Category: BRAINSTORM

The comings and goings of the entrepreneurial classes.

The brightest and the stupidest in business

Tough Over Toff – Paul Dacre’s Back With A Bang

‘Daily Mail’ returns to “tough over toff” in ousting Geordie Greig and bringing back “daily hater’s” favourite’s bruiser Paul Dacre

The ongoing power play at the Daily Mail’s parent company took another Succession-like twist yesterday with the return – after just a few weeks away from the company – of Paul Dacre as editor-in-chief of DMG Media, the trust’s media arm.

Coming just days after “toff over tough” Geordie Greig’s ousting as editor of the Daily Mail, “tough over toff” Dacre’s reappointment will no doubt annoy the likes of Polly Toynbee, a woman whom once described him as a “bully” who “targets underdogs, imposing on the country racism, homophobia and philistinism, and shunning complexity and evidence.”

“Highly influentially politically” Dacre – a man with a house in Belgravia, a Sussex cattle farm, a house in the British Virgin Islands and a vast 17,000 Scottish estate – had previously sought to become chair of Ofcom, but was firmly rejected as “not acceptable.”

In a letter to The Times, of the interview process orchestrated at Ofcom, Dacre declared it was an ““infelicitous dalliance with the blob” and added:

“To anyone from the private sector, who, God forbid, has convictions, and is thinking of applying for a public appointment, I say the following: the civil service will control (and leak) everything; the process could take a year in which your life will be put on hold; and if you are possessed of an independent mind and are unassociated with the liberal/left, you will have more chance of winning the lottery than getting the job.”

Of Dacre’s reappointment in an email to staff, DMGT chairman Lord Rothermere commented:

“I am delighted to announce that Paul Dacre, who has a huge and distinguished history with this company, is being appointed editor-in-chief of DMG media.”

“Although he will not be involved in day-to-day editing, he will be taking an active role advising me and the editors.”

Going further, DMG publisher Martin Clarke added:

“Nobody has done more to make the Mail titles what they are today than Paul Dacre and I am honoured to be working with him.”

“His journalistic courage and judgment are beyond equal and editors and executives the length of Fleet Street can testify personally to how much they owe to his encouragement and counsel. DMG Media is extremely lucky to be able to draw on such a legendary talent.”

Now, as Lord Rothermere also moves to end DMGT’s 90 years as a listed company and seeks to retain the Daily Mail’s position as Britain’s biggest-selling newspaper, the return of “old bruiser” Paul Dacre marks one thing: “Geordie Greig’s nicer school of journalism” is about to be chucked out with the bathwater.

Pictured top: Paul Dacre – a man once described as a “poisoner in chief” and known for giving his readers “a daily hate.”

Geordie Greig was ousted from the ‘Daily Mail’ just days after his mate, the alleged mucky madam Ghislaine Maxwell, gave an “exclusive” to its sister paper ‘The Mail on Sunday’ about her life awaiting trial for sex trafficking and the enticement of minors.

Responding to critics, Dacre once remarked of “an unpleasant intellectual snobbery about the ‘Mail’ in leftish circles, for whom the word ‘suburban’ is an obscenity. They simply cannot comprehend how a paper that opposes the mindset they hold dear can be so successful and so loved by its millions of readers. Well, I’m proud that the ‘Mail’ stands up for those readers.” Previously he was most famous for headlines including: “Enemies Of The People” and “Crush The Saboteurs.”

In June 2018, Peter Oborne described Dacre as “one of the great., popular journalists, one of the great, popular editors.” He added: “He’s been one of the greatest editors of all time.” Of him, Lord Adonis countered: “He’s a [person] who feeds phobias.”

November 23, 2021
Greedy, Guilty & Gaoled – Inigo Philbrick

Gaoled ‘Mini-Madoff’ Inigo Philibrick admits he did “it for money… that simple” as he pleads guilty to £64 million art fraud; his usually mouthy ‘baby mama’ Victoria Baker-Harber has meanwhile gone surprisingly silent

Somewhat ludicrously lauded as an “art world wunderkind” by The Daily Beast and “the art world’s Mini-Madoff” by his one-time chum, the art dealer Kenny Schachter, Inigo Philbrick this week pleaded guilty to wire fraud and will turn over some £64 million ($86 million, €76 million or درهم316 million) and several paintings to authorities.

Now facing upto 20 years in jail without the possibility of parole when sentenced on 18^th March 2021, 34-year-old Philbrick – who is presently engaged and has a young child with the mouthy Made In Chelsea reality show participant Victoria Baker-Harber – told the Manhattan federal court: “I knew my actions were wrong and illegal.”

Going further, the Ponzi scheming crook added: “[I] knowingly engaged [in a scheme to make money using] material misrepresentations and omissions.”

Asked by the judge in the case, Sidney Stein: “Why did you do this?”, Philbrick responded: “For money, your honour… That simple.” Reportedly, prior to proceedings, the felon “looked towards a modelesque blonde who was seated in the front row, and raised his eyebrows at her in a playful greeting.”

Described mockingly by Vulture as having “shackles around his ankles [and] wearing a khaki jail shirt and institutional navy pants” and with hair “grown out into a sort of curly mullet,” the supposedly “remorseless” criminal’s plea deal has resulted in prosecutors recommending a sentence of between 121 and 151 months. As part of this, he has agreed not to appeal any sentence of 151 months or less.

In a statement following the hearing, U.S. attorney Damian Williams commented:

“Inigo Philbrick was a serial swindler who took advantage of the lack of transparency in the art market to defraud art collectors, investors, and lenders of more than $86 million to finance his art business and his lifestyle.”

Responding in an emailed statement, the bearded bullshitter’s attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, later remarked:

“Inigo accepted full responsibility for his actions today and will pay for his crimes the rest of his life.”

“While his actions were dishonest and criminal in nature, he’s part of an industry sick from top to bottom where this sort of behavior is sadly commonplace. That being said, he apologises to his victims and will do all that he can to make them whole.”

Previously, in December 2019, revered art dealer Jay Jopling – who helped launch Philbrick’s career by giving him an internship – told ARTnews:

“I am aware of the serious allegations made against Mr Inigo Philbrick. It has hurt and saddened me to learn that Mr Philbrick, whom I respected and whose early career I supported, has not only betrayed my trust but, it appears, that of many others.”

“We are privileged in our industry to work closely with the artists and art that we love. I am enormously disappointed that Mr. Philbrick appears to have abused this position of privilege.”

“I was shocked to discover the allegations of serious wrongdoing by Mr Philbrick in U.S. media reports in October 2019. At the earliest possible opportunity, I applied for an injunction against Mr Philbrick to protect my interests.”

Pictured top: Incarcerated conman Inigo Philbrick with Victoria Baker-Harber – a wacky woman who’ll normally do anything for attention who has remarkably now gone rather quiet on both her Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Works by famous artists that passed through the grubby hands of double-dealing, deviant dealer Inigo Philbrick included ones by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Mark Bradford, Wade Guyton, Donald Judd, Yaoyoi Kusama, Richard Prince, Rudolf Stingel and Christopher Wool. He was snared in June 2020 on the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu after disappearing in October 2019.

Amongst victims of the fraudster were Kenny Schachter (pictured left). Victoria Baker-Harber (right) showed no regret for her association with Inigo Philbrick in June 2020 – a man who ferried her around in a private jet at the expense of others – in retweeting an attack on Schachter by someone named ‘Koogs’ on Twitter. They opined: “Who quotes themselves?? Get over it! Your wife is a billionaire! Are you crying about cash or cock?”

Prior to taking up with tedious twerp Victoria Baker-Harber, Inigo Philbrick was in relationship with Francisca Mancini, a Buenos Aires born art advisor turned perfume maker.

Kenny Schachter having a chat about Inigo Philbrick amongst other things. One thing is for certain about the husband of Ilona Rich Schachter (daughter of the late Marc Rich and Denise Eisenberg Rich) – he’s anything but reticent about sharing his opinions about his former friend, someone he has given the moniker ‘The Art World’s Mini-Madoff.’

November 20, 2021
Epstein’s Fat Cat Finally Falls

Barclays CEO Jes Staley stands down 627 days after his links to the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein were exposed; ‘Epstein’s fat cat’ leaves with a £2.5 million golden handshake

It’s taken 627 days, but today James ‘Jes’ Staley has stepped down over his links to the croaked paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. A man cited as a “cat running out of lives” by Markets.com’s Neil Wilson on 13^th February 2020, the now former chief executive officer of Barclays has finally realised his days as a powerhouse are numbered.

Coming just prior to alleged mucky madam Ghislaine Maxwell’s New York trial commencing on the 29^th November, Staley’s fall from grace has interestingly come about not because of a decision by Barclays itself. Here, in fact, is a move that has occured because of regulatory bodies and public relations considerations.

It now transpires that Staley’s resignation followed the investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority reaching a preliminary conclusion that effectively condemned Staley as “unfit” to continue to act as the chief of a banking giant whose revenue was £21.766 billion in 2020.

Boston, Massachusetts born Staley now intends to contest the regulator’s decisions and in a statement this morning, Barclays announced:

“In view of those conclusions, and Mr Staley’s intention to contest them, the board and Mr Staley have agreed that he will step down from his role as group chief executive and as a director of Barclays.”

“The board is disappointed at this outcome. Mr Staley has run the Barclays Group successfully since December 2015 with real commitment and skill.”

Going further, the firm added that the investigation did not conclude that Staley “saw, or was aware of, any of Mr Epstein’s alleged crimes, which was the central question underpinning Barclays’ support for Mr Staley following the arrest of Mr Epstein in the summer of 2019.”

However, with the vultures unsurprisingly circling, clearly the financial giant have finally realised that negative media attention around both Maxwell and Prince Andrew’s links to Epstein – a man first convicted of sexual offences in 2008 – are about to return to haunt them also.

In October 2015, the Daily Mail published an article suggesting they had seen emails written by Epstein indicating he had “begun arguing for Mr Staley in financial circles in the summer of 2012″ while Barclays was searching for a new CEO.”

Astoundingly, Jes Staley will leave the firm with a 12 month golden handshake worth some £2.5 million. Who said associating with a paedophile doesn’t pay?

Jes Staley, at the time a senior JP Morgan executive (left), with former treasury secretary Lawrence Summers and Jeffrey Epstein in 2011 at the latter’s Lenox Hill, New York mansion.

Mr Staley’s departure caused havoc this morning for Barclays’ share price. The revelation that the now former CEO visited Little St James, the island owned by the now croaked paedophile, months before he took up his role at the bank in 2015 were especially damning given Epstein’s 2008 conviction for sexual offences against minors. Last year, attempting to justify his position, the banker declared: “Obviously I thought I knew him well and I didn’t. For sure, with hindsight with what we know now, I deeply regret having any relationship with Jeffrey.”

Little St James – now tellingly known as ‘Paedo Island’ – was not only the scene of meetings between the now former Barclays CEO and the now croaked paedophile. It was also allegedly one of the locations where Prince Andrew abused his civil case accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Since Epstein’s rather suspicious death in 2019, various “garish” items on the island have been removed – amongst them gargoyles and sculptures of cockatoos and a cow.

November 1, 2021
Word of the Week 2021 – Thunderplump

Yet again Susie Dent delivers with a definition of a word summing up today’s weather, ‘thunderplump’

Etymologist and Countdown ‘Dictionary Corner’ stalwart Susie Dent has delivered The Steeple Times’ ‘Word of the Week’ yet again this week.

Previously featured with descriptions to accompany ‘autolatry’ (‘self worship’) in November 2020 and ‘going to the polls’ in May 2021, delightful Dent shared a useful description of the weather on Friday on her Twitter account. Her tweet read:

Word of the day is ‘thunderplump’: a sudden, heavy downpour that comes out of nowhere and drenches you in seconds.

Perfectly summing up today’s metreological conditions, the missive has already been retweeted over 1,300 times, quoted over 240 times and liked by over 10,000 users.

Reactions to the post, equally, were most amusing and with many adapting this noun to politics also, here is a word of Scots dialect origin that should most definitely be added to your personal lexicon.

Pictured top: Susie Dent (left) and two people struggling to walk through the consequential effects of a thunderplump.

Word of the day is ‘thunderplump’: a sudden, heavy downpour that comes out of nowhere and drenches you in seconds.
— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) October 29, 2021

A Canadian broadmare horse was named after the word in 2020.

There is even also a musical artist that takes the word as its name.

October 31, 2021
Moron of the Moment – Thomas Huff

As businessman Thomas Huff – whom bought Jeffrey Epstein’s Gulfstream jet in 2019, 11 years after the latter’s first sexual offence conviction – belatedly sues due to “regret,” all he does is make a moron of himself

The old proverb “a fool and his money are easily parted” certainly applies to Cobb County, Georgia based Thomas Huff – a man whom bought Jeffrey Epstein’s Gulfstream jet in 2019 in spite of the since croaked paedophile’s 2008 conviction.

Now filing a lawsuit against Epstein’s estate on the basis that he claims the jet was used in “criminal enterprises” he claims to have known nothing of, Huff alleges that his company, JEGE LLC, has been damaged by the stigma.

In his suit, the businessman claims:

“JEGE’s customers, some of which are very well known to the public, are tracked, surveilled, and reported to the press for using, what they believed to be Jeffrey Epstein’s company.”

“Mr Epstein committed fraud by failing to disclose a material fact that could not have been known through any amount of due diligence by Thomas Huff.”

“Additionally, JEGE was not able to obtain financing, not because of credit worthiness, but because of the stigma of Jeffrey E. Epstein’s victimization of children attached to JEGE.”

“He knew or should have known that his ongoing criminal enterprise would undermine the value of JEGE if and when it was discovered… [His] lies were a breach of the duty of candor.”

Going further, Huff’s attorney, Jeff Banks, told The Daily Beast:

“It’s truly affected my client being able to use it. A lot of people track the plane, who flies on it, and of course, harass those people, and they don’t want to lease the airplane anymore. So, it’s affected his business.”

“I did reach out early to Jeffrey Epstein’s attorneys and their thought was, ‘Well, you should have known he was this terrible person.’”

“They had somebody contact me and say that if I’d done research, I could have figured out what a sleaze he was.”

Paedophile Jeffrey Epstein owned several private jets during his lifetime, the most notorious was nicknamed ‘Lolita Express’ – it remains notorious for having been used for sex trafficking.

President Bill Clinton was pictured getting off said private plane with currently incarcerated awaiting trial alleged mucky madam Ghislaine Maxwell.

Prince Andrew, meanwhile, liked to enjoy his chum Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘toys’ – he is pictured here boarding an unconnected private jet to Balmoral.

October 30, 2021
Banging On Brady

Poundland muckspreader and prattling peer Karren Brady continues to bore the public by banging on about just about everything

Calling a woman a “Karen” is to use “pejorative slang to describe an obnoxious, angry, entitled, and often racist middle-aged white female who uses her privilege to get her way or police other people’s behaviour,” but there’s a “Karren” (with two ‘r’s’) frankly even worse than her single ‘r’ sister.

This morning in The Sun on Sunday, following up from the rant by her we referenced in January 2021, the acid tongued harpy that is Karren Brady (AKA The Right Honourable The Baroness Brady of Knightsbridge in the City of Westminster CBE, ‘Lazy Brady,’ ‘The Poundland Muckspreader’ and ‘Mrs Blowjob or No Job’) decided to lecture all-and-sundry about just about everything.

Beginning with a commentary about how she likes to tell her children “how things used to be” in “the olden days” and how she “prefers real friends” in spite of promoting herself heavily on Instagram, Brady – once branded a “nasty piece of trash” and “a complete coward” by Duncan Bannatyne – then claimed Kirsty Bertarelli’s £350 million divorce settlement “seems like a fair and well-deserved payoff to me.”

Aside from illustrating how out of touch with the lives of ordinary folk throughout the land, job destroyer Sir Philip Green’s friend and associate’s comments once again show her to be incapable of saying or writing anything rational or reasoned.

“Arrogant, self-interested baroness” and gutter gossip hack” Brady then continued by offering up her views on climate change and those protesting against it, “the joys of flexible working,” swimmer Tom Daley’s bulimia and Dominic Raab’s misunderstanding of the concepts of misogyny and misandry. Instead, could this weird wench not have focused on perhaps just one topic?

Whatever will this “supreme self-brander” – whom reminded Simon Hattenstone of the Guardian of the thankfully croaked late paedophile PR man Max Clifford – be banging on about next? Surely, the public must know ‘Condescending Karren’s’ thoughts on sex toys and most especially dildos.

Pictured top: Mouthy muckspreader Lady Brady with her deservedly loathed mate Sir Philip Green.

Brady with West Ham co-owner David Sullivan in 1993. Mr Sullivan was mocked by fans in September 2017 when they bounced a giant inflatable sex toy around a stadium during a game against Huddersfield.

The aforementioned inflatable.

“Overpainted Aunt Sally” Karren Brady on…

Her destroyer of jobs and the high street mate ‘Sir Shifty’ Philip Green…

“The most dynamic, the most energetic, the most relentless business-person I have ever come across, a whirlwind of energy and ideas.”

The nearly as controversial businessman Mike Ashley:

“I feel sorry for a guy like Mike Ashley… He tried his best… I feel tremendous sympathy for Ashley.”

Her “precarious work-life balance”…

“[It’s a] balancing act… [I feel] constant guilt over being a working mother.”

Her being investigated in connection with corruption in football…

“I was in a very dark place… It was gut-wrenching… I didn’t want to have to justify myself to people.”

The East End of London…

“A hotbed of racism.”

Condoms in the Birmingham City boardroom…

“I found it floating in the toilet… And it became this big whodunit. I mean, in the boardroom toilet of all places.”

Her “wickedly indiscreet newspaper column”…

“It’s what I leave out that would make your hair curl.”

Unsurprisingly getting abuse given her own vile tongue…

“The abuse I get is vile. And so much worse now than it’s ever been.”

Herself…

“At 23, I had skin as thick as a rhino… I don’t have any fears.”

“I dare to put my head above the parapet, to have a mind and a voice of my own and to plough my own furrow.”

“[I am now] one of the most highly sought-after motivational speakers in the world.”

More modest than the late Mother Theresa, one is simply left asking: “What on earth was it about the very wealthy woman Karren Brady that David Cameron saw fit to elevate her to the House of Lords?”

October 10, 2021
Mobile Madness

Nikolay Kalinin slams Gavin Williamson’s war on mobile phones in schools

Away from pursuing the passage of the blatantly stupid Higher Education Bill, Gavin Williamson has decided to wage war on mobile phones in schools, saying that they are “not just distracting, but when misused or overused, they can have a damaging effect on a pupil’s mental health and wellbeing.” Coupled with the Tory majority, the proposal will most certainly become law.

Admittedly, there is some ground to his arguments – yes, I too cannot believe I said that – as apps such as TikTok and Instagram are not only distracting, but also could be used for cyberbullying and sexual harassment, as Ofsted has highlighted.

However, this legislation is both useless and is some cases even harmful; for starters, schools already have restrictions regarding mobile phone use; some for example require students to switch devices off before class or put them into a box, and some can ban their usage outright. I’m not usually a supporter of libertarianism, but policies like this do make sense because they are flexible.

Portable telephone can also be used for beneficial purposes; the CEO of Mumsnet for example recently wrote an article criticising Gavin’s proposal and revealing that one of her friend’s sons who has special needs uses his phone to record verbal instructions and take photos of the board.

There are also apps such as Evernote which allow students to organise their notes and therefore increase their chances of memorising knowledge. For many students therefore, the phone is not just a tool for entertainment, it’s also a tool for education.

If Gavin Williamson truly cares about the wellbeing of children, perhaps he should instead focus on increasing catch-up spending for students – which is only £50 per head here, while the Netherlands provides £2,500 per head – and stop trying to indoctrinate children through the endorsement of such claptrap as the One Britain, One Nation campaign.

The catch-up situation is in particular important because technology is not to blame for the decline of children’s education; rather it’s the lack of financial support they and their schools receive.

Used properly and appropriately, technology has a place in learning.

July 1, 2021
Dim Martin

Nikolay Kalinin mocks Brexiteer and founder of Wetherspoons Tim Martin for now wanting EU migrant workers; he relabels the champagne, social media and dog hater ‘Dim Martin’

Bumbling Brexiteer Tim Martin is genuinely suffering from “oh no, I really have binned it” syndrome. Yesterday, the JD Wetherspoons founder – who back in 2018 banned champagne and replaced it with sparkling wine from Britain and Australia – contradicted himself and demanded government schemes to make it easier for EU migrants to return to boost the UK economy by working for him.

In comments circulated widely, the businessman asked Boris Johnson to establish a more “reasonably liberal immigration system” that would see the introduction of a visa scheme for EU workers, as pubs and restaurants struggle to find sufficient workers post-pandemic.

Speaking to the Telegraph, the pub chain boss stated that such a proposal would be beneficial for the UK because of its “low birth rate” and attempted to justify his proposal by saying: “America, Australia and Singapore have benefitted for many decades from this approach. Immigration combined with democracy works.”

Over the past year, Wetherspoons has seen its number of workers drop by 6,000 to 38,000, meaning that those workers must have taken Martin’s advice of April of last year and gone to work at Tesco’s instead.

Unsurprisingly, this complete lunatic’s comments sparked outrage on social media for their blatant hypocrisy, with then Mirror’s Kevin Maguire calling him a “prat” for “demanding more migration from Europe under a “reasonably liberal” system after he whipped up anti-EU prejudice, fuelling myths and banning European booze.”

Meanwhile, the official account of Have I Got News For You tweeted: “Tim Martin calls for more EU migration to staff bars, after Brexit causes 90% downturn in irony and self-awareness.”

What we are seeing here is Brexit reality dawning over the very people who once supported it. It turns out that we are not living in a paradise and we have not taken back control of our borders, as evidenced by how ‘Priti “Awful’ Patel’s plans to catch illegal migrants have been rejected by the French.

Tim Martin was interviewed by Owen Jones in January 2019. “Which of them is more loathsome?” is the question that most would ask of this awful pair of pillocks.

In January last year, Wetherspoons draconianly limited customers with children to just two alcoholic drinks each. In response, Rupert Murray pointed out in ‘The Telegraph’ yesterday: “Here’s a new business idea for you: hanging around in Wetherspoons loos selling moonshine to thirsty parents. Thirsty parents who have already downed their allotted two pints. They’ve probably smashed their glasses over a nearby skull and trashed the joint. Mothers and fathers are, after all, Begbie from ‘Trainspotting’ in sheep’s clothing. This is the only possible explanation for why Wetherspoons has banned anyone looking after children from being served anything more than a brace of beverages.”

Tim Martin is the personification of a stupid, hypocrite argues Nikolay Kalinin. Pictured here with Boris Johnson, ‘The Steeple Times’ has previously condemned him for banning dogs both inside and outside his pubs, for his ban on social media in his premises and for banning champagne and other European booze also. He is nothing but an utter nutter!

June 3, 2021
The Boat Britain Didn’t Ask For (Or Need)

Nikolay Kalinin joins those condemning Boris Johnson’s decision to waste £200 million on a boat Britain didn’t ask for (or need)

Remember when Eurosceptics pledged Brexit would enable the government to give £350 million per week ($496 million, €406 million or درهم1.8 billion per week) to the NHS? Well, now we finally know where that money is actually going as the government has officially decided to waste some of it commissioning a vanity ship they claim will showcase the “best of British.”

The £200 million ($284 million, €232 million or درهم1 billion) gin palace – which was to be named after the late Duke of Edinburgh though even the royal family have supposedly raised objections to such as they don’t think an association with it will do them any favours – is set to be the successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was retired in 1997. Boris Johnson has stated that the vessel will “represent and promote the best of British – a clear and powerful symbol of our commitment to be an active player on the world stage.”

Yet, one cannot ignore that this project seems so pointless and unnecessarily expensive, a fact that has been called out by figures in Parliament. When asked about the diplomatic benefits of “recommissioning HM Yacht Britannia” by Conservative MP for Romford, Andrew Rosindell, President for COP26, Alok Sharma, admitted: “The royal yacht was used on just 37 occasions for… signing trade deals during 1989 – 1997. There’s no evidence that the yacht made a difference to the trade deals secured in these years and this level of use would not represent a good return on investment.”

The Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Bridget Phillipson, also seemed to agree, stating: “We want to see public money used for targeted investment in a green economic recovery, resources for our NHS, and supporting families to succeed.”

She added that if the government does go ahead with the plan to build the yacht: “We’d want to see it built in Britain, supporting jobs and skills in shipyards here, and with a real focus on value for money at every stage.”

What we are seeing here once again is the government misappropriating taxpayers’ money in order to reinforce the fake vision of muscular unionism. The government is trying to reinforce a vision of a united Britain and ‘Britishness’ not through progressive deeds that reflect ‘British values,’ but through objects such as yachts named after recognisable things.

It’s not only the costly yacht however that reflects the idea that ‘muscular unionism’ is so empty, as some time ago an autonomous company launched trials of a self-driving bus in Cambridge, which was draped in the Union Jack.

Comedian Jonathan Pie reacted to the news by calling the bus “the perfect visual metaphor for a country in the grips of such inept and directionless leadership,” while Lord Andrew Adonis mockingly wrote that it “looks like a Brexit bus.”

While I like flags as much as the next man, the fact that ‘BoJo’ seems hellbent on putting them up everywhere demonstrates that his government has nothing much to offer. If Johnson really wants to unite the people of his country, he should work on fixing the rift between his government and Scotland and solve the problems Northern Ireland is facing as a result of Brexit.

The Queen’s love of the Royal Yacht Britannia was never a secret, but even she’s said to believe the decision to order a replacement to be quite beyond unrequired. Meanwhile, the most enthusiastic tin banger for the expensive tub has been Christopher Hope of ‘The Telegraph.’ He has run the paper’s campaign for the vessel since September 2016 and written three dozen articles in support of what he believes to be “putting right [the] historical wrong” of not having a royal yacht.

June 1, 2021
Maxwell Booked

As she is quite deservedly denied bail for a FOURTH time, mucky madam Ghislaine Maxwell sues the publishers of a book about her and Jeffrey Epstein; we respond by urging readers to buy ‘Vice Island’ now

Jean-Gabriel Fredet – the former editor of the popular French news magazine Le Nouvel Observateur (now known as L’Obs) – is a greatly respected journalist. He has written about the “greed” of artists such as Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons and their “megalomaniac collectors” and now after turning his pen to the activities of the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged mucky madam Ghislaine Maxwell, she’s decided to sue.

In spite of being incarcerated and facing a likely sentence of upto 88 years if convicted for trafficking and abusing minors, Maxwell – via the frankly ridiculous RealGhislaine.com website set up ‘in her honour’ by her family – decided on Wednesday to issue a press release announcing she is taking legal action against Albin Michel, the publishers of Fredet’s latest book – L’île de tous es vices (Vice Island).

Claiming Fredet’s publishers have “violated her legal right to the presumption of innocence” via a French lawyer named Oliver Laude and issued in a two-page PDF document by “crisis communications expert” Yves-Paul Robert, founder of the Plead agency, Maxwell arrogantly announced:

“The publication of this book by Albin Michel constitutes an unacceptable attack on the presumption of innocence of Ms. Maxwell. Given the imminence of her criminal trial, to present her as already guilty – which this book does – is as repugnant as it is irresponsible.”

“Everyone has the right for the presumption of innocence to be respected. Where a person is, prior to any conviction, publicly presented as guilty of matters under judicial investigation, the judge may not only compensate the damage suffered, but also take all necessary measures, such as the insertion of a correction or the dissemination of a press release, in order to stop the violation of the presumption of innocence, and this at the expense of the person, or persons, responsible for that violation.”

“The violation in such an egregious fashion of the fundamental right to the presumption of innocence to which Ms. Maxwell is entitled calls for Albin Michel publishers to be made an example of, as much for their own flagrant breach of the law as to deter other media owners in France and indeed around the world from believing they can proceed thus with impunity against her or other persons in similar circumstances.”

Maxwell, a woman prone to banging on about the hardships of having not one but two computers in her cell, is demanding that “Albin Michel publishers be ordered to pay her damages for the prejudices suffered” and wants the “pulping of all extant copies of Vice Island” also.

What’ll this conniving crackpot be demanding next? Aside from Krug on tap in the pokey, this mendacious minx will probably be putting in a request via her PR peddler Brian Basham for a tame personal biographer to spin her as the modern-day Sister Wendy.

A hearing regarding Vice Island, according to the press release, is scheduled for the 19^th May 2021 in France and thus The Steeple Times now urges all interested readers to purchase a copy as a sign of support for Mr Fredet and Albin Michel today.

To buy a copy of ‘L’île de tous les vices: Sexe, pouvoir et impunité, révélations sur l’affaire’ by Jean-Gabriel Fredet, click here.

Pictured top: An especially smug, smirking Ghislaine Maxwell boozing with Mick Jagger (left) and the cover of Jean-Gabriel’s ‘Vice Island’ (right).

Maxwell Booked – “The publishing of Albin Michel’s book ‘is as repugnant as it is irresponsible.’ As Ghislaine awaits trial she is presumed innocent and yet this book ‘constitutes an unacceptable attack on the presumption of innocence of Ms. Maxwell’” stated the team behind RealGhislaine.com on Thursday on Twitter. PR peddler Brian Basham (pictured left), chairman of a firm named ACUITY Reputation, is generally spokesman for the mucky madam, but now she’s added others to the rota and in doing so illustrated the vast resources she’s throwing at the case.

Maxwell Booked – Jean-Gabriel Fredet’s book ‘Vice Island’ is described as follows: “How did a billionaire received by the entire American elite find himself, after years of madness, plunged into a dizzying descent into hell? Jeffrey Epstein is unquestionably rich. However, he left no trace in the world of finance. Its main activity? Satisfy his impulses in an organised gang! For more than twenty years, hundreds of young girls, many of them minors, made the trip to her island in the Antilles archipelago, aboard the ‘Lolita Express,’ one of his private planes. Who helped Jeffrey Epstein? Who participated in his sex trafficking? Who, among the rich and famous registered in his little black notebook, accompanied him to the island of all vices? Clinton, Trump, Kevin Spacey, Prince Andrew … and others? Prosecutors under influence, unscrupulous lawyers, nouveau riche and old fortunes … the Epstein affair sheds light on the flaws of a society indifferent to the crimes of those who live by their own rules and who know only one law: that of impunity.”

Maxwell Booked – Yves-Paul Robert is described on his firm Plead’s website as: “[A] chief executives on their oversight of communications, advocacy and intermediation strategies. He is also a recognised expert in crisis communications and has developed specific expertise in media relations. Prior to setting up Plead, Yves-Paul was head of crisis communications at Havas Paris. In 2017 he wrote a book entitled ‘Le Despote-Consommateur’ (‘The Consumer Despot’) published by Editions Plon, which analyses the way that consumer behaviour is influenced by brands and social media in an increasingly digital world.”

April 23, 2021