The Real Deal

How to Stop Paying the TV Licence

How to stop paying the TV Licence. Is it possible to avoid paying for the TV Licence?

Yes, it is, and I’m going to show you how.

First, we should cover who legally doesn’t need to pay the TV Licence, or TV Tax as I prefer to call it.

In the UK, there are certain groups of people who are exempt from paying the TV licence fee. These include:

People aged 75 or over who receive Pension Credit.
People who are blind or severely sight impaired.
People who live in residential care homes or nursing homes.

… Click here to continue reading this article

A Tory BBC? Everyone I Met There in 25 Years Was Flaming Red

It’s often said that when someone emerges into the world from university and likes what they see, they will go into the City or into business and they will devote their lives to making money and going to parties and having fun. However, if they leave university and think the world is all broken and full of injustice, they will try to change the system. Which means they will add a rainbow emoji to their Twitter bio and join the BBC.

Of course, in recent weeks we have been told over and over again that this is emphatically not the case.… Click here to continue reading this article

Is It OK to Show Your Stocking Tops in the UK?

Is it OK to show your stocking tops in the UK?

If a little stocking top, stocking band or lace welt peeps out occasionally, is it provocative? Is it sexy? Is it slutty? Is it a fashion statement? Or is it just harmless cheeky fun?

Is flashing your stocking tops on purpose the same as accidentally letting a little of them be seen?

What about wearing your skirt above your stocking tops? Let’s discuss.

A point of language clarity for US and non-British readers: in British English when we refer to stockings, we mean either stockings that are held up with a garter (suspender) belt or hold-up stockings (what are often called thigh highs or stay-ups overseas).

… Click here to continue reading this article

The Military Situation in Ukraine

The Military Situation in Ukraine: This article first appeared in The Postil Magazine in April 2022 and is republished here as Twitter prevents linking to the original citing it as “unsafe”. You may think that is because it goes against the mainstream narrative – we couldn’t possibly comment. The author is Jacques Baud, a former colonel of the General Staff, ex-member of the Swiss strategic intelligence, and specialist on Eastern countries. He was trained in the American and British intelligence services.

Part One: The Road To War

For years, from Mali to Afghanistan, I have worked for peace and risked my life for it.… Click here to continue reading this article

Ever noticed how much less stable the world is now than in 2003? Well, Blair’s to blame

Here at the Real Deal, we’re big fans of Rod Liddle and occasionally republish the odd one of his more insightful articles.

In the article below, from March 2023, Rod discusses the legacy of the warmongering Blair years.

Ever noticed how much less stable the world is now than in 2003? Well, Blair’s to blame.

Twenty years ago today the US and British tanks rolled into Iraq in an illegal invasion, which, contrary to the belief of one of its chief progenitors, Tony Blair, did not entirely suffuse the Iraqi people with joy.… Click here to continue reading this article

Wearing Stockings and Suspenders When Rock and Roll Jive Dancing

In this article, we’re going to discuss the etiquette, norms and psychology of wearing stockings and suspenders when rock and roll dancing, or jiving in the 2020s.

If you are one of a couple who goes rock and roll dancing or jiving, this is something that couples often want to discuss. Women often like to dress up in period or vintage-style costumes when going jiving, and that can often include stockings, hold-ups or tights. But ladies, do you want to flash your stocking tops when dancing? Some do, and some don’t.… Click here to continue reading this article

It’s not Big Brother I fear but Huxley’s world of mindless trivia

In the excellent article below, Matthew Syed discusses if we are lost in a sea of data online and if the truth is lost in a sea of irrelevance. This article first appeared in the Sunday Times.

We’ve never had so much information at our fingertips — and so little wisdom to do anything useful with it

In the time it takes you to reach the end of this paragraph, 15 million emails will have been sent, 30,000 tweets and three million Facebook updates. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of blogs, Instagram posts and news articles will have been added to a running total measured in billions.… Click here to continue reading this article

Review: Diddly Squat Farm Shop. Clarkson’s Farm. What to Expect.

If you want to visit Clarkson’s Farm, aka Diddly Squat Farm Shop, we were there a few days ago so can give you the inside skinny together with a few thoughts.

Regular readers know that we’re big fans of Jeremy Clarkson and occasionally republish the odd article of his here on the site.

Many only know him from Top Gear, Grand Tour, or Clarkson’s Farm, but in fact, he cut his teeth as a writer. He writes for the Sunday Times, The Sun and has written many books (many of which are just his newspaper articles republished together – but still worth reading twice).… Click here to continue reading this article

Where to Learn Rock and Roll Dancing in Manchester

So You Want To Learn Rock and Roll Dancing in Manchester?

So did we, and miraculously, the options are few and far between. But there is one, and we’ll direct you to it. But first, let’s discuss Rock and Roll dancing generally and what you are likely to encounter if you want to learn in Manchester, Stockport or Lancashire.

You’d think a city as large as Manchester would be bristling with options to learn Rock and Roll dancing, but a quick delve onto Google not only shows you there are relatively few options, but the information it delivers isn’t terribly relevant.… Click here to continue reading this article

Does Ozempic Work? Here’s What Clarkson Thinks.

Does Ozempic work? Ozempic is a fairly recent drug that is being used for weight loss. If you want to know if Ozempic works or not, we have two resources for you.

The first one is a forum discussion topic chronicling a chap’s weight loss attempts over several years. The part relating to Ozempic can be found from >here< onwards.

The second is the recent experience of Jeremy Clarkson. He wrote about his experiences here in the Times, but it is hidden behind a paywall. However, you can read it below here:

I’ve had a magic jab and my giant gut’s already shrinking

Given up on dry January yet?… Click here to continue reading this article

I backed the lockdown (and quite enjoyed it). But was I just a mug?

This article first appeared in the Sunday Times.

In June 2020 I went to the local farm shop to buy my vegetables for the coming fortnight. I was not allowed inside the shop — instead a table had been set up outside with the instruction that I was to keep one metre away from it. You told the shop assistants what you wanted and they went and fetched it for you. Handing the stuff over was difficult because of that one-metre rule. You kind of had to lean forward, and on one occasion I fell over.… Click here to continue reading this article

Where to Buy a 30mph Speed Camera Sign

Buy a 30mph Speed Camera Sign

If you want to buy a UK specification combined 30mph and speed camera sign, we can point you to it.

On its own, a 30mph sign is of limited effect. Similarly, on its own, a camera sign is of limited effect. However, put the two together and psychologists say that the combined effect is a more effective call to action in the brain. That is why local authorities have started using the combined speed limit and camera sign.

You probably live on a road where the traffic is continually speeding, and you’re looking for a sign to slow them down.… Click here to continue reading this article

Dedollarisation and Reducing Dollar Hegemony Following the Russian Military Operation in Ukraine

We’ve been writing about dedollarisation here for some time.

Russia and much of the world have been seeking to dedollarise for a while. In the wake of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, one of the outcomes of countersanctions by Russia against the US and the rest of the west is them being forced to use the Russian Rouble to buy oil and gas.

This does something Russia has wanted to do for a while: reduce US dollar hegemony.

When it comes to what we often call dollar hegemony one can get all technical (and often wrong) or we can make things much more simple.… Click here to continue reading this article

He cured type 1 diabetes. It only took 30 years

This article first appeared in the Times.

The first sufferer is now free of the genetic form of the disease thanks to the work of Doug Melton, a US scientist inspired by his baby son’s illness.

When Doug Melton set out to cure type 1 diabetes, it is fair to say he underestimated the scale of the task.

Doug Melton - Type 1 Diabetes Cure

It was 1991 and his six-month-old son Sam had just been diagnosed with the autoimmune condition. The symptoms were terrifying: the tiny baby shaking and vomiting until he was given the insulin that would save his life.… Click here to continue reading this article

Он вылечил диабет 1 типа. Это заняло всего 30 лет

Эта статья впервые появилась в газете British Times на английском языке.

Первый пациент теперь свободен от генетической формы болезни благодаря работе Дуга Мелтона, американского ученого, вдохновленного болезнью своего маленького сына.

Когда Дуг Мелтон намеревался вылечить диабет 1 типа, справедливо сказать, что он недооценил масштаб задачи.

Doug Melton - Type 1 Diabetes Cure

Это был 1991 год, и его шестимесячному сыну Сэму только что диагностировали аутоиммунное заболевание. Симптомы были ужасающими: крошечный ребенок трясся и рвался, пока ему не дали инсулин, который спас бы его жизнь. Но даже после лечения последствия были резкими – анализы крови четыре раза в день, регулярные инъекции инсулина и надвигающаяся угроза потери зрения, проблем с почками и сердечных заболеваний.… Click here to continue reading this article

Clarkson: Today’s lily-livered cops can’t nick crooks, let alone crack skulls. Quick, dial the 1970s

This article first appeared in the Sunday Times.

It was yet another dreadful week for the constabulary. Mainly, this was because an on-duty policeman woman was captured on film fist-bumping the sky and generally letting anti-Israel protesters in London know that she was very much on their side.

We’ve become used to this sort of thing at the Notting Hill carnival, where officers are urged to dispense with Dixon’s teachings from Dock Green and twerk the night away with revellers before settling down with a can of chilled Red Stripe and a nice spliff.… Click here to continue reading this article

North Wales man caught carrying ‘medieval weapon’ designed to cause ‘maximum fright’

This article first appeared in the Daily Post.

North Wales man caught carrying ‘medieval weapon’ designed to cause ‘maximum fright’

Taran Norman was jailed after being captured on CCTV carrying the vicious-looking implement.

A 24-year-old man was jailed for carrying what a judge called “a medieval weapon” in the street.

Taran Norman, of Stockwell Grove, Wrexham, was spotted on CCTV carrying a yellow bag in Maesgwyn Road, Wrexham.

In it was an old-fashioned police truncheon with 13 screws at the end.

Old fashioned police truncheon

Elen Owen, prosecuting at Caernarfon crown court, said the screws were one-and-a-half inches long.… Click here to continue reading this article

Breastfeeding is now chestfeeding: Why are the language police trying to wipe out women?

To placate the angry, vocal few, one sex is being written out of the lexicon. It must stop.

When designing the constitution, America’s founders feared democracy’s natural pitfall: the tyranny of the majority. They were leery of the ignorant masses and, originally, voting was largely restricted to landowners. But a competing danger — the tyranny of the minority — is arguably worse. At least when majorities tyrannise, a large number of people get what they want.

In the West’s current frenzy of inclusivity, it’s often majorities whose wishes are at risk of being ignored: most recently non-trans people, and in particular, “women”.… Click here to continue reading this article

They’re IT guys, and we let them silence a president

This article first appeared in the Sunday Times.

The era of free speech online is over. The indefinite suspension of Donald Trump’s Twitter account, following his suspension from Facebook, is a profound moment from which there is no going back. The tech giants have essentially asserted their right to police democratic politics, even to censor democratically elected presidents, depriving Trump of the primary means by which he addresses the American public.

Political debate online will now be firmly subject to the whims and prejudices of unaccountable billionaires. And this is being cheered by people who call themselves liberal.… Click here to continue reading this article

The Bank of England vs the banks of England – Negative Interest Rates

This article is from the Fortune and Freedom newsletter.

On 28 September, economists at the US central bank published some important research. It concluded that imposing negative interest rates is a bad idea.

Sure enough, two weeks later, the Bank of England asked our banks whether they’re prepared for negative interest rates…

Typical.

But what are negative interest rates? Are they really coming to the UK? And what do they mean for you?

That’s what we’ll tackle today. Start to, anyway.

Negative interest rates may seem bizarre or impossible. But, when central bankers are involved, the bizarre becomes a lot more possible.… Click here to continue reading this article