Omisoka osechi...

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May your special box be bountiful...and beautiful. I like the cut of the Japanese jib: they traditionally (or did) spend the year end with, as one might expect, activities considered important for the year-end: a clean start, house cleaning and tidying, repaying debts (ha!), "purification" (such as driving out evil spirits and bad luck) [Wiki], and personal hygiene/bathing. This chimes exactly with what me and my OCD like to do. That and light a candle. Clean, clear, rest, relax, welcome. best wishes for 2018; totally off topic a couple of quotes from the mighty Albert to end the year:  "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."... ..."Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Or an even better quote from Muse: "Don't Waste your Time or Time Will Waste You." It will anyway but don't let it be for nothing!

Omisoka osechi...

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May your special box be bountiful...and beautiful. I like the cut of the Japanese jib: they traditionally (or did) spend the year end with, as one might expect, activities considered important for the year-end: a clean start, house cleaning and tidying, repaying debts (ha!), "purification" (such as driving out evil spirits and bad luck) [Wiki], and personal hygiene/bathing. This chimes exactly with what me and my OCD like to do. That and light a candle. Clean, clear, rest, relax, welcome. best wishes for 2018; totally off topic a couple of quotes from the mighty Albert to end the year:  "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."... ..."Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Or an even better quote from Muse: "Don't Waste your Time or Time Will Waste You." It will anyway but don't let it be for nothing!

Omniloquent observer opines on our obscurantic omphaloskepsis...

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Brendan O'Neill on the button again, in Spiked-online "In 2017, our response to terrorism became dangerously passive."... "2017 might prove to be the year we caved in to terrorism.". Writing about the official response and our own response.

"In 2017 we witnessed the rise of the terror amnesia industry – an informal but effective effort by the political class and opinion-forming set to shush serious discussion about terrorism; to tame strong emotions post-terror; to make people forget, in essence, the latest bloody destruction of their fellow citizens, or at least stop thinking about it. 'Don't look back…'"

'The terror amnesia industry', yes indeed. The immediate 'Beware of backlash', 'Beware of Islamophobia', the hiding of facts the under-reporting or omission of facts...and in fact the over-reporting and highlighting of anything to deflect attention.

"This is how deeply the West’s moral cowardice now runs: we are not even permitted to name the ideology that motors the murder of our fellow citizens...."A nation that fails to get angry about the slaughter of its children, and which won’t even allow frank discussion about the ideology used to justify that slaughter, is a nation that has lost its moral anchor.

So very true. 

Omniloquent observer opines on our obscurantic omphaloskepsis...

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Brendan O'Neill on the button again, in Spiked-online "In 2017, our response to terrorism became dangerously passive."... "2017 might prove to be the year we caved in to terrorism.". Writing about the official response and our own response.

"In 2017 we witnessed the rise of the terror amnesia industry – an informal but effective effort by the political class and opinion-forming set to shush serious discussion about terrorism; to tame strong emotions post-terror; to make people forget, in essence, the latest bloody destruction of their fellow citizens, or at least stop thinking about it. 'Don't look back…'"

'The terror amnesia industry', yes indeed. The immediate 'Beware of backlash', 'Beware of Islamophobia', the hiding of facts the under-reporting or omission of facts...and in fact the over-reporting and highlighting of anything to deflect attention.

"This is how deeply the West’s moral cowardice now runs: we are not even permitted to name the ideology that motors the murder of our fellow citizens...."A nation that fails to get angry about the slaughter of its children, and which won’t even allow frank discussion about the ideology used to justify that slaughter, is a nation that has lost its moral anchor.

So very true. 

Optative olio of observations...

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The following posted on Raewald's blog: For Hope, and our Future; I apologise in advance for using his words but he has a way with them! With no further comment from me , well worth a read:

"It's now eighteen months since that momentous referendum, and we're still leaving. With every single day it becomes more and more difficult for the saboteurs to derail the process. The global corporates, their Federast and globalist dags, the Euro bien pensants, has-been politicians, are daily nearer to meltdown and daily more furious. This also makes them daily more dangerous; the dags are being goaded into petty acts of spite, with Remoaner HMRC officials prodded by the Treasury now demanding tax from private Leave referendum donors whilst the vastly richer global corporates escape scot free for their Remain gifts. We may have sighted land, but it will still take some skillful pilotage before we're tied up alongside."...

More snippets:



"More than anything else, social media has enabled the idiocies of neoliberalism, the insanity of distorted morality, the fake news, lies, distortions and deceits of the malign, to be exposed to the disinfectant of sunlight and to laughter. "



"At home and abroad we still face human challenges... ...Do not, I beg you, direct hatred or vituperation towards these people, no matter how devious, dishonest, manipulating or self-interested their behaviour."

"At home we are still failing our own people; ex-armed forces living rough, enduring hardship and privation without complaint. They stood on the line for you and me. We owe them. For our semi-feral urban children, victims of gross sexual abuse and exploitation, victims also of failed official care, of moral relativism, and of our selfishness. We must help them. And heartfelt thanks to all those who keep the law, demand nothing, discharge their social responsibility and ask only for a little pride, a little identity and a little recognition. We owe them, too."

"As each day grows a little brighter I am inspired with hope. Not a surge, but a fleeting butterfly shadow of hope that flickers over the heart and soul. There is a future, a good future, and we can all help shape it. God really is with us if we allow him to be."



Suffice to say I agree entirely. The rest HERE. Merry Christmas. 

Optative olio of observations...

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The following posted on Raewald's blog: For Hope, and our Future; I apologise in advance for using his words but he has a way with them! With no further comment from me , well worth a read:

"It's now eighteen months since that momentous referendum, and we're still leaving. With every single day it becomes more and more difficult for the saboteurs to derail the process. The global corporates, their Federast and globalist dags, the Euro bien pensants, has-been politicians, are daily nearer to meltdown and daily more furious. This also makes them daily more dangerous; the dags are being goaded into petty acts of spite, with Remoaner HMRC officials prodded by the Treasury now demanding tax from private Leave referendum donors whilst the vastly richer global corporates escape scot free for their Remain gifts. We may have sighted land, but it will still take some skillful pilotage before we're tied up alongside."...

More snippets:

"More than anything else, social media has enabled the idiocies of neoliberalism, the insanity of distorted morality, the fake news, lies, distortions and deceits of the malign, to be exposed to the disinfectant of sunlight and to laughter. "

"At home and abroad we still face human challenges... ...Do not, I beg you, direct hatred or vituperation towards these people, no matter how devious, dishonest, manipulating or self-interested their behaviour."

"At home we are still failing our own people; ex-armed forces living rough, enduring hardship and privation without complaint. They stood on the line for you and me. We owe them. For our semi-feral urban children, victims of gross sexual abuse and exploitation, victims also of failed official care, of moral relativism, and of our selfishness. We must help them. And heartfelt thanks to all those who keep the law, demand nothing, discharge their social responsibility and ask only for a little pride, a little identity and a little recognition. We owe them, too."

"As each day grows a little brighter I am inspired with hope. Not a surge, but a fleeting butterfly shadow of hope that flickers over the heart and soul. There is a future, a good future, and we can all help shape it. God really is with us if we allow him to be."

Suffice to say I agree entirely. The rest HERE. Merry Christmas. 

Od over odd odium...

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Why do they hate Britain so much? England even more. Why do the liberal lefty luvvies hate their country and everything to do with it? Orwell was so right: "England is perhaps the only great country whose intellectuals are ashamed of their own nationality." And John King over at New Statesman (no, really) writes "Metropolitan intellectual snobbery is part of an older, anti-English racism that runs back through the centuries..." [NS link]. And now the pathetic passport panic; the image above is just a selection of the passports that exist; all are HERE. Of the 189, most are blue (41.74% in fact....my, doesn't that number look familiar to another number: 17.41 million). That said, adding up and higher/lower numbers has seemed difficult for Remainers.  Also, the UK has a 'power rank' of 3rd with 159 countries where we can visit visa-free;  there are only 3 countries (2 rankings) who have more visa-free entry the highest being Germany with 161.

Well, apart from the rubbish about it costing 500 million quid to change (it will cost NOTHING, nada, zero, zilch, extra - only what would have been spent anyway - probably in 2020) we will still have the same rank, unless the EU decides to be fucking pricks. Now, hold on, I know what you're thinking: "Many in the EU are fucking pricks!", (especially, it seems, the European Parliament's representative in the Brexit negotiations Guy Verhoffystuffy who seems not to have read THIS when he said THIS... maybe they would have allowed us Annex II point D) and they may well do this but the European countries will not; so quite what all the ridiculous shitters are moaning about is I don't know, one can only presume they are fuckwits, professors and all.

Od over odd odium...

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Why do they hate Britain so much? England even more. Why do the liberal lefty luvvies hate their country and everything to do with it? Orwell was so right: "England is perhaps the only great country whose intellectuals are ashamed of their own nationality." And John King over at New Statesman (no, really) writes "Metropolitan intellectual snobbery is part of an older, anti-English racism that runs back through the centuries..." [NS link]. And now the pathetic passport panic; the image above is just a selection of the passports that exist; all are HERE. Of the 189, most are blue (41.74% in fact....my, doesn't that number look familiar to another number: 17.41 million). That said, adding up and higher/lower numbers has seemed difficult for Remainers.  Also, the UK has a 'power rank' of 3rd with 159 countries where we can visit visa-free;  there are only 3 countries (2 rankings) who have more visa-free entry the highest being Germany with 161.

Well, apart from the rubbish about it costing 500 million quid to change (it will cost NOTHING, nada, zero, zilch, extra - only what would have been spent anyway - probably in 2020) we will still have the same rank, unless the EU decides to be fucking pricks. Now, hold on, I know what you're thinking: "Many in the EU are fucking pricks!", (especially, it seems, the European Parliament's representative in the Brexit negotiations Guy Verhoffystuffy who seems not to have read THIS when he said THIS... maybe they would have allowed us Annex II point D) and they may well do this but the European countries will not; so quite what all the ridiculous shitters are moaning about is I don't know, one can only presume they are fuckwits, professors and all.

Overheated Obama officials...

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"It's no coincidence that these overheated condemnations accompany abundant evidence that the Trump administration is finding its legs." The Death Rattle of Obama’s Reputation: [LINK]

"In nearly all respects, it was Obama’s White House, not Trump’s, that adopted an ideological foreign policy and rendered the U.S. and the world less safe as a result."

I don't think President Trump's administration ever lost its legs; it just tensed them against the barrage of hate: it is just that the howling democrat media, the Obama stay-behind army and assorted loons are realising that all their conspiracies (that from March but almost constant since an 20/01/17) falsities and fake news are wearing thin as each one becomes eschewed, overturned, uncovered and debunked. The FBI must be recruiting full-steam to replace all those that are having to resign.



Sharks may be circling soon on another deserving candidate.

Overheated Obama officials...

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"It's no coincidence that these overheated condemnations accompany abundant evidence that the Trump administration is finding its legs." The Death Rattle of Obama’s Reputation: [LINK]

"In nearly all respects, it was Obama’s White House, not Trump’s, that adopted an ideological foreign policy and rendered the U.S. and the world less safe as a result."

I don't think President Trump's administration ever lost its legs; it just tensed them against the barrage of hate: it is just that the howling democrat media, the Obama stay-behind army and assorted loons are realising that all their conspiracies (that from March but almost constant since an 20/01/17) falsities and fake news are wearing thin as each one becomes eschewed, overturned, uncovered and debunked. The FBI must be recruiting full-steam to replace all those that are having to resign.

Sharks may be circling soon on another deserving candidate.

O Oriens...

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O Oriens, 

splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: 

veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.



"The sun of righteousness shall rise." ..."I am the light of the world". ..."Hence it is that He was born on the day which is the shortest in our earthly reckoning and from which subsequent days begin to increase in length. He, therefore, who bent low and lifted us up chose the shortest day, yet the one whence light begins to increase."



Winter Solstice... Saturnalia... Dies Natalis Solis Invicti... Yule... Noel... Father Christmas.



Still waiting but it's all happening! 

O Oriens...

---

O Oriens, 
splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: 
veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

"The sun of righteousness shall rise." ..."I am the light of the world". ..."Hence it is that He was born on the day which is the shortest in our earthly reckoning and from which subsequent days begin to increase in length. He, therefore, who bent low and lifted us up chose the shortest day, yet the one whence light begins to increase."

Winter Solstice... Saturnalia... Dies Natalis Solis Invicti... Yule... Noel... Father Christmas.

Still waiting but it's all happening! 

Organisational opulence...

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With this morning's news that there has been "sufficient progress" i.e. a breakthrough in the EU/UK Brexit 'negotiations' we can all celebrate that today in 1955 The Flag of Europe was first adopted. This was the Council of Europe's flag, which was adopted by the EEC* in 1985. Below is the fantastic Euler diagram that I hadn't seen before about all the European organisations. Worth noting of course that "The Council of Europe is not to be confused with the Council of the European Union (the "Council of Ministers") or the European Council. These belong to the European Union, which is separate from the Council of Europe... The Council of Europe is not to be confused with the European Union itself." [Wiki] **. The blog post title does not of course refer to the disappointing, frustrating, seemingly treacherous, disgusting, fake news, traitor-ridden, back-stabbing, cunt-fest feeding frenzy that are the Brexit negotiations themselves; "challenging" - to use Jean Claude's description - just doesn't do it for me.

*which of course later became the EC and now the EU.

**Got that?

Organisational opulence...

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With this morning's news that there has been "sufficient progress" i.e. a breakthrough in the EU/UK Brexit 'negotiations' we can all celebrate that today in 1955 The Flag of Europe was first adopted. This was the Council of Europe's flag, which was adopted by the EEC* in 1985. Below is the fantastic Euler diagram that I hadn't seen before about all the European organisations. Worth noting of course that "The Council of Europe is not to be confused with the Council of the European Union (the "Council of Ministers") or the European Council. These belong to the European Union, which is separate from the Council of Europe... The Council of Europe is not to be confused with the European Union itself." [Wiki] **. The blog post title does not of course refer to the disappointing, frustrating, seemingly treacherous, disgusting, fake news, traitor-ridden, back-stabbing, cunt-fest feeding frenzy that are the Brexit negotiations themselves; "challenging" - to use Jean Claude's description - just doesn't do it for me.

*which of course later became the EC and now the EU.
**Got that?

Ostensible oligarchic overlords...

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"With each passing day I grow happier and happier that I voted for Brexit." Me too. "Ireland, the EU is playing you like a fiddle", so writes Brendan O'Neill in today's (yesterday's on UK time) Spectator. He is so, so right. The EU is being true to form: "cynical, divisive and dangerous"; I would add sinister, single-minded and cuntish. The Irish are being soft but trying to find some way of buffering the fact that, as of 2016, actually have to contribute to the EU coffers, instead of being a net recipient for the previous forty odd years; I guess that is easy to understand.

All that was exacerbated today with a plethora of fake news. She said, he said they said...all without any quotes at all, just hear-say about what would happen re the Irish border. A whole day of complete made-up shit. Instant access 24 hour round the clock ticker-tape news is getting worse. The tail is now wagging several dogs! Just wait for the news then give the facts please. Also, you. utter. twats. (apologies for so many Twatter links).



Update: double twat khant!

Ostensible oligarchic overlords...

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"With each passing day I grow happier and happier that I voted for Brexit." Me too. "Ireland, the EU is playing you like a fiddle", so writes Brendan O'Neill in today's (yesterday's on UK time) Spectator. He is so, so right. The EU is being true to form: "cynical, divisive and dangerous"; I would add sinister, single-minded and cuntish. The Irish are being soft but trying to find some way of buffering the fact that, as of 2016, actually have to contribute to the EU coffers, instead of being a net recipient for the previous forty odd years; I guess that is easy to understand. All that was exacerbated today with a plethora of fake news. She said, he said they said...all without any quotes at all, just hear-say about what would happen re the Irish border. A whole day of complete made-up shit. Instant access 24 hour round the clock ticker-tape news is getting worse. The tail is now wagging several dogs! Just wait for the news then give the facts please. Also, you. utter. twats. (apologies for so many Twatter links).

Update: double twat khant!

Outsider odds orison...

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Live in hope. "...[Political Betting's] assumption is that the next Tory leadership contest won’t be until 2019, so it might be wise to look at the current leadership polling and betting markets and assume whoever leads and is the favourite won’t be Theresa May’s successor. Just look at the odds on the next Tory leader in October 1974, a little over three months later the 50/1 outsider won" (image). By the same token and from the same source, "Ten days before he became Tory leader, only 5% of  [all] voters preferred John Major as Tory leader.".



This is a pity because Jacob Rees-Mogg and David Davis are the two current favourites and I would prefer either to the empty space we have now. I take that back: TM is actually WORSE than an empty space or at least seems to be making every effort to appear so. Add John Redwood, Owen Paterson, Priti Patel, Liam Fox, Kemi Badenoch, Boris Johnson etc., to Rees-Mogg and Davis and the Conservative Party may attract some Conservatives again.  

Outsider odds orison...

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Live in hope. "...[Political Betting's] assumption is that the next Tory leadership contest won’t be until 2019, so it might be wise to look at the current leadership polling and betting markets and assume whoever leads and is the favourite won’t be Theresa May’s successor. Just look at the odds on the next Tory leader in October 1974, a little over three months later the 50/1 outsider won" (image). By the same token and from the same source, "Ten days before he became Tory leader, only 5% of  [all] voters preferred John Major as Tory leader.".

This is a pity because Jacob Rees-Mogg and David Davis are the two current favourites and I would prefer either to the empty space we have now. I take that back: TM is actually WORSE than an empty space or at least seems to be making every effort to appear so. Add John Redwood, Owen Paterson, Priti Patel, Liam Fox, Kemi Badenoch, Boris Johnson etc., to Rees-Mogg and Davis and the Conservative Party may attract some Conservatives again.  

Odious oleaginous olid oblocutor...

The evil, treacherous vampire squid scum that is Tony Blair just refuses to go away. The zombie appearance combines with a zombie characteristic of just not dying enough. In any other century he would have been executed long ago. He has written to his co New Labour slime-ball cunt Alastair Campbell with a 'secret memo': "My 12-point plan for stopping Brexit". [LINK]. 



Hang on a minute...this must be a spoof: "Your skill at putting a first-class case for second-rate policies served us well in the old days before Gordon messed it all up"...simply the truth but so strange to think Blair would utter any truth. 



In fact he reveals a few home truths: "Much as cosmopolitans like you, me and Peter [Mandelson, the third of the four - with Gordon Brown - new Labour traitors who should be in the deepest darkest dungeon of the land] love the EU, it was always a deal designed to suit the interests of France and Germany rather than Britain....". Obvious but worth restating always. "Another fear campaign won’t work."...'another', revealing, eh?



"Accept that Britain has its problems but don’t admit to the scale of a disaster which can be blamed on us." Ha! At least he realises the shitefest he has brought down on us. "Warn about galloping inflation rather than the cheaper food available outside EU agricultural protectionism.".



"Don’t fraternise with the enemy or run to Juncker, Merkel or Macron. All these pilgrimages (mea culpa) make it look as though we’re helping them and snitching on Britain"...Yes, it does. So much truth, no wonder this was supposed to be 'secret'!

Odious oleaginous olid oblocutor...

The evil, treacherous vampire squid scum that is Tony Blair just refuses to go away. The zombie appearance combines with a zombie characteristic of just not dying enough. In any other century he would have been executed long ago. He has written to his co New Labour slime-ball cunt Alastair Campbell with a 'secret memo': "My 12-point plan for stopping Brexit". [LINK]. 

Hang on a minute...this must be a spoof: "Your skill at putting a first-class case for second-rate policies served us well in the old days before Gordon messed it all up"...simply the truth but so strange to think Blair would utter any truth. 

In fact he reveals a few home truths: "Much as cosmopolitans like you, me and Peter [Mandelson, the third of the four - with Gordon Brown - new Labour traitors who should be in the deepest darkest dungeon of the land] love the EU, it was always a deal designed to suit the interests of France and Germany rather than Britain....". Obvious but worth restating always. "Another fear campaign won’t work."...'another', revealing, eh?

"Accept that Britain has its problems but don’t admit to the scale of a disaster which can be blamed on us." Ha! At least he realises the shitefest he has brought down on us. "Warn about galloping inflation rather than the cheaper food available outside EU agricultural protectionism.".

"Don’t fraternise with the enemy or run to Juncker, Merkel or Macron. All these pilgrimages (mea culpa) make it look as though we’re helping them and snitching on Britain"...Yes, it does. So much truth, no wonder this was supposed to be 'secret'!