News Round-Up
- “I believe Dame Esther Rantzen is wrong on assisted dying” – Ian Birrell also thinks Rantzen is wrong about assisted dying, as he explains in the Mail.
- “Esther Rantzen is wrong about assisted suicide” – Julie Burchill in the Spectator sympathises with Esther Rantzen, but disagrees with her about assisted suicide.
- “Why are birth rates falling?” – Countries globally, including the U.K., are experiencing falling birth rates. But what’s the real reason people are having fewer children, asks Fraser Nelson in the Spectator.
- “Kemi Badenoch’s civil servants celebrate diverse role models without mentioning her” – A recruitment advert showcasing diversity in the Business department only used civil servants who run its race network and not its commander-in-chief, reports the Telegraph.
- “Civil service lawyers accused of trying to scupper trans guidance” – A leak has revealed the Department for Education’s legal team claimed key parts of the long-awaited document for teachers on ‘gender-questioning children’ would be overturned in court, somewhat tenditiously, claims the Mail.
- “‘I was sacked as a teacher for standing up to gender ideology’” – Kevin Lister in the Mail tells the story of his defenestration from the teaching profession for refusing to kowtow to gender identity ideoloy.
- “My Debate In NYC On Government-fuelled Online Censorship” – On his Substack, Jay Bhattacharyahi recounts his debate with Kate Klonick about government-fuelled social media censorship, which he won comprehensively.
- “Bumper pay day for ex-Chancellor George Osborne” – The former Chancellor, who left Government in 2016, had a bumper pay day for the second year in a row after joining City firm Robey Warshaw in 2021, reports This Is Money.
- “Revealed: Harvard cleared Claudine Gay of plagiarism before investigating her — and its lawyers falsely claimed her work was ‘properly cited’” – The New York Post digs deeper into the scandal of Claudine Gay‘s plagiarism.
- “New Survey: Fewer Germans feel free to express their political opinions in 2023 than in any year since the early days of the Federal Republic” – The Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research has uncovered some disturbing data about the lack of free speech in Germany, reports Eugyppius.
- “Corporations offended by free speech are happy to invest in places without it” – Why did so many American corporations go from celebrating free speech to suddenly fearing it, asks Zaid Jilani in Public.
- “Guardian staff fear for their pets in work from home crackdown” – The Guardian’s staff say they don’t want to return to work because they’re worried about their pets, reports the Telegraph.
- “Why antisemitism sprouted so quickly on campus” – Chapter three of The Coddling of the American Mind explains how the oppressor/victim mindset created fertile ground for hate, explains Jonathan Haidt.
- “Muslim migrants are destroying European culture, says Poland’s ex-PM” – Mateusz Morawiecki is opposed to the EU’s latest migration pact and wants to ‘preserve’ his country’s culture, reports the Telegraph.
- “The British activist accused of being a key Hamas ally” – Majed Al-Zeer, who has campaigned for Palestinians in parliament, is named in a German interior ministry document, according to the Times.
- “Douglas Murray debates Cenk Uygur on Piers Morgan Uncensored” – Douglas Murray takes on a Hamas apologist on TalkTV and takes no prisoners.
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The point Douglas Murray was trying to make was diminished by the childish insults. Is that the best debate on offer?
When Madeleine Albright was asked about half a million dead Iraqi children being worth it, she could just have blamed Saddam Hussein. She missed a trick there.
What does Mr Murray think of Netanyahu strenghtening Hamas as a means to prevent a two-state solution?
The point being that the only thing on offer for several weeks now, in response to the eloquent, and learned Mr Murray is childish insults. Maybe talking to people in their terms will have a far greater impact than trying to talk on a level above them..
It sounds like you need to find a better source of information rather than sticking with those who feel the need to debase themselves. Try Haaretz, they have more balance than most.
Thanks for the advice…
Ms Albright should indeed have blamed Saddam Hussein.
https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20171123123237/http://www.iraqinquiry.org.uk//media/231473/2003-02-14-fax-owen-to-rycroft-pms-speech-question.pdf
‘It is now known, however, that the ICMMS (child mortality) results for the centre/south of Iraq were a deception.’
‘The objective of Saddam Hussein’s government was to heighten international concern and so get the economic sanctions ended.’
Changing views on child mortality and economic sanctions in Iraq: a history of lies, damned lies and statistics, Dyson, Cetorelli 2017
Thanks although that was just an example of where the excuse for killing civilians can be applied.
Since when has it ever needed an excuse? War is war!
There can be no excuse for the killing of ‘non participants’ in a conflict.
Common Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions prohibits “violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment, and torture” when perpetrated against persons “taking no active part in the hostilities.”
As we have seen, in practice, this is extremely difficult in densely populated urban areas during operations against non uniformed irregulars.
It is, of course, less difficult during irregular operations against open air festivals attended by non combatants.
Tell that to Hamas.
to be fair to all military actions, innocent lives cannot always be protected.
It was very much an on-point and justified insult, speaking directly to those in the leftist bubble who arrogantly assume they know everything they need to know without having to go out into the real world.
Having watched the interview prior to the clip, I can see why it was edited down. He doesn’t do himself any favours. I didn’t know he’s an FSU director. Perhaps that also explains some of the selective reporting on here?
“ Perhaps that also explains some of the selective reporting on here?”
I think the reporting here is reflective of the views of the site owners/funders/managers. I don’t know what Will Jones and Noah Carl think about the Israel business (can’t remember what they written, sorry) but Toby Young’s views are pretty clear so I don’t think it requires influence from Murray. Luke Johnson is also a director of both FSU and DS and his views on this are pretty clear too. They are all of the political right which provided a lot of the opposition to lockdowns but is also traditionally more pro-Israel than the left.
I was thinking less of influence and more of shared mindset which you’ve answered to some extent.
No net-zero, climate news links? oh well, maybe try this one;
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/12/22/old-king-coal-at-cop28-uninvited-guest-or-star-of-the-show/
While TPTB in the western world are taxing oil/gas boilers and mandating the end of petrol/diesel (ICE) cars, over in the real World annual world wide use of coal is at record levels.
China is being feted as ahead in the eco net-zero stakes because it has so many Battery electric cars (BEV) and fast charging points. But China also has over 3000 coal fired power stations to supply the electric for all those BEVs. It does seem less about going green and more about destroying the ICE car industry in the west and setting China up as the dominant automotive super power.
It is difficult not to feel that we are being played for a bunch of fools.
Sadly there are way too many people who don’t question what is right in front of them.
That is exactly the play.
China makes itself rich and prosperous following the well trodden reliable route using cheapest, most available most reiable energy while supplying the west with all the rope it needs to hang itself with its NetZero fanaticism.
Triple pay off. They get rich, the west gets poorer and they get even richer helping the west get poorer.
So because a school quite rightly maintains it is apolitical it gets targeted by the fanatical Hamasshole Hate Mob and forced to close, whose noses have been put out of joint. Permanent victimhood for the win then;
”A primary school, which is the UK equivalent to an elementary school, in London has been forced to shut down over threats made by pro-Palestinian protesters. The threats came after parents had sent their children with Palestinian flags and political messages during a Children in Need day last month.
In response, the school sent home letters to eight families, where they wrote that “inappropriate comments made at school, including extremist or divisive comments,” would lead to the UK Government’s counter-terrorism program, according to the Evening Standard.
“In the light of escalating threats against staff and the school, based on malicious fabrications being broadcast by various media outlets, the Lion Academy Trust will be closing the school from 20th December 2023 to all parents and pupils for the Christmas break,” the Lion Academy Trust said about Barclay Primary School in a press release on December 20.
On Thursday, Barclay Primary School in Leyton was surrounded by protesters who claimed that the school’s request discriminated against Muslims, the Standard reported.”
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-779053
The school term ends on 21st December but the school closes on the 20th “in light of escalating threats”, those threats being reported on 5th December. Forced to close?
I agree wholeheartedly, but I gather the school was quick to fly Ukrainian flags when the war broke out last year. Perhaps lessons about keeping politics out of primary education altogether should be learned.
Yes I agree that politics should play no part in the education system, especially primary schools. So all of those school kids who went off to protest in school time recently was just bang out of order and smacks of indoctrination. Many examples of similar brainwashing in relation to other topics, of course. The gender ideology tripe being an obvious one.
But in the story above the parents could’ve just accepted the school’s stance and left it at that, but no, the victim card was once again played and this is how a non-issue snowballs into something more significant.
Islam is winning Mogs, and the west in letting, no, encouraging it!
Seems that way, Dinger. I’m at a waterpark, on our lunchbreak, and it’s the first time in forever I’ve not seen a woman in a bhurkini, though the day is yet young.🤫🤭
👙 🧕😂
Crikey Mogs. Isn’t it a bit cold for a waterpark?
I’m sure British teachers can’t fail to be aware of the rising Islamist attacks on teaching staff over in France, so no wonder they want to de-escalate a situation when tensions rise and they’re threatened by a certain community. Don’t think there’s been any UK teachers killed by Islamist psychos yet but give it time;
”The increase in Islamist attacks in France in recent months has particularly affected the teaching profession. State schools have long been a symbol of the French nation and the Republic, which explains this focus by terrorists.
Since the beheading of history teacher Samuel Paty in October 2020, who was murdered for commenting on cartoons depicting the Islamic Prophet Mohammed in a lesson on freedom of expression, terrorist acts targeting teachers have increased in France.
Schools have become the battleground of choice for Islamists, whose influence is growing among teenagers who ingest the rhetoric of jihad via a number of influential social media accounts. The aim is for these budding fighters to bring the battle to school. From there, everything becomes a pretext for stirring up controversy and demanding respect for Sharia law or Mohammed in the classroom.”
https://europeanconservative.com/articles/analysis/frances-battlefront-islamist-attacks-escalate-in-schools/
Do the 6 downvoters think this stuff isn’t happening?
The usual motley crew of terrorist supporting, Jew-hating, rape apologists love all this stuff. They welcome it because they hate the West. Never seem to be able to scrabble a pair of bollocks together and comment though, do they?🔍🧐 And when they do it’s just vitriol and abuse. They’re nothing if not predictable.😴
Well the thing is that you can take a completely opposite view to yours regarding the Israel business but still be concerned about the subject of your post above – the two things are sort of related but I see no reason why disapproval of Israel means you’d be OK with attacks on teaching staff in Europe. So maybe you’re being downticked for your other views and not specifically for this post – which is a bit disappointing.
It’s always personal though, have you not noticed? You’ve been commenting at least as long as me on this site. That’s why I have to laugh because if it’s a psy op it’s a pretty piss poor one.😆 Is it supposed to be having some sort of effect on us by now??😏 I will always post what I want when I want so the pettiness is water off a duck’s back for me after this long. I guess the idiots don’t realise that the more regularly they dislike posts the more desensitised we old-timers and regulars become.
Sucks to be them i guess. Imagine having that as a hobby??🤭🤡
I’ve been posting since July 2020 and was probably lurking before then.
For an internet forum dealing with contentious topics with what seems like light-touch moderation, the standard of debate is pretty good compared to other places I’ve seen, but the Israel business has certainly divided opinion and led some to lose sight of arguments at times and descend into slanging matches, which is a shame.
That’s part of the plan. Gaza has flipped the script and now it’s partisan rightists that are behaving like ignorant lovers of totalitarianism.
https://off-guardian.org/2023/12/22/the-year-of-the-mindfuck/
😀😀😀
“scrabble a pair of bollocks together”
🤣🤣🤣
Right here.
Seconded.
Batley teachers still in hiding. Huddersfield teachers sacked or paid off over Syrian boy being ‘bullied’. No murders yet.
There was a time I would have not believed possible some of the comments and headlines I’m reading recently… But, hey ho, times they are a changing !
The sad reality is, Dings, our kids and grandkids won’t experience life in a society remotely like we did growing up. I grew up in the 80s/90s, and I know it’s easy to look back with nostalgia, our rose-tinted glasses firmly in situ, and I know change is inevitable but not necessarily for the better. Change doesn’t always equate to progress, IYKWIM…Are kids really better off nowadays?🤔
Anyhoo, enough of me being philosophical, I’m off to hit the slides once more. You can’t have too many wedgies on any given day, in my humble opinion..😳🧀🩱
🤣 bless you! And have a very merry Christmas and wonderful New year 👍
Right back at you , Ding-a-ling-a-ling-a-ding-dong-ding! 🎅🌲🍾☃️
Thoughtful piece comparing the situation in Palestine with that of Chechnya by Alice LoCicero on Substack, cross-posted by Diane Perlman.
https://alicelocicero.substack.com/p/is-israel-following-stalins-playbook
What did Richard Kemp call the IOF the other day, the most ‘moral’ army? Riiiiight. This article might disabuse that idea (‘power targets’ anyone?), as does the second by Jonathan Cook regarding 7th October.
https://www.972mag.com/mass-assassination-factory-israel-calculated-bombing-gaza/
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israel-palestine-war-media-ignoring-evidence-actions-7-october
Not including Kemi Badenoch or Suela Braverman in the advertising is sensible. As Ministers it is expected that they will have brief tenure and will likely be replaced at the next reshuffle or change of government. They are each, as Robin Day once eloquently put it examples of a ‘here today… gone tomorrow politician‘. What is more concerning is that the advertising seems to assume that the civil servants have got their feet under the table for life.
“Not including Kemi Badenoch or Suela Braverman in the advertising is sensible. As Ministers it is expected that they will have brief tenure and will likely be replaced at the next reshuffle or change of government”
Maybe, but do you really think that’s the reason? Or is it because those two are not proper black/brown people because they are conservatives?
Direct answer: I would hope Ministers would not be the advertising ‘face’ for their departments or the advertising will need to be redone every time there’s a shuffle.
However, I’m also absolutely convinced that far too many in that part of the ‘blob’ think that, as you suggest, “those two are not proper black/brown people because they are conservatives”
To get back to the point – what the hell are they crowing about diversity for? Can they get the job that the government requires them to do, done? If not, they’re failures.
“what the hell are they crowing about diversity for?”
Bang on!
I’ve got no problem with euthanasia, on a case by case basis, Not one size fits all!
“Why are birth rates falling?” – Countries globally, including the U.K., are experiencing falling birth rates. But what’s the real reason people are having fewer children,”
Aside from mother nature, who’d want to bring kids into this western nutbox?
Let me have a stab at this hugely complex question… Trick women into believing motherhood is unimportant and another tool of patriarchal oppression. Anything else? Nope, that’s pretty much it. Next.
“Guardian staff fear for their pets in work from home crackdown”
Ahrrrr, didums do it! You’ve know suffering haven’t you?
If there was another war could the army fight from home?
What did Tiddles and Fido do before lockdown..? My cats, tend to sleep until I get home, then they appear from wherever they have been, and demand food. They are a bit shaky on the whole ‘what time is it?’ thing.
“Muslim migrants are destroying European culture, says Poland’s ex-PM”
Correct sir!
Welby knighted. Reward for failure. Just like Cameron.
Wow, there’s no limits to hypocrisy these days is there?
I understand its an ancient honour bestowed on the bishop officiating at the Monarch’s Coronation.
Having said that, he is still a dreadful stain on the so called Church of England.
“Why are birth rates falling?” – Countries globally, including the U.K., are experiencing falling birth rates. But what’s the real reason people are having fewer children, asks Fraser Nelson in the Spectator”
It’s almost like Gaia is trying to tell us something.
Stick to trying to interpret the messages from Santa and the Easter Bunny…
Signs of the move towards the globalist multipolar order emerge as US coordinated operation in the Red Sea collapses as nations only want NATO or EU coordination:
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/pentagons-operation-prosperity-guardian-falls-apart-spain-italy-france-reject-request
Spain’s Defence Ministry said it would only participate in NATO-led missions or European-coordinated operations – not ones commanded by the Pentagon:
Italy’s Defence Ministry voiced similar concerns, indicating it would send naval frigate Virginio Fasan to the Red Sea but only respond to requests by Italian shipowners.
“Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea has practically Collapsed as France, Spain, and Italy have all announced their Withdrawal from the US Command Structure for the Operation, with the Three Nations stating they will only conduct further Maritime Operations under the Command of NATO and/or the European Union and not the United States,” X account OSINTdefender wrote.