Mungler

It’s another ham fisted way of trying to ascertain suitability. The questions are bleeding obvious with yes / no answers and if you are coercively controlling your partner you’ll no doubt have some practice and be one step ahead of making sure to check the wife’s replies to any questionnaire, and if you apply you’ll know she’ll be receiving a questionnaire. I can’t see the list of questions on the questionnaire but if they’re along lines as discussed above, it’s pretty clear what the answers should be 😆 I don’t know what the answers are, but stuff like this just makes me laugh in its naivety.

Here’s a table for the EU luvvies and who normally (and automatically) happen to be US haters (because the US is seen as culturally inferior). The table is from today’s Telegraph. Long story short the EU was formed as a protection against war in Europe and NATO as a protection against Soviet aggression. That’s a double fail right there. The Germans have finally woken up and are worried but their nato contributions have only just slightly edged upwards following Ukraine. But look at the French effort. Google and look at the French military contribution to Ukraine - it’s non existent. And it was Macron / the French who wanted to be left in charge of an EU army. Anyone wonder why the yanks have had enough of NATO (and they are NATO in essence) and have had enough of Europe (5000 miles from US soil) and are going to pull stumps? Indeed, I see a world where the US retreats to focus on itself and trade within the Canada to Argentina /Chile block (enormous and controllable that that region is). There is a massive problem coming for the rest of the world (policing shipping lanes in particular) and with a failed Europe a collective in name only (where competing individual country interests will always win out) as good as over and in economic decline, it’s all going to end up topsy turvy. History eh? We shouldn’t forget the great empires and civilisations of the past - Mongols, Egyptians, Myans, Greek, Roman etc and where are they all now? Our heyday was under Victoria and the Commonwealth and it’s all been downhill, imperialist and racist ever since 😆

The bit I find hilarious is how the Putin apologists still attempt to punt the ‘it’s all NATO and the West’s fault and forced a Russian invasion’ cough, I mean SMO. Absolute nonsense of the highest order. That and ‘Russia isn’t hurting but getting bigger, better, badder stronger’. We’ll see. Interesting that the Ukrainians have worked out to take out the central catalytic components of the Russian refineries - those sanctioned replacement parts only available from Western suppliers. Oh and Ukraine have turned their grain market back on having decimated the black sea fleet. Ah but there’s no point arguing with people who still insist on referring to this as an SMO having previously backed everything being as over by tea time 😆

Just out of interest is this still a ‘special military operation’ rooting out cocaine dealing Nazis and over by tea time? 😆 When either side digs in it’s drawn out and bloody and that’s where we are. Modern wars are not meant to be won. I dismay at European countries and their ineffective leaders. All the left leaning intelligentsia bleating about how Trump has undermined Nato but Trump isn’t even president and they give no credence to the US population not giving two monkeys about a European conflict 6000 miles away. Indeed, I reckon the yanks are not unreasonably sick of being the world’s police force (expensive and thankless task that is) and whilst they’re still on the hook for looking after Taiwan and keeping North Korea and China at bay. The EU has failed in its single primary purpose and the EU member nations have all mooched on their nato subs and used that money saved to boost their own economies. Those pigeons are now coming home to Roost. The French grandstanding is laughable in the face of their delivering f-all in terms of actual military support. The Germans are a couple of years behind the curve but are slowly waking up despite still being dependant on Russian energy which they now buy rebadged through Indian intermediaries. Those neighbouring Russia are doubling military aid and production, rightly concerned they’ll be next and hence the scramble to join NATO. Putin is a murderous invading despot and Europe is run by cretins. Lastly, the left’s claims that Putin is swaying popular opinion within Europe towards nationalism and the right is just nauseating- how deliberately blind to the effects of failed liberal policies and uncontrolled mass immigration and all the joys that has brought.

I saw this mentioned in the Telegraph. Was this the one where the wife ran a prison or some such?

There is much commentary about the general lack of brain power within both parties these days. Since Thatcher’s cabinet everything and everyone has been dumbed down - it’s everywhere; the way people speak, what’s on national television, what’s taught in schools. It’s now unfashionable to be posh or to have gone to Eton or Harrow etc. I watched a Sky documentary at the weekend about Led Zepplin - the world wide rock act of the 70’s. Their interviews were as though they were from a different planet to now - educated, articulate, intelligent and coherent. Only 50 years ago. Now watch an interview with any grime act or from the modern entertainment industry. Everyone has just got thicker.

No one knows what the Reform party stands for. It doesn't matter though, every conservative I speak to wants the mechanism to show how manifestly unhappy they are with the current lot and that means voting Reform. Many say a vote for Reform is just a vote that hastens Labour's victory, however, we are way beyond that and Labour are coming, like it or not. The only chance the Torys have is some wholesale night of the long knives clear out, but the party is now stuffed full of liberal left leaning tory elite types, there's not enough conservatives to go around to re-stock the conservative party with err actual conservatives. It's so frustrating - no one sane actually wants a Labour government, they are just so angry and want the current lot out at all costs.

The Covid debacle and release of the text messages lifted the veil on our masters and betters - they are all incompetent buffoons who play at politics like a game. I wasn’t surprised that they weren’t as clever, organised or methodical as I had hoped but I was shocked at just how thick and reactionary they all were - especially the SNP. Alas the political system needs a rethink but the people in charge will never do it because that’s turkeys voting for Xmas - most are PPE / law degree at university, into the party or some non job round the commons and off they head into the world of politics, never having done a proper days work, or ever having run a business, nicked out the VAT account one month for cash flow, risked their house for their business, broken up a fight at work etc. They are all so far removed from the real world it hurts. The reality is that anyone of quality or calibre who would be worthwhile in the work of politics or worthy of a position of power, doesn’t actually want it and couldn’t afford the pay cut - most will be earning way more in the real world and an MP’s salary wouldn’t cover the tax on their current earnings. You look past the Labour front bench and it’s obvious Ming vase Kier is holding back a sea of loonies in waiting. Labour will get in and the next 5 years are going to be awful for anyone in work, earning money or with aspirations to hold onto any of what they have or have worked for - that’s socialism for you. It’s going to be a spend fest of our own money, but we will get no value. Let’s hope the Conservative Party use the next 5 years to re-stock the party with actual conservatives.

Do you get our there much or do you air b n b / owners abroad it?

It seems that everyone I know is currently looking at buying property in rural Portugal. I am not sure if it's the tax regime, the weather, the locals / way of life but whereas it used to be France and Spain, it now appears to be Portugal. I always had it in the back of my mind that an ideal retirement would be a bolt hole no more than 4 hours away on a plane from my local airport (Stansted or Southend) to somewhere half civilized that's not all football shirts /all day breakfasts, and where there was consistent sunshine from 1st January to 31st March. Indeed, if I had my wish I would never spend another January, February or March in this Country ever again. Looking at the jet stream that's probably Maderia, Cape Verde (although I understand this is still "developing" and it's some distance away) or Gran Canaria. I'm a big fan of Italy for the grub but the bits that stay hot all year round are nose bleed expensive. I do wonder what the cost benefit analysis is though of owning foreign property - I've watched dozens of people go through the foreign property cycle and it's never worked out the way they wanted it to in terms of dosh or benefit. I think it may work if you speak the local lingo and spend half the year in your foreign gaff but in all other cases you'd be better parking your money in BAE shares and spending the return on an air b n b. I digress....

Can you pm me a link?

You got a webby shop / flog any?

Outstanding

I know every generation looks back with rose tinted glasses…. and IMHO the sweet spot was 1988-1998 and in particular the 90’s until Tony Blair’s various and disastrous policies took effect / came home to roost. My face book feeds have old video clips of high street and club life back in the 1990’s. It wasn’t that long ago but my oh my how the country has changed and demonstrably for the worse. Anyone here vote for what and where we are now?

Spot on. He didn’t. As ever, he was quoted out of context (the context being a 1 hour state based campaign speech) for political capital.