Labour's plan to counter the growing success of Polanski and the Green Party is to rerun the smears MPs levelled against Jeremy Corbyn. They're struggling to repeat the same playbook, however, because the Labour right is in power — and everyone hates them. As such, when they wag their fingers and say 'that guy's an extremist', people think 'these finger-wagging liars think I'm an idiot'.

Of all the finger wagging idiots in the Labour Party, none are more loathed than the top man — Keir Starmer. And this is how Greens leader Polanski responded to Starmer's latest push to neutralise criticism:

The caretaker PM is running scared and resorting to more smears because he knows the game is up.

Labour is sinking in Gorton and Denton and it's left to the Greens to challenge the far right threat of Reform.

Island of strangers? No. An Island of hope and unity. https://t.co/OH5iy21LDo

— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) February 13, 2026

In the above tweet, the Times' Steven Swinford notes that:

In his strongest attack yet on Labour's new electoral rivals, the prime minister will use a speech in Munich to warn that, for all their differences, both parties are "soft on Russia and weak on Nato"

He will argue their approach would lead only to "division and capitulation" and the result would be that "the lamps would go out across Europe once again"

If you're unfamiliar with 'NATO', it's the protection racket run by the United States. As we reported, the US recently threatened to invade NATO member Greenland. This means NATO is effectively dead as a serious project. Before all that happened, Polanski suggested we should question the reliability of the US, and still, he's the one who's not serious according to some.

Swinford continued:

He will argue their approach would lead only to "division and capitulation" and the result would be that "the lamps would go out across Europe once again"

His comments are a direct quote of Sir Edward Grey, a former British foreign secretary, who, on the eve of the First World War, warned that the lamps were "going out" all over Europe

"It's striking that the different ends of the spectrum share so much," Starmer will say. "Soft on Russia and weak on Nato — if not outright opposed. [They are] determined to sacrifice the longstanding relationships that we want and need to build on the altar of their ideology. The future they offer is one of division and then capitulation. The lamps would go out across Europe once again."

He will add: "We must level with the public and build consent for the decisions we will have to take to keep us all safe. Because if we don't, the peddlers of easy answers on the extreme left and the extreme right are ready. They will offer their solutions instead."

Sir Keir Starmer: Vote Reform or Green and risk war

Unserious comments from an unserious man.

After all, Starmer is the man who supported an ongoing genocide. He's also the guy who failed to stand up to Trump any of the times he threatened to invade other countries. Well, to be fair, he did send a single soldier to defend Greenland.

As Ed Sykes reported for the Canary on 14 February, the Greens' opposition to Zionism has landed them in trouble with the establishment:

There have historically been different strains of Zionism — the Jewish nationalist movement behind the colonisation of Israel. But the dominant form today is a supremacist extremism that empowers racism, apartheid, and genocide. Zionism is not Judaism, no matter how much Israel's leaders and cheerleaders want to blur the line.

Now, Green members are campaigning for a spring conference motion that seeks to acknowledge that "Zionism is Racism" and declare the party as "an Anti-Zionist Party." They also seek a rejection of cynical attempts to "equate anti-Zionism with antisemitism" in order "to silence legitimate criticism" of Israel.

Journalist Matt Kennard highlighted that the media is now gunning for the Greens as a result:

Green Party will likely vote to be first major UK political party that is anti-Zionist at its Spring Conference (Motion A105)

This will be a watershed moment in British politics

So the subversion steps up. This absurd article is the beginning

Anti-Zionism is anti-fascism pic.twitter.com/oP9PfM0X0L

— Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) February 12, 2026

Reform have also responded to Starmer's attack:

In a desperate attempt to save his job, Keir Starmer is attacking Reform UK today.

This weak, unpatriotic Prime Minister caves in to China, gives away the Chagos Islands and refuses to properly fund our armed forces. He is on borrowed time.

— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) February 14, 2026

As you'll see from our coverage, it's obvious we're no fans of Farage or Reform. At the same time, it's obvious why Starmer is resorting to attacking his rivals; it's because his Labour Party have nothing to offer.

Nothing besides endless paedophile scandals, that is.

What a sorry state of affairs.

Featured image via Barold/the Canary

By Willem Moore

Activists and politicians are urging the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to boycott upcoming Nations League fixtures against the illegitimate settler-colony 'Israel'. In a remarkable twist of fate, the Republic of Ireland has ended up in the same group as the land thieves for the 2026-2027 UEFA Nations League. This means Europe's most pro-Palestine nation will potentially face-off against the world's most anti-Palestine band of genocidal thugs.

Kosovo and Austria are the other teams in the group. Ireland are due to play Israel in September and October 2026.

However, the likes of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) have demanded things don't even get that far. The pro-Palestine campaign group said:

The apartheid state should have been expelled from UEFA for its crimes against Palestinians, long before its genocidal war on Gaza. We demand that the FAI refuse to play these fixtures. We need a national sporting body to stand up and call the bluff of the governing organisations. Boycott apartheid Israel all day, every day until freedom for Palestine.

Unlike in the case of Russia, UEFA and FIFA — the administrative bodies for football in Europe and worldwide respectively — have pissed about endlessly when it comes to getting rid of the genocidaires squatting illegally on historic Palestine. They banned Russia almost immediately after Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Yet nearly two and a half years into the world's first live-streamed genocide, perpetrated by the Netanyahu regime, they have dodged removing 'Israel'.

Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit (PBP) also called for refusing to play the fixtures:

The Government should stop trying to normalise the Israeli regime. Israel is not a normal state, it is a regime based entirely on ethnic cleansing, apartheid and barbaric genocide of Palestinians. Like apartheid South Africa, boycott can help dismantle this cruel regime.

Sporting and cultural boycotts were indeed crucial to ostracising that racist regime. The likes of Eurovision and the Nations League are crucial to maintaining the Zionist charade of straddling two continents. 'Israel' is Schrödinger's Colony, existing in two (terror) states simultaneously: both a 'nice, normal white European country' just like us, as it supposedly shows by competing in the above contests. Yet we are asked to believe its inhabitants are indigenous to the land they've been stealing for the past 100 years, despite largely arriving from overseas to steal the territory from its rightful owners — the Palestinians.

Boyd Barrett was referring to comments from the pathetic Micheál Martin. The treacherous Taoiseach once again showed his fealty to Ireland's masters by declaring:

It [the matches against 'Israel'] should go ahead, and I think the FAI has taken the correct decision to fulfil the fixture.

RTE say Martin has said there is "no official boycott of Israel in Ireland". The question is why, especially when the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is calling for it. There is no prospect of the Zionist entity changing of its own accord. It can only be shifted by external pressure and that means boycott — wreck its economy, and cut all ties with it culturally and in the sporting realm.

Previous calls by activists to boycott athletic contests with the terrorist pseudo-state have been unsuccessful. Some members of the Irish women's basketball team refused to travel for a fixture in Riga against the Zionist entity. Irish players then refused to shake hands with the land thieves on the other side. The match ultimately went ahead, however.

The FAI did pass a vote in November 2025 calling for the illegal settler-colony to be banned from international football. However, it seems the heads of Irish football are less keen when it actually comes to putting this into practice themselves. The FAI is adamant that the Nations League games will go ahead. They say they have consulted with UEFA, who are threatening disqualification if Ireland refuse to play.

The means of solving this problem is much like that faced by workers at their place of employment. If only one threatens to rebel, it's trivial for the employer to say "fine, piss off — I'll have no trouble replacing just you". The task for the boss becomes much harder if everyone gets in a union and threatens to walk out.

That's what's needed here — with sufficient pressure from local activists in a country where the vast majority of people will oppose playing 'Israel', Ireland can provide the credible threat of withdrawal.

The trick will be working with other nations to get them to join this threat, forming a united front that the craven bosses at UEFA can't ignore. If successful, it could be the beginning of the end for the Zionist fake-state's continued sport-washing of its disgusting atrocities.

Featured image via the Canary

By Robert Freeman

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) on Friday morning detained and cautioned a pro-Palestine activist under anti-terror law. This happened despite a judicial review that very morning ruling the group's ban is unlawful. Máire Mhic an Fhailí was held by police for around 30 minutes at Laganside Courts in Belfast. This was for wearing a t-shirt with the words "I support Palestine Action".

Earlier that morning, the High Court in London had ruled that the British government had been wrong to ban the direct action group. They determined the proscription amounted to:

…very significant interference with the right to freedom of speech and the right to freedom of assembly.

When activists conveyed this information to PSNI officers, they seemed unaware of the ruling. The officers scrambled to confirm it for themselves.

Mhic an Fhailí was previously arrested in August 2025 for what the police claimed was also Palestine Action support. However, this essentially amounted to punishment for speaking Irish. The PSNI were admonished by the police ombudsman on that occasion. This was for their failure to adequately cater to the activist exercising her right to use a language. Notably, this is a language that supposedly now has parity under the law.

Despite this, Mhic an Fhailí was again held on Friday for far longer than necessary due to police not being able to properly translate her answers. Speaking outside court, she said:

Although we heard today in the courts that the proscription of Palestine action has been declared illegal, I was still detained in the courts for wearing the Palestine action t-shirt. Furthermore, I gave my name and address in Irish, which caused another difficulty.

They said they couldn't provide an interpreter and I refused to back down by giving my name in English. And so they checked my name in Irish and found my name and address on their police files. And so, they let me go eventually.

It remains to be seen whether the PSNI will follow the course of London's Met Police. The Met have said they will hold off on arrests in the aftermath of the High Court verdict. In a statement on Friday, they said:

The High Court has found that the decision to proscribe Palestine Action was unlawful.

However, the group remains proscribed pending the outcome of any Government appeal, which means expressing support is still a criminal offence.

We recognise these are unusual circumstances.

From a Metropolitan Police perspective, officers will continue to identify offences where support for Palestine Action is being expressed, but they will focus on gathering evidence of those offences and the people involved to provide opportunities for enforcement at a later date, rather than making arrests at the time.

This is the most proportionate approach we can take, acknowledging the decision reached by the court while recognising that proceedings are not yet fully concluded.

The Six Counties police have recently pledged to ratchet up a clampdown on support for proscribed groups. They have been heavily criticised for going after anti-genocide protesters showing support for Palestine Action, while turning a blind eye to support for actual terrorist groups like the Ulster Volunteer Force.

However, they still emphasised that direct police involvement in removing material such as banners would be minimal. Land owners are still expected to be the ones taking primary responsibility. This is for ensuring their property isn't used for unlawful displays.

Mhic an Fhailí was at the courts supporting the for four activists being dragged through the so-called justice system for peaceful opposition to Zionist starvation policies. The charges relate to two protests held in July and October 2025, in which roads were blocked near Belfast City Hall. In addition, Mhic an Fhailí herself is among 9 activists currently under threat of prosecution for the demonstrations.

The activists come from a range of Palestine solidarity groups, including BDS Belfast, Belfast Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Mothers Against Genocide and Queerde. The group's campaign is entitled No Crime in Opposing Genocide.

In an update on today's court session on the BDS Belfast page, they state that Friday's hearing was largely a formality. The actual contest on their charges will likely take place in April. All activists intend to plead not guilty. Indeed, they have the right under international law to oppose their government's involvement in genocide.

Speaking outside court, BDS Belfast activist Damian Quinn said:

Those peaceful activists went to a protest and then stood on those roads because the British government and the North of Ireland government and the Irish government are doing nothing for the Palestinian people.

He continued:

It's our right under international law and under the Genocide Convention to oppose genocide, to prevent and oppose genocide. We don't wait until the [International Court of Justice] ICJ say it's genocide, we already know it's genocide.

The fact that the trial is still proceeding shows the success of Palestine Action at the High Court is just one step in a long road to stop the criminalisation of anti-genocide protest. Zionist influence on British politics is enormous, and removing its harmful effect on democracy will be a long struggle.

Featured image via Barold/the Canary 

By Robert Freeman

Huge thanks to my February sponsor, John Rember, author of the three-book series Journal of the Plague Years, a psychic survival guide for humanity's looming date with destiny, shaped by his experiences living through the pandemic in his native Idaho. Thoughtful, wry and humane, Journal 1 is a pleasure.

"National security plans must adapt to avoid 'new world disorder', says UN climate chief…

"The warnings came as a draft of a key agenda for the Cop31 climate conference omitted to mention fossil fuels, and skewed instead to the interests of the Turkish hosts, such as waste management and tourism."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/12/security-strategies-ignoring-climate-crisis-are-dangerously-narrow-un-climate-chief-says

"Sustainable Burnout: Global Conflicts Eclipsing Climate Change Concerns.

"A Kantar study reveals emerging eco-fatigue and challenges retailers to move from pledges to action. Wars, insecurity, and economic concerns overshadow climate in consumer priorities, yet their demands on brands remain unwavering."

https://www.modaes.com/global/markets/sustainable-burn-out-wars-are-already-more-of-a-concern-than-climate-change

"As of Feb. 10, 2026, the planet is tied for 2nd hottest on record, at 1.64°C above the 1850-1900 IPCC pre-industrial baseline.

"The Climate 8-ball says, "El Nino? We don't need no stinkin' El Nino!"" [Prof Eliot Jacobson]

https://x.com/EliotJacobson/status/2021967876698292435

"Back in 2021, we warned of a potential Aerosol Termination Shock from rapidly reduced pollution over the oceans.

"Based on NASA satellite data, it's even worse than we feared. It takes heat and therefore time to warm the oceans and for the regional and global climate to change."

[Leon Simons]

https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/2021946424590586163

"…NASA observations reveal a steady shrinkage of cloud cover, which is deeply worrying.

"Loss of the tropical stratocumulus cloud decks is predicted to result in a cataclysmic 8C hike." [Prof Bill McGuire]

https://x.com/ProfBillMcGuire/status/2022316824143000027

"Arctic peatlands are expanding as temperatures continue to rise, new research confirms…

"Given that the study covered a broad range of Arctic conditions—with 91 samples from 12 sites in the European and Canadian Arctic—the researchers say peatland expansion is likely to be happening across the Arctic."

https://phys.org/news/2026-02-arctic-peatlands-temperatures.html

"'I kayaked Greenland's 'pristine' waters. What I found was terrifying'…

"Jensen kayaked to one of the most "isolated corners of the Arctic", located hundreds of kilometres from any kind of road. He expected to find fibres and general plastic debris - which he did - but Jensen also stumbled across traces of car tire particles in his samples."

https://www.euronews.com/green/2026/02/14/meet-the-inuit-scientist-kayaking-around-greenland-to-highlight-just-how-far-microplastics

"'Seasons have become confused': the people struggling in UK's relentless rain…

"The prolonged wet weather is disrupting livelihoods as well as daily life, particularly in rural areas, where flooded roads, waterlogged ground and repeated storms are making it harder to keep businesses afloat, protect crops and maintain steady work."

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/14/uk-bad-weather-rain-flood-warnings-struggling-business

"'The only thing I own is gone': Clongriffin residents see vehicles submerged by torrential rain [Ireland]…

""We didn't know where to turn. We're left here. We pay very high rent to live here. I have an ESG [exceptional social grounds] application in with Dublin City Council. I can't afford my rent … it goes up every single year. I've tried absolutely everything."

https://www.irishtimes.com/environment/2026/02/13/clongriffin-apartment-dwellers-hit-hard-by-flooding/

"Storm Nils caused deaths, major flooding and mass power cuts in France.

"France is grappling with the aftermath of Storm Nils, as several regions remain under threat of flooding. Portugal and Spain have also been affected by a series of storms that have swept across the Iberian peninsula in recent weeks."

https://www.euronews.com/2026/02/13/storm-nils-caused-deaths-major-flooding-and-mass-power-cuts-in-france

"Portugal urged to adapt to climate emergency after series of deadly storms.

"Portugal is under pressure to draw up plans to adapt to the climate emergency as the country continues to be lashed by an unprecedented series of storms that have killed at least 16 people and left tens of thousands without electricity."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/12/portugal-climate-emergency-battered-storms-extreme-weather

"BREAKING: Montejaque 'ghost dam' begins spilling water after reaching capacity for first time in a century [Spain]…

"Residents across the Serrania de Ronda have been on tenterhooks over the past week as torrential storms pushed the century-old dam to breaking point, fuelling fears that millions of litres of rain could gush into the valley below."

https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2026/02/13/breaking-montejaque-ghost-dam-begins-spilling-water-after-reaching-capacity-for-first-time-in-a-century/

"Alicante Records Hottest Winter Day Since Records Began as Temperatures Hit 27C [80.6F].

"What's particularly striking is that four of the five warmest winter days ever recorded in the Valencian Community have all occurred between 2021 and 2026."

https://murciatoday.com/alicante-records-hottest-winter-day-since-records-began-as-temperatures-hit-27%C2%B0c_1000260606-a.html

"UNBELIEVABLE WARMTH IN SPAIN - 3RD CONSECUTIVE TROPICAL NIGHT; never happened in winter in European history.

"RECORDS HIGH MINIMUMS FOR FEB: 19.5 [67.1F] Castellon; 18.9 Valencia AP; 18.5 Alicante; 14.8 Gijon; 13.0 Zaragoza AP; 12.4 Albacete 12.8 Airbase; 12.6 Granada Airbase; 12.4 Ciudad Real."

https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2021897443374510341

"Eternal City eternally damp as Rome suffers record rainfall…

"Persistent bad weather has dogged the whole of Italy since the start of the year, with storms causing huge damage and disruption. Rome itself has seen near-daily downpours in February after a record amount of rain last month."

https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/eternal-city-eternally-damp-as-rome-suffers-record-rainfall

"Sardinia is hit by severe weather: the alert remains in effect, and the Civil Protection Department is meeting with mayors and other agencies to address the emergency….

"The wave of severe weather continuing to batter Sardinia continues unabated . The island, still reeling from the damage caused by Cyclone Harry and its "tailwind" faces new challenges…"

https://www.unionesarda.it/en/sardinia/sardinia-is-hit-by-severe-weather-the-alert-remains-in-effect-and-the-civil-protection-department-is-meeting-with-mayors-and-other-agencies-to-address-the-emergency-eneuypsx

"Morocco to spend more than $300 million on flood recovery.

"Morocco plans to spend some $330 million on regions hit hardest by weeks of flooding across the country's north that have battered its key agricultural zones, the government said Thursday."

https://www.africanews.com/amp/2026/02/13/morocco-to-spend-more-than-300-million-on-flood-recovery/

"EXTRAORDINARY - CLIMATIC HISTORY REWRITTEN. Hundreds of records smashed all over North Africa. Summer temperatures up to 37C [98.6F] and tropical nights.

"MOROCCO 29.8 Ouarzarzate 1100m asl; Records of high minimums smashed in pieces everywhere in Morocco. Algeria and Tunisia with Mins 16/20C."

https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2022016594059440593

"Are African 'water wars' on the horizon as African Union puts the issue on its agenda?

"…"Water is life," said Sanusha Naidu, a foreign policy analyst at the South African think tank, the Institute for Global Dialogue. "But it's not just that water is life - water is becoming a commodity of corporatisation and access. It is a humanitarian conflict. It is a climate change conflict.""

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/13/are-african-water-wars-on-the-horizon-as-au-puts-the-issue-on-its-agenda

"Water shortage alert: multiple Durban suburbs face interruptions as heatwave strains supply system.

"Residents in multiple suburbs including Morningside, Glenwood, and Umlazi face several days of water interruptions as the ongoing heatwave drives exceptionally high demand. The eThekwini Municipality has deployed water tankers to affected areas…"

https://iol.co.za/thepost/news/2026-02-06-water-shortage-alert-multiple-durban-suburbs-face-interruptions-as-heatwave-strains-supply-system/

"Thousands of fish wash up dead at Umhlali River Mouth [South Africa]…

"Barracuda, mullet, flathead and juvenile kingfish, as well as crabs and shrimp, are among the scores of aquatic creatures annihilated overnight, coinciding with a thunderstorm. It is unclear how far upstream the issue started."

https://www.citizen.co.za/north-coast-courier/news-headlines/local-news/2026/02/12/thousands-of-fish-wash-up-dead-at-umhlali-river-mouth/

"Madagascar cyclone death toll hits 40, 16,000 displaced; Mozambique braces…

"Gezani made landfall on Tuesday at the Indian Ocean island nation's eastern coastal city, Toamasina, bringing winds that reached 250km/h (155mph). Madagascar's new leader, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, has declared a national disaster and called for "international solidarity…"

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/13/madagascar-cyclone-death-toll-hits-38-12000-displaced-mozambique-braces

"EXCEPTIONAL HEAT IN THE INDIAN OCEAN - February Highest Minimum in history in the FRENCH SOUTHERN TERRITORIES Min. 29.5C Juan de Nova Island; 28.9C Europa Island.

Also 25.3 Mbazwana, South Africa. The area has been with continuous record heat for 12 years…"

[Extreme Temps]

https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2022260625288904804

"Sandstorm worsens conditions for displaced Palestinians in Gaza…

"The storm, carrying dust and strong winds from North Africa, has battered makeshift camps where thousands remain sheltering in tents following two years of Israeli military operations that left widespread destruction across the enclave."

https://anewz.tv/region/middle-east/18073/sandstorm-adds-to-hardships-in-war-ravaged-gaza/news

"Killer heatwaves are increasingly likely in the Gulf - but AI can save lives…

"Heatwaves are set to become more common and more intense, a study from Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi found. It investigated the devastating June 2024 heatwave in Makkah, when temperatures soared to 51.8°C and more than 1,300 Hajj pilgrims died."

https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2026/02/13/killer-heatwaves-are-increasingly-likely-in-the-gulf-but-ai-can-save-lives/

"Today MINIMUM 17.6C [63.7F] Sekhertabad 600m asl ties the TURKMENISTAN HOTTEST FEBRUARY NIGHT IN HISTORY.

"This is just the appetizer to what's coming. Thousands of records pulverized from the Black Sea to Hokkaido."

https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2021937075311005772

"Climate change is driving rising agricultural water use in Central Asia.

"A new study by IAMO researchers shows that rising temperatures and atmospheric water demand now outweigh land-use changes. As a result, the pressure on already scarce water resources is growing in one of the world's most water-stressed regions."

https://phys.org/news/2026-02-climate-agricultural-central-asia.html

"Iran's Water Crisis: A National Security Imperative…

"As environmental decline accelerates, water scarcity risks transforming from an episodic trigger of unrest into a sustained driver of domestic tension and center-periphery conflict, challenging both local livelihoods and national cohesion."

https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/irans-water-crisis-a-national-security-imperative/

"Water scarcity makes new dams impossible: minister [Pakistan].

"Sindh Minister for Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro has said that construction of new water reservoirs is not possible in the prevailing situation of water scarcity, adding that even under the 1991 Water Accord provinces are not receiving their full share of water while the sea is also deprived of its due flow."

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2592459/water-scarcity-makes-new-dams-impossible-minister

"Escalating Forest Fires in Jammu: A Call for Action [India].

"Jammu region has seen over 1,760 forest fire incidents affecting 4,100 hectares from FY 2023-24 to January 2026. The issue has intensified over the years, with preventive measures and response strategies urgently needed. Key divisions severely impacted include East and West Jammu, and Chenab."

https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/science-environment/3804365-escalating-forest-fires-in-jammu-a-call-for-action

"Today, 7 stations in China broke or tied their mid-February warmest records, and 2 stations broke their February Tmin records!

"Temperatures in China are expected to continue rising tomorrow, with dozens of stations breaking mid-February or even full-month records!" [Jim Yang]

https://x.com/yangyubin1998/status/2022321432655802760

"How China became fixated on cloud seeding…

"Snowie's results indicated the output of cloud seeding is ultimately underwhelming… And while cloud seeding has been shown elsewhere to work to some extent, even scientists who have seen the results firsthand are unsure if it works well enough to be worth the effort."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20260203-why-china-is-pushing-controversial-cloud-seeding-tech

"Fierce heat wave in THAILAND with days with 37C/39C every day (remember it's the cold season).

"The hill village of Pakchong with 37.0C [98.6F] today broke its record of February hottest day. The heat will get worse."

https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2022288969707507880

"Government deploys aircraft to battle Sakaerat Fire in Nakhon Ratchasima, with 10 water-bombing missions [Thailand].

"The wildfire, which started around 8:40 PM on February 12, 2026, has spread across nearly 4,000 rai of land, primarily in the eucalyptus forest near the Sakaerat station. Despite efforts to contain it, the fire quickly spread…"

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40062516

"Fresh floods devastate Central Tapanuli two months after deadly cyclone [Sumatra, Indonesia].

"The flooding damaged two emergency river levees in Tukka and Barus districts and washed away two temporary bridges in Sibabangun and Tapian Nauli, cutting off access to at least four villages."

https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2026/02/14/fresh-floods-devastate-central-tapanuli-two-months-after-deadly-cyclone.html

"All eyes on rivers after 8 rescued in floodwaters, 200mm+ drenching [Queensland and NT, Australia].

"As of February 14, 2026, severe weather and heavy rainfall, exceeding 200mm [8 inches] in some areas, have triggered flash flooding, road closures, and multiple emergency rescues across parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory in Australia."

https://news.az/news/flash-floods-force-road-closures-in-australia-s-queensland

"Record-breaking temperatures this summer have left some growers without flowers for Valentine's Day [Victoria]…

"Natalie Thomson cannot bring herself to photograph what last month's heatwave did to her micro flower farm in Nyah West… But neither she nor her plants were prepared for the record-breaking temperatures experienced last month."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-13/flower-farmers-heatwave-victoria-losses-valentines-day/106329998

"Record heat again in PALAU - February hottest night in history tied at Koror with a Minimum temperature of 80F/26.7C.

"Reminder: Palau fully uses Fahr. degrees for every purpose, just like the USA, Marshall Islands and Micronesia."

https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2022283009840525569

"US pressures Vanuatu at UN over ICJ's landmark climate change ruling…

"A US State Department cable seen by Al Jazeera on Saturday says that the Trump administration "strongly objects" to the proposed resolution being circulated by the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu in support of last year's ruling by the ICJ…"

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/14/us-pressures-vanuatu-at-un-over-icjs-landmark-climate-change-ruling

"Fiji Meteorological Service raises coral bleaching alert to highest level…

"The Fiji Met Service warns that extended heat stress may result in fish mortality, disruption of marine food chains, reduced reef growth and recovery, and declining reef fish populations. Coastal communities could also face reduced fish catch…"

https://www.fijitimes.com.fj/fiji-meteorological-service-raises-coral-bleaching-alert-to-highest-level/

"Jellyfish invade Mar del Plata beaches and link the phenomenon to sea warming [Argentina].

"According to recent measurements, the sea is several degrees above the historical average for this time of year. Records exceeded 22 °C [71.6F] compared to usual values of around 19 °C."

https://noticiasambientales.com/environment-en/jellyfish-invade-mar-del-plata-beaches-and-link-the-phenomenon-to-sea-warming-how-to-protect-yourself/

"PARAGUAY HEAT WAVE - 41.0C [105.8F] yesterday the final max. at Quyquyho - New record for February.

"Centro Meteorologico Nacional in Asuncion Min 29.2 Max 41.0 Hottest February day and night on record."

https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2022245100370419828

"Sao Paulo Battles Floods and Drought At the Same Time [Brazil]…

"Water in the region's largest reservoir network is hovering at 32%, the lowest since the region endured its worst water crisis in 2014 and 2015, and is due to dip lower as the dry season approaches. Meanwhile, the Brazilian city has been battered in recent weeks by intense storms…"

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-02-13/sao-paulo-s-drought-and-floods-shows-dangers-of-climate-change

"Why Indigenous Groups Are Targeting Brazil's Booming Grain Trade…

"In global crop powerhouse Brazil, major farming groups supported new laws that made it easier to fast-track roads and riverways crossing the Amazon rainforest. Now, they are facing the backlash in a crucial shipping route for corn and soybean exports."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-13/indigenous-protests-at-amazon-soybean-port-amp-up-pressure-on-lula

"Colombia declares emergency as deadly floods displace thousands.

"Water submerged homes after a dam and rivers overflowed in Cordoba, one of the worst-hit departments, where more than 150,000 residents have been affected… The emergency decree allows President Gustavo Petro to take special measures to address the crisis…"

https://www.trtworld.com/article/93351ff3b550/amp

"Mexican Caribbean Faces Record Sargassum Accumulation in 2026: Growing Environmental and Tourism Crisis…

"Sargassum not only affects the aesthetics of the beaches. Its accumulation and decomposition on the coast cause: Reduction of oxygen in the water, damaging coral reefs and seagrass beds. Release of hydrogen sulfide, a gas that causes respiratory discomfort and unpleasant odors…"

https://noticiasambientales.com/environment-en/mexican-caribbean-faces-record-sargassum-accumulation-in-2026-growing-environmental-and-tourism-crisis/

"Insane and unprecedented heat in Mexico:

"35C [95F] at 1600m asl (Cuernavaca), 30C at 2300m asl (Tulacingo). Absolutely unprecedented for this time of the year; temperatures typical of April."

https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2021783268623069435

"The vaquita porpoise population is hovering near extinction.

"…only found in the Gulf of California, Mexico, according to the Marine Mammal Center, they are characterized by their dark gray color and unique dorsal fin. Currently, fewer than 20 vaquita porpoises remain in this world."

https://www.thelamron.com/news/the-vaquita-porpoise-population-is-hovering-near-extinction

"Western US states fail to negotiate crucial Colorado River deal: 'Mother nature isn't going to bail us out'.

"Negotiators disbanded on Friday without a plan for the basin supplying water to 40m people, thrusting the region into uncertainty… In the region where water has long been the source of survival and conflict, the challenges that hindered consensus were as steep as the stakes are high."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/13/colorado-river-crucial-deadline

"The hidden impact of polluted snow.

"As Canada experiences record snowfall, new research from the University of Waterloo suggests that tiny amounts of industrial pollution trapped in snow can change how sunlight reaches the ground below and significantly alter fragile environments."

https://phys.org/news/2026-02-hidden-impact-polluted.html

"Businesses must take responsibility for biodiversity loss - for their sake as much as ours…

"From healthy rivers to productive forests, the natural world underpins almost all economic activity. But human consumption of the Earth's resources is unsustainable, driving what many scientists believe is the largest loss of life since the dinosaurs."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/12/no-excuse-for-inaction-the-push-for-businesses-to-step-up-the-fight-against-biodiversity-loss

"Polluting the environment for all eternity—and still sticking our heads in the sand…

"Goal 7 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework states that plastic pollution must be eliminated by 2030 to protect biodiversity. The question is simple: why are we not following up with measures that make a real difference?"

https://phys.org/news/2026-02-polluting-environment-eternity-sand.html

"Scientists warn climate models are missing a key ocean player…

"Tiny marine plankton that build calcium carbonate shells play an outsized role in regulating Earth's climate… New research shows these microscopic engineers are largely missing from the climate models used to forecast our planet's future, meaning scientists may be underestimating how the ocean responds to climate change."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260208011024.htm

I rely on donations and tips from my readers to keep the site running. Every little bit helps. Can you chip in even a dollar? Buy me a coffee or become a Patreon supporter. A huge thank you to those who do subscribe or donate.

You can read the previous "Climate" thread here. I'll be back on Saturday with an "Economic" thread.

The post 14th February Today's Round-Up of Climate News appeared first on Climate and Economy.

Two of the world's biggest AI companies, Google and OpenAI, both warned this week that competitors including China's DeepSeek are probing their models to steal the underlying reasoning, and then copy these capabilities in their own AI systems.…

The 62nd Munich Security Conference opened on 13 February 2026 in Munich, Germany, and this year's gathering feels different from past editions. For decades, Munich was about jets, troops, and treaties. Today, cyber and AI are no longer peripheral; they are part of the architecture of security itself. Cyber risks, digital infrastructure, and emerging technologies […]

In Edinburgh, Tamsin Grainger spent 2025 on a quest for a hidden river.

This year I have been looking for the Granton Burn in Edinburgh where I live. It began with a New Year Resolution to get to know the area better through planning a series of walks. What I needed was a good map. The February date coincided with the Festival of Terminalia, an annual celebration of the Roman god of boundaries, Terminus, on the 23rd. If I found a chart showing the boundaries, maybe I could get a measure of the place, define it better and identify its features. I was curious to discover who lived there before me, who the indigenous species and people were. 

It was clear that the Firth of Forth estuary was the northern perimeter, and contemporary maps showed Ferry Road, a main east-west traffic artery, as the southern. However, nobody seemed to agree where the eastern and western edges were. Local organisations such as the Community and Parish Councils provided plans which differed. Street and building names that included the word 'Granton' were spread over a wide area, some to be found in neighbouring zones. Turning to historical documents, I discovered that the Wardie and Granton burns — Scots for small river or stream — were listed, but where were they? Not on my phone app, that was for sure. 

There is an old map showing the City of Edinburgh in colour with Granton in white as if it barely existed. Only a number of thread-like lines depicting fields, one or two boxes denoting properties, and some grassy tussocks and tree shapes can be seen. There was once a castle, the website for the existing garden and dovecot told me, but in 1544 the English invaded and it was sacked. I had very little to go on. 

A Granton Community walk - outside Caroline House

Here is where the community walks came in useful. Local people who joined me on my search said that although the Wardie Burn cannot be seen, its route roughly followed the current A903. I had noticed musty, damp smells near where that road meets the end of mine. I could occasionally hear the shrieks of foxes and other small creatures coming from somewhere unpenetrated by street lamps. My walking companions confirmed, yes, the Burn used to run in a dell there between two slopes, maybe still does. Now I knew the eastern limit.

The Granton Burn remained elusive. 

On my March walks, when I was close to what I guessed was the edge of the area, I started asking people, "Am I in Granton?" When they shook their heads and said "No, hen," I would enquire, "Do you know where it is?" Everyone had an answer; it was just that their opinions did not tally. In the end I collated the replies and results of my research and drew my own map using pencils and ink on an old roll of wallpaper. Then I mounted it in an exhibition at Granton Hub, the local community centre, to prompt further discussion. 

Granton Map by Tamsin Grainger. Pencils and ink on wallpaper. March 2025

Like most cartographers, I used a bird's eye street-view, and influenced by the ancient maps I had lying around my studio, I surrounded it with illustrations of other-than-humans I had met on my walks. The red admiral butterfly is shown in various stages of its development with the nettles and buddleia it thrives on. Our resident heron is there, together with a pair of oystercatchers from the Bay, and also the Wheatley Elm from my garden. This particular elm tree is ideal for Granton for it can cope with salt and high winds. 

One chilly day in April, on a community walk, we stopped outside the gates of Caroline House, a private residence down by the sea that dated from 1585. A group member told us a ghost story associated with it: An overnight caretaker had made his rounds in the early evening, checking no-one else was present. All night he heard the distinct sound of furniture being moved upstairs and could not sleep. When someone came to relieve him the next morning, they went up to the floor above only to find that nothing had changed. It has never been explained and people love to speculate. While I was listening, I spied a fountain of water through the fence, coming out of a grassy knoll. What was its name? No-one knew.

As the months went by, my walks skirted around this property. I discovered that a drain on the side of the Firth of Forth regularly overflowed with Spring rains, flooding the road as if the water was making a dash for the Brick Beach, a nearby strand dumped with building materials. When I explored the beach, I found what looked like a cast-iron pipeline in the sand, half hidden by seaweed. Could it be spilling out water, and if so, where did it come from? My appetite truly wetted, I retraced my steps, hesitating at the gravelly side-entrance to Caroline House and peering into the gardens before creeping in undetected.

I found a burn pouring over a stone sill and rushing under a low-arched bridge. It flowed beside the house and, further on, at the bottom of some rickety steps. Slipping on the slimy wood, I clutched the handrail to save myself and, at a tilt, was delighted to spy a colony of over-wintering ladybirds all cuddled up close in a nook underneath. Following the water's flow, I came to the end of the garden and what looked like gate posts. Two square stacks of red stone were set into a wall glowing in the evening sun. Though the space between the stacks was bricked up, I could climb up and see the Brick Beach beyond. Turning to make my way back up the slope, I was assailed by angry cries. I had been discovered. 

I offered profuse apologies and gently persuaded the owner I was not threatening. I felt she really wanted to tell me about the history of her home. "This is the Sea Gate and that is the Granton Burn," she told me. I was very happy to hear it, and asked, "Do you know where the source is?" I had recently walked the Braid Burn from its Portobello mouth, further along the Edinburgh coast, to the source in the Pentlands (my writing is part of an Art Walk Porty publication here). I assumed the Granton Burn must also originate there. "No," she replied, "I think it rises on Corstorphine Hill."

 Corstorphone Hill, the Scott Tower

The owner let me out through the front entrance, and waved goodbye. I noticed how squelchy the grass was underfoot. In fact, it was always sodden here whatever the weather. Staying with the juicy noise, I passed the Scottish Gas building and the lights were on. Shut for quite a few years, I could see a security guard at the reception desk, so smiled and gestured. He let me in. "We're getting ready to re-open after the flood" he said, and I remembered that an inundation had been responsible for staff leaving; the Burn must run underneath. I continued on towards Forthquarter Park where there is a man-made canal and a new sign had been put up since my last visit: 'Please Look After Your Granton Burn.' 

During the summer, I took more walks through Forthquarter Park, watching the moorhens negotiate the bullrushes and proud-necked swans swimming amongst irises. Silver birches were coming into full trembling leaf and gulls were lined up on the railings. A 'Footpath' marker pointed me between Waterfront Park and West Granton Road, and there was an unexpected lochan of sparkling water with a warning — 'Deep, Beware.' 

After this, the trail went dry.

As Autumn began, I received an invitation to speak at the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT) Winter Lecture Series on the Edinburgh Coastline. This was the excuse I needed to pick up my project again. I visited the National Library's wonderful map store and scoured for water sources. With the support of the librarians, I found wells and springs, sluices, another reservoir, and filtering beds, all between Corstorphine Hill and Caroline House. That weekend I put on my walking boots, took a bus to the foot of the hill and started to search for the origin of the Granton Burn. I believed it had served many of the industries I knew proliferated along the Forth Estuary in the 18th and 19th centuries: paper, coal, steel wire, and ink, to name a few. 

The Granton Burn in the grounds of Caroline House

Starting up the zoo side, I quizzed a dog walker for signs of the burn. We were standing beside a Scottish Water unit which was buzzing and humming. "Oh yes," she said, "there are wells just on the other side of the Scott Tower." After locating them inside circular pens overgrown with brambles, it was easy to follow a gully in the undergrowth. I ignored my scribbled maps and almost flew down the hillside knowing I was onto something.

When I came to a road and stopped to get my bearings, rain was starting to drip onto my notebook and phone. Something else was wrong too: trying to align myself with Caroline House seemed to be impossible. I was not on the right side of the hill. It looked likely that I had been lured by a different burn altogether, one that was running towards Crammond Island, also on the Firth of Forth, but nearer the famous bridges. River though it must have been, this was not the one I was searching for. 

Back up the steep incline I trudged, meeting a helpful woman with a baby strapped to her front who took me home to consult her husband. He gave me a paper map, but it did not mention the burn. Later, I spotted a man in a sodden anorak looking up and asked him if he knew the area. He said he was a tree surveyor and after a short explanation of my quest, explained that he was born in Granton and his father still lived there. "The Wardie Burn runs under his garden. If you stand outside the Co-op on Boswall Parkway after the rain you can hear it."

Back at the apex of the hill, I was fed up. It was four hours since I had arrived and according to the street map, it would take me the same time to get back home. Perhaps it was impossible to detect water below ground, even if I had spent a lot of time in its company. I ate my picnic and looked around. The land dropped steeply off to the left where the vegetation was lush. I got out the map I had sketched at home and it showed squiggly blue lines at the bottom where the old maps said Craigcrook Castle used to be. There had been a pump and it was definitely facing in the right direction. I had nothing to lose.

It was raining hard and the daylight would not last long. As I descended the steps, there seemed to be a watery flow in the earth — or was I imagining it? Through the fence, the grass flattened out and a horse was grazing. Suddenly, I stumbled into a hole, nearly falling forwards onto my hands and knees. Clear water was running over my feet; water with vitality. I waded on, energised now, despite soaking socks. It was as if I could feel a sort of magnetic pull from underneath. I sprang from bank to bank over a ditch, lost the trail but was able to find it again quickly. Water-loving plants and grasses, damp-loving fungi, the outward signs were clear, and inside I had a strong feeling too. I had a sense of the water being grateful. It seemed weird, but it really was as if the burn was wanting to be found, was glad to be beside me. 

Onwards, and sometimes there was a path and sometimes none. It was unfamiliar territory, but I was not lost. Every time I looked at the compass, I was on-course. I passed a pool, a little creek, went behind a school and out of trees through back gardens. A lane led to a side-street and a main road and then I was in built-up Blackhall where men were on their way to the mosque. As daylight began to dwindle, I was still heading for the known sections when I crossed the familiar Roseburn Cycle Path, realising with surprise that I had never thought to look for a Rose Burn, if there was one*. Manoeuvring between bungalows and blandly designed housing schemes with not a lawn in sight, I kept my attention below ground. 

After Pennywell, I came across Granton Mill, a development where a friend lives. In 2024, I had worked at the local history archive. No-one had known if there had been an actual mill there, nor which water it relied on if there was. Now I knew. I crossed Ferry Road into Granton, and trekked through the last blocks of nondescript tenement flats before regaining the reservoir. Ten minutes later I was on the sea side of Caroline House. It was no surprise to hear the force of the burn before I saw it, gushing along after the heavy rain.

As I write, it is the last day of December. I know now that most of the Granton Burn is underground, as many urban rivers — the Fleet in London, Farset in Belfast, for example — are. May East, international urbanist and author of What if Women Designed the City? advises us not to rely on old maps when navigating changing urban landscapes. Prompted by this, and the difficulty I had finding the river, I have embroidered my own, its stitches representing my walking steps. Though this year's research has not been academically corroborated, this walk of faith seemed to be acknowledged by the Burn itself. As if it knew I was there and was pleased that I was paying it attention, it showed itself to me.

The Granton Burn, stitched map by Tamsin Grainger. Textile and cotton thread. December 2025

I chose to place the Burn at the forefront, and I matched the colours to the 1867 W. and A. K. Johnston Plan of Edinburgh and Leith, using simple running- and chain-stitches. It draws on my walking encounters, depicting a fox, a moth, chamomile, and oyster shells. There are also seabirds, tortoises, a pilgrim, and reminders of some of the industries that relied on the water. Presented at the SHBT Winter Series to accompany my lecture, From Hill to Sea, the map can be viewed at Riddles Court, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh.

*When I looked up the Rose Burn, I found that 'the burn drained into Corstorphine Loch, originally a glacial lake giving way to a large area of marshland which was finally drained in the c17th.' (Water of Leith Conservation Trust website)

*

Tamsin Grainger is a writer, bodyworker and walking artist living in Edinburgh. Visit her website here.

APRICOT 2026 For almost 30 years, the PingER project at the USA's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory used ping thousands of time each day to measure the time a packet of data required to make a round trip between two nodes on the internet.…

1993: Lea Valley Walk follows the Limehouse Cut to the Thames because the last mile is inaccessible
2000s: Half-mile dead-end riverfront promenade opens opposite Bow Locks
2009: Plans for linear Leaside park and riverside path (the 'Fatwalk')
2012: Cody Dock opens, connecting dead end to industrial estate
2016: Fatwalk renamed the Leaway (but remains unbuilt)
2016: Ramp opens linking Twelvetrees Bridge to Lea towpath
2019: Cycle ramp opens beside A13 underpass
2021: Funding for new Lochnagar Bridge (but no subsequent action)

Exclusive: High levels of banned 'forever chemical' have been detected in rivers and groundwater at 25 sites

A string of toxic pollution hotspots has been uncovered across Cumbria and Lancashire, with high levels of the banned cancer-causing "forever chemical" Pfos detected in rivers and groundwater at 25 sites.

The contamination, spread across a large area, was uncovered by Watershed Investigations and the Guardian after a freedom of information request revealed high concentrations of Pfos in Environment Agency samples taken in January 2025.

Cardiff: It steals light, it discourages growth at its base, and it blocks what was once a panoramic view. How do I make peace with it?

It goes against the grain for me to hate a plant, but I've been resenting a certain Leyland cypress for a long time. Planted by a neighbour in the 1970s to give the house we overlook privacy, it now blocks part of our panoramic view over Cardiff. When we moved in 12 years ago, I was able to lie down in bed and see only sky. In that time the solitary tree has grown four metres and now looms over my sleep. Crows, robins, pigeons and green woodpeckers use it as a lookout over the city. Magpies have attempted (unsuccessfully) to build a nest in it. Polite requests to the owner have been ignored.

Hesperotropsis leylandii is an accidental hybrid of Cupressus macrocarpa and Callitropsis nootkatensis. First noticed in 1888 in Leighton Hall near Welshpool, it was exploited commercially as a cheap, fast-growing screen. Leylandii hedges are light-stealers, tolerant of pollution and notorious for discouraging growth around their base. They often generate disputes between neighbours (including one murder). One person was convicted of criminal damage for urinating on an offending plant. So far I have resisted this, and another suggestion that I knock copper nails into its trunk.

Honda Racing Corporation has all hands on deck for their reimagined 2026 squad!

Japanese noise is often talked about as if it is one thing, a single wall of sound, a fixed idea. That is not how it really feels when you spend time with it. It is messy, personal, awkward, funny, tiring, and sometimes deeply moving. It grew from real places and real people, not from theory or fashion. To understand it, you have to accept that it does not always want to be understood. Why should it?

Noise in Japan did not appear because musicians wanted to shock people in Europe or America. It came from small rooms, cheap gear, and a sense that normal music was not enough. In the late seventies and early eighties, there was already a feeling that rock music had reached limits. Punk had opened a door, but for some people that door was still too narrow. They wanted sound without structure, without songs, without a clear message. After the rapid growth of cities and technology, sound became part of daily stress. Trains, adverts, crowds, machines, all fighting for attention. Noise music felt like a mirror of that life, but also a way to take control of it. By choosing noise, artists could shape chaos instead of just suffering it.

Even before what most people call noise, there were important earlier examples in Japan that set the ground. Groups like Taj Mahal Travellers in the early seventies explored long drones, outdoor performances, and sustained sound that blurred the line between music and environment. Their recordings and performances treated sound as something physical and shared, not something to consume. This way of thinking mattered deeply and later fed into noise, even if the sound itself was often quiet and slow. Was this already noise in spirit, even if not in volume?

Another crucial early figure is Kaoru Abe. Although usually described as a free jazz saxophonist, his late recordings and performances push so far into intensity and abstraction that they clearly belong to the roots of Japanese noise. His solo performances were relentless. Screeching tones, circular breathing, physical exhaustion, and complete refusal of comfort. Albums recorded shortly before his death feel raw and unfiltered, as if the sound might collapse at any moment. Abe treated sound as a form of total release and pressure, not communication. This attitude had a deep influence on later noise artists who valued commitment and risk over control and polish. How far could a single sound be pushed before it became something else entirely?

Masayuki Takayanagi was one of the early Japanese noise musicians who seemed less interested in pleasing people and more interested in telling the truth, even when it hurt. His noise was not about chaos for its own sake. It came from a deep urge to strip music back until only raw sound was left. Guitars screamed, cracked and fell apart in his hands, but there was focus behind it, not carelessness. Listening to him can feel uncomfortable, even tiring, yet it also feels honest. He treated noise as a way of thinking out loud, a way to push against rules that felt too small. Takayanagi did not try to explain his music much. He played, and let the sound argue for itself.

This early period connects strongly to the wider Japanese avant garde. Experimental music, theatre, dance, and visual art were deeply intertwined. Artists were less interested in categories and more interested in breaking habits. Sound was part of a larger push to reject comfort and expectation. Noise did not arrive from nowhere. It grew out of this avant garde culture, where failure, discomfort, and excess were seen as useful tools rather than problems.

Les Rallizes Dénudés are another vital part of this story. Often labelled as psychedelic rock, their live performances were built around overwhelming volume, endless feedback, and repetition that pushed beyond songs altogether. Recordings from their live shows feel unstable and obsessive. Guitars dissolve into pure sound. Time stretches until it almost stops. Many later noise artists took this idea of feedback as a main voice directly from them.

Keiji Haino stands as a bridge between early experimental music and noise. His early work with Lost Aaraaf, and later solo performances, showed an intense focus on extremes. Screaming vocals, distorted guitar, long silences, and sudden eruptions all appear. Albums and live recordings from the seventies and eighties feel ritualistic rather than musical in a normal sense. Even when melody appears, it feels fragile and threatened. This emotional intensity influenced many noise artists who cared less about sound alone and more about total commitment. How far could expression be pushed before it stopped being music?

Some of the earliest Japanese noise grew close to performance art and underground theatre. Groups like Hijokaidan are a key example. Their early shows were chaotic events rather than concerts. Broken glass, shouting, feedback, body movement, and confrontation were all part of the sound. Albums such as their early live recordings capture this feeling clearly. They do not sound planned or refined. They sound like events barely under control. That sense of danger mattered. It was not about making records that lasted forever. It was about presence and risk.

Incapacitants deserve special attention, and they deserve serious praise. They are not just influential. They are truly great. Their work represents one of the highest points of Japanese noise. Toshiji Mikawa and Fumio Kosakai approached noise with rare focus and intelligence. There is nothing careless in their sound. Albums like Feedback of NMS, As Loud As Possible, and their many live recordings show an incredible sense of balance between force and control. The sound is dense, crushing, and physical, yet carefully shaped over long stretches of time.

Mikawa's electronics create thick, suffocating layers that feel almost architectural, while Kosakai's use of feedback and signal chains adds movement and tension. Together they build noise that feels alive, not static. Changes happen slowly, but they matter. Listening to Incapacitants feels like being locked inside a vast machine that breathes and shifts around you. Few noise acts anywhere achieve this level of discipline without losing intensity. They prove that noise can be overwhelming without being sloppy, and extreme without being empty. How many noise projects sustain this level of quality for so long?

Hanatarash moved in another direction entirely, toward physical danger and confrontation. Their performances became known for using heavy machinery, power tools, sparks, and real destruction. Bulldozers, concrete, and metal were not stage props. They were sound sources. Recordings like Hanatarash 3 still carry this sense of threat. Even without seeing the performances, the recordings feel unstable, as if the sound could collapse at any moment. The question of whether this was music hardly matters. What mattered was the refusal to separate sound from action.

Projects connected to this confrontational spirit also include Niku-Zidousha. This group pushed noise toward raw aggression and physical pressure, often mixing distorted electronics with violent repetition. Their recordings feel blunt and hostile, with little interest in balance or comfort. Niku-Zidousha fit naturally into the Japanese noise world, but they also echo the wider avant garde idea of sound as an attack on the listener's expectations. Is endurance part of listening here, or is it the entire point?

Japanese noise often developed outside normal music spaces. Small galleries, basements, temporary venues, and illegal spaces all played a role. Many artists had no interest in careers or recognition. They made work because they felt driven to do it. Tapes were duplicated by hand. Covers were drawn, painted, cut, or photocopied. Labels like Alchemy Records helped spread this work, but everything remained close to its source. The physical object mattered as much as the sound inside it.

It is impossible to talk about Japanese noise without mentioning Merzbow, but it is also hard not to feel tired of that name. He has become a symbol that overshadows everything else. For some listeners, he is Japanese noise. That is a problem. His work often feels like excess without direction. Endless layers of distortion pushed to the same limit again and again. After a while, the impact fades. Loud becomes flat. Shock becomes routine. When attention stays fixed on Merzbow, it hides how careful, varied, and thoughtful much of the scene actually was.

There is also something uncomfortable about how Merzbow is often treated as a hero. The idea of the artist who goes further than anyone else, who destroys sound completely. This turns noise into a competition. Who is louder? Who is harsher? That misses the point. Noise was never about winning. It was about finding new ways to exist in sound. When everything is pushed to the same maximum, nothing has space to matter. Is destruction really enough?

Many other Japanese noise artists explored very different ideas. Masonna is a strong example. His work combines harsh noise with screaming vocals, sudden silences, and sharp changes. Albums like Spectrum Ripper and his many live recordings feel frantic and unstable. There is fear, humour, and absurdity mixed together. The music constantly shifts, refusing to settle. This nervous energy makes his work feel alive in a way that static noise often does not.

KK Null, both solo and with Zeni Geva, brought a heavy physical weight to noise. Thick guitar tones, repetition, and rhythm play a large role in his work. Albums like Desire for Agony and later Zeni Geva releases balance noise with pounding structure. The sound feels solid and relentless, showing how noise could merge with metal without losing intensity.

There is also a quieter side that people often ignore. Sachiko M is essential here. Her use of sine tones and near silence reduces sound to its smallest elements. Tiny shifts become huge events. Listening demands patience and focus. In the context of Japanese noise, this approach makes sense. It is still extreme, just in a different direction. It challenges the listener through attention rather than force.

Government Alpha explored another path, combining harsh electronics with movement and flow. Albums like Venomous Cumulonimbus Cloud feel less like walls of sound and more like evolving environments. The noise rises, falls, and mutates slowly. It invites long listening rather than immediate reaction.

Other important artists deepen this picture further. The Gerogerigegege used noise, tape manipulation, and provocation to attack ideas of taste and decency. Their releases feel confrontational even before you hear the sound. Astro combined noise with psychedelic repetition, creating trance like chaos. K2 pushed electronics into brutal, metallic forms that feel mechanical and inhuman. Aube focused on single sound sources, like water or metal, building entire albums from one material. This focus shows how conceptual Japanese noise could be without losing intensity.

Japanese noise is often linked to ideas of extremity. Louder. Faster. More brutal. This idea is partly true, but also lazy. Yes, volume matters. Physical impact matters. But there is also control, patience, and detail everywhere. Long stretches of near silence. Repeated textures that slowly shift. Small sounds that feel more intense than any blast of volume. People who say it is just loud do not listen very closely. Are they really listening at all?

Another important part of Japanese noise is how it connects to daily life. There is often a sense of routine in it. Repetition. Mechanical action. Labour without release. Instead of escaping this feeling, noise leans into it. It turns pressure and frustration into sound. That can be difficult to sit with, but it can also feel more honest than polished music designed to comfort. Why look away from this reality?

The way noise was shared also matters. Tapes, burned CDs, handmade covers. Small labels run from bedrooms. This created a loose community, even if the music itself felt isolating. You knew someone had taken time to make this object and send it to you. It was slow, fragile, and imperfect. That fits the sound perfectly.

Over time, Japanese noise became an export. Foreign labels and festivals picked it up. Writers framed it as something exotic or extreme. This changed how it was heard. Some artists leaned into that image. Others faded away. When noise becomes a product, it loses some of its danger. It becomes safe to admire from a distance. Is that what this music was ever meant to be?

Today, Japanese noise still exists, but it feels quieter in a strange way. Not in volume, but in attention. The internet has flattened everything. Harsh sound is easy to find now. Anyone can make it. That makes shock harder, but maybe shock was never the core idea. What still matters is intent. Why make this sound? Why now?

Japanese noise, at its best, asks difficult questions. How much can you take? What do you ignore every day? What happens when you stop trying to please? It does not always give answers. Sometimes it gives nothing at all. That is fine. Not everything needs to be useful.

If you only know Japanese noise through a few famous names and extreme records, you are missing most of it. The heart of it is smaller, deeper, and stranger. It lives in moments that feel pointless and overwhelming at the same time. It does not care if you like it. It does not care if you understand it. That refusal is where its real power sits.

.

Ade Rowe

.

their victims grow up
find their voices
refuse to bind themselves
with shame
that is not theirs.

Sooner or later
girls become women
reach out to others
share their stories.

Sooner or later
the lies unravel,
the hiding places fall apart
and they will be judged.

Sooner or later
the women will speak.
And women everywhere will say
we will hold you to account
and you will pay.

Tonnie Richmond

.

Richard Reeves

Inspired by the elements of nature, this abstract animation film explores the element of light through optical sound and projected images painted directly onto film.

Director: Richard Reeves
Animation: Richard Reeves
Production: Flicker Films
Animation Sound Design: Colin Kennedy

.

the return of, The Fleeing Villagers (Fred Lonberg-Holm)
Convergência do Vôo, Fred Lonberg-Holm / João Madeira / Bruno Pedroso / Carlos "Zíngaro" (4daRecord)
Transgressive Coastlines, Caroline Kraabel / Pat Thomas / John Edwards / Steve Noble (Shrike Records)
LliFT #18, Llift (Recordiau Dukes)

Based in the San Francisco Bay area, Fred Lonberg-Holm is an American cellist or, as he's described himself, anti-cellist. He studied with Anthony Braxton and Pauline Oliveros among others and is most well-known for his work in free improvisation and jazz, although he's also worked as a session musician and arranger with  rock, pop and country artists. His latest release, the return of  by The Fleeing Villagers, is a savage collage, a punk/noise juggernaut of an album which holds a mirror up to the current state of the USA. You've been warned. I like it and, indeed, it deserves to achieve some sort of cult status. He also figures on another recent release, a collaboration on the 4daRecord label which is, let's just say, a more sedate affair. The title, Convergência do Vôo translates as 'flight convergence'. It describes a meteorological phenomenon, much prized by glider pilots, whereby two air masses meet, forcing air to rise and thereby enabling gliders to gain altitude. I guess it's intended as a metaphor - and it's a good one - for the experience of improvising as part of a group. On it, Lonberg-Holm loops the loop - not for the first time - with fellow string players João Madeira and Carlos "Zíngaro". As a trio of string-players they've made at least a couple of albums in the past on which they've collaborated with a fourth musician (one features Swiss guitarist Florian Stoffner another, bass clarinettist José Bruno Parrinha). On this occasion, they're joined by drummer Bruno Pedroso.

A classically-trained violinist, Carlos "Zingaro" has worked with Derek Bailey's Company and has appeared on over fifty recordings. Bass player and founder of the 4daRecord label, João Madeira, has conducted research into fado (a form of traditional Portuguese music) and worked across many genres, although his main focus is on free improvisation and composition. Bruno Pedroso has been involved in jazz drumming since 1995. As well as teaching, he's very active as a freelance performer.

The guy credited with the mixing, Gordon Comstock, deserves a mention, too. A balance between the instruments has been achieved which allows all kinds of textural nuance to come through. And there's plenty of it, even though the music is often - but not always - fast-paced and dense. There's a lot of subtle shading going on, and, as I hear it, there's an improbably lyrical edge to it. Pedroso's drumming effortlessly joins in the conversation, creatively seeking out - and finding - common ground with the strings in ways I imagine you could only achieve by actually doing it in real time and, indeed, there's a sense of seat-of-the-pants discovery to the music which adds to it's forward drive.

Transgressive Coastlines, the latest release -  at time of writing -  from Shrike Records, brings together the  formidable quartet of Caroline Kraabel, John Edwards, Pat Thomas and Steve Noble. Born in Seattle, Kraabel moved to London in her teenage years and has been a fixture in the free improvised music scene ever since. For almost five years, she had her own programme on Resonance FM, Taking a Life For a Walk, in which she wandered the streets of London with her sax and her children. Among other large-group compositions, she created, for the South Bank Centre, Saxophone Experiments in Space, a 'site-specific ambulant composition for 55 saxophonists'. She's also been involved with the London Improvisers Orchestra and, in addition, has regularly worked as half of a long-standing duo with bassist John Edwards. Obsessed with sound from an early age (his brother played the drums, which intrigued him), Edwards took up the bass guitar in his teens, switching to the double bass in his twenties. He's played with likes of Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Lol Coxhill and Peter Brötzmann among many others. He's said of improvisation: 'the establishment - by which I mean people in offices, suits and government - maybe want people to do nothing. They want to keep people drugged up with the banal, working, doing the same thing. Maybe free music upsets that'. Pat Thomas began playing the piano when he was eight and started to play jazz piano in his teens. He went on to develop a style of his own, drawing on free jazz, improv and new music. As Rae-Aila Crumble put it on Bandcamp Daily, 'The music he releases is both transcendent and grounded, rooted in his Muslim background and fascination with Islamic mysticism, as well as the histories of jazz afronauts like Sun Ra. Browsing through his … catalog feels like tapping into the secrets of the universe, similar to the way jazz historians describe Coltrane's discography as always searching for something.' Drummer Steve Noble got his first drum kit when he was twelve. He was mainly self-taught, but then, as he explained in an interview with Chris Searle for the Morning Star, 'In 1979 I met Nigerian drum master Elkan Ogunde and we played many concerts [and] workshops together - a great learning experience. By the mid-80s I was organising concerts and festivals and performing with Sheffield guitarist Derek Bailey, another huge influence'. Since then, he's worked with a wide range of musicians and toured extensively throughout Europe.

Like that of the album, the two-word titles of the three tracks on Transgressive Coastlines all suggest surrealist word-play. In the first track, 'Dark Rainbow', the quartet create a complex texture that veers between the polyphonic and the pointillist. You could think of the musical colours here as a rainbow - there are dazzling moments of bright light - but there are others in which the music reaches a point of near stasis which might be thought to invoke the visual impossibility of the title. At first fragmentary, the music of the second track ('Volcanic Tears') gradually becomes more dense. The musicians trade explosive gestures which build into something more sustained, at times static, even, only to be sent off in new directions by further explosive activity. The third track ('Diamond Ashes') again begins with fragmentary explorations, but this time the music settles into a sustained monolith of sound. A pulsing chord from Pat Thomas within it becomes increasingly distinct, transforming the monolith into a series of repeated chords. It finally comes to an end, but no-one seems to want to move away from the zone they've created. The repeated chord idea makes a comeback and the sax, bass and drums continue to pursue their close but inventive orbits around it.

Listening to it all for a second time, I was struck by the sheer virtuosity. Of course, virtuosity isn't essential to good music (it can even become a substitute for real content), but you get a real sense listening to this that you're listening to four seasoned musicians in total command of what they do while, at the same time, still finding fresh and inventive things to say.

Which brings me on to LliFT #18. Just to remind us, LliFT are an 'inclusive community group giving individuals the opportunity to play freely improvised ensemble music on a regular basis in North Wales'. It's only a few weeks since I was writing about #17, saying how it was one of the best LliFT albums yet. #18 carries on where #17 leaves off. One might think that after an outfit putting out so many albums in quick succession, one might detect a note of tiredness, a drop off in quality. Nothing, however, could be further from the case. What we have here is well over an hour of immersive musical landscapes packed with creativity.  Listening to it, I was reminded of M John Harrison's Light Trilogy: not only on account of the enthralling strangeness of both, but on account of a striking passage in which the book describes how different civilisations living in different parts of the galaxy developed space travel independently of each other: 'Every race they met on their way through the Core had a star drive based on a different theory. All those theories worked, even when they ruled out one another's basic assumptions. You could travel between the stars, it began to seem, by assuming anything.' What he says about space travel here could also, in many ways, be said about the world of improvised music. People navigate musical space with often very different musical 'star drives': you can, for example, put together a small group of the most experienced improvisers (as in the case of TC), or, like LliFT, create an 'inclusive community group'. Neither is a recipe for success or failure, although, in the case of the albums here, both more than succeed.

Dominic Rivron

LINKS
the return of: https://fredlonberg-holm.bandcamp.com/album/the-return-of
Convergência do Vôo: https://joaomadeira.bandcamp.com/album/converg-ncia-do-v-o
Transgressive Coastlines: https://shrikerecords.bandcamp.com/album/transgressive-coastlines
LliFT #18: https://recordiaudukes.bandcamp.com/album/llift-18

.

It might be a dream repeated, unclear in its own right, perhaps within a dream held from another night, wild with words but always coherent for opening doors in that world. Tenses get muddled up, and a long sequence of numbers will surely mean a winning lottery ticket in the morning, or temptation to join you in bed.

Asked with gravitas to remember a name that makes perfect sense in the present night, and that will be Googled tomorrow with little result, I still hope to dispel blurriness, plead with turbulence and dispersion. "Paradisial" retains the original inflection, but we wise people think "heavenly" preferable to ignite the erotic in a subtitle.

On a summer stroll, we will be gifted the sound of birdsong and the very last pear blossom. With joy and relief, we will finally hear what they sing of and mean, their lyrics of two regular syllables or more. I will create a new season just for sleep, for a space where I do not have to repeat myself, to not have lips follow mine in silent imitation, not to be counted on fingers one, two, three, as if I and larger figures needed to be contained. Ah, to be seen in my language, from my best side!

Melisande Fitzsimons
Picture Rupert Loydell

.

Alan Dearling writes:

A great celebration of live music at a great Independent Music Venue. The Pale Blue Eyes' gig at the Grayston Unity in Halifax created an almost perfect marriage of music.  First up, Warm Parts provided a wall of sound, a dark undertow of Kraut-rock styled drum-driven intensity. In my mind's eye I was taken back to the late 1960s when Hawkwind wereAlan Dearling blowing minds with pummelling, psychedelic waves of sound. Warm Parts received an enthusiastic response from the nicely packed crowd, which is not always the case for support bands. They are certainly continuing and sustaining their musical journey into the oeuvre of outsider, psychedelic weirdness - noise-rock a little akin to bands such as Wooden Shjips.

Rachael explained to me: "The band was conceived in early 2024 by myself, Rachael Elwell (synths, programming, theremin and visual artist), and I quickly recruited Dan Smith (guitars), who had moved in similar musical and creative circles, performing in various DIY and experimental bands in and around Manchester in the early 2000s. With the sound evolving and a shared desire for having live drums, we were introduced to Bryn, who, after hearing some early rehearsal recordings was keen to add to the group. With his shared musical background and style he quickly became an integral part of the band's ever evolving sound."

Warm Parts suggest that these are online sites where you can hear Warm Parts' 'Special Square' EP (these are not clickable links):

soundcloud.com/warmparts

bandcamp.com/warmparts

The Pale Blue Eyes arrived on stage. They are mesmerising, professional, polished, offering propulsive rock music with a high melodic content, whilst providing quite an adrenalin rush…

Matt Board is a suitably charismatic front-man and singer with PBE, who already have a significant fan-base and much support from BBC Radio 6 Music. Matt and myself have met up before, back in the halcyon days of music in Devon's town of Teignmouth, during the advent of Muse and the other local favourites, The Quails.

Pale Blue Eyes say that they are:

"Born of a cross-pollination between Totnes and Sheffield, Pale Blue Eyes have been steadily grafting over a number of years to exact their modernist pop vision.

At the ship's helm, Matt and Lucy Board are a genuine marriage of two stylistic perspectives, each bringing unique sonic tropes to the table.

It is the pair's fascination with DIY ethic, retro synths and reminiscence that truly fuels their sound world, calling upon nostalgia and a captivating optimism.

The third part of the Pale Blue Eyes triad arrived when Matt and Lucy met bassist Aubrey Simpson at South Devon's Sea Change festival.

Together they've made three albums, with several tracks from the albums playlisted at BBC Radio 6 Music. They've played three Riley sessions, toured extensively in the UK and Europe, supported GOAT, Slowdive, Sea Power, The Editors, Public Service Broadcasting, The Midnight, FEWS and more…

The band released their third album in March 2025 on their own imprint, Broadcast Recordings.  As with the first two albums the record has been produced by the band and finally mixed and mastered by Dean Honer. Honer has produced the likes of The Human League, Add N to (x) and Roisin Murphy and worked with countless Sheffield names from Jarvis Cocker to Tony Christie."

On the current live dates, producer and musician, Lewis Johnson-Kellett joins the trio of Pale Blue Eyes on guitar and synths/keys.

Live video: https://youtu.be/0SFd5nkpFoU

Online, Stephanie Pipe recommends Pale Blue Eyes:

"…saw them when they were on with Public Service Broadcasting a couple of years ago. Blew me away. Bought several cds and merch and am excited to see them back in Sheffield again soon…"

Pale Blue Eyes add: "Thanks to Marc Riley and Gideon Coe for including our track 'The Dreamer' in their best of 2025 show on BBC Radio 6 Music in amongst some class tracks! Cheers to them, and to those who tune in."

It was a great event to celebrate the importance and cultural contribution of the UK's Independent Venues.

'Signify'…jangling, guitar pop with disembodied vocals…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbf6EsAf8ag

'The Dreamer' (2025) …A thing of Floating effervescence… Official video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUbdIWLpGls

'New Place' film about making their PBE third album (2024):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEiCKw9vaFU

My favourite baby Jesus painting is the one of Mary
in her halo giving him a spanking in front of witnesses

by Max Ernst, the German, who helped found Dada
and became involved with Surrealism, quietly distancing
himself without rancour and being interned by the Nazis
when they invaded France and escaping to America
where he met up once again with Andre Breton and
Marcel Duchamp, briefly married Peggy Guggenheim

before going back to Europe, and becoming more abstract,
lyrical. I've met none of them. Not Max, Marcel or Andre.
Jesus, Mary, Peggy. Although I've read accounts. Seen
some photographs. Had clever thoughts. In the painting,
the baby Jesus is big and blonde and Aryan. His mother,
I imagine, is trying to beat some sense into him. At least

that's my understanding. The three witnesses
appear aloof, disinterested. Only present for posterity.

Andre Breton, Paul Eluard (the poet), Ernst himself.

Steven Taylor
Picture Max Ernst

.

Tales from Topographic Oceans, Yes (Super Deluxe Edition: 12 CDS + 2 LP + blu-ray box set)

You just couldn't resist it, could you?

Umm, no. What?

Another reissue… The same old crap repacked for susceptible drongos like you.

It's not the same old crap, it's got new remixes, new versions, new recordings of works-in-progress and - finally - some live recordings of Yes' greatest, well one of their greatest, albums.

Waddya mean 'finally some live recordings'? I've seen your bloody CD shelf, loads of bootleg downloads. Surely you've got them already?

Well, yes, no. I mean, the ones I've got are actually better… and complete, but they weren't in Steve Howe's tapes library so they're not in the box. It's nice to have some official cleaned-up versions.

So nice you have to buy a 12 CD box?

Well, I like having the official stuff.

Even if that bloke Steve Wilson gets to mess it all up with his remixes?

Well, I shan't be playing those much. Or the instrumental versions he has done. Or the single versions.

Single versions? I thought the whole idea was to bore you into a mystical state through duration and repetition? Peak hippyshit.

Well, I wouldn't put it quite like that.

What would you put it like then?

Look, I explained this to you last time, Tales from Topographic Oceans is a double album based on a footnote in Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi. Jon Anderson, the singer, and Steve Howe, the guitarist, composed the initial suites of music at night on tour, and then the band all worked on it together.

But we all know it's boring as fuck. I mean Rick Wakeman dissed it from the word go, and it's renowned as overlong and overambitious.

But it's that ambition that makes it stand out, makes it unique. I mean, who else was releasing spiritual stuff like that?

Well thankfully, nobody else. One band is enough.

You're just ignorant. A bit of spiritual insight, too much wonder or magic and you run away scared.

At least I don't end up buying massive box sets full of stuff I already have.

And remixes and live tracks.

That you won't ever listen to again.

Maybe. Maybe not. And there's talk of them doing Relayer next in the box set series.

Woohoo. For goodness sake Johnny, reign it in. You spend more on box sets and reissues than beer.

That's a good thing isn't it?

Not in my books. Pub?

Oh, ok then. Can you carry this though, this box set is  bloody heavy.

Ok, but it's your round.

Again?

Think of it as an outpouring of spiritual love.

Johnny 'soft summer mover' Brainstorm

.

Nick Drake

CELLO SONG

Strange face
With your eyes
So pale and sincere
Underneath you know well
You have nothing to fear
For the dreams that came
To you when so young
Told of a life
Where spring is sprung

You would seem so frail
In the cold of the night
When the armies of emotion
Go out to fight
But while the earth
Sinks to it's grave
You sail to the sky
On the crest of a wave

So forget this cruel world
Where I belong
I'll just sit and wait
And sing my song
And if one day you should see me in the crowd
Lend a hand and lift me
To your place in the cloud

© Nick Drake

.

Vintage Bus Day, 21st May 2023

Olive single-decker accelerates for Happy Mount

gentle hills beyond the bay, occluded mountains misted out

the panorama undulates a hypnotic content

a summer model of life and tide

all cast below Bare's tall tower

whose distinctive chequerboard exudes the decades passed -

though May blossom recurs forever, we hope

and whitens the greens on the way to Hest Bank

countering the daffodils all gone - and that melancholy shiver:

how many Springs?

Gateways and gardens to Bolton-le-Sands

where the Far Pavilion's exotic dancer, girded with praise

is suppliant for custom.

A white 20s house with a redbrick Plimsoll line

leads the way to a perfect jumble of Metroland

mellow red roof tiles and graceful windows

open meandering pathways in the mind

travelling a century back.

Here the stained-glass oval doorway myths

are undisturbed by the power catenary

which the railway weaves through this sweeping land

shallow rise and fall towards the border

freshened fields in lines of cut grass,

the smell, the greenness, another throwback to the past

but the future is here, we shouldn't waste time thinking of all that is lost

meeting Carnforth with the mind's cross-Channel drift . . .

to Sailly-sur-la-Lys.

Carnforth - twinned with Sailly-sur-la-Lys

© Lawrence Freiesleben, January 2026

.

Hot off the press for Friday the 13th, this article in The Guardian intersects directly with some comments from a thread here in the community from yesterday. Specifically in regards to xAI and how, as u/notislant sarcastically put it, "[g]ood thing laws only apply to the poor."

This is collapse related because we see how the gamble on AI in terms of its frantic infrastructure build-out is directly threatening the health of citizens, yet the agencies and institutions that are allegedly in place to protect them are playing a game of obfuscation, misdirection through deflection of responsibility, and plain old negligence.

Yet again we see how industry takes precedence over people even when there are supposed to be protective measures in place to prevent industry from harming the people that live in the wake of its operations. The collapse of civil society is accelerated when the obligation of government to work for its citizens is neglected and the capacity for the hyper-wealthy to shirk the rules is enabled and, it seems, encouraged.

On the face of it the English High Court ruling that the Palestine Action proscription is unlawful makes the decision that the proscription remains in place pending appeal utterly illogical. But what if the High Court ruling is deliberately designed to fail at appeal?

I believe that it is. They chose an extremely narrow path to rule that proscription was unlawful and produced an extremely weak judgment. This gives an impression of fairness in the judicial system - except that nothing has changed, the ban remains in force. And it remains in force because the judgment is designed for the government to win at appeal.

The judgment for the most part is precisely what you would expect from three hand picked, known right wing, judges. They:

• State that Palestine Action is a terrorist group within the meaning of the 2000 Terrorism Act (para 134)
• State that they do not accept the United Nations assertion that the UK definition of Terrorism is incompatible with international norms (para 141)
• State that in any case international law has no impact on English statute law (para 142)
• State that all those arrested for showing support for Palestine Action - specifically including for holding placards - were rightly arrested as they were deliberately committing a criminal act (para 118)
• State that there was no need for Yvette Cooper to consult before the proscription (para 60)
• Repeat the Crown's assertions of the Filton case as fact with no reference at all to the findings of the jury (paras 34, 139)
• State that comparisons with Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion are not valid as those organisations have not carried out serious property damage (para 144)
• State that the motive of Palestine Action in trying to stop Genocide is not "material" (para 70)
• Argue that the interests of national security and protection of the rights and freedoms of others justify the interference with freedom of speech and assembly (para 128)

The judges have therefore supported the government on almost all of its key propositions. You may well ask, how did they find all that and still find the proscription unlawful?

Well, they chose a deliberately narrow and precarious path through. They first found that the proscription was unlawful in that it contradicted the Home Office's published policy on how the discretion of the Secretary of State would be applied in deciding whether to proscribe a terrorist organisation.

It is important to understand this. The ruling is that Palestine Action is a terrorist organisation, but that the Secretary of State is not obliged to proscribe all terrorist organisations but may use her discretion.

I have read the judgment again and again and it is incredibly obscure as to in what way the Home Secretary did not follow her policy. It seems to be that she did not consider the factors peculiar to Palestine Action, but merely proscribed as though that automatically followed a determination that an organisation is terrorist.  Rather than consider the question in the round, she merely looked at the "operational advantages" of proscription.

I assume the underlying assumption is that this means she failed to take into account the disadvantages of proscription, but it does not say that. I don't think I am being obtuse. You try.

92. This conclusion may appear to rest on a very narrow basis - the Home Secretary had,
after all, formed the belief that Palestine Action is an organisation concerned in
terrorism and in these proceedings the claimant does not challenge that decision.
However, this conclusion is a direct and necessary consequence of the policy the Home
Secretary has applied to the exercise of her discretion to proscribe such organisations.
The purpose of the policy is that not all organisations that meet the concerned in
terrorism requirement should be proscribed.

93. Any decision-maker who adopts a policy for a particular purpose is at liberty to disapply
or modify that policy in a particular case, but any such disapplication or modification
must be express and must be for a sufficient reason. In this case, the Home Secretary's
approach was to apply the policy (a policy of long-standing, dating back to the time the
2000 Act was enacted), without modification.

94. The operational consequences and advantages of proscription is not a factor consistent
with the policy for the obvious reason that such consequences and advantages will apply
equally to any organisation that could be proscribed - i.e. any and every organisation
that meets the requirement to be an organisation concerned in terrorism. In principle
the position could be otherwise if in a particular case, by reason of an organisation's
structure, membership, activities or otherwise, the measures in the 2000 Act that are the
consequences of proscription would be unusually effective. In such a case, it could be
consistent with the policy to regard the operational consequences of proscription as an
"other factor". But that is not the present case. There is no such evidence so far as
concerns Palestine Action. Nor in the present case could it be contended that the
reliance placed on the consequences of proscription was immaterial to the exercise of
the discretion or the application of the policy. Both in the note of the meeting of the
Proscription Review Group and in the 26 March 2025 ministerial submission, the
operational advantages are relied on as providing a clear case to use the discretion to
proscribe. Each suggests that it is an important matter going to the exercise of the
discretion, if not the central consideration in that exercise in that case.

95. The consequence and conclusion of this point is that, notwithstanding the latitude that
the policy provides, the Home Secretary's decision to proscribe Palestine Action was
not consistent with her policy. The closed material does not affect our conclusion on
this ground.

There are two problems with this aspect of the judgment.

Firstly it seems so obscure that it is designed to fail at appeal.

The notion that its proscription was unlawful because the Secretary of State had failed to follow, not the established law, but the precise procedures in some buried Home Office policy document that nobody had ever read, is not one that I would have expected to carry the day compared to all the other issues.

It is indeed an established legal point, but one used in objections to planning applications rather than cases of alleged terrorism. Which is what I believe the Court of Appeal will say.

Secondly it leaves it open to the Secretary of State just to change the published policy, then proscribe again.

The second ground on which the court found against the government is that the proscription is incompatible with Articles X and XI of the European Convention on Human Rights - Freedom of Speech and Assembly.

But again this is not what you think.

Remember the judges found that the 2700 people arrested for opposing the ban have been quite rightly arrested, as expressing support for Palestine Action is a criminal act. The court does not hold that their right to freedom of speech is infringed.

In fact the court rehearses all the ways that speech will be chilled and people will be de-platformed as a result of the proscription, but does not find they are unreasonable to combat "terrorism".

128. The Home Secretary's pleaded case is that the purpose of proscription was to "disrupt
and degrade PA so as to protect the rights of others and maintain national security".
The submissions on behalf of the Home Secretary sought to define the objective as
"controlling terrorism" or "controlling terrorist organisations" through proscription of
organisations that engage in "terrorism" as defined in s.1 of the 2000 Act. It seems to
us that the latter is a description of the means of obtaining the objective. The identified
legitimate aims of the proscription decision are "the protection of the rights and
freedoms of others" and "the interests of national security". Those aims appear in each
of articles 10(2) and 11(2), respectively and are objectives that, in principle, are capable
of warranting an interference with each Convention right.

129. Although the claimant raised the question whether there is a rational connection
between the means chosen and the aim in view, no basis for suggesting there is not a
rational connection was put forward. Proscription is rationally connected to the
objective of disrupting Palestine Action so as to protect the rights of others and the
interests of national security. That is so whether the objective was limited to curtailing
actions by Palestine Action causing serious property damage within the meaning of
section 1 of the 2000 Act, or extended more broadly

When after all this support for the government, the judgment finally delivers the key paragraph on why the proscription was unlawful, it suddenly leaps out at you: the result of a proportionality exercise the judgment had not previously defined or given a methodology.

140. Considering in the round the evidence available to the Home Secretary when the
decision to proscribe was made, the nature and scale of Palestine Action's activities, so
far as they comprise acts of terrorism, has not yet reached the level, scale and
persistence that would justify the application of the criminal law measures that are the
consequence of proscription, and the very significant interference with Convention
rights consequent on those measures.

It is a goal entirely against the run of play in the previous 139 paragraphs. I am afraid to say that I think the marked lack of intellectual underpinning again makes it a structure designed to fail.

Three known very conservative judges were appointed at the last moment to replace the liberal judge Chamberlain, who was unceremoniously booted off the case. It seemed astonishing that these known sympathisers with the security state had found the proscription unlawful.

But they cannot really think both that it is unlawful, and that it should continue pending appeal. That is utterly illogical.

They cannot really think it is an unlawfully disproportionate interference with freedom of speech, and that those arrested for holding placards opposing it were criminals and rightfully charged.

That is a logical impossibility also. Yet both sit side by side in this judgment.

The judges are not stupid. It can only be that they do not really mean it when they state one of those opinions. All the signs are that it is para 140, swinging entirely unsupported and exposed and waiting to be struck down, that they do not really mean.

If they believed in their own judgment, the judges would have quashed the proscription pending appeal.

Palestine Action was a proscribed organisation before this judgment and it is a proscribed organisation after this judgment. Everything else is smoke and mirrors.

That is why it is essential that the Scottish judicial review goes ahead. I for one am very interested to discover whether the paragraph

142. We doubt that the consensus claimed exists: see and compare R v Gul (Mohammed)
[2013] UKSC 64, [2014] AC 1260 per Lords Neuberger and Judge at paragraphs 44 -
51. In any event, this submission faces the further obstacle that, when taking her
decision, the Home Secretary was entitled to rely on the definition of terrorism in the
2000 Act. Indeed, she was required to apply that definition. Had she purported to rely
on any other definition for the purposes of her decision she would have acted
unlawfully. A "consensus" in international law is not a trump card in English law; any
such consensus cannot permit either disregard of or derogation from an English statute
save to the extent permitted by statute.

which specifically references "English law", applies equally in Scotland. The English legal tradition is that the "Crown in parliament" is sovereign and may do absolutely anything it wishes, irrespective of international law, individual rights or any other consideration. The Scottish legal tradition is that the people are sovereign and protected from arbitrary or oppressive executive action.

Should Huda Ammori again win at appeal, Shabana Mahmood will certainly appeal to the Supreme Court. It would be extremely difficult for the Supreme Court to rule against the highest courts of both England and Scotland. So there is reason to continue the Scottish action even if the English case continues to win.

Should the UK government win at appeal in England, the Scottish case becomes still more crucial.

The UK government has succeeded in postponing the Scottish case, in order to give time to prepare for the admission of secret evidence. This is an incredible authoritarian procedure where they can submit "intelligence" to the court, which neither I nor my legal team will ever be permitted to know about, let alone have a chance to reply.

My interest will be "represented" by a "special advocate" with whom I shall never be able to communicate and thus will have no ability to give them the answer to whatever lies the UK government has put forward - probably about non-existent Iranian funding or entirely invented bomb plots.

This system is simply fascist. We have no idea to what extent the "secret evidence" used in the English case contributed to the court's agreement that Palestine Action is a terrorist organisation.

We push on. I hate to say this, but we are now desperately short of funds to continue this action. I cannot keep asking the same supporters to give more, but if you know people who can afford it and will contribute, please activate them.

You can donate through the link via Crowd Justice, which goes straight to the lawyers, or through this blog.

https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/scottish-challenge-to-proscription/

paypal.HostedButtons({ hostedButtonId: "NZDEN7BYDHVS4", }).render("#paypal-container-NZDEN7BYDHVS4")

Alternatively by bank transfer:

Account name
MURRAY CJ
Account number 3 2 1 5 0 9 6 2
Sort code 6 0 - 4 0 - 0 5
IBAN GB98NWBK60400532150962
BIC NWBKGB2L
Bank address NatWest, PO Box 414, 38 Strand, London, WC2H 5JB

Or crypto:

Bitcoin: bc1q3sdm60rshynxtvfnkhhqjn83vk3e3nyw78cjx9
Ethereum/ERC-20: 0x764a6054783e86C321Cb8208442477d24834861a

The post Postpone The Celebrations appeared first on Craig Murray.

The Public Enemy frontman has always been one of rap music's most articulate advocates, but in 2022 he shifted career from MC to university lecturer. In an exclusive extract from his new book, In The Hour of Chaos, Chuck D talks about the cultural politics of hip hop and what it means for the future

Chuck D speaks to students as the sessions begins. May 4, 2022. Photo by Bad Man's Son

My nearly four-decade career as a professional has been in truth and honesty for the culture. I don't think I remember a time that we, as Black people, were not in an hour of chaos. But the culture, the art, the music, and the people are what I've always been...

The post Fight The Power: Chuck D on the Politics of Hip Hop appeared first on The Quietus.

World Weather Attribution published this article on Wednesday. Climate change is posing an imminent threat to the world's oldest trees. Collapse related because we are destroying ancient biomes at an incredible rate.

Researchers from Argentina, Chile, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States undertook an attribution study on the fire weather conditions as well as the preceding dryness.

Their findings suggest unprecedented drought conditions and monocultures are fueling this environmental disaster.

The article provides a link to the full study (PDF) for anyone interested.

The question around electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aka Jetsons air taxi certification has shifted. It is no longer about whether regulators will create a pathway. Both the FAA and EASA have done that work. The FAA finalized powered lift operational rules in 2024 and published Advisory Circular 21.17-4 ... [continued]

The post eVTOL Certification Is Coming, But Commercial Runway Isn't appeared first on CleanTechnica.

This odd battle has been going on for so long that I had actually forgotten about it. There's a quirk in some US state laws that they require automobiles to be sold through 3rd party auto dealers. That is actually rooted in something, in some potential for consumer abuse identified ... [continued]

The post You Can't Buy EVs Directly from Auto Manufacturers in Iowa … But Maybe Soon appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Bizarre idioms for downpours are just one facet of how the UK uses dark humour and ritual to brave the wet

May it fall as a blessing, not as a curse. So goes the ancient prayer inviting us to embrace days of rain.

It is a prayer that would not be welcomed by anyone on the floodplains the UK persists in filling with houses. It would be met with outright hostility by any farmers who are now unable to do any of the things they need to do in February because their land has had literally 40 days and nights of rain.

A thatcher, gardener and others on keeping their business afloat in the bad weather - and their fears for the future

With 76 flood warnings still in force across the UK and further downpours forecast this week and next, parts of the country have endured rain almost without pause since the start of the year.

The prolonged wet weather is disrupting livelihoods as well as daily life, particularly in rural areas, where flooded roads, waterlogged ground and repeated storms are making it harder to keep businesses afloat, protect crops and maintain steady work.

Hyundai Motor Group claimed in an article today that it is "Driving the Future of Electrified Mobility with Advanced R&D." It sounded positive and exciting, and Hyundai is a company producing some of the better EVs out there. But it is also hard to call Hyundai a leader. Hyundai is ... [continued]

The post Hyundai Claims To Be "Driving The Future Of Electrified Mobility" appeared first on CleanTechnica.

There may by now be an unbridgeable margin of doubt as to whether the PM's reputation can be repaired. Though at the end of this week, after the smoke of battle has cleared, we are none the wiser as to what happens next. This is, not least, because the news media (and in particular the BBC), instead of reporting what was in front of their eyes, had set themselves a story they were confident would break. And when it failed to follow their requirements then, come hell or high water, they refused to let go.

So Keir Starmer is still there, and in all the hoo-ha, no hack ever bothered to explain exactly the processes and seamy realities by which he would be removed. Or why their prophesies failed to materialise. Labour MPs are frustrated at the PM's performance - but also at their own. Once again, the plotters have blanched at the prospect of regicide. They failed to strike.

Others express lukewarm support for the PM, though few are prepared to talk about it openly. Many seem as much bystanders as the average Guardian reader: Morgan McSweeney's hold over Keir Starmer seemed a mystery to them too.

But one regional MP whose patience is long past declares: "The same people and policies will still be fronting the same unpopular programme. Like a wounded animal, this government will drag itself away till it expires, probably after the May locals.

"By then, Starmer can resign on the grounds of those losses and not the reputational disaster of Epstein and Mandelson. He'll go down as the worst PM in Labour history, and one that may have finally broken it. He's a coward who refuses to take responsibility for his own actions… A genuine disaster for this country and the Labour movement."

*

When Vaclav Havel was made president of what was Czechoslovakia, effectively by public acclaim, he saw no reason to change his life. He still turned up to play chess with his old friends in their favourite bar on Friday evenings. They weren't alone by then, of course, and were surrounded by journalists and well-wishers. When somebody disturbed his concentration to ask what he was planning to do about some problem or other, the new president said: "I don't know. What would you do?"

Nobody would ever have claimed Mr Havel was a weak man, but he didn't claim to have all the answers or feel the need to beat his chest in public. Yet in Britain, we are always led by men and women who claim to have all the answers. That only proclaims their weakness. They believe we, as a nation, are so lacking in courage we need to believe Britain's omnipotence in all things, in order to add an inch or two to the nation's manhood.

So how do we escape from this embarrassing cycle? Compare the dignity of the defenestrated Sue Gray, who came from a different and less tribal tradition, with the deposed-at-last Morgan McSweeney - a jumped-up office manager - who declared in his resignation letter that he had "resigned from the government".

So does the PM soldier on, claiming he was right all the time? Or does he admit he (or Mr McSweeney) got things catastrophically wrong? In order to change, he has to change his entire team and culture, though neither his team nor his culture will allow him to do that. And how would he explain an ear splitting and rubber burning handbrake turn on Brexit and immigration? Dear reader, whichever way up you hold it, this just won't do.

*

Of the 2024 intake of Labour MPs, Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Suffolk Coastal) is a name which keeps popping up. In truth, she was not expected to become a well-known voice, but she has the ability to express herself honestly, as well as the courage to challenge her party when it gets things wrong. Her reasons for backing Keir Starmer will sound reasonable to many voters.

"We have had five Prime Ministers in seven years," she writes in the East Anglian Daily Times. "Swapping Keir Starmer for a sixth would not cleanse politics. It would plunge the country back into the troubled waters of political instability voters rejected. It would damage the economy, deter investment, and erode trust in politics altogether."

*

"The Labour Party is a moral crusade or it is nothing," said Harold Wilson, but that is an altar long since cast down. Nobody could describe this week's tatty political parlour games as having much to do with a moral crusade. So, does that mean the Labour Party is nothing?

They are engaged in what is always Labour's favourite sport, visceral and unforgiving internecine warfare. While Keir Starmer waits to see whether his new high chamberlain decides he should be born again, or whether it's to be business as usual, his rivals blithely plot quite openly.

The two figures who always crop up are Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting. In fact, so blatant have ambitions become that Ms Rayner launched her 'Rayner for leader' website early, and it had to be withdrawn. Meanwhile, one of the Streeting team is reported on record as saying the reason they are on manoeuvres early is to jump the gun on Ms Rayner.

Wes Streeting looks rather like a dissipated cherub. Pecksniff finds him a puzzle, only partially solved by talking to a few of the region's Labour MPs. One who admits that they and Mr Streeting are "somewhat opposite" politically, nevertheless declares: "He's a hard worker, on top of his brief, regularly communicates with backbench MPs and takes them on the journey. He knows MPs' names - you'd be amazed how many cabinet members don't - and he's a good communicator."

Another says: "Starmer will probably struggle on till May and then try and go out on his own terms. It will give Wes time the to ride out the storm as well. Time is his friend."

*

There was once a row in one of the Commons bars between two MPs, one Tory and one Labour. The Tory cried in exasperation: "You bloody fool!"

"You may be right," observed the Labour man. "But there are millions of bloody fools in this country, and they deserve representation just like anybody else."

This anecdote may explain the appeal of Reform. They appeal to the bloody fools. And they appear to have gone about the Gorton and Denton by-election in their usual hypocritical, uninformed, clumsy and presumptuous manner.

Their candidate even flounced away from a public hustings after, it is claimed, having been refused his intention of packing the audience with his supporters who had been bused in.

They are also accused of breaking electoral law, by misrepresenting a supposed letter from a local voter, when it looks suspiciously like a campaign tactic they used in the recent Caerphilly by-election; only this time it doesn't have the imprint necessary under law. Police are investigating.

Meanwhile, Labour and Greens accuse each other of cynically misrepresenting recent voting figures in their election material. Both are correct. Both are effectively lying to the voters. Any claims of a 'new politics' are bogus.

But nobody has yet accused either the Tories or Liberal Democrats of blatant disregard for the truth, (admittedly something of a first for the LibDems). This is rather faint praise, however. The most likely reason there have been no complaints is that nobody has noticed they are taking part.

*

More on Reform's hypocrisies. This week, Nigel Farage declared: "People aren't more productive working from home - it's a load of nonsense".

At the same time, Reform are advertising for a regional director, describing the job as: "Home working with occasional travel".

*

The Jim Ratcliffe 'immigration row' this week would have been the perfect opportunity for the government to point out that Britain needs more immigration to support an ageing population, and that immigrants are major net contributors to the British economy. But they didn't.

This might have been because, post-McSweeney, No.10's communications is as bad as ever and they didn't think of it. Or it could be that, pending the arrival of Keir Starmer's new satrap to replace him, the PM has yet to be told what his policy on immigration should be.

*

More evidence of how even the cabinet don't know what Labour's policies are at the moment. On Thursday, the Telegraph reported Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, as saying that "Closer ties with EU are Britain's biggest prize". Whereas last month in Davos she reiterated what was then Morgan McSweeney's her government's position that urged cabinet ministers to stop floating the idea of a closer union.

*

Incidentally, for those Westminster hacks still dribbling at the prospect of a Reform election victory in three years' time, a glance at the latest YouGov approval ratings of the party leaders might rather piss on the matches.

Nigel Farage ranks second bottom, with an approval rating of -37. This is interesting, since though Keir Starmer is constantly lambasted for his poor showing - currently -47 - the eulogies constantly poured over Mr Farage by Chris Mason et al might imply he is flying high.

The full results are: Zack Polanski -8, Ed Davey -10, Kemi Badenoch -23, Nigel Farage -37 and Keir Starmer -47. And incidentally (and quirkily) Sir Keir's ratings have improved by 10 points during the present political fandango, from -57 last month. Whereas Mr Farage continues to decline…

*

Last week, Pecksniff mentioned a new political grouping called Prosper, launched by many of the old Tory faces supportive of what The Times calls "softer Conservative values". This week they tell us they have attracted 17,000 supporters in those first seven days. They have also analysed them. The group aims to extend the Tory vote and reveal that only one in three of their shiny new supporters voted Tory in the last election.

But it also seems that fewer than one in six is presently a member of the party. Which rather suggests that, though Prosper might appeal to the lost souls who haunt the political fringes, they still have a long way to go to make an impression on the hard right on whom Kemi Badenoch is so dependent.

*

If ever a party were likely to be riven with schisms, it ought to be today's Green Party. Making the jump from unforgiving ideology to practical political reality was always going to be a major bridge to cross. But as they have shown especially in Suffolk, it can be done.

That is unlikely, however, to impress those who Green party members themselves refer to as the 'ultras', no doubt buoyed by the influx of ex-Corbynistas who jumped ship from Labour and are still keen to pursue their schisms. So at the same time there is a realistic chance of a major breakthrough electorally, the party faces stormy weather ahead caused by their looming article 105, likely to be up before conference: 'Zionism is Racism'.

The left have always placed ideological purity above the messy business of winning democratic power, and destroying the party in order to make an empty gesture is always worth the candle. Self-righteousness is a powerful drug, which is why the causes of the left so often languish.

*

The state of our politics, my dears, really. There was a by-election for Peterborough City Council on Thursday. Reform won with 7.4% of the electorate…

*

This week's secret letter boxers were Stace Richards, James Porter, David Patey, Celina Błędowska, Liz Crosbie, Malcolm Lynn, Karl Whiteman and Helen Forte.

<<< Previous Pecksniff's Diary

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The post Pecksniff: A bruising week in politics, ill served by both MPs and media first appeared on East Anglia Bylines.

It's clear one company entered into 2026 with a big booster in its backpack and pep in its step. Waymo started the year ready to rock and roll, from rapid expansion into new markets, to a new funding round to speed that up further, to a new stage of autonomous ... [continued]

The post 6th Generation Waymo Driver Launches into Life appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Back in 2023, we talked about a strange trademark dispute out of the UK concerning oat-based milk products. Specifically, Oatly, a large producer of oat milk, applied for a trademark in the UK for its slogan, "Post Milk Generation." Dairy UK, a lobbying organization representing dairy farmers in the country, opposed the trademark in the application stage, arguing that a UK regulation prevented any company from using the word "milk" in conjunction with "products that are not mammary secretions." Oatly successfully argued that its slogan did not run afoul of the regulation because it was both not suggesting that its product was milk and was instead describing the consumers of Oatly's product, or the generation that was moving beyond milk. In other words, there was no association being made with milk here; in fact, the opposite was the messaging.

That should have been the end of this nonsense. Instead, Dairy UK appealed that decision and the London Court of Appeal reversed the lower court's decision. Suddenly, Oatly could not trademark the slogan, nor use it on its products, ostensibly.

Oatly stated that the reversing of the decision was absurd and clearly a ploy by Dairy UK to limit competition with its members. The company appealed up to the UK Supreme Court which, amazingly, affirmed that Oatly cannot have its slogan trademarked.

The UK Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that Oatly cannot use its "Post Milk Generation" trademark on oat-based food and drink, handing a landmark victory to the dairy industry, as it contends with record-low farm numbers, falling retail volumes, and collapsing wholesale prices.

The judgment arrives at a precarious moment for British dairy. The number of British dairy farms has fallen to a record low of 7,010 — an 85% decline from an estimated 46,000 in 1980, according to industry estimates and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). 

It's hard to see this as anything other than a national-level court falling all over itself to protect a domestic industry from foreign competition. The explanation the court offered for its decision is equally confusing. For one, while Oatly pointed out again that its use of the word "milk" in the slogan is not describing the product, but the consumer, the court said that doesn't matter at all. The word instead simply suffers from a blanket ban on any marketing or trade dress if it doesn't come from a nipple.

Then, when Oatly also points out that its use obliquely informs the public that the product does not contain milk — hence the "post milk generation" language -, the court points out that because Oatly has stated that the slogan doesn't describe the product, any insinuation about the product itself doesn't count as it's not direct and clear enough.

The second: even if the word "milk" is caught, is Oatly saved by an exception that allows protected terms when they "clearly" describe a quality of the product, such as being milk-free? Again, the court said no. Lords Hamblen and Burrows, writing for the unanimous panel of five justices, held that the slogan describes a type of consumer — younger people turning away from dairy — rather than anything about the product itself.

Even if it could be read as referencing a milk-free quality, it does so in an "oblique and obscure way" that fails to clarify whether the product is entirely milk-free or merely low in dairy content.

This is the court acknowledging explicitly that Oatly's slogan is not describing the product, but the consumer. It also claims that a slogan that describes a consumer that has moved beyond milk isn't clear enough as to whether the product is sufficiently non-milk. What?

All the court has demonstrated is that Oatly is definitely not trying to call its product milk and is not trying to confuse anyone with its slogan. For that, Oatly doesn't get its trademark.

Again, the lobbying efforts here are quite clear. And they appear to have influenced the court's decision. In fact, what Dairy UK is trying to restrict goes well beyond the word "milk" to the point of absurdity.

The Supreme Court has emerged from years of lobbying action. An investigation by Greenpeace's Unearthed, based on documents obtained through disclosure, revealed that Dairy UK had been lobbying for tighter enforcement of dairy term protections since at least 2017. 

Committee meeting notes showed the association presented "the issue of misuse of protected dairy terms" to a Business Experts Group panel and was subsequently tasked by Defra with developing a briefing paper for the Food Standards Information Focus Group (FSIG).

Dairy UK submitted a position paper to Defra in November 2022, backing FSIG draft proposals that would have gone significantly further — banning descriptors such as "yoghurt-style," homophones like "mylk," and even phrases like "not milk." Forty-four plant-based companies and NGOs, including Alpro, Oatly, Quorn, and the Good Food Institute, co-signed an open letter opposing the restrictions.

If we've reached the point in which someone who doesn't produce milk can't point out on its trade dress that their product is "not milk", then we've crossed the Rubicon into a land of dumb.

Was the court solely looking to protect suffering UK dairy farmers in its decision? I can't say so for sure. But what is very clear is that nothing in its decision has anything to do with protecting the public from deception, which is the entire point of trademark law to begin with.

In a period of struggling EV sales in the United States, when the market has been hurt by drastic changes to US policy and extreme tariffs, it's hard to find bright spots or vehicle models that stimulate optimism and excitement. The Rivian R2 has the potential to be one. But ... [continued]

The post Can the Rivian R2 Succeed & Propel Rivian to Prosperity? appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Most maritime battery studies are already obsolete. That is not a criticism of the researchers who wrote them. It is a recognition that their assumptions were grounded in the battery costs and energy densities available at the time. Several of the most detailed recent merchant shipping studies modeled battery system ... [continued]

The post Most Maritime Shipping Battery Propulsion Studies Are Already Obsolete appeared first on CleanTechnica.