Killer Bunnies and the UK's Blue Rinse Local Elections

There are days when you have a migraine without pain, but just feel a bit out of the world and weary. Luckily, I was still able to enjoy an unusual and stimulating conversation with customer and staff in Milton's Bangladeshi take-away, Milton Spice.

We began with the introduction of chickens to the UK (they originated in Thailand from a species of pheasant). I mistakenly thought was through the Romans, some have suggested was actually by the Phonecians, when they traded for tin on our shores, but most likely, they were brought in by iron age tribes as they came to Britain.

The conversation migrated onto dangerous foods. Trying to live on rabbit is apparently fatal, as they are just sheer protein with very few other nutrients. An excess of spinach was also not to be recommended. We moved on to the North-West Passage and Sir John Franklin's 1845 doomed exhibition, where the crew were likely driven to madness and cannibalism by acute lead poisoning from the recently invented tin cans they were using.

Ships. Ships now triggered the controversial comment that the Cutty Sark probably legally carried opium/heroin from India to China as cargo before returning with her more conventional cargo as the fastest tea-clipper to Britain. My order arrived just as we were in the middle of discussions on the British-China Opium Wars where Britain vigorously defended our right to sell addictive drugs to another nation.

The news was dominated by the inexorable spread of Tory blue across the UK in council elections. This extended even on the the Scottish heartlands. They gained 563 seats across the country. Labour was experiencing a dramatic decline, losing 382 seats and the only shining light was the total inability of UKIP to retain or gain any seats, being reduced by 145 seats to only one. Yes, ONE! Fortunately, Our local LibDem councillor Anna Bradnam was re-elected to South Cambs, though overall, the LibDems lost about 10% of their seats (down 42 to 441).

We also had our Mayoral election results. Sadly neither of our HBN hustings attendees won. The Conservative James Palmer is now our Mayor.

The overall political analysis is that the national politics of Brexit had an effect on these local elections. Will these results now feedback into reinforcing opinions about the different parties in the run-up to the major parliamentary elections?

Across the Pond, President Trump signed  an executive order to 'vigorously promote religious liberty' which many thought would enable the politicisation of religious groups in the US, permitting them to lobby politically on issues. The American Civil Liberties Union was going to submit a lawsuit, but when details of the executive order emerged, the group rescinded its threat, saying:

"It turned out the order signing was an elaborate photo-op with no discernible policy outcome. Trump's assertion that he wished to 'totally destroy' the Johnson amendment with this order has proven to be a textbook case of 'fake news.'"

But what we have seen, even with orders that have been blocked, such as immigration, the wall, and tackling illegal immigrants, is that the attitude of authorities to people coming into the country and the vigour with which illegal immigrants are now being deported has hardened. So attitudes re religion and politics may similarly change as the interpretation of existing law changes.