Kmflett's Blog

The Ambridge Socialist

28^th December

Shaking Ambridge to the Core #2

It’s not set to be a happy New Year in Ambridge although details are as yet unclear. It marks the anniversary of the death of much loved Ambridge personality Nigel Pargetter, when he fell from or was pushed off the roof of Lower Loxley on 2^nd January 2011. To this day it remains unclear why the decision to get rid of Nigel from the village was made.

Whether anyone will depart over the next few days remains to be seen but the Ambridge Socialist hopes that no one who plays a role on either side of the Ambridge class struggle is involved

Truth & Lies

The BBC is marking 75 years of reports from Ambridge with a special episode on 1^st January focused on the theme of an Inspector Calls. There is a specially written episode by David Payne and an Emma Freud led review of events after that. We can be sure as usual that the BBC will not be focusing on the class struggle in Ambridge.

Sgt Knacker Burns is back

Sgt Burns has returned to Ambridge from Oop North or to be precise the set of Coronation St where he did not it appears cover himself in glory. Whether as he claims he is now got his tendency to beat up suspects under control we shall see.

The Tractor run

It was not quite as bad as the Ambridge Socialist feared with various issues about vintage tractors and the order of appearance. However much as we were critics a return of the Christmas panto in 2026 would be welcome. Fortunately Tony Archer’s false beard only appeared on radio…

Nigel Farage’s Anywhere but Clacton tour at Christmas

Farage did pay one of his occasional visits to Clacton several days before Christmas and as usual took his media team with him.

Most politicians aim to get a short break at Christmas, Starmer is reported to be at Chequers, and barring major issues, keep out of the media.

That of course is not Farage.

He was reported to be heading to Melbourne for the fourth Ashes Test. Farage is a cricket obsessive, one of the very few genuine things about him. However he didn’t go but instead posted a video on the Telegraph site saying the England cricket are terrible and he had cancelled his trip. When England won the Test there was silence.

On Christmas Day when Farage might perhaps have been helping out with the Christmas dinner he instead posted a picture on Insta of drinking beer in a pub (again courtesy of his media team). Since the beer was Harveys (Lewes, Susses) it seems unlikely he was in Clacton.

On Boxing Day having swerved the Ashes Farage was pictured at the Chiddingstone Hunt in Kent, again with traditional cigarette and pint.

Meanwhile on Farage’s Twitter account he was bigging up the decision of Netanyahu to recognise Somaliland, virtually the only politician anywhere to support it. Netanyahu never does anything with good intentions. He is eyeing up Somaliland as a place to despatch Palestinian residents of Gaza to. Of course Farage doesn’t mention this.

Unfortunately for Farage none of this low level media coverage stopped the Guardian on 28^th December from publishing further detailed allegations about his time at Dulwich College by a former teacher who was clearly well aware of Farage’s reputation as a bully and some one with far right views.

No doubt silence from Farage will now be resumed for a bit

Guardian

The Melbourne Ashes Test. Not just a game but also time and money

England won the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne in two days. It was a first victory ‘down under’ for almost 15 years and completing it in two days was very unusual.

There was criticism of a bowler friendly pitch and of frenetic play more akin to short form than Test cricket.

It wasn’t just about the cricket on the pitch though.

A sell out crowd of 90,000 was expected for the third day and the financial impact will cost Cricket Australia £5m not to mention the impact on those providing food and drink and the spectators- 20,000 from England were expected on Day Three- who have tickets but no cricket

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/dec/27/bad-for-business-cricket-australia-facing-5m-loss-after-two-day-test-at-mcg?CMP=share_btn_url

Cricket journalist Geoff Lemon makes a wider point

Waking up on 28 December with no cricket to switch on will be wrong, in some deeper way. England’s win could fairly be described as hollow, a shootout that sets them at 3-1 in a series lost, but had Australia taken four more wickets on this second afternoon, the gonging emptiness at the centre of this display would have rung as loud.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/dec/27/ashes-england-australia-boxing-day-test-excess?CMP=share_btn_url

The time between Christmas and New Year is for many (far from all) a quiet time when the Boxing Day Test provides a point of interest and discussion. Yet three days of it have just been summarily abolished

Beard Liberation Front

27th December

Contact BLF Organiser Keith Flett 07803 167266

Michael Rosen proclaims ‘Follicles Forever’ as he wins vote for 2025 Beard of the Year

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that author and broadcaster Michael Rosen has been voted the Beard of the Year 2025, shaving Traitors stars Joe Marler and Joe Wilkinson and the Mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani for the annual honour.

Responding Michael Rosen posted on social media ‘Follicles Forever’

There 1800 votes in the Beard Off Final

Twelve original names were reduced to eight through three preliminary rounds of on-line polling. Final voting rounds reduced this to four and the Beard Off Final vote took place just before Christmas

The campaigners underline that the shortlist is not about beard styles or beard lengths but rather the positive impact the beard wearer has had in the public eye during the year.

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, this was the closest Beard of the Year vote for some years with only a few percentage poll points between each of the finalists. We congratulate Michael Rosen on being voted Beard of the Year, his beard sends a message of resilience and gravitas in the public eye.

Beard of the Year 2025 Contenders and Finalists

Joe Wilkinson, Comedian, Faithful Beard Off Final 21.3%

Joe Marler, Rugby player, Faithful Beard Off Final 25.4%

Michael Rosen, author & broadcaster Beard Off Final 28.7%

Alexei Sayle, comedian Shaved

Gary Lineker, Woke Icon Shaved

Zohran Mamdani, New York Mayor Beard Off Final 24.6%

Zack Polanski, Green Party leader Shaved

David Olusoga, Historian, Faithful Shaved

My recent Guardian Fletter on Engels Christmas festivities may have given the impression that he was somewhat of a Bah Humbug type. Far from it. His issue was not under indulgence but over indulgence…

With the festive season now fully upon us, the view of Friedrich Engels in a letter he wrote to Jenny Marx on 3 January 1868 seems relevant: “a lot of eating and drinking and upset stomach, and the obligatory ill humour and waste of time”.
Keith Flett
Tottenham, London

Published 26th December 2025

Christmas was kept by Engels after the English fashion as Charles Dickens has so delightfully described it in The Pickwick Papers. The room is decorated with green boughs of every kind, between which, in suitable places, the perfidious mistletoe peeps forth, which gives every man the right to kiss any person of the opposite sex who is standing beneath it or whom he can catch in passing. At table the principal dish is a mighty turkey, and if the exchequer will run to it this is supplemented by a great cooked ham. A few additional attractions – one of which, a sweet known as tipsy-cake, is, as the name denotes, prepared with brandy or sherry – make way for the dish of honour, the plum-pudding, which is served up, the room having been darkened, with burning rum. Each guest must receive his helping of pudding, liberally christened with good spirits, before the flame dies out. This lays a foundation which may well prove hazardous to those who do not measure their consumption of the accompanying wines.

The above is an extract from Eduard Bernstein’s My Years of Exile (1915). Bernstein was a co-thinker of Marx and Engels who went on to be a revisionist leader of the German SPD.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Bernstein

Beard Liberation Front

27th December

Contact BLF Organiser Keith Flett 07803 167266

Michael Rosen shaves Traitors stars to be voted Beard of the Year 2025

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that author and broadcaster Michael Rosen has been voted the Beard of the Year 2025, shaving Traitors stars Joe Marler and Joe Wilkinson and the Mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani for the annual honour.

There 1800 votes in the Beard Off Final

Twelve original names were reduced to eight through three preliminary rounds of on-line polling. Final voting rounds reduced this to four and the Beard Off Final vote took place just before Christmas

The campaigners underline that the shortlist is not about beard styles or beard lengths but rather the positive impact the beard wearer has had in the public eye during the year.

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, this was the closest Beard of the Year vote for some years with only a few percentage poll points between each of the finalists. We congratulate Michael Rosen on being voted Beard of the Year, his beard sends a message of resilience and gravitas in the public eye.

Beard of the Year 2025 Contenders and Finalists

Joe Wilkinson, Comedian, Faithful Beard Off Final 21.3%

Joe Marler, Rugby player, Faithful Beard Off Final 25.4%

Michael Rosen, author & broadcaster Beard Off Final 28.7%

Alexei Sayle, comedian Shaved

Gary Lineker, Woke Icon Shaved

Zohran Mamdani, New York Mayor Beard Off Final 24.6%

Zack Polanski, Green Party leader Shaved

David Olusoga, Historian, Faithful Shaved

Nigel Farage was planning to continue his anywhere but Clacton world tour this weekend by attending the Boxing Day Ashes Test in Melbourne. Farage is a long time cricket fan (one of the few genuine things about him).

However the Daily Telegraph has reported that Farage has cancelled the trip. Patriotic Farage has blamed the ‘spectacular’ failure of the England team for his decision.

Just as Farage branded the England team a ‘total disaster’ they won their first Ashes Test in Australia since 2011. No doubt the absence of Farage’s fair weather patriotism helped

Nigel Farage was planning to continue his anywhere but Clacton world tour this weekend by attending the Boxing Day Ashes Test in Melbourne. Farage is a long time cricket fan (one of the few genuine things about him).

However the Daily Telegraph has reported that Farage has cancelled the trip. Patriotic Farage has blamed the ‘spectacular’ failure of the England team for his decision.

Its certainly the best news the England team have had for a while…

With the festive season now fully upon us, the view of Friedrich Engels in a letter he wrote to Jenny Marx on 3 January 1868 seems relevant: “a lot of eating and drinking and upset stomach, and the obligatory ill humour and waste of time”.
Keith Flett
Tottenham, London

Published 26th December 2025

Liz Truss has told Nick Ferrari on LBC that when it comes to Christmas meals Yorkshire pudding is cancelled. She argues that Yorkshire pudding should only be served with beef.

By contrast Marks and Spencer’s seasonal Roast Turkey dinner most definitely does feature Yorkshire Pudding and M&S have been selling a Yorkshire Pudding wrap in their store cafes.

Moreover a YouGov poll on what people felt when with a Christmas dinner found that 49% included a Yorkshire Pudding.

On Liz Truss’s side the Wetherspoons Christmas dinner available in pubs until 31st January does not include a Yorkshire Pudding

M&S has lasted a lot longer than Liz Truss did as PM so perhaps they are winning this particular Christmas culture war.