[Killer Whale]

The 'hungry months' were early summer, before the harvest and after the stored food had run out.
Commonsense history check: how could medieval people celebrate 'Fat Tuesday' if they were short of food?

Early American settlers had a different experience, where their inexperience with the climate and other local conditions led them to run out of food earlier in the year. It seems that this has pushed the concept of the May Famine (which I was familiar with), back to March and April in the Western collective consciousness.

I'm not anti-American as such, but this sort of thing does wind me up somewhat.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Me too!

[Yug]

Disgusting example of humanity doesn't believe he should be subject to scrutiny

Lawyers representing an MP have asked the High Court to block a watchdog from investigating a complaint against him.

Submissions to the court on behalf of Rupert Lowe, the independent MP for Great Yarmouth, claimed a probe into his conduct by the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) was "procedurally unfair" and that it could lead to "unjust harm".

The ICGS is responsible for investigating complaints related to bullying, harassment and/or sexual misconduct within Parliament...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz6ed7w6j86o

I wonder what he's scared of them finding out?

[Youngian]

Perhaps someone should point out to the mouth-breathers that something that Ramadan and Lent have in common is that they are a period for reflection and self awareness.

And is Lent meant to be happy? I think not...

They were periods of shortages in the northern hemisphere until fresh crops flourished. Easier to stick to the rules before industrialised agriculture ended food scarcity.

The 'hungry months' were early summer, before the harvest and after the stored food had run out.
Commonsense history check: how could medieval people celebrate 'Fat Tuesday' if they were short of food?

Yes you're right, food was at its lowest point in the early summer when farm workers most need energy to bring in the crops. Wise therefore to preserve stocks from an earlier period in the year when there's a lull in manual work. Even today farmers aren't tending fields in February.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Disgusting example of humanity doesn't believe he should be subject to scrutiny

Lawyers representing an MP have asked the High Court to block a watchdog from investigating a complaint against him.

Submissions to the court on behalf of Rupert Lowe, the independent MP for Great Yarmouth, claimed a probe into his conduct by the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) was "procedurally unfair" and that it could lead to "unjust harm".

The ICGS is responsible for investigating complaints related to bullying, harassment and/or sexual misconduct within Parliament...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz6ed7w6j86o

I wonder what he's scared of them finding out?

Hope these aren't "expensive political lawyers" he's engaged here. Only the liberal left uses those to thwart democracy.

[Bones McCoy]

Meanwhile, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon has apparently been informed that ISIS are after him and has set up a fund to help get his family out of the country to safety. That's the Stephen Yaxley-Lennon who is divorced and lives in Spain.

ISIS: an odd way to spell HMRC.

[Bones McCoy]

Rupert Lowe has launched a new party; Restore Britain.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp813pn43gxo

Unusual to have a right-wing party led by someone without a forrin-sounding name...

Anglicised from Löwe.

[Bones McCoy]

Advisory board ? What sort of political party was ever founded on the basis of an “advisory board” ?

Bear with me.

What if it's all a big effort to launder the reputation of the Conservative party...
* They broke Britain - but hive the culprits off to Reform, so Kemi can lead some clean skins.
* But Reform's "boot nazis" make them look back - so hive the yobs off to reflux? to avoid too much cross contamination.
* Three years of psychodrama, mostly not involving the oh so reasonable Tories - "not like those extremists".
* Tories get a shot at power, after which they'll accept return defectors, or (worst case) coalition with Reform.

Or (more plausible)- It's the Judean people's liberation front all over again.

[Bones McCoy]

Is having a 'happy Lent' even a thing? (Or even a 'happy Ramadan', come to that).
And while we're at it, how come the Chinese New Year is suddenly being described as the Lunar New Year? Everyone seems to be at it, but I can't remember getting the blanket memo.

Chinese New Year raises all sorts of nationalist issues (Taipei, PRC, Hong Kong, what about the diaspora).
What about the non-chinese (Yes, I know they all look alike to some AngMohs) who celebrate.

Lunar New Year is simply more accurate and all encompassing.

[Bones McCoy]

Perhaps someone should point out to the mouth-breathers that something that Ramadan and Lent have in common is that they are a period for reflection and self awareness.

And is Lent meant to be happy? I think not...

They were periods of shortages in the northern hemisphere until fresh crops flourished. Easier to stick to the rules before industrialised agriculture ended food scarcity.

You also got non-European Christians eating some unusual animals.
Because the pope hadn't ID'd them as forbidden in lent.

Case in point, Capybara.

[Abernathy]

A friend of my Mrs, who is, shall we say, rather fond of a libation or seven, told us last year that she was giving up lager for lent. But she still habitually sank 5 or 6 pints of Guiness most nights.

[kreuzberger]

There is quite a timely lent-ish spat on Indian Twitter between rather fashy BJP notherners and the fine, upstanding Marxists of Kerala. They are all getting steamy about who eats beef, who doesn't, yet not a peep about temporary abstinence. Quite...

I'm not sure that they are taking this seriously enough.

We'll be there next weekend and hunting down Iftar restos for the full bhunna. I honestly don't care what is in the buffet or what is being celebrated, so long as I can get a decent nosebag and don't get busted for smuggling in the thermos full of an entirely serviceable Indian Syrah for tuppence a gallon.