Wokingham suffers under a Lib Dem led unitary Council, doubtless like others around the country. There is nothing liberal about them, constantly looking for new ways to regulate and tax us. There is little that is democratic, ignoring what we want even when they do bother to consult us.
I have written before about their disastrous £5.5 m roundabout remodelling scheme. The public did not want it. The roads did not need it. We now have a former roundabout with no legal junction signs to guide drivers. The carriageway sports fading painted leaves with no clue as to their meaning or use.
Today I wish to report their latest likely folly. I have long been critical of Councils having access to relatively cheap loans to make “investments” in property, renewables etc that are not needed for Council operations. I got the last government to cut back on this. Some Councils have already borrowed too much, run out of money to pay the interest on the debts and needed a bail out and permission for yet higher taxes.
Wokingham now wants to sign contracts to borrow money to install a solar farm on land it owns. The original £20 m scheme to last 25 years has been stretched to £25 m or more and now to 40 years.The panels will need new inverters, will deteriorate with age and may need replacing before 40 years are up. There seem to be problems in getting a guarantee of when they could link it into the grid to be able to start selling electricity.
There are various views of whether it would get into profit and for how long it would need the borrowings. At a 6% interest rate, a little below current Public Works Loan Board rates the Council would face costs of £60 m over 40 years in interest. They will say they will be paying the loan off as they go. They also may put some cash into the investment at the start. Assuming they reduced the loan by making regular repayments maybe the total interest cost could still be around £25 m. In order to make these repayments the Council would need full access to the grid throughout the life of the project and a high enough electricity price to cover all costs and leave enough cash to both service the loan and make reductions in it by cash payments. This is unlikely to be guaranteed.
There is no way a Council should be taking such risks with public money. What do they expect by way of electricity charges for the long period of the plan? When will they secure a grid connection and reliable customers? How long will the panels last? How much will maintenance cost?
This is an easy £25 m saving, also savings millions in interest charges going forward. Surprise me Lib Dems. Stop the waste before it happens.
August 24, 2026
In many areas Lib Dems are now in competition with Greens. Perhaps this is a reason for the solar panels proposal.
It may not be relevant in Wokingham but the Liberal Democrats are the only party prepared to condemn the vicious actions of the Israeli government in Gaza. This wins them votes – even in local elections. Greens are also not tainted with ‘Friends of Israel’ groups.
August 24, 2026
With a capacity factor of around 11% even with batteries solar makes no economic sense at all. This is virtue signalling using taxpayers money to fund it.
Then we have Milibrains final act of destruction agreeing £270 per mwh for a string of floating offshore windfarms which will be vulnerable to damage and destroy fishing capability.
In a few years these monstrosities will become enormous white elephants sucking money out of the economy for foreigners.
August 24, 2026
That is not just irrelevant in Wokingham but everywhere else too except a few inner-city and northern constituencies where the Greens and Independents may get a few votes on that issue. Voting in local elections on the basis of foreign policy matters, like Kashmir, is mere virtue signalling – same as the solar panel “investment”.
August 24, 2026
Meanwhile Burnham turns up in his holiday clothes in Kiev.
Signalling more money to be wasted on a war in which we have no strategic interest at all. NATO is also pushing for this, although they don’t have the forces to engage in a successful war with Russia.
Ukraine is one of the most corrupt regimes in the world, despite what the media tell us.
We don’t know what is happening in the Middle East. Mostly silence. Worrying times.
August 24, 2026
Ukraine might well be one of the most corrupt regimes in the world, but they are doing the right thing in resisting an armed invasion and we should help them. The alternative is a victorious Russian army sweeping through Ukraine with rape and pillage with no one to prevent them. All those young men especially look forward to the rape bit.
August 24, 2026
I hope you didn’t support the Iraq 2 and Afghan wars then?!
It was completely obvious that they were stupid wars before they even began. But our House of Commons supported these wars … Crazy stuff. Like HS2. Except in HS2 no-one died.
Ukraine is different. Putin is complete tyrant on our doorstep. And whether there is corruption in Ukraine or not (I see soft corruption all over the UK like the way BBC charges license-fee payers £180 for cr-p largely or the council spending 7 million to refresh Brockwell Hall, Herne Hill, when 1.5 million would suffice and they did cr-p job. Or spending 100 trillion pounds on HS2.
Ukraine – clearly the good guys in this war. Zelensky has done amazingly well. And needs our support to finish off this tyrant’s regime (and at a fraction of the cost of Afghan / Iraq 2 wars)
August 24, 2026
Anyone who bases their vote on what the candidate thinks of Gaza needs their head examined.
August 24, 2026
@Peter – they say what ever they need to say depending on what they think there audience is at and wants to hear at any given moment in time. This is as it was from the outset a bunch of Socialist that couldn’t get their way while they were Labour Party members within Labour, so split away.
They will say the opposite if it were a Jewish audience – they are that crude.
They were never Liberal and never Democrat.
August 24, 2026
if it takes their mind off rolling 20 mph limits to everywhere…
August 24, 2026
@iain gill – 20mph restrictions is a ‘get out’ from having to build the correct infrastructure in a growing conurbation. The excuse speeding motorist generally refers the build up of traffic volumes, that is volumes, congestion not speed, meaning locals can no longer get across roads comfortable and at their leisure, they have to wait and take their turn. If Councils want to grow their areas for the revenue it generates in taxed, great. At least they should have is the honesty to ensure their local infrastructure meets the demands. Just simply impeding, hindering, blocking and hoping the situation will go away is not what the job description asks of them.
A situation of ‘speeding’ motorists was reported in the media over the weekend as being brought to the police’s attention. The police took note obliged, set up mobile cameras then over a period of time and in total caught ‘2’, just ‘2’ people speeding.
In essence the 20mph gimmick is the deflection the blame game, it is not them its the other guy. Blaming others, increasing pollution – its deflection for being incompetent
August 24, 2026
in wales, where they introduced many 20 mph limits, a lot of professional drivers simply refused, took early retirement, refused to travel to wales, took non driving jobs, moved away from wales, and so on.
August 24, 2026
Have to say having holidayed in Wales for a couple of weeks, many of the 20mph zones make absolutely no sense at all.
Usually only one warning sign then nothing until you reach the end, which in one case was 5 miles long, thus if you miss the first sign, then the chances are that you will get done, as no repeater signage at all.
No sense or reason for 20mph in most cases, just a money making exercise.
August 24, 2026
I have certainly refused to holiday and work in Wales, unless its something near one of the main train stations I am not interested. No way am I driving in that idiotic regime.
August 24, 2026
Both Wokingham Borough Council and the BBC have claimed that the Barkham Solar Farm project can power 10,500 homes. This is entirely misleading as the proposed battery storage will only be sufficient to smooth out electricity generation over 1-2 hours during daylight hours and of course there will be no electricity generated at night and almost nothing during the winter months. During the next decade, let alone in 40 years’ time, the electricity from nuclear, probably SMRs, will be far cheaper and far more abundant and reliable. Both solar and wind will become economic white elephants if not actually made in-operational by China throwing their kill switches.
August 24, 2026
The council claim that “when operational, it is estimated that the solar farm could generate in excess of 29 MWs (Megawatts) of electricity and produce some 28,563,000 kWh (Kilowatt Hours) of electricity per annum. According to latest Ofgem figures, this would cover the electric usage of more than 10,500 homes.”
Well firstly a MW is not an amount of electricity it is a power! So the claim is clearly written by a scientific illiterate.
But the later KWH figures say it will on average produce about 11.5% of this 29 MW of power over the year and they expect to sell this intermittent (largely summer middle of the day energy) for about 35 p per KWH. The commercial cost of electricity in the USA is about 10p per MWH from coal it can be made for even less. Coal or gas electricity is also on demand electricity not summer energy so worth far more.
If it does produce this 3.2 MW average output for 10,500 homes they will get an average power of 300W each so they will be very cold home unless they have gas, coal, oils or wood heating or live in a rather small very well insulated boxes about size of coffins.
The £1 million profit claim does not even allow for back up costs, interest costs, depreciation costs, grid connections costs, transmission losses and metering costs.
August 24, 2026
They may be able to power 10,500 homes for an hour or so immediately after they have been installed but panels lose about 0.5% efficiency each year so after 10 years it will be 9975 homes and so on. The inverters needed to connect to the grid last 10 years so would need replacing then too. The battery storage loses 30% capacity after 10 years and also needs replacing then. So plenty of on-going costs for the council tax payers to shoulder even if everything runs exactly as planned.
August 24, 2026
The BBC is a great example of wasting tax-payers’ money (in this case, licence fee).
I’m a strong supporter of an independent, non-commercial BBC but for what the BBC broadcasts today, it’s not worth £3.9 billion. It’s relatively rubbish (I frankly never watch TV because I find it so cr-p – about once every three years – but buy the license so my family can enjoy). The licence fee should definitely be reduced to £2 billion. And if they don’t get their act together and create really original and great non-commercial TV and radio, then reduce the £2 billion to £1 billion a year, then I have an extra £100 plus per year to spend on some really good wine or having a great night out with friends in a restaurant – instead of my money going to something WOKE and that can easily be done by commercial TV.
August 24, 2026
So they want to invest £25 million to produce a real net return of circa £125k PA if they are lucky or O.5%. This after depreciation, cleaning costs, site security costs, interest, connection costs, maintenance, distributions costs, distribution losses, back up costs, insurance, fires… of course it might get destroyed by hail or storms within a year of two anyway. Google the pictures of the new one destroyed in Anglesey by a storm.
Solar to drive heat pumps is the UK is a disaster as you need the electricity for heating on the cold dark winter days when you get almost none.
Clearly not a decision driven to benefit tax payers or bill payers. But a political one typical of the LibDims and dopes like Theresa May who still holds the Tory whip in the Lords elevated by the dire Sunak.
August 24, 2026
I don’t know how they expect these solar panels to be providing electricity economically for 40 years when DESNZ only give solar CfDs up to 25 years. Also there is going to be such a glut of solar energy in the daylight summer months that either the project will not be making any money or consumers will be paying enormous constraint payments and then large gas backup payments at nighttime and all through the winter months. The Lib Dems are socialists. Socialism depends upon making and keeping people poor. The Left have used the false claim that we have a climate crisis to put Net Zero into law, a policy designed to be so economically damaging that it is sabotaging our energy and destroying our industry and national security.
August 24, 2026
Wokingham Council have lodged an objection letter to a housing development in North Hampshire, saying about 16 per cent of its residents could commute using Wokingham’s road network. Wokingham Borough itself is seeing massive housing development, waved through by the council and creating a vastly greater level of road use than that. Yet I can’t remember the Council ever objecting to a housing scheme on the basis of causing increased traffic. Can anyone else?
August 24, 2026
Why do they want to get involved with power generation and distribution at all, and add yet another layer of costs into the system, when they have no expertise at all and will rely upon a third party to service and maintain it all.
What incentive will householders get as potential customers, will it be less expensive for them than their existing suppliers, or will it all be sold back to the grid at probably ever decreasing rates ?
What happens when the solar company goes bust, as some already have ?
Agree with your comments about the roundabout, likewise many white lines and box junction markings are likewise fading, and are all but impossible to see at night or when it’s raining.
August 24, 2026
I went for a walk recently with a friend to Brockwell Hall in Brockwell Park (Herne Hill – London) run by the local council on which they recently spent £7 million ‘doing it up.’ I saw the house before the refurbishment and it looked a bit tired but nothing more. It was done up in relatively appalling taste. With £1.5 even you could have done a great job doing up. But where did the £7 million go. It’s unbelievable.
All they had to do was flick through Country Life to get a few ideas what a house from this period should look like. Charming. A gent’s residence. But instead, they turned it into a building where your dentist was located. Even the flag stones inside the house (the shape of the flagstones looked nice) awful. My friend tested them and said they were fake. And were an awful greeny-grey colour instead of being warn-bath-stone colour. And, when for &.5 million, they should have been real. And awful hospital safety bars going up to the front door, when for £7.5 million they should have used iron work to blend in with the already attractive, old iron work on the house elsewhere. And things like that.
So they spent at least 4 or 5 x times more than they needed to. Made it look even uglier. And is just a dead space (neither an attractive place to go and be inspired for free and/or not being used to make money such as by hiring out to people to use as a smart restaurante, home decor shop, and a book shop (there was a cafe there but it was closed so can’t comment how good or bad it was).
This is just one clear instance of waste of money on big scale and for so many reasons.
August 24, 2026
I don’t mean to waffle on. But this is really just a great example of where tax payers money is so often wasted on a big scale by the councils / government etc. I suppose everyone has a hundred stories like this right across the country. Culminating in the biggest waste of all: HS2.
Just like to add, even if they weren’t going to make any money out of it, they could have spent just £1.5 million instead of £7 million and would have made it look charming and in good condition for the next few decades. But no, they spend 7 million. Make it look uglier. And where did all the money go when they used cheap materials like fake (ugly) flagstones inside the house? And ruined it for commercial use as they turned it into an ugly dentist’s practise instead of a charming house to capture your imagination and make you feel relaxed and inspired …
August 24, 2026
Good morning.
The good people of Wokingham have got what they voted for. I am happy to leave them too it. Perhaps, over time, they will come to their senses.
August 24, 2026
So government has to greatly tighten up the audits on such works (but appears the auditors in this case were as ignorant/useless as those in the council behind the works) . And the government needs to do more to reward councils for spending money wisely.
Maybe we need a minister in government for public spending. His job is to ensure, council/government money is well-spent and whose department people can contact when they have complaints. Maybe something like this already exists. But if so then it’s far too obscure. And not nearly doing its job well enough.
Maybe we need more university degrees about how to spend tax-payers’ money wisely. Including 1. Accounts 2. Aesthetics. 3. Entrepreneurship (how spending money should help local business)
Reply There is,the Chief Secretary to Treasury
August 24, 2026
Spending 7 million on freshening up Brockwell Hall – about 4 x more than needed and leaving the place worse off than before, at least aesthetically, goes to show how council/government is wasting an astronomical amount of money. For I am sure there are Brockwell Halls all over the country (not just doing up houses but roads, bridges, hospitals, railways – HS2 for example, £100 billion down the swanny. I almost feel sick thinking about it …).
August 24, 2026
It should be law that no local government can borrow funds ….they must live by council tax & central grant alone ….if that model doesn’t work, revise it
August 24, 2026
Is there such a thing as Orange/Green colour blindness? I seem to have it…..
August 24, 2026
(And we need to bring back limited national service to man-up our young men! It’s a totally new and modern and secular concept that young men should not do some form of military service).
August 24, 2026
EM,
?
National service is not an ancient tradition.
The king used to ask his pals to provide troops from their estates. The navy was initially individuals with big boats, who were allowed to plunder in return for doing the fighting or attacking the vessels of a rival.
When there was good employment at home soldiering was not popular, so the numbers were made up by mercenaries or the press gangs in the case of the navy. The big private army of the East India company was mostly Indians.
August 24, 2026
Hi. Not if you go back further in history!
– ANCIENT ATHENS – EPHEBEIA. Two-year mandatory military and civic training
– SPARTA – AGOGE. Boys leave home aged 7 to join rigorous pre-army training. And then SYSSITIA, aged 20 where they graduate from training and become soldiers
– ROME – DILECTUS. Military service.
(And, just to be clear, military service wasn’t just a practicality but also a philosophy)
As a classicist, I take my instruction and inspiration more from ancient Athens, Sparta and Rome than I do from more recent history ..
August 24, 2026
It may also help to avoid the behaviour of those who find entertainment in driving recklessly.
August 24, 2026
Do councils and governments not have to get some competent and independent people to assess such investments before they piss the money down the drain?
I assume not.
August 24, 2026
Exactly what I was thinking. Did some brief research. They’re called ‘auditors.’ Clearly, they’re as useless as the those in the council/government requesting the work to be done. At least in case of Brockwell Park, Herne Hill. But I imagine this goes on all over the place, all the time, including HS2 to tune of £100 billion ..
August 24, 2026
On a still winter’s evening people arrive back home after work and plug their EVs in for a much needed re-charge. As they cook their tea they are so relieved that the renewable sources of energy have reduced C02 emissions and are thankful that the climate has stabilised now that nowhere on the planet is anyone burning fossil fuels.
Anyone see a problem or two with this scenario?
August 24, 2026
This seems to be common practice with authorities these days – they go to all of the expense of making it look like we have a vote and our comments will be considered when in fact they’ve already made up their minds what the end product will look like.
How can we trust such people?
Did kahn ever ask the people of London if they wanted LTNs, cycleways instead of roads or indeed shops deprived of passing traffic due to the wiles of net-0?
It’s not just more pellucidness in regards to decisions made by councils and quangos, we need to know that the decisions were made honestly without party interest or dogma!
August 24, 2026
“£5.5 m roundabout remodelling scheme” what roundabout? Painting the Canadian National emblem(Maple Leafs) on a road has nothing to do with improvement or road safety. Its no longer even a roundabout, you just get to play ‘chicken’ while others look at the confusing artwork and see who gives way first. It doesn’t even have anything to do with California either(‘In joke’, this is the Californian Cross junction).
My understanding is there was a government grant to fix pot holes in the nations roads and the ‘LimpDems’ said we need to spend it, spend it wisely, make at statement tell the people we are here for them.
Creating confusion on a through route, inventing a new system outside of all road safety conventions, deliberately trying to cause mayhem and accidents seem to be the trait embedded in the LimpDems. The LimpDem own actual national leader caused mayhem untold hurt and damage to a local Wokingham Councillor and the local Post Office through his neglect of job and duty. Causing close on a £billion in compensation to be paid out nationally. For that the UK Parliament rewarded this numpty with a Knighthood.
The LibDems just about sums up the State of the UK Parliament and its Government – lead by Numpties and every one act like Numpties. The only thing they are serious about is their own ‘ego’
August 24, 2026
Wokingham had the choice of who they voted on to their council. If they voted Lib Dem they got the council they deserved. Do we need edicts from central government to save them from their folly?
Maybe this is why the Lib Dems are so in favour of EU membership. The EU is needed to bring its directives to bear and save the people from idiotic Lib Dem policies.
Reply My point is the national government should not lend them money for this
August 24, 2026
Wokingham Council, WOKE to its core. They want to compete as a National Energy supplier, a Socialist Organisation wanting to function in competition with the Worlds energy suppliers. They can do it better than a commercial operator?
Has anyone seen what Wokingham Council charges for parking in the borough. How that simply punish the motorist for profit?
August 24, 2026
It is noticeable that many European leaders have travelled to Ukraine to meet with the brave and Churchillian President Zelenskyy. Dozens of them – Biden, Johnson, Sunak, Starmer, Macron, von der Leyn, Tusk, Meloni, Rutte, Scholz, Marin to name but a few.
And now Burnham, who has chosen to make Ukraine his first overseas visit as PM – and not the Donald in America
In fact, it is noticeable that of all world leaders, Trump, the Vietnam war draft dodger, has bravely refused to do so. Repeatedly. And while his envoys Witkopf and Kushner – both with powerful records of failure in peace negotiations – have visited Trump’s chum the war criminal Putin no less than eight times on jollies to the Kremlin, they have failed to visit Zelenskyy at all. Not even once. This speaks volumes.
Trump stopped all military and financial support to Ukraine, staring in 2023, before he even won the election. Thousands of civilians have died as a result. Nothing emboldens Putin more over his naked agression against Ukraine civilians, than knowing that the Donald is on his side.
August 24, 2026
Give up, SG. Ukraine can’t win. All that can happen is that we continue to spend £13 bn a year, or whatever it is now, on weakening Russia. If that’s what you want (and Ukraine suffers hugely in the process), why not say so?
Still, it was interesting to read your roll-call of failed leaders who worshipped at the shrine of Kiev. And where are they now?
August 24, 2026
HM,
Boris put the Ukraine up to it – when they were ready to reach an agreement.SG does not mention him.
August 25, 2026
Life’s too short mate to have views like this.
No-one’s going to support you – just think you’re extremist – whichever party you support. And it will just push people more to the left.
Most people still consider the UK a force for good in the world against tyrants such as Putin.
We can’t help everyone but Ukraine is on our doorstep. And Putin is a menace, to a degree, to us geopolitically. Far more so than any leader in Russia / Soviet Union since Stalin. For decades during the Cold War we spent billions and billions in our defence and intelligence against this country.
Lastly, Zelensky has done an amazing job. And has done much better than what vast majority of people ever expected.
You’re on the complete wrong side of history.
August 25, 2026
Putin has elections and has to worry about his popularity, Zelensky doesn’t. So who’s the tyrant?
August 25, 2026
And also because Trump has done nothing for Ukraine except undermine it in a way is another reason why we should help Ukraine. Trump’s a menace too. Not as bad as Putin but only because of the checks and balances of Western democracy.
August 24, 2026
John, If you think Wokingham is bad just take a look at Shropshire. They spend and borrowed money to purchase shopping centres at elevated prices and then knocked them down because the numbers were completely wrong. They have abandoned the award winning iconic County Council headquarters and will sell it for a pittance to enable housing to be built. They have borrowed £120million this year to cover costs and will borrow money from government every year through to 2030 which will be £180 million in the year 2030.
What ever you do do not enquire about iP&E. a past council leaders initiative…..
Shropshire is now a LibDem council and it shows.
August 24, 2026
“There is no way a Council should be taking such risks with public money” But, John it is not their Money its taxpayers money, all losses will be covered by the taxpayer! We can vot it in now look good but when things mature the costs need paying, ‘thank goodness’ we wont be around
Just as with yesterdays item, the results and burden of cost is the same. The BoE survived as a private operator from 1694 until 1946(250year) then a Socialist Labour Parliament and Government thought they knew best thought is was an earner to show them in a good light so Nationalised it. Then the Blair/Brown Socialist Government lets pretend the BoE is independent ‘a stand alone operation’ separate from Labours responsibility. But as an aside we will as before get the Taxpayer to pick-up all the BoE’s loses, as we will be in-charge we can take money from the taxpayer to keep it going – but we will call it Independent
August 24, 2026
To me, the folly IS the Liberal Democrats. They are very liberal with other people’s money and far from democratic when it comes to supporting the will of the people.
I will always remember National Referendum night when their then leader (as did all Parties) promised to honour the decision of the people.
But the next day, after learning that, LOL, ‘the people had made the wrong decision ‘, they reneged on their promise and have done so ever since. I find them undemocratic and untrustworthy as a consequence.
August 24, 2026
What you describe is madness. What is this compulsion by the government and some local councils to borrow money? When will they learn to live within their income? What is a local council doing getting involved in a solar farm? By all means, put some solar panels on buildings they already own and use to reduce their electricity costs.
As we will find to our cost, solar panels don’t have a life of forty years; even twenty-five years is questionable.
What is driving this nonsense: stupidity, vanity, arrogance, pride, a lack of common sense?
A day of financial reckoning is coming to the UK, and it won’t just be the government that is stunned and shocked.
How many local councils will go bankrupt as well? At exactly the time the government will have no money to bail them out!
August 24, 2026
Down here in ever popular Brighton our Green Council, some time ago, were persuaded to ‘invest’ in what is now the i360. The prospectus was laughable but the equity investors pushing for the project only put in about 10% of their own cash that the Council, unbelievably, allowed them to withdraw leaving us with a debt of about £30 million to pay the Government. The i360 doesn’t make enough to pay the interest. I would to like to know what our finance department thought of the idea. What does your Council really think of the solar panel deal which seems to be founded on equally dodgy figures?
August 24, 2026
I meant your Council finance department.
August 24, 2026
Yes, Magelec, the Brighton i360 is an interesting but very dispiriting case study which illustrates why local councillors should never, ever, be allowed to commission large speculative projects involving public money without detailed oversight from central government.
This project was enabled by the loan of cheap money from central government (PWLB) to the council who had been gulled into proceeding with a ludicrously unviable project.
I would have expected an explanation of the extent of oversight by government which allowed the project through, the folly of which we will continue to pay via the Brighton and Hove council tax for years to come.
For anyone interested:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton_i360
August 25, 2026
Thanks R.T.G. I’ve only read part of the very detailed description on the link. My information was only gained from the available local news.
August 24, 2026
“The panels will need new inverters, will deteriorate with age and may need replacing before 40 years are up. ”
Of course it will, but by the time the whole scheme’s folly is exposed, when the 40 years are up (or rather earlier, if the solar venture needs re-capitalizing), the current crop of councillors will no longer be seeking re-election, and everyone involved will already be safely pensioned off or dead, and beyond any potential legal redress by the taxpayer.
August 24, 2026
EdM:conscription/national service:military or boots and shovels.A well-remembered episode of “Yes Prime
Minister”.Jim thinks something like it is required to answer some problems with unoccupied young men.
Cabinet reception supportive.Sir Humphrey has quiet words with the various Permanent Secretaries.
Next Cabinet meeting “in principle yes but it is quite unworkable in my Ministry”
August 24, 2026
Once again the JD Vance and Elon tweets are brilliant, and far ahead of anything coming out of the UK political class. They are correct, and no amount of trying to pull the wool over the publics eyes and ignore the issues they are raising will work.
August 25, 2026
What’s wrong with human beings?
In his musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Lord Lloyd-Webber captures brilliantly the story in the Bible what happens to people and a nation when they are faithful to God like Joseph. The country will be blessed (Jospeh ended up the second most important man in the world).
But no, instead, we get people such as Napoleon, a hugely naturally talented individual, waging stupid wars on Europe. For what? When if he had just followed the spirit of Joseph, Napoleon would now have a brilliant legacy for himself and France. And there are Napoleons all over the place (with the ambition at least, not the natural talent) in politics. In national government. To local government.
St Joan of Arc followed the spirit of Joseph, and look what she achieved for France. An uneducated 18 year-old peasant woman booting the old enemy out of France after 100 years. Incredible. Whilst restoring the French monarchy. This is just one person from history who shows what happens if people take seriously (and joyfully) the story of Joseph. How blessed our own great nation would be.