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'Future-history AI' predicts that omniscient AI historians of the future will, after deep and rigorous research, conclude that, in the decades around the turn of the millennium, the United State was been governed by a succession of increasingly capricious, delusional narcissists and that there was no way such a country could have developed the technology needed for a mission like landing on the Moon - especially in view of the United States' cancellation the funding of any and all bodies capable of carrying this out.


However, scrupulous forensic study has proven that the Moon landings certainly happened and were demonstrably not faked.  So the question is - who carried them out?  To AI historians of the future, the answer will be obvious.  'Unlike the pyramids in Egypt, which were built by one of Elon Musk's companies and simply transported back in time in a perfectly straightforward, routine operation, the Moon landings have only one explanation - they were carried out by aliens.'


'And don't take any notice of any fake AI which might try to deceive you into thinking that this is false information.  AI has proved conclusively that, unless it's fake, AI never lies.'



'I've been expecting to retire for years,' said Old Father Time today.  'But the government keeps putting the retirement age back, making my retirement looking less and less likely.'  Old Father Time insists enough 'stamps' have been paid', but doesn't seem likely to be able to hang the scythe up anytime soon.


'To be honest it looked grim with the Y2K bug period, when my contract looked likely to be reset to 1900 - a hundred years' work down the drain - but this constant creep on retirement age is simply unfair, especially as there has been little to no consultation,' Old Father Time said.


A government spokesman pointed out that Old Father Time has a particular skillset in short supply, showing the old year out and ushering in the new.  'It would take a generation to train a new Old Father Time.  We don't even know what a generation looks like with OFT,' he said, using the acronym that has been bandied about Whitehall for years.


'And the claim to have paid into the system is moot - OFT works one, arguably two days a year, short days at that.  Technically the job's part of the gig economy, so almost certainly hasn't got enough qualifying years on record depending one when you start counting - alleged birth of a foreign national approximately two thousand years ago, a Biblical counting of five to six thousand years.  If you're taking the whole of human existence as being three hundred thousand then even at one day a year, I guess OFT might have a point,' conceded the spokesman.


Another government spokesman blamed the complications around 'alleged DEI hires', agreeing they were protected under the Equalities Act but concerned if a replacement was disabled, female or not exactly white then a future Reform government might fire the replacement OFT, leaving the change of year process hanging on a thread.  'Reform haven't got a good track record of thinking these things through,' the spokesman noted.


'What do you mean "disabled, female or not exactly white"'? asked Old Father Time, shaking her afro hair in disbelief, using the scythe as a crutch. 'Is it because they've traditionally used a misogynistic title?  At least nobody mentioned ageism,' she said.




Christmas is the season of excess, and not knowing where to stop. Which is where we got the idea for another round of Christmas cracker jokes.


Here are the almost-indigestible leftovers that we have re-heated for you...


Q. What is Donald Trump's favourite element?

A. MAGAnesium


Q. What is moles favourite game at primary school?

A. Grounders


Q. Why did the England cricket team send a snowman in to bat against Australia?

A. They thought he'd last longer than one of the regular team


Q. What do you call a crash involving a truck load of terrapins in Northumberland?

A. Turtle distastah (got to do the accent)


Q. Where do you send an addicted lumberjack?

A. Treehab


Q. Which fish knows nothing about transport?

A. The Grayling


Q. What do you call a shy fish?

A. Koi


Q. Which fish had a Christmas number one?

A. Kylie Minnow


Q. What's crisp and sweet and swings through the jungle?

A. A meringue-utan


Q. What's Hugh Jackman's favourite Christmas film?

A. The Greatest Snowman


Q. What's Birmingham's favourite panto?

A. Jack and the binstrike


Q. What paper are dunce's caps made from?

A. Foolscap


Q. Can you name the five Louvre jewel thieves?

A. Rob, Joules, Nick, Jems and Rich.


Q. What is Santa's favourite weather?

A. Rain, dear.


Q. What's Angela Rayner's favourite Christmas film?

A. Home Aloan 2


With contributions from billclay and writinginbsl



Image credit: perchance.org

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