October 7 2023 is the most documented and intensely filmed crime of mass murder and atrocious sadism in all of human history. Those who celebrated it on that day, October 8 2023 and the following weeks shocked us all. Today should only be a sorrowful day. Those who march today of all days in London or elsewhere are not only rejecting and mocking the most elementary decency but celebrating the killing, torture and rape of ordinary people. It is hard to think of anything more degenerate and depraved. The decision to allow this march today is unconscionable, cowardly and despicable @metpoliceuk @ShabanaMahmood, an abuse and degradation of our values of free speech and assembly, particularly after countless demonstrations that have already taken place. I am afraid it reveals a saddening and alarming void at the moral centre of this government and police that should worry us all.

It was really interesting listening to Christine Ockrent on Radio 4’s 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝑶𝒏𝒆 this lunchtime. Ockrent, one of France’s best-known broadcasters, said of the street protests there: “You have the Hamas factor, which indeed is playing in all our democracies, and even in the UK, where you have had huge demonstrations, and violent ones. And we are on the eve of the October the 7th anniversaries of the massacres in Israel. And so I think the Hamas factor has politicised this very young generation.” Sarah Montague interrupted: “You say the Hamas factor. Do you mean the pro-Palestinian factor, which is how I think it would be characterised here?” Ockrent replied: “Yes, you’re correct, but it’s factual to say the pro-Hamas, and that is fairly obvious in the various organisations that are supporting these movements.” Montague was, of course, doing her job by challenging Ockrent’s assertion. But Ockrent touched on an extremely uncomfortable truth that I don’t think the BBC, much of the progressive left or indeed large parts of the political establishment have remotely come to terms with. We have a radicalised generation of young people who have been fed a succession of ideological orthodoxies and encouraged to regard them not as arguments to be tested, but as moral truths that only bad people question. Gender identity is supposedly more meaningful than biological reality. Israel is supposedly the most evil country on earth. Western civilisation is uniquely wicked. Colonialism explains almost everything. And in the ugliest manifestation of this worldview, Hamas terrorists who murdered, raped and kidnapped civilians can somehow be recast as brave anti-colonial “resistance fighters”. No, obviously not every young person believes this nonsense. But enough do for it to have become a serious cultural and political phenomenon. And changing demographics in Britain and France are plainly part of this story. It is ridiculous to pretend otherwise. Countries can absorb enormous demographic change only if there remains sufficient agreement about the values, laws and institutions holding the country together. Importing millions of people from societies with radically different religious, cultural and political assumptions was always going to have consequences. The idea that everybody would simply arrive, adopt the prevailing liberal democratic consensus and that nothing fundamental would change was itself a kind of utopianism. Use your eyes and ears. Look at what is happening on the streets of European cities. Listen to what people are chanting. Look at the flags. Look at the glorification of people and movements whose values are profoundly hostile to the liberal societies in which their supporters are demonstrating. It is no good pretending this isn’t happening because acknowledging it makes people uncomfortable. We have a clash of cultures playing itself out on the streets of Europe. We also have a clash of realities between generations - although the insanity is certainly not confined to the young, as the Green Party has demonstrated spectacularly this week. And I see remarkably little evidence that any of this is going to improve. The question is how much worse things have to get before politicians of every political hue acknowledge the obvious: a nation cannot indefinitely function as a collection of mutually antagonistic identity groups occupying the same geographical space. Countries need borders, yes. But they also need a shared conception of citizenship. Shared institutions. Shared obligations. Shared democratic norms. And enough common values for people of radically different backgrounds to regard one another as members of the same national community. Multiculturalism without integration eventually becomes fragmentation. And when a society loses the things that bind it together, we shouldn’t be surprised when it starts coming apart.

Harvey is an 11 month old Border Collie. He is looking for a new home and would suit someone who has experience with the breed. Harvey is anxious around children, he would suit a home with no kids. He is crate trained and whilst in his crate he is okay if children are around, however he doesn't like to live with them. Harvey is great with other dogs and cats. He is chipped. Harvey does not have any medical conditions and is registered with the vets. He eats two meals a day which is a mix of both wet and dry food which he loves. Harvey will sleep in his owners bedroom at night on the floor or the bed. He is fine in the car and loves to play with toys - tug of war if his favourite game. He loves treats of all kinds. Harvey can be wary meeting new people at first, if they have a toy he will likely interact and get use to new people. He is great with other dogs and just wants to play - he does have a lot of energy so would suit younger dogs. Harvey was last at the vets 6 months ago for a regular check up and was fine. He is good on the lead but can pull from time to time if he knows he is going to a certain park where he knows he will play with the ball. Harvey is also fully house trained. He likes the company of his adult owners and loves to cuddle and play with his ball or toys. His new owner will need to be understanding of his needs and patient with him. For more information or to offer Harvey a new home please email info@help2rehome.com We don't accept private messages to the page, please email for any enquiries.

We're assisting the family of CJ to help him find a new home after his owner sadly passed away. CJ is a 6.5 year old Lab cross Husky, he is very friendly, although slightly confused at the moment as he is missing his female owner. CJ is house trained and walks well on the lead. He is neutered and registered with a vets. We don't have a lot of information sadly. He is eating dry food. CJ is a calm dog. He hasn't lived with other animals, When he has been out and about for walks he hasn't had any issues with other pets or children. As we don't know how he is with young kids, we'd suggest a home with older kids of a teenage age instead. To offer CJ a new home please email info@help2rehome.com

Woman of the Day Barbara Betts born OTD in 1910 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, one of the longest serving Members of Parliament and the first woman in the UK to be appointed First Secretary of State. Barbara was the Labour MP for Blackburn from 1945 to 1979. From 1965 until 1968, she was the Minister of Transport and never one to sit still, she called for "a profound change in public attitudes" to halt the gallop of road fatalities, saying: “Hitler did not manage to kill as many civilians in Britain as have been killed on our roads since the war". Barbara also introduced legislation permitting use of breathalysers. A BBC journalist told her it was a “rotten idea” and said, "You're only a woman, you don't drive, what do you know about it?". Quite a lot, as it happened. In the first twelve months, road deaths dropped by 16.5%. She didn’t stop there. She made the national speed limit of 70mph a permanent one and motorway casualties fell by 20%. Seat belts? Yes, Barbara introduced those too, making the roads safer for all of us. As Employment Secretary, she proposed reducing the power of the trade unions with her 1969 White Paper In Place Of Strife. It caused uproar, a major cabinet split, resignations, and alienated her from her colleagues on the Left. In fact, it is still blamed by some for Labour’s GE result in 1970 but Barbara made history when she intervened in the Dagenham Ford sewing machinists’ strike of 1968. She helped resolve the strike, thus securing a pay rise for Ford’s women workers that gave them 92% of men’s pay, but she cemented this win and took it to its logical conclusion by ushering through the Equal Pay Act 1970. The UK led the world by being the first country in the world to legislate for equal pay for women, all thanks to Barbara. By now you’ve probably guessed the name by which Barbara was better known. She married a bloke called Ted Castle along the way. That’s right: Barbara Castle, later Baroness Castle of Blackburn. I should also mention that Barbara’s secretary during the mid- to late 1950s was former Tiller girl Betty Boothroyd, later the first woman Speaker and Baroness Boothroyd. Office accommodation in the House of Commons was so scarce and so restricted that for a while in 1959, Barbara shared her office with Betty and also with the newly elected MP for Finchley, one Margaret Roberts, later the first woman Prime Minister and Baroness Thatcher. Three women of principle, three forces of nature in one small space. Wouldn’t you like to have been a fly on that particular wall? (Wonder what they’d have made of the Green Party today? They wouldn’t have held back. Oh how I wish they were around now). Barbara Castle died in 2002, aged 91, at her home at Hell Corner Farm. A political giant.

The only thing sweeter than a baby elephant? A baby elephant sleeping soundly beneath mum! This was the sight that greeted our Ithumba Keepers yesterday morning. Ex-orphan Chaimu was waiting outside the stockades, with tiny Comet slumbering between her feet. Many of us circle home for life’s milestones, and Chaimu is no different. She has long since reclaimed her place in the wild, but right after giving birth on Friday, she shepherded her newborn back ‘home’ to Ithumba, so she could introduce her daughter to the people who raised her. In the days since, mum and baby have remained close, leaning on the support of their human-elephant family. Read Comet’s birth announcement: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/n…

For those who could benefit from a little soft and calming green and white 🍃🤍

Douglas is a 10 year old Border Collie with the sweetest personality 💛 Although his sight is impaired, his ears and nose still work like a charm, and his special power is sniffing out treats! 👃 If you think you could give Douglas the calm, loving home he needs, check out his profile here ➡️ bit.ly/4AddkXc @DogsTrust #ADogIsForLife #AdoptDontShop

Who's ready for Sunday snuggles with Teddy 🙋‍♀️💜 Teddy is a gorgeous Terrier crossbred who's hoping to find his forever home! 🏡If you're looking for a snuggly sofa buddy who loves to play then make sure to add Teddy to your favourites! Meet Teddy 👉 bit.ly/4gjglMs

Stormi by name, sweetheart by nature! 😍 This gorgeous girl would brighten up even the cloudiest day! At just 3 years old, she’s super playful and eager to learn AND she’s available to adopt! 🐾💖

Ive been asked to try and get a few guys together for jobs in Irvine and inchinnan . Must have cscs card and dumper ticket ..any retweets greatly appreciated

There is no Woman of the Day post today but if there was, it would be PC Nicola Grey who made history OTD in 1979 when she became the Metropolitan Police’s first ever woman dog handler. I can’t find a photo of Nicola. I can’t even find any more details about her. She wasn’t the first. Elizabeth Dixon became the UK’s first female dog handler earlier the same year for West Midlands Police and was only accepted after three knockbacks (the usual invisible tariff that only applies to women) but Nicola Grey must have made a compelling candidate too because the Met had to change its rules for dog handlers. Until 1979, women hadn’t been permitted to carry out the role because the Met’s policy said that an officer must have a wife who could look after a puppy while HE went to work. I know. Not a typo. 1979. I’m just surprised it didn’t specify that she had to wear a frilly pinny while she did the washing up. Progress. Of a kind… It is now October 2026, 47 years after Nicola’s appointment forced the Met to change the rules discriminating against women, yet the National Police Chiefs Council still clings to the bizarre idea that a man with long hair and lip gloss can be a woman if you really, really pretend, and that man can still ask to be searched by a female officer. Some might call this a "shadow consensual framework”. I call it a creep’s charter. Baroness Casey’s Review in March 2023 stated quite plainly: “Female officers and staff routinely face sexism and misogyny. The Met has not protected its female employees or members of the public from police perpetrators of domestic abuse, nor those who abuse their position for sexual purposes. Despite the Met saying violence against women and girls is a priority, it has been treated differently from 'serious violence'. In practice, this has meant it has not been taken as seriously in terms of resourcing and prioritisation.” Sometimes progress is measured in very small steps. Except when it comes to misogyny and its fraternal twin, the objectification of women. The pace then is so imperceptible, it’s positively glacial.

We’ve not had any enquiries for this lovely lad 😢 despite extending the rehoming reach to England. Can you please share, tag, or comment to help Tyson? It only takes seconds to do so but could mean that he lives the rest of his life somewhere full of love. Thank you.

My love letter to you all xx

One of the most beautiful berries - the joyously pink spindle berry🩷🧡🩷 They hang from thin, straight branches, once used to make spindles, hence the name🩷 In the Language of Flowers spindles mean 'your charms are engraven on my heart'📚🩷📚#folklore

Meet Trixie, she is a 6 year old, Staffy X (White) Through no fault of her own Trixie is looking for a new loving home. Sadly with a lot of soul searching her present owner has had to make the heart breaking decision to have to rehome Trixie due to personal reasons. Trixie is a very loyal, loving girl who loves being spoilt and getting lots of cuddles, she loves any kind of attention she enjoys being all cosy and snuggling up with you. She loves meeting people and loves attention from anyone. She is good around children, Trixie can be reactive sometimes with other dogs. Not happy around cats. Not good with the hoover. She would be best placed in her new home with no other animals. Trixie is registered with the vet, microchipped, no medical issues, not on any medications, she is fit and healthy, weight 27kg. She is up to date with her vaccinations, she is due her yearly check up on the 28th November. Trixie's diet - she eats wet and dry food, she’s on Forthglade wet and Hunters Club dry twice a day. She is very food motivated, and loves her treats. Trixie likes playing in the garden, enjoys going for walks. She likes toys, her favourite is a ball, especially if it has a squeaker. When going on walks can get a bit excited at first, can pull on her lead, however will settle down. She is not keen on dogs, she will walk past them fine, however she doesn’t like other dogs in her space and she will snap at them. Trixie is good with commands. She can be left on her own. She travels well in the car, can become vocal. She sleeps in her own bed, unless she is sometimes allowed on the owners bed. This beautiful girl is looking for her new human companion, to share lots of adventures, walks and all her love with. If Trixie sounds like the dog for you email info@help2rehome.com for more information.

Living the best life.. 😊

New baby announcement! At dawn today, ex-orphan Chaimu returned to our Ithumba stockades with a beautiful surprise – her newborn daughter. We were delighted that she chose to share this special moment with the Keepers who helped raise her. Named Comet, she is the 95th known calf born to an orphan rescued, raised and rewilded through our Orphans’ Project. Each new arrival is a wonderful reminder of what your support makes possible: not just saving individual lives, but giving rise to new generations of wild elephants. Read Chaimu and Comet’s story: sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/n…

We have no giant follower count. No “influencers” repost us. All we have is bees, flowers, women in history and a desire to help three organizations that deserve our help. Please support our endeavor of you can. Even if you choose not to get a calendar, give these organizations a follow, they deserve it. #Womenempoweringwomen #Terf #bees #sunflowers #calendar @cawsbar @sisters_heal @PdxInstitute