Muttski

Have learnt a lot about a lot of things along the way. Leave things better than you found them.

[BBC Sport @BBCSport]

"What did you think of the World Cup final half-time show?"

Wayne Rooney:

[Dave @DaveKent101]

Andy Burn'em blaming Mrs Thatcher for de-nationalising companies in energy, water, oil etc which resulted in foreign ownership is completely disingenuous, and frankly dishonest or just plain ignorant.

What Burn'em WON'T tell you is that Mrs Thatcher ensured that her government retained what were known as 'Golden Shares' in these companies.
These allowed the government to stop foreign takeovers and to have a big say in how they operated.

Guess what though?🤔

The EU objected to these Golden Shares through their 'Free Movement of Capital' clause - Article 63 TFEU.
So John Major started to sell them off accordingly BUT the vast majority were sold off by TONY BLAIR and LABOUR.

So the finger for lack of government control in this area needs to be pointed at Tony Blair and Labour, NOT Margaret Thatcher.
So I am calling out Andy Burn'em as a liar.

[Peter Clack @PeterDClack]

Almost all the reinforced concrete foundations of wind turbines ever built — weighing up to a thousand tonnes each — could be left to rot in the ground.

The number of turbines reaching the end of their working lives will soon surpass tens of thousands. As they degrade, they risk shedding their oily gearbox fluids, hydraulic liquids, and synthetic lubricants into the soil.

No one wants to deal with these massive concrete and steel monoliths later. Concrete may be mostly inert, but over the decades, these blocks can disrupt deep-soil hydrology and remain as permanent industrial junk below the surface of rural landscapes.

The concrete base of a typical early 2-3 MW wind turbine weighs 400 to 800 tonnes. But the foundations of later, even bigger turbines (5 MW+) can exceed 1,000 tonnes.

In many jurisdictions, decommissioning regulations only require the operator to clear the foundation to a depth of 1 meter below the surface. While contracts state operators are responsible, the financial reality is complex.

Bank guarantees or bonds set aside for removal (around $100,000 per turbine) are woefully inadequate. Real-world estimates for total removal and site restoration can exceed $200,000 to $400,000 per unit.

If the cost of total removal vastly exceeds the bond, there is a strong incentive for shell companies to declare bankruptcy — leaving landowners to foot the bill.

We are already seeing this play out at Victoria's Codrington wind farm. Operators announced plans to remove only the top 1.5-meter pedestal, leaving the bulk of the project's 20,000 tonnes of subterranean foundations permanently buried.

This triggered an intense backlash from local communities and MPs who argue it violates the original promise to restore the land.

It leaves a disturbing legacy.

[Sama Hoole @SamaHoole]

"Farmers are asset millionaires dodging the tax the rest of us have to pay." It gets said in every comment section, usually by someone who owns a flat that has trebled while they slept.

Fine. Let us use the government's own figures.

A lowland grazing farm in England returned an average farm business income of around twenty eight thousand pounds last year. And farm business income is not a salary. It is the return to everything at once: all the family's labour, the spouse, the capital, the land, the buildings, the lot, before a single one of them has drawn a wage. Split out the household's actual share and for many livestock farms it lands under ten thousand pounds. On a Welsh or Cumbrian hill it has been lower still.

So here is your millionaire. He is worth two million on paper because land is dear, and he takes home less than the teenager stacking shelves in the shop that sells his lamb at a two hundred per cent markup. He works dawn to dark, seven days, no sick pay, no pension beyond the field itself.

The word millionaire is doing a magic trick. It takes the price of the tool and reads it out as the income of the worker. By that logic every London bus driver is a multimillionaire, because he spends his day sitting inside half a million pounds of bus.

He is not rich. He is the poorest man in Britain who happens to be standing on something valuable. And we have just decided to tax him for standing there.

[Chief @Chiefofbridge]

🚨 Mbappé Argentina Got Too Much Help Spain Will Take the World Cup If It’s Fair:

🗣Reporter: Hello Mbappé, how are you doing? How are you preparing for the match against England?

🗣Mbappé: I’m doing well, thank you. We’re preparing for this match against England as seriously and professionally as possible. Personally, I’m focused on performing at my highest level and aiming to finish as the tournament's top scorer.

As for Argentina, I think they should go home empty-handed. We all saw how they played in this competition and how much the officiating worked in their favour. For the World Cup, I’m confident that if it’s a truly free and fair tournament, Spain will take the title from them.

[ClarksonsFarm @ClarksonsFarm1]

Plant as many trees as possible.

[𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗦𝗨𝗔𝗭𝗔 @Wilson_Suaza_]

En España, una niña de 13 años fue secuestrada y violada por un vecino. El agresor fue condenado a solo 9 años de prisión.

Tras cumplir apenas 6 años de su condena, fue liberado condicionalmente y regresó a la ciudad. Un día se encontró con la madre de la niña cerca de una parada de autobús.

Le preguntó con tono burlón: «¿Cómo está tu hija?». Ese fue su punto de quiebre. Ella compró gasolina, regresó, lo roció con ella y le prendió fuego.

El hombre sufrió quemaduras graves y murió un par de días después.

Ella no huyó. Aunque estaba en estado de shock, les contó a las personas a su alrededor lo que había hecho y esperó a que llegara la policía.

Fue condenada a 5 años y medio de prisión, pero gracias a una masiva campaña pública pidiendo su indulto, fue liberada.

[🇺🇸 🦅Simple Man 🦅🇺🇸 @Soaringeagle45]

I mowed the lawn today and after doing so I sat down and had a cold beer.

The day was really quite beautiful, and the drink facilitated some deep thinking.
My wife walked by and asked me what I was doing, and I said, "nothing". The reason I said "nothing" instead of saying "just thinking" is because she then would have asked, "About what?" At that point I would have had to explain that men are deep thinkers about various topics, which would lead to other questions.

Finally I pondered an age old question: Is giving birth more painful than getting kicked in the nuts? Women always maintain that giving birth is way more painful than a guy getting kicked in the nuts, but how could they know?

Well, after another beer, and some more heavy deductive thinking, I have come up with an answer to that question. Getting kicked in the nuts is more painful than having a baby, and even though I obviously couldn't really know, here is the reason for my conclusion. A year or so after giving birth, a woman will often say, "It might be nice to have another child."

On the other hand, you never hear a guy say, "You know, I think I would like another kick in the nuts."

I rest my case. Time for another beer, and then maybe a nap.

[Lord Sugar @Lord_Sugar]

Is there a chance if FIFA watched this they would disqualify Argentina for cheating or have a replay with another referee

[Simple Observations on Life @SimpleObsLife]

@Michelle71966 I saw this online, it says it all...

[Electroverse @Electroversenet]

365 years of temperature data from central England, the world's longest running climate record, show no trend.

Despite a six-fold rise in population and a surge in CO2, January temperatures have barely shifted since 1600. Likewise for July, the hottest month of the year, temperatures are virtually unchanged.

The warmest winters on record happened in the 1700s, the 1800s, and the early 1900s, long before modern emissions.

Any warming is slow, natural, with the slight modern uptick likely linked to 1) the urban heat island effect, and 2) earth's gradual recovery from the little ice age.

If CO2 really controlled the climate, this chart (see video) would shoot up on the right, but it doesn't...

[Arturo Villegas @ArturoVill7]

👀🇦🇷 Después de decir que esta vez el arbitraje no influyó, me pidieron revisar el partido con detalle y encontré esto.

Enzo Fernández, autor del gol del empate de Argentina, no debió terminar el encuentro.

Al minuto 3 lanzó un codazo en la nuca a un jugador inglés, sin ninguna posibilidad de disputar el balón. Si se hubiera aplicado el mismo rigor arbitral que vimos contra Suiza y Egipto, esa acción perfectamente pudo terminar en expulsión. Pero no solo no fue roja… ni siquiera fue amarilla.

Minutos después, el mismo Enzo cortó un contragolpe de Inglaterra con una zancadilla al borde del área. ¿La sanción? Tampoco hubo amarilla.

Desde el primer tiempo, Enzo debió estar expulsado. Si una acción así hubiera sido contra Messi, difícilmente el infractor se salvaría.

Por cierto, guarden el video porque la FIFA los anda borrando.

[pisces🐋🇲🇽 @yiyiga23]

Sin afán de pelear y porfa les suplico respuestas justificadas, me podrían explicar porque esto está permitido?

[Bernie @Artemisfornow]

It’s odd isn’t it? I can’t find this as headline news anywhere? Almost as if they didn’t want you to know.

Starmer has indeed extended the UK National Insurance exemption for qualifying Indian workers posted here from 3 years to 5 years! … about 75,000 workers, eligible for free schooling for dependents and access to the NHS for £1035 a year.

British workers and employers pay UK National Insurance from day one.

Hmm two tier working isn’t a good look, almost as if companies are incentivised to hire foreign workers.

[Nuel @LfcNuel]

🚨 JUST IN 🚨

England have asked for an investigation into referee Ismail Elfath following their controversial 2-1 loss to Argentina. The referee refused to give early yellow cards for multiple late challenges on the England players, including what should have been a straight red card for Enzo Fernández after he elbowed Elliot Anderson in the back of the head. And as soon as any contact was made on Messi, a yellow card was produced.

The referee has officiated Messi multiple times before, in which Messi has a 100% record, and could be seen in conversation throughout the match. Argentina looked to wind up the England players, seemingly knowing that there would be no punishment and were allowed to get away with it. The refereeing completely suited the style of the Argentinians, and exactly why it has been speculated that FIFA have allowed this to ensure that Lionel Messi made it to the final due to his stature within the US after his move to Inter Miami."

[Nigel Owens MBE @Nigelrefowens]

What a beautiful day . According to someone called Chris Packham farms like this don’t exist. 🐄🚜🤡#MairwenHerefords

[Falkland Islands @falklands_utd]

Believe. 🦁🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[Toby Young @toadmeister]

No, there weren't "2,700 heatwave deaths due to climate change", says Ben Pile – a figure conjured by Met Office and Imperial College modelling. But nobody must be allowed to remember the warm days of 2026 fondly. https://t.co/pbidgoDfmc

[Danny Kruger @danny__kruger]

Today Labour’s Gibraltar surrender deal - announced today with no debate - has once again undermined British sovereignty, repeating the mistakes of the Windsor Framework and the Chagos debacle.

The terms of the deal are shocking: Spanish officials will now conduct border checks within Gibraltar. Spain can withdraw individuals’ residency in Gibraltar, even if they already live there. Goods sold in Gibraltar must comply with EU regulations. Gibraltar is now subject to a new ‘transaction tax’ to align it with the EU. And Gibraltar must adopt new EU laws or the agreement will automatically be terminated.

The practical effect is that foreign officials will decide who and what can enter British territory. British citizens’ fingerprints will be taken and passports checked within our own territory.

At the same time, Spain has conceded nothing about its claim to Gibraltar. No self-respecting British government should be willing to accept this.

To make matters worse, Parliament and the British public have only seen the final text of this deal today, but it takes effect tomorrow. Labour have shut us out of this process and are avoiding scrutiny.

A Reform Government will stand up for our national interest and overturn this one-sided, disgraceful deal.

There can be no shared sovereignty between Britain and Spain. Gibraltar is British, not Spanish, and that is how it must remain. This is not up for negotiation or dilution by a thousand individual concessions.

And there must be no border between Gibraltar and the United Kingdom. Spanish or EU border and customs officials must not be allowed to operate in Gibraltar, or have a say in who and what can enter our territory. Border security cannot be built on conceding control to a foreign government. https://t.co/QNGH29i3Ju