MalcolmW

I've just been on the ONS website. It has a facility to compare data for up to 3 local authorities at a time. I chose Bolton, Kensington&Chelsea and Manchester. Median weekly pay (provisional) for 2021 were, respectively £442.6. £767 and £460.

1. Still outstanding. 2. On the back burner (!). 3. Zouma and bro being prosecuted.

It was a stupid remark but they were not going to release her anyway until the debt was repaid. David Miliband was FS when the court appeal was turned down; Hague, Hammond, Johnson, Hunt and Raab didn't get a result. Truss (allegedly) made it her number one priority.

1971 800 tanks ordered by Shah and eventually delivered. 1974 Further 1500 tanks ordered all paid up front, but only 185 delivered before Shah is overthrown in Jan 1979. Feb 1979 Ayatollah flies in to take control. Tank contract is cancelled, but no repayment is made. 1990 UK and Iran agree to binding arbitration. 2001 Case is decided in Iran's favour. Payment of debt plus interest made into Court but appeal launched. 2008 EU imposes sanctions on Iran 2009 Dutch Supreme Court confirms ruling in favour of Iran. UK chooses not to regard payment as exceptional circumstance which could be made despite EU sanctions, so interest continues to accrue. 2016 Nazanin arrested. 2022 Payment made to Iran with a further £44M interest. Nazanin released. Incidentally the tank deal and repayments are not made by HM Government but by a 'private' firm called IMS (International Military Services). One share is held by the UK Attorney-General and the remaining shares are held by the UK Minister of Defence at any point in time.

Whoa. Recommended listening on BBC Sounds is R4's "Nazanin" (5x14 minutes). This clearly indicates that the debt should have been paid many years ago, and that no release was feasible without the payment taking place. Or just carrry on.

Well Truss has earned a brownie point. Let's see what Rishi conjures up in next Wednesday's Spring Statement (which might amount to an emergency Budget). I think his stock will drop when April and May pay packets fail to meet basic needs for so many.

We sold 100+ Challenger tanks to Iran in the late 1970s. The Shah paid up front but was overthrown before we delivered. Mrs T refused to honour contract with new regime. At some point the tanks were sold to the dodgy ruler of IraQ (remember him) for his war with Iran on the basis that my enemy's enemy is my friend. Iran continued to press for repayment and UK agreed to arbitration but refused to honour outcome, In due course an appeal was made but the Dutch high court (don't ask) confirmed repayment was due. 40 years of court interest really adds up. While there can be an elaborate pretence that payment and release are unrelated there is no doubt about the true situation. The other bloke having been released, of whom nothing had been mentioned in the media, suggests that the high profile campaign for her release did no good whatsoever.

She went to visit her parents after working for the BBC World Service as a Persian speaker.

And it they win in a closed stadium what happens for the semi? And if they win the semi what about the final. As for sporting integrity they bought a place in the EFL without ever having played a competitive match.

Remember Rule 1.

No. They can pay players and staff. They cannot sign or sell players. Abramovich has already pledged sales money to Ukraine rebuilding or some such. Anyway Chelsea were elected into the Football League without having played a competitive game. Money talked, even in 1905.

She was UK's fastest under 20 over 200m and made the European U20 final. May just be training at Loughborough (with a relay squad, perhaps). The races are the Inter-Counties CC Championships.

At least they won't all be wearing number 3.

Abramovich's motive in buying Chelsea was to make himself so high profile that he couldn't quietly be bumped off by the regime. Check Khodorkovsky and Berezovsky for how they fared with Putin.

Lampard and Gerrard can't both manage in the same league.

I have a book entitled "The Red Atlas" which demonstrates the level of detail the Soviet Union had about UK, US and other countries. Most information only came about because it was prepared (or possibly stored) in one of the Baltic states which rapidly seceded, before the place could be emptied. [So maybe they have much more somewhere central.]

I am hoping BBC news will catch up with WW news sometime.

There was a Burton-on-Trent football league match before there was a Manc derby. And St Georges Park is nearby (with much better pitches!).

European banks have massive loans out to Russia. Germany in particular will not easily accept a strong sanction arrangement (and they want their gas supply).

He was on loan at Accy earlier in the season but after shipping 12 goals in 3 matches he was dropped. Accy's loss - our gain. His first appearance was 2 days after City recalled him from Accy,

I receive a monthly prediction. At the beginning of this month (before the recent shenanigans) the prediction was Labour 317 to Cons 238 if an election was now.

Probably correct. If a government realise that a position needs correcting it can be done, but slowly. Simply change contracts for new employees requiring them to accept any specific vaccine (or other) requirements that may arise during the employment. It will, however, take about 40 years to become effective, by which time there may well have been a couple more pandemics.

Candidates for Southend West tomorrow: Freedom Alliance, English Democrat, "independent" (British Freedom Party), Heritage, Conservative, Independent, UKIP, English Constitution, and Psychedelic Movement.

Gavin Barwell was TM's Chief of Staff.