Sorry for my absence from these hallowed columns which was caused entirely by lack of energy and, to be frank, lack of anything serious, or even humorous, to say! (Waddya mean, no change there then!?) Mind you, I can't say I feel particularly inspired today. The daily news rolls in hour by hour like a never-ending chorus of 'Pte. Frazer's' lament, "We're doomed, I tell ye, we're doomed!"
Mind you, it's not all bad news. Not the least of the, er, 'advantages' of the Coronavirus 'plague' is that it has reduced the time available to various nut-job politicians to dream up, or worse, act on, their various flights of utter stupidity. I am encouraged that - so far! - Boris has resisted the chance to go 'full-on Churchillian' in response to this viral epidemic. We should be grateful for the lull!
'Down 'ere in zunny Zummerzet', where, natch!, it is raining, life goes on although the 'Memsahib' informs me that some shelves in the local supermarket had been cleared. Still, it's nice to know that the stupidity of the plebs remains at zero - some things never change! As does the malicious stupidity of the Labour party who have expelled the entirely honourable Trevor Phillips from their Party. Himself a black man, he has been a leading campaigner against racial discrimination for decades but, alas for him, never a supporter of the vitriolic and stupid Marxism that has now captured his Party. As The Mail summarises the story:
Labour has suspended the former head of Britain's equality watchdog, Trevor Phillips, over accusations of Islamophobia. Yet Phillips has fought racism all his life, while the party under Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of anti-Semitism and is being investigated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
File under: "You couldn't make it up!"
I thought maybe the Wuhan Flu had wiped out Sommerset.
Posted by: Whitewall | Tuesday, 10 March 2020 at 11:52
The good news about the corona epidemic is that we don't hear so much about the global warming catastrophe. If we are all going to die, the planet is hardly worth saving, is it?
Posted by: Whyaxye | Tuesday, 10 March 2020 at 12:20
My 17-year old grand-daughter told me I shouldn't call COVID19 Chinese BatFlu. I did think of pointing out that it was Chinese, is a variant of flu carried by both humans and animals. Including bats. And that the Chinese ate lots of odd things to combat erectile dysfunction.
Posted by: Backofanenvelope | Tuesday, 10 March 2020 at 12:20
BoE, if that diet can do that then many men can leave this world "standing too". Flu or no.
Posted by: Whitewall | Tuesday, 10 March 2020 at 12:31
Is that why they are eating all that disgusting krep? The Romans ate sparrow brains to that end. Don't see many of them around any more, either. The folks who live in Romae are, by definition, Romans, but are not kin to the real ones, all of whom died, probably of mad sparrow disease.
Posted by: Michael F Adams | Tuesday, 10 March 2020 at 15:22
Don't know y'all furriners was ever "blessed" with one of our teevee shows but if you were well, sorry about that:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Fu_(TV_series)
Anyway what's this JK another of your excursions off topic? you say.
Nope.
Kung Flu.
Posted by: JK | Tuesday, 10 March 2020 at 15:28
Seems like a reasonable explanation for the accusations against Phillips:
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-labour-wants-to-smear-trevor-phillips
Posted by: Wigner’s Friend | Tuesday, 10 March 2020 at 15:38
Uhm David?
This one is off-topic however soon as I noticed it figured you'd get a kick out of it too - #3:
http://knuckledraggin.com/2020/03/tuesday-gifdump-77/#more-154685
Bunch of comments following the gifs too you might enjoy.
Posted by: JK | Tuesday, 10 March 2020 at 17:14
Trevor Phillips is a sensible bloke so it is no wonder that Labour still under the influence of the Corbyn regime have suspended him. This should be a big story.
Posted by: Glesga | Tuesday, 10 March 2020 at 23:09
David.
Glad you back and in good form.
Relax
The ballad of
Harry Pollitt--Jeremy Corbyn-- Bernie Sandershttps://youtu.be/DSFPkVk7YSI
Posted by: Hank | Tuesday, 10 March 2020 at 23:11
You Talkin Tongue Flu to me AK!
engarde~~
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yygxuM263Ik
On Watch~~~
"Let's Roll"
Posted by: Bill Thomas | Wednesday, 11 March 2020 at 03:19
Harry Pollitt, Hank? Dammit, that's real history!
Bill, thanks for the film in which art symbalises reality!
Posted by: David Duff | Wednesday, 11 March 2020 at 10:05
At huge social, political and economic cost, the eurozone survived its first existential crisis. With a viral pandemic now sweeping Europe, can it survive a second? My answer may disappoint some Eurosceptic readers, but probably yes.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/03/10/coronavirus-may-finally-break-italian-resistance-eu-fiscal-union/
Covid 19 may bump us all off, but there's one thing it will never destroy.
The Euro will still be doing the do when you're long done pushing up the daisies.
As for "At huge social, political and economic cost ..." it's no more or less than the market would have done if Greece, Italy, and the rest of the PIIGS (remember them? Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Spain, don't hear so much about that acronym these days, do we?) had taken back their national currencies. The market devaluations of their national currencies would have floored them just as hard as the austerity / internal devaluation.
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard eat your cry-wolf heart out.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Wednesday, 11 March 2020 at 13:03