50 yrs E. Africa,Middle East, China, Britain. Royal Society for Asian Affairs. Royal Television Society. English Speaking Union. Bhutan Society. Politeia.
Surrey, England
Joined June 2015
- Tweets126K
- Following1.9K
- Followers2.1K
- Likes41K
Fred Says retweeted
For the first time: The pilots who landed the Flydubai flight have been revealed.
They entered the cockpit after the Indian pilot, Sumit Machhar, was attacked with an axe during an attempted suicide attack.
They managed to land the Boeing in Saudi Arabia, despite part of its tail having been broken off.
Following a commendation ceremony in the UAE—where they were honored alongside Machhar—the pilots' names have been disclosed: Hanson Stephen from Fiji and Rowan Toth from South Africa.
"They acted with heroism and composure."
Fred Says retweeted
It really seems as if Labour is trying to break the Church. Hot on the heels of charging a punitive extra 20% for all repairs to listed places of worship now they’re going to hit parishes with backbreaking extra taxes on vicarages
telegraph.co.uk/gift/47fa8c2…
Fred Says retweeted
🚨BREAKING: Montgomery Tom and Will Coleshill have just been SAVAGELY attacked by a group of feral third world migrants in France 🇫🇷
They were defending their female colleague who was set upon by the group of migrants.
Fred Says retweeted
Starlink saves lives
Starlink became a lifeline for rescuers in England.
A walker fell down a steep bank into a hornet’s nest near Wetheral.
The rescue team had no mobile signal where they were training. Starlink in their control vehicle got the emergency call through.
Rescuers reached the walker, used ropes to lift them up the bank on a stretcher, and carried them to an ambulance.
This is the life-saving power of Starlink. Keeping rescuers connected means people in danger can get the help they urgently need.
Fred Says retweeted
It's happening.
Poland's ambassadors are resigning in protest, Nawrocki has personally stormed the Constitutional Court, and NO ONE has come out in support of Tusk.
The EU is LOSING the attempted coup. Tusk is going to be imprisoned.
Keep fighting, Poland! 🇵🇱
Fred Says retweeted
This reeks.
Tim Heatley is a close friend of Snake Oil “Pandy” Burnham and was invited to No 10 in July when he completed his coup.
Ok, we all have friends - well, mostly.
But Healtey is the boss and 50% owner of Capital & Centric.
A £20 million taxpayer bailout is being given to the troubled project to turn Liverpool’s derelict Littlewood’s building into a “Hollywood of the North”.
The North? Say no more.
Capital & Centric is benefitting financially.
£5.3 million spent so far, a chunk gone straight into it’s coffers as “fees”.
I’m not alleging outright financial impropriety.
I don't need to - because the facts reek just as they stand, don’t they?
Fred Says retweeted
More for Lenny Henry to digest
Fred Says retweeted
Gurkhas are a blessing to our society
Thank you. Gurkhas !!
Fred Says retweeted
🚨 BREAKING: POLISH PRESIDENT STORMS HIS OWN HIGHEST COURT AT 1 AM 🚨
Karol Nawrocki just walked straight into the Constitutional Tribunal building after turning his plane around mid-flight from Senegal.
He looked the pro-EU judges in the eye and told them they are NOT judges.
Their attempted takeover is OVER.
“You are not judges of the Constitutional Tribunal!”
🔥🔥🔥
This is the elected President of Poland personally ending a coup in real time.
Donald Tusk’s camp declared the Tribunal’s president (Bogdan Święczkowski) “suspended,” sent police to surround the building, and tried to seize control with judges who were never sworn in by the President. Nawrocki cut his trip short, flew home, arrived after midnight with the head of the Supreme Court, and forced his way inside through the pushing and scuffling at the doors.
He is not backing down.
Poland’s highest court was being hijacked. The President just took it back. 🇵🇱
Go get ’em, Mr. President! 🇺🇸
This is what standing up to a power grab looks like.
Fred Says retweeted
If you grew up in Britain in the 70s or 80s, you'll remember the sadistic teacher who took pleasure in disciplining children with a ruler, a cane or whatever else came to hand. The sort who confused cruelty with authority and punishment with discipline.
Well, here we have that very same sadist, only this time wearing a police uniform and apparently using handcuffs as a weapon against a child.
I don't give a damn what that child is alleged to have done. And I couldn't care less that the far right have jumped on this footage. I'm not going to excuse apparent police brutality simply because condemning it puts me on the same side of an argument as someone whose politics I disagree with.
The footage shows what it appears to show; the officer responsible should be sacked, along with any colleague who witnessed unlawful violence and deliberately stood by.
A police uniform is not a licence to brutalise children. We entrust officers with extraordinary powers because they're supposed to exercise restraint, not indulge in punishment.
Anyone who cannot understand that has no business wearing the uniform.
Oh, and for the old toe rags like me who grew up getting the occasional clip round the ear from the local bobby... let's not pretend that's remotely comparable to being struck in the throat with steel handcuffs. There's a world of difference between a clip round the ear and a police officer using a weapon against a child.
Do you think a police officer should be able to do this to a child?
Fred Says retweeted
I don’t think he reckoned on the President turning around so fast and challenging the coup police who had seized the Constitutional Court/Tribunal. Tusk should be arrested as should those EU heads backing this naked power grab.
Fred Says retweeted
The French police have just illegally stopped me and my friends, despite us holding press credentials and working as bona fide journalists.
They’ve also seized my gas mask, which I believe is an attempt to obstruct our ability to report freely.
So much for freedom of the press.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
Face coverings are prohibited during French demonstrations even on Halloween. Police recognise only official CCIJP journalist cards which facilitate access during protests. The gas mask was seized under this rule. ccijp.fr/la-carte-de-pr… tf1info.fr/justice-faits-… telegraph.co.uk/world-news/202…
Fred Says retweeted
BREAKING: HM Treasury’s Disciplinary Team admits breaking their own complaints-handling rules and ‘shared responsibility’ for death of Chloe Moffat, the former PA to its Director (via @TheTimes) thetimes.com/uk/politics/art…
Fred Says retweeted
Another National Scandal.
We are on your side!
🚨Poundland is a scandal. Here’s why:
People have attacked me for taking up this fight, saying ‘businesses go under all the time, that’s just the free market’. Sure, but this is *crony capitalism* and the 12,000 workers deserve better.
This is what’s really happening:
Poundland’s owners, an American outfit called Gordon Brothers are trying to put the business into administration. They bought it for £1 and have a £30m loan out to it, which they want back.
It’s a tough sector, suffering from fierce competition, battered by Labour’s tax increases and customers feeling the pinch. However, the business is solvent, sales grew 6.7% in the last year and 8.4% in the first three weeks of October. It’s about to see the best trading weeks of the year approaching Christmas. This is not a business that has to shut its doors.
What’s more, if Gordon Brothers want to walk away, there are others keen to take it on, as a going concern. I’ve spoken to two, highly credible parties today, who have attempted to buy the business. Both tell me they have the money. One, a hugely successful British retail entrepreneur, didn’t even get a response from Gordon Brothers. They would keep the stores intact and keep the positive momentum going.
I’ve been inundated with messages from staff and suppliers, all saying how hard they’ve worked in the past year to turn the business around.
Instead, Gordon Brothers are risking 12,000 jobs just before Christmas (and retail isn’t an easy industry to get another job in right now) and potentially another 10,000 amongst the suppliers. Poundland has a number of suppliers that only or largely supply them, and who will face an uncertain future without them.
Then there’s the loss to the landlords, the rates owed to local councils, tax due to HMRC and the lost footfall on our high streets if 600 stores shut.
The wage bill of Poundland is close to £500m, so you can imagine the cost to the taxpayer in benefits if 12,000 people lose their jobs.
Could it be that Gordon Brothers, far from being a real ‘turnaround specialist’ is just trying to look after themselves and make a profit at the expense of literally everyone else?
Might they be using the administration process to protect their loan?
And the advisors who handle administration will also pockets millions in fees. Naturally.
Could we see a decent business run down, shelves slowly emptied and then folded, with everyone losing out bar them? Thats what happened with another, similar business, Poundworld.
It’s not for nothing that loyal staff emailing me are calling them ‘Greedy Brothers’.
Should politicians be interested in this scandal? Too right they should. Frankly I’m shocked more aren’t. It shows how little Westminster cares about working people. You can be pro business, but anti crony capitalism. Reform UK is.
The Business Secretary needs to ask searching questions of Gordon Brothers and this administration process, before a 35 year old mainstay of our high streets and 12,000 jobs are destroyed by them.
Fred Says retweeted
Sin X nadie en Europa se habría enterado de lo sucedido en Polonia está noche. El jefe del gobierno Donald Tusk perpetró un intento de golpe de Estado aprovechando el viaje del jefe del estado Karol Nawrocky al extranjero. Asaltó el Tribunal Constitucional con la policía y pretendió destituir a presidente y vicepresidente del Constitucional con una juez leal sin competencias.
Pero no contaba con el presidente que enterado ordenó al avion dar la vuelta cuando sobrevolaba España. Volvió a Varsovia, entró por la fuerza por delante de sus escoltas en el edficio del TC pese al cerco de policias de Tusk y convocó a todas las máximasx instituciones de Supremo y Constitucional para restablecer el orden Constitucional.
Aunque la crisis continúa, parece claro que el gobierno de Tusk, el títere de Von der Leyen que jamás habría perpetrado este asalto sin permiso de Bruselas, tiene los días contados. Pero recuerden, los medios publicos y privados de toda Europa han sido cómplices del golpe de Estado silenciando toda la operación. Solo las redes sociales han alertado a polacos y europeos. Por eso quieren intervenirlas.
