Father and son in 2002

Reality check amidst the doom and gloom

I live in London

My neighbours are Indians, Arabs, Persians, Turks and Jews

And everyone gets along just fine, living their lives.

I'm not being sentimental

It's just a fact

It works

At least in our little corner of the city

British politics is unique for the way it allows ludicrous novelty characters to share the stage.

Ukraine is being pressured like never before to surrender. This will be the hardest winter yet. But it will get through and survive. No one I’ve met has any intention of giving up.

Henry Lamb's picture is of the artist Darsie Japp and family from 1926. Lamb's notes say that the family were taught the 'proper' way to stir tea; place the spoon in the 12 o’clock position in the cup and softly fold the liquid back and forth 2-3 times to the 6 o’clock position.

I’m sorry, but I feel like I need to make this post. Both my parents suffered sexual abuse.

My mother was abused by her stepfather. My father was raped as a child in a care home for orphans.

I have a friend who was raped repeatedly by her father telling her how much he loved ed him of her dead mother, and another friend raped by her very own uncle.

So watching people on 𝕏 defend a convicted rapist and blame the women who came forward genuinely disgusts me. It also makes me question whether they understand the meaning of consent.

This isn’t a joke to me. It disgusts me.

Before claiming Russell Brand was “set up by the system”, perhaps take five minutes to research the evidence that convicted him.

In 2009, Brand met a 21-year-old woman at a comedy show. She subsequently went to his home.

Their sexual encounter initially began consensually. But consent to one act is NOT consent to another.

She described being subjected to anal rape, leaving her with physical and psychological injuries.

She disclosed what happened shortly afterwards. The jury heard evidence from people she told at the time, including family and friends. Medical records and a nurse’s statement also supported her account of seeking medical attention and reporting what happened.

This wasn’t simply an allegation invented 17 years later.

And the investigation went considerably further.

According to the Metropolitan Police:

• Over 100 witnesses traced and interviewed.

• More than 400 witness statements taken.

• Over 1,400 documents reviewed.

• Historical photographs, floor plans and timelines examined.

• Hundreds of hours of Brand’s interviews, television appearances and performances reviewed.

Police also reported that Brand initially claimed not to recognise the women involved, before his account changed as the case approached trial.

These figures cover the entire investigation, not just the rape conviction.

The jury also heard evidence concerning three other women.

Brand was convicted of sexually assaulting an MTV worker, a Choice FM employee and a Channel 4 worker.

The jury also ACQUITTED him of three other charges.

Think about that before claiming the jury simply convicted him because he was famous or unpopular.

They considered separate allegations and returned different verdicts.

Brand himself admitted in court to using his fame to facilitate sexual access, while maintaining that his encounters were consensual.

But being famous, having a sexual relationship with someone or having previously obtained consent gives nobody the right to sexually assault them.

And finally, to those arguing that women shouldn’t be allowed to prosecute historical sexual offences because too much time has passed:

As I said yesterday in a previous post. Would you tell a 32-year-old who was raped by their uncle at 12 that they’ve missed their opportunity for justice?

Would you say the same to someone who finally found the courage to speak up at 50?

Of course, every defendant deserves a fair trial. But victims deserve access to justice too.

Russell Brand received a four-week trial. The jury heard the evidence and unanimously convicted him of rape and three sexual assaults. He has not been targeted by the matrix as Andrew Tate likes to put it.

You are entitled to question a verdict or support an appeal.

But stop blaming victims, dismissing evidence you haven’t examined and pretending that the passage of time makes rape somehow acceptable.

Rape doesn’t have an expiry date. Justice shouldn’t either.

Very few have done any research on this website. They immediately jump to defend Russell Brand who is now a convicted rapist. And I am adamant many more will come forward now.

I might mute the word Russell and brand so I can now move on with my day.

I guess having two daughters makes me feel quite emotional about this, as well as what happened to both of my parents and some of my friends.

T

Impawtant & life-saving information. Please read & share ❤️🦔🦔🦔 #Hedgewatch

Every day now is filled with phone calls from finders of out-in-the-day hedgehogs. And they are all saying the same thing: "We brought him in, put him in a box and gave him food, he was starving."
They don't realise, but these sweet kind people have just sealed this hedgehog's a daytime wildlife casualty.
I know, it's so hard not to.
When we see a suffering animal we feel a strong, innate impulse to help, and a desire to provide immediate tangible comfort; equating food with survival and care.
Feeding feels like a direct, immediate and nurturing action to alleviate suffering.
Yet it is the most catastrophically harmful thing you could ever do.
Especially hedgehogs out in the day, who will be hypothermic.
It takes a lot of energy to digest food, energy these compromised animals just don't have spare.
Every last bit of their energy is being used to maintain vital bodily functions - to keep the heart beating, to oxygenate the organs.
Forcing energy away from these critical functions for something as non-critical as digesting food will be a death sentence.
It won't be immediate, it may take hours, or a couple of days, but eventually, no matter what the experienced rescue you later take them to tries, the animal is already on the unstoppable journey into shock, organ failure and death.
It's tragic for the casualty and heartbreaking for the rescues.
So please help in the right way.
An out-in-the-day hedgehog needs *contact* warmth, a safe indoor space away from flies, and cover to reduce their stress (please see advice below).
They are not going to die of starvation in the couple of hours between you finding them, and getting them to a rescue.😊
And please remember - any website that gives you DIY information on caring for or feeding injured or orphaned wildlife is, by default, wrong.
The ONLY right action is to get them to a good rescue (never a vet) where their complex needs can be met.
Even if you have seen this vital information before and understand it, feeding wildlife casualties is a powerful compulsion because it directly activates human instincts of empathy and compassion, often overriding the scientific advice against it.
So please remember this warning and spread it as far as you can.
Helping a wildlife casualty get to the expert treatment they need is an incredibly kind, altruistic act of great humanity.
Just remember to provide them with what they need, not what you need.🥰

After his tent flooded, someone asked a Palestinian man to say a few words. He responded by cursing Sinwar.

In just the past two weeks, the pro-Palestine movement tried to burn down my neighborhood synagogue and organized a boycott of Jewish-owned businesses in Philadelphia on the eve of Kristalnacht.

So please, spare me the “anti Zionism isn’t antisemitism” nonsense. Yes, it is.

The UK puts rapists in prison.
The USA puts them in office.

'Moonlit River.' (c1917) More than any other artist, it was Whistler with his atmospheric paintings of the Thames, that had a profound influence on George Hyde Pownall - he specialized in moonlight scenes of this sort, usually with a full moon fairly central in the composition.

But of course he does.

RT @Jo_WhiteheadUK: Huge thanks @DanNeidle who shines a light on injustices. That Justice Jay silenced a women who was saying a crime had…

I’m glad the Judge chose to lay bare the disgusting and grotesque nature of Russell Brand’s behaviour as he raped and sexually assaulted women. It leaves no room for any alternative argument. It was utterly grim listening befitting a cold, arrogant man who clearly believed he could do whatever he wanted because of his fame. I hope he and the people around him who enabled his behaviour feel the shame they rightly should. The women brave enough to come forward and grit their teeth through this trial should feel none of that shame and I’m glad the Judge chose to make that clear today too. We need to have a real think about how we pile blame on women - and men - who are abused and assaulted by men like Brand. As the Judge made clear, women have the right to wear what they like, go out, have consensual sex and expect not to be raped. Or, as Brand’s legal team put it, not be subjected to a “momentary total failure to respect consent”. Despicable.

His father is just as obnoxious as Brand is. The way he launched himself at that female reporter’s face. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree #RussellBrandtrial

The sentencing remarks in R -v- Russell Brand can now be read on the judicial website: judiciary.uk/judgments/r-v-…

If we are serious about protecting women and girls, then we must also talk about the thousands of vulnerable young girls in our care system who are at risk of violence, criminal exploitation and sexual abuse.

Every single day, young girls are being targeted, groomed and exploited by criminal organisations. Some are living in fear in placements that should be protecting them.

These are children in our care. Children we have a duty to protect.

We need to end the use of illegal, unregistered care settings, introduce stronger vetting and accountability for those running children's homes, and stop private equity firms and investors from putting profit before the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children.

If teachers and frontline professionals must undergo rigorous safeguarding checks, why shouldn't those responsible for running children's homes face equally robust scrutiny?

We could act on this now.

Protecting women starts with protecting girls. And that includes every girl growing up in our care system.

An unverified image purporting to show the suspect in the Krakow shooting wearing a mask and military uniform with the Ukrainian flag is being shared.

OpenAI's verification tool detects SynthID in the image, which means it's been either created or manipulated with OpenAI models.

It’s so disrespectful not to want to be invaded and murdered.