News Round-Up

• “Starmer’s Erasmus deal could see Britain paying for EU propaganda” – The Telegraph‘s Dia Chakravarty has uncovered a report finding that the Erasmus programme includes “a taxpayer-funded, global propaganda network designed to embed pro-EU narratives, quash dissent and shape public opinion far beyond the classroom”.
• “Why should British taxpayers fund students’ European Erasmus jollies?” – The Erasmus programme’s four priorities include “environment and fight against climate change”, “inclusion and diversity” and “participation in democratic life”, defined as including “understanding of shared EU values”, says Iain Mansfield in the Spectator.
• “As Brexit negotiator, I vetoed the Erasmus deal. It’s a total turkey” – Asking British taxpayers to pay the way for EU students to come here is always going to be a hard sell, says David Frost in the Telegraph.
• “Starmer hands Gibraltar border controls to EU in ‘Brexit betrayal’” – Spanish border guards will have the final say on whether a British citizen can enter the Overseas Territory, according to the Telegraph, after Starmer’s latest dazzling diplomatic success.
• “Australia announces tougher hate speech laws after Bondi terror attack” – Australia will significantly strengthen hate speech laws after the terror attack at Bondi Beach, including stronger penalties for promoting violence and a new hate speech offence targeting religious preachers, reports the Telegraph.
• “The police crackdown on ‘globalise the intifada’ chants is too little, too late” – The chant was never opaque. The intifadas were not metaphors or moods. Why did it take the Met Police so long to take action, asks Jonathan Sacerdoti in the Spectator.
• “Albanese has failed to step up after the Bondi beach attack” – A nation’s grief is swiftly turning to anger and Australia’s Prime Minister is floundering – perhaps contemplating that there are 10 times more Muslims than Jews living in the country, says Terry Barnes in the Spectator.
• “What the word ‘intifada’ really means” – We need to be clear that ‘Globalise the intifada’ is a call for anti-Jewish violence, says Brendan O’Neill in the Spectator.
• “Man charged after allegedly chanting ‘I love October 7th’” – Pro-Palestinian activist Mohammed Hassn has been charged with voicing support for the Hamas attacks on Israel, reports the Telegraph.
• “New hate speech bill reflects Canada’s widening sectarian divisions” – Canada is set to legislate to remove current hate speech exemptions for statements made in good faith or quoting religious texts, says Michael Cuenco in UnHerd.
• “We may never see taxes fall in our lifetimes” – Without bold reform, we could be doomed to a tax burden that creeps ever upwards, while governments do nothing but tinker around the edges, warns Tom Clougherty in the Times.
• “Local elections set to be postponed for millions more” – Nigel Farage has hit out at “Starmer’s banana republic” over the new local election delay move, while also accusing the Tories of “colluding” with Labour to “keep power”, says the Telegraph.
• “Labour gagged me on IHT, says farming report author” – The author of Labour’s review into farm profitability was blocked by the Government from investigating the impact of inheritance tax, despite it being the number one concern among rural businesses, reports the Telegraph.
• “Bats are paying the ultimate price for our wind turbine obsession” – The scale of the slaughter of bats by onshore wind farms is monumental, writes Professor John Keiger in the Spectator: 200,000 annually in Germany, 500,000 in the USA and 30,000 in the UK, according to a French study.
• “Zack Polanski’s degrowth dystopia” – The Green insurgency will cannibalise Britain, warns Mary Harrington in UnHerd.
• “Trump Admin Moves To Dismantle NCAR, Major Source Of Climate Alarmism” – President Trump has moved to shut down the National Centre for Atmospheric Research, cutting a key hub of federally funded climate propaganda and ending years of Left-wing alarmism, reports Climate Change Dispatch.
• “2025 Arctic Report Card: Summer Sea Ice Conditions Boosting Polar Marine Life” – Reduced summer sea ice in the Arctic means seals, whales, walrus and polar bears will continue to flourish, according to NOAA’s annual Arctic Report Card, notes Susan Crockford on Polar Bear Science. Meanwhile, September sea ice extent disappointed alarmists by continuing to stall rather than plummet.
• “Trump Admin Looking to Restore Coal Plants as America’s Grid Buckles” – The Department of Energy is seeking to restore coal plants across America “for up to $100 million in federal funding”, reports WUWT.
• “The Electric Vehicle Collapse: Wow, That Was Quick!” – The Manhattan Contrarian‘s Francis Menton says it was less than three years ago he was writing about the then-universal government and industry line that electric vehicles would soon be taking over the American car market. It’s a line that didn’t age well.
• “‘Avatar’ Director James Cameron Slams Trump For Rejecting Climate Panic” – In a new interview, James Cameron has slammed Donald Trump for rejecting climate panic, accusing him of sending humanity “backwards”, reports Climate Change Dispatch.
• “Albino badgers could scupper £25 million stately home refurbishment” – An entrepreneur’s proposal to build 82 homes on the estate of Parnham House is being opposed by conservationists concerned about the impact on badgers, the Telegraph reports.
• “Covid boosters increase risk of virus that harms brain health, new study finds” – Scientists have found that the risk of the shingles (chickenpox) virus may increase in the weeks following a Covid booster, reports the Mail.
• “The yearly flu crisis is entirely avoidable” – Each winter our NHS is struck by a wave of ‘unprecedented’ seasonal illness. In reality, there is nothing special about this winter’s bug, says Druin Burch in the Spectator.
• “Phillipson blocks trans rules protecting safe spaces for women” – Bridget Phillipson is blocking the publication of trans guidance that would force business and public bodies to protect women-only spaces, calling the guidance “trans exclusive” in a statement to the High Court and arguing there must be “common sense” exceptions, reports the Telegraph.
• “Student union ‘no choice’ but to approve Cambridge Society of Women” – The union said it supported “trans inclusivity” but was obliged under the Equality Act to register the new society, which is only for those who are (biologically) female, according to the Times.
• “Tools worth £80k seized after Jenrick confronted ‘thieves’ at car boot sale” – About £80,000 worth of suspected stolen tools were seized at a west London car boot sale after Robert Jenrick confronted men selling wares there, says the Telegraph.
• “Farage avoids police investigation into election spending claims” – Essex police force has said it will not investigate the Reform leader because the statute of limitation on any alleged offence has passed, reports the Telegraph.
• “The workplaces scrubbing Christmas – and Christianity – from existence” – As Gen Z wokery and office activism rises, so does the fear of causing offence with baubles and tinsel, according to the Telegraph.
• “President Trump just ordered the federal government to relax rules on cannabis” – On Substack, Alex Berenson is unimpressed with Trump’s new order requiring the Drug Enforcement Administration to downgrade cannabis from Schedule 1, the most dangerous category of controlled substances, to Schedule 3.
• “Bill Gates pictured with women in new Epstein files” – Jeffrey Epstein kept photos of Bill Gates posing alongside women, newly published images show, the Telegraph reports.
• “Criminal can stay in Britain to repair relationship with daughter” – A convicted Lithuanian criminal was allowed to stay in the UK so that he could develop a relationship with his estranged daughter, says the Telegraph. The Home Office is now appealing.
• “Business should be grateful for the House of Lords” – Few would argue for our current constitutional arrangement if it didn’t already exist, but right now the House of Lords is doing an important job challenging the Government from the Right, says Emma Revell in City AM.
• “The anti-woke podcast pioneer: ‘Tommy Robinson is tempestuous, but a great communicator’” – Triggernometry‘s Konstantin Kisin on the progressive ‘lunacy’ that made him popular, his adoration of Nigel Farage and why being ‘English’ isn’t enough as he’s interviewed in the Telegraph.
• “Badenoch: Sexism classes are a distraction – British boys aren’t the problem” – The Conservative leader has said Labour needs to stop migrants from “cultures that don’t respect women” instead of focusing on the false lessons of Netflix’s Adolescence, according to the Telegraph.
• “Labour’s plan to lecture schoolboys will not protect women and girls” – Badenoch with a Telegraph op-ed on the same theme.
• “Demonising teenage boys won’t produce a generation of good men” – We need to stop treating masculinity as a problem to be solved and start seeing it as a strength to be nurtured, counsels Camilla Tominey in the Telegraph.
• “Keir Starmer has proved to be completely useless — but he’s been a great recruiter for the Free Speech Union” – It’s the most authoritarian Government in a generation, says Toby, as he encourages X users to join the FSU.

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