Since we're talking about Gorton, I ought to alert you to the existence of Olivia Frank, a trans woman from Gorton who went on to serve in both the IDF and Mossad and infiltrated the Abu Nidal organisation, a particularly virulent terror group. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia_...

Whilst the fact that many of my joints are incessantly aching - to the extent of it being painful enough to hinder sleep - is highly frustrating, it is also good, as it suggests that my immune system is fighting hard against the flu virus.

Regrettably, after 2 days of aches, coughing, dizziness, headaches, loss of voice, and severe weakness, a GP has told me that I have the flu. Thankfully, I was vaccinated, which reduces the severity. If you are medically vulnerable (as I am), and are offered the jab, please give it serious thought.

Today's dinner Sopi di galiña (a Sephardi Jewish tomato, chicken, potato, carrot, lime, sweetcorn and noodle soup, with a kick of vegan Worcestershire sauce, from Curaçao) #koshercooking #kosherlondon

Robert Jenrick repeatedly and deliberately mispronounces Kemi Badenoch's family name, and when questioned says "If you think this is important, you need your head checking". Migrants and ethnic minorities have heard this for years - it is a coded message we don't fit in. Coded xenophobia and racism.

This is not something Reform will stick to in 2027, 2028 or 2029. Will they put "the Conservative Party" on the proscribed list for Reform membership? No. Will they ban all members who ever held elected office? No.

France's largest publisher has recalled four schoolbooks that described October 7 massacre victims as "Jewish settlers," following outrage from Jewish groups and French President Emmanuel Macron. www.jpost.com/diaspora/ant...

We commented on this, to show these views aren’t for (all) women. Pitting colleagues against each other, exposing individuals to career-damaging speculation and funding cases to make ideological points doesn’t feel like the way forward. Employers need guidance: www.theguardian.com/law/2026/jan...

ICE kidnapped an elderly Hmong man in St. Paul, Minnesota. The temperature was sub-zero, and he was taken only wearing shorts and Crocs, and no shirt. (1/18/26)

This is the funniest one I’ve seen yet.

I would also note that none of the specific claims levelled at Rose Henderson were upheld.

Hateful woman faces felony charges after harrassing gay man in grocery store on Christmas - buff.ly/XzzvHDn

This aged well :-/

I believe that 'verbal assaults' are what some on the right refer to as 'hurty words'

Liz Truss continues her amble down the rabbit hole.

A federal judge has prohibited federal immigration agents in Minnesota from arresting, detaining, retaliating against or using force and chemical irritants against peaceful protesters and observers.

This was also my MO in GCSE Mathematics.

Being prepared to go to war with your closest allies because you were not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize does seem like the clearest possible vindication of the decision that you didn’t deserve it.

For well over a decade, Nigel Farage criticised Davos and just two years ago criticised Starmer for going and calling him a "full-on globalist, hanging out with his mates at the World Economic Forum." So, question. Where do you think Nigel Farage is going today?

Battier than a big box of bats

The inherent problem with 'The Apprentice' is that it needs extreme, ego-driven, opinionated, people to make it 'interesting'. It gave a leg-up to divisive figures, from Katie Hopkins and Michelle Dewbery, to Bushra Sheikh and Dr Asif Munaf It's time to end it. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

If Your Party is a home for former Labour politicians, and Reform UK is a home for former Conservative politicians, then Advance UK is the home for former Reform UK politicians www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/2577198...

We need to have confidence in police officers, and cases like this, where an Essex-based officer abused her position to form an inappropriate relationship with a vulnerable woman damages that. The good news is that she has now been banned from policing www.echo-news.co.uk/news/2577184...

That 'BBC boycott' in full

Are we sure that the lady on the left is not a time-travelling Nigel Farage is drag?

Manager of women’s football club banned for 12 years after bombarding players with indecent images

📊 Ref lead of 9pts Westminster voting intention REF: 28% (-4) CON: 19% (+1) GRN: 18% (+1) LAB: 15% (-) LDEM: 12% (-) via @FindoutnowUK, 14 Jan Chgs. w/ 08 Jan britainelects.com

None of this should be of any surprise at this point. www.jewishnews.co.uk/elon-musk-co...

Zarah Sultana is noticeable by her absence www.themany.uk/candidates

Farewell to Holocaust survivor Harry (Chaim) Olmer, who has died aged 98. www.jewishnews.co.uk/harry-olmer-...

Ahem.

The 16 yr old boy, from Northumberland, is accused of membership of the banned neo-Nazi group, The Base, and of planning antisemitic terrorist attacks on local synagogues. His name cannot be released due to his age. www.thejc.com/news/uk/boy-...

Since the Supreme Court ruling, the likely outcome was signposted. Any other was unlikely (if not impossible). As with the Sandie Peggie case, all of the specific complaints about alleged behaviour of the trans woman in question (here, Rose Henderson) were dismissed. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The more people that report content on X, the more likely it is that action will be taken. However, it is very clear that not only is the moderation system unfit for purpose, but that X management shield certain accounts.

Jenrick "put more people in hotels than even this Labour government!" Nigel says ... as he totally destroys the "fraud" Robert Jenrick MP.... Who er just defected to Reform

I'm hoping one of my former colleagues in the briefing room will ask the press secretary why the White House is again propagating phrasing of a white supremacist author who praises Hitler and traffics in antisemitic conspiracy theories.

This is rather a demeaning gesture from María Corina Machado, but she knows what will please President Trump. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

X still allowing users to post sexualised images generated by Grok AI tool

Tonight's dinner Chakhokhbili (a Georgian meal of chicken, potatoes, red onions and garlic, in a tomato and red wine sauce, seasoned with ground coriander, ground fenugreek, cayenne, turmeric and paprika, and finished with fresh mint, basil and coriander)

We have an update on Charlie’s newfound love of printing.

Luckily VPNs haven't been invented.

Woodford rapper Derek B was born on this day in 1965 🎤 Derek rose to fame in the 1980s as a hip hop artist and producer, supporting Public Enemy and Run DMC on tour, and was the first British rapper to appear on the cover of Smash Hits magazine! Find out more about Derek B at Redbridge Museum.

Support for Labour has collapsed in Cymru/Wales, with most of the momentum going to Reform UK, and, more significantly, Plaid Cymru, who now have a rather whopping 14 point lead, where it comes to the upcoming Senedd elections. yougov.co.uk/politics/art...

When he was 6 years old, Tom Sinclair wandered away from his family's campsite on Lake Superior and got lost. At dawn, he heard a voice that has shaped his life ever since. n.pr/3Lg8cwX

Charlie Kirk from The Charlie Kirk Show, Oct. 26, 2023:

‘The world needs to know what’s happening’: families of protesters killed in Iran tell of heartbreak

A squirrel came to say hello on Jody Dobrowski’s bench, Clapham Common. Jody was a barman who was brutally beaten to death in a homophobic attack, just over 20 years ago. Another light extinguished too early.

While purporting to care deeply about the funding of other organisations and the importance of free speech, Lord Young's FSU won't reveal who funds the er ... Free Speech Union Excellent work from @petergeoghegan.bsky.social democracyforsale.substack.com/p/who-funds-...

Thank you, @jeremyfaust.bsky.social, for this public service; we have all wanted to see the protocol of this deeply unethical trial being funded by RFK Jr in Guinea-Bissau, I’m grateful you obtained it and have published it insidemedicine.substack.com/p/scoop-the-...