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NewsBiscuit: Best of December 2024


December 2024


In December 2024 everything happened to a backing track of Christmas carols, making them seem ever-so-slightly less awful. In the UK, there was another Andrew-formerly-known-as-Prince controversy. This one was about his links with a Chinese spy. But can you list all the Andrew controversies since then? Thought not. The government offered health workers a measly pay increase, compensated LGBT service personnel, but decided (at the time) not to compensate the Waspi women. Planning any more U-turns, Keir? The prison service scandal of the day was about prisoners on early release being mistakenly released too early. How times have changed. And the UK economy continued to stutter. Re...re...re…cession? How times have changed.


In the New Year’s honours list, Sadiq Khan was recognised for services to congestion, and Gareth Southgate got a knighthood for trying really, really hard at the footie, and for always wearing a suit.


In entertainment news, Greg Wallace was deemed too unsavoury for cooking shows, and the BBC went on far too much about the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special.


After overdosing on the US presidential election for all of 2024, the media decided not to report any news from America this month.


Here is a selection of the top Newsbiscuit stories from December 2024, selected by popular vote. Thanks to the three people who voted… Click through to read the stories and see the author credits. Scroll down to see some of the month’s best headlines.


Politics


Stories about Christmas, and Prince Charmless


Sport and Entertainment


Other news


And here are the Headlines...


Politics

Labour brings in Tory cuts

Labour government makes absolute commitment to reduce immigration 'to some extent'

Compo results: LGBT veterans £70k - Waspi women £nil

Waspi women retire hurt

'So Nigel Farage. What first attracted you to the billionaire Elon Musk?'


Entertainment

BBC expected to dial down the Gavin & Stacey stories in February

BBC refuses to comment on 'culture of silence'

Wallace led me around on all fours, says Gromit

Masterchef to remain on air with Wallace's head replaced by deepfake potato


Andrew M-W

Prince Andrew sweating now

Andrew can't even send out for a Chinese now


Organisations

Samaritans not happy with Christmas Jumper day

Quitters Anonymous disband during first meeting

Weight Watchers: still big in UK


And finally...

A single cigarette takes £1.30 off your life, say scientists

Single man with bad handwriting is UK's most illegible bachelor

Ruthless bounty hunter tears sweet shop apart

The last two candidates to illustrate auction catalogue have to draw lots

A woman took time off work to have a Brazilian butt lift. Now she’s all behind



Image credit: deep dream generator

Trump plan promises peace in Eurovision in 24 hours


President Trump says that he will use America might, negotiating skills, and tariffs, to bring peace to Eurovision ‘in 24 hours’.


‘We have some spare capacity, as things are progressing very well with Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Palestine and FIFA,’ said the President. ‘My plan is a very good plan, and it will bring peace very quickly. Although I must remind everyone in Yerp, and Israel, that delivering the 24-point plan will require concessions about territory and mineral rights on all sides, and the payment of aggravated damages to the USA.  I haven't talked to any of the nations involved, as I find that people often just raise petty and irrelevant points.  Because the US is independent, and not part of Yerp, we can see more clearly how to resolve the conflicts at the heart of Eurovision.


The envelope bearing the first draft of the plan is believed to be no bigger than C5 in size and probably brown. Sceptics don’t believe that the plan actually has 24 points. More like nul points, they suggest. And journalists are keen to know if Donald Trump has signed the envelope, as this would leave little remaining space for the plan itself.


The plan is believed to include the readmittance of Russia to the Eurovision contest, the cancellation of all gay, woke DEI nonsense, including banning Pride flags, and a requirement that the USA is allowed to compete, and to be guaranteed a top three place. Telephone voting would be organised by the USA, with only Trump Phones being considered secure enough to deliver billions of votes reliably.  Eurovision would be broadcast in England by GB News, and not by the fake-news-BBC.


A proposal that Greenland should not be allowed to compete has upset Denmark, but the President has said that ‘you can’t make an omelette without breaking heads.’ He also apparently said that Denmark was ‘only small’ and therefore 'shouldn’t make a fuss.’


American contractors are on standby to realise Trump’s dream of a new, supercharged and successful Eurovision resort, funded by American banks and returning super-profits to the US of A. There are rumours that Donald Trump has set up a new arms-length construction company to bid for the work.


In promoting the initiative, White House spokesman said, ‘The very excellent Eurovision Peace Plan will help the Eurovision brand to a great brand, by concentrating on monetisation instead of jiggery-wokery, an undemocratic voting system, and bands that pointlessly perform in languages that Americans don’t understand.’



Image credit: perchance.org

Panorama releases more dodgy Trump clips


The BBC’s Panorama programme announced today it has some more clips of President Trump saying awful things.


The clips appear to show Trump admitting the moon landings were faked, confessing to being the Boston Strangler, encouraging John Wilkes-Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln and telling the residents of Pompeii not to worry as 'Vesuvius always makes noises like that.'


However, critics have pointed out that the footage seems very jerky, suggesting these are different bits of film crudely spliced together - an impression strengthened by the fact that Trump often appears to change clothes several times in the course of a sentence. Moreover, a lot of the footage doesn’t seem to be Trump at all, just the member of Panorama staff who does the best Trump impression wearing a silly wig.


'Guys, this really isn’t helpful,' said leading Democrat Chuck Schumer. 'What Trump actually says is awful enough, we don’t need you to make stuff up. It just encourages people not to trust what they see on the news.'


However, by the time Panorama had finished editing his statement, it sounded like he was coming out strongly in favour of the licence fee, and demanding Panorama be recommissioned for another season.



Image credit: perchance.org

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