News Round-Up
- “U.K. riots: Judge hands down longest jail sentences yet” – Two men, including one seen looting Lush, have been jailed for over 10 years between them, reports the BBC.
- “Man, 32, is first adult charged with higher punishable crime of riot” – Northumbria Police said yesterday that Kieran Usher had been charged with riot in connection with disorder in Sunderland city centre on August 2nd, according to the Mail.
- “Don’t be fooled by selective ‘tough justice’” – The uncompromising sanctions being meted out to rioters and ‘inciters’ is political and performative, says Paul Embery on his Substack.
- “The persecution of ‘the plebs’” – Not so long ago, we went to politicians for politics and comedians for comedy. Today, like many others, I watch politicians for amusement and listen to comedians for their political insights, writes Douglas Murray in the Spectator.
- “Two-tier policing risks turning white British people into another ‘community group’” – Engaging with minorities through group ‘leaders’ has perverted policing, says Charles Moore in the Telegraph.
- “Why there is no two-tier policing in France” – The phrase “without fear or favour” has been much in the news of late. Whether that applies to the British police is a matter of conjecture. But it certainly applies to the French police, according to Jonathan Miller in the Spectator.
- “Why is the EU trying to censor Elon Musk?” – Tom Slater in the Spectator explains why the EU has it in for the owner of X.
- “Banning ‘Islamophobia’ would harm Muslims the most” – Silencing critics of Islamism will embolden the extremists who make Muslims’ lives hell, says Alaa Al-Ameri in Spiked.
- “Train drivers to strike every weekend for next three months despite bumper pay rise” – Aslef has announced another wave of strikes after securing a record pay deal from the credulous Labour Government, reports the Telegraph.
- “Labour ‘played by union paymasters’ as Britain faces travel chaos” – Travellers face a double nightmare as dual strikes were announced for the end of August hitting the last major weekend of the summer school holidays, says the Mail.
- “Pensioners are just the first victims of Labour’s great trade union surrender” – Attempts to appease strikers risks emboldening British unions and invites more chaos, writes Matthew Lynn in the Telegraph.
- “Has Sir Keir Starmer been bewitched by Sue Gray?” – Has Keir Starmer , apparently bewitched by his enforcer Sue Gray, read former Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Laws’s 2016 account of working with her in the Cabinet Office, asks Ephraim Hardcastle in the Mail? She was the real Prime Minister, according to Laws.
- “How Sue Gray is wielding power at the heart of Downing Street” – With great influence and a firm grip on Whitehall, Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff may well be Britain’s most powerful woman, writes Ben Riley-Smith in the Telegraph.
- “Angela Rayner to order councils to approve raft of wind farm projects” – Any council or other planning authority which blocks a proposal for a wind farm will risk expensive legal appeals that developers are likely to win, warns the Deputy Prime Minister, according to the Mail.
- “‘God knows what’s going to happen’: the flood-prone village braced for Labour’s ‘major city’ plans” – Tempsford is touted to house 350,000 new residents – but locals have grave concerns, reports the Telegraph.
- “Sadiq Khan humiliated as it’s revealed his pet policy is a disaster every time” – The Mayor of London is still pushing for the Government to give him powers of rent controls, even though they repeatedly make the housing crisis worse, says the Express.
- “Labour is in danger of failing the lockdown generation all over again” – High expectations and rigour are the best ways to help poorer students, not ‘progressive’ reforms to the curriculum, writes Fraser Nelson in the Telegraph.
- “Do we now have proof Ukraine blew up the Nord Stream pipelines?” – When three of the four Nord Stream gas pipelines connecting Russia to Germany were destroyed by unknown saboteurs in September 2022, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhailo Podolyak described the bombing as “a terrorist attack planned by Russia and an act of aggression towards the EU.” But were the Ukrainians behind it? asks Owen Matthews in the Spectator.
- “Germany issues arrest warrant for ‘Ukrainian diver who played part in Nord Stream explosions’” – According to Sky News, the German authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian diver suspected of involvement in the Nord Stream sabotage.
- “Why is David Lammy hiring Columbia’s disastrous president?” – Few will shed a tear at the news that Columbia University president Minouche Shafik is stepping down after the campus Gaza protests. But did David Lammy really have to give her a job? asks Jawad Iqbal in the Spectator.
- “Is the West finally seeing through Hamas’s lies?” – On Saturday, when Israel attacked the al-Taba’een Hamas command centre in Gaza City, jihadi propagandists swung into action straight away. But Hamas’s lies aren’t as widely believed as they were in the West, says Jake Wallis Simons in the Spectator.
- “Revealed: Hamas plot to dig up war graves of British veterans” – Plan to exhume remains of soldiers and hold them ‘prisoner’ are detailed in seven-page document shared with the Telegraph by Israeli officials.
- “Israel ‘expects’ UK to join potential attack on Iran” – Israel’s Foreign Minister asks his British and French counterparts to do support Israel if it finds itself at war with Iran, says the Telegraph.
- “‘Friends no longer speak to me’: How it feels to be a British Jew after October 7th” – A new wave of anti-Semitism in the U.K. has seeped into everyday life, ruining friendships and adding to the sense of unease felt by many British Jews, reports the Telegraph.
- “Ukraine’s shock offensive has Russia in ‘disarray’, says the MOD” – An MoD analysis of the offensive inside Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod regions says Moscow’s defences were not prepared, says the Mail.
- “Doctors to take legal action against GMC over ‘inaction’ on Covid vaccine misinformation” – A group of doctors, including some GPs, have begun legal proceedings against the GMC based on what they say is a failure to act on COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, according to Pulse. No, they’re not talking about doctors over-selling the Covid vaccines.
- “Did the Covid shot kill former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki?” – On his Substack, Steve Kirsch speculates about whether the Covid vaccine and subsequent booster shots was the cause of Susan Wojcicki’s death.
- “First case of ultra-deadly mpox strain has hit Europe” – The most deadly and contagious strain of the virus has so far been spotted in the African continent, says the Mail. And now Sweden, too.
- “What should Starmer do about monkeypox?” – The government has a bit of a conundrum. Given how Keir Starmer and his Labour colleagues damned the previous Conservative administration for failing to lock down the country early enough for Covid, what are they now going to do about the new strain of monkeypox (or ‘mpox’, as we are now supposed to call it)? asks Ross Clark in the Spectator.
- “CPS admits it made mistakes with Lucy Letby evidence” – Last year ‘killer nurse’ Lucy Letby was found guilty of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital. But the CPS has admitted that some of the prosecution’s evidence was wrong, says the Mail.
- “Extinction Rebellion to storm Windsor Castle and camp in grounds for three days” – The eco-terrorists have a plan to storm Windsor Castle, reports the Independent.
- “Pay-per-mile road tax could cost the average motorist £444 a year” – There’s growing speculation that the Treasury will bring in a pay-per-mile scheme to fill the road taxation black hole as a result of the the switch to EVs, according to the Mail.
- “Flagship green fuel factory scrapped in net zero blow” – State-owned Norwegian energy giant Ørsted says there is a lack of demand for e-fuel so it’s closing its factory, says the Telegraph.
- “What shall we do with the drunken sailor?” – This week, the National Grid announced plans for an offshore grid in the Celtic Sea. This is apparently to connect a planned 4.5 gigawatts of floating offshore windfarms, says Net Zero Watch.
- “Taiwan attempts to silence U.K. women’s right campaigners in Olympics gender row” – The Taiwan Government has asked Fair Play For Women to remove tweets criticising the genetically male Taiwanese boxer who won a gold medal at the Olympics, reports the Telegraph.
- “J.K. Rowling was telling truth about Imane Khelif – what was her crime?” – It’s a funny old world when millions of people tune into the Olympics to watch a man pummel a woman’s face to win gold medal glory, says Julia Hartley-Brewer in the Sun. And it’s an even stranger place when the woman who calls this out is investigated by the Paris Prosecutor‘s Office.
- “‘I was seen as a monster for my gender-critical views’” – After a three-year legal battle that caught the attention of Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling, James Esses has received an apology and reached a settlement with the school that expelled him, reports the Times.
- “Winking at a female employee can be sexual harassment, tribunal rules” – Waitress Jenna Almussawi has won £41,000 in compensation in the Employment Tribunal after her treatment at the hands of ‘creepy’ Glasgow restaurant boss, says the Mail.
- “Civil service ‘diversity and inclusion’ officers paid more than top trade officials” – Civil Service diversity and inclusion officers are paid as much as £10,000 more than top trade officials, according to the Telegraph.
- “How as few as 17% of civil servants turn up to the office each day” – Data unearthed via the Freedom of Information Act shows how few days civil servants spend in the office, reports the Mail.
- “Harry and Meghan’s VP host demanding billions from West for slavery” – Ms Márquez, 42, Columbia’s first black Vice-President and its First Minister for Equality, has demanded the West pay reparations for slavery, says the Mail.
- “Sir Simon Clarke endorses ‘extraordinary’ Kemi Badenoch for Tory leader” – A senior ally of Boris Johnson’s says the former Business Secretary won’t “shy away from levelling with British people about the challenges we face”, according to the Telegraph.
- “Digital Editor” – Uncommon Sense, a non-woke marketing company, is looking to hire a Digital Editor. Click on the link to apply.
- “Douglas Murray spells it out (as only he can)” – Rowan Dean shares a clip from Douglas Murray’s interview with Jordan Peterson in which he puts the summer riots in context.
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Ukraine’s shock offensive has Russia in ‘disarray’, says the MOD
The Russians still don’t comprehend what is happening to them.
So, in response to popular demand: Military Strategy for Dummies: The Land Component Lesson 0 Strategy covers, in broad terms, what we should do, how we should do it, and what we should do it with. Military strategy encompasses, in broad terms, the tasks for the military, the operational doctrine they should pursue and the force posture they should develop and maintain. Modern strategy deals with the use of military forces in peace as well as in war. Example of Recommended Strategy for Russian Land Component: ‘If that is your desired endpoint, then I wouldn’t start from here’ ‘……agitation for the reduction of US forces in Europe………could rise again if within the US it is thought or perceived, however fairly or unfairly, that Atlantic partners are not bearing an equitable burden……….. Erosion of the effectiveness of the Atlantic army will inevitably result in an erosion of political will, strategic flexibility, and freedom of action.’ ‘As a bare minimum, it is the role of the Atlantic army to replace the strategic nuclear deterrent as the instrument with which the attack option is foreclosed to (Russia). But that is a bare minimum. In a modern strategy the Atlantic army must provide for… Read more »
The age old strategy of attack and defence. But the political objectives of the Hundred Years’ War are forgotten.
Was Henry V poisoned by his wife, I wonder?
Did she consider Novichok or Polonium?
Yawn… What’s your point exactly…
It might be expected that the Russians comprehend that their army isn’t going to be in Paris by Christmas.
At least it has been acknowledged that this Kursk ‘incursion’ is for the purposes of Ukrainian negotiations with Russia. If this invasion isn’t an invasion, how can the Ukrainians still argue that their country has been invaded (when it obviously was) and not just suffered an ‘incursion’? What a tangled web etc etc.
It’s inconceivable that the Russians don’t comprehend the significance of a battle at Kursk. And one that features tanks. The historical battle is of such significance to the Russians that they named a nuclear submarine after it. Like Britain naming a battleship after the Battle of Ramillies.
Can it be comprehended that some UK-supplied weapons are authorised to be used inside Russian territory but others cannot?
I agree. There is a great deal that is incomprehensible, not least the complacency of this country and its (for the most part, hopelessly unreliable) allies in the face of rampant long term imperialist expansionism.
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/ukraines-kursk-offensive-marks-putins-third-major-humiliation-of-the-war/
The Kremlin has earmarked 3bn roubles (£26m) on a fortification line in the Kursk region, and a new territorial defence force was supposed to ward off the incursion.
Antipova recalled seeing a high number of border guards during her last visit to Sudzha in May but spoke bitterly of the community having to crowdfund for troops stationed there.
“Locals were bringing them supplies. I’m really annoyed that the government and the army keep saying the troops have all they need – while we had to chip in for drones and underwear.”
Regardless of how this plays out militarily, the political damage is done, and it is rooted in the nature of Russian politics.
Under Putin, the Russian state has become, in essence, an organized crime syndicate. Its internal logic, processes, incentive structure, and behavior resemble those of a mafia family.
And the most destabilizing moment for a crime syndicate is when the mafia boss looks weak.
The only imperialist expansionism is the number of your articles.
The Russians didn’t build massive defences in this rural, forested area because they thought Zelensky wouldn’t be daft enough to attack. There are increasing numbers of views that the move by Ukraine will significantly shorten the war by the voluntary reduction in their fighting ability, and as such, is actually welcomed by the Russian military. The bulk of the Ukrainians have based themselves just over the border and are conducting forays with combat tactical groups to various small villages for tourist photo-opportunities and then returning to base (well that’s the theory). In the meantime, the Russians are happy taking “pot-shots” at the sitting ducks and their supply lines from a safe distance, with one or two close range skirmishes. During ten days of the invasion of Kursk region, the Ukrainian losses are estimated to be more than 2,500 killed and more than 4,000 wounded and losses of military armour equally significant (I think the tank count is over 70 now, including at least one Challenger 2). There is also plenty of photo-evidence of mass surrenders. Meanwhile Toretsk and Pokrovsk have had their defence forces depleted and are starved of munitions and supplies in order to feed the Kusrsk extravaganza. As… Read more »
What is this talk about Paris? Is this supposed to be serious?
In my opinion, the supply of weapons to be used against Russia is an act of war. We should be damn happy that Russia, or at least Putin, is so intelligent and restrained, because the British government is not.
We no longer have an empire and it is time we stopped believing we can police the world according to our views – and it is time the USA did the same.
‘As soon as the Russians had taken over the town, a local factory was turned into a detention and interrogation facility. At its peak of operations, up to 300 Ukrainians were held there. One Ukrainian who was interrogated there described the way he and other detainees were treated. “They attach clothespins to your ears,’’ he said. “Your hands are tied behind the chair.” He was able to escape; others were not so lucky. Many described beatings, and women were threatened with rape. One local resident, Kostia Tytarenko, who was 21 at the time, was abducted by the Russian military on a highway near Vovchansk in the summer of 2022 and taken to Russia. In early 2024, when many Western commentators began to talk more insistently about the possibility of a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine. There was even talk that Putin might be ready to make a deal. Independent journalists and analysts with contacts inside Russia made it clear that Putin was only trying to capitalize on a sense of Western war fatigue, encouraging voices in the West who were questioning continued support for Kyiv at a time when Ukraine was already short on military resources. Russia had no interest… Read more »
It is very kind of you to promote the Ukraine conflict with such conviction but the Ukrainians are the last people you are helping with your belligerent nonsense.
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This is just cringe, but there’s several of these videos of the police floating around. Should surprise precisely nobody though. They evidently love a bit of ”as-salaam alaykum”. And is it only me clocking the irony of the Pakistani community celebrating their Independence Day while living in the UK? The horror stories I read coming out of that godforsaken hellscape;
”The police shouldn’t be dancing or clowning around while on duty.
It doesn’t matter what the event is – they should be professional, approachable, and focused on public safety at all times.
All it does is undermine their authority and erodes respect. They’re a laughing stock.”
https://x.com/addicted2newz/status/1824571604371648935
Can anyone explain to me why it is the government that awards pay deals to ASLEF in a privatised industry?
Because in the real world, it’s all managed by the Treasury. Only some of the train operating companies are nominally private, but if, or when, they go bust their operations are taken over by the DfT, which is an operator of last resort (OLR).
Truly excellent point! I struggle to think how you could meaningfully and successfully privatise the track infrastructure – we tried it and that failed. Perhaps someone who thinks we can could explain how. The train operators are close to being regional monopolies with a few exceptions and because of the nature of railways I can’t see how you get round that. In theory there’s some incentive for them to run more efficiently to make more profit, but it doesn’t seem to work that well. Their prices are regulated and so are their costs (use of the infrastructure). I think we may as well cut out the middleman and nationalise them. Other suggestions/comments welcome! (I generally prefer free markets).
Since covid when the government pumped in millions (billions?) to keep the railways going when passenger numbers fell and revenue for the private companies dropped off a cliff, the government changed the contracts. Now because the private companies receive so much extra government cash, the contracts say that any significant spending must be approved by the DFT. So that is why the pay award is from the government. The private companies were not allowed to negotiate direct.
In the scenario you have described the private business would have to go to HMT with a request which would be considered and a decision made. In this case HMG seems to have dealt direct with the Union and instructed the business to spend the money.
I wonder if that corresponds with the law.
If I understand you correctly it’s an interesting point – is the pay rise (and subsequently higher NI and pension contributions) completely ringfenced from the private companies? Is there an impact on shareholders with these costs that have been imposed on them? I don’t know. I suppose it’s a bit like the government imposing increases to the minimum wage that private companies don’t get a say in.
I don’t think these are proper private businesses and the firms getting into this game know that very well.
How odd that a looter receives a substantial (and just) prison sentence while persistent shoplifters who might get away with merchandise of far greater value are seemingly of so low a priority for the authorities that in Middlesborough the police hand out crime numbers to shop owners for insurance purposes but otherwise do nothing else.
Yep, as western birth rates plummet, the UK needs to build a new city to find homes for 350,000 people. And our overlords do this whilst simultaneously telling us that anyone that opposes mass uncontrolled immigration is a reincarnation of Hitler. Go figure.
Now the fox is in the henhouse it cannot be stopped, and this is just the very beginning. It’s natural conclusion sees the English replaced by migrants – that’s not racist, that’s simple logic based on birth rates.
That would be a good sized city, but would accommodate less than 60% of net (legal) migration from the year 2022. So where are the other cities going to be?
Quite. This is just one of many planned. A mixture of scattering and grouping seems to be the plan.
Also, where on earth are these people now? They can’t all be hot bedding in sheds at the end of the garden, surely?
The list of things here – more bizarre & devoid of rational thought is getting a tad depressing. Don’t know how the DS team remain so upbeat.
Thanks all – my must-read morning schedule here just about covers an entire picture of the world gone mad..
On a more upbeat note, what’s your signature dish, if I may ask?
eggs – any way ……
She said “How you gonna like ’em, over medium or scrambled?”
You say “Anyway’s the only way”, be careful not to gamble
On a guy with a suitcase and a ticket getting out of here
It’s a tired bus station and an old pair of shoes
This ain’t nothing but an invitation to the blues
Spectacular response, tof … had to check the reference with Mr Google. Tom Waits – Invitation to the Blues
One of his best songs IMO – and that’s a high bar
Used to great effect at the opening of that splendid Nic Roeg film “Bad Timing”
I love an egg – anyway, I think you’re just being humble…
too kind – the egg is a wonderful thing – the variety of functions an egg can have in any dish are remarkable due to the makeup of ‘an egg’ – say proteins and fats.
I’m a good plain cook but can make a towering pavlova or a perfect souffle or hollandaise or custard or or or….
The perfect egg to poach – for example – comes freshly laid from a chicken that has been exposed to a diet of variety – it genuinely is pretty special.
My last meal? – 3 and a half minute boiled eggs and soldiers….white pepper and a touch of salt. I’m a simple soul.
“Data unearthed via the Freedom of Information Act shows how few days civil servants spend in the office, reports the Mail.”
Oh will you give over! FOI request – what % of DS articles and editorial activity, technical support work is done in an “office” vs. at home or wherever the team and contributors happen to be?
DS team is modest in size, consists of motivated people with skills the boss wants.
civil servants are multitudinous, couldn’t care less and most are semi skilled.
now do you understand.
Sounds like the issue is not WHERE they work but WHO they employ and what their incentives are.
“The eco-terrorists have a plan to storm Windsor Castle, reports the Independent.”
Much as I find them loathsome, Extinction Rebellion are not “terrorists”. They cause disruption and should be sanctioned as appropriate when protest is deliberately done to cause disruption, but they do not cause “terror”.
They cause terror. They are terrorists who seek to achieve their incoherent goals through disruption not the ballot box.
What have they done that has induced “terror” in anyone? Disruption and terror are not the same thing.
Any damage and disruption must be coverted into money and they should be made to pay every single penny of that back to society, these are generally rich brats with nothing else to do! Hit them were it hurts, in the wallet!
That could be an approach – but we’d need to go after whoever is funding them too
That may filter upwards eventually and even their paymasters might think twice
Sadly not going to happen
Not after those concerned bung £1m towards the gang now in government…
Indeed… take a step forward, Mr Vince…
“U.K. riots: Judge hands down longest jail sentences yet”
All we need now is a Gulag on the Falklands and government dissent will be obliterated!
“Attempts to appease strikers risks emboldening British unions and invites more chaos”
Welcome back to 1979!
Do we ever learn?
“First case of ultra-deadly mpox strain has hit Europe”
An African based disease entering Europe, who could have possibly brought that here?
“Ultra deadly”
Which propoganda organ is spouting that bollox?
It is NOT deadly.
Moneypox is a false flag intended to soften us up for the new deadly, deadly, deadly coronavirus due some time before Christmas.
I bet they’ve already planned a time and date!
Just received a couple of updates to the OED:
Keirpitulate : (Verb) When you pretend to negotiate but really just give your sponsors money.
Keirmunism : (Noun) A political philosophy in which you imprison people you don’t like.
https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/regulation/doctors-to-take-legal-action-against-gmc-over-inaction-on-covid-vaccine-misinformation/
Doctors?
A group of “doctors?”
If the bloody GMC was worth anything it would strip this lot of their fitness to practice. No wonder they want to remain anonymous. Who the hell would trust one of these idiots for medical advice.
And to cap it all the ignorant lard arses are attempting to get others to pay for their legal action. Doctors, one hundred of them, who probably average at least £100k per annum cannot chip in as little as a thousand a piece. So not only are they medically illiterate they are hopeless with money? Or perhaps simply not willing to spend some of their own fraudulently acquired lucre.
Par for the course in this failed state.
https://staging.dailysceptic.org/2024/08/17/almost-14000-people-are-seeking-compensation-saying-covid-vaccines-left-them-disabled/
This doesn’t look good for the above doctors does it?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/extinction-rebellion-windsor-castle-plan-camp-leaked-zoom-call-b2596724.html
Just get on with it please and stop arsing about.
Some say:
1) Viruses do not exist
2) This monkeypox is actually cholera, which presents pox-like skin blisters that can rapidly cause sepsis and death, especially to immune-compromised people such as those practicing sodomy, who comprise the majority of African victims of this latest “monkeypox”. This sodomy is forced upon most African men in their “coming of age” rituals at puberty, kept secret from the women.
3) Do you remember that 1971 movie “The Music Lovers”, about the life of Russian composer Tchaikovsky, played by the late great Richard Chamberlain? At the end, he commits suicide by drinking water contaminated with cholera bacteria “Vibrio cholerae”, which gives him terrible skin blisters or “bullae”, developing into “necrotising fascitiis” all over his body, including his face. The only known treatment at the time was immersing the patient in scalding water to cleanse the open sores, which of course resulted in an agonising death. The point is that end-stage cholera presents the same bacterially-infected skin lesions as “monkeypox”.
“Man, 32, is first adult charged with higher punishable crime of riot”
Can someone please explain the difference between these two crimes?
“VIOLENT DISORDER, which means a person INTENDS to use or threaten violence, or is aware their conduct MAY be violent or threaten violence.”
“A person is guilty of RIOT if INTENDING to use violence, or being aware their conduct MAY be violent.”
So in both cases, you can be charged, convicted and thrown into prison for up to a decade, even WITHOUT ACTUALLY BEING VIOLENT???
Just “INTENDING” to be, according to the judge???
Unless you’re part of a Muslim Gang brandishing machetes and disembowelling daggers, while marching in English streets???
“Harry and Meghan’s VP host demanding billions from West for slavery”
Well, surely Harry & Meghan will be the first to hand over some of their £millions to their female Ethnic African Vice-President host in Columbia. Just to show willing, you know.