Trump is visiting, Brexit is a mess, Theresa May’s cabinet is in shambles, but England is in the semis of the world cup for the first time since 1990 so all is well.
Tag: god save the queen
Everything you can imagine, in a tin
My dad would be in canned food heaven right now. We went grocery shopping in France, and it’s always astonishing to see how different the choices are. In this picture, you’ll notice tins of:
- Canard mitonné
- Blanquette de veau
- Lapin rôti à la moutarde
- Tartiflette
- Choucroute garnie
- Cassoulet
- Poulet basquaise
- Boeuf bourguignon
Now, of course, it will never compare to the British pie-in-a-tin experience we gave him once, but I did make note of a few things to send back to him when my mom comes.
Unorthodox candidates in the British election capture the attention of election-watchers
Among those to have raised the most eyebrows is Lord Buckethead, who appeared alongside Theresa May on the podium as results were read out for the Maidenhead constituency. Buckethead, a self-described “intergalactic space lord” whose real name is unknown, won 249 votes in the Berkshire contest. It is not the first time Buckethead has stood against a prime minister – a candidate with the same name took on Margaret Thatcher in 1987 and lost with just 131 votes. He also stood against John Major in 1992. This time around, Buckethead campaigned on a platform of strong but “not entirely stable leadership” and describes himself as enjoying planet-conquering, dominating inferior species, and Lovejoy. His manifesto, he declared after the results had been confirmed, delivered him a “new Buckethead record”. Buckethead’s reappearance on the political scene did not go unnoticed.
While most British people are used to a varied range of candidates, mostly due to the advent of the oddball Monster Raving Loony party, election watchers from further afield were fascinated. Away from Maidenhead, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron, had to contend with an unusual opponent in Cumbria’s Westmorland and Lonsdale. Farron held on to his seat with a reduced majority of 777. Adding insult to injury, he was upstaged during his victory speech by Mr Fishfinger, a man dressed as a piece of frozen food. Fishfinger, who changed his name by deed poll to take part in the election, decided to run after an informal Twitter poll found users would rather be led by a fish finger than Farron. He got 309 votes.
I won’t be able to vote.
Katy and I both registered for overseas postal ballots for the upcoming UK general election. It’s no secret that I’m completely fed up with the current Tory muppets and I was really looking forward to being able to do my civic duty. Unfortunately, my ballot got lost in the post. We received Katy’s ballot and got it sent back in time. However, even if I get mine tomorrow, it needs to be received at the electoral office in Saffron Walden by 10pm on the day of the election. Two days from now. Ain’t going to happen.
So, UK peeps, go vote. Even if you’re planning on voting for Tory muppet scum, go vote. It’s your right, and your responsibility, as a citizen.
Banksy on Brexit
A Brexit-inspired mural by Banksy showing a metalworker chipping away at a star on the EU flag has appeared in Dover. The artwork emerged overnight on the Castle Amusements building near the ferry terminal, which connects the UK with mainland Europe. The mural, which was confirmed by Banksy’s representatives to be a genuine work by the elusive artist, is his first comment on the Brexit vote last year. The stars of the flag “stand for the ideals of unity, solidarity and harmony among the peoples of Europe”, according to the EU website. The mural has appeared at a difficult time, when Brexit and the increasingly frosty relationship between Theresa May’s government and the EU over negotiations on Britain’s departure have become central to the general election on 8 June. The Dover artwork is across the Channel from Calais, where a Banksy mural appeared at the main refugee camp in 2015, showing the Apple founder, Steve Jobs, whose biological father was a Syrian immigrant.
In times of trouble, remember you’re British
It’s a fake, but it’s a lovely fake :)
This was from the July 2005 underground bombing:
“It’s hard to panic the British. They’ve dealt with the Blitz, the IRA, the Silurians, the Daleks, the Cybermen…”
To quote an old Londoner who lived through the blitz and got caught up in the Canary Wharf explosion: “I’ve been blown up by a better class of bastard than this!”
Britain has lost the plot.
Since when is it OK to have Easter chocolate in stores in December? Easter is 4 months away. We haven’t celebrated bloody new year’s yet!
Also, since when do you need tactical squad policemen with machine guns patrolling in a Leicester shopping centre??
Edit: So, apparently, this was planned and reported on.
Armed police to patrol busy places in Leicestershire after terror attacks in Berlin and Turkey.
Armed police officers are to patrol crowded places in Leicestershire over the Christmas period following several terrorist attacks in Europe.
The operation, which began at 7am this morning and will run until lunchtime on January 3, 2017, aims to minimise the risk to the public from a terrorist attack and provide people with a greater sense of reassurance.
A police spokeswoman said an assessment of the threat from international terrorism has not changed and remains classified as “severe”, and there is no specific information or intelligence which suggests an attack in the United Kingdom is imminent.
Chief Superintendent Ian Howick, said: “Far from alarming the public, the purpose of this change in approach is to achieve precisely the opposite – to provide greater reassurance.
“There is no specific threat to the East Midlands, but recent events elsewhere in the world have led to a change in what the public in Britain expect and want from their local police. The purpose of this change is to further minimise the risk to public and staff in and around crowded / busy public places from a terrorist attack, and to provide the public with a greater sense of reassurance by increasing our visible presence.”
So, security theatre, then.