I've Always Wondered What It Takes To Get The RSPCA To Act....

...and now I know:

Jodie Marsh has revealed her £1 million farm was swarmed by RSPCA investigators on Wednesday.

The animal group arrived at the property as they were investigating claims she took her meerkat Mabel to the pub.

And, what? Forced Guinness down the poor beast's throat? 

Taking to Instagram, she filmed the incident as it unfolded- and cleared up the rumours about her animal, revealing that she could not leave her alone as she would cry if she did and needed regular feeding because she was rearing her.

And this took two hours and a team of investigators?Well, no. That was because, thwarted in their purpose (not to help animals in distress, to secure a celebrity scalp, of course!) they went digging around for other things they could boast about in their publicity mailshots.

With the same results.

Jodie revealed that during the two-hour investigation, officers also looked into claims that an emu had a tube stuck in its neck. The glamour model shared that the tube was saving the animal's life as it was for feeding them...

It's not really surprising that they don't understand about 'saving animal's lives', since it's a pretty much alien concept to them. 

Also during the farm inspection, Jodie was asked about keeping a wild muntjac deer and she told officers she was looking after it because it had fallen into a swimming pool nearby.

I can see why that would have baffled them, too... 

Employers, Not Masters Or Parents...

Maureen Martin was accused of gross misconduct after her employer, a housing association, claimed her campaign pledge to promote 'natural marriage' was discriminatory and would offend gay and trans people.

Ms Martin sued London & Quadrant Housing Trust (L&Q) for unfair dismissal, discrimination and harassment in a case called 'an attack on democracy'. Last night she told The Mail on Sunday she was happy with the out-of-court settlement but described her treatment as chilling.

It seems the fact you are employed by a company to perform a role during work time gives some of them the right to assume control over every aspect of your life, as Longrider points out.  

'I should have had a right to express my own Christian beliefs in my own private time and should not have been required to self-censor my beliefs or be forced out of my job.

'I will be standing again as mayoral candidate in 2024. My message will not have changed. You can fire me, but you cannot silence me.'

Good for her. But where do these companies get the bare-faced cheek to imagine they can control every aspect of our lives? They pay us for our time, and that's all. 

Perhaps Ms Martin should have simply billed them for every hour she worked on her campaign instead?

If The Police Try This With Every Venue Where Crime Happens....

...cities will be empty:

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of rape at a top London restaurant that was a favourite of Prince Philip and has hosted celebrities and politicians for decades.

So far, so 'ho hum'. But wait! 

Police officers said ‘drugs were involved’ in the alleged incident and have made an application for Elysee Greek restaurant and nightclub to be shut down.

*blinks* 

A licensing committee heard that two members of the family that runs the venue have been ‘banned permanently from access to the premises’ but did not say why.

Curiouser and curiouser! 

Councillors decided to suspend Elysee’s licence for six weeks after an extraordinary four-hour hearing, mostly held in secret last Tuesday.

The committee panel heard evidence behind closed doors after the Metropolitan Police asked for it to be held in private. At the end of the meeting, committee chairman Gio Spinella said two members of the Karageorgis family that runs the venue were ‘banned permanently from access to the premises’. But he said the panel had decided against revoking the licence permanently to give the restaurant ‘one final chance’.

Wonder if this will stop the police from bringing such a ridiculous action next time?  

"...we know there is an inextricable link between Class A drugs and... "

"...the Metropolitan Police making absolute arses of themselves on social media."

Footage posted to social media by the force showed officers walking through Shoreditch, which has seen a spike in incidents where women and girls have been made to feel unsafe, and swabbing revellers to ensure a safe 'night time economy'.

Wait, what? How many miscreants did this overblown operation bring to justice? 

The force revealed that the operation on the night saw one woman arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs after she was observed disposing of a suspicious package.

Ha ha ha ha ha! 

Predictably, their efforts to justify themselves in the face of the huge backlash that they then faced from civil liberties groups made things even worse: 

A statement read: 'The video posted by the Met on social media was filmed in Shoreditch during a 'week of action' supporting women's safety between Monday, 6 and Sunday, 12 December 2021.

'The Chair of the local Independent Advisory Group was also invited and was present to observe the operation.

'The use of the machine was a condition of entry, that condition being agreed with the licensees for that night. Anyone who refused was not allowed entry to the venues on that night.

It was made clear to those wanting to attend the venues that the swabbing was voluntary.'

Are you an idiot, unnamed spokeperson? No wonder you didn't want your name on that! Some weren't so savvy... 

Chief Inspector Grace Blake-Turner, from the Met's Taskforce, said: 'Officers attended schools and universities to talk about topics such as consent.. '

Like consent to a random search by a police officer abusing their powers for likes on Facebook...? 

You Might Have Finally Overreached...

A tube strike is set to go ahead in August over plans to scrap the Night Tube train drivers’ pay grade after negotiations broke down between the union and London Underground.

The changes would mean that instead of having a separate role for Night Tube train drivers, all drivers would be expected to work a combination of normal and night shifts.

So? Conditions change in jobs all the time. Either accept them, or find another. 

Strike action was first proposed earlier this month but the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, which represents tube drivers, has now confirmed it will go ahead next month. The union has asked all drivers not to book into work after midday for 24 hours on four separate dates - August 3, 5, 24 and 26.

But this might not have the effect it would have had pre-Covid. 

Everyone who can do so has now proved they can work from home. They've been doing it for a year and a half. So four days isn't much of a stretch.

We've all been hoping that automation will break the stranglehold the unions have held on commuters. Maybe a tiny virus, and the effect it has had on working patterns, will do so instead?