Colonel Sir Tom - Your Circuit's Dead, There's Something Wrong...

This immediately reminded me of the coughing Major on who wants to be a millionaire, already made into a drama, his name Charles Ingram! now where had I heard that name before?

 

Club Nook? More like Club Crook.

Alway remember her standing up at Wimbledon while everyone whooped and cheered her, despite her actually doing nothing but being related to Colonel Saint Sir Tom. The look of smugness and entitlement on her face was vomit inducing.

This fall from grace is almost as enjoyable as Max Clifford.

 

It's Ingrammed into their DNA.

 

Take an egg whisk into the bath like everyone else.

 

It was always a slightly bizarre beneficiary anyway. The NHS itself isn't a charity and probably spends £39m every minute of every day. I know in the end they decided it should go to one of the NHS-linked charities and they then spend the funds, but it's still an odd choice in my view.

 

Agree with every word. I know that I'm too cynical by half on most things and try not to be sometimes, but the media took a 2 minute 'and finally' segment from a regional news programme and blasted it into a huge movement. It would have been wonderful to have a new General Lord Tom every day, with people of all ages being celebrated for their charitable efforts, but the way things work, people seemingly need a single individual to canonise and hang all their attention upon. He got a promotion, a fly past, a no 1 single (a knighthood?) and God knows what else I forgot, because he walked around his garden. I know he was old, but it's not everest is it?

The fact that his family turned out to be ruthless parasites is just the icing on the cake for me. Poor Sir Tom never asked for this, I know, but honestly, the British public gobbled it all up didn't they.

 

I bet 90% of donors would March on Whitehall if a new budget announced they'd be taxed an extra £20 a year to fund the NHS.

 

What destination would you have suggested instead then?

 

Good that the crooks are getting their comeuppance.

It's a shame we are apparently so good at exposing/cracking down on small time crooks while those who fleeced the country during Covid with e.g. b*llocks PPE contracts get away with it, though.

 

Me.

 

You might be better placed to say, but the NHS isn’t a charity, it’s funded by tax, so how much benefit would we or the NHS actually see with that money? Would it help shorten a waiting list by approximately half an hour? Where and how would it get administered? Would the taxpayer see a direct benefit?

At least with a charity it has a defined aim to try and solve a very specific problem, give £39m to pretty much any charity and they would then be able to directly outline the people it helped, how it helped them and the difference it made.

 

Another collective madness similar to the national embarrassment that followed Diana's death (wiv da angles etc.). I suppose this time we can partly blame covid.

Wouldn't surprise me if it turned out he wasn't even in the RAF and was a spiv during WW2.

 

Absolutely, I don't disagree with any of that, but I am struggling to think of another charity which would have particular relevance to Covid and therefore would comply with Captain Sir Tom's intentions (at least as we presume them to have been).

The money wasn't given direct to the NHS directly anyway, it was given to NHS Charities Together.

 

Just purely off the top of my head (not trying to be argumentative, I’ve generally given it no thought and I take your point) charities involved with mental health issues that may have been massively exacerbated by COVID, charities related to industries deeply affected by the shuttering of certain businesses, charities that help people retrain for new jobs, loneliness charities? Etc. etc.

 

Yeah, maybe. But at least the first of those and perhaps the last might be addressed by giving to NHS Charities Together, as was done.

Trustees are legally obliged to respect donor intent. I can see why NHS Charities Together was the best fit for the old fella's efforts which, so far as we know, were 'to raise money for the NHS'. Indeed, the organisation had launched a specific appeal for money for the NHS during 2020.

https://nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/about-us/who-we-are/

 

Weren't BBC Breakfast broadcasting live from his garden as he doddered his way along in the background? Sort of a TomCam.

 

I don't understand why they had a 1.5m advance on a three-book deal. Nothing against the old fella, but it baffles me why anyone would shell out money to buy his book? What can he possibly say that's of any interest to anyone that we didn't already know?

And are we sure he did 100 laps? Did he have a Garmin fitted? Is it on Strava? If not, it didn't happen.

 

I thought exactly the same, I can only assume it’s based on being the type of pointless crap people buy as gifts at Xmas or something, because I can’t fathom the type of person who would want to read one, let alone three books from him.

 

While I sympathise with your bafflement, the first book was a No. 1 bestseller, so the advance is really not that surprising. Well, apart from the fact that "he" might have struggled to get three books out at his advanced age.

 

IIRC those charts are quite easily manipulated by the publishers. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the Ingram-Moore's have a shed full of his book!

 

In the iPlayer documentary which there is a link from the BBC page I sent earlier, one of the radio presenters admitted buying the book on the premise that some of the proceeds went to the Captain Tom Foundation and said he'd never read it.

On of the 3 books was a children's book, I don't know about the other book.

 

Being as elderly as he was, he probably forgot where he'd got up to and had to restart several times. I expect he did about 187 laps in reality.

 

South Chenies Pothole Fund?

 

They won't prosecute themselves. There is literal proof in front of our eyes that some people are above the law.

If some normal person does it, it's part of organised crime and needs to go to jail. If someone from a public school background does it they get a life peerage.

 

I bought all 3 books and read them regularly for inspiration.

 

I watched a video, maybe on LinkedIn, where a guy showed you how to have an Amazon No 1. Book with a blank book. I can't remember the details, bit it was a relatively small investment and in connection with exposing people who scam people at get rich quick seminars, a very easy way to establish credibility.

 

If you noticed in all the footage he was wearing the same clothes, it's possible he might only have done 7.

 

I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the actions of the Great British public. After all, in that BBC survey of the Top 10 Britons that ever lived, Princess Di came third. Country is full of ****wits.

 

Tbh I was more baffled that Michael Crawford came 17th.

 

yes, I remember that. I just went to dig up the list of the top 100, and there's some belting names in there. Bono and Bob Geldof, despite not being British. Robbie Williams and Boy George! Boy George for the love of Christ!

Ah, I've gone and set myself off again...

 

If Hannah Ingrained-Criminal and lapdog husband Colin do eventually get hauled up for fraud - perhaps rather a longshot sadly - then perhaps we could celebrate and wave them off to chokey with these...

 

The earliest BBC article I came across was filmed on his ‘honest as the day is long’ daughter’s phone saying he’d already completed 70 of the 100 laps

I’m sure he ramped it up a bit when the media realised this was more interesting than Boris’ daily lies….sorry updates

 

But it looks like there’s no ‘crime’ and therefore no prosecution.

I hope someone with deep pockets takes civil action to claim back their £9.95 as the book was purchased on the false pretence of contributing to the Tom fund.
Expose the £ukkers for what they are and keep them under the spotlight.
They’re just laughing all the way to their fat bank account.