Lack of Covid data – the rise of the right – getting ready for going away.

There’s a lack of Covid ancillary data at the moment that is current. The reports are much thinner and things like people in hospital are a month old. This despite the rise already reported.

The BBC (not The Guardian this time) area reporting that eight Reform UK candidates have made a wide range of offensive remarks online about women in the past. Samples:

• “[Jo] Cox was a dreadful woman, with bad ideas”.
• “Accidently switched on to X-Factory. The only thing worth watching is the black bint…. whoever she is.”
• Referring to Theresa May on X as “Merkels Bitch”.
• … accused women dancing in a video of “behaving like a gutter slut” and referred to one woman as a “malignant old hag”.
• Referring to women appearing on ITV2’s Love Island as “thick tarts”
• Referred to former leader of the Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson as a “gobby bird”.
• Commented on a post saying “PM: I want girls who are growing up today to know that they can achieve anything they want,” with “Like fertilising eggs & providing Y chromosomes.”
• Some of these comments have been taken down following BBC interest.

A certain Farage said: “Frankly, they [Reform UK] were so desperate for people to stand that people stood, and then we employed a big vetting company who didn’t do the job. … He also said the party had had “an awful lot of candidates being stitched up in the most extraordinary way, with quotes taken out of context”

Full (and developing) story.

Do we get an apology? No. Do we get contrition? No. This is a comment from a friend with whom I was discussing this today.

• “Not surprised at all, for ignorance and bigotry enjoys company; scratch a racist and find a misogynist, homophobe or transphobe. A person can’t be a bit of a bigot; no more than they may be just a little honest!”

I had hoped that we were living in more enlightened times.

Today has been a trying to get ready for holiday day. Last year I unloaded that van when I came back. However I neglected to note where I put things. Today has been a series of unsuccessful attempts at discovery. Tomorrow it is in the van to clean it out before its annual service on Monday. Fortunately the weather is in cooperative mode.

Music

Tidy is the anniversary of the 1911 Coronation of George V and Mary of Teck, the queen consort. This is music played at the service. This from the page … Jehova, quam multi sunt hostes is one of only two sacred Latin motets by Purcell which, from its autograph manuscript, has been dated around 1680. It is not known why Purcell should have set a Latin Psalm text: it seems highly improbable that such a work could have been performed at the Anglican Chapel Royal. It is just possible, although unlikely, that it could have been written for the Catholic chapel of King Charles II’s Queen Catherine.

Times obviously changed between 1680 and 1911.

Henry Purcell (1659-1695), Jehova quam multi sunt (Z135), composed by circa 1680, Ensemble Pro Victoria, Toby Ward