It is easy to have a free-flowing, ten goal game when nothing is at stake! If you win a third place match, you can say third is better than fourth (even though nobody can tell you who was third at Italia 90, but we all know who won the World Cup in 1966). And if you lose the third place match, you say it was a dead rubber anyway. A meaningless match.

So, of course, it would be an entertaining match! It’s as pointless as watching a friendly!

So, well done to England for winning it. But let’s not take the mickey! The final today, will be a lot less entertaining and likely to be very cagey. That’s because it is a match to decide who goes home with the World Cup! A meaningful match….

The Labour Party and current UK government do not wish to resort to gimmicks or empty rhetorics. They want to do something. They want to try to deal with the illegal crossing of the English Channel, they want to solve the problem. Unfortunately, they have not sat down to understand the simple fact that the problem is COMMUNICATION.

This morning, there is an article in the press, about a brilliant operation by the police, where they busted a gang responsible for smuggling thousands across the channel. But if you go to the comments section of the report, there were hundreds of comments on there, stating that it isn’t enough and that the government is useless.
When we had the Rwanda gimmick and the equally useless ‘Stop the Boats’ rhetoric from the previous government who were in power for 14 years, years when the buildup of uncontrolled migration shot through the rough, nobody rioted, there was no protest. Why? because Boris Johnson and his government knew all they had to do, was use the right slogans, say the things people wanted to hear: “there is an invasion, we will crush the invaders”, and that’s all. They knew they didn’t really have to do anything else.

The labour government do not want to say horrible things about migrants just to appease. They do not wish to throw gimmicks – that won’t work – out there. Very noble of them. But it isn’t going to work is it? The current government can round up and deport every single person who crossed the channel into the country, and it won’t be enough. They can deport every single migrant and round up every non-Caucasian in the country and deport them and it still won’t be enough. THIS IS WHAT THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND. None of this was ever about facts or reality. If it was, there wouldn’t be any anti-migration riots and protests in the first place. The facts do nothing!
It is a COMMUNICATIONS challenge. The government needs to re-engage with the people. They need to stop talking down to people. Politicians at the grassroots need to re-engage with people up and down the country, to explain to them that things are being done.

People crossing the channel into the country cannot be normalised. Britain is more than willing to take its fair share of asylum seekers, refugees and even economic migrants. We have been – taking many in – for decades. The British people never rioted (in the present manner) over those many years. The communication – yes, sometimes it is deliberately distorted, in order to rile up the masses for political gain – is what has broken down! It began with David Cameron assuming he can win the Brexit vote without needing to communicate the facts, clearly, to the country. It starts with politicians assuming they no longer need to engage with the masses. There are reasons it has been so difficult for any government to tackle the channel crossings. Those reasons have not been explained to the masses, because politicians think they won’t get it?
Well, set up town hall events, knock on doors, engage with people, EXPLAIN IT TO THEM!
And alongside all that, explain the steps you are taking to address it AND how those steps will be successful. There must be effective monitoring of employers and whoever hands jobs to people in the country, with harsh penalties in place for any infringement. And then a tax code that recoups costs from people the country help (proportionately of course) or whatever measures the government implement to stop people seeing the UK as an easy target.
Alongside all that, IT IS VERY CLEAR that we have fallen way back, in creating new jobs, new industry, dragging people out of poverty! It is not a matter of people getting lazy and sitting on collecting benefits! If you create opportunities for people to work and make even more money than the benefits they receive, they will opt for the former. People want to be prosperous. They want their holidays in the sun. Create new industry, new jobs, get the country back on its feet and nobody would be interested in rioting! They will be too busy googling their next holiday to Benidorm!

Yes, the has always been and there will always be, a small group of people who will never the satisfied. People who will always have a reason to want to lash out. If it isn’t about immigration, it will be about Brexit or something else. But this group of people were previously on the fringes. They used to be a few hundreds, moaning in their living rooms and spewing hate just to their children and causing tiny pockets of problem.
But the lack of communication, lack of engagement over the last 30 years, has led to where we are today, where the UK, a country filled with very clever, sensible, often carefree people who like eating curry on Fridays, Italian food, French, African, you name it.. and had no issues with raising £billions to aid struggling countries etc., suddenly became a place where anything done by a migrant can now result in riots on our streets and people getting targeted etc. The government has to change how they communicate, how they engage with the people. But most importantly, the government needs to really focus on new ideas to get everyone out of poverty! It will solve majority of those other issues!

The overwhelming majority of British people are very decent and tolerant. I have worked in several countries over the years, I am always happy to be back home in the UK. But then successive governments have decided – for whatever reason – that there is no need to engage with grassroots Brits and keep them engaged and explain things to them, then their backs are up and they want to show their objection and they want to take the government on, and immigration becomes the easy target, the easy reason to take to the streets etc. If the government can change how they engage with the people and get back to accepting that governments do need to explain themselves to the people, you will see a marked change in the UK, with the majority going back to just getting on with their lives and not marching off to London to protest or react each time anyone that looks different commit a crime!

I honestly do not know why they pay the managers so much money??? Thomas Tuchel’s tactics were terrible. Awful. Dreadful!!
Football is definitely not engineering or medicine or law! And it certainly ain’t rocket science either! When you manage to score a goal via the only real chance we had all game, what you do, is bring more strikers or midfield players on, to choke the game in the middle and not at the back! Instead, he sets them defending!!! Against Argentina! Fernandez who scored their equaliser scores similar goals for fun at Chelsea! It’s like handing him a penalty! And he gave England and the manager ample warning by striking 3 shots from that same position, one coming real close. At that point, you don’t add defenders, as it takes your line too deep! You put on strikers or midfielders! And after Argentina scored, he went to 5 defenders!!!! Complete madness!

England was better off throwing everything at it, to try to get a second goal, to go 2 nil up, even if it leads to us conceding an equaliser. Those were the odds and we could have got lucky. Instead, we handed it to them on a plate, but trying to defend! With no outlet, no way of getting out of our back line!

It was a tactical mess!!!

After we scored, Tuchel should have asked the players to defend for 5 minutes, which they did, even though Argentina immediately missed a couple of chances. after those 5 minutes, he should have brought on Rashford, Saka and Toney, and really taken the game to Argentina! Instead, he took our scorer off and brought on 2 defenders, which gave Argentina the hope they needed to come at us, knowing they don’t need to keep any players at their back, as England wasn’t going to trouble them with our defenders!!!

Shocking tactics (or lack of!) from Tuchel! Awful!

20 minutes in, it is the best England performance in a game of this magnitude I’ve seen in the last 30 years! Finally, we now have a few real world class players!

I expect England to win this match!

Former Spanish PM is reported in the newspapers this morning to have said the French national football team is not playing French men. Ok. So, instead from jumping in and calling him a racist, why not dissect what he’s saying?
What is the definition of a Frenchman? Who is a Frenchman? Presumably that is a male who happened to be born in France or to parents who happened to be born in France?
Or whichever way the French constitution or French people decide to determine who is French? Right?

Now, in the United States of America, their constitution only allows someone born in the US to be President. That’s their decision. If football want to state that only individuals born in a country can represent that country, fine. But that is not the FIFA ruling. If it was, countries at the World Cup would have to comply

But then, what is sports? What is competition? If the Olympics could ban some countries from competing and allow some athletes to compete under a neutral flag, without a country, then, what’s all the fuss about?

What should be explained to this former Spanish PM, is that if the French wish to field players who are born & raised in France but are not Caucasian, France is allowed to do so, as France see their people as French, if they are born in France or are French. We just had Arthur Fery, a guy born in France to French parents, but raised in the UK, represent the UK at Wimbledon tennis. He has a British passport and relates to the UK as he grew up here, and we are happy for him to represent Britain. That’s our choice.

Now, if one day, the rules are changed – for whatever idiotic reason – to only allow people born in a country, to represent that country, fine. France will still field a bunch of Frenchmen at the World Cup who are not Caucasian, nonetheless, they are as French as any Caucasian Frenchman. That is that. It doesn’t matter how an ex-PM from Spain see it. And there is no point calling him a racist. Just explain it to him. It is that simple.

No foetus decide which womb to come out of. Babies get born wherever the mother happens to be. And if someone grows up in a country and feels to repay that country by representing them in sports, fine. If the rules allow, that’s that. It is that simple.

But more importantly, what really is the argument here? The French can play whoever they choose to play. If they break the rules, address that. If they haven’t (and the simple fact is: they haven’t) people can say whatever they want to say, just words that can be ignored.

What reason would the French National football team have, to not field the best footballers who are born in France, raised in France? Should France not play Mbappe because he is not Caucasian? Is the World Cup a Caucasian World Cup? Is the world filled with just Caucasians?
Even if the World Cup is only for players whose ancestry can be traced to 500 b.c., you will still have a mix of different folk representing each country, if they have the necessary skills.

But piling on and calling the guy a racist (and others who make similar foolish speeches) is pointless. It changes nothing. It is better to just enlighten him. He won’t change his opinion, but at least, he may realise the stupidity of what he’s saying.

The French national football team is made up of French players. It is that simple.

A former Tory politician Ann Widdicombe was murdered last week and the police had to quickly state the colour of the suspect they arrested. If they didn’t, someone could say it is a migrant and there will be rioting! That is how awful the situation is. How can the police effectively do their job, if they have to tell us what their suspects look like – which could undermine their ability to quietly investigate – just because they fear people will riot if the suspect is not white!
It is complete and total madness!!
Are we now saying that only white people are allowed to commit crimes?
As long as the criminal is white, no rioting on the streets!

We should treat crime as crime and it shouldn’t matter who’s committing the crime, if it’s appalling, it is appalling. Period!

How are the police going to be able to do their work effectively and keep us all safe, if they have to spend all their time avoiding rioting?!

When someone commits a crime, the law should take its course. And that is that. The criminal could be white, black, brown or any other colour, crime is crime and a criminal is a criminal. Protest every crime if you wish to (peacefully!). Hitting the streets and turning to violence every time a crime is committed by someone who isn’t white, is just silly ain’t it?
Putting the police in a position where they have to run around revealing the colour of their suspect, to appease would-be rioters, while their investigation could be undermined, is truly awful!

Which is it?
They say daft Paraguayan ex-goalie said that in 1998 Paraguay played real French players but now in 2026 they are facing an African French team. So, given that the same guy thinks African football is rubbish, should he not be glad that the French team is filled with French players he deems African? Surely, that should mean that his country (Paraguay) should have it easy against the 2026 French team…

You just couldn’t make it up could you? They say daft stupidity of some of these folk!!

No African country has ever won the World Cup. Ok. But how many continents have won the World Cup?

Total population of Africa is about 1.5billion people. That is the entire continent of Africa. India alone, has a population of 1.48billion people and China has 1.41billion. No Asian country has ever won the World Cup.

This month, at Wimbledon tennis, we have been celebrating a wonderful British player, Arthur Fery who made it all the way to the Semi-finals. The guy was born in France, to French parents. I don’t hear these Paraguayans complaining??
The French players who Paraguay are calling Africans, are Mbappe and co., born and bred in France…. just imagine if Mbappe had opted to play for Cameroon (for whatever crazy reason), the entire world will criticise him and say he lacks ambition and that he is an ingrate, deserting France, the country of his birth and upbringing yak, yak, yak. Crazy world ain’t it??

It is so pathetically hilarious!

I don’t care who plays for which country. If they meet the requirement set for each international team, carry on lads!

Some still want to withhold praise, but he is now above all that. The fellow is simply brilliant!!!

This morning’s result is easily England’s greatest World Cup win in decades!

Where are the racist posts that some England players suffer? None? Ok. Well, this is exactly why those comments are best ignored. The same people how type those abhorrent comments are the ones praising England now! So, to end such behaviour, you just have to stop getting riled by it. Just ignore it and the idiots posting them will see they ain’t impacting anyone and that hurts them..

England now have to face Norway in the quarterfinals. No set of defenders know the beast (Erling Haaland) better than English defenders; they play against him in the premier league. That, is what will make the difference. The Norwegian defence are not used to defending against Bellingham or Kane. As long as we don’t get complacent, England should be matching on to the last 4!

Play Norway like you played Mexico! Come on England!!!!

Yes, the reaction cannot be rioting, violence and throwing bricks at the police. It also cannot be MPs saying their blood boil when they see black & brown people on TV commercials (while ok with 99% toilet cleaners and menial job holders being black & brown). BUT, when you watch a recent BBC programme that showed an Iraqi people smuggler who was jailed in France, saunter around serving customers in a convenience store in the UK, without a work permit and claims not to work, and you see these programmes airing with multiple cases, it is easy to see why people are fed up!

I do not believe Brits will be rioting if there are 10, 100 or even 1000 of these instances of people exploiting our system and taking the piss! But when it has now become such a large-scale enterprise of boat-loads of people wading into the country, working without the right to, doing all sorts, it becomes a topic that can be used to whip up a frenzy and get crowds onto the streets to protest and some resort to violence!

There is nothing new about people coming into the UK illegally. It happens. It has been happening for decades. Nobody rioted nor protested about those isolated cases. It is the present industrial scale of it, that has now become a matter that’s getting people to use it as a tool to rip us apart and cause violence. Sadly, poverty is a core factor. If we can create more jobs and get people working and thriving, our infrastructure should be able to cope. And ultimately, the government (and governments across Europe) will find a way to end illegal entries into the country. It should never be a matter leading to violent protests; we are Great Britain!!! not some undeveloped country!

…. it is indeed baffling!

If Cabo Verde had lost 6 – 0 yesterday, it would still have been an excellent performance by them. To score 2 goals and push the defending champions and Lionel Messi, to extra time and narrowly losing it? can’t find the right words nor enough superlatives for Cabo Verde!!!

But we are in a world where negativity is in vogue! Hate is money! There are bots created by people sat in basements, just to stir hate and negativity, for their own amusement and to get clicks and make money.

England’s in the last 16. If we lose now or later or even at the last 32, it means we weren’t good enough on the day, and the other team found a way to beat us. PERIOD!

What a story! Although I am not a supporter of Egypt, you gotta take your hat off to them for getting this far, given their past record of never winning a single World Cup game before 2026…

This guy is playing in his 6th World Cup! Before now, he has singlehandedly won the Euros for his country. Over 20 years now, in a sport where most careers do not exceed 10 years and certainly very few are ever at the very top, for more than a handful of years, this guy has remained at the very top for over two decades! But it seems nothing can ever please everyone. Last week and even at the last Euros, there were people spouting off on the telly, that he should be benched. They were piling pressure on his manager to drop him. And very done to Roberto Martinez for ignoring all the noise and sticking with Ronaldo!

Today, he became the first person in history, to score in 6 World Cups!

I’m sure Cristiano doesn’t really care what his detractors say; and there are so many of them, because for whatever reason, they do not want him to carry on succeeding, because it annoys them that a 40year old can be running for 90minutes and still perform at such high levels.

We can be better. But we choose not to be. …

Well done Cristiano! The very best to you man!

Yes, it is not a job anyone is entitled to and perhaps the next PMs should try to be less dugged and more willing to allow their detractors a voice instead of whipping and suspending MPs who disagree. But it is tragic that we go to the poll and elect a party led by an individual in, then we get other folk after the fact, who say they can do a better job of it, but we’re not at the helm when we held the general election.

The fact that an incumbent Prime Minister should always see the job as a caretaker role for the country, should mean that others aspiring to be Prime Minister should also not feel so entitled to it! This idea that a PM makes a few mistakes and must be replaced without going back to a public vote, must not become the norm or else, nobody will last longer than a few months in the job going forward! And that is not good for stability, the economy nor the country!

Starmer has indeed made quite a few mistakes, from the VAT on private schools, to the acceptance of a bunch of freebies, to the poor local government election showing etc. But this is no way to go about things. He has been badly let down by those he trusted. Yes, some may say that is also on him. But the fact is, he is a decent guy and meant well.

We’ll see if his successor can indeed do better…..

Few hours ago, MP Jess Phillips said she won her seat despite Starmer. Ok Jess. But you would just be another MP in opposition without Starmer. I am not suggesting Starmer is perfect, but I think he is definitely being treated unfairly right now. Now, it is possible that he didn’t listen to advice and that these MPs now lining up to see him gone, had spent months trying to help him; I wouldn’t know those details. But in light of what is publicly known, this is no way to do things. The pressure he’s being put under, to resign, is not right.

If Burnham’s been paying attention, he should know that what he must do, is sit down with the struggling communities (those folk who are wallowing in poverty), create jobs, new sectors, implement an immigration system that can recoup some cost from any migrant coming in via illegal means and implement measures that will make it less appealing to risk lives crossing the Channel. That’s all he needs to do. Slapping VAT on private schools and crucifying the middle class is no way level-up society; it simply drags everyone down!

Anyway, good luck to Burnham.

And goodluck to Starmer. I think he did try to do well.

Phenomenal!

One would run out of superlatives for Thierry Henry..

I can’t imagine retiring and then carrying on around the same industry! I’d be completely fed up!

Don’t know whether to laugh or cry……

Politicians can learn a bit from this result.

Trying to meet the electorate in the middle is still possible. We are in 2026 and cannot take the country back to 1960 as some want, but politicians need to engage in discussions and explain to the people living in poverty, how they intend to help them back to their feet! Explain how you will control immigration by ensuring people come in via due process and not by rowing in through the English Channel. Explain how they will improve our services and infrastructure e.g. housing, such that people have enough and they don’t have to get angry when some of it is handed out to migrants coming into the country.
Ignoring these matters and ploughing ahead, is what gets the public riled and breeds intolerance. Andy Burnham went around Makerfield and talked to the electorate and guess what, he won a staggering 55% of the vote, even as people have been voting against his party up and down the country. The British electorate is a tough but fair crowd, if politicians stop labelling people right-wing or left-wing and just hear everyone out, even those saying crazy stuff, listen to them and try to explain the reason why some things are just so complicated, things will improve! And for goodness sakes, create new jobs, get people out of poverty!!!! Being stuck in abject poverty is what breeds resentment..

As for the small matter of Burnham seeking to oust the PM, that’s most unfortunate as solutions should be brought to the table, instead of swapping out PMs. We’ve already see the ones rushing in to whack VAT on private schools and do not need a fresh set of north v south crap. Taking the whole country forward is better than trying to level up and stagnate

When you look at some of the power-hungry politicians in the UK today; the ones who think 1+1=2. It might do, in a maths class, but in government, when you have all the power there is, comes grave responsibility! And 1+1 is not always that easy 2.

It is of course a total waste of time, appealing to politicians to set their personal thirst for power aside and work with other politicians for the greater good: to get people out of poverty so that they stop rioting just because we have a few thousand people illegally entering the country (not that it should be condoned, but it is not riot-worthy! It is a matter that you can pen a letter to your MP for, not toss rocks at the police!), create new industry, new sectors etc.

The reality is that once power-hungry folk get all the power they’re after, they find that with it, comes grave responsibility and there’s nowhere to hide.

…. we have problems that we appear unable to solve. Once you hear someone make the statement: “to think he did that to his own, his kind”….

What? Humankind?

What other kind can there be?

If we can ever let go of divisions, we may be able to resolve some of the world’s greatest problems…

There is absolutely no question that the laws of a land should be followed by everyone. There are requirements for migration. People cannot all just get up (regardless of what they are fleeing or what’s causing they to flee) and get on boats and wade into a country. Where do you draw the line? At the first 10,000? 40,000? 100,000? Because it ain’t gonna stop. But because we are a civilised society, we try to address it in a humane manner. Unfortunately, that’s being exploited and those who profit from sowing division and hatred, are licking their fingers and fanning the flames.

Technology is the solution. The government recently wanted to end uncontrolled access to pornographic websites, they did it. If there government wants to address the misuse of social media, just make it mandatory for all users to register their details and must display their employment & employer’s details to be able to use the ‘comments or posting’ section of any social media that is seen by others.
Anyone coming into the UK via the English Channel or any other non-legal route should have to wear a discreet tag that monitor their movement and activities at all times until their application has been concluded. Everyone in the country is already tagged! (We have to carry a passport to travel abroad, we have to carry a drivers license to drive a car or we have to have a card to use our money (bank card), get the train etc.). So, it’s not too much of an imposition to ask anyone wishing to come to the UK via the Channel or other unofficial routes, to get tagged

Someone must surely be able to design a force-field or something of that type, to secure the English Channel and other borders? Technology must provide the answer. We cannot continue this physical rounding up of people on the streets to deport them. It puts a stain on our civilisation. We have to be civilised.

Integration is very possible. And it can work. It works. But not if the influx is uncontrollable and the numbers begin to overwhelm the ability to cater for the people coming in.

Every country should be able to decide who they want to take in. Until we get to a time where the whole world thinks alike and cultures are all the same and we all speak the same language and all abide by the same rules etc., until we get to such a time, borders will remain and the need to ask that people follow the rules of entry and accept that everyone can’t just up and head to another country and ask to be helped, will remain.

Absolutely no words for it!

In any grouping of people, there will always be one or two criminals. It is a given. Some will be bright, some kind, some nasty, some dull….

It is what it is..

No one knows why a Sudanese migrant decided to attack an innocent man with a knife, stabbing him multiple times in a horrific and senseless attack. What then followed, with mobs going about looking for anyone that isn’t white and assuming they are migrants and attacking them, in some instances setting fire to their cars and homes, is beyond words!

And it is very clear now, that it can happen anywhere in the UK. Essentially, anytime a crime is committed by someone who isn’t white, there is going to be rioting and violence? Is that where we have got to, in 2026??

No amount of politicians condemning it or police out on the streets, will address the fear and intimidation felt by people who are now too scared to step outside their homes. Is this what we wish to become???

This is exactly what those who hate our democracy, our way of life, want to achieve. It is exactly how they would want us to behave. They want to see us at each other’s throat. We are letting them win.

A migrant stabs someone, and he’s been arrested and is in court. The law is running its course.

It is unimaginable that in 2026, minorities in the UK are scared to leave their homes. Nobody should have to worry about stepping outside of their homes!

If people in other parts of the UK think this can only happen in Belfast, well, think again! It can happen anywhere else. People now think they can gang up to intimidate others. How anyone can think it is ok to go knocking on doors to find anyone they think is a migrant because the person isn’t white, is beyond me….

Our leaders and politicians must figure out a way to end this kinds of behaviour.

What’s so sad about this, is that we are so much better than this in the UK. Even the anti-immigration groups in the UK, none of them, in the cold light of day, would say they want to see people’s homes burnt down. We are largely decent people in the UK. And we must find a way to remain decent! Yes, the uncontrolled flow of people into the country, via illegal routes, is grating with any sensible person, and it must be addressed and stopped, but not by intimidation or burning of homes! It crossed every line! You read about stuff like that happening in South Africa or Zimbabwe or some other places, but goodness me! NOT IN THE UNITED KINGDOM of GREAT BRITAIN and …

We must do better!

We cannot turn to such senseless violence!

When politicians say: “yes, the people are angry and I can understand their anger”. OK, BUT WHAT IS YOUR JOB AS A POLITICIAN? Is is not to help those people by fairest calming them down and helping them not to be angry but to try to resolve their issues and find solutions???

Fanning the flame and seeking to channel people’s anger to secure their votes is not decent!

Politicians from all backgrounds, all parties, should be able to disagree with each other on the HOW, but ultimately, they must work together to solve problems. Representing people is not about repeating what they tell you and say you are their champion! It is about educating them and empathising with them, but calming down tensions and ensuring we don’t have rioting and violence on the street in the name of protesting!

We CANNOT possibly become a nation (in the UK) where people are afraid to come out of their homes because someone’s protesting something or the other. We are too advanced to end up like undeveloped countries. The government must step up and sort this madness out!

ALL our politicians MUST stop the dangerous rhetoric now! WORK TOGETHER! solve the problems leading to these weekly outbreak of violent protest! We must be better!!!

I listened to parts of PMQ today and even though I don’t like politics, it is clear to see that Starmer means well. Has he been effective? perhaps not so far. Has he made mistakes? well, who doesn’t. Can he change tack and be the change to drive the UK forward? his opponents say No. But from listening to him at today’s PMQ, I think he can. I think he can be one of the greatest PMs we have had. But will he be given time to turn this tenure around? I hope so. It will be such a shame, if he loses the opportunity to show the country what he can do for it.

beleaguered!!!

I just don’t get it! To see improvements in any police force, you need them to attract the best, decent people. Now, how can you achieve that, when we pelt them with bricks and throw chairs at them, because we say we are protesting???!!

We are lucky to have the privilege to protest. BUT for goodness sakes! Something MUST be done urgently about violence during protests!

The current situation involves a case that was just concluded in court: a guy of Indian heritage murdered a Caucasian guy. The former claimed that the latter was drunk and racially insulted him so he took out a knife and stabbed him. When the police arrived at the scene, presumably called in to address a racial incident, there was no knife in sight, so they took the word of the sober individual (the guy who knifed the other) and handcuffed the one who appeared drunk. Later, it turns out that the sober guy was lying; it is possible that the drunk guy may have said something to offend him, but even if he did, this madness of people reaching for knives and stabbing others, is impossible to comprehend! He has taken a life! And for what? He claims the guy racially abused him! So, the response is to kill him? How can that be acceptable???!!!

But now, the police are under siege! One would hope that UK politicians and senior figures step up to lay out the facts! What else could the police have done??? Had there been a knife on the scene or other reasons to suspect the guy had been knifed, the police would never ignore that. I haven’t read the nitty gritty details, but it is obvious that the police believed what they were told by the killer and he was sober. It is possible that in these instances, the police should perhaps examine the scene and quickly determine if anyone was hurt. But I can see why things may have developed as it did. It is a tragic loss of life and a terrible crime committed by the killer, regardless of whatever he claimed led him to pull his knife (the guy he killed wasn’t carrying a gun or knife or any weapon! So, why did the killer pull a knife out??). It is unthinkable, unimaginable grief and pain for the parent of the young man who was stabbed to death and they are now having to see the name of their son dragged about by politicians, protester (who they didn’t ask to protest on their behalf) and all sorts! I can’t find adequate words to describe what those parents and rest of his family must be going through.

Now, if there is to be public outrage and protests, it needs to be for every knifing death in the UK. That will be a sensible response, to try to stamp it out completely! That would be laudable! What we shouldn’t do, is turn it into a racial matter! A life has been needlessly lost! It shouldn’t matter whether it’s a caucasian or Asian or any other.

We need the police force to attract good people. For that to happen, they cannot become the punchbag for every incident. I understand that anger at the government gets directed at what people see to be a visible arm of government, but for goodness sake, hurting a bunch of police men & women during protests is not making any point! These people may be in uniform, but they have children at home too!!!

How very accurate..

There is never anything wrong with difference of opinion. People should be able to choose to be conservative or to the right or to the left, or whatever else have you. But to keep winding up the population with harsh and intolerant rhetoric is what’s terrible about the world we are in right now.

And the awful fact is that: if you removed every illegal migrant and you remove everyone that some groups say do not belong and should not be here, the very next day, people will find other groups to hate on. It will be LBGTQ and after that, it will be women or whoever else. There is never an end to it. These folk will never be satisfied. If you bring back the 50s or 60s that they say they crave, they will condemn it and find stuff to hate on!

Mass migration and illegal or uncontrolled migration is not good. It makes it impossible to get people coming in, to understand our ways and get to integrate properly. BUT, for goodness sake, it is not the source of every problem we currently have! We should be able to easily cope with a few tens of thousands of people. What we need is to create new industries, create new jobs, revamp our health system, get people out of poverty etc. These are repeatedly sidelined as it is easier to secure votes through whipping up the population about some exaggerated detriment of mass migration. The people doing it know exactly what they are doing. It would be great, if they can stop doing it and help the government create jobs and get people out of poverty across the country, particularly in deprived areas

But, yes, this is presently not a world anyone with half a brain, would want to bring children into! People being insulted on our streets because of their religion or what they look like etc. Endless protests that make many uncomfortable to get about. The world is in a sorry state!

We have to hope we get politicians (one day) who do not take sides but instead try to bring various sides together and calm the present situation down!

This isn’t about good or bad.

There are no constant villains.

It is not Christianity versus Islam nor black versus white nor left versus right or anything else people would like to label it as.

There is never an acceptable excuse for what we are seeing today and making excuses for

We should all be on the same side, working together for a better world…

Andy Burnham a labour MP who was in government year ago, but lost his seat and later became mayor of Greater Manchester. He looks and sounds very reasonable, and he may well have some good ideas. BUT, how many mistakes will he be allowed to make?
Much as I believe it is better to let PMs have a couple of years in a new term, some will argue that such hesitation was what kept Joe Biden as a candidate till the belated switch to Kamala Harris.

I am not sure how Burnham will fix immigration and the economy, given that Starmer hasn’t been given enough time to do it. But it all looks inevitable now, that they are going to remove Starmer.

Perhaps there is something about leadership that changes individuals once they get to the top. I was very certain that Starmer would be excellent (and that’s not because he’s a gunner!), but he should have done more to engage with his detractors I think. Such a pity…

Can you have an army of all Generals and no foot soldiers???

We vote labour in. A year later, the Prime Minister hasn’t committed any disqualifying crime, but his ministers want his job, and it appears they intend to have it!

There needs to be some new rules that could put such madness to an end: any government should retain the leader for a minimum of 50% of the term that government has been elected for, unless the leader commits a disqualifying crime. That should mandate that ministers focus on doing the jobs for a bit, before trying to force a Prime Minister out!

Wes Streeting is another Michael Gove. He’ll push and push, only for someone else to get the PM job each time.

I am not saying Kier Starmer is doing a good job, but for goodness sake, give him a chance! We cannot achieve anything by changing Prime Minister every 12 months!!!!

The Health Minister should focus on fixing the NHS and improving our health infrastructure. The PM should focus on getting the country back on track. All other ministers should get on with trying to improve situations across the board!
How is a Prime Minister going to surround himself with the best talents, if every time he makes a mistake, they’re queuing up to grab his job???!!

For goodness sakes! Let’s put the country first and try to solve the key challenges presently faced by the country: addressing poverty…. etc

“The truth has no defense against a fool, determined to believe a lie.” – Mark Twain

I have a huge, massive sympathy for anyone in that job, and I feel for Kier Starmer. Yes, he has made many mistakes, beginning with his response to the matter of accepting freebies; all he had to do was come out and say that he got it wrong and much as it may have seemed ok, when he took the freebies, now that he is leading the nation, in retrospect, it’s not a good look, he’s sorry and won’t take any other free stuff. That’s all he should have said. Instead, he wasted weeks, ineffectually, mounting a pointless defence, only to later issue a belated and ineffectual apology. sort of.

But the position of the Prime Minister, is very similar to the debates about policing: nobody wants to see police brutality or stuff like that, BUT without the police, heaven help us! have you seen how human beings behave? So, yes, the police are extremely necessary, and even if some of them do things that ain’t great, on the whole, heaven help us all, if there aren’t any police men & women. So, yes, nobody asked Starmer to be Prime Minister, BUT what would we do as a nation, without a leader? Someone has to do it. And I have sincere sympathies for that person. Perks or no perks, they are still putting themselves out there, for the rest of us.

So, on the current turbulence. It is a shame that Starmer has not just come out and explained himself. The reality is that most of the people who say: “we put you in office to serve us etc” actually are people who didn’t vote for him! They are largely the people who voted for others. BUT, does it matter? If large numbers of people who are voting age, say they are unhappy about something, a politician or political party, should listen to them, regardless. Even if Starmer can see that a few thousand illegal migrants and asylum seekers crossing in via the English Channel SHOULD NOT have the stated effect on a country the size and strength (in resources) of the UK, the simple fact is that it is angering so many people in the country and whether their anger is right or wrong, and whether or not a few illegal migrants committing crimes should become stalking point, when the UK was never crime-free prior to their arrival, is beside the point. The point is, many people say they are angry, and as such, the elected leader of the nation, should indeed at least LISTEN to them. Starmer should travel to the towns the cities where people say they are angry, and explain to them that he understands them, and then share with them the simple and true fact that there are so many reasons why progress in dealing with the issue has been slow. The UK must indeed put an end to people just rowing rubber boats into the country – it is not right and it is not fair on anyone – and he could share all sorts of thoughts on what’s being done and why the Rwanda scheme was just a nonsense (it wouldn’t have worked as a deterrent. We all know that) and what he is trying to do and will do. FAILURE to make that effort – YES, he will probably get booed and not convince those folk, BUT, some may give him credit for trying – is a total mistake and it has led to the awful local election result for his party and calls for him to go. The reality is that NOBODY else, for any political party, would have fared any better than Starmer has. Yes, it was easy for Boris to say stuff and for Niger Farage and his party to say they have the answers, the honest truth is that none of them have the answer to the English Channel crossings and any of the other problems the country is presently facing. There are too may pressure groups controlling what’s going on: the issues can of course be resolved, BUT IT STARTS WITH A Prime Minister that can step up and tell the country he is LISTENING to them. It doesn’t matter whether or not we all agree. The simple fact, is that elected folk should listen. People are travelling across the country to attend rallies and some of the, are prepared to be violent and burn stuff down. We cannot lock them all up! The prisons are already too full! So, what is to give??? There is no harm in a PM listening and offering a clear explanation, even if it’s rejected.

If he survives, Starmer must change course. He needs to listen, engage (with the folk who savaged labour in the local government election) with people and try to get things done. Yes, it ain’t easy, BUT surely, the listening part is doable?

Goodluck to him.

Yes, there never a perfect place to be, and I am sure some will cite some of the aftermath of riots etc. But when you look at the Camden music scene, the gig across London and how people just lived and let others live, and just got on, it was absolutely brilliant!
I am not saying this just because I am a Londoner. I have seen awful scenes in London over the years, from years attending football matches in the 80s. It wasn’t always perfect. But in the mid 90s, something clicked. Londoners stood up for each other and lived in such harmony! It was easily, the greatest city to be on earth!

I hope one day, that late 90s London will return…..

…. Trent Alexander-Arnold cannot be left out of the England squad for the World Cup! That is pragmatism for you! If Tuchel’s German, he will know that he must take Trent, even if he is to start on the bench!
In a difficult game when you need a player to lob ball after ball into the box, with accuracy, NO OTHER England player can do what Trent does…

Some will say it is due to the higher literacy level of LinkedIn users. But it is most likely as a result of the likely consequences. So we do know how to end online abuse then? Very much so. Just get everyone using any social media, to register their name, employer’s information (which must be verified annually)….

I regularly read the ‘comments’ section of various articles online. Today was an article by maths genius, Carol Voderman. And as usual, the comments ranged from; “what an idiot”, to “nothing she says makes sense”. Those comments are posted by individuals who left school at 16 years old with no qualifications. They have taken over the internet, social media, and are indeed the majority in the country and believe they can make their numbers count. There is of course no point in challenging the statements they frequently make online, because they will drown anyone out. These are individuals who will say bravo to millionaires who say they’ve had enough of life in the UK and are moving off to tax havens, while moaning that their benefits are reduced and that they need more help from the government: well, the government needs taxes to pay your benefits friends!

Being educated does not necessarily equate to wisdom, and there are several barely educated geniuses out there, people without university degrees, who are very clever indeed. But they are exceptions.

It appears that our clever, educated folk in the UK are fed up with arguing with our semi-illiterate majority (as they claim to be the majority now) and have given up. They perhaps want the country to learn a lesson. It seems our educated elite want us to go through and experience what happens, when the barely educated are allowed to direct the country and lead us. It seems they want us to experience it and come crawling back to them. The educated elite have folded their arms and are watching on. They want us to learn the hard way. My plea to our educated folk, is rethink that position. We have seen where other countries have ended up, when the barely educated majority have taken over (albeit indirectly, as they still front with educated folk). The damage done, in just a few years, could take a generation to repair. So, much as it is tempting to let us suffer the consequences, it is going to be too damaging.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the barely educated having a voice. But when we are shutting down and slamming our educated folk and saying they are idiots, and have driven most of them off the stage and they are now watching on, arms folded, waiting to see the horrible ending that follows handing of the country to the dullest in the country, we are indeed heading for troublesome times!!!

Ironically, it is the barely educated who will suffer most, when the country is left to be run by the dullest people in the country. The educated elite have options and most of them already have a lot of money and can ride the tough times. It is the very same barely educated folk who are presently shouting the loudest, who will suffer most, with rising inflation, slowing economy etc…..

What perhaps started as ‘live and let live’, ‘let everyone have a say’, give everybody an opportunity to be what they want to be, quickly descended into the farce that it is today!

And I am not talking about EDI and its various forms. I cannot comment on any of those, as I don’t know enough about them to judge them. I am sure they are serving a purpose and are all well intended.

What I am talking about, is this idea that lumping different (however you choose to define that) people together to achieve some spectacular result and gain some superior insight. What if they are just all HUMAN BEINGS at the end of the day and all spring from the same, basic, survival of the fittest animal instinct? I have travelled around the world and what I saw everywhere was the same thing: advantages to the majority, intolerance of others who are different etc. The same things we all complain about.

So, is there really any such thing as DIVERSITY?

And is such diversity really along the lines of what we say it is?

Do men and women consistently look at life differently? Is someone who came from a poor background always going to see things the same as another poor person and are they both going to offer up a different point of view to a rich person?

What has improved since all the diversity stuff? Has the world suddenly become a better place?

What diversity of thought do I get if I stick a bunch of people that I assume have a diverse view together but in truth, they are all just thinking the same way anyway?

Is it really accurate to think that because people look different or are from a different sex or grew up in different backgrounds, that they will have diverse opinions?

I am a strong believer of live and let live, and allowing people to have a say and do things regardless of what they look like or where they come from or what sex they are etc., but it should be based on what they can do, and not on an assumption that they are must represent a diversity of opinion etc. What if deep down, they just see things the exact same way as everyone else…..?

When you see a barely educated, blue collar family in the UK say they are lucky to be better off than a poverty-stricken blue collar family, it is confusing, right?

When you see the supposed elite of African, Asian or Middle Eastern countries flock to the US or the UK, that is also a tad confusing, right?

When I hear people utter that dreaded “I know I was privileged” or “I know I lived a privileged life”, that’s equally confusing, right? More so if it ain’t a King or Queen or Billionaire saying so. Even that supposed sympathetic expression of acknowledgment, is bizarre in itself.

What exactly is the supposed basis of comparison?

Societal advantage is a numbers game. It is the reason an individual lost control of her jeep, careened into a school, killing two 7 year old girls and she said she had an epileptic seizure (which was not previously diagnosed by any doctor) and she was not charged, not even for lack of proper control of her vehicle. Now, there would be rioting on the streets – attended by people from cities that are miles away from the incident – if this driver was of a certain colour or from a certain background. Because we now somehow believe that committing crime or other offences, can only be acceptable, if committed by the majority race. Now, call that privilege or whatever you wish to call it, it is simply the perks of being in the majority. Period.
Go anywhere on earth and that same advantage, afforded to whichever tribe, creed or race that’s in the majority, will be there. It is what it is.
Now, after years of the parents of the two little girls who were killed in the incident above, asking questions, the lady has just been charged this week, with reckless driving I think.

Is there ever a perfect life out there?

CONTENTMENT is key?

It is very difficult to understand how someone granted asylum or given refuge and allowed to stay in the UK after stating they are fleeing persecution, would then turn to crime or violence over here! It is just so bizarre!

The UK let you in, let you stay, SHOW SOME GRATITUDE for goodness sake! Stay away from all criminality! Integrate, live here as we live! Enjoy yourselves and be part of Britain!!
Is that too much to ask????

It is so, so sad, to read in the newspapers that some countries execute their citizens for taking part in protests against their rulers. How can anyone comprehend that???
A government is supposed to oversee a country and the rulers are supposedly individuals who are themselves just citizens right?
To sentence someone to death and carry out that sentence, is truly incomprehensible!
I just can’t understand it at all!
A fine, some imprisonment (if the protester was caught vandalising or looting etc), but death? Seriously?!!

Out here in the west, we can moan and moan about how bad we believe things are, I think we should be very, very grateful! I cannot imagine the UK or US government sentencing someone to death, for joining an anti-government protest! Thankfully, we haven’t gone down that sort of route yet! It is truly incomprehensible!

BBC headline this morning. And he (Sir John) is very correct indeed….

Changing the PM changes very little these days. So, what’s the point? Let each get through the term they were appointed to run..

It is 2026 and we are still experiencing the impact of World War II bombs! That war ended in 1945!

Is this not enough to deter us from war?!!!

Sadly, and to the utter shame of humankind, we are still fighting each other today! And not just wars, but hate, intolerance, online malice etc. I guess we are evolved from animals ain’t we?

Do I have the answer? No.

There must be tech gadgets that can be developed to solve the current issues and help our governments get to grips with it…

I take no sides.

This has become a total and complete mess!

If humanity was a thing and we all acted like humans and not like animals, there will be no borders or passports or visas etc. People will be able to travel wherever they want, if they choose to do so. BUT that is presently not advisable nor possible as today, there are too many differences in belief, culture etc. There simply CANNOT be open borders, with anyone and everyone with any reason just walking in or taking a rubber boat in. It is simply not sustainable, but more importantly, it is not fair on any of the countries that are now suffering under that burden

But, is this an acceptable reason for people to be ready to riot and burn things down, every time they think it is a migrant that has committed a crime?! It seems we want anarchy! People want any excuse to give in to their hate and intolerance and the desire to burn things down!

The opposition to uncontrolled migration is very justifiable, if it is bringing in hordes of people who say they do not intend to respect the local norms, rules and culture. The behaviours and attitude is now just about this perception that people can just come into the country say they are fleeing persecution and that’s that. What we need, is for the government and responsible people to step up, take the opposition from those looking for reasons to riot, and have a set up a proper approach to this problem. Ignoring it is clearly not going to work, when each time one of the migrants commit a crime and people are out on the streets rioting. Now, it doesn’t even require proof nor confirmation; there just has to be a suspicion that a migrant is behind a crime and off they go, the locals are on the street rioting! It simply cannot go on

The government should also consider a 4 – 6 week moratorium on protesting in central London. Let’s all just agree to NOT carry out any protest for a couple of months and let people just go back to a couple of normal months. Yes, the world is in a mess and the right to protest must be upheld, but let’s pause for 2 months! So that anyone can go into central London at the weekend without fear of being caught up in one protest or the other!

The illegal migration problem is no longer about taking sides and yes, it does have any element of racism to it, with people jumping on the bandwagon to attack whoever they assume to be foreign. But we simply cannot keep having hundreds of people coming into the country via the English Channel. They are not all going to commit crimes; in fact, majority of them most likely won’t commit any crime. BUT migrants need to be able to integrate. We don’t want our cities in the UK to have to turn into other cities, we like them as they used to be, British Cities that do have a flavour of international cities, but we do not want to become those cities. It is surely a choice. People need to come here because they like what we are and how we are and what we have, and be part of it. Such positions should not be seen as intolerance or racism. There is no need to abuse or rioting etc. to be added to it. The government should help us all by listening and doing something tangible about the matter, so that everyone can calm down and we can return to how it was in the 90s when we all just tried to get along! Those seeking asylum should apply through the proper routes and get screened and settled. Nobody should be badging in via rubber boats

We must find a way back to some semblance of common sense!!!!

We – as a society – are in trouble because we have lost independent thinking. It’s now all ‘mass thinking’ guided by those who shout loudest or have the greater number of social media followers. The reality is that sometimes good people do bad things and bad people can do good things. Blind followership is a big part of the problem. Because you agree with someone on one point, doesn’t mean you start following them on every point! Agreeing with the need to address illegal migration doesn’t mean you hate foreigners or want to see people separated from their children etc. And those that disagree with addressing illegal migration doesn’t mean that they agree with migrants committing crimes in our communities. we need to be more nuanced. Instead, the debate is completely killed off, because everyone’s taken sides and nothing gets done. The least fortunate in society (poor folk) end up suffering as usual!

Day 1 of the Masters 2026, Rory was ok. Day 2 he went 6 strokes clear of the field! Day 3 he lost his gargantuan 6 strokes lead (ALL OF IT), he was back level at 11 under with two other players. Everyone said that was it! The mental impact of losing such a lead will destroy him and he is finished! Guess what, Rory reminded himself that all players were level on Day 1. He built up his lead, and lost it. So what?
What did he do? He went on to win it on Day 4.

So, Arsenal had a lead. Now, we’ve lost it all. Back to Day 1 of the premiership season. LEVEL! So what?
5 matches to play. Go and win those 5 matches!!!

Yes, losing at home to Bournemouth was abysmal and deserves losing the league. It was disgraceful. But so what? Impact is zero. We have 5 games left, so have City. We’re level on points, goal difference. They have tougher matches.

Come on Arteta! Grow some nerve man!!!

This has become a rare occurrence. Well done Hungary..

A short guy with short arms showing everyone that golf is not about pumped-up muscles, but a mix of natural skill, brain power, practice, control of your nerves and execution on the day!

Hang in there Rory! Back to back Masters win!

There’s been a number of these stories in the press this month. Read one this afternoon, a lady; Natasha Cochrane De La Rosa, a dual British-Spanish national, was denied boarding on her return flight from Amsterdam after a new policy mandating specific documentation for dual citizens came into effect. Despite presenting her British birth certificate, HMRC records, and tax documents, airline staff informed her that her Spanish passport was no longer sufficient to prove her right of abode. Why would she hold a Spanish passport and not a UK passport then????
The new law – which was repeatedly broadcasted over several months via multiple media outlets by the government in advance of it coming into force – require dual nationals to either get their British passport or a certificate of abide in their other passport. It is a very simple, sensible and fair requirement. Nothing spectacular about it.

Now, people are complaining!

How is it unreasonable?
If you say you were born and raised in North London, but you only hold a Spanish passport, which you remember to keep up to date, and you use it to travel off on holiday to Amsterdam; you then wish to return to the UK by waving a Spanish passport, while telling the immigrations folk that you are a dual national? Seriously?

Yes, it may have been how it was, prior to the new policy coming into force in 2026. But it never should’ve been. And I am very certain that if someone with a Honduras or Kenya passport did that, they would have had to provide proof of UK residency. So, it is indeed fair that the same process is now applied to everyone with dual citizenship, regardless.

Much as we should have a world where people can move around freely, it is not how things are at present. And as such, people must follow the rules. In any case, if you were born in the UK and went to school here, work here as she claims, why not just get our passport? What’s the logic in only holding a Spanish passport?

Yes, those in the public eye are expected to be role models (not entirely sure why..), but when you look at recent divisive issues such as Brexit, ICE in the US, etc. it seems we then expect these celebrities to either be neutral, have no opinion or support both sides of a divisive matter?

I think anyone who knows anything about golf, would already know that Tiger is probably not what society would call a role model. I am not sure he ever tried to be – other than to the extent his various sponsors dictate – and his recent issues perhaps affirm that.

As for his legacy as a golfer, which is all that us golf enthusiasts care about, it was sealed decades ago and remains intact! His shot at the Masters over 20 years ago, is not diminished by a DUI arrest in 2026. So, let’s stop the silliness! The guy is the greatest golfer ever to play the sport. End of. The rest, well, sad as some of it may be, that’s his personal business. One would hope he sorts it out of course.

If someone does something that’s disagreeable, disagree with them! If they do something that’s agreeable, agree with them!

That’s the way it should be.

The whole “good” and “evil” thing, is what’s killing us all! Where people are expected to just follow and follow.

It’s the same in most workplaces. The employer assumes they have put in place a culture and expectation and all employees must just follow. Those that follow and keep on following are the good ones…

In politics, it becomes dangerous. It becomes cultish. Nobody is consistently good are they? People should be able to trust and expect a basic minimum level of decency, from ALL political parties, regardless of whether they are left, right or centre! The rest should just be a bonus!

If we accept that people can be good or bad and can do good or bad. Then we can agree and/or disagree, without having to rip each other to shreds!