Friday 9^th September – saw the debate between Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith, Labour leadership contenders, last night.  Many pundits are suggesting that if Corbyn retains the leadership it will condemn Labour to a decade in opposition. Having listened to Smith I’m convinced that if he wins, the time in opposition will stretch to twenty years. Smith seemed keen on attacking Corbyn rather than listening to the audience, coming across as a thoroughly unpleasant character as he did so. Successful leaders require the trust of their followers. It took an hour for me to be certain that Smith couldn’t lead me down to the pub for free drinks!

    What will it take to make the EU listen? Hungary’s PM, Viktor Orban, is leading a series of rallies across his country against the EU’s mandatory migrant relocation quotas. Then on October 2^nd a referendum takes place on accepting or rejecting the quotas. Brussels have reacted strongly against the call for a referendum and say the result will not be binding, insisting that Hungary will still have to accept their quota. So a democratic vote has no meaning if it clashes with an EU directive! Roll on Brexit.

    Saturday 10^th September – thought it was April 1^st when we heard the comment from David Thompson, Chief Constable of West Midlands police – “if a potential recruit asked to wear the burka, it is something we would have to consider.” We’re not sure how you identify police constables just by their eyes. How long before he is charging miscreants under Sharia Law?

    Sunday 11^th September – as your flight takes off and you head for the skies you can sink back in your seat and look forward to a nice relaxing holiday. Maybe not if you are sharing an easyJet flight with a failed asylum seeker screaming “allahu akbar” and “we will die”. Great planning by the Home Office again. 

     The memorial gathering at Ground Zero brought back memories of the 9/11 attack, vivid even for non-Americans. It seems hard to contemplate it happened 15 years ago. The pictures are always in your mind, seen with disbelief at the time, vivid flashbacks even now when something reminds you of that day. The world changed that day and whatever atrocities we see from ISIS we know they can never win. The US recovered and their actions since sent a message to terrorists everywhere. They don’t roll over, have long memories and will seek and destroy those who attack them.

    Monday 12^th September – A member of the Queen’s Guard is alleged to have snorted ‘white powder’ off a ceremonial sword. We often wondered what those swords were for?

    David Cameron has quickly decided to leave the parliamentary fray to shake the money tree. He will soon be on the speaker circuit, probably sharing a platform with Tony Blair. There doesn’t seem much danger of him selling his negotiation skills to the EU after they experienced his attempts to get a better deal pre-Brexit. He has a book deal on offer, but the chapter on his legacy will be very short.

    Tuesday 13^th September – conspiracy theorists are having a field day with Hilary Clinton’s illness. The one we like best is that Hilary has died and been replaced with a body double. We doubt that since Bill would have demanded a twenty-year-old double and there is only so much you can do with make up. In addition, pathologist Bennet Ornalu has hinted that Mrs Clinton may be a victim of poisoning. Guess which names he hinted at as those responsible? ‘I do not trust Mr Putin and Mr Trump’ he added. That could be a vote winner for The Donald from anti-Clinton voters!

    Naturist carpenter Robert Jenner is raising a few eyebrows as he carries out renovations to his house in Snodland, Kent. He likes to work in the buff. Earlier this month he received an ASBO for his bare arsed cheek after neighbours complained at the sights they were seeing every time he bent to work at floor level. On a positive note he has been inundated with offers of work!

    Greggs have succumbed to the health fanatics and launched two new patties using sourdough-based pastry. The fillings offer a choice of chicken katsu or Bombay potato. Paddy is certain the end of the world is nigh.

    Thursday 1^st September – it is reported that ISIS have banned football referees in one of its Syrian strongholds. Apparently, upholding the rules of Fifa should be secondary to Sharia Law. It seems that a player injured in a tackle could receive compensation from the opponent or exact revenge under Sharia. Imagine how much ‘diving’ will now occur. And a really tough tackle could result in the loss of a limb – but not to the player on the receiving end of the tackle!

    Friday 2nd September – as the BMA escalate their strike action they should at least be honest about their reasons. Call it what it is, a pay dispute, rather than spouting this crap about saving the NHS. Perhaps the junior doctors feel that their superior intelligence allows them to treat mere patients as idiots, when most of us see straight through their rhetoric. If you are striking over weekend payments, tell us. At least you retain your credibility that way.

    Saturday 3^rd September - more demonstrations from anti-Brexiteers hoping to reverse a democratic vote. We can only assume they haven’t noticed the impact the vote has had on the economy. Most of the pundits who forecast apocalypse have been forced to row back their threats. And still the minority scream for the government to ignore the result of the referendum. The euro is a failed currency, the EU economy is a mess and still ‘remainers’ want to stay in. I wish I could understand their argument.  And those who keep saying we don’t have a plan clearly have no experience of negotiation. The preparation and discussion stages of any negotiation are key. Rush them and you pay a price. These early stages are carried on behind closed doors. Hopefully, those tasked with doing the deal will ignore the ignorant loud voices.

    Norwegian photographer Claus Jørstad’s complaint about his Ikea shower stool got great coverage on Facebook. He managed to get his testicles caught in one of the holes in the seat. His story won an apology from Ikea. We just shook our heads. If he is incapable of reaching under the stool to manoeuvre said body part out of the hole we are amazed he can use a camera!

     Sunday 4^th September – interesting to see Jeremy Vine has joined the head cam cycling brigade, publishing the results when abused by a motorist – and all Vine did was ride down the middle of the road making it impossible for cars to pass! We foresee a future where every road user will never leave home without their cameras recording every inch of their journey. It will make life interesting for the police and crown prosecution service. Both groups will require increased numbers of staff, fully occupied watching head and car cam footage as they decide if a crime has been committed. For the most part, all they will see is inconsiderate people on both two and four wheels.

    Another MP has been caught up in a sex-based sting. There’s a surprise. Keith Vaz has made all the normal apologies and in many respects that should be the end of it. He should be allowed to go quietly away to make his peace with his family. Having fronted a safe sex campaign in his constituency last year and as Chair of The Home Affairs Select Committee was overseeing a change in the prostitution laws, his credibility will be a bit thin. Wearing a mask is fine unless it slips. Hopefully he will resign as an MP to avoid reinforcing the view that the man in the street has of our ruling classes.

    Monday 5^th September – sadly I weakened, having said never again after the rubbish England served up in June, and watched the world cup qualifier last night. Should have had more sense though I believe I have worked out England’s problem. Eight of last night’s squad had these ‘poncey’ Corbyn beards. Trendy they will say as they preen like models. They don’t even look like real footballers. Clean them up Sam so at least they look the part. This lot would probably laugh at a photograph of the 1966 team but those lads all have something this lot will never hang round their necks.

    Tuesday 6^th September – if you happen to be in Dublin in the near future pop into The White Moose Café for a snack. Owner, Paulie, has a great sense of humour and is brilliant at pushing the buttons of minorities who cannot wait to be offended. You know the ones I mean. They see offence, racism, sexism, homophobia, in every unguarded comment they see or hear. Paulie’s recent rant that customers who require gluten free food must produce a doctor’s note confirming they suffer from coeliac disease produced the expected outrage. But his best ever comment was that he planned to charge corkage to women who breastfed in the café. Keep stepping on toes Paulie.        

    Thursday 25^th August – when Nigel Farage returned to Brussels after Brexit his objective was predictable. His visit was to raise two fingers to the EU in general, a double handful for Jean-Claude Juncker. We thought at the time it was ‘job done’ but Nigel had one more score to settle. Obama came to the UK to support ‘remain’ during the Brexit campaign. His threat that the UK would be at the back of the queue for trade deals went down like a concrete parachute. If nothing else, it gave Nigel another windmill to tilt at, hence his appearance at Donald Trump’s convention. In the absence of Obama he took aim at Hilary Clinton. Nigel now suggests that Trump could be a second Reagan. We can’t wait to see ‘The Donald’ astride a horse in a cowboy hat – probably riding into the sunset! On second thoughts Trump is a bit of a cowboy anyway. However, when it comes to bearing a grudge, our Nigel takes some beating. We’ll miss him if this was his final joust.

    Friday 26^th August – A Jain religious leader set an interesting trend by addressing the Hayana Assembly in India in the nude. His 40-minute talk was heard in rapt silence, only his arms being waved about as far as we could see. He spoke about gender equality, saying, ‘we are living in the 21^st Century, but today, when boys and girls are differentiated, I feel we are living in the 14^th Century.’ Even at my age I hope the differentiation continues. It raised an interesting thought. Perhaps Prime Ministers Questions in the nude would change our views of our politicians. We regularly use anatomical words to describe them and nude PMQ’s would show us if our word selection had validity. If nothing else we’d know their natural hair colour!

    Saturday 27^th August – a 20-year old got arrested for being drunk and disorderly in Worcester. As half the students in the land have done, the youngster was wearing a traffic cone on his head, taking selfies. The police lost patience with him and gave him a bed for the night. Enough surely, but no, he got taken to court and charged. He now has a conviction to his name. Surely a night in the cells and a fixed penalty notice would have been enough. When we see some of the offences that result in cautions and suspended sentences we despair of the law and some of those who enforce it.

    Sunday 28^th August – as excuses go this one takes some beating. Tracy Briley was seen by passers-by performing oral sex on a woman who passed out on a beach boardwalk in Florida. Tracy said he thought it was his duty to help the unconscious woman, claiming he was an emergency responder. Perhaps his CPR training was inadequate and he thought you could blow down the nearest orifice. The victim has recovered in hospital and it is rumoured that she wants to meet Briley before pressing charges!   

    Monday 29^th August – if Richard Branson almost kills himself by falling off his bike would you really want to join him on a space flight??

    Great media pictures of Burkini clad paddlers on Brighton beach. It looks like a nun’s convention. An interesting dilemma springs to mind. Would I be allowed to wear jeans and a tee shirt in my local swimming pool? Or would there be concerns about my clothes polluting the water?

    A poll to find the most hilarious city in the UK has come up with the answer – Birmingham. As a former resident I agree that you need a sense of humour to live there!

    Tuesday 30^th August - France’s Calais ‘Jungle Camp’ has become a political football again. Sarcozy, who will run for office again next year, wants the camp moved to England. His conservative rival, Alain Juppe, has called for the Touquet Accord to be renegotiated. Accepting that politicians choose issues that chime with the people they have a point. The ‘Jungle’ should be disbanded. France is a safe country so all those in the ‘Jungle’ could claim asylum. Since they have failed to do so, they should be returned to their own countries. Asylum is generally defined as shelter or refuge, both applicable to France. Clearly those who have congregated in Calais are by definition, not seeking asylum. The threat of repatriation, carried out if necessary, would quickly empty the ‘Jungle’ and end the on going battle with people smugglers. Unfortunately that sort of action demands political will, not generally associated with politicians.

    Notting Hill Carnival – Europe’s biggest street festival! A fun family occasion!!

6 stabbed; 440 arrested; 88 knife-related incidents; 1000+ people treated by St John Ambulance staff; 17 attacks on police; £6 mill cost of policing; windows boarded by larger stores.

     Do we really need this sort of fun?

    Sunday 21^st August – just back from an interesting cruise around Iceland. It is a fascinating country in their summer but still cold, and winter is hard to imagine. The highlight was Isafjördur. The town is about 30 miles down a narrow fjord with whales a plenty around the entrance. As we left the town to return to the open sea the whales were heading back in towards the town. The surprise was seeing them swimming line astern, about 60 yards apart, down what seemed a well defined track. If there is such a thing as a whale motorway we saw it. Great sight.

    Pundits spend a great deal of time assessing the legacy of every Olympic Game but Rio already has their answer. The Games are barely over but have already spawned a naked version on Abrico Beach. A group of naturists have gone back to basics in a tribute to the ancient Greeks. Well oiled, the participants only compete in sports that may have been typical of the time. The women’s high jump was called off after the first three ladies cleared the bar. A man taking notes was thought to be a local reporter but turned to be a gynaecologist!

    Monday 22^nd August – love it or hate it but Mrs Brown’s Boys has been voted the Best British Sitcom of the 21^st Century and this in a face off with the likes of The Office, Gavin & Stacey and Peter Kay’s Car Share. The show was mauled on a regular basis by critics, which showed how in touch they are with viewing audiences. As Brendan O’Carroll might have said, “who’d have feckin’ thought it?”

    Justice Secretary Liz Truss insists that the Tory manifesto pledge to replace the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights will be delivered. The announcement was partly drowned out by the screams of lawyers concerned about their access to the bottomless Legal Aid Budget. We’ll believe it when we see it Liz.

    Birmingham Council has been quick to act over an extension to a semi-detached house that they deem out of character in Quinton. They have given the owners 28 days to demolish it. Isn’t power wonderful? An illegal traveller site close to where we live took almost three years to remove. It sat in the 'too hard box'. Maybe the owners of the house in Quinton should offer a room to an illegal immigrant who has applied for asylum. That would put the case on a whole new footing with the house falling down before it got resolved.

    Tuesday 23^rd August – a number of countries in Europe have seen growing sales of guns and self-defence devices in the last year. Applications for gun permits are climbing in Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic. The trend for lethal weapons hasn’t followed in Germany as they are hard to get, though permits for carrying so called ‘scare off’ devices like blank guns and pepper sprays have soared by 50%. Is it the result of the flood of immigrants and the attacks in France and Germany? It seems too coincidental not to see a link. Either way, the increase in weaponry has serious implications. More guns on the streets have inevitable consequences.  What will it take to get some action from the European Commission?

    Wednesday 24^th August – we thought Labour were about as electable as Donald Trump under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. Almost any alternative leader would be an improvement. Then along came Owen Smith. His latest utterings about a second referendum on Brexit are beyond belief. It appears that 17 million plus people got it wrong because they didn’t know what they were voting for. Smith must be a disciple of W.E.Hickson, he of the ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again’. Since he appears to like the approach we suggest a rerun of the vote to elect a challenger to Jeremy Corbyn. We’re not at all convinced that Labour MP’s that rejected Angela Eagle understood what they were getting when they elected Smith. Democracy, what democracy?

    A teacher in Texas has stopped giving homework to students so they can spend more time with their families. Maybe it’s different in the USA. In the UK it would simply mean more time on Facebook and You Tube. And family time is already on the increase since kids can’t afford to leave home.

    Thursday 4^th August – ‘Gingers Do Have Souls’ You Tube star Michael Kittrell has re-emerged after several months with another video that is expected to go viral, this time to come out as transgender. Now calling herself Claire she says this is the hardest video she’s ever made. We found this surprising. Accepting you’re a ginger can’t be topped!

    Selfridges has opened for Christmas! Their ‘Shine On’ winter wonderland takes up a large part of the fourth floor. With only 145 shopping days until Christmas it seems the obvious time to do this. They say that the launch is mainly due to the enormous demand from foreign tourists who like snap up festive souvenirs. Their first Easter Eggs will be available in November but check the sell by dates.

    Friday 5^th August - a Black Lives Matter campaign obstructed a key entry road to Heathrow this morning.  Protesters lay in the road and stretched a banner across to block it. The campaign has spread from the US following the shootings of black citizens. While being sympathetic, not our problem seems a reasonable response since the shootings didn’t happen here. Yet the protesters chose to cause chaos for people travelling to holidays during the busiest time of our year. Clearly other lives don’t matter to the protesters. We see it as a similar reaction to the rent a mob crowds that hit the streets given any hint of a reason. Any sympathy we might have for the campaign will disappear pdq if this sort of protest spreads. And irate travellers who get a couple of weeks holiday each year and find day one being ruined might decide to make a physical point. Who could blame them?

    Saturday 6^th August – the first team of refugee athletes received a standing ovation at the opening of the Olympics in Rio. The team of ten can be supplemented by any other runners that arrive on the beaches or in the backs of lorries.

    Offstead chairman David Hoare will probably avoid The Isle of Wight when planning his holidays. His comments about it containing ghettos and suffering inbreeding haven’t gone down well. As a consultant with Bain he must be used to making judgments based on analysis. We dread to think what will come out if he visits Norfolk!

     Asda have introduced new signs for their disabled toilets. They show men, women and wheelchairs with wording underneath that says ‘not every disability is visible’. It should avoid the occasional confrontation when someone comes out without any obvious disability. ‘I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours’ should become a thing of the past. Hopefully so anyway, since I’ve barely recovered from hearing a gentleman offer to reveal his colostomy bag.

   Sunday 7^th August – the weather forecast has encouraged me to take a few days off, hence the early post. But like General Douglas MacArthur said about the Philippines, ‘I shall return’.