After last week’s fiasco in America when top Republicans were discussing air strikes on Yemen and inadvertently added a magazine editor to the discussion, do you think the safety of the world is safe in their hands?
In opposition, Donald Trump took every opportunity to viciously attack the Democrats on the smallest misdemeanour, but when he heard of the “chatgate” he tried to dismiss it as a “glitch” and went on to call the magazine editor a “sleasebag” – as if it was his fault that his top team has messed up, Trump added no one gave a damn anyway.
Well Trump – news for you, millions do give a damn, and also in Europe where a member of your top team wrote “loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.’”
What an appalling man Trump is, and also those around him. I would be thoroughly ashamed if I had ever voted for him as president. The country is now a laughing stock, led by a convicted felon who has got just one thing on his mind – how can he make money out of any situation. American dream? You can stick it!
“SUN, SEA… BUT FEW SMILES?
With so much sunshine, lovely beaches and wonderful food, you would think that Spain is high on the worldwide happiness list.
But figures recently released are quite a surprise – Spain is in 49th place in the 112 counties analysed.
And the UK has been sliding down the happiness list, now having sunk to its lowest level since 2017, coming in at number 23, just above the US.
The science behind compiling the list is surprising to say the least. Much of it involves dropping wallets containing personal details and money in various places and seeing how many are returned to owners.
The belief is that if you live in a country where people look after each-other and concerned at others’ welfare it will be a happier place to live.
Top of the list for the 8th year is Finland where, presumably, it’s a very safe and hospitable place to live. But we do know that Spain doesn’t have a particularly good crime record and on the UK government website there’s plenty of advice to travellers and several warnings to people to be on their guard against thieves.
And it’s worrying that both countries are less safe places to live in. It’s my view that a combination of factors are at play. One is that when people find it increasingly difficult to make ends meet, buy food, clothes or pay the rent or mortgage, they turn to crime. Another is a lack of adequate policing, a third is more lenient sentencing in courts and probably the most important, the importation of the “wrong” people into the countries.
In Britain there is a higher proportion of black and Muslim prisoners in jails than in the general population which demonstrates that Britain should have been far more careful years ago who it allowed into the country.
And a country which finds itself forking out billions in keeping immigrants, providing them with accommodation, food, clothing etc. while watching hospitals, schools, roads, money for welfare and the fabric of society failing is hardly likely to have a happy population.
And which city was found to be the happiest in Britain? – Belfast, where all 10 wallets purposely dropped were returned.
COMMON SENSE WINS
I am delighted to be able to report that the couple who discovered a stowaway youth from Sudan under the cover of a cycle trailer on return to the UK will not be fined.
They reported their find to police who took the youth into custody, and then the Home Office tried to fine the couple 1,500 pounds. There was uproar about it in the UK, it was even mentioned in Parliament, the fear being that from now on anyone discovering a stowaway after coming through the ports would just let the person go rather than report it to police.
I hope the stupid twit bureaucrat at the Home Office got a kick up the backside for being so stupid.
SPAIN TIGHTENS SQUATTING RULES
Spain like Britain has a housing crisis – but it’s made worse when thousands of homes are being illegally occupied by squatters.
I was delighted to hear that in a landmark case in support of homeowners, the Barcelona Court of Appeals, has ruled that owners can legally cut off gas, electricity and water supply to properties that have been unlawfully occupied by non-paying squatters.
Good for them, and I hope that is adopted across Spain. In the city there are currently 20,000 properties on the market that have been invaded by squatters. This is 2.6% of the entire housing market.
It’s about time that the “great unwashed” realised that society will not keep lazy layabouts – but they do need a chance to get a job, work has hard as their parents, pay their way and legally get a roof over their heads.
Housing being taken over for holiday lets has led to a severe shortage of housing, but it brings in much needed revenue and jobs. It’s a difficult circle to square!
WHO’S REALLY CASHING IN?
More than £7.5bn is being spend on universal credit in the UK, and one million foreign nationals are claiming benefits, it has been disclosed.
Figures from the Department of Work and Pensions have shown that households with at least one foreign national claimant received over £7.5billion in benefits in 2023. Once foreign nationals are granted indefinite leave to remain, and have settled or have refugee status, they become entitled for benefits on the same terms as British citizens. They are also eligible to receive a state pension.
Analysis by the Centre for Migration Control (CMC) has found that Congolese, Iraqi and Afghan people are claiming benefits at four times the rate of British people. Overall, 40 nationalities are claiming more benefits than British citizens.
In addition to the cost of foreign benefit claims, a further £5.4bn goes towards accommodating and supporting a backlog of over 100,000 migrants. This cost quintupled under the previous Government.
All this as people who have paid tax in Britain all their working lives have lost their winter fuel allowance and face spiralling council tax rises next month. It’s no wonder British people are not ‘happy bunnies!’
Conservatives now say that low-paid and jobless asylum seekers should be banned from remaining indefinitely in the country.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said, “I have tabled amendments to the Borders Bill to create a legally binding annual cap on immigration numbers and an increase in the visa salary threshold to £38,000 across the board, he added.”
So why the hell didn’t the Tories do it during the 14 years they were in office?
Image: Photo by Rosemary Ketchum:
