News Round-Up

• “Secretive Government agency brought in to monitor social media amid riots” – A secretive Government agency used to “spy on” anti-lockdown campaigners during the Covid pandemic has been deployed to monitor social media amid the riots, reports the Telegraph.
• “The Government’s sinister disinformation unit is threatening free speech again” – A secretive government agency responsible for the secretive, politicised and sometimes unlawful speech-policing is back to deal with the riots, writes Silkie Carlo in the Telegraph.
• “Social media bosses warned as Ofcom demands action to tackle surge of hate” – Britain’s media watchdog has blasted social media platforms for not doing enough to protect users from harmful videos, reports the Sun.
• “The British elites’ crazy rage against Elon Musk” – The great and the good of the U.K. are blaming Musk for the riots. This is total madness, says Brendan O’Neill in Spiked.
• “Protesters shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ should be arrested, says Robert Jenrick” – Robert Jenrick has sparked a row by calling for the immediate arrest of protesters shouting “Allahu Akbar”, reports the BBC.
• “Met chief hits back at ‘nonsense’ two-tier policing claims” – Sir Mark Rowley has hit back at claims of “two-tier” policing of the riots sweeping the U.K., describing them as “absolute nonsense”, according to Sky News.
• “‘Two-Tier Keir’” – If the Prime Minister condemns the “Muslim Defence League” and addresses the safety concerns of working-class Britons, then fair enough. Until then, it will be #TwoTierKeir, says Ayaan Hirsi Ali on her Restoration Substack.
• “Oh dear, Two-Tier Keir” – On Jack’s Substack, Jack Watson gives his verdict on Keir Starter’s performance in office so far.
• “Two tier policing: myth or fact?” – In the Police Oracle, Chris Hobbs, who has been following protests by a range of activist groups since the pandemic, debunks some of the criticisms being aimed at public order policing.
• “Thug, 58, who punched a police officer in riot jailed for three years” – More than 140 people have now been charged with public order offences after riots broke out across the country, reports the Mail.
• “No one wants to lead these riots” – Looting and torching and lynching are bad ways to make nationalism popular, writes Max Jeffrey in the Spectator.
• “Why did rioters believe the lies?” – The willingness to believe lies is a symptom of decaying trust, remarks Stephen Webb in the Spectator.
• “What Brits really think about the immigration riots and protests” – New polling reveals what ordinary British people think about the riots and some of the results are truly astonishing, writes Matt Goodwin on his Substack.
• “Thousands of counter-protesters flock onto British streets” – Thousands of anti-racist far-Left protesters have outnumbered far-Right antagonists on the streets of Britain , reports the Mail.
• “Britain’s moral vacuum is leaving us dangerously vulnerable to more riots” – Our leaders’ inability to condemn all forms of violence adds fuel to the fire and erodes public trust, warns Madeline Grant in the Telegraph.
• “‘This video I took in Leeds sums up why white communities are bubbling with rage’” – Elites who cannot comprehend these violent uprisings should spend time in parts of this country that are impoverished and disenfranchised, says Isabel Oakeshott in the Telegraph.
• “Labour risks further unrest with asylum seeker decision” – In UnHerd, Henry Hill reacts to Labour’s extraordinary decision to provide housing to 100,000 asylum seekers.
• “King Charles urged to break royal silence on U.K. riots and racism” – Although Charles, William and Kate expressed their condolences after the Southport attack, the Palace has yet to comment on the unrest gripping the country, reports the Times.
• “Weren’t the grownups meant to be back in charge?” – Shallow managerialism has failed us already, writes Benedict Spence in the Critic.
• “U.K. citizens warned that they could be arrested for retweets” – The U.K. voted for change and, oh boy, things are changing, says the Naked Emperor on Substack. But not in a good way.
• “Europe is worried that Britain’s riots might spread” – The worry for Europe is that this new ‘English disease’ will spread across the continent, writes Gavin Mortimer in the Spectator.
• “Taylor Swift cancels Austria concerts after terror arrest” – Taylor Swift has cancelled three upcoming concerts in Austria after two suspects were arrested for plotting a terror attack on the shows, reports the Mail.
• “Comment on Cochrane review” – Editorial mismanagement has undermined the credibility of Cochrane, writes Dr. Tom Jefferson on the TTE Substack.
• “The ‘new’ Mpox scare” – Mpox is more fearporn by the WHO. Don’t fall for it, says Dr. Robert W. Malone on his Substack.
• “GPs handed pay rises nearly double the recommended amount” – GPs have received pay increases almost double the level recommended by an official salary review board, reports the Telegraph.
• “Civil servants cash in on £26,000-a-year pensions – while private workers receive £7,000” – Public sector workers are on course to receive gold-plated pensions worth nearly four times those of their private sector counterparts, reveals the Telegraph.
• “Good Morning Britain episode leads to 8,200 complaints to Ofcom” – More than 8,200 complaints about Monday’s edition of ITV’s Good Morning Britain, in which Ed Balls interviewed his wife who happens to be the Home Secretary, have been submitted to Ofcom, reports the BBC.
• “GB News to consider suing advertisers over boycott” – GB News says it is “closely monitoring” Elon Musk’s lawsuit against advertisers in a sign it is preparing to sue brands that suspend advertising, reports the Telegraph.
• “Labour’s invisible culture war” – Toby Young, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, returns to The Brendan O’Neill Show to discuss the state of free speech in the U.K. and why a woke, technocratic party like Labour poses such a serious threat to our liberties.
• “The myth of German efficiency lies in ruins” – Switzerland has embarrassed Germany’s ailing railway operator Deutsche Bahn by stopping its chronically delayed trains at the border to prevent them from disrupting Switzerland’s clockwork railway timetables, reports the Times.
• “Britain’s Net Zero crusade is leaving us vulnerable to blackouts” – On a cold, still winter evening when we need a lot of power, wind and solar contribute the square root of sod all, says Matt Ridley in the Telegraph.
• “National Grid chiefs play down fears of imminent blackouts in London” – National Grid bosses have denied claims that South East England and London could face blackouts by 2028 unless the region pays more for its power than other areas, reports the Mail. 
• “Can the grid take Ed Miliband’s Net Zero targets?” – We are not having an open and honest debate about Miliband’s decarbonisation plan, nor about Net Zero targets in general, says Ross Clark in the Spectator.
• “Former top Just Stop Oil donor turns on green campaigners” – Former JSO donor Dale Vince has condemned the group’s extremism and rejected its goal to end fossil extraction by 2030, reports the Telegraph.
• “The new EU initiative to solve plastic waste is stupid, will do nothing, may be counter-productive and loads of people think it’s totally cool anyway” – On Substack, Eugyppius lets loose on tethered bottle caps.
• “Indonesia’s Net Zero nickel boom fuels destruction of rainforests and coral reefs” – Rainforest and coastal communities are being destroyed in the race to transition away from fossil fuels, writes Garry Lotulong in the Telegraph.
• “Turkish fighter in ‘X’ symbol protest after losing to Lin Yu-Ting” – Lin Yu-ting faced more “XX” gender protests in the ring after winning his semi-final bout to ensure both boxers who failed sex tests now fight for Olympic golds, reports the Sun.
• “Teens to get ‘banned’ puberty blockers early next year in trial” – The NHS has announced a radical plan to tackle the increasing numbers of children suffering gender identity crises – including six new specialist clinics and offering puberty blockers to teens as part of a ‘trial’, says the Mail.
• “Doctors criticise BMA for resisting ban on puberty blockers” – The British Medical Association is being criticised by doctors and NHS leaders for its “unethical” objections to the Cass Report, reports the Times. 
• “How did Planned Parenthood become one of America’s largest suppliers of testosterone?” – In the Free Press, Jennifer Block profiles Cristina Hineman, the teenager suing Planned Parenthood for prescribing testosterone after a 30-minute consultation.
• “‘There is not going to be a bloody civil war in my country’” – In a funny fake video on X, Elon Musk and Keir Starmer sit down to discuss their beef.

If you have any tips for inclusion in the round-up, email us here.