The man who wrote Reform’s health policy has made shocking and baseless claims that vaccines are linked to cancer and that has been endorsed by Reform.

“These dangerous conspiracies cost lives and it shows that Reform can’t be trusted with our NHS.”

While not a surprise, the idea of giving such an extreme conspiracy theorist a platform at the Reform conference is another proof, were one to be needed that they aren't fit to run a bath.

It will be contrails next.  Just watch.

The People Have Spoken

 Congratulations to Gary Linker, for winning TV Presenter of the Year at the National Television  Awards, ending the hegemony of Ant and Dec.

The People Have Spoken!

Quite fun

 We rather enjoyed this clue in last Saturday's Guardian Prize crossword.

A super surface!

On Amol On UC

 University Challenge has only had three question masters.  

Bamber Gascoigne (1962-1987), who always gave the impression that he knew more than anyone else in the room, and that he probably wrote the questions, while at the same time giving out a real sense of enthusiasm.  We did meet him once, back in the 1970s, when Durham were in the final. (I wasn't on the team, but the much-missed Ken Brown was).

Jeremy Paxman (1994-2023) was the second person to take the role. He came over as the arch-inquisitor, not suffering fools gladly.  Replaying his persona as questioner on Newsnight and other current affairs programmes into the UC role.  But he lacked Bamber's warmth.

And so to Amol Rajan. To be honest, we haven't had that much time for him as a journalist, either at the Independent or on the BBC Today programme.  He seemed to us to come across as both shallow and a know-it-all.  An amazing trick.  However, he has done very well, we think, in the UC job.  To our surprise.  He shows Bamberish enthusiasm, and glints of knowledge, while still being firm.  

A success, we believe.

Nighttime Air on Rye Lane

 

Weeping...

 So sad to see what has happened to the terrific Chinese willows at the North end of the Rye.

Here is an older picture, from the Trees.

And sadly, here it is today...