Best Of

ELEVEN paragraphs. We all love Miss @Cyclefree - I’d vote for her as Prime Minister - but please, shove it in ChatGPT and reduce it to three?

Ta muchly

(Tho I do agree with the argument)

Word limits have varied over time. OGH used to impose a limit of around 800 words. As Cyclefree expanded, her articles started to come in at around the 1,200 mark and was teased on length. Viewcode then brought in one at around 1,400 words and the debate intensified. Then Ydoethur(?) got one published at 1,800 words and the debate ceased. At approx 1,118 words this article "Pitched Out" is well within three of those four limits.

I just want to say that OGH never gave me a word limit.

Just a heads up for fans of Jason Beer KC.

He is representing Greater Manchester Police in the Malkinson inquiry.

He will try and defend & excuse the indefensible.

And he was in the Post Office inquiry. I thought he was verging on unfair on many of the witnesses but he never even approached the issue of the courts and their handling of the prosecutions. It isn't diminishing the wrongness of the Post Office and Fujitsu in my view to point out that the courts were meant to determine guilt from innocence, the courts and the very well paid barristers were the actual miscarriers of justice.

No - this is wrong. The courts do not determine guilt when someone pleads guilty because they have been coerced into doing so on the basis of false / fraudulent evidence, as happened in many of the Post Office cases. The fault there lies very firmly with the Post Office and Fujitsu.

In others where people pleaded not guilty, the PO's barristers were at fault as were the witnesses from Fujitsu.

Finally, criminal prosecution work is pretty poorly paid - one reason why the work done was rushed and done without care or much competence. That is not a professional response but it is the reality. Once again, people need to realise that false economies are in reality bloody expensive.

Just a note to say from me at least your slightly lengthier articles are appreciated, and this one is characteristically good.

Chagos is the Suez crisis in reverse. Maybe it will have a similarly dramatic effect on British foreign policy.

Suez:

Britain - We will assert our control over strategic territory.
US - No you won't.

Chagos

Britain - We will give up our control over strategic territory.
US - No you won't.

Where does Trump's assertion of control over strategic territory in Panama and Greenland sit in the Suez stakes?

He's more Disraeli than Eden.

He's more Napoleon in the Hundred Days than either.

Surviving the lawfare against him and getting reelected is his escape from Elba?

Making all the criminal cases be so delayed they have to be dropped due to pressure from him is an escape? Yes, it could be comparable.

I wonder his Waterloo will be? The sack of Panama? Or would that be Morgan he can do?

My, my
At Panama, The Donald did surrender

Government department efficiency update:

Completed online application for my son for his new passport on evening of 7th Jan. Received text back confirming receipt. Sent old passport back on 8th Jan. Received text back confirming receipt. Received new passport in the post yesterday (14th).

It can be done - efficient, using technology. Impressed. Looking at their stats, average waiting time has been under 10 days for over a year now.

That's impressive - even in the 'good old days' I remember being told to allow 3 months to be sure your new passport arrived in time!

UKPO was amazingly efficient for me, as well. I applied for a 2nd passport to replace my old 2nd passport (I have 2 passports due to my job). This was complicated by the fact my reason for applying for a new passport was because my prior one was full of stamps, it legally still had 5 years to run

I expected major hassles, and delay, instead I got a personal phone call from a friendly intelligent Scotch lady within 72 hours of my application, to clarify my needs, and the passport arrived a few days later. Total 8 days? 9?

Superb

Whatever they are doing at the UKPO, read across for every single HMG department