Priti Patel’s Home Office department has admitted that it ‘accidentally’ published the number of a washing machine repair company in Coventry on its ad for an emergency helpline for ‘vulnerable non-British nationals in Afghanistan’.
Desperate callers were left on hold for hours or were completely unable to get through – either to the published number or to the Home Office’s main number. The Home Office told callers not to chase for information, claiming that this was the cause of the delay.
Once the proper line was opened and despite assurances that the emergency number would be active 24/7 after an initial 9.30am-11pm start, many people complained that the lines were still closing at 11, cutting off many who had been waiting for hours.
The Home Office claims it has now put more staff onto the valid line, with waiting times ‘as little as 15 mins’ – which means a minimum of 15 minute and who knows up to how long.
Last week, Priti Patel – who has previously floated plans to sink asylum seekers’ boats in the Channel, either by warship or a floating ‘marine fence’ – told the BBC that she didn’t believe Taliban assurances on women’s rights. It appears her concern for the vulnerable was not great enough to avoid misdirecting thousands of despairing, frightened people to get their household appliances repaired.
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No longer in the gutter, the government has now reached the sewers. Can’t see the rats liking that too much.
G4S is involved in Biden’s Afghan INCOMPETENCE. Won’t be surprised if SERCO is involved☢️
The misguidance many of the “Left” are defeated by, is: Tories including those using the Labour label, are making “errors”, as if Tories share our idea of wrong☢️
They don’t. This tragic catastrophe is a little difficulty in DELIBERATE contracts for chums, banditry, plunder, vulture activity for the few☢️
This deadly chaos was ACTIVATED and DIRECTED by Joe Biden. He was elected because well meaning people treated him as an improvement on Trump. Superficial claptrap. Four years largely without these OVERT large-scale bloodshed, gone because those with paper thin ideas of virtue ALLOWED Biden… ENABLED him☢️
Similarly here we have the same. The ones who stitched up Jeremy with his help and that of his circle are treated less deadly than those in the intimate circle of a warmonger☢️
How “smart”, “decent” or “virtuous” is that⁉️⁉️⁉️
So what do you do for a living signpost?
Three Brits including a child amongst those killed by Kabul airport blasts
But life carries on as normal for some
Rishi Sunak looks set to build a private swimming pool, gym and tennis court at his sumptuous country manor.
Lavish plans for a new outbuilding at the Chancellor’s private home were approved on Thursday – just as the millionaire defies Tory anger to cut 6million people’s Universal Credit by £20 a week.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/rishi-sunak-adds-swimming-pool-24852487
‘We’re stuck, everyone is hungry’: Afghan evacuees stranded at UK airport
People evacuated from Afghanistan have told openDemocracy they are still stranded at Birmingham airport – more than 24 hours after their flight landed.
“We’re just completely stuck,” said one passenger. “The children are in a bad situation and everyone is on the floor.”
Speaking from the airport, this morning, he said that “everyone is hungry” because the last time they were offered any food was at 3am.
After landing at lunchtime on Tuesday, the evacuees – including babies and children – were apparently kept on the plane for eight hours before finally being let out into the airport
The passengers were then left waiting in the airport overnight, without being given an explanation. At the time of writing, they are still waiting to get out.
Photos and videos obtained by openDemocracy show terrible conditions on the plane and in the airport, with dirty toilets and children crying.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/afghan-evacuees-stranded-birmingham-airport-24-hours/
I see the standard responses taken from organisational procedures documentation are being quoted in this piece.
It’s bad enough trying to get through the grossly inefficient through understaffing British airports – with their faster than clockwork US (military slang for Unserviceable/Useless) over priced passenger processing tech – at the best of times.
And what is scary is this Coasian Hell of malevolent tick in box incompetence is endemic everywhere you turn. Whether at work, leisure, across the private and voluntary sectors and what passes for a public sector now totally subsumed into and corrupted by philistine private sector mores and values, and the political parys who have been institutionally captured by Corporate and overseas lobbying interests and their agendas.
Passengers, patients, students, the accused, and even voters are now reduced beyond even mere ‘customers’ to digitalised noughts and ones in an incompetent Kafkaesque process of never ending de-humanising agile ceremonies.
The key problem is not so much this Government and ruling Party is incompetent to zen levels but that the entire Establishment elite and the self- reality creating culture it pumps out to its populace is not fit for purpose. You could swap this lot for the Loyal opposition and not notice any appreciable difference or change because they are all operating to the same unworkable dogmatic faith based manual.
“Passengers, patients, students, the accused, and even voters are now reduced beyond even mere ‘customers’ to digitalised noughts and ones in an incompetent Kafkaesque process of never ending de-humanising agile ceremonies.”
All Labour’s regional and local elections are now to be conducted with Anonyvoter, an online voting system provided by Henson IT solutions LTD. The Henson’s are well known right wing mates of David Evans from Croydon.
Do us a favour, start your own centrist news website and regurgitate all the MSM news stories that interest you. You can do research on Wikipedia and stories from fake human rights NGOs. You’ll be in your element and we’ll be relieved.
lundiel – Why do you have a problem with me highlighting the plight of these deeply traumatised people at the hands of the Tories. (from a non MSM source).
Deeply traumatised or not, I would have thought they’d be happy and able to do without life’s luxuries for a few days. I expect the Tories were processing their bank accounts. No poor people allowed: Blackwater contractors are charging $6.500 a seat, don’t know what the British government are charging, or how much they have to have in the bank.
It’s the real stories behind the stories that interest me, not having my heart strings tugged.
lundiel – You have a worrying lack of empathy. Are you sure you are not a Tory.
Well it is becoming increasingly like the third world in Tory Britain today.Essentially running out of medical items,basic foods and even basics from manufacturing mecca China.Test tubes for medical treatment…gone and even temporary accommodation for battle scarred hungry refugees from the Afghanistan fiasco.gone?Whats happening with the UK in particular?Even the currency has plummeted against most of the worlds currencys.?Have the alleged government plundered the finances and siphoned away peoples tax revenues,leaving very little in the coffers much like the alleged Opposition except in labours case it was only millions of members money…Certainly there appears to much of the outside world that all is not right in the merry kingdom and especially amongst the subjects who have been mugged.I noticed that the Tory council in Bolton are quite rightly questioning the automatic dumping of refugees in the crumbling mill town and its failing infrastructure without proper financial planning.IT seems that its bung em to the usual towns as far away from leafy Surrey and the rolling Sussex downs as possible.ISn’t it strange that the working class get to be the scapegoat for any burden thats afflicting the UK but when the rewards are handed out they as per usual at the back of the line with strings attached.
@Lundiel
…It’s the real stories behind the stories that interest me, not having my heart strings tugged…
This. It was the Nayirah testimony for me.
The only thing what could possibly be worse was if it was a premium rate line…incompetence just doesn’t cut it with this lot.
Shameful.
(I was gonna make some washing machine puns but thought better of it)
Patel is a nasty piece of work.
I’m surprised that the Knight Commander of the Most Honourable order of the Bath hasn’t offered her a post in any future Nu Labour administration.
Whats baths got to do with it?johnsco 1.IF the alleged Opposition leader is having plumbing problems surely mr Trickett the one man band ex plumber is the man to see..?And yes the Patel is a car crash in motion,but the bodywork is unblemished despite numerous crashes.Nu Labour administration?about as likely as the UK getting a Credit rating hike…!
I force myself to read the Sunday Times to see what the rich & powerful b’s are up to and a while back a Tory insider said Johnson likes to surround himself with political lightweight ministers so they are no threat to him.
But don’t forget Right Wing Labour supported by the Tories then the Tories sustained by Right Wing Labour caused the mess in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And today we have had the horrific deaths of 60 people (including 12 US service personnel) and 140 injured at Kabul airport.
This is heartbreaking, but apparently IS see the Taliban as collaborators for negotiating with the West.
Just last week Johnson said there have been many gains but most of the reforms will sadly be swept away by the Taliban, and Johnson said we got rid of the terrorist threat there.
We should simply not invade other countries, and we should treat other peoples as equal and support refugees whilst working for peace.
This post by Skwawkbox is an example of ongoing Tory incompetence which tragically has been a constant throughout Covid.
If only we’d had Corbyn as PM?
Dominic Raab’s appearance before The Defence Select Committee on Wednesday 01/09 could be interesting.
On another matter there are 400,000 cancer patients out there who don’t know they have the disease, who have not presented to the NHS during Covid19
Enough is enough
Change the narrative, we are here because the cheap and nasty Tory party have a visceral hatred of the NHS, they have spent 11 years running the it into the ground
And we are now spending £495b on an increased number of nuclear weapons under the Tories which Right Wing Labour wouldn’t say boo to a goose to.
Though I would like rid of all the bloody horrible things why not Step One – just keep 10 (waste £20b – some people are frightened) but use the rest for human need and say an extra £80b for cancer treatment or whatever is needed.
I think Jeremy Corbyn may have come on board for this?
Absolutely, we can never use them so why not just keep one for a seat at the big boy’s table.
I wonder if the washing machine number was given by mistake and being “code” for laundering money and off to the Chums.IF it is would it be the same laundry that the honourable knight of the realm uses for members money and the “windfall that Jeremy Corbyn left in the millions?.Clean money is a bonus to the crooks in “Business” as the knight and his parasites see the Labour party.
Joseph – But it was Jeremy’s loss of 14% of the membership in 2018-19 and his overspending that caused the negative cash flow problems.
Steve H Hall centrist Dad davidh.You know as well as I do that Jeremy Corbyn and his socialist revival delivered over six hundred thousand members money and a windfall for the knights shadowy Labour party Tony Blair delivered fourhundred thousand members before the members caught on to the right wing lies and propaganda and then the members plummeted just like your knight and soon to be one hundred thousand loosers.in a bankrupt Labour party bereft of ideas and campaigning nouse.Blair inherited a one hundred and eighty thousand membership and was backed by the usual suspects and thought of the subs as a bonus.Whats happened to all the foreign backers that the knight bullshitted his way into the leadership with?….Gone just like the members money that your knight frittered and stole away just like “Thief in the night”
Joseph – I don;t recall it ever reaching 600k but if it did reach that high the loses were even worse than I thought because by the summer of 19 it was down to 450k and by the time we got to the 19GE it had dropped to 440k. Unfortunately Corbyn continued spending as if we still had well over 500k members.
You can make up any excuse you want but the fact remans that the members went during Corbyn’s tenure and unfortunately come the 19GE the working class voters ran away too.
If the next set of accounts proves that you are right then you are more than welcome to come back and shout ‘I told you so’. In the meantime you should desist from accusing anyone of theft when you are just doing it out of malice with no evidence to support your silly accusations.
…But it was Jeremy’s loss of 14% of the membership in 2018-19 and his overspending that caused the negative cash flow problems…
Hmmm…
Yet Corbyn restored labours financial woes after the disastrous Brexit campaign by labour…
In fact, thanks to the £25 shenanigans, Labour were quite well off.
It is Corbyns replacement who is profligate. £600k to back stabbing bastards for one
And while SIR Starmer offers ZERO opposition to his Tory chums, it takes TWO BLUE TORY MPs Peter somebody to write to Johnson calling for the Universal Credit uplift £20 to be maintained. SIX former BLUE TORY Secs of State support the Peter man’s letter.
But PREDICTABLE self-serving careerist SIR Starmer is as explained early o’clock, DESPERATE to prove to the extremely “filthy rich” few, that he won’t deprive them of billions by diverting even a pittance to ANY of “The Many” who NEED more than the paltry £20.00
How NASTY is that⁉️⁉️⁉️
As nasty as SIR Keith Mandelson Thatcher Blair Dobson Straw Reeves Berger Ummuna Duncan-Smith Widdecombe Tebbitt Cuffy Redwood Shapps Johnson Starmer.
WORSE than his chums because though he’s only meant to keep the toilet seat warm and damp for Blair; Keith has self belief. His only belief. He takes NOTHING as a given unlike too many of the “Left” who are PERMANENTLY fixated on what they fret our opposites will “allow”.
SAD.
When reminded that he is useless by the Arch plotter (not Twatson), Keith insisted he is the right creature to “lead”. Were it a “Left” person, they would have meekly caved in and stepped down without even the lamest pushback.
No surprise, when we were all treated to a nugget from a typical “smart” person to stay in our bunker. Another piped up that stating facts was “defending” a DEFUNCT present ‘has been’. BUT that ‘has been’ could be again, if it too got out of its own bunker.
Never too concerned about deficiencies of our opposites as their success is not ours, i’m well aware the share some of ours. BUT, since they have been dominating with their 1% self-serving regimes for much longer than my lifetime, they must be doing things effectively. EFFECTIVELY.
We should learn from them to be effective in achieving our own aims.
They ALWAYS turn up despite being attacked (not as much) but still attacked as Marcus Rashford, Stormzy, Dizzy Rascall, Dianne Abbott, Jordan Sancho, Raheem Sterling, Lenny Henry, Lewis Hamilton, Lewis Smith, Diversity, Andy Murray b4 he won Wimbledon, Many Council Housed Betty’s grandson Harry. Paused briefly but up again SEVEN DAYS PER WEEK on Talkradio EVEN by Mike Graham. Now the Harry fellow’s wife instead of having the attacks shared, its multiplied with a vengeance.
None of those attacked whine and whimper constantly about attacks and last time i noticed, EVERY SINGLE ONE including seventeen year old Bukaya Saka is still turning up playing well enough and smiling.
QUESTION – if teenagers and footballers can carry on under attacks of every type, why don’t the types who feel those under PHYSICAL DEADLY attacks need their infrequent limp PROVEN USELESS words pumped out over FIFTY EIGHT YEARS or more⁉️⁉️⁉️
What does it say about those who care so effectively little about those most in need of change, that they are happy to suck up energy and time with ZERO intention of bringing about chsnge⁉️⁉️⁉️
Take note, the splendiferous STORMZY, since swiftly sussing out sucking suckers, that there was no resolve behind their sappy simpering, he bid them adieu. Stormzy has of course since ACTED EFFECTIVELY. He has established scholarships for those in need to study at Oxford and i believe Cambridge as well. He did not do it in secret in a bunker up a foggy mountain. Why??? because he wants to inspire PRACTICAL ACTION which leads to CHANGE.
Now THAT is what i call “smart” and acting without fear of attacks. THAT is what i call SAGE. That is what i call LEADERSHIP, and integrity and DECENCY in ACTION.
Ask, Chris Williamson, Jackie Walker, Ken Livingstone, George Galloway, Marc Wadsworth, Jo Bird and THOUSANDS of others who did not even get a phone call from friends of at least FORTY years.
All is not lost. Two Wednesdays ago, a handful of friends acted as decent friends would. Shame that many of “The Many”, were deprived of even a fraction of that. Be they old friends or enthusiastic “grassroots”.
We do ourselves and reputations a mischief which decays consciences. We block our improvement we never develop “decency” worthy of the word.
Worst of all, MILLIONS who invest their hopes in us, are betrayed. And to date in essence, ignored but for Sharon Graham showing a strong light. She can’t do it alone. She does not need a romantic noisy rabble. Change is a collective exercise. Graham has resolve. She needs the same from us, plus HONEST reflection and DYNAMIC action… a FORWARD march of sound conviction.
No more fretting of what X or Y may do. Rather X or Y may do 1 and 2. Therefore REBUT 1 and 2 in advance‼️‼️‼️ Demolish X and Y in advance‼️‼️‼️
Be ACTIVE not paralysed. Like Sharon, bat Twatsons like CoyledCoynes and Starmer for SIX‼️‼️‼️
SteveH, davidH Malcolm Coleman and ALL AH SHs are the practise balls. WHACK them! They r free
🏀🏏🏀🏏🏀🏏
windchimes – There is non so blind as those that refuse to see. You are talking nonsense Keir and his team have repeatedly spoken out (with some success) against ending the £20 UC uplift
And Reynolds refused to commit to keeping it.
Toffee – Don’t be silly, what would it achieve when it would be nothing more than an empty gesture? Labour intend to replace UC and in the meantime they are still pressing the Tories to maintain the £20 uplift.
Toffee – [Jonathan Reynolds] “Labour would maintain the uplift until we can replace Universal Credit with a fairer social security system.”
https://labourlist.org/2021/08/report-shows-devastating-impact-of-universal-credit-cut/
With some success…. Christ almighty.
WHAT F***ING SUCCESS HAS HE HAD?
Even if the rags DO see sense it’ll be DESPITE stammer & co. Not because of them.
But keef will try to claim the kudos, like he did with young rashford’s endeavours & pursuits.
No they haven’t! Depressingly, the only real opposition to the awful Boris Johnson and his money-laundering cohorts is Conservative.
The Labour party under Starmer is a total waste of short money and an insult to the very notion of an effective opposition.
Billionaire’s Enabler is as Billionaire Enablers do!
qwertboi – Yes they have, as I said above there are non so blind as those who don’t want to see.
I would like to give you a “Uplift” you cheeky bugger Steve H davidh.
😨
Responding to the findings, Jonathan Reynolds urged ministers to rethink the planned cut to the uplift, which was introduced in response to increasing numbers of people claiming the benefit at the height of the pandemic last year.
“The government’s £1,000-a-year cut will be a hammer blow to millions of families, hitting the lowest paid hardest and hurting our economic recovery,” the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary warned.
“Time is running out for the Conservatives to see sense, back struggling families and cancel their cut to Universal Credit. Labour would maintain the uplift until we can replace Universal Credit with a fairer social security system.”
https://labourlist.org/2021/08/report-shows-devastating-impact-of-universal-credit-cut/
So what do you do for a living signpost?
Allan Howard white flag man…You know that signpostnotwindchimes prescribes in the medical sense for your affliction….!Surely you remember that in your nocturnal wanderings?Maybe I can be helpful in recommending another month of complete “bed rest” and isolation.Regards!
Need to start talking about the 140000+ (ex) military service people who have committed suicide since 2001.
Need to talk about how Trump’s administration signed off the pullout over a year ago yet it went down to the last minute with equipment and people abandoned.
Need to talk about how all political party’s here and elsewhere in the west are in lockstep when it comes to war with some poor sap.
Need to talk about how £10000 invested in 2001 on defence contactors and suppliers has become £100000 today.
Never underestimate the impact of consistently neglecting and undermining morale using weasel excuses like ’empty gestures.’
SteveH26/08/2021 AT 7:17 PM
lundiel – Why do you have a problem with me highlighting the plight of these deeply traumatised people at the hands of the Tories.
When did you give a thought to the deeply traumatised, the disadvantaged of this country?
You haven’t. But you demand they vote for more of the same
SteveH26/08/2021 AT 8:38 PM
lundiel – You have a worrying lack of empathy. Are you sure you are not a Tory
That YOU – of ALL people – should have the chutzpah to ask that of anybody. You don’t give a fuck about those poor Afghanis or anyone else other than that bunch of parasitical careerists infesting and stinking the labour party out.
I’ve NEVER ONCE seen a post from you expressing solidarity or support for the worst off in society.. I haven’t seen you condemn any careerist ‘centrist’ so-called ‘labour’ politician (e.g. reeves, byrne, that other twat from the other day, frankenfield etc etc etc…) when they’ve openly sold out on those they were elected to protect and serve from the worst of toerag callousness.
So shove your feigned sympathies where it doesn’t shine
Toffee – Like many, many others (including yourself no doubt) we do what we can to care for and help others who are in need both at home and abroad.
What is it that motivates you to denigrate the contribution that others make to society. It is an oddly perverse thing to do, Whatever your intentions are your actions only serve to belittle yourself rather than those you attack. What on earth do you hope to achieve.
Toffee its worrying that the Stevie H Hall fellow advised the unemployed at the Labour exchange for many years as a “advisor” ?I think back to charlie drake and “The Worker” classic comedy when I think of centrist Dad Steve Hall?They had to “let him go” dont you know and its now a matter of physician heal themselves?.ITs left stevie boy 👦wonder all bitter and twisted and his long suffering wife as had to take him away to long suffering relatives of hers in the “Windys” which in a sad old way is like him very twisted.
Joseph – Where do you get this daft idea that I have ever worked for the JobCentre, Is this your infantile way of trying to insult me. What a saddo you are.
“Where do you get this daft idea that I have ever worked for the JobCentre,”
Err because you have the meanness of a junior clerk and jobsworth, the pomposity of a prissy little man with a little power, the class consciousness of the lower middle class, the vision of the Daily Express and the knowledge and the insight of a traffic cone.
…….and of course, you’re the most argumentative, block-headed little shit that has ever graced these pages. Perfect job centre clerk material, though I’ve no idea how you passed the entrance exam.
Steve H….. I didnt realise that is the name nowadays sunshine 🌞,but I would expect you of all people should know…mm..Jobcenter?I think it used to be called Labour exchange in the old days as I am sure you remember playing on the other side of the counter metaphorically speaking that is to the wonderful Charlie Drake.Did you know that Charlie was a ginger before loosing his hair over unemployment which is common in the acting profession as I am sure you know…was he a relative?by any chance?He was also married three times and was a prolific gambler and smoker.I believe that in his later years he gambled the money away.Still you have that pension from the “jobcentre” as you call it.should keep you in martinis and tobbaco as the sun 🌞 goes down on your Caribbean bolt hole.Regards..!
Joseph – WTF are you prattling on about.
“Joseph – Win The Future are you prattling on about.” ????????????????????
Yes, the Labour Exchange. It has gone through a number of “rebranding exercises”. It was called the “Employment Exchange” when I used to attend. The spin merchants seemed to think that “rebranding” would make people feel happier about having to go there and give the impression that prospects had improved. Of course things had become worse, in reality. A number of years ago I was in Burnley and had a chat with the attendant at a car park. He was being made redundant after his shift finished. He told me that Burnley was dead: nothing new had happened for years. I asked about a large new building that was going up nearby. He said it was costing millions and was a new Jobcentre. “No point,” he said, “there aren’t any bloody jobs.”
Expect the LP to be rebranded soon as Aspiration, or some such nonsense.
Stevie H I hope that you are okay now and I didn’t realise that you were so touchy about your background.I honestly believe that you need to rest a while and take advantage of the sunshine and status that tax exile affords you.Try a little gardening and horticultural activities and understand that comrades are not worried about status symbols and bling.we only want a level playing field for all of us including you.Now we all make mistakes so just quietly put down the torch 🔦and remember that we are all equals even you.
Superb article by Clive Lewis MP about the war in Afghanistan:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/25/afghan-casualties-war-human-cost
This is worth attention too.
https://www.doubledown.news/watch/2021/august/24/former-british-soldier-destroys-official-afghanistan-narrative
This too.
http://patricklawrence.us/patrick-lawrence-no-insight-after-afghanistan/
and this by Zarah Sultana
https://labourlist.org/2021/08/labour-must-reckon-with-its-past-the-war-on-afghanistan-was-a-catastrophe/
Am I being a trifle uncharitable in saying that a demise by hanging, garotting or shooting is far too good for the likes of an entity like Priti Patel.
How someone who is a woman of colour and the daughter of immigrants from the Indian subcontinent can be so viciously racist against those who have been compelled to flee their homelands as a result of war, terror or famine utterly defeats me.
She is a monster, an abomination…..an ultra-right Tory. What more can be said?
BREAKING NEWS
Last Brit soldiers depart Kabul as 150 Brits and 1,000 Afghan allies left behind
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/last-uk-evacuation-flights-depart-24860970
This may be of interest to some of you.
The Labour Foreign Policy Group is holding a virtual discussion on ‘Uncertain Legacy: Labour Foreign Policy after 9/11’ on Tuesday, September 6th at 7pm.
Sign-up details here.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/uncertain-legacy-labour-foreign-policy-after-911-tickets-167472644187