Our Council Shames Us For Our Wood Burners, So We Ask Chimney Sweeps To Park Down The Street

A council clean air campaign has led to ‘a climate of fear and intimidation’ for owners of wood-burning stoves, it has been claimed.

Locals say they have been named, shamed and verbally abused in the street for using their wood-burning stoves this winter.

Some say they have been branded ‘polluters’ and have been ‘stigmatised’ for using them.

Chimney sweeps in Brighton and Hove say they have been asked to park away some distance from the homes of their customers for fear of alerting neighbours to the presence of a wood-burning stove.

It follows a campaign against open fires and wood-burning stoves that was started by Brighton and Hove City Council last month.

Bus stop adverts for the Cosy Killer campaign claim wood burning produced a particularly dangerous form of air pollution.

The pollutants – PM2.5s – are said to be worse than all of the UK’s road traffic put together.

However, wood burners are still legal everywhere in this country and some 1.5 million homes across the UK are estimated to have them installed. 

Even in those parts of our towns and cities covered by Smoke Control Areas, which includes much of Brighton, as well as almost all of London and most of Birmingham and Manchester, wood may be burned in stoves that satisfy regulations brought in three years ago.

Councillor Tim Rowkins, cabinet member for Net Zero and Environmental Services, said: ‘Our campaign is not designed to demonise anyone; I strongly believe most people who burn at home simply aren’t aware of the harm they’re doing, and this campaign is aimed squarely at raising awareness.

‘It is important our residents are fully aware of the health risks associated with wood burning in the home and our campaign is underpinned by robust academic research and public health data from multiple sources.

‘We have also installed a network of real-time air quality monitors throughout the city, providing us with vital additional data and insight.

‘For example, on cold evenings when log burners are most commonly in use, we see significant spikes in residential areas – including near schools and pre-schools – at levels way beyond those deemed safe by the World Health Organisation.

‘We know for some people a wood burner is essential for them to be able to heat their homes – and we are certainly not attempting to unfairly target anyone experiencing fuel poverty with this campaign – but for the majority, it is more of a luxury.

‘It is only right that as a council we raise local awareness of what is an important public health issue.’

Jeez, I wonder how we all survived all those years ago when all we could do was burn wood – coal was a real delight, and I wonder how we have such an elderly population when everything we did back then was so full of danger.

I don’t have a burner, but for some, it’s worth mentioning that it’s their primary source of heating.

Not everyone survived though. Life Expectancy was lower, and in the 1953 Great Smog of London thousands died – that’s why we have the Clean Air Act, but for the small amount of burners that still exist, it’s not too much of a concern.

It’s all nonsense at the end of the day. Due to the fact that certain power plants continue to burn wood, millions of people continue to smoke, and millions more vape, millions of people are not concerned about their lungs. In the end, nobody can predict when we will all die. Good times—I need a drink now!

As Pauline Quirke, 65, Struggles With Dementia, Experts Reveal Easy-To-Miss Signs

Birds Of A Feather star Pauline Quirke is to ‘step back’ from all professional obligations due to struggles with the memory-robbing disease dementia, which she was diagnosed with in 2021.

The actor, now 65, plans to spend time with her family, children and grandchildren during this ‘difficult period’, her husband Steve Sheen said.

A diagnosis of the disease under the age of 65 is deemed young-onset dementia, which is caused by genetics in about one in 10 cases, according to Alzheimer’s Research UK.

According to experts, the disease’s first brain alterations take place decades before symptoms appear.

However, some red flag signs may occur far earlier than others—and should be looked out for, especially in those with a family history.

According to Dr Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist based in California, one indicative sign is a significantly shortened attention span.

He says of this characteristic in a recent TikTok video: ‘[It is] not like ADHD, that you’ve had it your whole life, but it seems to be accelerating.’

Touching on why this happens Ruth Drew, the director of client and information services for the Alzheimer’s Association in the US, explains: ‘Alzheimer’s disease attacks the brain, and it tends to start in the hippocampus where new memory and new learning are stored.

‘So anything that disrupts that could certainly make it more difficult for a person to hold on to a train of thought.

‘It is different for each person. Certainly, by the middle stages [of the disease], focus is definitely going to be impacted.’ 

Another easily missed sign is what appears to be depression, Dr Amen says. 

Watch out for ‘low mood’, he warns.

‘Depression doubles the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in women and quadruples the risk in men.’

The Alzheimer’s Society says it is hard to know what causes depression in dementia. 

It adds: ‘For many people, the challenges of living with dementia can lead to feelings of deep sadness or hopelessness. 

‘In addition, the diseases that cause dementia may damage parts of the brain involved in emotions and behaviour.’

A discernible deterioration in your memory is another more overt indication that dementia may have taken hold.

He explains: ‘Eighty percent of people who say their memory is worse than it was 10 years ago have an 80 percent chance it will continue to get worse.’

The National Institute of Aging says memory problems associated with the early stages of Alzheimer’s include ‘a decline in non-memory aspects of cognition, such as finding the right word, trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships, and impaired reasoning or judgment.’ 

It adds: ‘As the disease progresses, symptoms become more severe and include increased confusion and behaviour changes.’ 

Dr Amen’s next early alarm bell is ‘poor judgment and impulsivity’. For example, this could include making poor financial decisions or engaging in excessive arguments.

This is because the frontal lobes—the largest lobes of the brain found directly behind the forehead responsible for behaviour and emotions—are ‘decreasing in activity’ due to the disease, which is ‘sort of like your brain going offline’, according to Dr Amen.

Only around 1 in 50 people with Alzheimer’s disease find their frontal lobes are affected early on.

After describing the major warning signs, Dr Amen ran through some factors that can increase the chance of your developing the disease.

He said: ‘Being overweight or obese [increases the risk]. As your weight goes up, the size and function of your brain goes down.

‘That’s why I’m trim. I do not want to purposely do anything that damages my brain.’

He also points out a few more conditions that could lead to poor brain health, including erectile dysfunction – ‘because if you have blood flow problems anywhere, it means they’re everywhere’ – chronic insomnia, and sleep apnoea. 

Memory problems, thinking and reasoning difficulties and language problems are typical early manifestations of the condition, which then deteriorate over time. 

A separate Alzheimer’s Research UK study found 74,261 people passed away from dementia in 2022 compared with 69,178 a year earlier, making it the country’s biggest killer. 

In 2022, Marvel actor Chris Hemsworth, 40, found out he was likely to develop the disease, after going through genetic testing.

He has gained notoriety in the battle against dementia.

He urges others to go to the doctor regularly and freely offers information about his well-being and health practices.

Dementia is such a vicious disease and it deprives people of their families, even long before they’ve passed away, and it’s cruel what they have to endure.

Since I was a child, Pauline Quirke has been on my television screen. She was witty and direct, and I hope the best for her and her family.

Care homes must be rubbing their hands together, but then I guess foresightedness for those who spotted an opportunity.

I do hope that they discover a cure for this evil disease.

Hearing about Pauline Quirke’s dementia makes me very sad because my mother tragically suffered from vascular dementia, which isn’t mentioned in the piece at all.

All forms of dementia are extremely severe, and further research and comprehension are needed.

The public coffers have long been burdened by this sickness, but Margaret Thatcher and all subsequent leaders have reduced spending while ignoring the ageing of our population.

They have cut funding to our councils and in numerous regions of the UK, which means good quality council-run homes do not exist. They have even ignored the fact that even privately run homes are in short supply and there is a bed crisis. So, we have to rely on stressed-out family members to care for our elderly and dementia-suffering patients.

If you are given care by Social Services, you’ll be lucky if you get 2 or three calls a day from private care companies.

What is the purpose of research and development if there is new medication to slow the progress yet it is generally too costly to provide to NHS patients? I’m furious about it!

Additionally, it is abhorrent to have to sell your parent’s house to pay for the care expenses, and the law needs to be amended right away.

If you get early-onset Alzheimers, don’t expect any financial support.

Try applying for Personal Independence Payments (PIP). You have to leap through hoops with numerous complex questions, it would be challenging enough for a person whose brain is still intact, but for a person whose brain isn’t, it’s traumatic and confusing. Basically after the age of 50 years old, you’re thrown on the scrap heap.

I truly believe that the government should cover all costs of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Numerous patients are just left to get on with it and families cannot always assist because they either live too far away or have young children of their own. In addition to the fact that nursing these patients is demanding and relentless, and may need specialist care.

While any illness can be awful, I believe dementia or Alzheimer’s to be the worst because it is cruel and heartbreaking to all those affected.

Asylum Seekers Shoplift Designer Goods

Two asylum seekers were caught stealing to order while waiting for their refugee claims to be processed by the Home Office. 

Frans Epentrius, 29, and Tobias Iileka, 33, went on a spree targeting the John Lewis department store at the Bluewater shopping centre, near Stone, Kent.

The duo were busted on December 23 after eagle-eyed staff at the shopping mall spotted them behaving suspiciously and detained them. 

Iileka was discovered with a pair of wire cutters, while Epentrius was caught attempting to stash a £550 Coach handbag in a brown paper bag he was carrying. 

After discovering he had been clocked by staff, Epentrius went behind a column and put the bag on a different display. 

‘They refused to wait for the police and they both ran off but were subsequently caught and taken to North Kent police station,’ prosecutor Lauren Kenny told Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court.

Iileka acknowledged stealing additional things from John Lewis during a previous visit after being charged. He stated that he had committed the thefts to purchase clothing and food.

The court heard that Iileka had said that a friend had given him an order for things to steal, including designer perfumes, handbags and sunglasses.

Iileka, from Crawley, was charged with shoplifting items worth £1,356 from the Bluewater’s John Lewis outlet on December 4.

He was also charged with going prepared for robbery by having wire cutters during the foiled shoplifting endeavour on December 23.

Due to the unsuccessful ransacking on December 23, Epentrius, a father of two from St Leonards, East Sussex, was charged with attempted stealing.

The court heard Epentrius has two convictions for seven prior crimes but none of a comparable nature, while Iileka had one previous violation for failing to pay a fare on the railways.

Simon Patrick Pettican, representing Epentrius, said his client’s children were in Africa with the 29-year-old’s family as the thief awaits the results of his UK asylum request.

‘He is an asylum seeker at the moment and his claim is currently being processed. He has an excess alcohol (conviction) on file and he’s not working at the moment,’ he told the court, reported Kent Online.

‘He was getting cash from the Salvation Army but that has stopped and the friend he lives with is supporting him now.

‘It was a shot at getting some money (the thieving) and he has £419 outstanding on his fine’s account and that was for train evasion (not paying for the fare).’

District Judge Nadeem Holland placed Epentrius on a 12-month community order, with a requirement to complete 60 hours of unpaid work.

Why on earth would we want people like this in our country? If someone violates the law while waiting for an immigration decision it should be an instant decline and straight back on the plane home. It shouldn’t be our problem!

Only once they arrive and are welcomed on our shores will they stay and become a part of our culture. This is where the concept of human rights comes in.

However, they have already demonstrated their beliefs and the reason they are here. Our foolish administration will eventually figure out a method to get rid of them, but it won’t be for some time, and by then it will be too late—they are here to stay!

Naturally, a court will always find a justification for their actions, but keep an eye out since these individuals will go on to conduct more serious crimes in the future. Their asylum application should have been automatically denied.

After committing a criminal violation, that should have been the end of any claim they have to stay in the UK, but now they will likely be offered a home to live in a location of their choosing, and guess what, the taxpayers will have to pay for that!

Gen Z’s Must-Have Gadgets

According to a study, the devices that Gen Z cannot live without are air fryers, coffee makers, and hair dryers.

A poll, of 2,000 adults, has demonstrated how much different generations value various appliances around the home – and what things they turn to first thing in the morning.

For coffee-mad Gen Z, less than half (41 percent) felt their machine was a luxury item, compared to 64 percent of both Boomers and Gen X.

The younger generation is also less likely to consider hair tongs (30 percent) and air fryers (33 percent) a luxury compared to boomers (55 percent for hair tongs and 47 percent for air fryers).

It’s also evident the country is a fan of hot drinks, as half of all adults named the kettle as the first appliance they use in the morning – well ahead of the fridge (11 percent).

But older generations are more likely than youngsters to go for a brew first thing in the morning, with seven in 10 Boomers turning to the kettle before anything else compared to only 21 percent of Gen Z.

The research was commissioned by the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA), to encourage people to sign up for their devices, as part of Register My Appliance Week.

Additionally, there is a quiz designed to test your understanding of the appliances that are valued by various generations.

CEO Paul Hide said: ‘We are clearly a nation of appliance lovers, who appreciate the transformative effect they’ve had on our lives and who are excited by the future of smart tech, especially the younger generations.

‘However, people are missing out on an important safety benefit – an estimated 40 million large appliances are unregistered, which means they are untraceable if a safety repair is needed.’

The washing machine was universally recognised by all ages as the appliance they can’t manage without (62 percent).

This was followed by the fridge (59 percent), oven (32 percent) and freezer (29 percent).

It also emerged that 80 percent of adults said energy efficiency was an important factor when it comes to buying a new appliance, with 65 percent checking its green credentials before parting with their cash.

Anyone born in this century, before all this new tech stuff, has no idea what it was like to live say in the 70s and before. They have no idea how easy their lives are now, yet they frequently whine anyway. Try living through the war, there were no gizmos back then, and most of them wouldn’t even know how to cook a meal from scratch.

In the 60s a washing machine consisted of a scrub board, typically at the side of your butler sink. In the 70s washing machines existed but generally for the more affluent clientele. I value specific things now but only because I’m more senior and disabled, but when I was more youthful and in my prime there was nothing wrong with a bit of spit and polish.

Jeez, if kids these days lose their wifi signal, they have a breakdown and tell everyone it’s caused them to have PTSD.

These kids need National Service, that might knock some sense into the woke loonies.

If my toaster broke, I definitely wouldn’t have a meltdown about it, I would do it the old-fashioned way and use the grill. Gen Z would have a blue fit if the toaster was broken and they take so many things for granted these days. Toasters are amazing but they are much more inferior to just putting your bread under the grill.

There have been numerous advancements over the last 60 years, things that we did not have back then and these are taken as a given these days, and we have become a dreadful society because of it, but you wouldn’t want to go back, would you? However, if there was a war, we might have to!

High Street Bank To Leave Britain Over Red Tape

High street banking giant Santander is looking ‘to quit Britain over excessive red tape’ – a decision which would hit millions of customers and tens of thousands of staff.

According to reports, the Spanish financial company is thinking about leaving the UK as it evaluates its upcoming commercial dealings.

According to the Financial Times, it is believed the possible exit from the British Isles is down to frustrations over UK rules introduced after the 2008 financial crisis, which has led to lower returns for the bank than in other markets. 

Large banks were forced to keep their retail banking separate from riskier assets and foreign operations following the crisis, which the banking behemoth claims has led to lower profits than in other markets, such as Spain.

The Financial Times reported that a former Santander executive said it had ‘always been a possibility’ that executive chair, Ana Botín, would sell up as a result. 

Insiders say executives want to shift their focus on growth regions like the US after share prices fell by a third in just over 10 years. 

The plans call for the bank to withdraw from retail and commercial banking in the UK while keeping some business interests and investment, and it has hired TV stars Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly as part of an advertising campaign.

There are some 14 million Santander customers who could be affected if the apparent plans go ahead, in addition to approximately 20,000 employees across 444 branches in the UK. It also holds about £200 billion in customer lending.

It comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves told the bosses of Britain’s regulators to help revive the UK economy by ‘tearing down the regulatory barriers that hold back growth’. 

Last year, Ms Reeves promised to tear up red tape for the City of London after claiming regulation after the 2008 financial crash had ‘gone too far’.

In her first Mansion House speech last November, she said: ‘While it was right that successive governments made regulatory changes after the global financial crisis, to ensure that regulation kept pace with the global economy of the time, it is important that we learn the lessons of the past.

‘These changes have resulted in a system which sought to eliminate risk-taking. That has gone too far and, in places, it has had unintended consequences which we must now address.’

Let’s be honest, Santander has an extremely low interest rate for businesses and customers. They also have very short opening hours, and you could probably shop elsewhere, but it is a real rigamarole because you have to switch everything over, direct debits, standing orders et cetera, and for those that have a mortgage with the said bank your mortgage will usually be sold to another lender, but again it’s a total pain in the posterior.

Who caused the issue or how it happened is irrelevant. Finding alternate banking arrangements is currently an issue for Santanders’ clients, which adds to people’s worries.

School Sells Soggy Pizza For £2.30… But Have YOUR Children Been Served Worse?

A mother has blasted her son’s school for charging him £2.30 for a soggy pizza slice at break time.

After he complained to her, she uploaded the dismal images of the tomato slice with a tiny bite removed and the cheese to a Reddit page.

She wrote: ‘My son’s school charging £2.30 for this…is this normal?’

Reddit users expressed outrage and contempt at the cost of such a meagre and pitiful-looking food.

This prompted more discussion about the audacious cost of school food in general as they pointed out the cost of living situation.

Thousands of people viewed the article right away, and hundreds of angry comments regarding the condition of school food were left.

‘It might be normal but it isn’t fair,’ one poster responded, to which one replied: ‘My child’s school charges 45p for a slice of toast per day. And quite often there’s no guarantee they will even get one either.

‘And rich politicians wonder why there are so many kids living in poverty.’

Giving your child a packed lunch is probably far healthier than a slice of pizza, at least a packed lunch might include an apple or a banana in with their lunch, perhaps even a muffin, but also giving a child a decent breakfast such as porridge, weetabix or shredded wheat and a couple of slices of wholesome toast would keep them full until lunchtime.

Back in my day, a school meal consisted of a proper meal, a dessert and a drink to sustain them, now all you get is a slice of pizza or burger and the cost of it is unreasonable.

Some mothers have to go to work to support their family, nothing has changed from when I was a child, numerous mothers had to go to work, but mothers also knew that their children were getting a wholesome meal so that when they got home all they had to do was give them tea, which would have usually consisted of sandwiches, crisps and some fruit, maybe a yoghurt.

But regardless of whether we should be making our children a packed lunch or not, £2.30 for a slice of pizza is absurd, not to mention unhealthy. If schools are going to provide meals for our children at school, at least make it better than a slice of pizza – try providing food with nutritious value.

Not providing a proper meal at lunchtime will just make our children slothful and exhausted – not lazy as the school would tell you! We need good food to feed our brains, but our government don’t want smart children because then they will go against the regime!

At one time schools had a proper kitchen and decent cooks, but now we are told it’s all in aid of progress, and in some schools they have banned packed lunches which is ridiculous. I mean, why would they do that? Oh, of course, to make more money – it’s always about the money!

Back in the 70s school meals were cooked by staff and they were lovely, particularly the desserts, and the women that served the food to us were great and made meal times feel like home.

Kate Tours A £10,000-A-Term School In North London

The Princess of Wales has toured two elite north London day schools – sparking rumours Prince George could be educated at one of them.

Kate, in remission from cancer, was seen at £10,000-a-term University College School (UCS) in Hampstead just after it closed for the Christmas holiday.

The same week, Highgate School – only two miles away – was also closed for a ‘special VIP visitor’ – said to have been the princess.

Her alma mater, Marlborough College in Wiltshire is understood to be the favoured option for her elder son when he departs Lambrook School in Berkshire in 18 months.

However, Kate and Prince William might be eager to consider other choices.

Prince George, 11, attends co-educational Lambrook with siblings Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.

Kate is believed to be inclined to keep them together. And Marlborough, a £59,000-a-year co-educational boarding school, could take all three.

According to reports, Prince George has already been promised a place and a house has been set up for him. According to reports, it is the greatest choice for his security needs.

A source said while a day school in north London would be an ‘unexpected choice’, events of the past year might also have changed the Waleses’ priorities.

‘With the year Catherine has had, she may well have thought to herself that she wants to soak up every drop of George’s childhood and tuck him into bed herself each night,’ the source said.

However, it might not be a surprise, either, if the school visits were related to Kate’s work with the Royal Foundation. One of Kate’s first official engagements after her chemotherapy ended was an Early Years meeting at Windsor Castle in September.

It is a subject close to her heart, and she has said she takes ‘great joy’ from her work.

Why would you have children and then send them away to school? You cannot raise a child if he/she lives away from you, and time is too short anyway.

Having a child and then sending it to school has always baffled me. When your child lives far away, how can you raise him? Our time together is already brief enough.

Of course, you can Facetime them every night. See them on weekends and holidays. Let’s face it: It’s not like they’re shipping them off to Colditz.

Sending royal children to a day school, in my opinion, conveys a very positive message. While some students do enjoy boarding, it’s not for everyone, and parents are no exception. Why shouldn’t their kids attend a day school and grow up at home?

But then Kate and William might want to be seen as hands-on parents without truly being hands-on.

In my opinion, these schools are extremely expensive, and when parents have spent thousands of pounds on their education and the child is aware that they must do well in school to gain admission to a prestigious university, it is a terrible burden for them to bear.

Whether you support royalism or not, these small steps are a positive step towards modernising the monarchy, and these parents will do what is best for their kids, and with good reason.

Individuals who send their children away to school are simply byzantine. Like arranged marriages, top hots, the workhouse and monarchies – oh, did I really say that out loud? Good for me!

Eton and schools alike don’t offer what modern-day students and a prospective king will need in today’s world. So many things have changed and the old boy network is becoming outdated.

Midwives Learn About Decolonisation And Birthing People

Midwives are being taught about ‘decolonisation’ and ‘birthing people’ as part of their training to deliver newborns.

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) wants universities to ‘challenge the implicit and explicit legacies of colonial perspectives’ while training students how to practically deal with medical emergencies during pregnancy and delivery.

The professional body says trainee midwives should also learn about ‘white privilege’ and the ‘effects of colonisation and decolonisation’ as part of their three-year course.

Qualified midwifery staff should also use a Decolonising Midwifery tool kit to ‘reconstruct education from a global perspective, removing the colonial lens through which most education is perceived’, it suggests.

This, it says, is vital to ‘improve maternity care outcomes for women, birthing people and their families’.

Critics blamed the trade union for diverting attention from the real problems enveloping inadequate NHS maternity care, at a time when two-thirds of facilities are considered to be failing in safety.

Dr Caroline Johnson, shadow minister for health and an NHS consultant paediatrician who has attended thousands of births, said focusing on ideology over medical practicalities was ‘madness’.

‘The top priority for midwife training should be ensuring the safety of mothers and babies during delivery,’ she said.

‘So this ideological nonsense is nothing but a distraction and should have no place in the midwives’ education. If the Government is serious about putting patients first, they should intervene and stop this madness from taking hold.’

The tool kit is also ‘an important first step in ensuring that future midwives can practise with cultural competence’, says the RCM.

It has also issued a Decolonising Practice in Midwifery position statement, encouraging members – many of whom work for the NHS – to take ‘proactive measures… to address implicit and explicit colonial perspectives which persist within maternity services’.

NHS maternity care is under increased scrutiny following several high-profile investigations.

They include more than 200 baby deaths at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.

In a recent review of services, the Care Quality Commission (CQC)found maternity failings are becoming ‘normalised’. The CQC highlighted poor management, unsafe assessments at triage and failures to learn from mistakes.

Staffing and retention problems have left the NHS short of approximately 2,500 full-time midwives, contributing to safety failings.

Gill Walton, chief executive of the RCM, said the recommendations aim to address widespread inequality among maternity services.

‘To reduce these avoidable deaths and reduce inequality, we have to look at how midwifery is both taught and practised,’ she said.

I’m really angry about all this nonsense. Finding the person or people engaged in this decision is what we need to do. They should be named, shamed, and fired since they are unfit to be in this type of role.

People in the UK are working 60 plus hours a week to pay tax for boaties to stay in posh hotels free from hardship. We are also giving aid to China, India and South African farmers while our own countrymen and women are getting shafted. Privileged – are you having a laugh?

The tool kit is also ‘an important first step in ensuring that future midwives can practice with cultural competence.’ Let’s just focus on medical competence, shall we?

This training course is not necessary, and the funds might be used for more crucial NHS projects at a time when the UK needs to be frugal with taxpayer money and only spend it on necessary services.

This is not training, it’s political indoctrination in a false and dangerous ideology. Nazism is back, but now in a more subtle way!

Trump And Melania Return Triumphantly To DC

At one of the numerous celebrations taking place in Washington, D.C., area in advance of the inauguration, Donald Trump and his wife Melania were beaming as they watched a fireworks display.

Trump marked his return to power with a celebration at his Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, approximately 30 miles outside Washington.

Many of the key figures in the Trump orbit were present in addition to the First Couple, including Ivanka, the daughter and former top advisor, who was accompanied by her husband, Jared Kushner.

All of Trump’s adult children and their partners were in attendance. Don Jr. was joined by his controversial new beau Bettina Anderson, while Tiffany was there with her husband Michael Boulos, as well as Eric and his wife Lara. 

All eyes were on Donald and Melania, though, as they watched the performance and exchanged infrequent smiles.

In a brief speech, the president-elect highlighted several prominent figures, such as Jeff Bezos, the creator of Amazon, and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin.

Trump singled out his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who he called ‘a great negotiator’ after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal was agreed to. 

Numerous favourites from Trump’s playlist washed over those in attendance, including ‘YMCA’ – which The Village People will play for those gathered live this weekend – and ‘A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World.’ 

Just after 10 pm, the party left and about three dozen Trump fans cheered ‘Trump, Trump, Trump’ from a nearby grocery store parking lot as the motorcade passed.

At The Vice President’s Dinner in Washington, Vice President-elect JD Vance and his wife Usha were also seen arriving in lavish attire.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cheryl Hines, and Marco Rubio were among those present at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Before the new vice president’s speech, JD and Usha were seen kissing.

Rappers, tech billionaires, country music stars, and others are expected to make President-elect Trump’s second inauguration more spectacular than ever this weekend.

The newly sworn-in president and first lady Melania will attend three official balls – while there will be a flurry of other parties and events throughout inauguration weekend. 

More musical stars, such as Carrie Underwood, Gavin DeGraw, Rascal Flatts, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Jason Aldean, are willing to perform at Trump’s inaugural activities, which is a significant difference from eight years ago.

On Friday night, Snoop Dogg was the main act at the first Crypto Ball, while Rick Ross, a rapper, also performed.

Many people voted for Kamala Harris, but Trump got in – let’s see what’s in store for the next four years. Numerous people are happy and ready to support the new president. Hopefully, he will do a fantastic job.

But before this, he was being treated like a pariah and dragged through numerous judicial hearings.

However, he kept talking about how the combo of a corrupted judicial system and mass media were attempting to stop him from reattaining office – an office in which a confused old man was installed as a puppet for a shadow government.

Even among those who dislike Trump as a person, there is some hope. He should be able to pull America out of the abyss it’s in, which was mainly caused by the inept people in charge of the system.

Trump is not the system, which is why he was and remains a threat to the establishment.

If not for his policy reviews, you have to respect the man for his perseverance and fortitude. His wife will fulfil her duties as First Lady with decorum, but she doesn’t need or want the limelight.

Overtaxed Millionaires Flee UK

Since Keir Starmer took office, a record number of millionaires have left because of Labour’s tax intentions.

As fears of new tax policies hurting the economy and foreign investors have grown, thousands of millionaires have left Britain.

An increasing number of British business owners are reportedly ready to depart the nation following the autumn budget, which puts pressure on the Treasury to rethink its crackdown on non-domiciled residents.

It is estimated that Britain lost a net 10,800 millionaires to migration last year, which is a 157 percent increase from 2023, the Times reported.

According to data from New World Health, Britain has lost more affluent citizens than any other nation in the world, with the exception of China, and the number has increased since the general election.

The UK’s most affluent residents mostly fled to other European nations like Italy and Switzerland, as well as to the United Arab Emirates.

This comes after  it was revealed that one of Britain’s oldest surviving family businesses claimed it could face ruin after Labour’s budget ‘torpedoed’ its operating model.

Jim Rankin, a sixth-generation owner of Rankin Brothers & Sons, a cork manufacturer established in 1774, was blindsided by Rachel Reeves proposals, which he slams for ‘running completely contrary to the government’s ambitions for growth’.

Rankin, who is also the chairman of the Cork Industry Federation, detailed to MailOnline how the latest changes to employer National Insurance (NI) contributions and adjustments to inheritance tax will now affect their cash flow, the affordability of human resources, and succession planning.

He’s blunt in his criticism: ‘The policies the government is putting forward run completely contrary to their own aims. How can they claim to be fostering growth when they’re slapping taxes on businesses that are already struggling?’

Business Property Relief (BPR) has up to this point permitted individuals to transfer trading businesses to the next generation free of tax, allowing family-owned businesses to carry on from generation to generation, but from 2026 all companies valued over £1 million will be saddled with a 20 percent inheritance tax when passed on to the next generation.

‘This change could seriously damage the future of family businesses like ours,’ Rankin explains.

‘We’ve been around for over 250 years, and part of that longevity is thanks to our careful succession planning. But these new policies mean that we’re going to have to reimagine everything. It’s going to force us to make decisions we never thought we’d have to make.’

The wealthy are naturally fleeing because Labour has made it clear that they want to soak the rich, but those who are unable to do so must pay the large portion of taxes that the wealthy are no longer able to pay.

But then why should anyone hang around in the UK when this corrupt government is determined to take everything we have?

It has been demonstrated that Rachel Reeves is a chronic liar and has dubious integrity. Millionaires leave the UK because of her, and when they do, they cease to pay taxes. Reeves thinks this is a recipe for growth, but nobody else did, even though they were the ones paying the highest taxes!

Every day now, it’s just more about how Reeves can rob all your money, including the pension you saved into and for what?

It seems that our government need a good flogging every so often, that way they might wake up and smell the coffee!

History is simply repeating itself because Labour never learn. They do the same thing over and over again, but expect different results, which is sheer foolishness.

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