Peter Carter

Still dreaming

@FansAgainstVAR_ Who precisely are the vested financial interests who need to cling on to their investment in VAR?

VAR has been a total unmitigated disaster for football. We could just turn it off. It's not that hard. Why don't we? We have to reclaim our sport from being Americanised dirge.

Our media fixation with Keir Starmer is becoming a literal drag on the country now. As I write this, I can already see the replies forming below, accusing me of being a Labour shill etc. but, believe it or not, I am not. Maybe it's worth setting this out — I have no party affiliation. None. I'm not 'on the right' … but that's as far as it goes. There are policies and people that I admire across the Lib Dems, Greens and Labour. Conversely, there are policies and people I am vehemently against within each of those parties as well. There are some decent Conservatives left but fewer and fewer in frontline politics and I can have excellent discussions with those moderate Tories that remain. Where my line in the sand is drawn though, as I'm sure you're all aware, is the far-right. Reform UK and Restore Britain. I have no common ground with their populism — I see through the propaganda. This doesn't mean that I think every member of Reform UK is a bad person, far from it, but I cannot rationalise their top-line bravado into credible politics. So, with all that being said, I think the witch-hunt of Keir Starmer is distracting the public from some far more serious crises. Since the very day Starmer took office, there has been an onslaught from the media; desperation to try and topple him and his principal team. This played out successfully with Angela Rayner, and they have been vicious and relentless pursuing Rachel Reeves. I listened to Paul Brand on LBC at the weekend continuously comparing Starmer to Boris Johnson in terms of sleaze. Have we collectively lost our minds? There is no other Prime Minister in history that compares to Johnson for scandal. The elephant in the room — Peter Mandelson. But is it really an elephant still? Clearly, Starmer should never have brought the Prince of Darkness into his team, that was a madness and severe failing of judgement. One for which he has accepted responsibility and apologised on multiple occasions. The vetting process appears to be, pretty much, a non-story, despite what Dan Hodges and GB News are shovelling out. So … we should be moving on. Shouldn't we? Kemi Badenoch and her famously robust judgement felt not yesterday, and spent more of her diminishing political currency by pushing Starmer with six questions at PMQs on the subject. She was met with a well briefed lawyer, that, in all honesty, made her look a bit silly for continuing her defeated line of questioning. While this continues to dominate the headlines, other far more crucial issues are being missed — we're going to run low on fuel soon, the cost of living is about to skyrocket, holidays will be cancelled imminently. But mainly ... the cost of living is about to skyrocket. We saw in yesterday's inflation rise that food is already moving upward, if Trump's ludicrous war in Iran continues, then we're all going to suffer the consequences. Surely, this is a far more pressing matter? One in which the government should be fully engaged in order to help protect the public — it's number one duty. It is very telling that Reform UK are spending very little time on the Starmer issue. They sent Lee Anderson out to raise this issue, for goodness’ sake. LEE ANDERSON. Farage is hyper focused on the local elections, safe in the knowledge that the media is obsessing over Keir Starmer, once again. He's making hay while the S*n shines on Labour. Jeez! This went on a bit, sorry, but it feels critical to me. We are being led around by the nose by the legacy media outlets. They smell blood in the water, but I really don't think the story is there. Not yet. And while the sharks circle, Reform UK are flying under the radar, ready to swoop on the local elections [sorry for the weird mixed metaphors — it's early!]. Have a lovely sunny day. 🌞

FairPlay to The Goose for this, plenty of talking points, for me Lemina at 56th is way off, 25 places lower than Johnstone?

JD Vance is lecturing the Pope on Catholicism and Pierre Poilievre is lecturing Mark Carney on economics and RFK Jr is lecturing scientists about vaccines and Donald Trump is lecturing the world on tariffs and Pete Hegseth is quoting Pulp Fiction and thinking it’s the Bible

That new clean power helped cut gas generation by 39% compared to March 2021, saving around £7 million per day in gas purchases following the start of the US-Israel war with Iran on 28 February. ember-energy.org/latest-insight…

@InvertTheWing Football fans have long memories. The stain of a “hated” team can last a lifetime. Ask those who watched the Leeds Utd team of the 1970’s.

I have been watching this sport for a VERY long time, and throughout my lifetime, I do not think I have seen a team as universally as hated as this iteration of Arsenal. Whether it be the uncharasmatic manager in Mikel Arteta, or the sheer arrogance of players like Gabriel, or the the delusion of the fanbase who’ve not won anything for half a decade, there just isn’t much to like. But for me, you know why I do not like them? Their horrific brand of football. Mikel Arteta went from being one of the most entertaining managers in the league, to a complete snooze who treats this beautiful sport like a rugby match.

#OnThisDay: #Wolves 2-1 Juventus [1972] ⚽️ Danny Hegan (34’) ⚽️ Derek Dougan (54’) A famous win under the lights at Molineux 54 years ago today 🐺 #WWFC

@patmurphybbc @Wolves Televised fa cup games always betray the media’s fixation with the big teams. It’s not the magic of the cup but the magic of the ratings.

I know Liverpool’s decline is a big story but how much focus will there be on @Wolves over the next 24 hrs? They’ve taken 7 pts off Arsenal, Villa & the reigning champions in the last 3 home games, playing with heart & gusto. It’s not all about the division’s elite. Or is it?

While everyone is freaking out about the Green win in the by-election, I noted that the combined Green & Labour vote was easily double of that of the votes for the rest. Proof our country isn't the right wing hellscape you'd expect from media coverage.

Hey @renault_uk are you happy that a dealer has told me there is a 7 week wait before they can do diagnostic work on my 23 plate Captur ( bought new from them) to check an ongoing fault because I am not.

Here is Bruce Springsteen's new music video for Streets of Minneapolis:

The Tale of Two Contagions In 2019, German psychiatrists observed a sudden surge of adolescent girls presenting to clinics with abrupt-onset Tourette-like tics. This immediately raised alarm bells. Tourette’s typically affects boys and begins in early childhood. This was an entirely new patient population. Researchers quickly identified the index case: Jan Zimmermann, a young Tourette sufferer, whose YouTube channel had recently exploded in popularity. The girls displayed the exact same symptoms as Jan: the same outbursts and catchphrases. The phenomenon soon migrated to TikTok, where it spread like wildfire. Researchers coined a new term for what they were observing: mass social media–induced illness — a modern iteration of the long-recognized phenomenon of mass sociogenic illness. Yet, in 2014, when paediatric gender clinics across the Western world began to fill with adolescent girls — another entirely new patient population — “gender-affirming” clinicians didn’t even bother to look for the trigger. And it wouldn’t have taken much effort to find. All it required was a glance at the cultural messaging of the time. Because 2014 was the year Time magazine put Laverne Cox on its cover with the headline: The Transgender Tipping Point: America’s Next Civil Rights Frontier. And with that, the modern trans rights movement launched. Trans-identified celebrities were everywhere, trans characters appeared in children’s books and television shows, trans influencers proliferated with astonishing speed online, and schools began teaching gender identity ideology as if it were scientific fact. And in a perfect-storm scenario, smartphones and social media exploded in popularity, creating the ideal super-spreading environment for this seductive idea to go viral. The message adolescents received was simple: If you hate your body, that could mean you’re trans. And right on cue, legions of confused adolescents who hated their developing bodies began showing up at gender clinics believing themselves to be trans. Just like the TikTok tics. A mass social media–induced illness. Except on this occasion, instead of scrambling to contain the epidemic, doctors picked up their syringes and scalpels and set about permanently medicalising the innocent youth caught up in this powerful cultural storm. And activists marched in the streets demanding that these young people be allowed to sacrifice their health, fertility, and body parts — while swiftly demonising anyone who dared point out the obvious parallels to social contagions of the past.

"One of Us" was ABBA's final parting single - so we've adapted it into a 🎶 parody we're calling "Exodus" to reflect on the urinary trickle of Tory departures to Reform UK, most notably two driplets from the bottom of the last government's barrel @RobertJenrick & @nadhimzahawi.

"Battle Hymn of the Republic" is not a song to be taken on lightly ... but in light of this week's New Year Trumpian news onslaught, we're sharing this adaptation, called "Battle Hymn of the Empire" - as Trump goes marching on, and dragging us all back to the nineteenth century.

“These figures underline something deeply significant: churches remain at the heart of community life at Christmas.” christian.org.uk/news/christmas…

@rubyturnersoul @JoolsBand A fabulous evening of musical entertainment of the highest quality. Loved the show. Ruby you never fail to light up the stage.

My beautiful Goddaughter Sophia tonight @ManchesterO2Apollo . Just the most amazing time with ⁦@JoolsBand⁩ .. So much love it was palpable and joyful . We thank you all for sharing your evening with us .. Have a blessed Christmas

@ProtestWolves @chants_wolvesfc This is not a good idea. Protest yes but not at players arriving or with tennis balls.

@Lea_EFC In almost 60 years of watching Wolves, never before have I seen a group of players so out of their depth for the division in which they are playing.

I’ve witnessed Derby County in 2007/08, Sunderland in 2005-06 and Liverpool in 2025-26, and I can safely say this Wolves team are the worst I’ve ever seen in the Premier League 😂😂😂

In almost 60 years of watching Wolves, never before have I seen a group of players so out of their depth for the division in which they are playing.