Waiting Lists Reach A Record 7.8 Million But…

Hundreds of thousands of pounds are being spent on teaching NHS personnel how to be more courteous to each other, as waiting lists reach an all-time high.

A newspaper outlet revealed that doctors and nurses are being sent on ‘civility courses’ to learn how to sidestep personality conflicts and have a better working relationship with coworkers.

It’s aimed at lowering the cost resulting from workplace bullying and harassment in the NHS, which a study by Middlesex University London Business School has put at £2.3 billion a year.

However, some staff question whether public money should be spent on politeness classes at a time when waiting lists for routine treatment have struck a record 7.77 million.

NHS England (NHSE) said that the training by management consultants thought to cost thousands of pounds a day, was necessary for ‘complex culture change’.

One NHS worker who attended a course said that the training was telling them basic stuff, such as the importance of being polite and patient with colleagues. The NHS worker said that they weren’t sure if this was a good use of taxpayer’s money and that training was given by consultants in their 20s and 30s who had probably never worked in the NHS and that it could sound a bit patronising if a younger person is telling older staff how to behave.

One of the hospitals piloting the project, St George’s in Tooting, London, has spent £20,000 on external management consultants. The hospital trust’s management says this was a one-off cost so that it could train its staff to run in-house courses.

A spokesman said that while they expect their staff to always be respectful, whether they receive training or not, this would give them the skills to cope with pressured situations, ensuring they can continue to provide the best possible care for their patients.

A national programme to reduce staff bullying and harassment has cost £660,000 to date, according to figures provided by NHSE. From 2021 to 2023, it financed 440 places on a course titled Principles and Practice of Restorative Just Culture.

Plans for further national training are on hold during a consultation period, but NHSE says individual trusts can book training directly with Northumbria University. Yet Health Secretary Steve Barclay has said he wants to see far less taxpayers’ money being paid to outside consultants.

NHSE said that there’s considerable evidence that promoting civility and respect improves patient outcomes by ensuring staff can freely share views regarding a patient’s care.

This type of expenditure is why the NHS is an abysmal crater, with more non-contributors arriving every day.

Perhaps if we weren’t treating the entire world and its extended family this wouldn’t have happened, and they should also get rid of the managers who manage managers who are all overpaid.

The problem is as long as the elite and politicians can afford to go private nothing will change, because they just don’t care, and it’s mind-boggling what they spend our money on. It’s also a blatant theft of public funds and there should be a full and transparent inquiry into this while there are people that are sick and can’t get any support.

Politeness costs nothing and should be part of everyday life, but unfortunately, there are too many self-entitled people who think nothing of being disrespectful and offensive with no repercussions. One should put their brain into gear before opening their mouth, something that is sadly lacking these days.

Listed For Sale

It was hailed as Britain’s flagship ‘megalab’, a £1.1 billion cutting-edge diagnostic centre to counter COVID-19 and protect the country against future epidemics.

Announcing the project in November 2020, then-health secretary Matt Hancock said the laboratory ‘confirms the UK as a world leader in diagnostics’, capable of carrying out 300,000 tests a day.

However, three years later, the Rosalind Franklin Laboratory, named in recognition of the famous British scientist, stands empty, a monument to waste and incompetence, and up for sale on the property website Rightmove.

Industry insiders claim the government is now attempting to offload the world-leading facility for a fraction of its cost to taxpayers, who were forced to finance almost twice its initial £588 budget.

Instead of being at the forefront of the fight against COVID, the project opened six months late, encountered problems with equipment, staff and construction and typically processed only 11,500 tests a day before closing 18 months later.

Desperate estate agents are now offering packages that will see the custom-built facilities at Leamington Spa in Warwickshire broken up to attract ‘start-ups, scale-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises’.

MP Matt Webster stormed that he was told last summer that irrespective of COVID they would be utilising the facility.

“They said for other diagnostic purposes, for cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic disease.

“UKHSA said the UK needed that facility.

“Now they are abandoning it – why? What are they proposing as an alternative?

“So many jobs have been lost

“I was originally told the cost was £1.1bn, they’ve now said half of that which I find hard to believe.

“I asked honest questions in the chamber but no one would tell me what the cost was.”

Real estate agent Avison Young is trumpeting the sale as an ‘unmissable opportunity’, but casual browsers on the property website may be confused by features including ‘facial recognition access’ and ‘dirty and clean’ corridors.

Experts have told a newspaper outlet that there’s no demand for the 236,231 sq ft site, which was once lauded as the largest testing facility of its kind in Europe.

Jon Curtis, a leading expert in the field of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing DNA samples that he couldn’t see any private companies taking this on as a whole, only a government would.

He said post-COVID they should have had a low-cost, world-leading testing facility, but now it’s for sale. A legacy of failure and a vast waste of many hundreds of millions of pounds.

It’s outrageous how our government waste our money while squeezing the highest-ever taxes from us.

However, it does look like the ideal place to house all those migrants they’re letting into our country, and look, it’s already owned by the government, yet they’re too stupid in Whitehall to make use of it.

When will those who squandered billions of our hard-earned taxpayer money be properly held to account? They should be dragged into a court of law, this includes the experts who lied to us, created false models to intimidate us and wallowed in the limelight, making enormous amounts of money while destroying the lives of many and our economy for years to come.

Journalists used to investigate to get the facts, but now they just bow to their masters, never publishing the truth. Newspapers installed fear into a nation and then coerced the public to have vaccines they said were safe. Labelling those who did their research as anti-vaxers and tin foil hate wearers when they were attempting to conceal the truth.

It’s surprising how gullible the public can be, but gradually the truth is being exposed regarding COVID-19, and vaccines, and it’s been fabricated as a slow release to eventually get the public to rise up against the establishment. You only have to look at the latest bait articles on the new conflict to see how newspapers help to create division, hatred and eventual confrontation.

The Nation Remembers Its Dead

A two-minute silence was immaculately honoured by the enormous gathering at The Cenotaph.

Hundreds of military veterans constructed a square about the memorial to the war dead having arrived behind a marching band for Remembrance Day.

They were joined by cadets from the three military branches who stood in solemn honour as the Last Post sounded at 11 am, with the chimes of Big Ben in the background.

The hundreds of supporters of far-right leader Tommy Robinson gathered opposite Downing Street and observed the silence along with others assembled at The Cenotaph. Police equipped with riot helmets kept watch on the crowds who waved a Union Jack and a cross of St George flags.

As a bugler signalled the end of the silence applause followed by chants of England erupted from a section of the masses. This quickly ended as the wreath-laying ceremony began.

The only sound was that of a helicopter passing overhead.

Fights broke out earlier in the day as Tommy Robinson and hundreds of his followers arrived in Whitehall as police officers attempted to maintain a ring of steel around the Cenotaph ahead of a huge march in solidarity with Palestinians later in the day.

However, fears that far-right supporters would clash with pro-Palestinian protesters didn’t materialise at the crucial 11 am time.

There were no Palestinian activists in the crowd which stood 10 deep behind metal barriers.

As chants of ‘England till I die’ and ‘Let us through’ echoed near the war memorial, police reinforcements raced to contain the mob as they jostled to be allowed to join the enormous crowds assembled.

Dozens broke through and police could be seen striking out at those pushing through with batons, as it was reported some of those gathered hurled bottles towards police officers.

This comes as crafters marked Remembrance Day by decorating postboxes with poignant knitted and crocheted tributes which included planes, soldiers and poppies.

People from Yarn Bomb Hemel Hempstead, which has more than 900 members, 30 of whom are active, had put up around 35 toppers, both old and new, to pay their respects to those who served.

Christine Allsopp, one of the organisers of the group, alongside Paula Wright and Annette Simons, said that this would be the group’s sixth year marking the remembrance period, with everything from planes and soldiers to tanks being replicated in knitted and crocheted form.

It’s disgraceful to see that those who gave everything to a country are now in such a mess these days.

Most people have someone in their family who lost their life in a war someplace, and it’s only right that we show them some respect and tremendous respect to all who attended The Cenotaph yesterday.

There was a two-minute silence yesterday, broadcasted as families stood watching or listening, while everyone else went about shopping, but not everyone commemorates Remembrance Day, and it’s extremely astonishing how very few people wear a poppy these days.

It appears that people are afraid to show their allegiance to their own country. Numerous people give donations but decline the Poppy. Extremely sad!

The thing to remember is that we commemorate Remembrance Day and yet thousands of ex-service personnel sleep on our streets with no support or help, and this doesn’t appear to be a priority for the Home Secretary.

Yes, it might have been a lifestyle choice for these people who joined the Armed Forces, but they performed for the Monarchy. Some gave their lives in war, and those who came back from the war should be looked after, whether it was a lifestyle choice or not, and very few of them get any help for lasting mental health problems and PTSD.

Thousands Of Members Of The Armed Forces Continue To Work From Home

Nearly 3,000 members of the Armed Forces are still working from home, more than a year after the final COVID restrictions were discarded.

In total 2,832 troops from across Britain’s armed services are enjoying flexible working arrangements, figures by a newspaper outlet have shown.

The MoD has been actively trying to give its service personnel more leeway, with everyone eligible to ask for changes in their work patterns.

Troops can work at home for up to 30 days on an informal basis, and they don’t have to give commanding officers a reason why they want to do so when applying.

However, top brass say even when working from home, personnel are still liable to be deployed at short notice. Nor will those in vital front line or other operational posts have their applications approved.

Figures released following a Freedom of Information request show that in 2020 when the COVID pandemic was at its peak, 21,733 personnel were working from home, about 12.5 per cent of the Armed Forces. In 2021, 9,171 troops had taken up some form of remote or flexible working. Last year, the figure was 3,966.

Vice Admiral Phil Hally, Chief of Defence People, explained in a document about flexible working. He said that work wasn’t a place, it was something that they did, and that they continue to develop their flexible working offer to ensure it’s fit for people.

He said that he was proud of the work they have all done to mature the Armed Forces’ flexible working offer. Thousands of service personnel now enter formal flexible arrangements each year and hundreds have worked part-time.

The MoD is now actively recruiting staff on salaries up to £100,000 with one of the main advantages being that they can work from home.

Benefits available to troops include working a four-day week, job sharing and reducing their operational hours by up to 40 per cent. Such measures were introduced to encourage personnel not to leave their jobs following complaints about working conditions.

The figures come as Ministers draw up plans to force civil servants back to their desks. New guidelines are expected to limit remote working to one day a week to boost productivity.

The MoD said that they were grateful and proud of those who were ready to serve anywhere in the world to ensure the MoD meets all its operational responsibilities.

They added that they were clear about the benefits of face-to-face working, and the department was committed to having staff working in offices at pre-pandemic levels.

Everybody appears to be sleepwalking into an endless downfall towards an abysmal pit. The Army is no different and no part of society exists out there that’s not inflated and rudderless. Soon they’ll have the Army on parade via Zoom.

Numerous years ago soldiers worked 24/7 with very little sleep and when they did get time off most of it was spent sleeping because they were so exhausted, and as they rose up the promotion ladder it didn’t get any easier. Things have altered and it appears that these days soldiers are wrapped up in cotton wool.

I guess there are jobs out there that can be done from home, and I’m assuming that if they can work from home they’re likely to put in the additional hours and don’t even think about quitting. They can be closer to their families and spend more time with them. However, when making a phone call to a person who’s working from home, I can frequently hear a dog yapping in the background and children shouting, which is extremely offputting when I’m trying to explain myself.

Israeli Minister Warns Britain Will Face Terrorist Atrocities Like Hamas

A senior Israeli minister warned Britain will be next to face a terror atrocity like the October 7 attacks on his country unless it wakes up to the threat of Islamic extremists in the United Kingdom.

Amichai Chikli called on the UK to confront jihadists spewing hate speech on the streets and in mosques before it’s too late.

The minister said he was appalled by the shocking rise of anti-Semitism in Britain since the barbaric attacks last month which saw more than 1,400 Jewish people murdered by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel.

He told a newspaper outlet that it was very important for the people of Britain to understand that the ideology of ISIS, Hamas and Al Qaeda was deeply rooted in some of the radical Islamic communities.

He said that if the Government in Britain takes serious measures against these radical organisations, one by one, leader by leader if the civilised world wants to flourish, and that includes Britain, it needs to look straight into the eyes of this ideology and confront it before it’s too late.

He added that it was a matter of how determined we are to remove the threat, obviously it’s wasn’t the entire Muslim community, but there were radical leaders and organisations that needed to be banned and made illegal, and leaders sent to prison for incitement for promoting the jihadi ideology and anti Semitism.

He said it wasn’t just about anti-Semitism, it was far more, and that we all know that the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and ISIS are dangerous ones and that they’re seeking to dominate the world. They’re inspired by the atrocities, that’s the sickness of their ideology.

The minister promised that Israel would hunt Hamas leaders who fled abroad before ordering the terror attacks.

He said that the leaders of Hamas and their children and families, have already escaped Gaza, hiding in fancy hotels in Qatar and Doha, and they aren’t standing with their own people. They knew they were about to bring disaster for Gazans but they made sure they escaped before like cowards.

He said Hamas senior leadership is already abroad, and Israel will hunt them just like they did after the Munich Olympic massacre where terrorists massacred 11 Israeli sportsmen.

He added that we can’t surrender to the threat of barbarism. We need to treat Hamas the same as the Nazis, they need to be hunted and destroyed.

Does this man not realise that we already know all of this and that we haven’t suffered as well? People on the streets know it may or will happen, but our Government is in denial.

All you have to do is stroll around Luton and see that there’s segregation all over. We have been sleepwalking into a disaster. Now all we have to do is wake up the Government which is in a permanent vegetative state.

The British government are like an over-indulgent parent, letting their children commit misdemeanours and burying their heads in the sand.

The Government will wait until something happens and then there will be a lot of hand-wringing and the standard garbage of ‘lessons have been learned’, but they won’t have been because the Government has no spine and believe me when I say Labour wouldn’t be able to do any better.

We the public weep, lament, and gnash their teeth. Hold candle flowers and vigils but in the end, nothing is done about it.

We as a country need to toughen up, and if our police aren’t powerful enough to do anything, then we need to bring out our army because nobody has the right to terrorise us, and if they do, then they need to feel the full force of the law.

Fierce And As Sharp As A Razor, She Is A Force To Be Reckoned With

I adore Miriam Margolyes. She’s such a comical individual and has a personality all of her own and will be remembered for that. She demonstrates time and time again that she’s rogue when live on TV, especially when she comes out with obscenities and sexual innuendos during interviews, and she certainly has no filter on that mouth of hers, but this is what makes her extraordinary.

She’s famously vulgar and direct and describes herself as ‘short, fat and curly’.

Miriam Margoyles might be one of our naughtiest national treasures but she wants to be respected for her acting, not her foul mouth.

However, she tells it straight and the older she gets, the straighter she tells it and she’s famously filthy. She’s like Marmite, you either love her or hate her.

Perhaps the most memorable story that she told on the Graham Norton Show in 2011, was of how, when riding her bike as a student in Cambridge, she stopped at the traffic lights by an open car with an American soldier inside. She said that something crazy took hold of her and she said ‘Would you like to follow me to my college and I’ll suck you off?’ Sure enough, he followed. And very grateful he was, too and after said, ‘Can I come back next week and bring my friends?’

What makes her so funny is her cut-glass, upper-class voice, which is a magnificently articulated syllable as a sharp stab. However, she just doesn’t want to be that foul-mouthed old biddy, the potty mouth as she’s so often called because she said she’s more than that.

She said that she has to say what she believes to be the truth and that she’s getting on in age now, so she doesn’t give a flying fuck and that if she wants to say something she’s going to say it.

She’s popular in a way she never expected to be and her personality is incredible.

Her performances are amazing because they’re so unexpected and she provokes outrage, but nothing is planned.

Miriam Margolyes loves to talk about her Judaism and how important the traditions are for her, how she never works on Yom Kippur and how fellow Jews regard her as a heretic because she’s so critical of Israel. She said, that she thinks North London Jews feel she should keep her mouth shut and that she’s a terrorist.

She said that she doesn’t drink and has never taken drugs because she’s not interested in something you can inhale, or take into your body that changes your mind.

Miriam Margolyes said that she’s changed her attitude to a lot of things in her life while her parents never did. She said that she doesn’t believe in circumcision. That was a big thing, but she hadn’t realised until recently.

She said that she doesn’t like circumcision because you’re mutilating a child, and within a beat she was on to her next sentence, saying that she didn’t think circumcision in itself was a bad thing, and that for many women it was a good thing.

She said that she’s had a lovely time on her journey and that she hopes that she’s made people laugh. She said that her approach was too scattergun, and she said within a single thought, she can rage against climate change, Brexit, factory farming and ‘that bastard Rees-Mogg who had the impudence to say the victims of Grenfell lacked common sense.

She said she’s not focused enough on one or two things, but that she hopes to go to Israel and Palestine to make a documentary and that hopefully she will be well enough, and that would mean that she would have done her duty.

A £1.5 Billion Redevelopment Of London’s Liverpool Street Station Is ‘Grossly Disproportionate’, Historic England Says 

Proposals to redevelop Liverpool Street Station will be rejected in the ‘strongest possible terms’ by Historic England, the esteemed heritage body said.

The controversial £1.5 billion plan would see the construction of a huge new high-rise edifice and the partial demolition of the station, which is grade II listed.

It would also involve rebuilding the neighbouring Grade II listed Andaz hotel, which opened as the Great Eastern Hotel in 1884. The development would be capped with a roof garden and swimming pool.

After months of talks, the formal planning application, made by the developer behind the Shard building, was presented to the City of London.

It’s already been fiercely opposed by campaigners including the Victorian Society, but Britain’s premier heritage organisation also said it would formally reject the ‘grossly disproportionate’ plans.

Historic England is preparing a lengthy response but chief executive Duncan Wilson said that the plans were ‘fundamentally misconceived’.

Liverpool Street Station opened in 1875 and is now one of London’s busiest train stations.

An estimated 135 million people passed through it each year before the coronavirus pandemic.

Network Rail, which owns the station, and transport company MTR are partnering with developer Sellar in backing the redevelopment project.

Sellar says its proposals involve more than £1.5 billion of private investment, including £450 million to double the size of the station concourse and add more lifts and escalators.

According to the company, the station ‘suffers from significant overcrowding’ as well as ‘poor pedestrian accessibility and connectivity’.

A Historic England spokesman said the proposed demolition of the station concourse extension, built between 1985 and 1992 would ‘sever the fine 1870s trainshed from the Victorian ensemble that still characterises this special place.

They added that the architectural harmony and heritage significance achieved by the last redevelopment would be destroyed, and the natural light over the concourse lost.

They said that the proposed tall buildings above were of a grossly disproportionate scale and would trample on the station and the former Great Eastern Hotel, which is now listed as Grade II in recognition of its role as an impressive station front and for its lavish interior.

They said that its picturesque silhouette and proper grandeur would be radically compromised by the scale and bluntness of the new structures forced onto and through it.

They said the proposed redevelopment of the station would severely damage the Bishopsgate Conservation Area, to which the group of fine Victorian and Edwardian buildings on Liverpool Street is essential.

Never mind Historic England, modern England should reject that monstrosity, and it’s a slippery slope if they let it happen. How long before every other historic building has an office block plonked on top?

It’s a terrible proposition, driven by money rather than need, and we should be protecting our fabulous historical architecture, but then most of the population in London doesn’t give a damn about the history of the United Kingdom.

Why does this sort of thing only happen in this country? It wouldn’t happen in Paris, Madrid, Rome or any other European city, they treasure their history.

The problem is that developers and planners have no soul or feeling for our history, all they think about is how much money they’re going to make.

Developers know the price of everything and the value of nothing. I’m with heritage preservation every time.

By doing this they run down what makes London great and actually airbrush history and what you’re left with could be any place anywhere and London’s character is destroyed bit by bit. What we should be doing is preserving our historic buildings and saying NO to soulless boxes for profit.

As Keir Starmer Defended Not Calling For A Ceasefire In Gaza, His Car Was Ambushed

Keir Starmer has continued to resist calls to sack rebel frontbenchers who have demanded a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Labour leader attempted to reclaim the initiative amid a growing rebellion among activists, MPs and shadow ministers over his stance on Israel’s offensive in the Strip. Israeli Defence Forces have launched a ground operation against Hamas terrorists who massacred at least 1,400 Israelis when they unleashed a string of attacks on October 7.

He’s called for a humanitarian ‘pause’ to let in vital aid and for people to escape the war zone. However, senior figures frontbenchers Yasmin Qureshi, Jess Phillips and Imran Hussain have joined calls for an end to the fighting. Shadow Justice Minister Alex Cunningham pushed for an ‘immediate ceasefire’ less than an hour before Sir Keir Starmer gave an address at the Chatham House foreign affairs think tank.

Following his speech, about a dozen pro-Palestinian protesters besieged his Land Rover Discovery as police fought to clear a path from the building in London’s St James’s to the vehicle. Chanting demonstrators yelled: ‘Keir Starmer you can’t hide, we charge with you genocide!” and “Keir Starmer you’re a liar, we demand a ceasefire!’ as he emerged.

One man banged a snare drum while others waved Palestinian flags as the atmosphere deteriorated. Police forced back protesters as the car pulled away, speeding to a junction. One activist was pushed against a wall after apparently attempting to get in front of the Land Rover.

In his speech, Sir Keir Starmer continually insisted his response to the crisis was shaped by responding to both the massacre of Jews in Israel by Hamas and the ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ unfolding in Gaza. Hamas would be ’emboldened’ by a ceasefire and start preparing more atrocities, the Labour leader said.

He told guests that while he understood calls for a ceasefire at this stage, he did not believe that it was the correct position now. He said a ceasefire always freezes any conflict in the state where it currently lies, and as we speak, that would leave Hamas with the infrastructure and the capabilities to carry out the sort of attack they saw on October 7, attacks that were still ongoing, hostages who should be released, still held. Hamas would be emboldened and start preparing for future violence immediately.

He said that a humanitarian pause was the only credible approach, which could see ‘the urgent alleviation of Palestinian suffering’.

Pressed by reporters why frontbenchers who are bound by collective responsibility, the principle that they adopt a unified position, were not being fired after breaking the rule, he admitted that it was for him to address collective responsibility and he recognised that.

He added that it mattered that he took that duty extremely seriously, but he put it in the context of understanding what was driving people in the call for a ceasefire, which was in his judgment not the call that they should be making as things stood.

How is he supporting Britain by turning a blind eye to their ongoing war crimes?

Notice how the police force manages to have enough plods on duty to protect the elite, but not enough for other crimes on the streets, and so it seems these police jobs are there to protect the elite but not for the likes of you and me.

The sick, disabled and elderly are looked upon as excess baggage and our homeless are being booted out onto the streets with their children, and the Government forget that we are human beings.

Of course, any country has the right to protect itself, but it’s how a person or country protects itself, and the slaying of innocent civilians in order to destroy others is not acceptable.

I await the verbal onslaught but in my opinion, innocent civilians, especially children must be protected at all costs.

This madness must stop now! There’s no justification for the slaughter of innocent civilians and children. Once we condone the international killing of innocent people, especially children, then humankind is doomed.

Humanity, compassion and the belief that all human life is precious must prevail.

This Is A Real-Life ‘Hot Fuzz’ Moment

Police escorted a young swan out of a city centre in a ‘Hot Fuzz’ moment.

The cygnet caused a flap among shoppers when it strolled into the middle of Bath on Sunday afternoon.

Three police officers were summoned to move the bird towards the nearby River Avon, in an incident that was reminiscent of the 2007 comedy film starring Simon Pegg, which features a scene in which officers attempt to round up a swan.

One officer in Bath used a fluorescent police jacket to guide the disobedient swan towards the river as shoppers pulled out their phones to photograph the scene.

Locals were perplexed as the cygnet was seen strolling past a cafe and shops.

Simon Galloway, 59 said that he was just out shopping with his wife and daughter and they noticed a bit of a commotion outside the shop. That was when they saw the cygnet being escorted down the street, presumably down to the river.

He said that there were loads of shoppers around, and everyone had their phones out, laughing. A few dog walkers seemed quite amused, too.

A spokesperson from Avon and Somerset Police told a newspaper outlet that they were called to Upper Borough Walls, in Bath, on Sunday 29 October at around 1.30 p.m. following a report of a swan in the road.

The spokesperson said that officers from their neighbourhood policing team attended and contacted the RSPCA.

‘They then walked the swan to the canal where it would be safe.’

The incident drew comparisons with the 2007 film featuring hapless police officers played by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

Responding to descriptions of a suspect with a ‘long, slender neck’, the movie duo grappled with their own escaped swan in the fictional town of Sandford, supposedly in rural Gloucestershire, before driving it away in their patrol car.

Police were swiftly called to the incident in Bath, where they discovered the swan and a gathering of concerned locals, who had reportedly wrapped the distressed animal up.

After placing it in the back seat of their car, the officers drove the animal to the vet.

I suppose that’s all the police are good for these days and once in a while they actually do something useful, but then I suppose it’s nice to read of this kindness in this cruel world we live in, and perhaps we have finally found a vocation for our police.

At least it didn’t take three squad cars and 20 armed officers to rescue the cygnet! Poor thing didn’t even get an opportunity to indulge in some retail therapy – I was talking about the cygnet, not the police. And wasn’t that police officer a gentleman to have given the Cygnet his jacket on such a cold and chilly day?

It Has Been Decided To Cancel MORE Bonfires

Glasgow and Leeds have become the latest Bonfire Night cancellation casualties as councils across the United Kingdom continue to scrap annual firework displays due to significant budget pressures.

Thousands of residents across the two cities had been hoping to enjoy their first public showing since 2019, with previous spectacles having been cancelled due to COVID.

But council chiefs have once again dealt the cities a crushing blow by dropping the events as they struggle to finance them amid skyrocketing costs and the necessity to prioritise essential services.

The two cities have become the latest to reveal their Bonfire Nights will go off without a bang, following the likes of Manchester, Cardiff, Liverpool, Dundee and Hackney whose celebrations have also fizzled out.

It comes as Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham appealed to the public to give councils some slack over their decision to scrap firework displays.

Andy Burnham said councils were putting all of their energy and resources into helping residents through the current financial crisis, and he said that seriously, the picture out there is really bleak, really bleak, and that all of their councils were putting all their energy and resources into that at the moment.

He said during a phone-in with BBC Radio Manchester that he thought people needed to cut them some slack, to be honest, because sometimes things have to give, and they were just putting their focus now into food, and warmth for people, rather than fireworks, and that this was just a reflection of the time we’re living in.

In Leeds, the city council said it couldn’t spare the £200,000 needed to run its Bonfire Night events.

In a double blow for residents, the council also said it was axing its popular German Christmas market, saying it not be feasible due to rising travel and work visa costs for its partners at Frankfurt council.

In a statement, the council said the decision has been taken due to significant budget pressures faced by the council and the current cost of living pressures on local residents which are having a significant impact on the council’s demand for services and support.

They said, in addition, the council is facing an increase in the cost of electricity, gas and fuel and given the costs associated with restarting bonfires this year would be in excess of £200k, the decision to cancel the displays has been taken due to the need to identify any non-essential spend.

I’m assuming these councils have also sacked diversity officers and the assembly of advisors they use to save some taxpayers money, no of course they haven’t. That would be far too sensible.

What about our unwanted guests that the council pay their hotel bills for? Stop inviting unwanted guests into our country and then the councils would have far more money to spend on people native to this country. We are paying millions to house the illegal immigrants coming to live in the United Kingdom. It’s a pity Guy Fawkes isn’t around now!

So, the cost of council tax goes up, but councillors won’t be impacted by the cost of living crisis, awarding themselves pay rises.

Fireworks happen all year round now. It’s like Beirut in some regions of London, letting them off illegally at 2 a.m. God forbid we should celebrate an actual UK tradition.

We pay our council tax, so where has all of our hard-earned money gone? And most firework displays you have to pay for before being let in. So, you pay your tax and still pay again to watch these displays… con, con, con!

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