Treasury Lords' Brexit. Meddlesome Press. Fraud Epidemic

The Tory party continues its internal battles. Chancellor Philip Hammond, 2nd Lord of the Treasury, told a parliamentary commission today that he was minded not to divert money to soften a hard Brexit unless absolutely necessary. Prime Minister Theresa May, First Lord of the Treasury, stated that of course money would be diverted to planning for the catastrophic event, when asked a planted question in Parliament later. Apparently there was a slight disagreement/heated row at the cabinet meeting. Yet again, the government fiddles whist Brexit looms.

In the meantime, President Trump, irritated with the annoyingly unsycophantic press tweeted  "With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!". Something that Henry II would have sympathised with and perhaps paraphrased as "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome press?"Though Simon Sharma might correct me with the more historically acceptable version "What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household, who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born falsee news". This was originally reported in Latin, which Google Translate gives as "Quid sum miser ignavom fucos pecus, et non enutrivi et exaltavi crimine lese maiestatis in domum, quis eorum dominus sit tam indignas tam contemptim tractari per falsum nuntium humilis primogenitus" (please feel free to send any Latin corrections). Mind you, as a Norman, Henry probably used Norman French (no translation available)!

The real plague of fake news, is online and other fraud. Spent morning on ActionFraud reporting line. Practically everyone I know has probably experienced it, even if its simply that call about your computer, allegedly from Microsoft. Last year's statistics are 3.6 million instances of fraud in the UK plus 2 million misuses of computers. The Chief Inspector of Constabulary for England and Wales, Sir Tom Winsor,  said on BBC Radio 4: "The amount of fraud that is taking place now is probably in epidemic proportions.The police are having to work very, very hard to keep up with even the ones they know about. The capability at police forces is quite skeletal and that needs to change and change a great deal."