THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO

Man, 66, Told He’ll get £2K A Year Less

People are continually annoyed and frustrated that they aren’t getting the amount of state pension they were anticipating, and they struggle to get a simple answer as to why.

When Eric, 66, from Middlesbrough, went to claim his state pension last year he was horrified to discover he was going to get £40 less than the £168.60 a week full state pension, that’s £2,000 a year less or £41,600 over a typical 20-year retirement.

He contacted the Department for Work and Pensions to ask for an explanation regarding his low pension and couldn’t understand the gibberish he got sent, an eight-page document that made no sense to him.

Eric had reviewed his state pension entitlement about 10 years before retirement, thinking that if he needed to do anything to increase it he would have the opportunity to sort it out before he retired.

He was told he was on course for a full state pension, but he knows now that he should have reviewed it again, but then hindsight is a wonderful thing, and last year when Eric went to claim his state pension he was informed he had 33 years of full National Insurance contributions, two years short of the 35 years required to get the full amount.

He was told he could pay for those two missing years, but he would still not be guaranteed to get the full amount.

There was loads of toing and froing and he got more perplexed, so gave up, and was informed he was due £127 each week but was a tad miffed as to why two years National Insurance contributions could make that much difference, cutting his pension by nearly a quarter.

So, Eric went on a mission to try and find out why he was so much worse off. He questioned why and no one appeared to be able to resolve it, so he requested a written explanation. That’s when an eight-page document thumped through his letterbox and then he got completely confused.

The state pension system is a minefield. It’s virtually impervious and there are only a few people outside of the DWP who actually know how it works, and you really do need a stiff drink to get through it.

It all comes down to two things, and the most significant impact is for what seems to be seven years when Eric was contracted out of the state pension. So, for those seven years, he wasn’t building up the rights to the state pension but was building up additional pension benefits in workplace pensions.

Eric would have been paying a lower amount of National Insurance as a consequence, but equally significant would have been building up an extra pension in workplace schemes, and these additional amounts would be part of the amount he now gets in private pension income.

Numerous people don’t make the connection between periods of contracting out and higher private pension benefits, and while they get less in state pension it’s not clear how this amount is made up from private/workplace pension income.

The two incomplete years of National Insurance records, which could be down to periods of not working a complete year, and not claiming unemployment benefits which would automatically mean National Insurance credits were made would have reduced his state pension further.

You need a full 12 months of National Insurance to record one year under the rules, anything less won’t count towards your state pension, and these factors combined, via some complex DWP calculations, reduced Eric’s state pension by about £40 a week.

The problems really arose from the fact that we’re working with two systems, pre and post-April 2016, with most people retiring today having built up benefits under both systems, and at some point in the past, numerous people would have had periods of contracting out, which was popular in the ’80s and ’90s, and they may have been unaware this had occurred.

Figures show at its peak, more than five million people had opted out of the additional state pension through contracting out, but this practice stopped with the start of the new flat-rate system in April 2016.

Contracting out helped to boost private pensions but on the flip side reduced state pension income, and many people forgot when or if they had periods of contracting out, but pension forecasts show these numbers as a Contracted Out Protected Equivalent.

The state pension is the foundation of most people’s retirement income plans, and it’s an especially valuable benefit, and if you had to buy the equivalent of the full state pension using your own pension funds it would cost you about £277,000.

Over the last few years, and in an attempt to simplify and make the system better for all, the Government launched a new flat-rate pension in April 2016, but this has actually created additional complexity and chaos.

So, where does this leave you if you’re seeking to work out how much you are expected to get? Well, not in a great position if this post is anything to go by, and under the old state pension, it was possible to be contracted out of additional state pension, as a result, people paid less National Insurance and were also contributing to an occupational pension meaning the large preponderance benefited.

But the state pension age is rising today for millions of people, possibly costing them thousands of pounds, and under plans set out by the coalition Government in 2011, people born after 5 December 1953 will see their state pension age rise as elements of reforms appear to be designed to cut billions from the UK’s welfare bill.

The state pension age for men and women will slowly rise from 65 to 66 from now until 6 October 2020. The state pension age is then expected to rise to 67 by 2028 and 68 by 2039, and you will be expected to work until you drop.

It’s the first state pension increase for men since the modern system was launched in 1948, and as the increase is being introduced bit by bit, people will encounter different state pension ages depending on when they were born.

Anyone born from 6 December 1953 to 5 January 1954 will have a state pension age of 6 March 2019, meaning some have to wait up to three months longer to begin getting the payment.

Those born later will see a greater increase depending on their date of birth. This suggests that a three-month rise in the state pension age could cost someone over £2,000 in retirement income, while those who have to wait a full year longer could miss out on over £8,000 state pension.

This could have a notable impact on people’s finances, and a state pension age increase presumably isn’t what most people asked for in their Christmas stocking, but that will be the actuality for countless people who are about to turn 65.

And while this might feel like a cruel lottery for those immediately affected, younger generations will need to prepare for increases in the state pension age to 67 and 68, and if life expectancy continues its long-time trend upwards, then a state pension age 70 could well be on the cards.

And when it comes to younger people, the clear signal coming from the state is that if you want security in retirement, you’ll need to provide it for yourself.

10 Products Linked To Cancer That Are Hiding In Almost Every Home

Do you ever wander through someone’s home and take notes of things that could possibly be dangerous to their health? There’s that fluoride filled toothpaste lying on their bathroom shelves or chemical-ridden detergents lurking in their cupboards, but, what if some of those things are sitting in your own home?

Most people have deadly products which are linked to cancer hiding in every corner of their homes, and often without even realising it.

It’s not like the labels on these products all have a huge warning sign that reads, I can cause cancer. Nonetheless, whether people consciously buy these cancer-causing products or not, we need to be educated on their potentially dangerous effects.

Shampoo is one of the most common items hiding in most people’s homes, particularly shampoos and conditioners, and some of the typical chemicals within conventional shampoos include sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), parfum/fragrance, parabens, synthetic colours and more.

Parabens are a known carcinogen, and they’re directly associated with different types of cancer. For example, one study found that 99 per cent of breast cancer tissues tested had parabens in them.

Some common ingredients in parfum/synthetic fragrances are benzene derivatives, aldehydes, phthalates, and countless other poisons linked with cancer, birth defects, nervous system disorders and allergies.

Head and Shoulders specifically contains fragrance, synthetic colours, and SLS, amongst a myriad of other chemicals in the deadly cocktail that makes up their shampoos and conditioners.

Some of their shampoo products also contain methylchloroisothiazolinone, a possible mutagen.

Non-Stick Cookware, everyone absolutely loves it, that was until we found out about the possible health hazards that come with cooking with these products.

The problem is that non-stick cookware is produced by using a synthetic coating of polytetrafluoroethylene, otherwise known as Teflon, a plastic polymer that will actually release toxins when heated at 450 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.

One investigation discovered that heating cookware covered with Teflon for only two to five minutes on a standard stovetop can cause the coating to break apart and release poisonous particles and vapours.

Even just breathing these once can cause people to become ill with what’s known as the Teflon flu, and some of the chemicals within that coating are also considered possible carcinogens.

Artificial Sweeteners are in so many products, and one of the most widespread ones used is aspartame. Aspartame is generally believed to only be in diet sodas, but it’s frequently added to teas, energy drinks, protein shakes, milk products, juices and other artificially flavoured beverages.

Aspartame has been linked to many health problems, including cancer, and there’s been a lot of debate encompassing the aspartame/cancer connection, and numerous companies that profit off aspartame have funded research in attempting to refute the causal link.

But, a study performed in 2007 revealed that aspartame can cause leukaemias/lymphomas and mammary (breast) cancer, and instead of using artificial sweeteners, try a natural option such as maple syrup, raw honey, Xylitol, Stevia, organic cane sugar, or dates.

Plastic Bottles and Food Containers

So much of our food comes in plastic bags, containers, and bottles. Even our fruits and vegetables are generally covered in plastic. Not only is this greatly wasteful and harmful for the environment, but it isn’t really good for our health, either.

And if you’re drinking from a plastic water bottle, the chemicals within that plastic that are touching your lips can actually seep into your mouth, particularly if your water has been sitting in the bottle for a while.

Has anyone ever left their bottle in a hot car? Well, that’s even worse because the heat facilitates the chemicals leaching. And you’ve probably seen more and more BPA-free labels on plastic bottles, and that’s because people have become increasingly conscious of how using plastic containers can harm our health, as many include BPA, which can cause cancer in people.

An easy solution is to use a refillable water bottle and glassware, which is not only better for your own health, but the health of the environment too.

Air Fresheners Well, this is a huge one because air fresheners are all over people’s houses, from bedrooms to bathrooms to cars, people love them, but they’re made with synthetic fragrance, otherwise known as parfum.

Parfum is essentially a cocktail of toxic chemicals, but instead of listing all of those chemicals on the back of the products, it’s conveniently identified as parfum so that companies can keep their signature fragrance a trade secret.

Sadly, this also enables the companies to hide toxic ingredients, many of which are known carcinogens in their products without the consumer even knowing.

For a more natural option, try brands like Saje Natural Wellness or DoTerra, or make your own using essential oils and water. You could even use natural disinfectants like tea tree or pine essentials oils.

Conventional Cleaners Well, most families have a whole shelf packed with toxic cleaners because companies persuade consumers they need different products to clean specific facades, and even though most of these products have toxic warning signs on them that explicitly state they’re poisonous and/ or corrosive, people proceed to, quite literally, buy into this corporate propaganda.

Not only are they breathing in these fumes while cleaning, but so are any of their household guests and/or children, and some of the common chemicals found in household cleaning products include 20-BE, which causes reproductive problems. Ammonia which is associated with kidney and liver impairment. Then you have coal tar dyes which can cause cancer and harms the nervous system.

Toothpaste essentially uses toxic substances as a means to clean your mouth as the ingredients in regular toothpaste can cause enamel damage, dental fluorosis, stomach ailments, skin rashes, and more.

One of the worst ingredients found in most conventional and dentist-approved toothpaste is fluoride, a known carcinogen.

Fluoride has been a known neurotoxin for a long time, but the government insists it helps our teeth, and in fact, it hasn’t actually been proven to stop the accumulation of unhealthy oral bacteria, however, it has been proven to be toxic, with long-term ingestion linked to brain, heart, and bone problems.

In point of fact, fluoride causes more human cancer mortality than any other chemical, but because the government have the power they don’t have to tell the truth, and that’s a rule that’s been working in this world for generations.

And there are a great many people who don’t tell the truth when they’re in power of administrative positions, and this amounts to public murder on a huge scale, and it’s a public crime.

Soap Whether it’s dish soap, hand soap, or body wash, conventional soaps frequently contain an extensive collection of chemicals, and antibacterial soaps regularly contain Triclosan, which is a possible carcinogen, along with various other ingredients frequently found in typical soaps. Conventional soaps also frequently contain parfum/fragrance.

The good news is that organic or all-natural soap is widely accessible, and Dr Bonner’s makes a great dish soap, as does Green Beaver, and there are tons of great body products made by all-natural brands like Andalous and Saje Natural Wellness.

Laundry Detergent frequently contain phosphorus, enzymes, ammonia, naphthalene, phenol, and sodium nitilotriacetate, all of which can cause rashes, itchiness, dryness, and sinus problems because these chemicals are quickly absorbed through the skin from clothes and bedsheets.

In addition, numerous conventional detergents contain artificial scents and fragrance, which is a code name for a sweet cocktail of dangerous chemicals and possible carcinogens.

Baby Powder

Many baby powders are talc-based, meaning that they contain large amounts of talcum powder, and talc in its natural form contains asbestos which can cause cancer, but one of the most common baby powders used and is produced by Johnson and Johnson is talc-based, and the company has been sued numerous times and has paid millions of dollars to those who’ve claimed their baby powder caused their cancer.

A more recent case against Johnson & Johnson involved a California woman who was given more than $70 million in her suit against the company, as she claimed their baby powder caused her ovarian cancer, and Johnson & Johnson, like many other companies, has failed to disclose the hazards of using their products.

The great part about all of this is that there are unbelievable, all-natural options to all of these products, and you don’t need to be living in fear that you’ll get cancer because there are so many things you can do to stop it, starting with substituting these products with all-natural alternatives.

Graffiti Granny

Isn’t the older generation supposed to be setting an example, rather than vandalising the community, and this lady’s a retired teacher.

But when you get to this lady’s age, it doesn’t make any difference. Did she just think, oh what the hell?

This woman has been accused of scaremongering, but according to this lady that isn’t the case because if this form of Brexit goes through, we’re facing catastrophe.

This isn’t scaremongering. We’re facing a disastrous situation where all the privileges we have had from being in the EU will be lost at a swoop.

There is such an unbelievable lack of information about the way we use the EU, about the way the EU works, the way we benefit from it, and such an incredible amount of misinformation leading to people demonising this union of 28 nations working together for the common good.

The trouble is, it doesn’t matter, the debate is over, the vote has been taken and we leave on 31st October.

We know things aren’t foolproof, but if we also refuse to ignore the huge and notable damage it will do to this country, then this country is over, and we really don’t know what we’re in for.

At least being in the EU gave us some durability. We had a vote, and we knew who our friends and foes were, but we had more clout being in such an influential alliance, particularly with the USA and Russia having their own agendas.

We should really be fearful for the future because the world is in such confusion, particularly with the Tories and Boris Johnson because Boris is such an opportunist and chancer, a lot like his buddy across the pond.

It’s the moneyed elite that are the people who want to crush the EU, and if anyone wants to debate about the end of the EU, an institution which has kept unity across Europe for 70 years, then please at least question who profits from destroying it.

Some might not agree but it took a lot of guts to do what this lady did, so I’m with her all the way, and she has more intelligence than some of our MP’s, and a lot more savvy to the actuality of the situation.

As for this lady scrawling graffiti on the wall, it’s only chalk, it will wash off, and I’m sure the police have got more important things to do – it’s probably washed off by now anyhow!

This lady was pretty smart writing on the wall in chalk, let’s hope it doesn’t rain because some of us oldies feel a sense of responsibility to make a stand against Brexit, and most of us have profited considerably from the UK’s EU membership, but the younger generation will be denied all of those opportunities.

Of course, there are many that wish we’d never joined the EU, and apparently, there are more Leavers than Remainers. Of course, it wasn’t a great idea to join the EU in the first place, Britain was doing reasonably well on its own, but of course, there’s always one bright spark out there that thinks otherwise.

And of course, nobody was complaining or has complained when we can just jump on a plan to any EU country that we like without a visa, or that our children can go to University in an EU country without much ado because being in the EU gives us the power to live, work and study in any country in Europe.

And if there were people there that didn’t take that opportunity, it’s not anyone’s fault but their own fault and clearly not the EU’s, and whilst we’ve been in the EU your employment rights have been protected, the environment that you’ve been living in has been protected, but that’s not enough for some people, but of course, it could have been much worse without EU laws.

But that’s okay, go ahead and sabotage the future of our young people!

Home Office Stabbing

A man in a suit was slashed in the face by a knifeman outside the Home Office in Westminster where armed police swooped on the scene and a cordon was put in place after the victim, who was allegedly in his 60’s, reportedly went into the building for help.

Climactic photos reveal a man with a bloodied face nursing an injury as he was escorted out by paramedics, and Scotland Yard has detained a 29-year-old man on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and ownership of CS spray.

An eyewitness reported seeing blood-soaked tissues in the entrance hall of the Government building, but police are keeping an open mind on motive and have not yet ruled out terrorism, and there have been unconfirmed rumours that the victim was a member of Home Office staff and that he was targeted because he was wearing his pass.

It has further been alleged that before the attack, a man asked a woman if she worked in the building, and it was alleged that he had an albino ferret in a pet transporter with him.

Police initially said the victim had been left with life-threatening injuries but have since established his wounds were not life-threatening or life-changing, and Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted that her thoughts were with the victim and their family following the horrific unprovoked knife attack on Marsham Street.

Police officers on motorbikes and paramedics appeared on the scene at about 1.20pm, and observers claim the person who stabbed the victim ran off.

The victim was seen being brought out and taken away in an ambulance, and eyewitnesses at the scene said: The gentleman who was escorted out by paramedics looked to have a black shirt partially on, with blood down his front, possibly from his face, and it looked like his clothing had been removed to possibly check for other injuries.

An office worker opposite, who requested to remain nameless, described seeing a man, thought to be the perpetrator, walk calmly down the road after the incident.

He was standing over there outside the Home Office and then he was putting something away in his bag, but I didn’t see a knife or anything. He was putting something away and then he just calmly walked off down the road as if nothing had happened. Then people were being asked to go into the Home Office, they were being ushered in.

A barista working opposite the headquarters said she noticed the man full of blood wandering out of the Government building. She said the victim appeared to be in his 50s and was not wearing a shirt as he walked out with police. He had just trousers, nothing on top. He was full of blood. He was escorted by police and paramedics. I saw just the police when the police came. He was coming out from the building, the officers came in and took him out.

Eyewitness Guy Ellis, 54, further reported seeing a man remove a long knife from his bag before the incident. He said: I was sat outside the Home Office waiting for a friend to meet for lunch and on the other side of the entrance I just saw a bloke take a knife out of his bag, and just wander up the path, stop in front of two girls who were just sat there having a chat, and then he wandered back and turned around and crossed the road very calmly and merged into the crowd.

A second cordon was in place around the entrance of St John’s Smith Square, a few minutes walk away, where a knife sheathing could be seen, and a train ticket to Birmingham, a cap of pepper spray, a pager and a pair of glasses, as well as a rucksack and cat carrier, lie nearby.

Police was called at 13.06 to Marsham Street, Westminster following the description of a man with a knife. Officers attended to discover one man with knife injuries.

London Ambulance Service attended to treat the wounded man, and one man has been detained and is in custody. The building was not evacuated.

The man was taken to a major trauma centre where he got medical care, but this is a genuinely troubling incident.

If Boris Loses No-Confidence Vote

The Queen is not amused, and she is reportedly troubled at being drawn into the escalating Brexit mess, and if Boris Johnson loses a no-confidence vote and refuses to budge then it will be up to the Palace to determine whether the squatter should be ousted from Downing Street.

It smashes the myth that the Queen is somehow beyond party politics, but then the Queen has never been an indolent observer with a ringside throne. They have always been a significant player in the political process, and by accident of birth, they’re awarded the privilege of a private chat each week with the Prime Minister.

By accident of birth, they can request at any time a meeting of the Privy Council, peers, senior ministers, bishops and judges to ask for their opinions. By accident of birth, they sign off Charters governing the BBC, universities and, press regulation.

By accident of birth, they are given access to every government file, and we’ve endured this because we admire the personal conduct and integrity of the current head of state, but will we think the same when Prince Charles, who has repeatedly intervened in ministerial affairs, takes over?

So, not only is Brexit now endangering our representative’s parliamentary democracy, the British Constitution, and the union of the United Kingdom, it’s ultimately endangering the monarchy itself, and it now appears that all is being sacrificed at the altar of Brexit.

And it appears that Boris Johnson is leading a neo-Jacobin coup. First, you must destroy everything, the whole socio-political construct, bring the status quo crashing down in order to establish a New Jerusalem on the smouldering ashes of the ancient regime.

And if people think that immigration will end after Brexit, think again because this government are excellent at telling the people what they want to hear and the more they hear it, the more they believe it.

Next, we will be electing our own monarchs, rather than having a hereditary monarchy.

I don’t know about you, but I really like the concept of having an inherited monarchy. The problem is, it’s not actually a British monarchy, it’s more like the United Nations hereditary wise, and I’ve heard of keeping it in the family, but when is far enough before we get a deranged royal? Oh, no. I think we’ve previously had a few of those.

But of course, the public can’t elect a monarch because once you begin electing a head of state, it becomes a republic.

I can’t say that I’m thrilled about the Royal family or the Queen come to that. I can take her or leave her, it actually doesn’t bother me too much, but perhaps it is time that she got down off her throne and got her whip out and beat our government up into some sort of shape because she certainly needs to do something.

After all, this is her country as well, and the Queen might have said that she’s disappointed in Britain’s political leaders, and their failure to govern correctly, but rather than talking about it, why doesn’t she do something about it? After all, she is the Queen.

Mind you the 93-year-old monarch only mentioned it privately, and it was reported that the Queen was really dismayed over the situation and unhappy with the state of Britain’s politicians amid the Brexit disorder.

Her disappointment has possibly grown because MPs are threatening to pull her into Brexit and the United Kingdom moving closer to a no-deal under the new Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but the Queen stays out of political affairs of state and is known for being rigidly neutral.

Her views have rarely been exposed and this is said to be amongst the starkest political statements she is known to have made, coming as a shock to courtiers, but of course, Buckingham Palace has refused to comment on those claims.

And claims have surfaced that Tory rebels and Labour MPs plan to call on the Queen to intercede if Boris Johnson declines to leave in the wake of a Commons no-confidence vote.

Boris Johnson has reportedly agreed to meet Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar to discuss Brexit and the Northern Irish backstop, and the UK has accepted Leo Varadkar’s proposal to meet and dates are being reviewed, and Boris Johnson told the European Union that there was no point in having new talks on a withdrawal agreement unless negotiators were prepared to drop the backstop agreed by his forerunner Theresa May.

The EU has said it’s not ready to reopen the divorce deal it agreed with Theresa May, which included the backstop, an insurance policy to block the return to a hard border between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU-member Ireland.

Theresa May’s deal was refused three times by British parliament, saying that the United Kingdom would remain in a customs union unless and until alternative arrangements were determined to avoid a hard border.

Boris Johnson has said Britain will leave the EU on October 31 with or without a deal, and he’s stepped up preparations to leave without a divorce agreement if Brussels refuses to renegotiate, prompting some lawmakers to assume a no-deal Brexit is his intention.

The Telegraph said it was hoped a meeting between Boris Johnson and Varadkar could take place before the G7 summit in France later in August. In the meantime, former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown has said that the United Kingdom, having previously been honoured around the world for being inclusive and outward-looking, now displays a portrayal of division, prejudice and introversion.

Gordon Brown wrote that three weeks into Boris Johnson’s premiership, English nationalism is on the rise, the Conservative and Unionist party has been reincarnated as the Conservatives and Brexit, and unionism appears to be sleepwalking into oblivion.

He concluded by saying that the ideals of an inclusive outward-looking Britishness could not survive the divisiveness and chaos of a no-deal Brexit. And he said that to prevent the rise of dysfunctional nationalism, the first step was to stop no-deal in its tracks.

The Queen really should do something, perhaps dismiss this government. She should maybe make it her legacy before she leaves this planet, and she would be praised for it.

Theresa May’s agreement was denied three times by the British parliament, but an agreement that is rejected is not an agreement, but a suggestion, and I actually wonder if the Queen reads these comments, she’ll be at the end of her tether if she does.

Hopefully, Great Britain will stay in the European Union, which would be much more beneficial than being the largest trading block with our friends in Europe, and it would make much more sense to cement further relationships with them, than leaving with a no-deal.

The Queen should terminate this parliament and prevent the Conservative party from putting forward any competitors in any seat for the next General Election. The people of the United Kingdom are not happy, but then the English are not happy unless they’re miserable!

How does the Queen know what’s going on in the world while she lives in her Ivory Tower, living the closed life that she does, and does she really think that the entire country smells like new paint, with everywhere she goes being done up for just a few moments that she’s there?

But if the Queen does get drawn into this, unwillingly, I’m sure, she might have to eventually make a decision, and I’m confident that she will put the country first, whatever the people think about the rights and wrongs of having a Royal family.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re in support of the monarchy or not, myself, I’m not, but you can’t help admiring a woman who took on a job because she was born into it, who vowed to do it for the rest of her life, and has done it well as anyone could right into her 90’s.

The problem with this country is that people accept what the papers tell us, and propaganda is widespread, but what would you rather have the boring truth, or an exciting lie? Well, if you want lies, simply carry on reading the newspapers.

You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.

The Queen is not amused, and neither are the rest of the population.

The Tories have been in power for a decade, and all we’ve seen from this incompetent government is endless austerity cuts, underfunding and wage stagnation, and all these policies were inflicted upon the poorest in society.

But evidently, we’ve never had it so good.

And we urgently need a shift of direction in this country, and we need a fresh government that guarantees that future wealth is spread fairly across the whole of the United Kingdom. Sadly, that will never be achieved by this prevailing government or Tory lead government.

You can’t cut and slash your way to prosperity, that can only be done by investment and growth, and that’s something this government have no intention of doing, and Boris Johnson has become Prime Minister with the lowest approval ratings in living memory, but his election team doesn’t appear to be concerned because that still puts him on a significantly better footing than Jeremy Corbyn, who is considerably behind Boris Johnson on personal approval ratings.

And when the opposition fails in being a reliable option, then it puts precisely zero pressure on the government actually doing their job because they know that no matter how badly they mess up they won’t be replaced.

And it makes you want to beat their miserable heads together, and not necessarily when connected to their shoulders, and the Queen has consumed the last 70 years doing nothing but smashing champagne bottles and Ascot, but suddenly the 93-year-old has got the world’s most difficult political puzzle to solve.

But to be honest, what’s best for this nation is to do what’s in the best interest of the country, and revoking Article 50 would certainly be in the best interest of the country. We should either pass the withdrawal agreement negotiated between the United Kingdom and the EU or withdraw from Brexit altogether.

A petition calling for Article 50 to be revoked, effectively cancelling Brexit has been signed by more than six million people, but Theresa May said that it shouldn’t be revoked, but the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling last year verified that the United Kingdom could revoke Article 50 itself, without having to ask the other 27 EU countries for permission.

This could be done by writing a letter to the European Council, made up of EU heads of state, and it would remain a member of the EU on the same terms, as it has now, including keeping its budget rebate, but it did set some conditions.

The ruling said revocation should be unequivocal and unconditional, insinuating that the UK could not just revoke Article 50 in order to buy more time and then resubmit at a later date. Well, that sounds fair enough to me, our government can’t have its cake and eat it!

So, who decides? Well, the UK government has a power known as the Royal Prerogative, which allows it to do certain things including deploying armed forces, granting honours and altering international treaties without consulting Parliament.

This is the only way to prevent the devastation of a no-deal Brexit because a run on the pound was once the kind of event that disturbed a Prime Minister, now the Conservative government’s central policy will not only crash the pound but also end Britain’s manufacturing and agriculture overnight and block half the country’s transportation of food and medicines, and it seems to be showing no remorse whatsoever.

A no-deal will spell the end of Britain’s car industry and various other manufacturing divisions which depend on exports and complex supply chains. Farmers will suffer harmful tariffs overnight and many will just go under.

And revoking Article 50 would accommodate a lot of people, but I suspect that the right-wing press will let that happen because together with their billionaire-backed ogre facilities and paid rabble-rousers there will be a lot of political objection to dispense with.

Teenager Whose Lung Collapsed

A teenager whose lung collapsed has claimed the chemicals inside Juul pods nearly killed him.

Chance Ammirata, from Florida, United States, used to smoke one pod every couple of days, the equivalent to about 10 cigarettes worth of nicotine and is advising people to throw their vapes away.

His warning came after he was rushed to hospital with a suspected muscle strain which turned out to be severe lung damage.

The 18-year-old said he had been struggling to sleep due to a piercing pain in his left side, but it was only when he went out bowling with a friend that he was forced to go to the hospital.

Seven surgeons came in to see him, and it was scary, especially when you see seven surgeons come in, you think they’re going to tell you that you have five days to live or something like that, but instead the doctors told him they’d found a small hole in his left lung, which had collapsed.

They inserted a tube into his lung and inflated it while they worked to repair the damage, and when they did the actual major surgery to inflate his lungs, the surgeon said that whatever he’d been smoking had left these black dots on his lungs.

And according to reports, specialists told Chance he will never be able to scuba dive again, and that he should stop cross country running, and he’s further been told it would be some time before he’ll be able to get on a plane.

The teen had never smoked cigarettes, only the Juul. He thought the Juul was safe. He’d been doing it for a year and a half and can never do it again, and people out there shouldn’t do it either. People believed that vaping was okay to do, who knew this could be the outcome?

But then inhaling smoke, vapour, drugs et cetera into your body or lungs will not end well, it doesn’t take a mastermind to know that, and with vaping one habit is simply substituting another one and people are really no better off.

And in Wisconsin, at least a dozen people have recently been hospitalized and treated for severe lung damage. The first cases were announced last month, and the number has been rising.

All of these patients are young between their teenage years and 30s and all of them seem to have been harmed by vaping.

Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services confirmed 12 cases and is examining 13 others, including older patients up to their 50s who are experiencing lung damage as a consequence of vaping, and hospitalisation of at least a dozen people raises the question. How have e-cigarettes created so much harm, when they haven’t been around for that long?

It’s mind-boggling because the large preponderance of people who smoked cigarettes started as youngsters or teenagers, but yet you don’t hear about people getting lung cancer until their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, so consider that matched to people using vapes now, particularly teenagers, and have you ever heard of a teenagers who smoked cigarettes ending up in hospital in their teens.

Yet this teenager ended up being hospitalised after one year of using a vape, and he didn’t have symptoms that might have warned him something was amiss until something was seriously wrong. The problem is we have no concept of what e-cigarettes and vapes will cause and what the symptoms will be.

It took doctors years to completely comprehend all of the dangers associated with smoking cigarettes, including cancer, and when it comes to vapes, it’s too early on for doctors to know all the possible long-term health consequences, however, there’s mounting evidence of short-term risks and lung damage.

Lung damage is what we should be most centred on right now, but there’s so much more going on concerning the chemicals in e-cigarettes and vapes, and doctors have no idea what the consequence is going to be because they’ve not seen it before.

A study printed in the journal Pediatrics last year discovered a number of different toxic chemicals in e-cigarettes, including one linked to different kinds of cancer, and some of the chemicals turned up even when teens used non-nicotine products like fruit-flavoured vapes.

And whilst there are numerous pending issues about vaping, which I’m certain will be announced over time, one thing has become apparent, it appears that some kids are having very measurable damage in a really short period of time than what we’ve seen from smoking cigarettes.

Universal Credit Warning

Victims have reported being offered loans on their doorstep, on the telephone, or through social media, and some people who currently get government benefits or who qualify for Universal Credit have been targeted by the scam.

The fraudsters are then leaving the victims up to £1,500 out of pocket, and Action Fraud has issued a warning, advising segments of the public to be conscious of ways to defend themselves from being targeted.

People are being contacted by a fraudster, offering them a free or a low-cost Government loan or grant. The scammers are then asking private and financial information from the victim, and they’re using these details to apply for Universal Credit in the victim’s name, normally without notifying them about this.

With the details having been used to apply for Universal Credit, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) then approves the single claim, transferring the money to the victim’s account, and the fraudster then requests that the victim transfer them a notable part of the money as a finder’s fee.

But, due to having unknowingly received a Universal Credit advance payment, victims have then received a letter from DWP about their Universal Credit application, and due to the fraudster’s actions, they’ve then had to repay the entire amount originally obtained.

One victim has said that they were introduced to the scam by a so-called friend on social media, and after reaching the free grant of more than £1,000, they were later asked to transfer the £500 to the fraudster’s account as a finder’s fee.

But it was only when they got a letter from the DWP requesting the repayments for the advance was when they realised they had been scammed, but a DWP spokesperson said they’re working to encourage people to listen to their senses, and people should be conscious that if someone offers you a low-cost loan from the Government, they may be attempting to hijack your identity.

Everyone should manage their personal information for benefits in the same way they would their bank account, and if someone does believe that they’re being targeted, that they should contact the DWP immediately.

But it just proves how easily the stupid and their money are parted, however, the problem has been raised in Work and Pensions questions in Parliament, and Justin Tomlinson has offered to look into it as a matter of urgency, but I wouldn’t hold your breath, there’s still nothing from DWP, they’re supposedly still investigating whilst fraudster’s are exploiting the Universal Credits benefits system, leaving defenceless families poverty-stricken.

Criminals are posing as Jobcentre workers or helpful advisers are targeting people on low incomes and getting them to hand over their personal details by promising to help them apply for the interest-free loans offered by the Government to meet the waiting period until their initial Universal Credit payment comes through.

The fraudster’s then applied online for the benefit, and then take most or all of the loan and then disappear, but then the Government’s arrogance in thinking that everyone and anyone can manage an online account, and it’s going to feed this phenomenon.

And fairly soon there will be people out there lending out money from the back room of their houses or bars who are going to have a flourishing new cottage industry, helping people to claim Universal Credit and handling their claims because there’s no other help available or people will have to wait longer to get their money.

And the people out there lending money will hold the claimant’s login details, and the victim will come back to them to ask them what to do, and they will be glad of the help, and his fees will be as modest as is the APR’s on his loans.

Facebook is now being used as a way of contacting possible victims, and one victim was scammed into claiming Universal Credit on Facebook. She was informed she could get a £1,200 loan and it wouldn’t affect her benefits.

They took all her details and without her knowledge and lodged a Universal Credit claim and generated a full months payment in advance. The money went into her bank account but she was informed they needed to access her bank details and she gave them the log in details.

The £1,200 was then removed from her account and she contacted the police and her bank. The bank refunded £600 but said she voluntarily took part in the scam, so couldn’t have the full amount reimbursed, and by whoever the fraudster was who lodged the Universal Credit claim, this lead to CTC, HB and the ESA claim being closed down.

She said that the DWP agreed that it must have been someone within the Universal Credit call centre and agreed it was a scam, but they wouldn’t put her back on legacy benefits and are making her repay the £1,200 advance at £100 a month. The interesting thing is, the police said they’ve seen it a few times now.

There has also been a case in which a defenceless claimant, who also has an appointee, but these people turned up at her home when she was alone, plied her with alcohol and made the online Universal Credit claim. The claimant has mental health difficulties and the drink interfered with her medication and she couldn’t recollect much.

These people even drove her to the bank to withdraw cash once the advance came through, then drove off and left her with £25 in her pocket, wasn’t it was kind of them to leave her the taxi fare to get home? These people prey on the defenceless and are nothing more than the lowest of low dregs of society.

45,000 Dairy Cows Could Be Culled

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has denied allegations that 45,000 dairy cows will be culled in Northern Ireland as part of a no-deal Brexit, but it’s thought that cows could be culled in the event of a no-deal Brexit if new higher taxes are applied to British milk.

But UFU president Ivor Ferguson said it was “scare tactics”, and the Department of Agriculture said it wasn’t proposing the culling of animals, and that they certainly didn’t anticipate culling dairy cows.

It seems that the figure of 45,000 cows has been plucked out of the air.

They might not be planning to cull animals, but they are examining ways to support the industry through contingency measures and possible funding streams, and the Department of Agriculture, Environmental and Rural Affairs (DAERA) have recruited extra resources and trained current workers in the anticipation of significant demand for export health certificates.

About 800 million litres of milk are processed in the Republic of Ireland from Northern Ireland each year, but the concern amongst farmers in Northern Ireland is that, if no agreement is reached and traditional relationships with the south become complex, the country will be left with an oversupply of milk that they will not be able to process or sell.

Farmers supplies are at their weakest now because farming hasn’t been profitable in a number of sectors, and if milk had to face a tax, the only way that milk would go across the border would be if the government stepped in and paid the tariff.

Of course, our government is only interested in self-preservation, and with farmers saying that they will have to cull animals, and supermarkets warning that they will struggle to keep shelves stocked, rather than murdering harmless animals perhaps we should destroy this Government?

And as we move nearer to October 31st, we should expect all Remain news outlets, the BBC included to be delivering ever-increasingly hysterical reporting of this kind, but then they’re only misleading those who’ve already been deceived.

Yet there’s been no apology from the BBC for tweeting these terror tactics. They published a whole load of tweets all based on a maybe or if what scenarios, but no real facts because there aren’t any yet, and yet they’re assumed to be impartial.

But so much fear from the BBC has turned into white noise and sound reasoning is entirely disregarded, and we really do require an enquiry into fake reporting by the British press on Brexit, and I’m sure Labour would support this, as it’s all they babble on about, having an enquiry.

And before we have a cattle cull, we should probably have a media magnet cull, and then a legal obligation to state explicitly when articles or parts of propaganda or opinions of propaganda are addressed.

On the other hand, do you remember when 10 million sheep and cattle were culled because of foot and mouth? We didn’t seem to have a problem with our milk supply then, next they’ll be telling us that the cows have quit producing milk because of the no-deal Brexit.

So who’s the prime offender for circulating this bogus news? Well, supposedly our own free, fair and unbiased BBC, who appear to be scaremongering and giving out false narratives, and it’s disgraceful that they’re permitted to get away with it.

And now there’s tittle-tattle about cows causing global warming. Of course, we can’t dismiss that farming has a significant influence on global warming, because farming is essentially serving the consumer’s need for food, and with raised prosperity, people are eating more meat and dairy products every year.

And it’s been implied that we eat much less meat and dairy products because this is the most effective way to conquer our personal carbon footprint and to generally lessen our personal negative impact on the environment.

Global warming is a really sensitive issue, and something that we shouldn’t disregard, but of course, we can’t simply blame all the cows or these farms for this phenomenon, humans are also responsible for this.

Every day, a person contributes extensively to global warming unconsciously by driving a vehicle or throwing a bit of plastic or paper, but then there are numerous companies out there that are developing eco-friendly commodities like natural spices, biodegradable plastics, electric cars like peapod cars and the likes.

But what is the actual probability that these acts can actually contribute to preventing global warming? And we should be ashamed of ourselves because we’re immortalising this drivel pro-EU propaganda.

They’re Simply Saying No

It now appears that the EU is refusing to negotiate with the United Kingdom, but the Prime Minister’s been explicit that he wants to negotiate a good deal with the European Union, and he will utilise all the strength of the government to ensure that in the spirit of friendliness that we can negotiate a new deal.

But one thing is obvious, the old deal that was negotiated has failed to pass the House of Commons three times now. So, the government does need a new approach, and whatever happens, while they remain ready and willing to negotiate, the EU must understand that we’re leaving on October 31st, deal or no deal.

This government has been thoroughly explicit in that we need to change the Withdrawal Agreement because it couldn’t get through parliament, and we can’t have a deal, that doesn’t command the spirit of the Government, the Parliament and the country.

And that’s why this government has been clear with the European Union, that we need a new approach, and the government is ready, to engage with the European Union, to negotiate in good faith, to make sure that we can have a friendly relationship in the future, and that the government will put all their strength into making sure that they can obtain that good deal.

But at the moment, it’s the EU that appears to be telling us that they’re not interested and they’re simply saying that they don’t want to talk, and that’s improper and disturbing, and it’s not in Europe’s interests.

This government is willing to negotiate, eager to talk, ready to ensure that we get the greatest possible deal from the European Union, but it’s also the case, that they’re sizing up preparations, so that we’re ready to leave on October 31st, with or without a deal.

And the EU needs to understand that the days of drift, that we’ve had in the past have ended. That’s it, it’s a firm deadline, and the British people expect us to leave, we will be ready to leave, come what may.

I’ve actually got to say that this guy Michael Gove sounds great, he looked the camera in the eye and exaggerated so positively to the British people, it’s extraordinary, but then he was groomed for years at the finest establishments, but that’s why they’re called politicians.

But when did we last meet an honest non-self interested politician? But then Michael Gove is fulfilling the role of an obedient, grateful poodle, and he does it so well.

This is simply classic blame-shifting and it’s outrageous and shameful.

The EU negotiated for the best part of three years in good faith, so no surprise they won’t talk to us anymore, so now the balls in our court, but then when will the ministry of silly walks realise they’ve already made other plans and the United Kingdom will suffer because our government has concluded that hara-kiri is their best choice.

But then they’re a wicked conspiracy of deceiving rogues and collaborators, and they’re driving this country to a repeat of the 1640s, and they’re either really dumb or fundamentally wicked, and it was made quite clear back in March, the United Kingdom was given a 6-month continuation which has been misused.

But it seems that if they tell a lie big enough, and keep repeating it, people will ultimately come to accept it, and if the government create enough chaos, companies start to panic buy which produces a false boost to the economy.

But then it’s tragic that the Tory government have put the whole country in danger by having the stupid, ill-conceived, utterly chaotic referendum in the first place, with no damn speck of a clue what they were doing, and they certainly didn’t think that they would actually lose the referendum.

And now this a taste of how the Tory party will justify the consequences of a no-deal, just blame it on the EU using semi-correct soundbites and half-truths, so of course, the EU is refusing to give massive concessions to a clearly unstable government at the last moment.

And because of this car plants could perhaps shut down, lorries will be backed up across the South East. There will be food and medicine deficits amongst numerous other things, and the blame game has well and truly started.

It’s called moronic politics assuming that negotiations will work the same as if they were purchasing a second-hand car, and Michael Gove has more faces than Everest, and Gove is highly recognisable because we all had a Gove at school, you know, the boy with a pocket full of pens and no friends. The one that was a really good milk monitor, and it looks like Gove has finally found his niche.

Should we be utterly offended that the EU is no longer willing to entertain our circus and testy behaviour? No, I don’t believe so, and I think they’d be delighted if we atoned for the inconvenience and negotiated to remain.

And it’s a disgrace that these Tory ministers can’t grasp the simple reality that there were precepts to joining the EU club and that when we entered we knew there were rules to departing the club, and the EU out referendum campaigners made it appear all so easy whilst knowing it wouldn’t be.

And this is simply another Tory spin at its best from Michael Gove, blaming it on everyone else, except the reality of the fact is that a no-deal Brexit will see the United Kingdom become an even more vulnerable country with no control globally to establish trade or international relationships.

We will be carrying a begging bowl to the world and accepting rubbish trade agreements in desperation, and these are really dark and disturbing times, and the impact of the no-deal will last for generations, and does Michael Gove also sell dodgy investment packages? He has that sort of sound that says I’m a nice boy trying to do my best for you, whilst lying through his fangs, attempting to persuade you that black is white and that it wasn’t him that killed your kitty. Honestly, you can believe him, he’s a politician.

And let’s not forget that three years have been bladdered away on the same old worn out, deflated flatulence.

Perhaps we should give the people another vote, Revoke Article 50 or just leave? But whatever happens, the government needs to be certain of what the people of the United Kingdom want, particularly following all the debacle that David Cameron created.

But one thing is clear, the Conservatives are becoming endangered, and now the EU is telling Britain: “Thank you, next!” And now the government needs to have the guts to revoke the referendum because there’s nothing in the EU Referendum Act that results in it being legally binding.

The European Union Referendum Act 2015 was the law that enabled the referendum to take place, it didn’t stipulate what would happen in the event of a vote to leave, and it didn’t include any specific statement to make clear that the result would be legally binding.

Because of the sovereignty of Parliament, referendums can’t be legally binding in the United Kingdom and are therefore advisory. In other words, unless Parliament actively agrees to bind itself to the result of a future referendum, it is not legally compelled to determine the outcome.

But of course, the political truth is much different, and in the same House of Lords report it said referenda were not legally binding, and the committee decided that “it would be difficult for Parliament to ignore a decisive expression of public opinion”.

And even though legally the referendum was non-binding, the government of that time had agreed to execute the result, and it initiated the official EU withdrawal process on 29 March 2017, meaning that the United Kingdom was due to leave the EU before 11 PM on 29 March 2019, UK time.

Referendums are not legally binding, so legally the Government can disregard the results, for instance, even if the result of a pre-legislative referendum were a majority of “No” for proposed legislation, Parliament could pass it anyway, because parliament is sovereign.

The EU referendum was an advisory referendum, and it wasn’t legally binding, and there’s no one source that can verify that statement true. In other countries, referendums are usually legally binding, for instance, because the vote is on whether to amend the constitution, but the United Kindom famously doesn’t have a codified constitution.

A UK referendum will only have the force of law if the Act setting it up says so. In practical terms, this would mean someone would be able to go to court to make the government implement the result, but a referendum on any issue can only be advisory for the lawmakers in Parliament.

At the end of the day, the argument comes down to many visions for democracy in the United Kingdom. The general view is that ultimate political power rests with Parliament, and the High Court came to its conclusion that the referendum was not legally binding guided by the basic representative parliamentary democracy.

The people are not sovereign!

But then we really don’t want to see any constitutional changes to make referendums binding, and if you’re here reading this, you presumably care about honesty, and you’d like to see our politicians get their facts right, and back up what they say with evidence and to fix their blunders.

Because, of course, reliable information matters!

Man Goes Into Hospital For Botox

A pensioner went into hospital to have a botox procedure and got circumcised by mistake, but has now been awarded £20,000 compensation by the NHS.

Terry Brazier was given the procedure after medics at Leicester Royal Infirmary jumbled up his notes, and he maintains he was so preoccupied chatting to the nurses that he didn’t realise he was getting a different procedure until it was too late.

And they didn’t know what to say to Terry when they discovered they’d done it, and they said they couldn’t send him back to the ward and that they needed to talk to him, and the nurse was at the side of him and they were talking so he didn’t know what was going on, and it was a real shock.

The hospital has said that they remain profoundly and genuinely sorry that the blunder happened, and that they would like to take the chance to once again apologise to Mr Brazier, and that they take events like this very seriously and they carried out a thorough investigation at the time to ensure that they learn from the incident and do all they can to avoid it happening again.

Although it could have been much worse, they could have taken off his leg, at least it’s a foreskin which he can live without, whereas a leg would have made it much more complicated, and whilst money can never undo what occurred, hopefully, the payment can provide some compensation because the hospital definitely made a right cock up there, and you couldn’t make this stuff up if you tried.

And if I was him, I certainly wouldn’t be leaving the surgeon a tip.

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