Thursday, October 16, 2025

🕊️ Standing Against Hate: A Call for Unity and Action


🕊️ Standing Against Hate: A Call for Unity and Action

From the Gay Professional Network and the Gay Business Association

On 8 October 2025, Old Compton Street—London’s historic LGBTQ+ heart—was targeted by a militant far-right group calling itself the King’s Army. Dressed in black tracksuits and marching in military formation, they chanted “Jesus Saves” while accusing the area of “immorality.” This was not a peaceful protest—it was a calculated act of intimidation.

The UK upholds the right to peaceful demonstration. But this was a flash mob of hate, not a legitimate expression of democratic values. The King’s Army, founded in 2024 and promoted online by Turning Point UK, is part of a rising tide of Christian Nationalist extremism—much of it imported from the United States. Their rhetoric echoes that of Reform UK and other far-right movements, blending religious zealotry with political menace.

“The spit of the toad does not reach the white dove.”

We were away and hadn’t seen or heard about this until now. But the images and testimonies are clear. To our knowledge, there was no violence on Old Compton Street itself, and the Metropolitan Police reported no offences. Still, the group’s uniformed presence may breach UK laws prohibiting fascist-style political demonstrations. If any infraction occurred, it must be reported. Was this gathering even authorised?

The sight of blackshirt-style formations on London’s streets evokes the ghost of Oswald Mosley—a chilling reminder of what must never return. This cannot be tolerated. A petition to abolish such organisations in the UK would do far more than discussing them here and feeding the algorithm they crave.

What We Stand For

  • 🏳️‍🌈 Dignity, inclusion, and unity
  • 🛡️ Protection of our public spaces from hate
  • ✍️ Petitioning government to abolish extremist organisations
  • 🤝 Supporting communities targeted by hate and division

Old Compton Street is more than a location—it’s a symbol of joy, resilience, and freedom. We call on our members, allies, and fellow citizens to reaffirm the values that make our society strong. Hate has no place in our public squares. Let us respond not with outrage, but with resolve.

Together, we rise above.


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Monday, October 06, 2025

The Growth Guarantee Scheme (GGS)

 The Growth Guarantee Scheme (GGS) is a UK government-backed initiative launched by the British Business Bank in July 2024 to provide smaller businesses with improved access to finance for investment and growth. It functions as the successor to the Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) and allows businesses to apply for term loans, overdrafts, and other finance types through accredited lenders. A key feature is the 70% government-backed guarantee to the lender, encouraging them to offer better terms to borrowers by reducing their risk. Businesses can access funding through GGS-accredited lenders until March 31, 2026, with loan amounts typically up to £2 million, though the final decision rests with the lender after standard credit checks.  

How the Scheme Works
  1. Apply to a Lender: 
    Small businesses should approach a GGS-accredited lender, such as HSBC, Lloyds Bank, or Barclays. 
  2. Assessment: 
    The lender assesses the business's application, conducting standard credit and fraud checks. 
  3. Lender Decision: 
    If the lender can offer a commercial facility on better terms without the GGS guarantee, they will do so. If not, and the business is eligible, the lender may use the GGS to provide the finance. 
  4. Benefit to Business: 
    The GGS helps improve the terms of the loan, including potentially more favourable interest rates and repayment periods. 
Key Features and Eligibility
  • Successor to RLS: 
    The GGS replaces the Recovery Loan Scheme as the government's flagship support scheme for SMEs. 
  • Government Guarantee: 
    The British Business Bank guarantees up to 70% of the loan value to the lender, which encourages them to take on more lending. 
  • Loan Purpose: 
    The finance can be used for any legitimate business purpose, including managing cash flow, working capital, and other investments. 
  • Loan Amounts: 
    Funding is available for facilities up to £2 million for most businesses in the UK. 
  • Duration: 
    Applications for the scheme are open until March 31, 2026. 
Who Should Apply?
  • Small businesses in the UK seeking finance to invest and grow. 
  • Businesses of various sizes may be eligible, with eligibility assessed on a case-by-case basis by the lender. 
Growth Guarantee Scheme (GGS) - British Business Bank
About the scheme. The Growth Guarantee Scheme is the successor to the Recovery Loan Scheme. It is designed to support access to fi...
British Business Bank
About the Growth Guarantee Scheme | British Business Bank
Open for applications. The Growth Guarantee Scheme (GGS) is available for businesses through a number of British Business Bank acc...
British Business Bank
Growth Guarantee Scheme | Loans | Lloyds Bank Business
The Growth Guarantee Scheme (GGS) went live on 1st July and is the successor to The Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS). Growth Guarantee S...
Lloyds Ba
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Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Suspended from Facebook? Join the Club!

According to Reddit, over a million of Profiles on Facebook were suspended arbitrarily by their new AI, there is no recourse to it, if you ever joked about the Felon in the White House or posted something about its CEO Meta is quite ruthless but it seems that this was the culprit:


Hello all, I was recently , 31st July, suspended from Facebook for no apparent reason and do not have access to my account or any of the groups that I moderate and administrate. I keep coming back to the same page :



How does one get in touch with facebook to find out why this was, was I hacked, was this a cybersecurity protection? I don't know, but it is really frustrating, particularly since I keep getting my alerts for birthdays and people wanting to join etc. it is the same on messenger.


I posted the above on X and got a lot of impressions but more spammer/phisher and nothing concrete.

It is now two weeks and still nothing... I am sorry that I cannot tell my friends, family, followers or members on my numerous groups on Facebook what is happening or why I have disappeared completely from the face of Facebook.

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Friday, May 09, 2025

Empty housing stock in London

 

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+1
In 2023, London had 87,763 properties classified as empty for council tax purposes, with 36,210 deemed long-term empty (unoccupied for over six months). These long-term vacant homes are concentrated in outer London, particularly in northern and eastern boroughs. 
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
  • Total Vacant Homes:
    London has 87,763 properties classified as empty for council tax purposes. 
  • Long-Term Empty Homes:
    Out of the total vacant homes, 36,210 are considered long-term empty, meaning they've been unoccupied for over six months. 
  • Increase in Long-Term Empty Homes:
    The number of long-term empty homes in London has increased by 62% since 2018, according to one source. 
  • Concentration of Long-Term Empty Homes:
    Increases in long-term empty homes are mostly concentrated in outer London, with northern and eastern boroughs generally faring worse. 
  • Boroughs with the Most Long-Term Empty Homes:
    Southwark, Newham, Barnet, Lambeth, and Kensington & Chelsea have the highest numbers of long-term empty properties. 
In London, Long-Term Empty Homes Have Nearly Doubled Since 2016
21 Nov 2024 — According to this year's data, the number of long-term empty homes in London increased to over 38,000, marking an uptick of 6% over the previous year...
Action on Empty Homes
Empty Homes - Greater London Authority
Data on vacant properties is collected by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). You can access this data through the following link...
Greater London Authority
It's time for a more muscular approach to empty homes in ...
28 Aug 2024 — According to this site, Tower Hamlets only charges the EHCTP on 184 properties, despite there being nearly 1,500 long-term empty in the borough. Acro...
OnLondon
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Web results

Action on Empty Homes
https://www.actiononemptyhomes.org
In London, Long-Term Empty Homes Have Nearly Doubled ...
21 Nov 2024 — Recently released council tax data shows that the number of long-term empty homes across the city rose once again in 2024, while London boroughs ...
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IFA Magazine
https://ifamagazine.com
Addressing the problem of London's vacant homes: 5 practical solutions
25 Jan 2024 — While there are just 261 empty properties, they equate to 3.4% of all dwellings. Southwark is home to the second highest proportion of long-term ...
london.gov.uk
https://www.london.gov.uk
Empty Homes - Greater London Authority
Empty Homes. How many properties are estimated to be long term vacant in London? Please break down the data by borough if possible.
London Datastore
https://data.london.gov.uk
Vacant Dwellings - London Datastore
The data provide information on vacant dwellings, by period vacant and second homes, and were produced from Local Authority (LA) Council Tax systems.
Missing: current ‎| Show results with: current
netmagmedia.co.uk
https://www.netmagmedia.co.uk
The Empty Home Epidemic: The UK Regions with the Most Vacant ...
17 Feb 2025 — London's social housing waitlist (335,035) is 37.7 times higher than their current available housing stock. Bury ranks second for the most ...
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What is the current empty housing stick in london map
What is the current empty housing stick in london 2022
What is the current empty housing stick in london 2021
Vacant social housing
Council empty property list
Empty houses in London

Web results

Trust for London
https://trustforlondon.org.uk
Nobody's Home: How wealth investment locks Londoners out ...
This report from Action on Empty Homes, funded by Trust for London, calls for housing development in London to meet local needs, not investors' priorities.
Construction View Online
https://www.constructionviewonline.co.uk
Addressing the problem of London's vacant homes: 5 practical solutions
19 Feb 2024 — While there are just 261 empty properties, they equate to 3.4% of all dwellings. Southwark is home to the second highest proportion of long-term ...
Local Government Association
https://www.local.gov.uk
Empty homes in England rise by nearly 10 per cent in five years
13 Nov 2023 — The data shows that more than one million properties across England in 2022 were unoccupied (4.01 per cent of all dwellings), an increase of ...
BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk
London: Number of empty homes at highest level since 2010
25 Apr 2023 — Some 34,327 properties were classed as "long-term vacant" as of 31 March 2022, government data showed. The highest amount was found in Southwark ...
Missing: stick ‎| Show results with: stick
OnLondon
https://www.onlondon.co.uk
It's time for a more muscular approach to empty homes in London
28 Aug 2024 — Across London there are 87,763 properties classified as empty for council tax purposes, with 36,210 deemed long-term empty, meaning unoccupied ...

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