Tag Archives: news

December 8, 2025 · 7:23 am

#HeadlineTherapy Drivers throwing “bottles of wee” from cars on the A46 in Warwickshire

Thanks to Coventry Live and Rachel Stretton and Andy Mitchell and Local Democracy Reporter for the Headline

HS2 Contractors will be questioned by Council Authorities about the amount of litter , including bottles filled with wee that has been deposited at the roadside and had to be collected by local waste workers.

The waste workers noticed a significant increase in the amount and type of waste collected from the A46 dual carriage and the surrounding area and have identified the Contractors as having been responsible. HS2 and Balfour Beatty Vinci will now be questioned by the Council.

In truth , with the amount of house building underway along with the associated infrastructure this has became a Nationwide problem and will have to be addressed Nationally. There are so many contractors doing all sorts of work in Utilities and Building , it’s obvious some Companies look after their employees with locations where they can take their breaks and portable facilities that they can use for toilet breaks. It is obvious some companies don’t and my experience in my local area is that it makes the said workers( who are obviously on a very tight timetable) very grumpy. Unsurprisingly.

Gone are the days when grateful locals will offer the workers a cup of tea or even the chance to use the toilet. Nowadays it seems we are at loggerheads with each other. The result is resentment from both sides. It is a sad state of affairs and if the bad employers are made to improve it will result in additional costs and therefore reduced headcount and more pressure on the employees who are left to do the work. While in truth, all the bad employer was being asked to do was to provide a basic requirement. I think in modern language this is regarded as negotiation, which explains why working conditions for many continue to be eroded.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading. 🙏

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December 5, 2025 · 5:48 am

#HeadlineTherapy Farage insists Thai-based crypto billionaire wants nothing in return for £9m donation to Reform UK

Thanks to David Maddox Political Editor for the Independent Online

Well my immediate reaction to the above Headline was , the one person in this World who knows that is not how the World works is Nigel Farage. Mr Farage has been foisted on us as a Political Representative by forces unknown. Is he a clown? Is he a political monster that amplifies all that is rotten in the misguided beliefs of a loud minority within any Country , not just ours. Farage’s media profile is huge and as he first came to prominence being an MEP who hated the European Union, along it seems with 49% of the UK population, he is gone from strength to strength, despite murmurs and scandals of a history of racism at school and his potentially incriminating property deals involving his wife and probably him and most likely half of parliament.

So Nigel is a wheeler and dealer, believer of the benefits of Crypto Currency and certainly no altruist. This Headline caught my eye and made me think about who this Christopher Harborne is and why he feels the need to donate to a party like Reform; and if as is the case; our Christopher lives in Thailand why does he choose to want to promote and ( presumably influence) British Political life and thus determine how I live, who am not a millionaire , but who does live on a low income in the UK and has watched as our real economy of jobs, shops , infrastructure has been decimated.

Ah , perhaps someone will one day say ,” let them eat Crypto Currency”. I assure you having checked Wikipedia, I can honestly say that dear ol’ Chris comes from a privileged background, his money seems to have been made from the sale of aviation fuel, and he is an ex Westminster School boy and has a degree from Cambridge and is an ex McKinsey management consultant.

None of this explains why he wants to take an interest in UK Politics, why he; having lived abroad for the last twenty years ;felt that the UK should not be in the EC ( he donated millions to the Campaign to exit it ) worked with Boris Johnson and for reasons best known to Boris Johnson did a joint visit to the Ukraine with him while Boris was in British Politics.

Christopher Harborne knows as much about real life in the UK as I know about real life in Thailand. I suppose the cost of living is cheaper, but it is a Country that perhaps has it’s attractions for tourists with climate and beaches and probably the local people appreciate having a multi-millionaire Crypto entrepreneur on their side, but it’s very different from the mature economy the UK is( or perhaps was). The success or otherwise of an economy in chaos lead by politicians in a panic. Prime pickings for outside interests.

One thing I’d like to know is where does Ol’ Chris buy his aviation fuel, from Russia? We must follow the money.

As for “tethering” us to Crypto Currency and causing our financial markets to collapse, perhaps that is the next step to acquiring the resource which is the “British Economy”. Perhaps that is why Nigel Farage and Christopher Harborne speak on the phone once a month to each other.

Suppose Ol’ Chris had put £9m into a business in the UK that provided jobs and a future for young people in the UK, or even invested in Social Housing, or put his money into something that had a future, not a Political Party which with it’s scandal ridden members and it’s unseemly ability to pick on those who cannot help themselves seems at odds with an altruistic no strings donation.

My suspicion is there are bigger fish to fry and maybe Crypto is more exciting than boring old Aviation fuel and the whole thing makes life more interesting when you’re sitting on a beach in Thailand with nothing else to do than sign cheques.

Namaste and Thank you for Reading 🙏

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November 10, 2025 · 9:22 am

#HeadlineTherapy A seismic moment that shows rift at top of BBC

This headline is courtesy of Katie Razzall BBC Online News Culture and Media Editor

This story of the Director General of the BBC and his Head of News resignations are news to the BBC and it’s media followers aswell as reason for joyful celebration by the mainly right wing Politicians who are gunning for the demise of the BBC aswell as taking away it’s licence fee.

If there is a rift at the top , the little people don’t really care. I call them the little people because in all of this , apart for from viewing figures they’ve never really mattered. Joe Public, whatever you want to call them, have long given up in caring what the BBC produce or what they say, because it is run by people who are so out of touch with reality that they feel they have to push their opinion onto others.

I’m not going to name the characters who have resigned, in truth I only heard of these people because they had resigned. Are they ashamed of themselves and are shocked that it has come to this. That their leaving party has been cancelled.

Whatever, the outcome of all of this, the sex scandals, the political football that is high profile figures wanting Peace in This World and potentially trying to scupper the American Election, it is clear that “influencing” was clearly part of the plot. The chattering classes chattered too much and forgot the basic rules of journalism. They have shamed not just themselves but the BBC which was a great institution, but it will never be trusted again and will slowly be dismantled from the inside.

I would add a conspiracy theory to this, recently the BBC’s Panorama has unearthed very seedy goings on in the Police and also in the Private Care Sector. Did they become a target by those with a vested interest in these organisations. On the face of it it was excellent journalism , but did it upset some key people.

Sad to say the real people who suffer are us, Joe Public, because we need facts and information to make informed decisions. Not hearsay and opinions foisted on us by those who think they are better than us.

There were three Headlines , neigh four about this story in a matter of hours, the chattering classes couldn’t help themselves.

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November 9, 2025 · 5:36 am

#HeadlineTherapy Reform school taxi letter used as “political football”

Thanks to Vic Minnett and Shannen Headley BBC CWR West Midlands for the Headline. ( the opinions expressed in this therapeutic article are purely my own misguided or otherwise thoughts)

My feelings on this headline were initially , oh not The Reform UK Party. As the only member of the Reform Party( he might be the leader for all I know) is Nigel Farage.

I associate Mr Farage with being irresponsible in the EU Parliament while he was an MEP. Guffawing and neigh saying anything good about what other MEP’s were trying to do. At the same time creaming off the expense system and taking an MEP’s salary at the same time as decrying the EC as an institution .

Is Nigel Farage a journalist ?Have his journalist and media friends given him so much exposure that we think him far more influential than he is?

And now I know another Reform Party member, George Finch, who is the Council Leader for Warwickshire County Council at 19 years old. As Head of the Council he wrote a letter to Bridget Philipson, the current government’s Education Secretary, his request was for the Council to be given permission to reform the “walking distances” between home and school in order to reduce the money spent on transporting the 10,000 children who currently qualify for transport aid to get them to school in the County.

Unfortunately, Bridget after reviewing the letter accused Reform of dragging children ” back to the Victorian Era”.

Please stick to the facts Bridget and don’t flounce off about what you may see as the bigger picture of Reform UK or UK Reform , whatever they are called, potentially being a party that would like Orphaned Children in Workhouses and fed on gruel and made to pick oakum. While their more fortunate peers will sit quietly in class having walked to school through bad weather , with leaky shoes and a summer coat.

As Head of the Council, George Finch wants to understand if there are better ways to organise school transport. They offer subsidised transport to 10,000 children , George thinks the figure should be closer to 2500. Unless someone looks at the facts no one can really be sure.

Unfortunately accusing a fellow Politician of living in the Victorian Era, particularly a 19 year old elected Head of Warwickshire Council, seems Victorian and a bit Old School Mam’ ish to me. Stick to the facts Bridget.

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January 20, 2025 · 7:23 am

The Cuckoo In The Nest Chapter 11

A Dystopian Thriller

@GeraldineBanksJanuary2025

Sandy arrived at work one morning to be handed a message that she had an appointment with the Great Gerry Reid at 11.00am.The news had raised a few eyebrows in her highly competitive team, everyone was interested in everyone else’s business. Sandy knew exactly why Gerry wanted to see her. The expense claim, had increased tenfold, Ten thousand pounds. It was going to be the cost of visiting Alex. Maria had confirmed the arrangements. A rendezvous had been arranged, Sandy was, as agreed, going alone.

When she knocked on the door of Gerry’s Office. She heard him shout from inside ” Come In! The door’s open.”

” Thanks Gerry, you wanted to see me?” She smiled and closed the door behind her.

” Sandy. Good. I’m pleased to say the Powers that be liked your piece about Rehabilitation of Offenders at the Archaeological Consultancy your husband works at. Very Powerful Piece they said. Socially Aware. And surprisingly the figures were really good. They’ve told me they’d like to see more of that sort of thing. Coffee?” Gerry stood up and went to the back of his office where the coffee machine was. He continued with his back to Sandy.

“Yes thanks, black please.”

“It’s new ground for us, so you’d be working by yourself for a while, coming up with new ideas and then we can build a team around you… I just wanted to run it by you… It’s only fair why don’t you sit down?”

Sandy sat down in the big leather executive chair opposite Gerry’s desk. When Gerry turned and came back to his desk he handed her a mug of coffee .

“I think it’s a good opportunity for you.” He regarded her with an intense look, that meant he wanted information.

“Yes, it sounds good, I’ve got a weeks holiday coming up, I can start after I come back. If that’s OK?”

” A weeks holiday? I couldn’t help but notice that the expense claim this week is bigger than normal. Have you been able to arrange a visit to see Alex?”

” Yes I have,” Sandy nodded, she was reluctant to share this information but she could hardly deny it. ” I’m going to see him next week”.

” I thought as much, I suppose it’s all very hush , hush. ” Gerry stirred his coffee.

” Oh yes, we work on a need to know basis. I have one meeting point and even that can change at the last minute. I’ll be away for a few days. Martin knows and you do now. No mobile phones, they seem to know what they’re doing. I’m going to be totally off the radar.”

” I’d like to see Alex too one day, my son, I know you think I’m a heartless bastard, but this is gnawing away at my insides. I’m glad to help with the money. I hope the visit goes well, let me know when you get back. I’ve got an office for you, sorry but it’s in the basement. I’m just arranging for it to be converted, it’ll be state of the art.”

” Sounds fine Gerry, I’ll update you on my return. My own office wow!”

Sandy , no longer saw the big important Media Mogul, but the man concerned for the welfare of his son, Gerry had asked her directly which was not usually the way he operated, but she was not letting her guard down. The less said the better.

” Thanks for the coffee, I’ll head back downstairs if you don’t mind , tie up a few loose ends. I wont say anything to the crowd They’ll find out soon enough. I’ll let your secretary have the mug back.” Sandy stood up mug in hand.

” OK Sandy, let me know if you need anything. I’ll make the announcement when you’re away. You can move into your new office when you get back.”

” Sure. “

Gerry became the Media Mogul again , their connection had finished. Sandy left the office and went downstairs. The coffee was very good. She would ask for one of those machines in her new office too. Something told her she was going to need it.

“

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