Irresponsible Volkswagen Polo driver – registration HW06 CWM – needs to be removed from Britain’s roads
Jeremy Clarkson regularly shares the registration plates of irresponsible motorists he spots on his Twitter feed and having encountered similarly bad driving yesterday, here we share imagery of a woman who deserves to be removed from Britain’s roads.
Witnessed by numerous drivers swerving in and out of traffic on the Cromwell Road in London, SW7 on Sunday afternoon, the female driver of a Volkswagen Polo – registration HW06 CWM – was observed nearly causing an accident with a Range Rover and then hooting her horn abusively.
We share a picture of the white, female driver concerned and urge readers to clear the roads if you see this menace approaching.
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Grime and hip hop artist Stormzy should be saluted for using his fame to do good; the vile harpy Amanda Platell owes him an apology
Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. – better known by his stage name Stormzy – used his fifteen minutes of fame after winning the best album and the best male artist at the Brit Awards for the good of others.
Using the evening’s final performance, the grime and hip-hop artist rapped:
“Yo Theresa May, where’s the money for Grenfell? What, you thought we just forgot about Grenfell? You criminals, and you’ve got the cheek to call us savages, you should do some jail time, you should pay some damages, you should burn your house down and see if you can manage this.”
He added:
“MPs sniff coke, we just smoke some cannabis; So don’t get me for this, so be woke; This year I am dishing out Ls for free smoke; You tell us that we’re thugs, I try to bust a myth; But someone tell the Daily Mail that they can suck my…”
The opposite of the cowardly and self-loving members of ‘The Club’ that includes the likes of the withering old crooner Sir Elton John and his moaning titleless husband David Furnish, Stormzy has since continued to communicate his campaign in the days since. Communicating to his 1.18 million followers on Twitter, he encouraged the nation to sign a petition to take action to support the victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and as of 11:50am Saturday over 130,000 people had signed a petition calling for a parliamentary debate.
Elsewhere on Saturday in the Daily Mail, the acid tongued Australian harpy Amanda Platell demanded: “[Stormzy] show a scintilla of gratitude to the country that offered his mother and him so much instead of trashing it.” This self-declared “dear friend” of the paedophile Rolf Harris should be ashamed of herself; Stormzy has used his fame for the good others whilst she is simply known for taking the dirty money of the nastiest newspaper in Britain.
Sign the petition to “Call on PM to take action to build public trust in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry” by clicking here.
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The government’s cowardly response in full to the petition follows:
The Grenfell Tower fire was a truly unimaginable tragedy that should never have happened.
The Government’s highest priority remains making sure that survivors, bereaved families and the wider Grenfell community receive all the support they need.
The independent public Inquiry into the fire is an important part of the process and will help those affected get the answers they need to get to the truth of what happened.
The Prime Minister committed to considering the issue of panel members once the Chair had confirmed who had been appointed as assessors to assist the Inquiry. Section 7 of the Inquiries Act 2005 allows the Minister responsible for an inquiry to appoint further panel members during the course of an inquiry with the agreement of the Chair.
In October 2017, the Chair announced the appointment of 7 expert witnesses with backgrounds in fire safety, forensic fire analysis, fire engineering, disaster resilience and also anatomy and human identification. The expert witnesses will provide a range of technical advice and expert reports to assist the work of the Inquiry in delivering its terms of reference.
In addition, in November 2017, the Chair announced the appointment of 3 assessors with backgrounds in community engagement and social housing, local authority administration and structural engineering. The Chair also confirmed at the Inquiry’s preliminary hearing in September that he would expect the assessors to see all the evidence and sit with him when taking oral evidence. The Chair has also confirmed that he may make further appointments if needed.
Following the announcement of these appointments, the Prime Minister carefully considered the composition of the Inquiry panel in light of the diversity and expertise of advice now available to the Inquiry.
The Prime Minister wrote to the representatives of the survivors and bereaved families on 21 December 2017 and informed them of her decision not to appoint additional panel members. The Prime Minister’s decision was similarly communicated to the Inquiry on the same date.
Having regard to the terms of reference and the assistance to be provided by the assessors, and the expert witnesses, it is the Prime Minister’s view that the Inquiry panel has the necessary expertise to undertake the Inquiry as it is currently constituted. The Prime Minister is also conscious of the need for the Inquiry to complete its initial report as quickly as reasonably possible. The Prime Minister therefore considers that additional panel members should not be appointed at this stage.
In reaching this conclusion, the Prime Minister fully took into account her duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 (the Public Sector Equality Duty – PSED).
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that those most affected by the tragedy are able to contribute fully to the Inquiry and that is why the Prime Minister welcomes the consideration being given by Sir Martin Moore-Bick to the establishment of a community advisory panel, as proposed at the December procedural hearing.
Such a panel, similar to that which has worked well for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, could play a very beneficial role in putting those most affected at the heart of the Inquiry and enabling them to ensure that their views and experiences are heard. It is for Sir Martin, as Chair of the independent Inquiry, to take this forward, in consultation with the Grenfell Tower community, and the Government hopes that he will be able to do this as soon as possible.
In line with the Inquiry Rules 2006, legal representatives of the Grenfell community core participants will receive in advance of hearings disclosure of relevant evidence; will be able to make opening and closing statements at certain hearings and can suggest lines of questioning to be pursued by Counsel to the Inquiry. They can also apply to the Chair to ask questions of a witness.
London has simply become a money park for dodgy money and though ‘McMafia’ reflected elements of that, the truth is far more depressing
Since the 1st January, the nation was engrossed (though many were also totally bored) by the BBC’s eight-part drama series McMafia.
Based on a fictional – though plainly inspired by the likes of the late Boris Berezovsky – Russian mafia family relocated to London, the TV adaptation of this thriller was filmed primarily in Knightsbridge, Mayfair and South Kensington. It showcased what many might consider the extreme wealth of Central London, but, in fact, was presented a little bit amateurishly.
Of the show, Carol Midgley in The Times summed it up well. She remarked: “If this is how miserably the super-rich live, I’d take a semi in Swindon any day” and equally now, if you wander the streets of SW1, SW3, SW7 and W1, you’d not disagree with her.
Recent news that the Fine Art Society is closing in Bond Street after 140 years due to “soaring rents” and “an influx of wealthy international fashion houses” illustrates the effect of the arrival of uncultivated new wealth in that sector, but equally sad is the demise of local restaurants and shops that actually provide things that genuine, full-time residents actually need.
Boarded up in Belgravia this month, after 44 years in operation, the Ebury Wine Bar closed supposedly due to the retirement of its owner, Nigel Windridge. Also gone – aside from the key loss of the much loved La Brasserie in Brompton Cross – are restaurants like Itsu in Walton Street and Racine in Brompton Road. Replaced by shisha bars and other businesses aimed at wealthy Gulfies and oligarchs, the streets of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea are increasingly becoming utterly devoid of character.
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Ultimate bachelor pad for sale for £6 million in South Kensington; it has garaging for five cars
Originally a mews that was home to Rothmans’ Shire horses, a £6 million ($8.5 million, €6.8 million or درهم31.1 million) property in Elvaston Mews, South Kensington has been transformed into a perfect bachelor pad.
Sold in July 2006 for £1.95 million ($2.75 million, €2.21 million or درهم10.11 million), 7 Elvaston Mews extends to 2,552 square foot and is primarily made up of a 53-foot long state-of-the-art garage on the ground level with an internal office and cloakroom.
Situated in the heart of an area known as the ‘Queen’s Gate Grid’, this petrolhead’s paradise also comes with an “immaculately presented” two double bedroom apartment above. It features a large reception room, a dining kitchen, two shower rooms and two terraces.
Harry Houdini’s escape prop sack to be sold alongside all manner of other unusual items on Valentine’s Day
On 14th February, Bonhams will hold their ‘Gentleman’s Library Sale’ in Knightsbridge, London. Amongst the circa five hundred items to be offered are all manner of unusual items and here we choose five of the best:
($2,100 to $2,800, €1,700 to €2,300 or درهم7,800 to درهم10,400; pictured above)
This green, oversized canvas sack was used by Harry Houdini (1874 – 1926) as a prop for tricks. It dates to around 1915 and comes with a poster for his ‘Metamorphosis’ act. Houdini’s brother, Theo, gave the item to a mutual friend after his death and it was last sold at Christie’s in 2011.
($210 to $350, €170 to €280 or درهم780 to درهم1,300)
Dating to the 19th century, 69cm long and made of carved and incised hardwood this dangerous weapon could certainly be used to see off a burglar. It was collected in the 1860s in Queensland, Australia.
($1,100 to $1,700, €910 to €1,400 or درهم4,200 to درهم6,200)
This early 20th century silver plated model battleship is 23cm high and comes with three pairs of cannons to the deck. It’d make a jolly addition to any desk.
Half price bottles of wine at The Enterprise during January; price per bottle starts at £9.98 per bottle
The Enterprise in Walton Street, Chelsea is an institution that locals know and love. The staff and management are charming, the atmosphere is fun and the food and drink superlative.
For the whole of January, this popular neighbourhood bar and restaurant is offering its entire wine list at 50% off list price per bottle for those buying lunch or dinner. With everything from an Australian shiraz for £9.98 a bottle (normally £19.95) to Château Margaux le Pavillon Rouge for £137.50 (normally £275), there is something for everyone and we most definitely say cheers to that!
Ferne McCann shamelessly attempts to flog £12.95 lip plumping primer on Instagram just as the father of her child is jailed for an acid attack in London
Just as her former boyfriend and father of her child, Arthur Collins, was deservedly jailed for 20 years with an extended licence of 5 years for throwing acid over 22 victims in a nightclub, Ferne McCann inappropriately took to Instagram yesterday to promote a £12.95 lip plumping primer for a company named Project Lip.
McCann – a dimwit whose “glittering career” has included stints on The Only Way Is Essex and This Morning – despite being immediately criticised for her insensitivity then also shared a picture in which she posed with the equally pointless famous-for-nothing James Argent. In doing so, she piled yet more misery on those injured and scarred for life by Collins but no doubt she thought: “Hey ho, I may as well make a little dosh out of all this media attention.”
“Despicable liar” Collins – a sorry excuse for a man identified as being of “low IQ” at his sentencing – will now rightly rot for at least ten years. His actions were sick beyond belief and though Miss McCann cannot be blamed for what this scumbag thug did on 17th April 2017 at the Mangle E8 club in Dalston, London, she should realise that distastefully promoting cheap beauty products just as Collins’ was sentenced is nothing but tremendously tasteless and utterly wrong.
#BoycottProjectLip #ShameOnFerneMcCann
Pictured above – Ferne McCann with “her love” Arthur Collins in Dubai in an identical ‘Killer Candy’ T-shirt to the one he wore whilst throwing acid over the 22 people whose life he forever altered.
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Ferne McCann shared this post on Instagram on the very day the father of her child Arthur Collins was sentenced for an acid attack; we are sure his 22 victims would love to buy a £12.95 lip plumping primerShe also posed for an image with ‘The Only Way Is Essex’s’ James ArgentFerne McCann with the now jailed Arthur Collins in happier timesFerne McCann posted a picture of her child with Arthur Collins just five days ago; that child is named ‘Sunday’ and chillingly, as some have observed, the night of the week that Collins arrived at the Mangle E8 club to conduct his attack was a Sunday (the actual incident occurred at 1am on Bank Holiday Monday)
Twelve Conservatives show themselves as heroes of the hour by voting against Theresa May on Brexit
Yesterday, twelve decent Tory MPs stood up to the worst Prime Minister in history and effectively ensured the Commons has to vote for a “meaningful” vote over any Brexit deal with the EU.
They are:
Dominic Grieve
Heidi Allen
Ken Clarke
Nicky Morgan
Anna Soubry
Sarah Wollaston
Bob Neill
Stephen Hammond (subsequently sacked as Tory vice chairman by the pugnacious PM)
Oliver Heald
Jonathan Djanogly
Antoinette Sandbach
John Stevenson (voted both ways as an active abstention)
We salute them.
#BringHerDown #MakeDecemberTheEndOfMay
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The main deck on the boat7,174 square foot Ivy House in Corsham, Wiltshire could be yours for the same price as the ‘Flagship’
Described as “comparable to a high end property on land” by selling agents Knight Frank, 108-foot long ‘Flagship’ was built at the Van der Windt shipyard in Holland in 1915. She was used as to ferry general dry cargo until 1940 and refitted as a residence for an unnamed “leading restaurateur” in London in 1980.
Now completely redesigned and providing 3,405 square foot of internal space, ‘Flagship’ includes a vast open planning reception room, a ‘sky lounge’ and 4 double bedroom suites. It also comes with several terraces, air cooling, a Sonos multi-room audio system, a service lift and a fully fitted kitchen.
Mooring and maintenance costs associated with the vessel – which comes with a new 50 year leisure licence to remain at Cadogan Pier – amount to an additional £27,900 per year ($37,300, €31,600 or درهم137,000 per annum).
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Neglected Georgian mansion that has been home to Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk for sale for 39% less than it sold for in 2014
A dilapidated Grade II* listed country house whose extensive roster of owners numbers aristocrats, rock and film stars and politicians is on sale for £3.95 million or 39% less from the £6.5 million sum it sold for in 2014.
Built for the Duke of Buckingham in the 1600s and extending to 10,743 square foot, Beel House in Little Chalfont, near Amersham in Buckinghamshire stands in 13.5 acres of land. It comprises of a 7 reception room, 8 bedroom, 6 bathroom main house and also comes with an indoor swimming pool complex, a tennis court and garaging for 5 cars.
Home to The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish in the 1830s and Colonel Abram ‘Arthur’ Lyle of the Tate & Lyle dynasty from 1909 to 1920, Beel House was bought by the actor Sir Dirk Bogarde in a “dilapidated state” in 1954. Of discovering it, Bogarde, who had been renting a cottage in the close vicinity on the Bendrose Estate, stated:
“[The actress Kay Kendall and I] walked across muddy fields from my rented home to look at Beel House. It was a horror. Bleak and empty, few of its twenty-six rooms caught the sun, and the garden surrounding it was a tangle of overgrown rosebeds. Inside it seemed a labyrinth of corridors and stone passages. It was painted throughout in dejected yellow and brown and each room had a rusty gas fire in it.”
Bogarde made significant changes to the building and pulled down a wing of 11 rooms. In their place, he built a swimming pool and a 30-foot long conservatory in the grounds – which Kay Kendall later described as looking like “an out patients’ department” – and it seems he spent several happy years there. He moved to another property nearby named Drummer’s Yard in 1960 and sold Beel House to Basil Dearden, the director of The Assassination Bureau, Khartoum and The Man Who Haunted Himself.
An aerial photo of Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United KingdomImages of the exterior of Beel House in the 1950sActor Anthony Forwood, Sir Dirk Bogarde’s eventual “life partner,” at Beel House with his dogs Sinuhe and Bogie; Sir Dirk Bogarde in his study at the houseSir Dirk Bogarde outside Beel House with one of many Rolls-Royces he owned and inside on the house’s main staircaseFilm director Basil Dearden, owner of Beel House between 1960 and 1966, worked with Sir Dirk Bogarde on the controversial film ‘Victim’ in 1961; it was the first English language film to use the word “homosexual” and of it one Italian critic remarked: “At last the British have stopped being hypocrites”
Dearden sold up in 1966 and the next famous owners were Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne in the early 1980s. It was whilst here that Mr Osbourne “decided to murder his wife” and of the ensuing incident on 3rd September 1989, the Amersham Museum’s website reports:
“Ozzy Osbourne put the house up for sale after he had been arrested for the attempted murder of his wife whilst living at Beel House. After taking a cocktail of drugs and drinking heavily during a family meal at the Chinese restaurant at Nightingales Corner he attacked his wife and was subsequently arrested. He had no memory of the attack but the conditions of his bail were that he entered a rehab centre, did not contact his wife and did not return to Beel House.”
Marketed for £1.75 million in 1991, unsurprisingly Sharon Osbourne, herself, did not have much positive to say about her time at Beel House either. In her 2006 autobiography, Extreme, she remarked:
“I decided I wanted to go back to England. By this time we had already sold Beel House. I had enough bad memories not to be too sorry to see it go. Also it had reached what the builder called the domino point: mending one thing only triggered something else that needed to be done.”
Ozzy Osbourne, photographed by Conrad Rickenbacker, sitting on his four poster bed at Beel House in the 1980sImages of Beel House during the ownership of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne (photographs by Conrad Rickenbacker)Robert Kilroy-Silk at Beel House prior to his appearance on ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’ in November 2008The house as furnished by Robert Kilroy-Silk and his wife Jan Beech, circa 2014
Matt Aitken, the composer of chart toppers for Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Rick Astley and Bananarama, supposedly lived at Beel House for a period subsequently and in the 1990s, the property was sold to the “exotically handsome man, with a very un-English facial glow and ice blue eyes” Robert Kilroy-Silk and his wife, Jan Beech.
Controversial television personality Mr Kilroy-Silk, an MP from 1974 to 1986 and an MEP from 2004 to 2009, brought with him a herd of fallow deer as well as Vietnamese pheasants and bantams to Beel House. He lived between there and his home in Spain and then sold up for the staggering sum of £6.5 million in 2014 to an “international buyer” who, according to Country Life’s Penny Churchill, immediately found “it ‘surplus to requirements’ and put it straight back on the market” through Savills.
Of the estate, which by then had been for sale for three years, in October 2017, then selling agent Hugh Maconochie told the Bucks Free Press:
“In many respects Beel House is the archetypal country residence: a Grade II* listed home in the heart of the Chilterns, beautiful grounds and easy access to London by both rail and road. Yet, while it was completely refurbished in the 1980s – new garaging, games block and swimming pool complex included – its current state necessitates a complete restoration project.”
“For those seeking a country residence to move straight into, Beel House is not the home for them. Instead it would appeal to a buyer looking to restore and revive a Georgian gem. A reduction in price over the years reflects the refurbishment that’s required.”
Empty and plainly somewhat neglected, Edward Welton of Knight Frank’s Baker Street office is now marketing the property. His firm describes Beel House as: “An exciting opportunity for a full restoration project, giving someone the chance to create their own style on a private estate, so close to London.”
Beel House – The Names and Numbers
November 2017 – Further reduced to just £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank.
January 2017 – Reduced to £4.95 million ($6.63 million, €5.61 million or درهم24.37 million) through Savills.
November 2015 – For sale again for £6.5 million ($8.7 million, €7.4 million or درهم32 million) through Savills.
2014 – Sold to “an international buyer” by Robert Kilroy-Silk for “close to” the £6.5 million ($8.7 million, €7.4 million or درهم32 million) asking price.
June 1991 – For sale for £1.75 million (the equivalent of £3.45 million, $4.62 million, €3.91 million or درهم16.98 million today).
October 1989 – Placed for sale by media personalities Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne.
1966 – Placed on the market by Basil Dearden for £66,000 (the equivalent of £1.1 million, $1.5 million, €1.2 million or درهم5.4 million today).
Circa 1960 – Sold to film director Basil Dearden (1911 – 1971).
January 1954 – Sold to actor Sir Dirk Bogarde (1921 – 1999) for £4,000 (the equivalent of £101,000, $135,000, €114,000 or درهم497,000 today).
1836 to 1954 – Part of the estate of the Lowndes family, largescale landowners in the Chesham, Buckinghamshire area. During this time tenants included The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish and from 1909 to 1920 by Colonel Abram Lyle (of the Tate & Lyle dynasty).
1730 – Valued at £500 (the equivalent of £99,000, $133,000, €112,000 or درهم487,000 today) by Sun Insurance whilst home to Thomas White of Middle Temple.
1672 to 1682 – Home to Mary Pennington, the mother-in-law of the Quaker founder of the State of Pennsylvania, William Penn.
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Possibly one of the most unusual cigarette lighters available, this unusual item was made by WD&Co Limited in 1910. It is 40cm long.
Dating to the 19th century, 69cm long and made of carved and incised hardwood this dangerous weapon could certainly be used to see off a burglar. It was collected in the 1860s in Queensland, Australia.
This early 20th century silver plated model battleship is 23cm high and comes with three pairs of cannons to the deck. It’d make a jolly addition to any desk.
This 62cm tall gilt and bronze 19th century clock is designed in the form of a model of the Eiffel Tower. It has a brass dial with Roman numerals.
