(1415) Afternoon all.

 

15. What does she know which Donald doesn’t?

14. On his way to hell

13. ICE baby

🚨 JUST IN: Psycho leftist starts YELLING "ICE out now!!" at patrolling ICE agents in Newark airport…

…so a patriot walked up and THANKED the ICE agents, shaking their hands

Freaking epic. CANCEL THEM OUT, REAL Americans love ICE 🇺🇸❤️pic.twitter.com/SbtOtczkmV

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 23, 2026

12. IYE and Sir Bani Yas

It’s over at 1331:

“The round table is one of the oldest techniques for manufacturing consensus among people who would otherwise have no reason to agree with one another. Cecil Rhodes formalised it. The Royal Institute of International Affairs and the Council on Foreign Relations institutionalised it. The Bilderberg Conference perfected it.

The underlying method is older than any of these, and the pattern — once recognised — is visible in nearly every major policy shift of the past century.

No single group of participants ever sees the whole. Each group endorses one piece, genuinely and in good faith, understanding only the piece in front of them. The pieces integrate — across convenings, across decades, across continents — into a unified architecture that none of the individual participants designed, intended, or understood. The compartmentalisation is what makes the system invisible. 

The moral cause at each stage is what makes it politically untouchable. And the Chatham House Rule, present in every instance, ensures that the public can never trace the institutional outcome back to the private convening that produced it.”

11. DAD’s analysis of France’s municipal elections

Now that the dust has settled, the Municipal Elections show France is stuck in same old patterns. Limited success for the Right; disaster for the Centre; tears for the Left.

The second round of France’s municipal elections on March 22 confirmed a familiar pattern: Low turnout, fragmented politics and little real change in major cities.

Voter participation reached 57.8 per cent, down four points compared to 2014. Far from being a surge of protest, the fall may reflect a growing sense of distance from local politics.

https://brusselssignal.eu/2026/03/municipal-elections-show-france-stuck-in-same-old-patterns

The reason I recently contacted my first true romantic partner at the age of 15 (I was 15, I hasten to add, probably she was thereabouts too) was partly, as she recently said “it’s intriguing”. But a second reason is that I’ve been exploring (of late) western eras and was trying to place our summer romance in the context of what was going on before, what happened later.

What I came up with was that we were right at that western timepoint when it began its swift descent away from 50s romance and into human dealings being sleazy and druggy, heavy metaly, the music now big complicated sounds, much windbaggery, not much fun anymore in that innocent way. Just big, super-serious ideas, without the life experience to give them depth.

There was another pre-wartime era in some ways similar to the 50s and I don’t mean the 20s, whose jazz we watch on Sundays here … no, I mean the 30s, during the depression, maybe up to just before America entered the war.

But it was not just that factor … it was that American film had come out of Silents and was adjusting to sound, also color, plus the Hays Code, plus Prohibition … and that’s where my links come in, as part of the review (south of the video below):

An IMDb review of this “Republic” movie (1hr 14mins):

“The Spanish Cape Mystery may be formulaic and clichéd, but that’s doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad. In fact, I had quite a bit of fun with it. The plot is just what you’ve come to expect if you’ve seen a number of these mystery films from the 30s. Ellery Queen goes on vacation (if you’re staying next to a detective on vacation, head home) when a series of murders breaks out nearby. One odd aspect of the murders is that all of the victims were found wearing their swim clothes. Once Queen (finally) starts to investigate, it’s not long before a killer is unmasked.

When I say the movie is formulaic and clichéd, it’s filled with things we’ve all seen a thousand times in movies like this: a crotchety old patriarch, a house full of relatives trying to secure their inheritance, a beautiful young daughter for our detective hero to fall for, a bumbling local sheriff who can’t seem to get anything right, and suspects galore. But somehow it all works. The movie is nicely paced and at 73 minutes, events unfold quickly. The acting is overall better than I expected.

Highlights for me included Helen Twelvetrees (what a revelation) as Queen’s love interest, Harry Stubbs who plays a bumbling sheriff as well as anyone I’ve seen, and Berton Churchill as Queen’s judge friend. In fact, I thought Donald Cook in the main role of Ellery Queen was the weak link. He’s too bland. Decent production values for a 30s era B-quickie, nice sets, and some interesting dialogue make this one a fun, late-night film. Overall, a very strong 6/10 from me.”

This review deserves a look too, to place the film in context:

http://queen.spaceports.com/Movie01.html

I should say this third review is necessary to paint the picture of the times, of life in Hollywood, in America just then:

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

The plot avoids real life for most people during the grim depression days and that was the whole point … the atmosphere of these films is upbeat, almost screwball comedic, wisecracking, not grim … and in our own grim days right now, just before the crash and civil war, it’s a welcome relief from the dark, depressed 40s movies or the angst ridden 50s films.

Then we get into the communist with the illuminist wife … the Roosevelts and the way they took in all of America except for maybe 15% of thinkers … McCarthy, John Birch versus CoFR.

So yes … last night, I was lost in that era, then the late 60s, early 70s … and fell asleep before the grim 2018 to 2030.

(1149) As elevenses draws to a close and noon threatens to overtake it. (1207)

 

10. Recycling an older pic from Moo

9. Quick thinking

8. French results

7. Two other stalwarts

DAD on Cadbury:

https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/82bb77fb51f60fad23846941736abdc882a7c32d882a448169ded8b34cc08f7a.jpg

Steve:

a. UK Citizens vs Islam Civil War Will Happen: British Army Col says | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnAFTlHv1Os

b. Tommy was at Mar-a-Lago this weekend. Personal invite. That lad gets around now he’s in America, and free to interview other folk who’ve gone there for similar reasons..

6. IYE corner

a. Donny’s favourite son-in-law.

https://substack.com/@theleahfiles/note/c-231823582

b. “ Erika Kirk – The Asset Test
An assessment of behavior and declassified tradecraft techniques”

https://substack.com/home/post/p-191397488

c. We were given their plan in advance. Up font and in yer face.
Remember this?

https://centerforhealthsecurity.org/sites/default/files/2022-12/spars-pandemic-scenario.pdf

d. Archived 

https://archive.org/stream/the-spars-pandemic-2025-2028-a-futuristic-scenario-for-public-health-risk-communication/2018-09_a_systematic_review_of_frames_in_news_reporting_of_health_risks_djvu.txt

Date 2018

 

(0744) Morning all. Wall to wall poisoned cloud cover out there. Dislocated night here, noticed at one point DAD posting quite early, Toodles asked a question, I “rezonked”, woke again just now. I’ll answer that question here at WP a bit later, once I can work out a way to. Plus puzzling comment from Andy.

Plus, I have about four tabs open on the other browser, there is a time limit because the different firms are playing games. So … must attend to those tabs first, concerning the film later today, else I’ll lose them. Soon, readers. (0949)

 

5. This one is from downunder

4. This was about a riptide or undertow over in America

… it was a clip of a swimmer dragged out, returned by massive, concussive waves, rinse and repeat:

3. Steve at 1330

• Democrats Rattled After California Sheriff Seizes 650,000 Ballots in Election Integrity Crackdown
• Jesse Kelly and Author Joshua Lisec Discuss Communism’s Evil Tactics – “Communism is An Anti-Christian Set of Tactics for Gaining Power Over Other People”
• Saudi Arabia Expels Iranian Diplomats Over Aggression Against Kingdom
• Massive Escalation. 22 Countries Have Joined Forces On Iran. It has started.
• You Won’t Believe What B-52 Bombers Just Did to Open Strait of Hormuz
• COVID Inquiry Finds Lockdowns May Have Cost Thousands Of Lives (recommended)
• Essex Police Pause Facial Recognition, But Why Was It Rolled Out at All?
• Kremlin Proposed Intelligence Swap Involving Iran to Halt US Aid to Ukraine, Sources Say
• Much more.

2. Replying to two of our stalwarts

Toodles:

Yes, that cryptic post about the two Webb men and talk of letter agencies … I can’t go insecure or “in plain” on highly insecure media, Toods, sorry bout that. The two are not directly connected, but they are via third party … an agency.

Andy:

Bit of a puzzle, this one, Andy:

“The first item on lockdowns. I cannot believe that this was intentional.”

Refers to Steve’s first at 1330. Now, do you mean you can’t believe they would do such a thing or is it just used as a standard expression? Because many of us on this side of politics put nothing past these bstds and we have receipts. For example, the October 2018 conference at Johns Hopkins, through to the plan’s rollout, to the Canadian/Wuhan connection, to pharma poised (Hancock) to the big stick enforcement (remember Polly on Bitchute)?

1. DAD at 1330

a) France – Second Tour Election Results. (JH: Hoping DAD will analyse and give us the summary.)

b) Roubaix municipal elections 2026: mortar fire in several streets and Algerian and Palestinian flags waved in front of the town hall, after the victory of David Guiraud (LFI).

c) Five of the six lambs in the flock of sheep that had been installed for three years to maintain the meadows around the Château de Mursay in Échiré were stolen during the night….

d) I cannot remember where I found this photograph….

JH: There is a post you might like to see:

Have a lovely Monday, readers.

(1735) Evening all … hope it was a relaxing Sunday.

 

19. Moo corner

18. The Jackdaw

17. Enclosure Acts

16. Absolving that guilt trip

15. Cadbury

14. Volvo Island

13. He might be onto something

12. Oh dear, crying, never mind

11. Steve at 1330

Hearts of Oak: The Week According To . . . Lee Harris

 

… hastily cobbled together. Forgive me:

(1348) Afternoon all. Jazz coming up about 1500. (1413)

 

10. Moo corner

9. Forgive me for swearing in a minute

… but there’s no more effective way. We’re utterly fatigued with being f-ed about by all these arrogant, disdainful clowns. FAFO:

The two main topics just now, by the way, which have attracted countless comments, are Mueller and Cadbury.

8. Liverpool Echo has an interesting one

|https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/15-year-mystery-vanishing-liverpool-33631211

It was a Disney cruise remember, youngish girl, this was an interesting paragraph:

Rebecca’s parents Mike and Ann claimed their beloved daughter was murdered, believing she was thrown overboard after being sexually assaulted. But, Disney insisted she was swept overboard by a freak wave and vanished at sea and the alarm was raised a few hours later when she failed to turn up for work. The family settled a lawsuit with Disney out of court in 2016.

7. IYE mentioned

CK’s mentor dead:

https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/pickleball/pickleball-tragedy-charlie-kirks-mentor-dies-after-fall-article-153889077

I posted on X, bringing in a couple of random points:

6. Torquaymada wrote, at 1330

Coffee break read…

https://restoremag.com/you-cannot-govern-through-purchase-orders/

Andy responded:

What this means is that we have, have had and always will have a government incapable of governing.

 

This is a feature length version of Van der Valk. Just signalling to y’all that I’ll now get some brunch going, plus Sunday lunch set up. If you’re looking for some Sunday watching or listening, don’t forget the Paul Temple Gilbert Affair at UHC-WP. Cunning plan is to get back to the politics after this, then jazz … am gradually gathering snippets, kicking off with Torquaymada. But first brunch.

My “sort of review” of this episode is below the video.

Some comments on this episode and the series:

The making of a series in a continental setting reminds me of the Gambon Maigret, usually compared to the early Davies series. I also watched the Cremer in French. To my mind, the Gambon Maigret stood up well, even though it was less popular … I don’t fully understand which reason put Brit audiences off, if at all … not filmed in Paris but in Budapest, it was quite British in outlook, though it followed the Simenon books.

The cast was first rate, esp. Geoffrey Hutchings as Lucas, so what was the issue? Not exotic enough? Not authentic? With the Van der Valk, Barry Foster did well but he was hardly Dutch, naturally, the cast was right up there, esp. in this episode above. Some call it drawn out … maybe … the real baddy OTT for mine … the children’s rhyme was ok to use, there were some nice establishment shots.

Afterthoughts at 44 mins and at the end:

The print is too dark but ho hum. The plot … two plots mixed in, main and sub, both good, the theme of adopted daughter dear (Van der Valk’s), with her own daughter, hubby away on biz … the really crotchetty mother, quite offputting mother actually, VderV telling daughter we learn from out chn about life … all good, ties in with what I know is coming about nadty chn’s rhymes and how chn are not lovable darlings in the least … they just look sweet, plus the blood tie is strong.

Apart from daughter dear, the women in this episode are not nice people. The men? A mixed bunch.

Last thoughts … much better than I remember, the episode, except for the dark screen. Another theme was mother daughter aggravation, revolving around Hoffman’s children’s story of 1848, ultraviolent for children in those days. The grandmother had already muscled in on the daughter’s bringing up of the g’daughter and the daughter-mother had gone off at the g’mother.

Turns out it was related to the mainplot … it helped VderV solve the case. /END.

 

Two issues here … the iffy uses of ML (AI) in itself, see video … but also this Sunday, there’s an issue of dearth of news and even features at this stage. Rather than force items of less interest, better to run with what we have … so another detec-drama soon.