Kmflett's Blog

A Culture War has broken out, appropriately, over the naming of a new MOD ship.

There were early plans to call it Agincourt but it will now be called Achilles.

Former Tory Minister Grant Schapps, well known for off topic rants when he was in Government has called this ‘woke nonsense’ and another Tory Minister Gavin Williamson has joined in

The problem the Tory Culture Warriors have is that as the BBC reports the name Achilles has the sanction of King Charles.

The Tory Party historically was the Party of Church and King. It no longer is although what it is, is another matter.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c86375y545yo

Reform UK Ltd has held a fund raising (grifting) event at the exclusive Mayfair Club Oswalds. The Club is owned by Robin Birley who also has nearby 5 Hertford Place, a venue often frequented by Liz Truss.

Oswalds usually hosts Royals, senior Tories and celebrities and has no social media presence.

The evening was designed to attract Tory donors who might be interested in giving Nigel Farage some money as the owner of Reform UK Ltd. To encourage them a seat at Farage’s table was priced at £25,000.

Its more or less what you’d expect from the People’s Party but the Guardian report does not suggest that any particularly significant donors were actually present

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jan/29/tory-donors-bassim-haidar-mohamed-amersi-reform-fundraising-dinner

Former Brewdog CEO James Watt is still digging in the virtual electronic hole of his Insta account.

This time he is determined to refute suggestions that he is the world’s worse boss. He isn’t btw.

The list below seems to style Watt as philanthropist giving things to Brewdog workers and generously taking the hit himself on occasion when issues (see gold can) occur.

Yet he was actually the Chief Executive of a brewer not a philanthropist. It should be about what he has jointly agreed with workers, via their union (Brewdog doesnt recognise one) on things that will benefit both workers and because of that the business.

One could deconstruct further. He omits mention of the pledge to pay a Living Wage, later rescinded, and anonymous staff surveys are never actually anon-they should however be confidential..

• Gifted 20% of my shares in BrewDog to everyone on the team.
• Pioneered Real Living Wage in our industry and paid it for over a decade.
• Shared 10% of the business’s profits evenly with the entire team.
• Launched a world first 50% profit share model for our BrewDog bars team members.
• – Didn’t take a salary in 2020 during Covid-19 to protect as many jobs as I could.
• Personally gifted over £250,000 to team members & their families going through hardship.
• Twice made the Sunday Times list of best 100 companies work work for (2023 & 2017) in the UK based on an anonymous staff survey.
• Offered everyone in the team a fully paid month-long sabbatical for every 5 years of employment.
• Introduced ‘Pawternity Leave’ –  a week off work if you get a dog to help your new family member settle in.
• Introduced ‘Punk to Punk’ bonuses so that team members could financially reward their colleagues.
• Covered the cost of my £500,000 gold can mistake personally so that it did not impact the team’s bonuses.
• Mentored dozens of people to help them develop their careers.
• Introduced the BrewDog Salary Cap, meaning nobody could join the team and be paid more than 7 times our entry-level salary.

Suella Braverman who at the moment is a Tory MP hasn’t yet managed to leave Washington after arriving a week ago to be in town for Trump’s inauguration (she wasn’t invited).

She has been giving the Margaret Thatcher Freedom lecture organised by the Heritage Foundation.

The Foundation is one of a number of far right Trump fan clubs. The 2024 speaker for the Thatcher lecture was Liz Truss

The Mirror quotes Braverman:

Ms Braverman spent much of the speech painting a dystopian vision of Britain, claiming “our jewels of liberty, aspiration and prosperity lie buried under the weight of socialism, the shackles of political correctness and the feebleness of our political class.”

It might worry Keir Starmer that anyone could think he was involved in some kind of socialist endeavour but Braverman’s wider attack is on the ‘political class’ and that includes Tory leader Kemi Badenoch

There is a lot more to Braverman’s latest Culture War rant

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/suella-braverman-goes-full-donald-34570101

Beard Liberation Front

28^th January

Film Director Mike Leigh faces Alexei Sayle in Beard of Winter final vote

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that veteran film director Mike Leigh, faces comedian and commentator Alexei Sayle in the final ‘Beard Off’ vote for the Beard of Winter 2025

Indian cricketer Jasprit Bumrah and former Scots First Minister Humza Yousaf are also on the poll

Beard of Winter focuses on two areas:

Organic beards designed to withstand the winter weather

Beards that have been in the public eye in the previous couple of months

There have been two preliminary Close Shave Rounds with the top two from each going to a final Beard Off. The Winner is announced on 31^st January

BLF Organiser Keith Flett, we expect the final vote to bristle in a veritable follicle frenzy

Beard of Winter Shortlist

Luke Littler, darts player

Liam Dutton, weather forecaster

Alexei Sayle, broadcaster

Jasprit Bumrah, cricketer

Amol Rajan, University Challenge

Mike Leigh, film director

Graham Potter, football manager

Humza Yousaf, politician

Beard Liberation Front

28th January

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that given Keir Starmer’s enthusiasm for AI it asked a well known AI tool for a view on whether or not the Prime Minister would have a better image if he grew a beard.

The answer is interesting:

If Starmer prefers the look or finds it more comfortable, growing a beard could be a positive choice for him personally. It might also reflect a more casual or approachable image, depending on how it’s styled.

Picture-David Harrison

Berwick Kaler & Martin Barrass (Mick) in Dick Turpin Rides Again 2021

Veteran Panto Star Berwick Kaler is to feature in a one-off Ambridge Panto this Friday.

Kaler is Panto Royalty have starred in Pantos at the York Theatre Royal since the late 1970s until recently.

A co-star was Martin Barrass who appeared alongside Kaler for decades. Barrass is the actor who has played Mick in the Archers since 2022.

The Archers Editor Jeremy Howe was director at the York Theatre Royal in the 1980s.

Its clearly behind them…

The York Press has the story

https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/24761802.york-panto-royalty-reunite-performance-archers/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIE8TpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHfWn4roHuxnpXYEJax4jaQKjO3WR6pxZVxvCNbx16G3bwHkG_kt2t0vPyA_aem_k_TKodImu9Pc6s_hg0CiKA

This picture appears in the Times 27th January 2025 and seems to suggest that Charles Windsor has at last found a job.

However as recent developments have underlined what appears in papers owned by Rupert Murdoch needs to be scrutinised carefully.

The photo in fact dates from 2022 when then Prince Charles was marking the 25th anniversary of the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith.

Pouring a decent pint of Guinness is a skilled job and it appears that Charles was not up to it since he has now appeared as King Charles.

The picture btw is illustrating a story that global drinks company and Guinness owner Diaego has denied it plans to sell the stout brewer.

By 2010, Blairite meant “part of Blair’s inner circle back in the day, a disciple of his brand of political realism; the kind of person who would never have a beard, who got invited to Rupert Murdoch’s summer parties…

Zoe Williams, The Guardian 27th January 2024

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/27/the-term-blairite-is-meaningless-so-why-do-people-continue-to-use-it

Much can be explained about the behaviour of 49 day Liz Truss by a speech she gave at a post Trump inauguration event in Washington last week. The speech reportedly was well received. She was introduced as Prime Minister Truss and while this is a US tradition, it appears Truss did not correct it and presumably thinks of herself as Prime Minister in Exile

The brevity of her premiership did not stop Ms Truss asking to be referred to a “Prime Minister Truss” using the American tradition of keeping the honourific of a job title once you have held it however short the tenure.

Liz Truss told to ‘take a holiday’ as ex-PM’s Maga reinvention alarms Tories