(0915) Next up is organic milk at 0959. There’ll then be a hiatus, then films at midday and at 1400, just to cheer us up a bit … that will be that until late afternoon, dearest readers. (0915)

 

10. Moo corner

9. ARLA versus proper milk

8. Southampton

7. Weitd things happen inside cyberspace

… particularly on X. There’s no predicting (almost) what will “take” and what will be passed over…

6. David Shaw on Mandelson

“Let us start with the sheer desperation. The files reveal a handwritten letter from Peter Mandelson literally begging Foreign Secretary David Lammy for the Washington job. Mandelson promised that if they appointed him, they would “never regret it.” Less than a year later, the entire Labour government is collapsing over it.

Now look at the security vetting. It was an absolute scam. When asked to list his foreign contacts, Mandelson complained. An official literally emailed him to just list a “handful of names” to “reassure the vetting team,” openly admitting the process was “quite artificial.” They actively helped him fake his background check!

The Foreign Office knew exactly how toxic this was. In the leaked internal Q&A documents, the FCDO desperately tries to wash its hands of the scandal. They explicitly drafted lines stating: “FCDO advice was not sought, nor given.” Starmer completely bypassed the experts to force this Epstein linked appointment through on his own.”