Sir Keir Has Spoken!

Sir Keir has spoken, a surprising sound,
Of Corbyn’s potential, on hallowed ground.
He thinks, in hindsight, a curious view,
That Jeremy’s hand might have steered us anew.

Jeremy Corbyn would have been an excellent prime minister, and he’s a true socially minded person.

He is the first meaningful person to step up and say things are amiss in this country.

Things have changed. Now, we see that a greater portion of ‘privatisation’ did not work. It made life less secure and services worse off, and when Margaret Thatcher said, ‘There is no such thing as society,’ she wasn’t thinking that far forward, and this is the legacy she has left us with.

Do you feel safe?

Do you feel cared for?

Do you feel appreciated?

Britain has one of the lowest quality of life rankings in the developed world. We have debt, mortgages, job insecurity and failing services, and Britain does this as nowhere else does. Jobs nobody wants, with some people even falling over themselves not to have to work.

Life is different now, and those who ridicule Jeremy Corbyn, well…

People – forty years have passed since Margaret Thatcher resigned, but we still omit the downfall of British society.

Eventually, Jeremy Corbyn joins the stage – don’t believe all of the publicity that has been reported about him.

The most frugal MP is Jeremy Corbyn. He makes expense claims, yet he is extremely frugal with his spending. The lowest claimer was Mr Corbyn.

He said, “I am a parsimonious MP. I think we should claim what we need to run our offices and pay our staff but be careful because it’s obviously public money. In a year, rent for the office Durham Road, Finsbury Park, is about 12,000 to 14,000.”

The fact that people believe the lies about him without even looking at the facts never fails to crush me. He is one of the few people in Parliament who on the face of it appears to be there with the right vision – for the people to help the people.

Jeremy Corbyn has been an MP for a long time. He is steadfast in his convictions, especially those of justice and peace. He is known for being honest, direct, and a generally kind person.

Although he has been relegated to the political periphery and has been subjected to a great deal of mudslinging over the years, he has remained steadfast in his beliefs and never wavered from them. He is also known for being laid-back, approachable, and devoid of any hint of arrogance.

Jeremy has demonstrated that he has continuously and steadfastly supported common people over the powerful and peace over conflict.

That puts him on the right side of history and numerous other issues. Also, he frequently defied his own party, the mass media and at times public opinion as well. So, not only was he right, he was right before it was popular, and he spoke out when it was difficult to do so.

For me, that’s truly amazing and it makes him, at the very least, a good guy in my view.

If he were to become prime minister, it’s relatively unlikely that he would win big.

Although I think it’s improbable that Jeremy Corbyn would be a great prime minister, I do think he would be a good one. If he were to take office, he may prove me wrong.

According to what I can tell, Jeremy has never tampered with his expense account and opposes both bigotry and violence. Pundits always want something a little more risqué, like kinky sex sessions with vicars and tarts, so it may make him appear a little dull.

I think Jeremy would make a good prime minister so move over Keir Starmer!

School Advice Tells 14-Year-Old Boys How To Choke Their Girlfriends

A council-funded sex education PowerPoint shown to teenagers referenced asking for consent before choking a partner.

Students enrolled in PSHE classes at several secondary schools were presented with the resources, which were provided by the Bridgend County Borough Council in South Wales.

Delivered by the council’s domestic abuse service, Assia, the PowerPoint, which was seen by The Times, instructed youngsters that ‘consent (when it comes to choking during sex) should occur every time sexual choking is an option’.

‘It is never OK to start choking someone without asking them first and giving them space to say no,’ it continued. 

Experts, however, have conveyed their profound concern at the sex education class which they say is illustrating the notion that ‘choking can be done safely’.

‘This is not sex education, this is just advocacy for the porn industry,’ Michael Conroy, the founder of Men at Work, told The Times.

‘Imagine you are a 14-year-old girl and you have told your boyfriend you don’t want to be choked but then an authority figure comes into school and tells you it is OK.

‘Choking cuts off oxygen to the brain and is incredibly harmful, it can even kill. Most schools will take it on trust that something endorsed by the local authority is OK.  There is a rampant myth that choking can be done safely and is simply another option for a sexual act.’

Teenage guys’ demands for forceful sex, including choking, have, increased alarmingly in recent years.

A recent survey by Dr Debby Herbenick, known to be one of the foremost researchers on American sexual behaviour, questioned 5,000 women anonymously at a ‘major Midwestern university,’ the New York Times reported.

Almost two-thirds of women who responded said they had been choked by a partner during sex – but an even more worryingly statistic emerged: 40 percent were between the ages 12 and 17 the first time choking happened.

During a prior survey, the figure was far lower at 25 percent (or one in four).

Peggy Orenstein, a sexuality researcher and college professor, remembered having two students, 15 and 16, ask her about choking during sex.

One 15-year-old boy worryingly said: ‘Why do girls all want to be choked?’

Choking during sex has increased, and some have attributed this to popular culture.

Choking has been shown in a range of television shows, including the pilot of HBO’s Euphoria – where a high school was choked.

And a hit single last year by American rapper Jack Harlow titled ‘Lovin On Me’ begins with the vocals: ‘I’m vanilla baby, I’ll choke you, but I ain’t no killer, baby.’

Bridgend County Borough Council vehemently repudiated that they had financed education which ‘taught children to consent to damaging sexual behaviour’.

A council spokesman said: ‘The suggestion that children are being taught to consent to damaging sexual behaviour is simply not true. 

‘All pastoral advice used by local schools is carefully designed to be age-appropriate and to encourage teenagers who are maturing into young adults to develop healthy, respectful relationships where there is no abuse of any kind.

‘Bridgend County Borough Council takes its safeguarding responsibilities very seriously, and anyone who approaches the Assia domestic abuse service regarding this issue will be informed that non-fatal strangulation remains an illegal, dangerous criminal act.’

In a reply on X to a now-deleted post about the sex education class, Bridgend County Borough Council wrote: ‘Your post regarding Bridgend County Borough Council’s Assia Domestic Abuse Service is factually incorrect and causing widespread misinformation.’

How in the world did this happen? This is simply physical brutality, and BDSM is not about love, it is about power and domination.

However, what grown-ups do in the confines of their homes is completely up to them, but this is not something that should be taught at school.

It’s inappropriate and not something that should ever be discussed with a youngster.

What should be taught is safe sex, contraceptives and consent, these are the things that are essential for 14-year-olds to learn during sex education, and they need to be taught accurately without room for interpretation.

However, it appears that our children are being groomed by deviants and perverts who have penetrated every aspect of our establishment, but now they’re doing it openly and we have to eliminate this.

Our schools and councils that encourage this, particularly for minors, are profoundly flawed.

Choking is dangerous in whatever way it’s performed, and these schools are putting thoughts into our children’s heads. They are essentially saying that it’s okay as long as there is consent, but who will be accountable if something goes wrong?

Women are now being abused, murdered, raped and treated like sex toys. Young girls are being raised to expect no respect, and that they’re worth nothing more than an outlet for assertive sex – this has to stop, and we should be teaching our teenagers self-respect, and these schools that are enabling this utter nonsense should be closed down.

Who Will Be The Next Pope?

After the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88, the world is waiting to see who will succeed him, as the Cardinals gather in Rome for the Papal Conclave.

He was the first Latin American Pope, so did that signal a more expansive transformation within the Catholic Church and will we now see the first black or Asian Pope? Here are the top contenders to become the next Supreme Pontiff.

Peter Turkson, 76

The former Bishop of the Cape Coast would be the first black Pope and would have the appeal of reaching out to Africa.

Born in Ghana, he was sent by Pope Francis as a peace envoy to South Sudan. He occupies the middle ground on the thorny subject of gay relationships, asserting that laws in numerous African countries are too harsh but that the opinions of Africans on the subject must be respected.

Turkson was the bookies’ favourite at one point during the 2013 conclave, when Francis was selected.

Luis Antonio Tagle, 67

In the betting markets, Tagle, the former Archbishop of Manila, has taken the lead. Being the first Asian Pope in the area with the fastest-growing Catholic population would make him appealing.

Despite his opposition to abortion rights in the Philippines, he is seen as one of the more liberal contenders. He has bemoaned how the Catholic church’s evangelistic efforts have been hindered by its excessively severe treatment of LGBT and divorced couples.

Pietro Parolin, 70

He is the closest to a ‘continuity candidate’, having worked with Pope Francis as Cardinal Secretary of State. He is seen as a moderate, though not as close to the liberal wing as Francis has sometimes appeared to be.

When Ireland voted in 2015 to legalise same-sex marriage, Parolin described it as ‘a defeat for humanity’.

In current times, Parolin’s star has fallen a little thanks to his being the architect of the 2018 agreement between the Holy See and China, which some regard as a sell-out to the Chinese Communist Party.

Peter Erdo, 72

The Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest would be the second Pope, after John Paul II, to have administered in the former Soviet bloc when church leaders were frequently victimised.

He campaigned for his predecessor Jozsef Minszenty to be exonerated after being arrested for opposing Hungary’s communist regime.

As a staunch conservative, Erdo has opposed Catholics who have divorced or remarried from obtaining holy communion.

Jose Tolentino, 59

Not to be confused with the US baseball player of the exact name, and usually bears the suffix ‘de Mendonca’ to differentiate himself. Hailing from Cristiano Ronaldo’s birthplace of Madeira, Portugal, he has served as an Archbishop as well as held down several Vatican positions.

As the – relative – youth candidate, he has advocated that biblical scholars engage with the modern world by watching films and listening to music.

Matteo Zuppi, 69

Zuppi has been Archbishop of Bologna since 2015 and was appointed a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2019. Two years ago, the Pope made him the Vatican peace envoy for Ukraine, in which capacity he visited Moscow to ‘encourage gestures of humanity’. While he didn’t have an audience with Putin, he did meet the president’s controversial ally Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, but with little diplomatic progress to show for his efforts. 

Mario Grech, 68

Maltese Grech, has formerly acted as the Bishop of Gozo and is now the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops. He has called for the church to ‘learn a new language’ when dealing with gay couples and divorcees, although is also seen as something of a traditionalist.

 Robert Sarah, 79

Born in French Guinea, Sarah is another possibility as the first black pope – although age is not on his side.

He has been working in Vatican positions since the time of John Paul II. A conservative, he has condemned gender ideology as a danger to society. He has also spoken out against Islamic fundamentalism.

I actually can’t comprehend why the media always attempt to make everything about race – who cares, the next pope will be a human being, and will hopefully be made pope because of the ability to do the job. I do hope that a slightly younger person is selected for the position, and that’s not because an older one couldn’t do the job, but they would hopefully last a wee bit longer.

It appears that a bunch of people are debating about who should be the next pope – Jesus, pardon the pun, the last one isn’t even cold yet!

Migrant Camp Takeover Outside Westminster Cathedral

Over the Easter weekend, dozens of migrants who were camping on the streets outside Westminster Cathedral were relocated for the second consecutive night.

Images captured this morning from the temporary camp revealed guys sleeping on cardboard boxes and peeing in the open against walls.

A few of the asylum seekers had their little tents with them. In neighbouring flowerbeds, others were observed discarding their cardboard beds.

The gentlemen were disbanded by security guards soon after 8 am however unhappy residents have told MailOnline it is now a regular occurrence in the opulent Central London borough.

One man, who chose to remain nameless, told MailOnline that locals were beginning to feel increasingly powerless over their situation.

He said: ‘There were dozens of them sleeping there when I was walking around at 7 am this morning. 

‘They were sleeping on cardboard and dirty mattresses – some had little tents. At 8 am, some grumpy-looking security arrived to move them away.

‘The migrants dumped their bedding in the flower beds and left. They have been coming back every night – nobody seems able to stop them.

‘Some of them were urinating in public against walls. It’s not nice for local people or the cathedral.

‘This is Easter weekend, there are constant services going on, it’s not right.’

Following the death of an asylum seeker in the channel yesterday, the tragic exhibition is the most recent migrant event to cast a shadow over the bank holiday.

Officials brought a body ashore at the Port of Dover after Border Force and the RNLI responded to an incident aboard a migrant dinghy mid-crossing.

Police confirmed they had launched an inquiry into the ‘circumstances leading to the man’s death’.

Last month, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper discussed sending asylum seekers to ‘return hubs’ in Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and North Macedonia with the head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Under the proposals, the government would pay countries to accept migrants who have been rejected for asylum in the UK and have exhausted all avenues of appeals.

The plans, described as a ‘safe and legal resettlement route’, were drawn up by the government as part of Sir Keir Starmer’s strategy to prevent small boat arrivals.

A total of 9,099 migrants in 162 boats have come to the UK by crossing the Channel so far this year – 81 percent more than by this time in 2023.

Now, in a major boost for the government, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has come up with its own proposals for what the return hubs should look like. 

Government insiders have said the backing of the radical plans by the organisation was ‘vital’ given the UNHCR’s objection to the Rwanda scheme. 

The Supreme Court earlier declared the Conservative government’s proposal to address illegal migration unconstitutional when the UN body interfered.

One source told The Times: ‘It could be a game changer because it will help give us the necessary legal cover against any legal challenge and will also help us politically with our left-wing MPs who may have reservations.’

Another added: ‘Along with other countries, we are looking at how returns hubs could form a part of our commitment to rebuild confidence in the immigration and asylum system that was left in complete chaos by the Tories. 

‘We are in touch with UNHCR and welcome their work in this area.’

The UNHCR document stated there was a need for an ‘effective returns system’ and said it would offer support to countries wanting to establish return hubs.

It added, however, that it would need to meet their legal standards and that it would continuously monitor the hubs to ensure that human rights standards were ‘reliably met’.

The Netherlands is also currently in discussions with the Ugandan government about the possibility of a return hub for migrants.

Meanwhile, Albania presently has two empty migrant detention centres after Italian plans to use them as asylum processing centres fell through.

Labour has come under fire for abandoning the Tories’ Rwanda asylum agreement, which was intended to discourage migrants from putting their lives in danger in the Channel.

Their scheme would contrast with the Conservative’s Rwanda plans because they would only remove asylum seekers after their case was rejected.

Before hearing their case, the Rwandan plan called for sending illegal migrants to the East African nation.

There has been a continued decline in the UK and that has been happening for an extremely long time – now it’s time for someone else to step in.

The past two Labour governments have been more Conservative than Labour, and Labour is no longer a true socialist party, and now the nutters here in the UK want to return to Thatcherism with Farage and his Deform UK party. These nutters need to realise that it was Thatcher and all her policies that got us into this awful mess that we are in today.

Imagine if this was outside a mosque, there would be an uproar, and Starmer would be shouting Far Right and bringing in certain powers for the police and the courts. It’s Easter weekend, so why aren’t they being arrested for doing this outside a Cathedral – More two-tier Kier!

The UK is today a shattered, lawless nation.

Our Prime Minister needs to do something about this mass migration. It’s time for a State of Emergency—bring in the Armed Forces! Bring in big boats so that as soon as they reach our shores, they are incarcerated on those boats and sent back to France. Build a barrier so they can only get so far! There could be numerous ways around it, but our government sits on its derriere and does nothing. It’s time to act NOW!

A Woman, 76, Dies After Waiting 2 Hours For An Ambulance On The Freezing Floor Of A GP’s Parking Lot

AN ELDERLY woman died after being left in agony on the freezing floor of a GP car park for more than two hours after falling over.

Josephine Ellis, 76, had just attended an appointment at a mobile clinic adjacent to the Hoveton and Wroxham Medical Centre near Norwich, Norfolk. She lost her balance while walking to her car.

Even though it was a chilly October day, an inquest into her death revealed that no blankets were brought out for her by personnel as she waited for an ambulance.

When paramedics finally arrived and took her to hospital, they found she had broken her hip, says EDP.

Once admitted, her situation deteriorated and she tragically passed away three days later.

At the inquest into her death, Josephine’s family raised concerns over the care she had received – prompting the hearing to be suspended so that coroner Jacqueline Lake could further examine the matter.

Before this case recess, the court had listened to the sad accident.

It saw Josephine, a retired soldering technician, and her daughter leave a hearing appointment at the medical centre shortly before 2 pm on October 23.

The widow lost her balance and footing after turning quickly, sending her falling to the hard car park floor.

Josephine was in excruciating pain as she lay on the tarmac after realising she had gravely injured herself.

Her daughter, a healthcare assistant, then dialled 999 at about 2.20 pm as she was unable to move the pensioner.

Nevertheless, by 4 pm, Josephine, who had been a dedicated fundraiser for veterans’ organisations for much of her life, was still lying on the car park floor in agonising pain.

At the inquiry, her daughter clarified that despite being close to a general practitioner’s office, Josephine was not given any blankets or other means of staying warm.

She also said that a doctor had tried multiple times to try and lift Josephine – but since he did so without “adequate support”, Josephine was put through “additional pain and distress”.

However, her daughter also said that staff at the centre tried to reassure Josephine, with some offering their coats – one of these was used to prop up her leg.

Josephine was finally taken by ambulance to Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, where an x-ray confirmed she had suffered a broken hip.

Despite undergoing surgery on October 25, the widow tragically never completely recovered, and passed away the next day.

Chris Hewitson, a patient safety specialist officer at the East of England Ambulance Service Trust, explained the various categorisations of 999 calls in a statement to the court.

He said that category 2 calls (CAT 2) require an emergency crew response within 40 minutes – these calls have an average response time of around 18 minutes.

These are usually done on unconscious patients, who have chest discomfort or are exhibiting indications of a stroke.

Category three coded calls (CAT 3), however, have a response time of two hours – this is generally used for people who have fallen.

During the initial call, the coding was accurate (CAT 3), the court heard, and this was subsequently elevated to CAT 2 soon after 3 pm, following an additional call made by an ambulance service clinician.

At 3.23 pm, a second 999 call was received which said that Josephine’s situation had worsened.

Nevertheless, instead of re-triaging, the call handler treated the call as a query on the arrival time of the ambulance.

Hewitson acknowledged that when Josephine’s condition deteriorated, the triage should have been carried out.

He said: “We would like to apologise for this omission and feedback has been provided to the call handler.”

However, Hewitson explained that the category of response would not have changed even with the re-triage, as Josephine was not unconscious.

He added that the trust was under “significant pressure” at the time and was facing challenges with the sheer volume of 999 calls it was receiving, as well as had issues with releasing ambulances back into the community from hospitals.

Hewitson continued: “I appreciate this will offer very little comfort to Mrs Ellis’ family.”

The trust has transformed Josephine’s tragic demise, including the recruitment of extra staff and implementation of care coordination hubs.

Additionally, it has expanded the hours that its community first responder volunteers are accessible.

Regarding Josephine’s treatment at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, her family also voiced several concerns.

Evidence about her hospital care will be heard when the inquest is reopened at a later time.

Regretfully, this reflects the current state of medical treatment. Simply put, our government no longer gives a damn.

This lady spent most of her time devoted to supporting others, and in her time of need, she was let down in every way.

This woman will have paid into the NHS all her working life which makes my blood boil when our government are letting migrants come into our country. We pay for them to stay! Yet they get everything for free. Have more babies and contaminate our country with their preaching, having the cheek to tell us that we are evildoers. And Labour has the cheek to say that our NHS is getting better, it’s all lies!

Our elderly will thereafter be cared for by migrants in nursing facilities. All of us are doomed. Given their cultural differences, how can these migrants relate to an English elderly at a care facility? All they want to do is provide basic care; they don’t want to socialise.

The NHS is literally staffed with migrants!

GPs Get £20 For Avoiding Hospital Referrals

GPs will receive a £20 ‘bonus’ each time they dodge referring a patient directly to a hospital under a scheme aimed at cutting NHS waiting lists.

Ministers say the cash incentives – totalling up to £80 million – will ‘stop masses of people’ being sent to hospital for ‘unnecessary appointments’.

But patient groups warn endeavours to ‘massage waiting lists’ could be risky, with some missing out on the care they require.

Practices will be paid the sum if GPs consult a specialist on the phone or online before making a referral, in a process known as ‘Advice and Guidance’.

They will indicate if the patient should be referred to a hospital consultant or if there are alternative options that could be investigated first.

It could imply that patients are just given prescription drugs, sent for initial blood work or scans, or referred to a community service provider like a physiotherapist.

About 660,000 treatments were ‘diverted’ from hospitals and into the community through the scheme between July and December 2024 but take-up was ‘patchy’ across the country.

Now the Department of Health and Social Care hopes the new payments will increase ‘diversions from the elective waiting list’ to 2 million by the end of 2025/26.

It estimates half of the requests to the A&G hotlines will result in a referral to the hospital, with the rest advised to go elsewhere.

GP practices will be paid for using the service, regardless of the outcome. Decisions on routine matters are normally returned within a week.

Health minister Karin Smyth said: ‘By caring for patients closer to home, we save time and stop masses of people having to head to hospital for unnecessary appointments in the first place.

‘We are rewiring the NHS so that we are doing things differently, more efficiently and delivering better outcomes for patients.

‘This scheme is a perfect example of how we are saving patients time and reducing pressure on key NHS services in the process.’

There are presently 6.24 million people on NHS waiting lists in England, waiting for 7.4 million treatments. Some have been waiting over 18 months.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has vowed to ensure 92 percent of patients will be waiting less than 18 weeks by the end of this Parliament.

Beccy Baird, senior fellow at The King’s Fund, a health think tank, said: ‘Effective implementation will be key to the scheme’s success, and commissioners must safeguard against potential unintended consequences.

‘Financial incentives for GPs based on the number of requests raised could undermine the primary goal of delivering high-quality care and the scheme must avoid introducing unnecessary steps into a patient’s journey.’

Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, which campaigns for elderly patients, said the initiative could be an attempt to ‘massage waiting lists’.

He added: ‘I’m sceptical there are sufficient resources to cope with such transformational change.

‘Patients already struggle to see an NHS dietician, physiotherapist or podiatrist in the community because there is so much demand.

‘Previous initiatives aimed at moving mental health care into the community led to some vulnerable patients falling through the cracks and others receiving sub-standard treatment.

‘I would be concerned if that happened again.’

The Department of Health and Social Care said the change could benefit women with menopausal symptoms, patients with irritable bowel syndrome and those with ear, nose and throat issues.

Ruth Rankine, director of primary care at the NHS Confederation, which represents health organisations, said: ‘Advice and Guidance if implemented effectively, can support improved patient care, streamlined referrals processes, and efficient use of resources.

‘For many conditions, we know that hospital treatment isn’t the best option.’

The British Medical Association, the doctors’ union, has previously called on GPs to boycott the A&G service as part of industrial action as it did not entice a cost.

One senior member even described the approach as ‘just another Berlin Wall’ being put up to stop GPs from referring.

But Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of the BMA’s GP committee for England, said: ‘This scheme was recently negotiated between the BMA and the Government and starts us on a path of funding what was previously undertaken by GPs and their team for no additional resources.

‘We have seen decades of underinvestment in general practice, and this is an important small step in acknowledging the important role of the GP and supporting practices to deliver enhanced care to patients in the community.’

Handing out cash incentives to GPs is not a good thing because patients will not get referred and their treatment will get delayed, causing lots of problems in the near future.

It’s no surprise corridors are packed in A&E and other departments with long waiting times; that’s like pocket money for doctors.

Your chances of sighting the Loch Ness Monster are higher than those of a general practitioner.

People will suffer and in some cases die because they’re not getting quality care from excessively well-paid GPs who are then getting a bonus to NOT do their jobs, it’s disgraceful.

What could possibly go wrong, after all? I anticipate a plethora of overlooked ailments, incorrect diagnoses, and some extremely costly settlements. No more foolish NHS strategy comes to mind.

This is another Del-Boy idea by our incompetent government. Next GPs will be getting a bonus for everyone over 65 who dies from minor or misdiagnosed conditions.

This is despicable, they think that money is the solution – perhaps if they put in a full day seeing patients, now that would be a good idea, but it would also be a novelty.

In the 70s a doctor’s surgery was open till late, no appointment was required, you just strolled in, sat on a seat and moved up as each patient was seen. They make it way too complicated now! After waiting for ages in a telephone queue you might here a human voice, unless you’ve been cut off after twenty minutes.

This just does not make any sense and is open to abuse and delayed detection of serious illness because we have a government that cares extremely little for the people it serves and they’re not fit for purpose!

Seventy Is The New 50! Boomers Urged To Work Well Into Retirement

Boomers are being encouraged to work well into retirement age after research by the International Monetary Fund delighted that ’70s are the new 50s’. 

The institution’s World Economic Report reported a strong rise in the ‘silver economy,’ with people ageing healthier. 

The IMF report, based on data from 41 countries, showed that ‘a person who was 70 in 2022 had the same cognitive ability as a 53-year-old in 2000’. 

‘In addition, better health is also associated with later retirement, working more weeks per year, and a lower probability of being unemployed, and qualitatively similar relationships hold for other health indicators,’ the report said.

However, it warned the ageing world population ‘together with other forces such as waning catch-up growth in large emerging market economies, is expected to depress global economic growth’. 

The IMF said ‘demographic forces seem to be casting long shadows over prospects for living standards and public finances’.

It discussed whether pension reform, training, and retirement age adjustments should be implemented to lessen the strain of an ageing population.

‘Besides changes to statutory retirement ages, reducing early retirement benefits, introducing incentives to postpone retirement, and allowing for phased retirement can induce a rise in effective retirement age,’ the IMF said. 

‘Pension system reforms need to balance sustainability with adequate protection to mitigate old-age poverty and inequality.’

People should be upskilled and reskilled to ensure they are still employable as they age with the world ‘at the cusp of a potential AI revolution.’

The IMF said ‘skilled older workers will be well positioned to reap the benefits given the complementarity of their skills with AI, whereas unskilled workers may struggle to keep their jobs or manage successful job transitions’.

Figures last month revealed women face working until they drop after a sudden swell in the number of those aged 65 and over in work.

Data revealed a record one in ten women aged 65 and over are now in work.

Experts said many are now unable to afford to retire after a rise in the female state pension age – bringing it in line with men before it is set to increase further for both.

It means at a time when many might have been hoping to look after the grandchildren, go on cruises or just put their feet up in the garden, they are still setting their alarms and clocking on.

While many are happy to do so, pensions experts last night warned others feel they have no choice but to soldier on.

The total number of women aged 65 and over who are working now stands at 686,000 after an increase of 135,000 over the past 12 months, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

That surge accounted for almost a quarter of the total 608,000 rise in employment over that time.

Former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb, now a partner at pensions consultants LCP, told the Mail that the issue of those who ‘cannot afford to retire’ was becoming increasingly pressing.

The total number of women aged 65 and over who are working now stands at 686,000 after an increase of 135,000 over the past 12 months.

‘It may be that these figures are the canary in the mine, and we have a lot more of this to come,’ he added.

Simon French, chief economist at City broker Panmure Liberum said the increase in the state pension age amongst women was ‘probably the key driver’. Higher life expectancy was also a likely factor.

Baroness Altmann, another former pensions minister, said the ‘huge pension gender gap’ between retirement incomes – caused by women in many cases possessing smaller pension pots having often spent less time in paid work, or being paid less than men – was another reason.

The ONS figures revealed while the number of women aged 65 and over in work increased by 24.4 percent over the year to January, there was a 3.9 percent increase among men of that age. Overall, among those aged 65 and over, the number in employment jumped by 11.9 percent or 168,000 to a record 1.58 million.

Of all the age groups, that was by far the largest percentage rise.

The employment rate of 12.3 percent among those 65-plus is an all-time high and has doubled over the past two decades. For women aged 65 and over, it stands at 10 percent for the first time on record – up from 4 percent 20 years ago.

While men of the same age are still more likely to be in work, with an employment rate of 15 percent, up from just under 9 percent over the same period.

Meanwhile, the employment rate for 18-24-year-olds has dropped over the past two decades from 66 percent to 59 percent.

The ONS figures revealed while the number of women aged 65 and over in work increased by 24.4 percent over the year to January, there was a 3.9 percent increase among men of that age.

The increase in more senior women working comes after a period when the state pension age has increased from 60 to become the same as for men, at 65, before increasing further to 66. It will increase even more to 67 by 2028.

Those changes were controversial because some women born in the 1950s claimed that they had not been given adequate notice –though a campaign by the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) for billions in compensation has been rejected by the Government.

Another blow to older people’s incomes came when Rachel Reeves last year chose to remove Winter Fuel Payments for millions of pensioners.

Helen Morrissey, head of retirement analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: ‘Changes to state pension age will be a key driver behind women aged over 65 being in the workforce.

‘At £11,502 for the full amount it forms the backbone of people’s retirement income with many people unable to afford to retire until they start receiving it.

‘Added to this, many retirees enjoy remaining in work for longer – they like the social interaction as well as the extra income which can supplement their day-to-day income as well as enable them to keep contributing to a pension so may choose to remain in work, even on a part-time basis.’

Baroness Altmann said: ‘I would think the rise in employment is related to lack of pension for women and the huge gender pension gap.

‘It’s fine for women well enough to work and who are unaffected by the age discrimination still rife among employers. But for others? This would not be good at all.’

Danni Hewson, of investment platform AJ Bell, said of the figures: ‘It is notable that the previous high was surpassed following the announcement by the Chancellor that the winter fuel allowance would be means tested and suggests this may have spurred thousands more women to seek work.

‘Though money worries will undoubtedly have played a part in the decision of many of these women to return to the workplace, or perhaps take a job for the first time, it’s important to also consider much has been done to promote the employability of older workers.

‘The experience, expertise and life learnings can be a brilliant addition to a workplace. Many employers have changed their employment criteria to ensure applications from older workers aren’t overlooked.’

Why should individuals work until they die in order to finance the arrival of migrants in the United Kingdom? People have put in a lot of effort to earn their pensions; they contributed to a plan that, at the time, guaranteed them security as they grew older, but our government is currently embezzling money from that plan.

In addition to working cash in hand beneath the radar, migrants are exempt from paying taxes. Possibly not beneath the radar, as our government is aware of the situation and shows little concern.

We work all of our lives, and it goes by so quickly that we sometimes question why we did it.  People work, pay their mortgage for years on end, and then there are bills. In between, there may be some enjoyment, but there are also unpleasant moments. As we wait patiently for a pension that doesn’t actually exist, I can’t help but think that we have toiled to earn a paycheque and paid our mortgage, and then everything is gone in an instant.

Being the worker bees for the queen bees who suck us dry, we have been conditioned into this cycle!

Nazi Gestures Were Made At Auschwitz And Bergen-Belsen

In two different cases, German high school students incited uproar by singing a nationalist song at Bergen-Belsen and making neo-Nazi gestures at Auschwitz.

Students from a school in the western city of Bielefeld, aged 14 and 15, were heard singing ‘Germany for the Germans, foreigners out’ at the Bergen-Belsen memorial. The chant is prevalent with neo-Nazis.

Last summer, employees at the Helmholtz school addressed the pupils, but the event was just recently made public, according to The Times.

According to Headmaster Joachim Held, the offending pupils were disciplined but not expelled.

He told public broadcaster WDR: ‘This is a problem for society as a whole. Incidents like this happen to us more often than we would like.’

About 52,000 people were killed at the site Bergen-Belsen concentration camp near Hannover during the Nazi rule – including Anne Frank.

In a separate incident at Auschwitz, four students from a school in the eastern city of Görlitz were pictured making the ‘OK’ hand gesticulation, a signal made by neo-Nazis.

Despite being taken in March, the picture was finally made public this week after it surfaced on one of the students’ Instagram accounts.

A representative for Scultetus High School said the four pupils have been disciplined and told to spend time assisting in a workshop for disabilities.

Clemens Ardnt, of the Saxony state education office, told German newspaper Bild that the pupils were ‘made aware of their misconduct’ by the school’s headmistress.

The ‘OK’ hand gesture, where the thumb and index finger touch while the others are held outstretched, is used by the far-right.

The gesticulation is used because the sign can depict a W and a P to signify White Power.

Unlike the Hitler salute, the gesture is not outlawed in Germany.

The children were visiting Poland on a school trip to the Nazi camp. More than 1.1 million people were slaughtered at the camp during the Second World War. 

Jens-Christian Wagner, director of the Buchenwald Memorial site near Weimar, said antisemitic or offensive behaviour is now almost a daily occurrence at the sight.

He said some visitors have made Hitler salutes, shouted ‘Seig Heil’ and compared the suffering of the victims to German soldiers at the hands of the Allied forces. 

He said the rise of Alternative for Germany (AfD) in February’s general election has been a contributing factor.

Children have recently been seen laying down in the ovens of the crematorium for photographs, Mr Wagner said. 

An AfD politician’s son is one of the two lads involved, and he pleaded with the school to spare them.

In 2018, three girls provoked anger when they posed with Nazi salutations outside Auschwitz.

Polish law prohibits hate speech based on religion and fascist ideology, but it does not specifically bar offering the Nazi salute. Offenders may face up to three years in jail.  

The girls deleted the photo soon after it emerged on Instagram, but museum authorities later retrieved it.

In 2017, a group of Swedish teenagers were filmed making improper gesticulations and comments while visiting the memorial complex.

Meanwhile, an Israeli student ended up in hot water when he dropped his trousers at the Majdanek concentration camp close to the Polish capital Warsaw.  

In that case, the Israeli Ministry of Education interceded and made the offender pay a £250 fine.

I would say to those immature people making Nazi salutations – come and meet some of the remaining few survivors and listen to their stories, it would break the hardest of hearts.

These survivors were seen earlier this year attending a service to commemorate the Liberation of Auschwitz in January 1945. There were numerous Heads of State there to honour the few people who by some godsend survived the camps. Perhaps they were spared to be witnesses to the Holocaust.

I frequently wonder why there is so much animosity—in fact, why there is hatred at all—for Jews. All of us are God’s living creation, and even if you don’t believe in that, we exist for a reason. I’m still not sure what that reason is.

However, sadly this is what happens when the naive and the uneducated are exploited and fooled into perpetrating atrocities. This is also what happens when people are allowed to forget.

The ‘OK’ hand sign has been embraced by ‘the right’ because children have been told for years that it’s not OK to be white in their own country – action, reaction, cause and effect!

Voicing that your country is not yours – is that a problem, I’m not sure, but it could be I suppose. These youngsters might be singing a chorus to a song, but would they go to war for their country? Or if their country was at war, would they believe that their country was worth fighting for?

Corbyn ‘Disgusted’ By ‘Cruel’ Government Cuts

Rachel Reeves has received a letter from Jeremy Corbyn condemning her and the government for their proposed reductions in disability allowances.

In her spring speech last month, the chancellor said that the government would be drastically reducing the welfare budget.

The £4.3 billion cuts package, which included significant reform to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), is set to impact more than 3 million households and force 250,000 people into deprivation according to the government’s analysis.

Both inside and outside the Labour Party, including former party leader Jeremy Corbyn, voiced strong opposition to the cuts.

He has now written to the chancellor to make her mindful of his constituents’ “profound distress” over the cuts.

In a letter to Reeves, Corbyn said he had received an “unprecedented number of enquiries from constituents who were utterly horrified by the government’s proposals.”

As a result, he held an urgent public meeting to provide a space for concerns to be shared.

Corbyn shared some of the testimonies from his constituents in the letter, with some labelling the cuts “terrifying.”

The Islington North MP added: “PIP is not a luxury. It’s a lifeline – and we are disgusted by the government’s decision to make disabled people’s lives harder. Our meeting was proof that disabled people are much more than a ‘vulnerable’ group in society.

“They are creative, passionate and valued campaigners who are advocating for their right to live in dignity and freedom.”

Sharing his letter to the Chancellor on X, Corbyn said: “I have written to Rachel Reeves to share my constituents’ profound distress over the cuts to disability benefits. We are appalled by the government’s cruelty – and we will not back down.”

Jeremy Corbyn is absolutely correct. This Labour administration is ruthless. It is reprehensible to deny handicapped individuals their allowance, and those who earn more than £5 million need to pay a higher tax rate. They should also stop providing subsidies to MPs and abolish any tax loopholes.

Any government’s desire to make sure that public funds are being used appropriately is understandable, but in this instance, it is blatantly cruel, and I object to what Reeves is suggesting, and it’s the implementation of what they are doing that is going to generate problems for thousands of individuals, and no amount of spin can cover this up. Reeves and Starmer need to go!

These issues are obvious even before they take any concrete action, and they dare to say that they would guarantee that everyone is treated equally—what nonsense! They don’t intend to, which will result in many families living in complete poverty.

Taking this vital benefit away from people is the lowest of the low. It could mean the end of their independence, specialist care, adaptations, and equipment don’t come cheap. It’s called Personal Independence Payment for a reason. It was designed to facilitate the independence of people who have disabilities.

It would mean that people with disabilities would become housebound if their PIP was taken away.

Many people use a wheelchair or mobility scooter to get around or taxis for journeys further afield, and it’s a total disgrace that disabled people are being treated this way. Tax the wealthy – don’t be such a sleazebag, Rachel Reeves.

I do like Jeremy Corbyn – he’s a one-man band and there should be more like him in Parliament.

Jeremy is extremely popular – not just with Labour activists but also many residents in Islington.

Jeremy has been Islington North’s MP since 1983 and has laboured tirelessly to support and advocate for all the residents and small businesses that make up the vibrant city of Islington.

Although Islington North is one of the most impoverished seats in the nation, Corbyn detractors in the national press tend to imply that it is the poshest part of London. Nevertheless, in the face of significant hardship, its citizens and tiny enterprises exhibit incredible fortitude and inventiveness.

Naturally, media journalists and the all-knowing television pundits never take the time to see this for themselves, but all it takes is a stroll along Holloway Road or up to Finsbury Park to witness it for yourself.

However, Jeremy Corbyn has taken the trouble. He’s lived in the heart of the constituency for more than 30 years. Week in, week out, year after year he’s worked tirelessly to help locals and businesses in their struggle to get a reasonable deal from governments who have all too often ignored their interests.

You must acknowledge the breadth of Jeremy’s work. He helps his constituents while canvassing on doorsteps.

One of the reasons Jeremy is so well-liked by those who know him is his extraordinary generosity, he has time for everyone.

He is a people person who loves to converse with others. There is only one Jeremy Corbyn, and he doesn’t care if he is speaking to a high-ranking official or a random guy he met on Holloway Road. This is quite uncommon for someone of his calibre.

Jeremy has spent most of his political career battling for what frequently seems like unfashionable causes, but faced with an economy that has left so many ordinary people behind and has done so much harm to the political and social fabric of this country – what Jeremy has been saying for numerous years to the people now makes so much sense.

I, Daniel Blake (2016 Film) delivers a concise summary of how ordinary people struggle to live in Britain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Daniel_Blake

Middle-aged Daniel Blake was denied Employment and Support Allowance even though his doctor had declared him unfit to work. Despite having worked all his life, he’d just had a severe heart attack. Daniel’s recuperation was not complete, and his cardiologist was worried that he would develop a potentially fatal arrhythmia if his heart started beating irregularly.

Daniel Blake died on the day of his appeal. At his funeral, what he was thought to read at his appeal was read at his funeral, “I am not a blip on a computer screen or a national insurance number, I am a man.”

Individuals are terrified for their futures because Rachel Reeves wants to take money away from individuals with disabilities. There’s nothing humorous about this!

There are loads of people out there that have extremely poor mobility, and can only walk a few yards because they’re in continuous pain. If they lose their Personal Independence Payment (PIP) they will be almost housebound.

Those who earn enormous incomes and continue to take freebies will never even attempt to comprehend these people’s need for independence and social interaction and yet they have the audacity to call themselves the Labour Party.

Never in my life have I witnessed a Labour Party like this one. I only voted for Labour once in my life (Tony Blair) – never again because I have never seen brutality like this.

To be honest I believe that Labour is finished, particularly after targeting pensioners and the disabled. They are trying to put us all into an early grave – they are heartless!

I never imagined that a Labour administration would treat its people so callously and dishonestly; they ought to feel ashamed of themselves, but they don’t; instead, they just sit there and laugh at us all!

Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer are wicked people who have ruined the Labour Party.

All politicians are frugal with the truth but Sir Keir Starmer has lifted lying to a new level and to add insult to injury, he doesn’t even hide the fact.

If there’s an art to lying, Keir Starmer has truly mastered it because he says whatever suits him at the time, but what makes it worse is that he was once a human rights lawyer – where did his decency go – in a carryall somewhere concealed away I guess!

Hair Transplants, Turkey Teeth, And A ‘Fake Six-Pack’ Worth £1 Million Were Stolen By A Military Clerk

A military clerk robbed almost £1 million from the Ministry of Defence to pay for hair transplants, Turkey teeth and cosmetic surgery for a fake six-pack in an expenses scam, a court has been told. 

Former corporal Aaron Stelmach-Purdie, 34, headed the scheme while working at Regent’s Park Barracks in central London.

He cheated taxpayers of £911,677, of which he kept £557,093 for himself.

Stelmach-Purdie had a passion for the good life – undergoing a hair transplant and flying to Turkey for teeth-whitening and abdominal implants.

When police investigated his house, they discovered three fake Patek Philippe watches, nine pairs of Christian Louboutin shoes, and a Louis Vuitton luggage set.

Five other people, who came before Stelmach-Purdie in court yesterday and were found guilty of money laundering and conspiracy to commit fraud, assisted him in running the expenditures scam.

Stelmach-Purdie, from Oldham in Greater Manchester, was told he faces prison for fraud and money laundering after uploading bogus claims onto an online admin portal from November 2014 to January 2016.

Southwark Crown Court heard how he was helped by five other clerks, former sergeant Roger Clerice, 28, Allan O’Neil, 48, Lee Richards, 41, Anthony Sharwood, 38, and Peter Wilson, 55.

Prosecutor Domonic Connolly told the court: ‘This case concerns a series of frauds carried out by a number of employees of the Ministry of Defence at their administrative headquarters situated within Regents Park Barracks in Central London.

‘These defendants, who were all employed at the Regent’s Park Barracks made a series of fictitious claims to expenses and allowances that they were not entitled to.

‘As a result of these frauds, there has been a loss of public funds totalling £911,677.66. These are public funds that had been demarcated for the defence of the realm and the protection of its armed services.’

Prosecutors said the fraud centred around the use of the Joint Personal Administration (JPA) – an online administrative system used by the UK armed forces to pay the salaries of staff, including claims for expenses and allowances.

While he was responsible for the management of claims to expenses and allowances, Stelmach-Purdie used his position to make fraudulent claims on his JPA account and the accounts of others, the court was told.

He then used the bank accounts of third parties, including his mother and sister, to conceal the proceeds of the fraud, the court heard.

The other defendants told the court they were approached by Stelmach-Purdie in or shortly after December 2014, when he claimed he had found a way to ‘make some money manipulating JPA’, prosecutors said.

Stelmach-Purdie’s line manager Clerice, who was an administration specialist, received £7,691 from the scam. He pleaded guilty to money laundering.

Wilson, a former lance sergeant who retired from the army in October 2015, continued to receive £230,400 in dishonest claims made by Stelmach-Purdie for months until December 31 2015.

Between June and December 2015, Wilson’s JPA account was used to make 28 fraudulent claims totalling £378,662.

Sharwood, a former corporal in the Royal Marines who retired from the Armed Forces in January this year, was involved in eight fraudulent expense claims made between January 2015 and November 2015, totalling £28,935.

The defendant, from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, confessed to conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering in March 2023.

Richards, a former lance sergeant from Amesbury in Wiltshire, was convicted by a jury of 103 fraudulent claims made between March 2015 and January 2016, totalling £434,825.

He retained around £160,000 of that sum, the court heard.

Wilson, from Kidderminster in Worcestershire, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering in March 2023.

The total value of the fraud he pleaded guilty to is £385,432 involving 28 fraudulent claims made between June 2015 and January 2016.

A total of £378,662.26 passed through his bank account, £149,781 of which he retained, the court was told.

O’Neil, a former sergeant from Droitwich in Worcestershire, was involved in three fraudulent claims totalling £18,218 and has pleaded guilty to money laundering.

Stelmach-Purdie, whom the court heard was involved in all of the 161 fraudulent claims, was discharged from the Armed Forces in January 2016 after he was convicted and sentenced over four counts of sexual activity with a child.

When interviewed by police shortly after over his fraudulent activity, Stelmach-Purdie said he became involved because of the state of poor mental health brought about by the sexual allegations made against him.

Prosecutor Connolly told the judge: ‘When he (Stelmach-Purdie) commenced his job in administration, he was aware people were making claims for allowances that they were not entitled to.

‘He claimed he felt people knew of these proceedings and would use it against him if he didn’t comply with their claims.

‘He would allow claims to go through for a percentage in return.’

Stelmach-Purdie pleaded guilty to seven counts of conspiracy to commit fraud and one count of money laundering in August 2023.

The sentencing of all six defendants is scheduled for Tuesday at Southwark Crown Court.

I’m curious about how they plan to repay all of this money, and what everyone is missing is that this was a military theft, which means their security was flawed. How on earth did the MoD miss this? Indeed, the UK MoD need to seriously tighten up its internal auditing processes and procedures.

Years ago there would have been a paper trail. An application/claim would have been signed by an applicant and then signed off by a designated superior officer before being handed to the designated Paymaster for vetting and payment.

The introduction of IT/computers dispensed with the paper trail and has now allowed clever people to hack into and misuse the system.

Isn’t anyone else concerned that he was employed with the MoD after being a convicted sex offender?

This is only the beginning. The MoD has to be thoroughly examined, particularly the procurement personnel, but this is the public sector, and if a humble clerk can pocket that amount of money before being caught, then how much can somebody else higher up the ladder steal before being caught?

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