fallguy

The Falkland Islands are British…no matter what Donald Trump says. We must defend British Sovereign territory, and to do that we must back our armed forces. Only the Conservatives have a plan to reinstate the two child benefit, and use the savings to fund our military.

You meet your 18 year old self, you're allowed 3 words. What do you say?

"I would love to work a 9 to 5, but my health just won't let me." Kayleigh Unitt, Plaid Cymru candidate for Fflint Wrecsam 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

This row over five funded places at the Royal Academy of Music - reserved for state school pupils to “widen access”- definitely resonated with me. Because I had a place to study music at 18 - with practical tuition at the Academy. And I bottled it. Mainly because, as a working-class, state-educated kid- largely self-taught, only starting lessons in my teens - I felt completely out of my depth. At an audition at the Birmingham Conservatoire, I met two students from Chetham's School of Music who said they were using it as “practice” for Oxbridge. That level of confidence - and entitlement - felt worlds apart from my state school. Where I’d been lucky enough to get free lessons and instrument hire, after the director of the local music service heard me play at a primary school recorder festival and spotted something in me. He arranged for me to have free lessons and instrumental hire on an orchestral instrument. So I'd be able to play in the district and country orchestras. I had to learn the clarinet rather than the flute (which I wanted) because it was the only instrument available. That was in the 90s. From what I can see, those kinds of opportunities barely exist now. When my daughter was at school, music education had largely become the odd term of “creative arts.” So yes - I understand the intention behind the scheme. But focusing on five places at the end of the pipeline misses the point. Even with the support I had, by 18 I already knew I couldn’t compete. One moment sums it up. A wealthy friend lent me a clarinet when my music service one was on its last legs - an incredibly kind gesture, I thought. But when I returned it, he demanded to know why I hadn’t had it “serviced.” I didn’t even know that was a thing. And there’s no way I could have asked my parents for that kind of money - especially without warning. Then there was the moment that finished me off. I was chosen to play a solo at a prestigious county concert. Afterwards a young musician came up and said: “I’m better than you. I should have been chosen.” And she was. People often remarked on my musicality - but I knew I lacked the technical polish. I knew then that being surrounded by musicians like that at degree level would crush what little musical confidence I had. So I walked away - and studied English instead. That’s the real gap. Not just money - but knowledge, expectations, ease. If we’re serious about access to music, it’s not about who gets the final five places. It’s about who gets the years of tuition, support - and quiet confidence - needed to believe they belong there in the first place.

We are holding Restore Britain branch meetings all over the country - nine last night. One in Bolton for example, 100 people turned up. Hereford, the same at bang on 100. This has been going on for weeks. In Great Yarmouth next week we’re expecting 500 locals to attend our local branch meeting. This is happening all over Britain. More tonight, more the day after, more the day after that. You might hate me, you might hate Restore Britain. But you cannot deny that there is a grassroots movement unlike anything this country has ever seen. And yes, of course we had no local infrastructure. We knew that, and that’s why so much effort has gone into setting all of this up. Obviously. This year we’re only standing in Great Yarmouth. Next year, we are aiming to stand in every single council seat across the country - that planning process has already started. Our local organisers are doing incredible work. Many people like to just sound off on social media, and that’s fine. But these men and women have rolled their sleeves up and are putting the work in on the ground. I want to thank each and every one of them. If people think Restore Britain is just online, they have got a nasty shock coming. We are not making any friends in the cosy Westminster establishment. Good. I couldn’t care less. They’ve destroyed Britain and I want to put the vast majority of them out of work. Restore Britain has just got started. If you want to help in the next two weeks, come to Great Yarmouth.

The median income for a Canadian is $42,600 CAD a year. I have absolutely no clue how a person survives in the modern world on this kind of income. It is incomprehensible to me.

🚨🇫🇷 Meanwhile in France French police are now using drones equipped with thermal imaging, to locate cattle hidden in the country, whose owners (Farmers) refused to vaccinate. Once located, huge teams of police & vaccine administers turn up to inject all their livestock ‼️ This farm got his last week.

BREAKING: Audio sent by an Indian ship coming under fire trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz after allegedly paying the $2 million toll. It was later confirmed they were scammed by another Indian.