Kmflett's Blog

Beard Liberation Front

31^st July

Contact Keith Flett 07803 1672

Temporary suspension of Beard, Shorts & Sandals Season on Friday July 31st

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has announced the temporary suspension of the 2020 Beard, Shorts & Sandals season from 5am on 31^st July until Midnight on 31^st July

The suspension comes as very hot weather is forecast for much of the UK on Friday

It is expected that temperatures may rise as high as 34C in the south-east

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, we’re sorry if this is all a bit Matt Hancock but it will be prudent to cover up on Friday and not wear shorts due to very hot weather and a high probability of sun burnt legs.

Guidelines for the 2020 Beard, Shorts and Sandals Season. These DO NOT apply on July 31st

1] Shorts should ideally be three-quarter length-‘culottes’ for the  2020 season. The length of shorts is particularly important as climate change may mean that unprotected legs get sunburnt.

1a) Shorts of the length worn by Nigel Farage in a video recorded in April are strictly forbidden

2] Footwear should be casual. There is a considerable range of sandal type footwear now available. Some leaves parts of the feet and toes open to public view, while some does not. The BLF is not prescriptive about the matter.

3] Socks should generally not be worn. However if the beard, shorts and sandals are to be displayed in relatively busier urban areas it is likely to be prudent to wear closed rather than open casual footwear and ankle socks, not visible to others may be worn.

4] There is no prescription or definition on what type of beard may be worn, or how this may match with the shorts and sandals. This is left up to the individual.

5] If venturing out in accordance with lockdown rules in force at the time social distance should be kept at all times.

Donald Trump has tweeted that November’s US Presidential Election should be postponed due to concern over postal voting. He has of course no authority to do this but that isnt usually a bar to him making a point.

Presumably he has in mind ‘The Solution’ a poem Bertolt Brecht wrote after the 1953 East German Uprising where he noted that the Government had lost confidence in the people and would indeed to elect a new one:

Eat Out to Help Out (Tim Martin) & the politics of ‘Old Corruption’

Never caught wanting in his perpetual and indeed decades long quest for ‘how low can we go’ Wetherspoon’s Tim Martin has confirmed that all his pubs will participate in the August Eat Out to Help Out scheme where people can get 50% off meals (he has also reduced beer prices but that relates to VAT changes which don’t actually apply directly to beer) on Mondays-Wednesdays up to a maximum of £10.

It should be noted that this will be good news for many on lower incomes. For those who may be tempted to think Wetherspoons only sell unhealthy meals this is far from the case. On Monday Johnson announced that in his battle against obesity pubs will be required to display calorie counts on meals they sell. By a strange coincidence one major pub chain has been doing this for ages: Wetherspoons.

While people will benefit (assuming they are not boycotting Spoons, something not encouraged by unionised Spoons workers btw) Tim Martin will also be a beneficiary of Eat Out to Help Out. It will get people into his pubs on the quieter days of the week and no doubt encourage them to spend a bit more (if they have any money to spend).

Like so many Johnsonian initiatives Eat Out to Help Out does seem be benefiting a political ally.

William Cobbett in the first decades of the nineteenth century used the term ‘Old Corruption’. This meant not corruption as we might mainly understand it today. Rather it was about sinecures for favoured people, jobs and advancement based not on merit or worth but on who someone knew. In summary running Government at least partly to help out its friends.

The Things They Say

Chairman Tim Martin said: “Thanks to the government scheme, an individual is £2.93 better off eating and drinking at Wetherspoons than purchasing a similar range of products at Tesco.

Beard Liberation Front

Media Release 30^th July

Contact Keith Flett 07803 167266

Campaigners back Welsh First Minister’s ‘no beard trimming’ statement

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has backed a statement by Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford on beard trimming in barbers and hairdressers.

Speaking on a radio programme on Wednesday Mr Drakeford said “Well, the first thing to say is our advice is that people shouldn’t get their beards trimmed’.

The campaigners say that the First Minister was making a very serious point that such close face to face activity as beard trimming by a barber is not sensible at the moment.

While beard trimming and pruning may encourage beard growth for now it should only be done by the beard wearer themselves.

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, the lockdown beard has been one of the developments of 2020. Of course there is pressure from pogonophobes to make people trim or shave their facial hair. The First Minister is quite right to rule this out and we hope he may at last decide to grow a beard himself to avoid the unnecessary activity of shaving.

Beard Liberation Front

29th July

‘C’

‘Enemy Within’

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers,has expressed concern that another clean shaven suit wearer has been appointed to head up MI6.

The appointment of Richard Moore as ‘C’ has been publicly announced today and he will take up post in the autumn:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53582938

The campaigners say that while MI5 deals with domestic security the appointment of yet another clean shaven suit wearer to head MI6 does raise concerns that beard wearers are still regarded as the ‘enemy within’

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, there is of course still time for Richard Moore to grow a beard before he takes up the post. Since he is unlikely to have previous experience of this the BLF stands ready to offer advice on how to develop a gravitas adding beard

Boris Johnson’s plan to tackle obesity announced on Monday received a good deal of media coverage.

The point about obesity and health issues is an important one and a policy commitment to address the issue is welcome.

Whether it is more than Johnsonian window dressing, particularly as seriously tackling the matter will have consequences for business we shall see.

One detail that was noted but no more than that was that there will be legislation to require restaurants, pubs etc display calorie information for meals and items sold.

Again this is a decent enough idea. One major chain already does this and unsurprisingly its Wetherspoons headed up by Johnson’s political ally Tim Martin.

In fact Spoons have printed calories on their menus for ages and deserve credit for doing so. I’m not sure it makes that much difference to customers, which is not to demean them, but to take the point (Guardian Editorial) that a successful effort to tackle obesity cant all be about urging individuals to sort their diet out but also making sure they have easy access to healthier choices (in terms of reduced fat, salt etc etc).

I don’t expect (I might be wrong) that those who write Editorials for papers like the Guardian frequent Wetherspoons too often, if at all, which can be seen in a positive or negative way. This particular piece of Johnsonian Old Corruption- boosting the business of one of his mates- should have been worthy of comment though.

There are two wider points here, amplified rather more directly in a letter from Michael Rosen also in today’s Guardian.

Firstly the Government needs to do more itself to address a range of issues around COVID-19 and not just leave it up to individuals and then blame them if they don’t do something.

Secondly ‘doing more’ must mean more than announcements and handing contracts to mates of the Government to do things which end up not working (except for the mates obviously)

Government Policy

introducing legislation to require large out-of-home food businesses, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways with more than 250 employees, to add calorie labels to the food they sell

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-obesity-government-strategy/tackling-obesity-empowering-adults-and-children-to-live-healthier-lives

Medway Trades Council organised a meeting to mark the 150th anniversary of the death of black leader of London Chartism William Cuffay last Friday.

William Cuffay 1788 – 1870 A celebration of his life and work by Medway Trades Union Council. Featuring Keith Flett, Anna Rothery, Mikey Bousquet, Steve Wilkins and Mark Gregory.

Ivor Riddell has edited the meeting and its now on-line here:

Beard Liberation Front

28^th July

Contact Keith Flett 07803 167266

Author Michael Rosen does Beard Award Double

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that author and Arsenal Fan Michael Rosen has become the first ever person to win two Beard Awards in the same year.

On 27^th June Rosen won the on-line vote for Beard of Summer 2020, the culmination of the annually held National Beard Week

On 25^th July Rosen was also voted the Best Beard of Lockdown in a special one-off vote to celebrate one of the more positive aspects of lockdown, the flourishing of beards.

In both cases actor Michael Sheen was second and tweeted his congratulations to Rosen.

Michael Rosen was very ill in hospital in April and May. He has tweeted that he understands that on one occasion his beard was shaved while he was in a medically induced coma. However the campaigners say that pruning of the beard promotes its longer term health and Rosen’s beard has shown great resilience.

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, Michael Rosen is well known as an author and broadcaster and much loved by generations of children and parents. To that can now be added his beard which has set the style zeitgeist for summer 2020.

Beard Liberation Front

28^th July

Contact Keith Flett 07803 167266

Top Beards of England v West Indies Test Series named

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has named the Top Beards of the England v West Indies Test series.

The campaigners say that the Tests, played without a crowd, and in a situation where haircuts and beard pruning have been problematic, has been a unique showcase for facial hair.

Even the England captain Joe Root appeared with a beard in the Second Test.

The criteria for identifying the top beards of the series has been deliberately diverse. It includes:

Performance with bat, ball & on the field

The impact of the beard on the field in a visual sense

The ability to deploy the beard to enhance performance with either bat or ball

The Top Beards are:

Rahkeem Cornwall

Roston Chase

Ben Stokes

Chris Woakes

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, This series has been notable for a number of things and Beard Power, is an important one.

Beard Liberation Front

27th July

Michael Rosen certified as Best Beard of Lockdown

Author and Arsenal fan Michael Rosen has been certified as the Best Beard of Lockdown after he won the Beard Liberation Front’s on-line poll carried out over several weeks in July 20.

He shaved the opposition winning 62% of the vote.

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, Michael Rosen’s beard has shown significant qualities of resilience during a very difficult lockdown period