The Steeple Times

Category: EDITORIAL

Editorial comment from Matthew Steeples.

Our editor tells it like it is and he rarely minces his words

  • A Yellow Stickered Spending Splurge 2021

    A Yellow Stickered Spending Splurge 2021

    Matthew Steeples shares his “yellow stickered” spending splurge just as it is revealed the average British family spent an extra £50 on groceries in January 2021

    This morning, just as the Guardian shared news that the “average British family spent [an] extra £50 on groceries in January “[underpinning a] £1 billion surge in supermarket spending,” I found myself with a £95 bill for a quick shop at a small Waitrose store in Brompton Road, London.

     

    Despite living alone during this latest lockdown, I – like the rest of the population it plainly seems – find myself making “spontaneous Waitrose trips” now due to being unable to go to restaurants. I saunter in intending to buy just a pint of milk and a bottle of wine perhaps, but end up leaving with goodness knows what.

     

    The perils or, to my plainly muddled mind, delights of finding yellow stickered items is part of the ‘problem.’ Discovering a bargain brings joy to my somewhat dull days and aside from buying the odd chocolate bar for the poor homeless residents of ‘Tent City Knightsbridge,’ I truly cannot justify such sporadic spending on things I truly don’t actually need.

     

    Unsurprisingly, the Guardian also reported that the majority of the increase in supermarket spending in January came from booze. They reported that whilst hideous no-alcohol beer rose “by 12% in the month” but that “alcohol sales surged by an even stronger 29%, or £234m, as the closure of pubs and clubs led to increased drinking at home.” Cheers to that!

     

    Follow Matthew Steeples on Twitter at @M_Steeples.

     

    A Yellow Stickered Spending Splurge 2021 – Supermarket spends up – Matthew Steeples shares his “yellow stickered” spending splurge just as it is revealed the average British family spent an extra £50 on groceries in January 2021.
    A Yellow Stickered Spending Splurge 2021 – “You know lockdown is taking a toll when the spontaneous Waitrose trips begin” remarked one Instagram user last week… When yellow stickered bargains at 10p a pop are involved, one can see why.
    A Yellow Stickered Spending Splurge 2021 – Supermarket spends up – Matthew Steeples shares his “yellow stickered” spending splurge just as it is revealed the average British family spent an extra £50 on groceries in January 2021.
    A Yellow Stickered Spending Splurge 2021 – ‘Celebrity Waitrose’ in Belgravia is well-known for its yellow stickered bargain hunters. Amongst them are the renowned convicted racist and bargain grubber Marie-Claire, Baroness von Alvensleben, the potty chairman of Reform UK Richard Tice and a wacky woman nicknamed ‘The Aisle Eater.’
    A Yellow Stickered Spending Splurge 2021 – Supermarket spends up – Matthew Steeples shares his “yellow stickered” spending splurge just as it is revealed the average British family spent an extra £50 on groceries in January 2021.
    A Yellow Stickered Spending Splurge 2021 – Bargain loving sorts can now also indulge in Tesco reduced yellow sticker “grab a bargain” facemasks and throw blankets via RedBubble.
    A Yellow Stickered Spending Splurge 2021 – Since lockdown’s began in March 2020, yellow stickered bargain hunters have embraced their searches finds with gusto. Here, in July 2020, a YouTube user posted a 1-minute video of his ‘loot.’
  • A French Farce

    A French Farce

    Matthew Steeples slams the likely coverup of the latest Conservative Party sex scandal involving a still unnamed MP as a “French farce” and suggests that the Tories really shouldn’t sweep this matter under the carpet

    One would have thought the Conservative Party would have come to its senses after the “French farce” debacle with the currently in the clink abuser ‘Naughty Tory’ ex-MP Charlie Elphicke and his tawdry replacement MP wife, Natalie.

     

    Aside from both Theresa May and Boris Johnson having protected accused and, in some cases, convicted sex pest Members of Parliament in recent years, this morning the Mirror hinted at a coverup over the sidelining of an investigation into a “campaign of control and sexual abuse” of a woman by a “monster Tory MP” – a man said to be a former minister in his 50s.

     

    In the report into this “French farce” of an investigation – which does not name any of the parties involved – the Mirror exclusively shared that the “top lawyer” Nigel Edwards QC has now taken on the woman’s case on a pro bono basis and reported allegations that:

     

    • The woman, a lady in her 20s, was supposedly subjected to sexual assaults in July 2019 and October 2019 by the Conservative MP.
    • The alleged victim claims to have been raped by the MP in January 2020.
    • The same man is said to have “told her what to wear and screamed if she wasn’t smiling” during a period in which she worked for him.
    • The woman’s mother told the paper that her daughter was “in shock and sobbing” after incidents and “has since been diagnosed with PTSD and is on medication.”
    • The same man is said to have threatened the woman on a night out, shouted at her in the street “with raised fists, screaming in her face, and swearing at her.” On that occasion, the then reportedly “tried to push her into a taxi.”
    • The MP subsequently “demanded” his victim then “come to his office and begged forgiveness” and that is “when one of the sexual assaults happened” allegedly.
    • The MP then allegedly “told her he’d come after her and destroy her life if she told anyone what happened. If she didn’t do as he said, he boasted that he’d wreck her career.”
    • 14 people with supporting evidence were not questioned by the police.
    • Relevant documents from Women’s Aid, Rape Crisis and The Havens were not collected by the police.
    • Key evidence including text messages and phone records were ignored by the police.
    • Officers dismissed her claims because she was in a relationship with the MP and then “victim blamed” her.

     

    Now, in spite of the police having decided not to proceed with any investigation into the allegations of rape, sexual assault and coercive control, Edwards told the paper:

     

    “We are giving advice as to her options. There could be a civil claim for the damage done. A private prosecution could be considered if all other options have been exhausted.”

     

    “All options will be explored and remain open so justice can be done and ensure any dereliction of duty or abuse of power is not unchallenged.”

     

    Aside from doing nothing to stop Natalie Elphicke inappropriately pestering the judiciary on behalf of her convicted sex offender husband with the help of other MPs even after he’d been jailed, the fact that the Tories continue to sweep the matter of sexual abuse in their party brings nothing but shame on the entire lot of them yet again.

     

    Follow Matthew Steeples on Twitter at @M_Steeples.

     

    A French Farce – Conservative Party coverup of sex scandal? Matthew Steeples slams the likely coverup of the latest Conservative Party sex scandal involving a still unnamed MP as a “French farce.” In the wake of the conviction of the sex offender ex-MP ‘Naughty Tory’ Charlie Elphicke, one would have thought that the Tories would have come to their senses over protecting alleged sex offenders.
    A French Farce – This morning’s revelations in the ‘Mirror’ show that the Conservative Party have learnt nothing from the scandal of ‘Naughty Tory’ arse slapper Charlie Elphicke.
    A French Farce – Conservative Party coverup of sex scandal? Matthew Steeples slams the likely coverup of the latest Conservative Party sex scandal involving a still unnamed MP as a “French farce.” In the wake of the conviction of the sex offender ex-MP ‘Naughty Tory’ Charlie Elphicke, one would have thought that the Tories would have come to their senses over protecting alleged sex offenders.
    A French Farce – In October 2017, the ‘Evening Standard’ revealed that a dossier of 36 Conservative MPs accused of “inappropriate behavior towards colleagues, including allegations of sexual misconduct” had been put together by the party. Ludicrously, little-to-nothing was subsequently done about these supposedly “highly inappropriately” behaved abusers and their twisted antics. Now, once again, that the party are sweeping allegations under the carpet is an outrage.
    A French Farce – Conservative Party coverup of sex scandal? Matthew Steeples slams the likely coverup of the latest Conservative Party sex scandal involving a still unnamed MP as a “French farce.” In the wake of the conviction of the sex offender ex-MP ‘Naughty Tory’ Charlie Elphicke, one would have thought that the Tories would have come to their senses over protecting alleged sex offenders.
    A French Farce – There is nothing new about Tory MPs and sex scandals. In 1986, “kinky” Harvey Proctor MP – a man linked to Jeffrey Epstein’s mucky madam Ghislaine Maxwell via his then employer – was found guilty of gross indecency with teenagers.
    A French Farce – The comedian Andrew Lawrence mocked the “French farce” that is the Conservative Party’s attitudes to sexual misconduct to his 26,000 subscribers on YouTube in August 2020, but it must be remembered that the victims of creepy ‘sex pest’ MPs have been subjected to criminal sexual abuse. For that, such offenders should be brought to justice – whoever they may be.
  • Help the Homeless in Lockup 3.0

    Help the Homeless in Lockup 3.0

    Matthew Steeples suggests the government has made progress with its decision to help the homeless in the UK during ‘Lockup 3.0’ – but it must go further

    On Christmas Eve, we featured the tragic story of Knightsbridge’s Brompton Road morphing into a ‘tent city’ for the homeless and now with a nationwide lockdown this January with ‘Lockup 3.0,’ it has become even more essential that these unfortunate people are given more help.

     

    This morning, for once, came good news in the Guardian in a report about the government telling councils to “redouble their efforts to house all rough sleepers, and make sure they are registered with a GP to enable them to receive a Covid vaccine over the next few weeks.”

     

    In addition to £10 million extra in funding as well, with the extension of the ban on evictions in all but the most extreme cases until at least 21st February also, for once, Robert Jenrick, the controversial communities secretary, has finally done something right.

     

    Of the decision, Jenrick remarked:

     

    “At the start of this pandemic we made sure that the most vulnerable in society were protected. This winter, we are continuing in this vein and redoubling our efforts to help those most in need.”

     

    Rightly acknowledged as a step in the right direction, in response, Jon Sparkes, CEO of the homeless charity Crisis, called the move a “lifesaving intervention [at the] most dangerous moment of the pandemic for those without a home.”

     

    As we said in December, remember this: One in three families are only one pay cheque away from losing their home; don’t think it couldn’t be you. Please be kind and considerate to the homeless and please join all urging this government to do more for such people during this dark, depressing, bleak winter.

     

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    Help the Homeless in Lockup 3.0 – New funds for homeless people – Matthew Steeples suggests the government has made progress with its decision to help the homeless in the UK during ‘Lockup 3.0’ – but it must go further.
    In December, ‘The Steeple Times’ reported on Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London SW3 – home to Harrods and the Brompton Oratory church amongst other things – becoming a homeless hub. That people are living in such conditions alongside such wealth during a pandemic brings shame upon us all, but most especially upon Boris Johnson’s rudderless government.
    In June 2020, ‘Vice’ shared a video by the homeless filmmaker David Fussell with its 13.7 million followers. In it, Fussell gave “an insight into how the coronavirus epidemic has affected the homeless.”
  • Lockup Lunacy

    Lockup Lunacy

    Matthew Steeples condemns the government’s slapdash decision to lockup Britain (other than estate agents) once again as ludicrous

    The government’s brutal decision to lockup the British population once again will bankrupt yet more businesses and wreck many more lives and for no good reason.

     

    Whilst new cases and deaths have risen in recent weeks, the new strategy of, for example, bizarrely allowing potentially diseased estate agents to continue to tour multiple houses with their potentially diseased clients and potentially thus spread disease – probably as a result of the property industry being responsible for a quarter of all donations to the Tory party – yet closing virtually every other “non-essential” commercial operation is simply crackers.

     

    Here, in a country that will now allow takeaway food but has banned takeaway alcohol, previous lockup-lockdown’s have taken away our civil liberties but have not been proven to stop the spread of coronavirus. In response, what are this incompetent, inept rudderless government now doing? They’ve decided not to find another solution, but instead opted to just hit repeat.

     

    Now, at a time of year when many deaths are actually being caused by pneumonia yet this year are being pinned with “caused by coronavirus” to suit the government’s all over the bloody place strategy-less-strategy, Boris Johnson has finally gone too far with his one-rule for one sector and one-rule for the rest.

     

    Depression will soar in this dark lockup and businesses (other than estate agents) will go bust and before the end of it, where will we likely be? In a position no better than where we are now. Shame on ‘Bosie The Clown’ and shame on his puppet mistress ‘Carrie Not On Regardless’ and her controlling cronies.

     

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  • Archewell OFF!

    Archewell OFF!

    Matthew Steeples suggests the best thing to do with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Audio ‘Holiday Special’ on Spotify is to turn it off

    “Oh, he has a podcast voice” simpered the Duchess of Sussex as she began her Archewell Audio ‘Holiday Special’ for Spotify. “Thank you for joining, we’re glad you’re here,” added her drip of a husband as they careered into a car crash of a “stand-alone special.”

     

    “Thank you guys” the pair chirped of healthcare workers and then the drivel well and truly commenced. “We asked a few friends and a whole load of other folks [to help us justify our £40 million ($54.5 million, €44.4 million or درهم200 million) fee from Spotify]” continued moolah minded ‘MeGain’ as she no doubt imagined the kerchinging of notes flying into her bank account.

     

    With a lot of “jump ins” and “grabbing [of] cosy beverages if you can,” this 33:21 minute “reflection” of how “2020 has connected us in ways we’d never have imagined through endless acts of kindness and compassion” is actually nothing other than turnoff-able.

     

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    Archewell OFF! Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s terrible Spotify debut – Matthew Steeples suggests the best thing to do with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Audio ‘Holiday Special’ on Spotify is to turn it off.
    Archewell OFF! – The couple were deservedly mocked on social media when their Spotify podcast was announced. On Twitter, one user, Max Burns justifiably remarked: “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the Royal Family because they sought the same kind of normal, private life regular people enjoy. They longed for life’s simple and anonymous pleasures, like launching a new heavily publicised podcast and national promotional tour.”
  • Carrie, Cummings & Calamity

    Carrie, Cummings & Calamity

    Matthew Steeples condemns Boris Johnson’s puppet masters for leading him down a path that will bring calamity to our economy in 2021

    Unelected decision makers Carrie Symonds and Dominic Cummings ought to go down in history as the architects of the impending disaster zone that should henceforth be simply known as ‘Bankrupt Britain.’

     

    Whilst many might pin the blame for this calamity on a rudderless government, it would actually be untrue to suggest that Boris Johnson is anything other than a plaything of his two aforementioned modern-day slavers. Incapable of deciding anything other than to opt for red or white wine for his latest baby mama to chuck at him, ‘Bosie The Clown’ has morphed from a figure of a fun into a foaming, fumbling fool.

     

    Aside from Matt ‘HanCockup’ pathetically blubbing on the telly box and failing to look human, here in this government we actually have a bunch of nincompoops incapable of understanding the savage impending financial woes of those that put it in office face as we move in 2021.

     

    Whilst elected with the help of the demolition of the ‘Red Wall’ Brexit supporting north, this Tory government came to power promising an ‘oven ready’ solution to our exit from the European Union. Instead, it’s presided over a pandemic it hasn’t had a clue how to handle and now faces gridlock at lorry parks with lavatories named after Nigel Farage in Kent.

     

    In locking up Greater London’s businesses just as they had begun to make a little money prior to Christmas, yet again comes another body blow to the economy that frankly just illustrates that this ship of fools shouldn’t even be in charge of a bus ticket. Shame on them and shame on our lily-livered Prime Minister for hiding behind the coattails of ‘Carrie Not On Regardless’ and her cronies. It is time for Boris Johnson to man up and put the calamity of Carrie back in her puppeteers’ cupboard. Of course, we all know the sad truth: Instead, he’ll sadly just bumble into yet more doom and damage in 2021; God help us all.

     

    Pictured top: Carrie Symonds behaves as if she is the one actually in charge. Sadly, she seems to be morphing into such in spite of her frightful fiancée actually being the one whose government is meant to be running once Great Britain.

     

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  • Carrie On Cronyism

    Carrie On Cronyism

    Carrie Symonds is morphing into the Lynda Snell of Downing Street; this busybody bird’s cronyism and nepotism stinks to high heaven

    Boris Johnson’s latest baby mama, Carrie Symonds (AKA ‘Carrie Not On Regardless’), is sadly nothing like the seen-but-rarely-heard prime ministerial spouses of old.

     

    Whilst Denis Thatcher happily took a back seat and parked himself in a corner with a stiff G&T and Norma Major steered clear of anything to do with curried eggs, Symonds is increasingly showing herself as the Lynda Snell of Downing Street.

     

    Like her counterpart Snell in The Archers, Symonds wants to be Queen of the Westminster village pantomime and she especially wants to control her prime puppet, ‘Bosie The Clown.’ Here is a woman who doesn’t take no for an answer and here is someone with the power to manipulate her cast as she so desires.

     

    With her potential nemesis Dominic Cummings, for now, consigned to history for daring to call her ‘Princess Nut Nut,’ Symonds now has a free reign. This morning’s revelation that her best friend and godmother to her child, Nimco Ali, has been appointed a paid advisor without it being advertised is indeed shocking and totally disgraceful proof of that.

     

    Symonds, as we’ve highlighted before, has an address book that is not exactly stellar. Aside from the potential connection to the incarcerated mucky madam Ghislaine Maxwell through the charity they both were heavily involved in, this temper tantrum prone, red wine chucking 32-year-old’s links to the far right via her ex-lover’s involvement with Russia and the bigoted Traditional Britain Group stink to high heaven.

     

    If Boris Johnson had an arsehole rather than actually just being one, he’d put this pantomime dame back in the toy box. Sadly, though the cronyism of the diva ‘Carrie Not On Regardless’ will continue, it should be noted for what it is and today we join those calling it out for the disgrace that it truly is.

     

    Pictured top: Carole Boyd (Lynda Snell in ‘The Archers’) is known for cajoling Ambridge villagers into whatever project has currently got her goat; Carrie Symonds is a remarkably similar, though far less tolerable, younger version.

     

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    Carrie On Cronyism – Carrie Symonds’ cronyism is a disgrace – Carrie Symonds is morphing into the Lynda Snell of Downing Street; this busybody bird’s cronyism and nepotism stinks to high heaven.
    Carrie On Cronyism – Carrie Symonds is truly the cushy cat that got the cream. For now… How long will it be until Boris gets bored and his eyes get wandering?
    Carrie On Cronyism – Carrie Symonds’ cronyism is a disgrace – Carrie Symonds is morphing into the Lynda Snell of Downing Street; this busybody bird’s cronyism and nepotism stinks to high heaven.
    Carrie On Cronyism – Blundering buffoon Boris Johnson used to be Dominic Cummings’ puppet. He’s now controlled, instead, by Carrie Symonds.
  • Is Covid Racist?

    Is Covid Racist?

    Channel 4’s decision to show a documentary provocatively titled: ‘Is Covid Racist’ tonight is neither clever nor appropriate argues Matthew Steeples

    In a move plainly designed to engender themselves to the ‘woke’ generation at the same time as seeking to stoke the fury of Laurence Fox and the dregs of whatever, if anything, that is left of the BNP, tonight at 9pm Channel 4 will show a 60-minute documentary titled Is Covid Racist?

     

    Whilst statistics have consistently shown cases of coronavirus to have been proportionally higher in some areas of the country with higher BAME population percentages, this show will seek to highlight how “Covid-19 has killed a higher number of people of colour among Britain’s frontline National Health Service workers,” according to Television Business International.

     

    Of this, Channel 4’s commissioning editor for factual, Harjeet Chhokar, concluded: “We don’t really know why,” but in so doing entirely misses the point. Even if Covid-19 is actually more prevalent in one community or ethnicity over another, that does not make it “racist” as to be “racist” is a personal choice and one of personal prejudice.

     

    Nobody in their right mind – whatever their colour or creed unless they were a halfwit with a desire to drink bleach – would opt to infect themselves with this potentially deadly disease and thus Channel 4 should be jolly well ashamed of yet again heading down the road of political correctness gone crackers.

     

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    Is Covid Racist? – In May, DW News shared an 11:50-minute report on YouTube. It suggested that “the virus does not discriminate,” but did point to a rise in xenophobia as a result of it. In essence, the virus itself is not racist, but racists will still be racists.
    Is Covid Racist? Channel 4’s ‘Is Covid Racist?’ is inappropriate and wrong – Channel 4’s decision to show a documentary provocatively titled: ‘Is Covid Racist’ tonight is neither clever nor appropriate argues Matthew Steeples.
    Is Covid Racist? – In March, on Medium.com, a Malaysian theologian and columnist named Alywn Lau asked: “Is Trump being racist when he calls Covid-19 the ‘Chinese’ virus?” He concluded: “C’mon, folks. 45 isn’t the most pleasant dude in history, but let’s give it a break with the hyper-PC-induced accusations.”
  • Socking Greta

    Socking Greta

    Matthew Steeples suggests Greta Thunberg needs to be told to put a sock in it at a time when economy needs to be put ahead of climate

    Climate change is indeed a problem but right now the impact of coronavirus on our economy is what we ought to be worrying about.

     

    This morning, however, in a wishy-washy interview in the Guardian, the petulant poker face that is Greta Thunberg returned to plague with a “blast” against just about everyone and everything.

     

    In the feature, the misguided moaning minnie whinged about how the world doesn’t treat “the climate crisis like a crisis” and stated there “was not a politician on the planet [she] would vote for.”

     

    ‘Grim Greta’ went further and declared: “We are in an emergency.” She added: “We have reached the end of the road.” Perhaps she could just lay down and fill in a pothole there. That’d be a hell of a lot more useful right now. Thanks, Greta.

     

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    Greta Thunberg once claimed: “How dare you… I should be back at school.” The majority of the world seconds her sentiments and wishes her parents would just keep her under control.
  • A Depp Disaster

    A Depp Disaster

    Johnny Depp’s libel case loss is proof that you should never fight an opponent with deeper pockets and he’d now do best to quit and save himself further expense

    Johnny Depp should never have brought his libel action against News Group Newspapers Limited. In doing so, all he achieved was to wash his and Amber Heard’s dirty laundry in public and cost himself millions.

     

    As loathsome as The Sun’s Dan Wootton truly is, the fact of the matter is that Mr Justice Nicholl weighed the evidence up and saw the pointless car crash presented to him for what it truly was. Here was a case where a very rich man wanted to be seen as David and present a newspaper group as Goliath, but here also was a court case that has simply ended with the supposed underdog just showing himself as a tawdry mess.

     

    In a judgment that extended to 129 pages, Mr Justice Nicholl concluded: “I accept that the Defendants have shown that the words they published were substantially true in the meanings I have held them to bear.”

     

    Of this bombshell news, speaking to Sky News this morning, former editor of the Daily Star Dawn Neesom, commented:

     

    “The Sun have been proved right in this… It was the trial of the 21st century. It was extraordinary.”

     

    “I don’t think Johnny Depp expected to lose… It was very telling that he decided to go forward with this trial… The sordid details have been frankly shocking.”

     

    “Hollywood loves a hellraiser… But this is different… It’s domestic abuse… It puts a whole different shine on things… Will Johnny Depp ever come back from this?”

     

    “Johnny is currently filming Fantastic Beasts in London and now JK Rowling will have a lot of things to think about… She’s essentially employing a wife beater.”

     

    Clearly, Depp’s gamble didn’t pay off and now he’d do best to stop digging before the hole he’s created becomes a volcano. As he himself once said: “I think the thing to do is enjoy the ride while you’re on it.” Now, sadly for him, it’s jolly well time to get off.

     

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