Best Of

Good morning everybody!

About to go for my Covid vaccination, which the website tells I can't have, at a site which the website tells me doesn't exist, but when I spoke to the staff there yesterday they assured me there would be no problem. I'm over 75, (by 12 years!) and there's never been an issue in the past.

On topic, I wonder if this will encourage Chris Mason and the rest of the BBC's political team to take their heads out of Farage's bottom and give some attention to the various LibDem spokespeople. I'd like to think so but will wait and see.

I'm booked in for flu and covid jabs tomorrow (history of leukeamia plus asthma gets me entitled). I am unsure about whether we need to keep vaccinating everyone for covid or not. Most who want it have had at least 4 or 5 shots. I don't know whether a boost its needed every year. We are NOT intending to vaccinate children such as my son, who is coming up to three in Jan, relying on natural infection.

And there are lots of people who are desperate to have covid shots because they have been terrorised over the last few years.

Not sure where the evidence on this is, right now.

I’m probably not going to bother with a Covid booster unless media reports say the current strain/strains is particularly brutal. It is like a mild flu then I will tolerate it. Biggest driver to make me have a Covid jab wagging would be if it was required to have it to go to places/travel etc.

Flu I will have as had flu for first time in my life last Christmas and it was brutal - worse than my worst Covid, also completely destroyed Christmas for me.

Only ever had flu twice - lost 36 hours to fever both times.

Annoys me when people upgrade a heavy cold to flu. There's no confusing the two.

Lord Hermer has accused the Tories of jeopardising a potential legal appeal over the thwarted prosecution of a member of the rap group Kneecap on terrorism charges.

The Attorney General has written to the Opposition, accusing them of inaccurate comments and warning them of the “potential impact of their words on legal proceedings” over the dropping of the case against Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh.

In a letter to Robert Jenrick, the shadow home secretary, Lord Hermer disclosed that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is considering an appeal and said: “I am sure you will carefully consider any further public comments to avoid any risk of prejudicing any future proceedings.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/10/07/lord-hermer-accuses-tories-putting-kneecap-appeal-at-risk/

FWIW the legal situation as of right now is that a decision has been made by the presiding magistrate (who is the chief magistrate for England and Wales) that the proceedings are null and void and that the charge itself was unlawful. In other words, the decision was that there were and are no valid proceedings.

In that context it is hard to see how comment by the media or politicians can be prejudicial. There are in law no valid proceedings to be prejudicial about.

The fact there could be an appeal is irrelevant. We were and are all free to comment on Letby after the verdicts, even though there was to be, and may yet be further, appeals.

https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Rex-v-Liam-Og-O-hAnnaidh-Liam-OHanna-1.pdf