A stirring call . .

+Trump’s call for the 2020 elections to be postponed is as even some on his own side agree, thoroughly anti-democratic. We on this side of the Atlantic can see that quite clearly, and may scoff at yet another iteration of the President’s desire to become King. But with Johnson appointing 36 cronies and turncoats to the House of Lords—already one of the world’s largest legislative chambers, it would be well to remember that we already have somebody who thinks and acts as if he were a King. Or perhaps Johnson is merely trying to demonstrate how urgent the case is for the abolition of the House of Lords. I hope rubbing shoulders with this latest bunch of unworthies gives longer serving peers a burning sense of injustice.
 
+The BBC is in an awkward situation today, with the new system for giving some pensioners a free TV license starting—such freebies are now only available to those on pension credit. The government blames the BBC for this cut, when of course it originated from their own austerity programme. The BBC should promote the take-up of pension credit, enabling more pensioners then to get a free TV license. But if they did that, it would only cost them more in lost license revenue. On the other hand, a successful campaign could be revenge served cold. It is estimated that 1.6 million pensioners are missing out on claiming an average of £1,700 each (Wikipedia). If all those pensioners claimed, it would cost the government £2,720,000,000—rather more than the £750,000,000 the parsimonious Tory bastards cut from the BBC.
 
+Today is Yorkshire Day. Independence for Yorkshire!