Seen in the News

[Tizer]

But then a later Iranian statement implied that more was to come.

[Stanley]

As usual, we watch and wait. Armageddon by tweet?

[Tripps]

It's been an epic couple of days for fake news. The Ukrainian aircraft which crashed after takeoff from Teheran was said to have had engine failure, then I heard that the pilot aimed at a sports field to avoid people, then we were told it was trying to return to the airport when it crashed. Now President Trump says he has suspicions that it was hit by a missile ("not ours") which was probably an accident. What's a chap to think?

On politics - a story emerged that Mrs Long-Bailey's husband was a millionaire business man and director of a company which paid millions in dividends. As well as being a candidate for the leadership of the labour Party, she is also a solicitor, and the story was taken down very quickly.

PS Meghan Markle has flown back to Canada where they had left their baby son with the nanny. Seems that after three days here she has had enough. Difficult to see her coming back to Blighty I'd say. Game over?

[Stanley]

I note that opinion is hardening on the basis of 'hard evidence' that an Iranian missile targeted the Ukraine airliner.
My prediction on the Harry/ Meghan spat is that the palace will start wallpapering over the cracks as usual whatever they do.
I see from PE that at last Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom has included her family's off shore financial links in the MPs register of interests but not in enough detail to see what they are. For that go to PE! Off shore hedge funds that have done very nicely out of Brexit.

[Marilyn]

( my personal thoughts)...I think that Harry and family should be offered a “gap year”.
All things on hold for 12 months until they both grow up and accept the decisions they made.
Let them live in a field, dressed in cheesecloth, eating veg and burning incense ( or whatever their “thing” is) then after 12 months they really need to decide. Let them live totally off their own money in that year, without security.
I think it will teach them both, valuable life lessons.

[Stanley]

It won't happen..... They will be accommodated and the cracks papered over. Privacy is all!
It's their plan to engage in business that's causing the problem, obvious thing is to throw enough money at them and my bet is that that's what will happen.

[Big Kev]

I'm sure I heard it's only public money they're dropping, which makes up about 5% of their income. I can't see them dropping below the poverty line or having to use a food bank.

[Cathy]

My only shock/horror is that Harry has sprung this on his 93yr old Grandmother and 98yr old Grandfather.
Should he have waited?

[plaques]

The thing that frightens the Royals about all this is that it focuses attention on their income streams. How much is tax payers money. How much tax do they pay on their incomes and is it voluntary rather than compulsory? What do they actually own and where does their responsibilities start and finish. Questions like this are bad news best to be hidden away out of sight. The big question is should we do away with this anachronism and get rid of Monarchy altogether?

[Stanley]

I tend to agree P. For instance Chuck's control of the Duchy of Cornwall is always cited as his income but who does it really belong to? My understanding is that it is public money allocated to him as income.
"Questions like this are bad news best to be hidden away out of sight." Very true. Brenda knows from experience what this sort of scrutiny can lead to. Her consolation is that Johnson is unlikely to allow anything to be done that rocks the boat. Even so the palace watchdogs will be all over this. As I said yesterday, privacy is all and what Harry/Meghan have done by not consulting first is open a gap in the veil of secrecy.
I agree with you Cathy. I'm afraid that's down to me me me. No consideration for others.
Later... breaking news is that Iran has admitted that the Ukrainian air liner was brought down by one of their missiles. See THIS NYT report on the admission.

[PanBiker]

For instance Chuck's control of the Duchy of Cornwall is always cited as his income but who does it really belong to?

It will be the same as the Dutchy of Lancaster. All the wonga from folks estates who die intestate is scooped up. It was a particular bee in Gordon Prentice's bonnet that the Dutchy was run by a clandestine committee that you couldn't join as it was by invitation. Shady accounts that were resistive of full publication and all that kind of stuff. Harking back to the baronial days and still using some of the archaic laws to protect the troughs.

[Stanley]

I'd forgotten the Duchy.... You're right. This is just the sort of thing Brenda wants to avoid, looking at these things. Could upset the apple cart!

[Tizer]

You know you're in trouble when your granny gives you that look...

[Cathy]

This picture says a lot too

48B9459B-40AA-4A12-BA63-59E34CE21DFA.jpeg

[Tizer]

Yes, guess who are missing from it!

[Stanley]

Harry will get a rough ride today. Remarkable how open the place are being about it. Usually it is 'The Palace declined to comment'. That's how seriously Brenda regards this.
Word is that Canada has already decided it has its own royal family now. Good luck with that one!
Later... The plot thickens as 'Meghan's PR team ' (!) is having talks with Oprah Winfrey about an 'in depth interview'. That's just what is not needed. I get the impression that Meghan is driving this and dominating Harry.

[Tizer]

I saw a letter in the newspaper advising them to go to Australia rather than Canada, claiming that they'd get a better reception, their wish to make money would be appreciated and they'd be treated well.

[Cathy]

They wouldn’t make that much ‘on going’ money in Australia. Oh, and some Aussie‘s are saying ‘Off with their heads!’ Just disappointment of course.

[plaques]

Big meeting at the Palace for the first 2020 game of Monarchy Monopoly. The rules are simple. What part are you going to play to maintain the image that we are working for our handouts. The allocation of taxpayers dosh will depend on your propaganda performance.

To help you make up your scheme here is a list of the first 20 for handouts. Bear in mind there are another 5000+ waiting in the wings.

Simple gold crown.svg Queen Elizabeth II (born 1926)
(1) Charles, Prince of Wales (b. 1948)
(2) Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (b. 1982)
(3) Prince George of Cambridge (b. 2013)
(4) Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (b. 2015)
(5) Prince Louis of Cambridge (b. 2018)
(6) Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (b. 1984)
(7) Archie Mountbatten-Windsor (b. 2019)
(8) Prince Andrew, Duke of York (b. 1960)
(9) Princess Beatrice of York (b. 1988)
(10) Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank (b. 1990)
(11) Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (b. 1964)
(12) James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn (b. 2007)
(13) Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor (b. 2003)
(14) Anne, Princess Royal (b. 1950)
(15) Peter Phillips (b. 1977)
(16) Savannah Phillips (b. 2010)
(17) Isla Phillips (b. 2012)
(18) Zara Tindall (née Phillips; b. 1981)
(19) Mia Tindall (b. 2014)
(20) Lena Tindall (b. 2018)

[Stanley]

No mention of the descendants of the Stuarts or Plantagenets!

[Tizer]

The FT's retail correspondent has just tweeted `Boohoo market cap now greater than M&S - £3.87bn vs £3.70bn'
M&S had better watch out!

`Boohoo ups guidance following 'record trading' ' DrapersOnline
Boohoo Group has raised its full-year guidance after sales rocketed during the final quarter of last year. The Manchester-based group now expects group revenue growth for the financial year to 29 February to be up 40% to 42% on 2019/20, ahead of previous expectations of 33% to 38%. Group total revenue rose by 44% to £474.7m in the four months ending 31 December 2019. Gross margin for the four months was 53.5%, down 70 basis points on the previous year. Revenue at flagship brand Boohoo was up 42% to £232.6m during the same period and by 32% to £190.8m at PrettyLittleThing. Revenue at Nasty Gal was up by 102% to £41.5m. In the four months UK sales across the group were up 42%, the rest of Europe was up 57%, US sales were also up 57% and the rest of the world were up 13% compared to 2018.'

[plaques]

How much more nonsense and trivia can the moronic masses take? Boris Johnson's plan to have the 'Big Ben' bell to chime on the 31 Jan to mark the Brexit of Brexit. will cost £500,000, He has offered up the slogan " bung a bob for a Big Ben bong". Never mind the logistics of collecting 5p from 10 million people. If people fall for this outrageous exhibition self aggrandizement we shall soon be seeing his statue on the spare Trafalgar Square plinth.
Is he trying to out trump Trump?

[PanBiker]

He is supporting Trump coming up with his own plan to stop Iran pursuing a nuclear future, (he hasn't come up with one yet). Also despite Trump pulling out of and causing the failure of the existing agreement negotiated by Barrack Obama.

[Stanley]

"Boris Johnson's plan to have the 'Big Ben' bell to chime on the 31 Jan to mark the Brexit of Brexit."
What a load of balls..... Like many leaders before him he is making the mistake of carrying on doing what won the election when what he ought to be doing is changing gear and governing responsibly. Blair did exactly the same thing when he won his landslide. Perhaps he needs to stand up to Cummings.

[PanBiker]

Perhaps he needs to stand up to Cummings.

Or go and work for The Sun! The man's a joke and I would normally put a laugh emoji but it's too serious an issue