People complain to me that they can no longer say what they wish. They feel they are losing their right to free speech or to independent thoughts. They have to follow the fashionable mantra of the left who dominate language and attitudes on law and order, immigration, transport and energy amongst other topics. They were hoping for some change of tone or lead from the top with a change to a Conservative majority government at the last election.
Some people try it on with this site, wanting to cast generalised allegations against religions, nations, large groups of people or named members of a global elite. I do not allow it, as I do not like unpleasant or dangerous language casting possibly false allegations and adding to divisions. Nor do I have time or legal resource to check out allegations against named individuals. There are campaigning media with better resources and more appetite to root out individual cases of law breaking, excessive influence or whatever you should go to for that.
I do, however, agree that we need to be able to talk sensibly about matters that worry people, and need to analyse problems like the cost and availability of energy or how we police our borders, free from attempts to prevent us by making false allegations against us over our motives and attitudes. We need to keep open the right to talk of these things and to disagree with the authoritarian left who wish us all to say the same things and to come to the same conclusions, when often their priorities and remedies are damaging to both our freedoms and to people’s prosperity.
If we are to recover our economy, enhance our freedoms, level up around the UK and promote individual prosperity, we do need to challenge some of the left wing assumptions which make all that more difficult. I encourage people to write in with a better vision of the future. That is why, for example, I have been working on energy policies to keep the lights on and provide more affordable energy for consumers and business, and why I have been urging the government to direct its powers to stamp out people trafficking and illegal migration risking lives to get people into the UK. We do need new approaches to a variety of problems that challenge the tired soundbites of political correctness.
August 13, 2020
They have to follow the fashionable mantra of the left
You only have to look at the disgusting behaviour of Labours Dawn Butler when stopped by the police on a motoring issue, itâs about time there was a law to stop people sticking phones in the police face and have trial by media , butler should be kicked out of the party but she wonât and thatâs why labour are going to be unelectable for a very long time
August 13, 2020
Basically, you are objecting to good manners, to the politeness which comes from understanding other people.
On the other hand, the language from the Right and from its mouthpieces in the press, defaming dedicated, sincere public servants such as MPs as “traitors” and the judiciary as “enemies of the people” has already likely contributed to causing terrible crimes and loss of life.
August 13, 2020
So the fearful police and MPs, afraid of breaching your âpoliteâ laws allowed mass rapes in Rotherham etc to continue for decades.
No harm done then…
August 13, 2020
Lynn, I suggest that you read the reports relating to the inquiries as to what happened there, instead of making up your own stories.
August 13, 2020
Well let’s have a look at the whole statistics on terrible crimes and loss of life in the UK.
Alas those statistics are hidden for reasons of political correctness.
August 13, 2020
Not for political correctness but to protect the hierachy.
August 13, 2020
It is making impolitness and bad manners a crinimal matter.
Upset someone or offend someone and get arrested in Scotland very soon.
August 13, 2020
If you upset someone by saying “people like him or her should be killed” about a law-abiding person, then you absolutely should be arrested.
Far too few have.
August 13, 2020
But that has quite correctly already been illegal for many years…threats to kill.
You reply miss considering the danger of the latest Scottish legislation by a mile.
August 13, 2020
Rubbish, Martin. Threatening to kill someone was already illegal. No one should be jailed, or interviewed by the police, or jostled and attacked by the hard left, for merely having a political view different from someone such as yourself, or putting up a video of a dog waving its paw in the air.
August 13, 2020
That is not a threat to kill.
Can you not read what I wrote?
August 14, 2020
Threatening words and behaviour is an existing law.
And inciting others to do such things is also an existing law.
The dresdful proposed new Scottish law makes it a criminal offence to offend someone.
If they say they are offended.
August 15, 2020
Defamation, in many countries, rightly, is a criminal offence.
Many here make fond use of the fact that in the UK it is not.
However, the wrong relates to a person, not to a whole group.
It is a loophole in the law then, that the defamation of a whole group or class of person has hitherto not been actionable.
It is a Good Thing, therefore, if that loophole has been closed, provided that due care is taken to do it in such a way as to minimise unintended adverse consequences.
Defamation is no small matter. If it is egregious and yet believed, it can result in a completely groundless view that – for instance – it would not be immoral to kill certain people.
August 13, 2020
Indeed appalling. Just having an English accent can upset quite a few of them.
August 13, 2020
Not at all we are objecting to the law having any roll to play in deciding manners.
August 13, 2020
Lots of people get upset if you just point out (and explain to them) why their climate alarmist religion is total drivel.
August 13, 2020
Earlier this year the human species pressed the pause button. Satellites measured massive reductions in NOx and seismologists could hear a pin drop in China. But the CO2 levels kept rising at the same rate as when there had been many more planes, boats, trains, cars etc… burning fossil fuels.
So now the climate scientists are helping to explain why that means it is even more important that we switch to wind power and electric cars.
Logic is never a strong point of the politically correct elite.
đ
August 13, 2020
You are perfectly free to make such silly claims if you want.
So what’s your beef?
August 14, 2020
Dr Peter exactly right.
Martin yes I am but for how much longer. And this views (which are clearly scientifically correct) are already banned from the BBC and many universities. .
August 14, 2020
Some people believe that wrong doing is caused by people’s being put under spells by witches.
Should the BBC invite these to give their opinions, as to what should be done about rising crime, say?
And give them equal air time and prominence to those who take a rational, evidence-based approach? That is, based on all available reliable evidence and not just that which suits their interests?
August 13, 2020
All videos can be doctored and edited as such they should never be permitted as an indication of anything.
The counter view of the situation you mention, the police wanted to air their compulsory body cam footage of the whole event, but are not permitted to do so by law. It infringes peoples rights.
The failure is the media Social and Main Stream, they can no longer hide behind the freedoms of expression as they edit and compile what is released to the public. Logic is they have taken full responsibility for their output, therefore are the sole responsible party for the facts being 100% correct.
August 14, 2020
If anyone airs on social media a one sided view of a recording of a police officer then that PO must have the right to share the full unedited recording by law. This law could be changed, âif a person or a contact with a person stopped by police shares any dealings with that officer publicly then the accused has a total right of airing unedited recordings from their body cameraâ
August 13, 2020
If I was a Police person, then I surely would target those that are causing crimes and if that comes down to a certain group that produces more criminal activity than their representation in the community then they would become prime target for my attention. Especially if the Police force is underfunded as claimed…and has a Crown Prosecution Service & Home Office that probably isn’t fit for purpose
August 13, 2020
And the fact you had to write that is such a convoluted way speaks volumes.
August 13, 2020
True… But it’s either that or stay silent đ
August 14, 2020
Or be moderated.
August 13, 2020
There is such a group – smokers.
August 13, 2020
The devil incarnate?
Tolerant aren’t you!
August 14, 2020
Look at the prison population stats, no more.
August 13, 2020
As an MP Dawn Butler should have shown an example of behaviour and be helpful and support to the police’s request not anti-police
August 13, 2020
Indeed but she is another, dire, chip on the shoulder, pathetic, lefty politician.
August 13, 2020
Dawn Butler was not stopped because she was not driving. The vehicle also had tinted windows so would have been difficult to see who was inside or their skin colour. Strange how we are not allowed to see the raw version of the police camera footage.
August 14, 2020
We should ban tinted windows and if I were stopped (as we were a couple of times when we were younger driving sports cars) and one of the reasons for being stopped was suspicious officers wondering why my windows were tinted I wouldnât buy a car with tints if I objected to being stopped.
It has been interesting to be in London. I have been kept awake most nights with loud playing music and social gatherings in the street starting at 11pm and ending around 2am, that is when the arguments start nearby involving children too,
Just look at the young adults allowed on to the DLR and public transport without wearing any mask, never challenged, defiant. They obviously feel untouchable now and donât have to follow societal rules of living together with neighbours or rules from our government. There is no regard for each other down here. If I went out with my loud speakers blasting out the classics at 11pm and got my family and friends to join me I wonder how that would go down.
August 15, 2020
Tinted front windows are illegal as it happens.
August 13, 2020
Indeed and the proposals by the National Socialist Party of Scotland to kill free speech by law north of the border are appalling.
Free speech is being killed in universities, the BBC is absurdly one sided (and wrong) on the climate alarmist religion, on economic policies, on identity politics and much else.
Last night we had BBC favourite Ken Clark on Newsnight needless to say Ken thought the way to rapid economic recovery was for even more state intervention and government printing even more money. He thought that the stamp duty holiday (one of the few sensible things Sunak has done was misguided). What is misguided was that it was only a temporary holiday. Any sound economist or person knows how to bring about a rapid recovery. Cut and simplify taxes, cut the state sector, cut red tape and get fair and real competition in education, broadcasting and healthcare cancel all green crap and HS2.
August 13, 2020
In short get the state out of the damn way and release all those many people in the state sector doing nothing productive to get a real and productive jobs. As builders, farmers, engineers, delivery drivers, taxi drivers, cleaners, mechanics, nurses and doctors perhaps. Also release all those âcompliance with pointless red tape and absurdly complex tax and employment lawsâ people (in the private sector) to do the same.
August 13, 2020
“And release all those many people in the state sector doing nothing productive to get real and productive jobs”
The trouble with that idea is few of them would be any good at most of the occupations you mention. Much the same applies to the “Compliance People” in the private sector.
August 13, 2020
Well even if on the dole they would be cheaper and doing far less harm.
August 13, 2020
+1 I understand there is fruit to be picked.
August 13, 2020
And, unfortunately, our Dear Leader Kim Jong Son is ever ready to follow Nicola Sturgeon’s next move to not be outdone. Perhaps it would be helpful if JR could convince the Conservative Party that it is not a good idea to copy the authoritarian left, or disciples of the Revolutionary Communist Party!
zorro
August 13, 2020
When we talk of the Left we mean Boris and co, I would say far Left, extreme Left (China style).
August 13, 2020
Not much Conservativitism in the current Tory Party. Further left of NuLabour. Actions not words. How are they doing with the invasion at Dover………..thought so!
August 13, 2020
They give free reign to the big builders, give contracts to big firms (no names or it won’t be published). They tax the lower orders until the pips squeak. What’s not Conservative about that?
August 13, 2020
Every night Newsnight tells you that they asked to speak to a government minister and that nobody was available. This is being Mr Cummings has banned the incompetents running the country from speaking to many journalists. He prefers, instead, to release pre-recorded statements.
It is not surprising when you have a government this incompetent that they are unable to defend their record. But it is really disturbing that this government does not even try any more – and you still give them the benefit of the doubt.
August 13, 2020
Does anybody watch programmes like Newsnight anymore?
Cummings is right to starve the BBC by keeping everyone away from appearing.
August 13, 2020
An 80 seat majority with the next election 4 years away.
Labour and Lib Dems had a terrible election.
August 13, 2020
+1 defund the BBC
August 14, 2020
Exactly, who watches that sort of tripe? I got rid of my TV a year ago and itâs great. Itâs also an effective way to defund and disempower the BBC.
August 13, 2020
All that but first get the WHOLE country back to work with NONE of the CV19 restrictions while there is still something left to salvage.
August 14, 2020
The whole country? Including the idle rich?
They wouldn’t like that one bit, BOF.
August 13, 2020
Good morning
“When you can control the language, you can control the debate.”
This is the reason why we have political correctness. It is the cancer at the core of our society.
Things, even ones that we do not want to hear, must be said. We cannot have situations where the authorities are afraid to act because they might offend the Lefts client base. The law of the land must be upheld regardless of race, religion, politics, gender or anything else. It is the law and our equal subservience to it that forms the basis of our civilisation.
What offends me is the fact that the law has been broken. That I international agreements made and signed in good faith are abused for personal gain and so on.
We need to talk about it and not play the Lefts game of sweeping things under the rug. It may not be nice, but it is necessary.
Finally. Thanks to our kind host for this site. Even though he deleted a perfectly reasonable post recently.
August 13, 2020
+1
August 13, 2020
Agreed about “the law of the land” [and there should only be one that we all undertake to follow]
But, our wonderful judiciary seem to have their own agenda and interpretation of the law that too often leave one wondering what planet they are on..
August 13, 2020
The left can’t win at the ballot box so they take over the institutions and undermine the government from within. This was very obvious with May and the Brexit negotiations.
Boris is helping them achieve their goals by failing to root out the institutions although the tories have been in power for 10 years.
His micro management of the general public over Covid is testament to the governments left wing bias.
I tbink Cummings understands this and should be applauded for his efforts.
August 13, 2020
+1 Cummings a very brave man. Fighting the blob and under serious attack. I think the country is with him. I am.
August 14, 2020
As he seems to be directing government policy, there’s just the small matter as to who elected him, and by what means he might be removed, isn’t there, Lynn?
Parliament is supposedly sovereign, but it appears that even they effectively cannot touch him, which exposes something, doesn’t it?
August 14, 2020
Did you moan all the time when Blair had his adviser in number 10?
August 15, 2020
I don’t recall Alistair Campbell ever being held to be in Contempt Of Parliament, or being reported as overruling Ministers in their departments.
August 13, 2020
Ian Wragg
“Boris is helping them achieve their goals by failing to root out the institutions ”
That’s ok, we can punish them at the next general election.
August 13, 2020
+1. I note the riot that took place at the weekend on the South coast by certain minorities not reported by the msm for ……….obvious reasons. It doesn’t fit their narrative of victimhood. Double standards in policing will not be tolerated soon as the public are alive to what’s happening. Farage will keep exposing this nonsense.
Off to Dover to get me an inflatable then, towed into shore for free stay and all expenses paid holiday in a 4* hotel. Where is the leadership?
August 13, 2020
I have been reading the excellent:- BBC brainwashing Britain by David Sedgwick. I have long regarded the BBC as a blatant wrongheaded leftwing, PC, propaganda outfit but this book illustrates just how they do it and how very professional they are at it. Blatantly distorting the news in their lefty, woke, PC, identity politics pushing, climate alarmist lunacy.
August 13, 2020
While never reporting the violent chaos in France and the fact that the French authorities try to hide the names of the criminals (thus supporting the continued violence) mass rapes in Rotherham etc etc. What they donât report is as important as what they do.
Defund the BBC.
August 13, 2020
Shock horror, someone writes book (that is published by a one-book publisher, self-published?) with an anti BBC baseline and Mr Lifelogic posts his praise, even though similar books have be written about how media moguls on the right have manipulated the public message – not a whisper from Mr Life!
Bias, like love, is so often in the eyes of the beholder…
August 13, 2020
Jerry, The “media moguls on the right” have to sell their product to people who could buy elsewhere, or not at all. The BBC is subsidised by an hypothecated tax even if the public don’t want it.
August 13, 2020
@NickC, Wrong, you’re argument is void, never heard of streaming, Netflix, never mind time shift services such as ITV player etc. [1] – even Foxnews is about to launch a streaming service in the UK. If you want to rant about the TVL fee at least do so with some up to date facts!
Buit quite what that has to do with how the MSM industry manipulates the message, but of course you know that, you are just trying to deflect the argument as usual.
[1] you only need a TVL if you waqnt to use the BBC iPlayer, but why would a BBC hater like you want to do that, thus these days no you do not need to buy a TVL, or even a TV set, so long as you have a computer and broadband.
August 14, 2020
Jerry, What a spectacular rant over nothing. If I want to watch live TV, but not the BBC, I still have to pay the BBC TV Tax. Streaming has nothing to do with that.
August 14, 2020
@NickC; Indeed, what a spectacular rant over nothing you own comment was, devoid of any facts!…
You do not need a TVL to own a TV set (nor even a digital tuner), without a TVL you can watch “Television”, just not broadcast television and one specific streaming service.
Your dismissal of IPTV is simply due to it being an inconvenient truth, streaming is not an irrelevance – otherwise why did the BBC ask the govt to tie off the loop-hole that allowed people to consume BBC programming via their iPlayer without a TVL.
August 13, 2020
Read âThe Fake News Factoryâ (the BBC) by Sedgwick who worked for the BBC. Then see if you are so smart dismissing the problem out of hand.
August 13, 2020
Lynn, stop replying to something I never said, all I did was point out there are problems with the right wing media too…
August 14, 2020
Jerry, You persistently miss the point. There may be “problems with the right wing media too” but you don’t have to pay for it if you don’t like it. That is not the case with the BBC TV Tax.
August 14, 2020
@NickC; Please cite the law that makes me, or anyone else here in the UK, watch TV…!
August 16, 2020
Jerry, why should people be Unable to watch alternative tv that is funded from advertisements and subscriptions just because they donât want to pay for the BBC?
August 13, 2020
……………….and what has the “Conservative” Party done about it……………silence. Telly tax has to go!
August 13, 2020
Indeed the BBC receives more licence fee taxes than many nations whole GDP.
August 13, 2020
Boris Johnson said a while back the Licence fee was going to be abolished.
Gutless guff, wasn’t it.
August 13, 2020
Drivers of motor vehicles bringing illegal migrants into the country can be charged with people trafficking. Why can’t individuals in charge of small boats be treated in the same way? They could be easily identified, and warned that if they entered UK waters they would be arrested.
August 13, 2020
The left have taken over our schools and universities.
They are not teaching students how to think.
They do not let right wing views to be presented.
They end the careers of any staff who challenge the left wing orthodoxy.
For too long we took on trust academics intentions and commitment to free speech and scholarship. We can no longer.
We need a childrenâs charter that sets out their rights to be taught how to think, to be taught to question orthodoxy, to be taught to hear opposing points of view. We need to monitor what is taught about values. And we need to remove all intolerance, and intolerants, from teaching positions and positions of authority in teaching institutions.
August 13, 2020
From Spiked:
One of the least-read but most important sections of Nineteen Eighty-Four is the appendix which outlines âThe principles of Newspeakâ â how the regime rewrote and redefined the English language to suit its ends.
Take the priceless word âfreeâ. This word, writes Orwell, âstill existed in Newspeak, but could only be used in such statements as âThe dog is free from liceâ or âThis field is free from weeds.â It could not be used in its old sense of âpolitically freeâ or âintellectually freeâ, since political and intellectual freedom no longer existed even as concepts.â
That redefinition of free to mean the restrictive âfreedom fromâ rather than the liberating âfreedom toâ is a feature of modern political discourse. A few years ago, when the UK authorities were pushing for the ban on smoking in public places, I wrote about the public-health crusadersâ new slogan âsmokefreeâ as a classic example of Orwellâs Newspeak â a made-up word that turns the concept of freedom into a real denial of the freedom to smoke. A ban on public smoking might be good for public health, I noted then, but the twisting of language being used to justify it would prove unhealthy for public debate.
Now we can see that problem writ large in the campaigns by student activists and other radicals to restrict the right of others to express opinions they find offensive, justified in the name of safety. Instead of demanding and defending free speech, as previous generations of young campaigners did, the demand of these zealots is for freedom from speech. Newspeak has become the language of the university campus.
August 13, 2020
Policy Exchange’s report Policy Exchange report, Academic Freedom in the UK: Protecting Viewpoint Diversity, is exceptionally chilling, for its evidence of how widespread and deep-rooted the problem has become.
Time for root and branch reform. It will need a strong voice to campaign for cleaning the Augean stables. Sunshine is the best disinfectant
(Although I dislike labelling freedom of speech as ‘Academic Freedom’. The phrase ‘Academic Freedom’ is better limited to the research topics being unrestricted. And note that does not mean any topic MUST get funding, only that no topic is prohibited).
August 14, 2020
Giles B, Thank you for that clear explanation of the principles of freedom and particularly free speech.
A lot of the student whinging (and it is, I think, still a minority) about “safe spaces”, wokeness, and anti free speech, comes from the “child centred” approach and from many of them being single children, which makes them spoilt brats, unfortunately.
August 13, 2020
The left have also taken over our police force and armed services without any democratic mandate. I don’t think their grip on our establishment will be released via democratic means.
August 13, 2020
I agree. Itâs going to be nasty, but they people will winâ as forecast by the great prophet.
August 14, 2020
Longus:
Armed forces’ ultimate power is derived from a fast-breeder reactor enabling a bomb.
Democratic power may be achieved by fast-breeder families starting with a peaceful mandate.
August 15, 2020
That is what happened in Fiji. The natives were outnumbered and outvoted by the Tamils. There as a bit of a scuffle and the law was changed so that nobody can outvote the natives who have no other âhomeâ.
Nobody gave politicians to start a âmarketâ in citizenship and make money by selling our votes. There is going to be trouble and it needs to be while the native British are in the majority.
August 13, 2020
I believe the vast majority of people already agree in particular with your penultimate paragraph. In areas such as energy policy there are non alarmists who have a command of the detail just as did Leave campaigners before the referendum. The climate alarmists very much mirror the generalised pessimism of the Remainers. So I think âweâ will eventually win, we just have to keep at it and we greatly appreciate your behind the scenes efforts. When a Minister eventually says something actually uncontroversial like âwe have achieved much in reducing our emissions and need to focus in future on energy security and efficiencyâ without being sacked, then weâll know that true debate will have begun.
August 13, 2020
Yes please but it needs political courage, in very short supply from my vantage point. Alistair Heath in the DT shreds your approach to Covid albeit acknowledging Boris had little room to manoeuvre.
Arrogant quangocrats , useless PHE, structural weaknesses in the NHS, bureaucratic and useless state machinery. All known but nothing done by the same people who should not have needed your blog to prompt them into action.
As we have seen even yesterday people more interested in protecting their political arses than being brave enough to take on the difficult issues needed to truly make this country world class as opposed to just the spouted BS. Cameron took Gove off education and gave it to someone he knew wouldnât cause any waves (or achieve anything) for an easy life.
Interestingly it is Cummings, with Gove in education, who seems to be the one person who both understands and has the bottle to try and sort it out.
The leaks and attacks on him, even I suspect from the Cabinet indicate that the âestablishment bluffersâ who have caused this sorry state of affairs are determined nothing will change, because of course if it did, their very existence would be under threat.
August 13, 2020
The universities would be a good place to start with this, as that’s where it’s worst, following the importation of the radical American left anti free speech agenda. The govt should make clear by law that people have protection against loss of their jobs due to their opinions. An academic (or anyone else) fired for not being woke needs legal protection and the govt should be aggressive in using such a law to support any individual in this situation. We need a few Grunwick picket line moments. At the same time the govt should refuse public funding for useless courses, and perhaps even formerly rigorous courses which have now become suborned by cultural Marxism and the politics of woke.
Then apply the same measures in the rest of the economy.
The left can’t win arguments by reference to facts and the use of rational argument so they seek to shut down debate. Time to fight back.
August 13, 2020
Those who speak freely express clear intent and are better understood. Some who dislike what others say react harshly in attempting to restrict such freedom. They behave as if they have usurped some authority as Prison Voice Warders.
When everyone is allowed to speak freely truth is released, and that enables us all to assess whether someone is right, or is unworthy of being listened to, & better ignored; idiotic even.
Inciting harm with speech, where it exists, is tantamount to misuse of a dangerous weapon, deserving punishment. In contrast: Self-appointed opiners casting verdicts about what others say freely, openly and sensibly, should face a standard penalty for obstructing the free flow of truth.
August 13, 2020
Boris once said while Mayor of London. He would rather those with radical views were able to express them, however distasteful we all find them. Better that, as we would know who they were and could offer a counter view, than the alternative of driving them under ground and no longer knowing who they are.
With that in mind we had high hopes of Boris and the Conservatives bringing this Country back to normality. Did we get it, NO. Just more of the same leftist controlling mantra that has no place in a free society.
August 13, 2020
From Ross Clark in the Spectator “Summer flu is now more deadly than Covid”
(This story was also on the front page of the Metro yesterday)
“Flu is killing five times as many people in England and Wales.
In the week ending 31 July, these are the Office for National Statistics tallies for cause of death (as measured by mentions on death certificates):
influenza and pneumonia, 928;
Covid-19, 193.
This is nothing new: more people have been dying of flu than Covid-19 since the middle of June.”
This lockdown has been a disaster. Boris was panicked into and he has not had the leadership to get us out of it. It is now clear the Covid-19 is nowhere near as deadly as we we told.
August 13, 2020
There is an excellent hard-hitting article on the BrexitFacts4EU website on this topic – with their usual diligent use of government figures.
Extract:
‘… Have the Coronavirus numbers come anywhere near justifying the lockdown of our nation, the imposition of emergency powers, the denial of our civil liberties, the drastic shortening of lives because the NHS wouldnât treat non-Covid patients, the closing of our schools and universities, the severe damage to the infrastructure of our cities and to our town high streets, and the utter devastation of our economy? No, the Coronavirus numbers have justified none of these.
Will we see far more deaths from other causes over the next few years as a result of the knee-jerk Coronavirus responses? Yes we will.
It really is time for this nonsense to end. We have always argued for a proportionate response. We urge the Government to look at the real figures that matter, stop the hysteria, and end this madness completely. Letâs get everyone back to work and back into education, and regrow our country again as quickly as possible….’
August 13, 2020
@Stephen Priest; Unless you think the function of a lock-down is to spread the Civid-19 virus of course summer flu, even fish-n-chips (choking on a fish bone), is likely now more deadly than Covid-19, that’s because of the lock-down, not in spit of it!
August 13, 2020
Nonsense, Jerry – as we have discussed here many times before. The virus was in retreat before the Lockdown as admitted recently by Chris Whitty. See the articles of Will Jones on Conservative Woman website for a better understanding.
August 13, 2020
@James Bertram; The only nonsense is yours, the usual hard right FAKE NEWS.
Please do explain why people are still dying here in the UK from new (post March) infections of Covid-19 five months on if the virus had vanished back in mid March as you claim?..
Your really do not understand the R# and its significance, when the lock-down was put in place the R# was well above 1.0, that is not a virus “in retreat”, anything at at or above R1.0 means the virus is spreading.
And no I will not be reading a partisan website, I will carry on consulting the raw scientific data, or at least a broad church of non-partisan information.
August 14, 2020
Jerry, why arenât we told where the new infections of covid 19 are coming from, there was a small muttering recently that people were flying in with CV19 and had been throughout lockdown, I know people that work at airports that confirmed this, thus continuing the virus spread longer than the lockdown (which should have only been necessary for three weeks) we put everyone through justified, some people were reported to go straight to hospital from the airport!
Another report that farm workers from Eastern Europe infected their whole group and others in the local area. If other countries donât test to the same level that we do then they donât even show up true numbers of cases, thatâs why it is still running rampant and why the UK canât get clear of it because weâve had open borders and 3000 at least people crossing untested into our new free hospitality units.
August 14, 2020
@a-tracy; It is very likely that there has been no ‘secondary’ arrival, nor a second wave, the virus is simply still circulating within the general population because we unlocked to early (or at least to quickly), the science of virology told us the R# had to be at or below R0.5 before unlocking, when the govt unlocked the R# was hovering around 0.8, and then the govt compounded the problem by needlessly allowing pubs, restaurants and places of worship to reopen – the very epicentres of the pre lock-down contagion away from the workplace.
The latest outbreak in NZ is interesting, hopefully the NZ govt has been lying about their infection status (the virus having not been eradicated as they claimed), otherwise it seems likely the latest contagion entered the country in a shipping container by all accounts! If so the same could be occurring here too, and all bets are off…
August 16, 2020
Jerry the farm workers came in during lockdown, the guests from Pakistan and India arrived during and throughout lockdown.
Ive had a visit to London, you dont have to spend much time there to see why the virus is still running around, some people do not follow any of the social distance and mask guidance, some people are breaking every rule of the easing of the lockdown, Iâve been advised they were throughout.
Those taking precautions and being sensible are being put at daily risk by people who dont getting into our space, not following one way systems, not keeping to social distances, laughing, shouting to each other in carriages at distance with no masks. Having outside parties every night. I could go on but you dont listen to anyone with different views to yourself.
August 13, 2020
Swedes don’t agree
August 13, 2020
Jerry said: “… of course summer flu … is likely now more deadly than Covid-19, thatâs because of the lock-down …“.
So the lockdown selects viruses now? I see – lockdown prevents the spread of SARS-CoV-2, but doesn’t stop the particular summer flu virus? How cunning!
August 13, 2020
@NickC; Wrong again, actually whilst summer flu is statistically more common than Covid-19 (currently), summer flue cases are very much lower than normal for the time of year.
August 14, 2020
seems like ‘summer flu’ is a misnomer?
– or have we been having a ‘ new winter’?
August 13, 2020
Then why did the lockdown not solve the flu problem too?
August 14, 2020
Lynn, Indeed, but Jerry thinks the lockdown is only effective against the Covid19 virus, but not other viruses.
August 14, 2020
@Lynn, for goodness sake go and learn something about virology…
@NickC; Where & when did I say as you claim – exactly please? Date, time and exact words will do, thanks.
August 13, 2020
No-one ever won a battle by retreating and yet that is what the so-called ‘right’ is always doing.
Indeed the retreat has been going on for so long that what would have been considered mainstream, moderate views a few years ago, and probably are still held by the silenced majority, are routinely denounced as extreme right by the BBC and most of your ‘woke’ MPs!
For goodness sake let’s have some fight back, get rid of Blair’s 1,000 divisive laws and start promoting positive values of personal responsibility, enterprise and compassion!
August 13, 2020
JimS
“No-one ever won a battle by retreating and yet that is what the so-called ârightâ is always doing.”
We’re not retreating……just waiting for the day when we can say; don’t blame us, we did warn.
” get rid of Blairâs 1,000 divisive laws”
……did you ever see a government abolish or reverse laws made by it’s predecessor ? It never happens. Why ?…..because their a bunch of con merchants with common agenda. Lab, Con = one and the same.
“For goodness sake letâs have some fight back.”
That would require courage and patriotism from those we elect.
August 13, 2020
In addition I thought it interesting you should post this a few days after your governments shameful silence failing to support the Met Police after an unjustified attack from a Labour politician, in effect throwing them to the wolves and making the job you want them to do impossible.
Actually many in that community privately also wants to be protected and is pragmatic In knowing what needs to happen to achieve that but allows the megaphones and threats to keep them quiet with your acquiescence.
August 13, 2020
I agree with this. Those who can use a public profile, whether politician, sportsperson, influencer, actor or other, who have an interaction with the police ought to model reasonable behaviour. It is quite easy to tweet that one was pulled over due to an error due to typing in a number plate but the police were polite and explained their error, one supports completely the difficult job the police are doing in trying to restore safety to communities. On the other hand it is even easier, and gives a profile return, to tweet random allegations about motivations.
August 13, 2020
It’s called leadership and commonsense, something lacking in the bubble inside the M25!
August 15, 2020
I’m sure that many there would happily join those in Scotland, who seek independence from Strange Leave England.
August 15, 2020
Off you go then Martin. Remember that the oil is in Shetland waters and they will not go with Scotland. (Oops, I nearly forgot only a couple of years to go and nobody will be allowed to use oil anyway.) – Oh – and only 15% of Scots are net taxpayers. The other 85% you have to support along with RBS. Still thereâs plenty of lights and neeps – at present. And itâs your chance to have your family learn a new language too so your aspiration of getting rid of English can be realised.
August 15, 2020
Oh, Lynn, do you need a cold compress?
August 14, 2020
A friend of mine worked shifts and had a flash car, he was stopped many, many times between 4 and 5am in the morning by the local police until they got to recognise him but every time a new officer was on the beat he was stopped, certain cars and certain activities, any poor driving such as sharp lane swapping without indication will get you stopped.
Perhaps its time some of London based police officers have tv reporters with them on shift to explain to the public what raises their suspicions and if people want to stop being pulled over then they know how to change their behaviour.
August 13, 2020
May I respectfully suggest that you take the time to check out allegations against named members of a global elite because a very large number of people are seriously worried about them and they DO have a lot of influence. The fact that these worries are dismissed and any discussion shut down or censored only raises suspicion of a cover up. Why not get it out into the open?
Reply Happy for others to do so.I do not have the resource or inclination to do so. Many people and institutions influence governments. I concentrate on the governments, their decisions and justifications.
August 13, 2020
Good reply. The last thing I want is conspiracy theorists to take over this blog. This is the usual trope about global elites using influence etc. Never specific and always justified by the very large number of unnamed people allegedly concerned. Actually in all my conversations with friends etc over the years, this has never been mentioned once.
August 13, 2020
The terror is that govt. has been taken over.
JRâs reply has completely dispelled that fear.
So grateful.
August 13, 2020
M Hopkins.
+1 from me.
That is the most important topic discussed so far.
Well done for highlighting.
In fact, if we could release our grip from these people, everything else would fall back into place quickly and easily.
When you understand the hierarchy.. every thing else makes sense.
Tooley Stu
August 13, 2020
âWhy not get it out into the open?â
Might be too close for comfort. Conservative party funding is discussed elsewhere. So are dodgy City institutions.
Borisâ âLavender Listâ additions to the House of Lords does not get much attention here either.
August 13, 2020
Boris obviously thought what the Lords lacked was lots more Libdims and Socialist politicians who were nearly all pro EU. With a few clearly guilty of blatant treachery for good measure.
I think Charles Moore was the only deserving one I could find in the list.
August 15, 2020
He did refrain from giving his sister and father a Seat! Next time I suppose…
August 13, 2020
I concentrate on the governments, their decisions and justifications.
>
and motivations
August 13, 2020
Reply Happy for others to do so
>
They need to be MPs or the system fails.
August 13, 2020
If we are not in lock step with the agenda of named members of a global elite then why donât we just immediately call the whole thing off? Itâs becoming clearer by the day that it has been a grotesque over-reaction that has severely hurt millions of people in countless different ways. The government havenât got anything right including the number of deaths. Heads need to roll. We should have done what Sweden did.
August 13, 2020
Couldnât agree more
August 13, 2020
The dogmatic, worthy people who would throw money at every sad cause dominate the narrative with their plaintive cries for “equality” focus on “identity” using those to craft a case for “doing the right thing”. What sickens me most recently is comparing past actions their own values from today. At best they are creating impossible standards for tomorrow, is anyone safe?
This powerful argument (of doing the right thing) of which Ken Livingstone used to be an accomplished proponent create strawmen arguments and concentrate only on the good that can be done – They have rights, we should, why wouldn’t we etc, they live in appalling fear / conditions so we must extend our help. There is never any thought for the unintended consequences of helping everyone, the cost, the spread of viruses from not slamming borders shut, the overcrowding, the lack of services and resources. This doctrinal response needs to be challenged, with facts and reasonable opinion every time it raises its head, we must not be afraid to speak and to shine a light on hypocrisy. It is too easy to spend our money on their causes.
To rebuild the economy, we need to combat the fear of the virus, make it clear that few under 50 are hospitalised let alone die. There must be huge savings out there that could be spent following no commute and no paid for lunches, no holidays and very little spend on leisure for four months.. Tap into that for the recovery, get people confident they can spend their savings and then encourage a luxury goods or services splurge. The money multiplier can take care of the rest. We saw a 20% reduction from April to June ’20 we should be aiming for 25% increase in April to June ’21
We can not help everyone, we are not the world’s policeman
August 13, 2020
Full credit to you, Sir John: your moderation of this site is much better than that on some others I could mention. The government should make the preservation of free speech – subject only to the restraints of libel and slander law – one of its objectives for this parliament. Further, it should encourage every last secondary school in the land to have a debating society. In suggesting this, I am aware that the idea will cause confusion in Gavin Williamson’s department. There will be much scratching of heads while they contemplate doing something good – without having to spend as much as a single penny!
August 13, 2020
Yes. Other sites, which claim to be Conservative, regularly feature David Gauke and his Continuity Remain agenda.
Readers complain, but that site is very much like the pop group – âwet, wet, wetâ.
As for deleted posts on here, it is understandable if you are a member of a party you donât want to turn up at the House of Commons to find your colleagues complaining about the nature of the posts on a site that you host.
August 13, 2020
What is ‘Hate Crime’? In its self that is a form of mind control that can be interoperated to suit any controlling dictatorship.
Social Media, with its trolls. Is that really such a problem. If you get abuse do you need to be amongst that group. Not forgetting as with Sir John’s blog once you express a view or opinion any were, you quite rightly expose your self to a counter view – that’s the point, its refining opinion and seeing the opposing view. People are no longer able to see failure on their part as evolution and growth. Society becomes weaker when it avoids challenges
Religion, Politics and so on are just views of people at anyone time. There should always be open to challenge or they them selves are the problem. Closing down and drowning out opinion is the enemy of freedom.
The News as it is now reported in the UK tries to be what is called political correct, hence they avoid reporting the full scenario, to the detriment of all. Cressida Dicks in her statement to a Parliamentary Committee, outlined the situation for the Police in some parts of the Capital. She reported that crime in some areas, murders and drugs were between people of one particular section on other people in the same section. Because society no longer permits the reporting as it is, that same section of society now believes they are being persecuted with the aid of media need for a ‘story’.
August 13, 2020
There are many groups who are trying desperately to defend free speech – Free Speech Union , spiked Online, the spectator, Reasoned (Darren Grimes), Laurence Fox etc etc
But each time someone gets into trouble for speaking a truth or voicing their opinion – they are not supported by their business or organisation , and they are sacked etc (which is where Free Speech Union works to challenge that org on behalf of the individual)
The only way of keeping hold of the freedom to speak freely is for the left to be challenged and not given in to. But this latest bill in Scotland is a very scary thing. In this they are no better than China. Many are terrified that England will copy it to keep in line with Scotland.
I would suggest that the left who squeal the loudest are a minority and that we should all stand strong and challenge them each time and not kowtow to them. And this must be done from the bottom to the top of the country. But look what happened with Liz Truss and the trans bill for women…Boris caved to the minority again!
The government are a source of worry in this respect…there is much evidence for major concern of their conservatism.
August 13, 2020
Good morning Sir John,
May I suggest that the vanguard of the Left’s attack on free speech, Channel 4 and the BBC, are defunded?
August 13, 2020
Pat
From my experience here and reading your contribution it seems to me that it’s not the ‘vanguard of the Left’ (whoever they are) who are a danger to free speech but many people posting on here.
August 13, 2020
Margaret H, you frequently get published on here! And because your views are rejected doesn’t mean that free speech is in danger on here, it simply means your views are sub-standard and unpersuasive.
August 15, 2020
+1
August 13, 2020
They can be defunded, and you do not need the government to achieve it. Just DIY !
The more people who refuse to pay for them the less cash they will receive. You do not need them.
August 13, 2020
Sly News and ITV aren’t far behind!
August 13, 2020
Stop watching and stop paying the licence. We must take responsibility to achieve what we want. We have the power.
August 13, 2020
+1 plus the BBC assets old programmes etc. all sold off to lower taxes and repay licence free payers.
August 13, 2020
Judging by the headlines in the papers Boris has been rumbled , heâs not a Conservative and lockdown has destroyed our economy, Sweden didnât lockdown and has emerged in a far better place than us
Thatâs the problem with taking Neil Fergusonâs flawed advice, he has form!
Just when we thought we couldnât do worse than T May we did!
And to think that I voted for him đđđ
August 13, 2020
Sweden is not handicapped by seventeen million rather strange people.
August 13, 2020
There sre not that many Welsh people worldwide.
August 13, 2020
he maintains he is not Welsh, but lives there!
Strange choice but there you are, Chapel politics…
August 13, 2020
That’s not a very nice thing to say about the Welsh & Scottish…
August 13, 2020
Are there 17 million illegal immigrants? I knew there was a lot but had no idea ….
August 13, 2020
MiC youâre of course referring to the people who exercised their right to vote in our Referendum
Give it a rest, you seem determined to fight yesterdayâs battles…. you lost and no matter how you attempt to overturn the result surely you you should be directing your energy towards making a success of it?
Oh silly me, you donât do that do you đđđ
August 13, 2020
Think diversity of opinion Martin!
Very healthy.
August 13, 2020
Thank God I wasn’t alone in my beliefs Martin – there were a few others with a bit of common sense too. đ
August 13, 2020
Please keep insulting the voters Martin.
You will be a great help keeping Labour in opposition for many more years
August 13, 2020
I didn’t identify anyone.
It’s interesting how you seem to recognise yourself though, having imagined that I did, Ed.
August 13, 2020
You spoke in disparaging terms about all the 17 million people who voted to leave the EU.
“All” is always a ridiculous way of abusing groups in our community.
To be avoided I think.
But please carry on.
August 13, 2020
Which other identifiable group of “17 million” did you have in mind, Martin? Don’t be twee, of course you used that number as an identifier of Leave voters.
And you did so in order to insult. The difference is I would not expect you to be cautioned by the police for it, but in the opposite circumstances the wokerati, which you defend, would.
August 13, 2020
Surprise for you Martin, we are not stupid, we all knew what you meant. Did you understand what we were saying to you in our responses?
August 14, 2020
I didn’t speak Ed. I wrote.
Hearing voices?
August 14, 2020
Is that your best cheap shot?
Once your argument is reduced to nothing you resort to personal attacks.
As is expected from the Left .
August 13, 2020
I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say this, under this blog issue, but your non-stop campaign against Brexit adds nothing to debate. Nor does your insulting a majority cast you in a good light. You might like to reflect on the fact that the Italians are now showing signs on ‘strangeness’ and might well be voting for their own freedom in a little more than five years’ time.
August 13, 2020
Sea Warrior
In five years time? They say a week is a long time in politics! After they see the fiasco Brexit has brought to the UK nobody will be tempted to repeat it in their own country.
And 17m voters able to determine the future of over 65m is not democracy but a violation of democratic principles.
August 13, 2020
Margaret H, 165 other countries in the world are also independent of the EU. Why do you think it will be different for our country?
And 17.4m voters was a majority. That’s how democracy works. Why should 16.1m voters determine the future of over 65m? That would be a violation of democratic principles.
August 14, 2020
NickC
No, 17m people determining the future of nearly 70m is the system we have in this country. IT IS NOT DEMOCRACY. It is a shambles just as our 2 party system is. Millions of people are disenfranchised because of it.
For example because I have lived in a constituency that has been conservative since its beginning my vote in over 5 decades has never counted. Neither party has ever represented what I, like millions of others, stand for. Not once.
Democracy?
August 14, 2020
Margaret H, It was 17.4m people who voted Leave. And if 17.4m is not good enough for you, why should 16.1m be?
The plain facts are that a majority of those who bothered to vote in a single issue binary Referendum, voted to Leave. You cannot get more democratic than that.
Everyone, before the vote, accepted the legitimacy, legality, and fairness, of the Referendum, including Remains. And yes, adults take decisions for children all the time. And quite right too – we have more experience.
August 14, 2020
Oh, Dear, Margaret.
You lost, get over it and move on.
August 13, 2020
Sweden is not handicapped by fraudulent attempts to set aside the vote of the democratic majority, nor by the exploitation of irrational fears by leftwing academics.
August 13, 2020
You mean the majority in a democratic process, just saying! Oh, it was 17.4 million being pedantic!
August 13, 2020
Arenât people clever with the benefit of hindsight. If he had followed Swedenâs example and it went wrong you would have blamed him for that as well. No doubt the T May cliche would have been used in that context as well.
The article I read acknowledged his lack of room to manoeuvre and if you had read it rather than used the headlines to justify your political view, you would have seen it is our institutions that are the problem.
August 13, 2020
According to Alister Heath’s article in the telegraph yesterday (12-Aug) “Almost all economists thought that Swedenâs economy would suffer hugely from its idiosyncratic strategy. â
So it depends on whose advice you follow and why on earth should Boris et al have decided against the consensus of “experts” is one considering the consequences to them if it were wrong.
August 13, 2020
that didn’t go well .. should read;
“.. why on earth should Boris et al have decided against the consensus of “experts” considering the consquences for them if their decision was wrong.
August 13, 2020
Because he should have ensured his range of experts included at least economists and decision analysts who could have avoided such a narrow framing of the decision.
August 14, 2020
Alister Heath’s view was Almost all economists, ie the population of economists not just those the government consulted.
August 13, 2020
Thatâs like saying âall economist were surprised by the 2008 crashâ. If you select them on that basis and apply âcancel cultureâ (which is not new) to opposing opinions, you end up up the creak without the proverbial.
August 14, 2020
That article is an economists view of the opinions and judgement of the community of economics experts at the time. Any self-censoring by that community would be the responsibility of that community.
So it wouldn’t have mattered how many opinions a government had sought, the same outcome was very likely.
August 15, 2020
That âcommunityâ is divided into bigoted socialist penpushers bought and paid for and the independent – those who disagree. Same goes for the âscienceâ community. Also try to use cancel culture so they donât have to justify their idiot ideas. And numbers 9100, million billion agree!đđ) If you have idiot ideas based on achieving a predetermined end result, itâs always best to silence the opposing, fact based opposite opinion because you know you canât win the argument.
So losers are self-selecting and their identification sign is cancel culture.
August 15, 2020
PS a significant number of people, like myself and my husband Rodney, expected the 2008 crash. We sold everything we could prior to that date and did exceedingly well. We advised friends and family of our knowledge (the crash was inevitable and unavoidable).
PPS there will not be a âhouse price crashâ countrywide, reason mass printing of money. There will be a huge and overdue correction in London, nothing to do with finances, more to do with the fact that itâs becoming a ârogue stateâ. Lawless, occupied by aliens, dangerous.
August 13, 2020
Sweden has completely different demographics to the UK, on the evidence so far it looks like those demographics prevented a serious epidemic in Sweden (there real test might come this winter…), unlike the UK that has far more crowded cities and towns etc.
August 14, 2020
Not convinced Jerry…
Figures from WorldOMeters
Sweden population 10 million Covid-19 deaths 5776 that’s 577 per million
UK population 68 million Covid-19 deaths 41,347 that’s 608 per million
Sweden land area 158,000 square miles and 88% of the population live in urban areas
UK land area 94,410 square miles and 83% of the population live in urban areas.
So, really that different?
August 14, 2020
@Know-Dice; “So, really that different?”
Population density. Metropolitan London has a far high density than metropolitan Stockholm for example.
I won’t repeat myself but I gave the population density data in the following URL (onwards, in reply to Edward2);
http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2020/08/09/letter-to-the-health-secretary-2/#comment-1142139
August 14, 2020
Indeed you Jerry did but the deaths per million figures as displayed by “Know Dice” show that with a very different approach Sweden has a similar result to the UL
And a lower economic hit.
August 14, 2020
Ah… the Monty Python Argument Posts…
According to the BBC – “Coronavirus: Exposure rate ‘similar’ in London and Stockholm”
I won’t post a link you can find it yourself…
But, then who takes The BBC seriously these days?
August 14, 2020
@Edward2; But the figures KD gave do not take population density into account.
You still do not seem to have grasped the importance.density plays when dealing with communicable viruses, it was one reason why in the 1930s and postwar all govts placed an importance on clearing over-crowned slums and back-to-back housing.
August 14, 2020
@Know-Dice; I stopped taking the MSM seriously a long time ago. They all tend to say what they think those who consume their products want to hear. Ine only has to look at the Daily Maul to see this, its pages are full of self contradiction depending on who the pages intended readership is, young or old, male or female – quite literally two pages facing each other can say the exact opposite to the other!
August 15, 2020
I realise density has an important part to play.
Figures for all of Sweden are compromised, because one half has very low density the other half has a density comparable to many other EU nations.
And in that half a majority live in a few big cities.
So Sweden is quite similar to the UK when figures for the southern half are looked at.
It is interesting to me to see Sweden adopted a different approach to the UK and has still had comparable results to us.
And much less economic impact.
August 15, 2020
@Edward2; But specific areas can be judged & infection rates compared (or at least extrapolated) by way of their density figures.
The metropolitan areas of London and Stockholm, as far as population and density are concerned, is anything but “quite similar”. Go look the data up!
August 13, 2020
Much excitement about borders and a lot of useless hot air produced. Using the Navy, totally stupid and unworkable, strictly for the tabloids.
The reality is we cannot do much about it. Most of the people in those boats are well off, young, healthy and capable. What do we do? Prevent them working (legally). Another stupid approach.
Anyway, in a few weeks the weather will change to Autumn and the seas too dangerous even for them. The whole problem will go away until the next fine spell. Just in time for the party conference season.
Why do they come, because they speak English, not French or German or Italian and for now at least we have an active economy. If you want to stop migrants from places we have stirred up the answer is simple. Change our native language to Old Norse or something equally obscure.
As Brexit succeeds we will do less and less trade and have less need to interact with foreigners. So an obscure language will be no disadvantage to our essentially closed economy and make it unattractive for English speaking migrants to come here. A ten year program should see us totally insulated.
August 13, 2020
The French put them up in muddy fields.
August 14, 2020
The French were reported by the UN for leaving people âliving in harsh conditions in squats and informal settlements across France, including refugees, migrants, Roma and Travellers….one empty office building in Toulouse inhabited by almost 300 people, including children, which was severely overcrowded, with insects everywhere and a sanitation system which was overwhelmed and flooding.â Guardian. And people wonder why immigrants want to come to the UK.
On the surface the French do the right thing, they are âthe only country to have included the right to housing in domestic law. But it must now ensure that the right to housing was delivered, particularly in dealing with rising homelessness.â April 2019.
August 14, 2020
Yet Martin and Andy tell us they are more civilised than we are.
August 13, 2020
Re Energy
1. Do we have to buy wind turbines from abroad ( Netherlands ? ). Doesn’t the UK have excellent engineers and a skilled work force to manufacture them
2. Is the Govt supporting Rolls Royce in their endeavours to produce mini power plants for regions all over the UK
3. What happened to the new material ( metallic I think ? ) that can be painted on the side of houses to produce electricity / power
4. Isn’t there a company about to produce a power unit the size of a dustbin to produce electricity for individual houses – solar powered
5. Should we not be making it compulsory for all single / double storey commercial premises to install solar power as well as homes. This can include all industrial sites. Examples can be found on farms that have put this idea to good use.
6. Is biomass a credible source of energy ? If so, why are there so many fields lying empty ? Our farmers could produce much more.
I am sure there are many more ideas that do not include the nuclear option.
August 13, 2020
Colin B :
“2. Is the Govt supporting Rolls Royce in their endeavours to produce mini power plants for regions all over the UK…..
I am sure there are many more ideas that do not include the nuclear option.”
The Rolls Royce “mini power plants” are (small) nuclear reactors.
August 13, 2020
Many new residential apartments are coming with their own, Combined Heat and Power plants. But I do agree that smaller, more local power generation, even nuclear, is better than one giant central plant.
August 13, 2020
Not withstanding the Dutch are good at Windmills. They are better Engineers, or should I say they have more of them, like Germany.
Successive Governments have run down and not supported engineering in the UK, particularly production engineering. They have been able to do this because engineering is not fashionable in the UK and therefore we don’t make much ourselves. Our economy suffered with the pandemic, but it was not so much that we were not able to export or manufacture, it was because we had to shut the pubs, restaurants, travel industry etc. etc. So therefore we have to buy Engineering from other countries. But if we are not selling stuff to them in exchange, how long can this go on for ?
August 14, 2020
âEngineering is not fashionableâ. I donât believe this John, I truly believe there are many more young people who would do engineering apprenticeships if they were available and gave people full job opportunities at the end of them and a worthwhile qualification to transfer their skills elsewhere, in fact I know such a young man who was paid throughout his training and got poached by a bigger engineering firm on more money and allowed to complete his engineering degree at their expense and bought out of the apprenticeship terms of the initial firm (who should have offered him a full time job if they wanted to keep him).
August 15, 2020
So a-tracy, thatâs the problem in this country, a plumbing/heating specialist, a very useful person by all means, is called an engineer and can certainly be taught via an apprenticeship. I doubt that aeronautical or nuclear energy engineers get the same type of training.
Thatâs a big problem: anybody and their dog can claim themselves to be engineers (and for that matter, businesspersons) and this with very different backgrounds and abilities.
August 16, 2020
Aeronautical engineers used to start life as apprentices.
And your point Hefner, if both type of engineers can earn enough money not to rely on any benefits and contribute in tax and national insurance and purchase vat, council tax etc. Does it really matter – a job title?
It is not your title that is important but what you contribute. I really dont see what youâre going on about.
August 13, 2020
Sadly the threat to free speech is not just from the left. Successive Conservative governments have strengthened hate speech laws and are currently suppressing free speech in regard to a certain wireless technology and covid. This parliament has supported the house arrest of the entire population based on fear mongering and fabricated statistics which is the largest removal of freedom in British history. To try and blame the political left is disingenuous at the very least, the entire media and ruling class are all guilty.
August 13, 2020
I would like to correct the thought we have had a Conservative Government. All actions so far indicate we are still enduring a Blair/Brown/Clegg ideal of Socialisms. Our Parliament has been corrupted by the thought police. Out of the 650 MP’s you could just about show that 65 of them might have Conservative views ( fortunately for the most part our local MP is one of them), their voice is drowned out by the need to win next election at the expense of the Country and the People they represent.
August 13, 2020
I wonder if the Tory partyâs gradual submission to the Left has anything to do with the couple of significant periods when they were out of office?
30 years once I believe, and then in and out of power and of course Blair ruled for several terms.( Historic yes but they do seem to look backwards for inspiration).
So some tories maybe feel that they have to go with the Left to beat them?
Like being nicer to young offenders than to good kids.
Basically they donât appear to understand what people want.
Or donât care. Too intent on global obedience?
August 13, 2020
They were denied office for so long because of Maastricht! Punished for almost 25 years. Why then have they not âlearned that lessonâ? Causing HM to be a common EU citizen, removing our citizenship unilaterally from 60 million people, implementing the impoverishing âsingle currencyâ.
If Boris fails to reverse this with the clean Brexit we voted for, they may never see Westminster again.
August 13, 2020
+1.
August 13, 2020
I think you erroniously vest the “Left” with the creation of PC, unless you can accept that much of the Conservative Party is in fact left of centre. Remember the “Wets” who destroyed Margaret Thatcher. They have not gone away in the interveening years as amply demonstrated by T. May during her time at the Home Office and subsequently as PM.
Your party always talks the talk on all major topics in need of reform but never actually does anything. A corporation in the same need of reform or required to institute reform would be out of business in the commercial world. In a sense it is a definition of the word conservative.
Above you talk about energy , but fail to say where you stand on,
Shale gas and oil extraction.
Minature nuclear power producing units.
Fusion energy.
Exactly what are you lobbying ministers on. Have you ever been to the sources of the above three and if so what have you learnt about their viability.
We do not go to the media to institute refom or respect for our law. We expect Parliament to be aware of all the fault lines in our society, after all they occur in the 650 constituencies you represent and you have the police force and the legal system to effect correction. The media are there to draw attention to what you miss, which in reality means almost everything. Or do you prefer it that way lest you become tainted and suffer at the hands of the PC brigade of attack dogs. Enoch Powell suffered because his critics did not understand the English language, had no knowledge of ancient Roman metaphor, or were amoral political opportunists. He has since been proved to have totally understated the problem, but guilty of havjng tbe intellect to appreciate it before almost all his peers.
I am sure you are sincere in your wish to improve society, but I question your party’s ability to do so or desire to do so.
August 13, 2020
The posts are coming thick and fast from John just now, and have tended more towards “dog-whistle” issues of late.
The Government are now engaged in a permanent ratings campaign, and this is paramount, above any other matter, even measures to deal effectively with an infectious disease which has claimed scores of thousands of lives, it seems to me.
The frequency of this type of issue promotion suggests the level of panic at party HQ, I think.
Reply I am writing the same number as always. I do not take instruction or talk to CCHQ about my blog!
August 13, 2020
When desperate to find a reason to criticise there us always a conspiracy to fall back on.
August 13, 2020
If you had any political antennae whatsoever you would have understood that both JRs comments and responses are not what party HQ wants to hear nor indeed would be their line. In fact it is an excellent conduit for an alternative point of view.
August 13, 2020
Thank you John.
Yes, I am sure that you are being perfectly honest.
Seeing what you will write uninstructed, they would have absolutely no need.
August 13, 2020
@Mic – On the contrary, it is the left and euphilic extremists who are becoming increasingly desperate – witness your own commentary that has become even more trollish and bizarre.
August 13, 2020
Posts are coming much faster and much thicker from you Martin, three to one compared with John so far today.
August 13, 2020
đđ
August 13, 2020
Illegal migration?
The perception has to be that you are a one voice in Westminster. The government are playing straight into the hands of Nigel Farage he is hitting them with a constant barrage of facts and figures and the ministers say and appear to do nothing. It is not being racist, yesterday’talking with a group of military personnel even those of Asian back ground voiced their concerns as some of their families are now redundent with little hope of employment in the near future. Like a lot of us they want the government to look after those who are here and have worked and payed their taxes .It was even mentioned that those unemployed could be enlisted and bring their skills if any into the forces, poĂibly learn new skills and become motivated and more employable. Either way it is the ever decreasing numbers of taxpayers that will pick up the bill .
August 13, 2020
Watch âJordan Peterson | Full Address and Q&A | Oxford Unionâ.
At 51 minutes 41 seconds in, a question about freedom of speech is posed. Jordan Peterson expresses here what probably the silent majority also believe.
August 13, 2020
âDonât you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.â
George Orwell’s 1984
August 13, 2020
For someone who believes in an open exchange of views you are not very good about publishing those that are not to your liking even when they reflect views of a good half of the country and more
You also failed to publish , for example ,an actual list of verbatim quotes from Donald Trump and I would not even try to get you to publish a summary of statements made by Brexit supporters clearly designed to racial tension.
I agree ,let us have an open exchange of views .Lets examine whether the claims made by Brexit Populists that immigrants reduce wages make housing affordable , block the Health Services and so on. All wildly misleading ideas brutally deployed during a referendum
RIP
There was once a sort of moderate Conservative, able to span this cultural divide .He understood concerns about identity while remaining calm and never inflaming irrational tensions.
I supported that Party , I still do even if it does not exist any more .It was decent Party for decent people ,not a rabble of Farragist charlatans for whom I have nothing but contempt
August 13, 2020
You are allowed to abuse and insult 17.5 million people regularly.
Enough said.
August 13, 2020
But the current government is more moderate than previous Conservative governments.
Which Conservative leader or government are you referring to.
August 15, 2020
Edward 2
Mor moderate, what seen from the right or the left?
August 13, 2020
The problem is that the Left have taken control of most of the unelected sectors in public life, including powerful broadcast transmitters and web sites.
They are not only pushing propaganda to us but are brainwashing our youngsters.
Only people with a high public profile can call out this activity with specific examples.
Let’s make a start and make the BBC – where much of the poison comes from – subscription only.
August 13, 2020
“Some people try it on with this site, wanting to cast generalised allegations against religions, nations, large groups of people or named members of a global elite. I do not allow it,”
Glad to hear it. Could you extend that to cover people who voted Brexit and pensioners too please ?
Here we have an exquisitely illustrated example of what we mean – the delicate treatment of minorities whilst the mainstream are just slapped around and abused.
(I see Martin’s at it again at 7am to Lester and I am NOT a dog – 6.59am. I have bad tinnitus – industrial injury – so wouldn’t hear it anyway.)
August 13, 2020
âHow the Right Wing Convinces Itself That Liberals Are Evil.â Since the 1950s, the conservative movement has justified bad behavior. including supporting Donald Trump, by persuading itself that the left is worse. The paranoid style: from Joe McCarthy to Newt Gingrich to Donald Trump, conservative leaders have long depicted liberals as enemies of the state. Good read by David A. Walsh at Washington Monthly.
August 13, 2020
It is the result of democratic voting.
Which the left dont like.
As you display here in your irritation when the majority don’t agree with you.
I had to put up with 15 years of Labour with Blair and Brown
August 13, 2020
This is a common complaint of the hard right.
And I really wonder what it is that you all want to say, that you are not allowed to say?
The reality is that you can say what you like BUT you feel embarrassed about saying things which may upset other people.
The problem, therefore, is not with you and not with them.
It is, perhaps, the ultimate irony that you lot – who accuse everyone else of always taking offence at everything – literally take offence at everything.
So get it all off your chest. Say what you like to me because, actually, I do not take offence.
August 13, 2020
I try saying it but it gets censored and for no good reason that I can see because it’s the truth.
August 13, 2020
andy
You exhibit all the things you dislike about people you claim are hard right when you make your many posts on here.
August 15, 2020
Edward 2
so what do you do, talk waffle?
August 13, 2020
“Political correctness” – in so far as there is such a thing – like Identity Politics, is the province of the Right these days.
It is they who cannot bear to hear things called by their proper names.
Take that namby-pamby euphemism “populism” for example. That’s just mass oafishness, isn’t it?
And “legitimate grievances” – what ever was wrong with the good old-fashioned term “chips on shoulders”?
Another day, another victimhood plead.
August 13, 2020
The Left are controlling PC speech.
Who sends mobs to Colleges and Universities when speakers are unpopular to their sensitivities?
You know what is happening.
You like it.
Why deny it.
August 13, 2020
‘Another day, another victimhood plead.’
funny you should say that. Remainers, eh!
August 14, 2020
I don’t consider myself to be a victim in any way, Fred.
You won’t hear me whimpering about being “a second class citizen in my own country” as the Right’s grovellers endlessly do.
August 14, 2020
If not whimpering, you certainly never cease complaining and using nonsensical examples of ‘the world’s so unjust’.
Unwilling to get over it, the fact that your opinions are often a minority.
August 15, 2020
Whether an opinion is shared with a minority or a majority has little relation to whether it is correct, as Copernicus and many others have demonstrated beyond any doubt.
I couldn’t care less, Fred.
August 13, 2020
Andy
I think you should lead by example and tell us what pensioners did to you to warrant the abuse you regularly give them.
August 14, 2020
Steve – I suggested but our host wouldn’t include it.
August 13, 2020
JR – Your first paragraph said it succinctly and is totally correct.
Except for the time when Thatcher was in powers all Tory governments and oppositions have allowed the left to march all over us.
As a whole, the Tory party has shifted left, certainly we are not seeing right wing innovation when we should be. Socialist dogma has been allowed in at all levels and in all areas.
Socialism will yet be the death of us, unless we act.
If we are to recover our nation, and at minimum our freedoms that are daily being eroded, then the socialist left has to be confronted head on — We need leadership that will strip socialism from every facet of life. We need intelligent retort that will show how irrational and damaging socialism is, but most all we need the will to fight it it…!
August 13, 2020
Well, reactionaries will react.
What we are seeing in the US and here is a response, by them, to the real progress that has been made over the last fifty years or so.
But it’s mainly an expression – it won’t materially reverse most of the good which has been done, and progress will resume anew once this silliness has run its course as such things do.
August 14, 2020
GOOD and socialism are mutually incompatible terms
August 14, 2020
Evidence?
August 14, 2020
100 million dead in the 20th century.
Murdered, imprisoned without trial, starved to death, made slaves in camps.
It always starts with good intentions and ends in tears.
August 15, 2020
Open your eyes and see that we are a failing society due to to having socialism rammed down our throats
August 15, 2020
Nah, that was all caused by people following leaders.
August 15, 2020
Martin – people following SOCIALIST âleadersâ.
August 13, 2020
I honestly believe that it is the obsessive focus on individual words that has done the harm.
Plus the fact that expressing a one-off anger can get people into terrible trouble rather than attracting a reprimand and then forgotten.
The good manners and code of conduct we used to have in this country largely stopped unpleasant things being said and done. People were NICE to each other!!!
Nowadays, from personal experience, people, strangers even, can be most unpleasant.
And look at how even our MPs behaved during Mrs Mâs term of office.
If the Left is so worried and bleaty about all the touchy feels stuff then let us return to Christian values which cover all aspects of behaviour.
They would not want that since they spend every waking moment destroying such values.
They destroyed what we had and now seek out, in soviet style, minute controls to terrorise us with.
And govt. allows and cheers it on!
August 13, 2020
Could I therefore ask what would be called a non-PC question? This could just be my inability to find data.
I can find English data on the ethnicity of victims of crime but not on indicators of the ethnicity of perpetrators of crime. Is this available? This contrasts to the USA where data appears easily available on both.
August 13, 2020
The data you are interested in for England and Wales is readily available in official form for the year 2018.
Details or the ethnicity of people arrested is here :
https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/crime-justice-and-the-law/policing/number-of-arrests/latest#by-ethnicity
Details of the ethnicity of people already in prison is here :
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foi-releases-for-april-2019
It is very easy to extrapolate these official figures to work out the proportion of individual ethnic groups in the general population that have been arrested and also of those that have been convicted and are in prison.
The conclusions one can draw are as follows :
The White population is under-represented in prison by 15% : 86% /72.6%
The Asian community is over-represented in prison by 33% : 6% /8%
The Black community is over-represented in prison by 380% : 3.3% /12.66%
Those of mixed race are over-represented in prison by 207% : 2.2% / 4.56%
One can draw one’s own conclusions from these official statistics, but the differences are too large to be explained by over zealous or racist policing.
The data certainly makes it easy to understand why there are so many stop and searches carried out on people from ethnic minorities as those convicted make up such a significantly higher proportion of the prison population than one would expect from their general presence in the population of England and Wales.
August 14, 2020
Thanks, interesting.
August 15, 2020
Perhaps review the category of arrest offences against the prison sentence, to see if this gives any further insights in conjunction with ethnicity or other relevant factors.
August 13, 2020
Well, of the UK’s prison population, about one-in-twelve is of non-British origin, which is about the same as people outside.
On the other hand, eighty percent of prisoners smoke, whereas only one-in-six who are free do.
So, obviously, we should watch smokers far more carefully than we do foreigners then, and employers might bear those stats in mind too, when choosing staff.
August 13, 2020
and people who don’t vote should have it taken away?
August 14, 2020
Martin, you are twisting figures to suit your own prejudices.
Caterpillar was asking about ethnicity in the prison population and I gave him the official figures. We were not discussing whether those people were British or not. However, the figure you quoted of 1 in 12 was very wide of the mark.
______________________________________________
Source : House of Commons Library Briefing Paper Number CBP-04334, 3 July 2020 entitled “UK Prison Population
Statistics”
______________________________________________
In 2019, Foreign citizens make up 9% of the general population and 12% of the prison population in England and Wales. That is one in eight, not one in twelve as you state. Foreign Nationals are therefore over-represented in our prisons by 33%.
The largest groups of foreign prisoners are Albanian followed by Polish, Rumanian, Irish and Lithuanian prisoners. 38% of foreign prisoners come from these five EU countries alone.
1.7% of all the Albanians living in England and Wales are in our prisons whereas we have locked up only 0.10% of the Polish population and 0.18% of Romanians living here.
As a comparison, the prison population that is white, represents only 0.12% of those living in England and Wales. Albanians are therefore fourteen times more likely to be in prison than other people from the white population of England and Wales.
August 14, 2020
thankyou for putting facts here, instead of deception.
August 14, 2020
But ethnicity is a far poorer guide as to whether someone will end up in prison than is the simple matter of whether they smoke or not.
So why the fixation on ethnicity?
Come on, why?
August 14, 2020
Because the BBC and the Left keep mentioning ethnicity, that’s why !
They accuse the rest of us of a serious crime and that’s the crime of racism and they do so without any evidence and do so without allowing all of the facts to be included in the debate.
We have just gone through months of the Left and BBC banging on about ethnicity in order to provoke race rioting and to make this country ungovernable.
August 14, 2020
Well. Since you mention smokers…
I’m sure my fellow non smokers will have noticed that smokers are well represented among the schemers, gossipers, sicky throwers and shirkers.
Indeed, the *behind the bike shed* mischief is where the habit starts.
August 14, 2020
My first reply to this has not appeared.
We mention ethnicity because we have just had months and months during a pandemic of the BBC and the Left telling us we’re racist shits.
It is the BBC and the Left that is obsessed with ethnicity and we’re not allowed to react to it.
August 14, 2020
you do realise a high percentage of men in Japan, Italy, France etc smoke?
Draw any conclusions Martin?
August 15, 2020
Yes – countries and their people are different.
August 15, 2020
CONGRATULATIONS! You are in the starting blocs! Because âpeople are differentâ their countries are too, forcing uniformity caused friction, witness the EU. Low level warfare a permanent feature from top to tail.
August 13, 2020
One area related to inequality that is never allowed to be openly discussed in the media is the influence of intelligence, or rather the lack of it in a proportion of the population.
It must be obvious to everyone that there is a wide spread of ability throughout society and the move towards an ever-more technical society has clearly had an adverse effect on those of more limited intellect.
There are no published statistics available, but I bet they exist, correlating intelligence with poverty and health outcomes. Yet the Liberal/Left constantly bat on about the disadvantaged without addressing this issue at all. They want the rest of us to accept that the so-called disadvantaged are just like the rest of us, just unlucky or have been unfairly treated.
Although the loss of the universal Grammar School system has had a deeply damaging effect on social mobility, in reality, our society is less class-ridden and more open than it was in previous generations. It is not so much poverty that stops many people progressing, it is lack of the intelligence necessary to make a success of their lives in the 21st century.
|The Left should not be blaming the rest of us for there being people with poor health, low grade jobs etc, it should be openly admitting that in many cases it is the differences in levels of intelligence that is the root of the problem.
I don’t profess to have a solution, but correctly identifying this as a major problem would at least allow it to be discussed and addressed.
August 13, 2020
PS : The Blair government did immense damage to the prospects of young people when they insisted on the ludicrous policy of sending 50% of children to University.
It was quite obvious that if standards were to be maintained, 50% of 18 year olds do not possess the necessary intellect to complete a university degree in any kind of serious subject. The end result has been a weakening of standards and thousands of mickey mouse degree courses that don’t require intellectual rigour to complete.
The graduates running personnel departments have a bias towards recruiting those in their own image, insisting on a university degree, any degree, before considering a candidate for a job, even a position that doesn’t remotely need one. They thus shut out everyone who hasn’t wasted 3-4 years building up a huge debt when they could have been in the workforce, earning and learning skills that would be really useful to society.
August 13, 2020
Bad diet is usually through bad choice rather than poverty.
If a person is fat through eating pastry there is no excuse for eating so much pastry that it makes you fat. Clearly you’re spending too much money on pastry whilst claiming poverty made you fat.
Fresh fruit, veg, meat, fish can all be bought cheaply at Lidl and often for less than the processed and pre cooked crap on the shelves.
August 13, 2020
The new draconian legislation in Scotland is sure to be copied soon in Wales. England next?
Will the time soon come Sir John when you will be forced to delete comments in deference to such law?
August 13, 2020
In Australia if someone arrives with inappropriate paperwork or they just donât believe their reason for visit they are on the same day aeroplane back â no discussion no appeal no courts and the airline is fined
If someone arrives without paperwork or overstay visa they are put immediately in holding centre until return to there on country â no discussion no appeal no courts and the employer is fined
Any boat which is approaching the coast is turn away, if it sinks the passengers are taken immediately to a third country island for processing before return to there country â no discussion no appeal no courts
So why canât we
August 13, 2020
Because our ruling class don’t want to.
August 14, 2020
got it in one!
August 13, 2020
The title for this article might have been better “The language of the (hard) Right”, for it is all to often those people who post inflammatory content (of course my comment is qualified, only our host knows the content of unpublished comments).
I do not find many (here and beyond this site), even from the extreme left and, certainly not from the centre-left through to the centre right have any problems talking about ‘difficult’ issues in a civil way, it is the authoritarian right who appears to be the ones who wish to use language and cast aspersions upon individuals or groups whilst not actually analysing the issue – easier to pick on a fall guy or group I guess… When abuse does start the language of the hard right is often no different than that from the hard left, just different politicised words use to the same effect.
Some right wing assumptions, which will make levelling up more difficult, also need to be challenged, dare I say it, even some of our hosts long held beliefs, even more so the ones that have been shown to have failed in all practicality.
August 14, 2020
Jerry, It is not bands of “hard right” activists roaming around university campuses preventing speakers of whom they disapprove, from speaking, or even visiting, it is activists from the left.
August 14, 2020
@NickC; Many would suggest what those you call the “hard left” [1] are protesting about is political agitation from the hard right. It is often not what a guest speaker -left, right or centre- wishes to talk about but the way the person dose it, the language they use (or have used in the past).
Perhaps the solution is to ban all such politics gatherings from university & college campuses?
[1] those of the centre and even some you might call right wing “wets” also protest in the way you suggest
August 13, 2020
WE – the English people can no longer have free speech. That is a FACT. Anyone who has come from anywhere can “take offence” at what we have said – and report us, leading to arrest/fine/jail and record destroying our lives forever – in our own country. The incomers, who we are constantly told are all doctors, scientists and engineers etc, but many prove to be violent criminals/freeloaders can walk down the street talking in their own language, making whatever comment they want, knowing they are safe from this type of prosecution. The govts actions in letting in the world – to do whatever they want after getting here – and living on our taxes – is destroying this nation. I really am glad death gets closer by the day and most of my life has already gone. The young of today have no future in the country that their great grandfathers etc fought to keep free – because it is no longer England. And NO – -multiculturalism has NOT made it a better or safer place, when we are now afraid to go places, because of violent imported criminals wanting for free – the nice things we have worked for and bought.
August 13, 2020
P.S. – -More boats yesterday, more people, more bills for us, more houses, nhs and translators for them – -and we get the joy of going to the back for treatment AND paying for it all.
August 13, 2020
Encouraging people ‘to write in with a better vision of the future’ sounds very nice, but we need to look harder at how we got into the mess we’re in at present. Otherwise, to borrow a comparison used by a previous commentator on this site, it would be as useful as arguing over the playlist to be used by the Titanic’s band.
We need to get the lunatics’ hands off the tiller first, then get all sectors of the economy back to work, and stop printing money that can’t be repaid. The only way that’s going to happen is if the Big Mistake is admitted:- Covid 19 isn’t what we thought it was at first, the figures took a while to get clearer, the WHO misinformed us… whatever face-saving story it takes, that’s what it will take. Over-reacting, in what the government thought in good faith was the national interest, should not be a hanging offence, or even a resigning matter. If any politician has the rhetorical ability and personality to make that sort of policy turn acceptable, it’s Boris Johnson. He should go for it. Then indeed let’s look to the future.
August 13, 2020
From the BBC – Heads warn of ‘unfair’ grades for A-level students. A headline designed to create a rift and a problem. The real story is everyone is guessing and some guessed differently to others, but no one took the test, so no one knows.
August 13, 2020
This is terrifyingly true.
I’m not the first to flag the SNP government’s proposed Hate Crime bill, under which
an individual can be sentenced for âstirring-up hatredâ without intention to do so, indeed without having actually done so – if the court considers that what you said (possibly without any actual record, just somebody’s claim) was âlikelyâ to stir up hatred (whatever that is), then you will be found guilty. Up to 7 years in jail. Under the bill you could be prosecuted on a single piece of ‘evidence’, which might be hearsay.
Ironically, some sitting SNP MPs voted against a proposed hate crime bill in Westminster in 2006.
There are other ways the SNP government is seeking to limit our freedoms and rights. It has changed the legislation in Scotland, allowing foreigners (with right to reside) to vote in elections in Scotland. So there is the prospect of foreigners voting in next year’s Holyrood elections, with the SNP likely to say in their campaign, a vote for the SNP is a vote to leave the UK – more particularly, if one arm of the SNP gets its way, the campaign may well be, if you vote us into power (again), you have voted to take Scotland independent now, without a referendum on the issue.
Of course, if the hate crime bill is passed in anything close to its current guise, there will be no need to beat your opponents in debate or at the ballot box, when you can simply seek criminal sanction against them.
August 13, 2020
We can start by mending the BBC.
Their strategy seems to comb the news to select gloomy stories about the more unfortunate in this world whom life picks on in some way.
They feed off the young and impressionable by banging the drum that there is no longer any hope in this world and that we are all victims too. Basically we should all just give up now.
I watch this invitation to join in with the culture of tears in a session of “group-snivel” and come away exhausted, as all the empathy is sucked out of me by what has become an ugly monster that seeks to ruin my day.
Well, I’m sorry to break this to you but I’m happy and you’re not going to stop me, so just deal with it BBC.
August 13, 2020
It cannot be mended almost everone who works there has the same misguided views.
August 13, 2020
Jack
“We can start by mending the BBC.”
Mend it ? It needs killing off.
August 13, 2020
Its on life support – turn off the licence money from over-75s.
Enact law to make maximum licence fee ÂŁ50.
Ban Political broadcasts, political ‘debates’.
Merge BBC2, BBC3, BBC4.
Limit salary and contract fee for personnel to ÂŁ250k.
I rather hope it wouldn’t survive that pruning – root and branch.
August 13, 2020
The State has become a monster, imposing more and more regulations so that virtually every sector of the economy has, or soon will have, its own regulator and the need for everyone working in it to be enforcing those regulations or ensuring they comply with them.
Even small shopkeepers, publicans and restaurant owners are reduced to being enforcers of a myriad of coronavirus regulations under pain of imprisonment.
The BBC says there will soon be a regulator of social media empowered to censor any criticism of the government. I don’t know whether to believe this or not, but the fact that it is even being mooted with so little adverse comment is alarming.
The State and the majority of the working population have become one and the same thing. Students and unemployed people aspire to become part of this machine because it is now the only thing availiable for them to aspire to.
I only hope that one day we shall have a Conservative government, which, to merit the name Conservative, would reverse this and give us back our freedom (note: OUR freedom, not theirs).
August 13, 2020
The BBC already is a censor, just as envisioned by Eric Blair, deciding which criticisms are permitted and which never see the light of day, a web page, or broadcast.
August 13, 2020
Nobody gives freedom. You have to take it!
August 13, 2020
It is right that we challenge the narrative of the left otherwise if these views go uncontested, people will assume them to be the view of the majority or believe them to be true. Unfortunately, our institutions are infested with left leaning political activists. Cancel culture has taken hold. People who speak out are losing their jobs. As a Unilever shareholder Iâve just written to them to complain about their false statement that we the British have a lack of humanity. We are amongst the most generous people on this planet and have the right to protect our borders. We have other celebrities wanting to ban the word âBritishâ. We need to stand up to these corporate and celebrity bullies before our rights are taken away forever. Disagreeing with someoneâs beliefs and views is not HATE SPEECH.
August 13, 2020
No law says that it is either.
However, you safety-in-numbers types might believe that because there happens to be a large crowd of you, all telling the same lies about other groups, the rest of us have to accept them as truth. We do not, and the law represents us and those who defend the truth.
To slander an entire race, or other perfectly respectable class of person, in order to excuse their persecution is, absolutely, hate speech.
August 13, 2020
And I presume you’re arbiter of the ‘truth’.
August 14, 2020
The facts are.
If you are going to accuse someone, then you must be willing to prove your case.
August 14, 2020
absence of proof about the 17m you regularly accuse of something.
August 14, 2020
There are facts we cannot say in public and often the data is hidden.
It has to be decoded as Chris S has.
August 14, 2020
Fred, I did not make any groundless assertion about any group as a pretext for discriminating against them or for persecuting them.
But yes, it’s well documented now, that in terms of educational stature, age, and economic contribution, Leave voters tended to be sub-optimal, according to the research done by well-proven analysts. That is their misfortune.
It’s my opinion, that people voting against the most successful peace project, and advanced, civilised association of nations that the world has ever seen are strange, however.
Do you think that I should be prevented from saying that?
August 14, 2020
MARTIN – you allege bizarre stuff all the time – with no proof whatsever.
You call into witness nobody. ‘ research done by well-proven analysts.’
So thats enough for you?
You could train a dog to wag its tail and rush to the door – on directing it ‘we’ll go for the paper’ .
Mine as a child did – hadn’t got a clue really – but it recognised it was a run out and a walk to the shops. You might allege a marvellous insight in a canine.
August 13, 2020
You define free speech.
Your idea of lies is other people’s truth.
August 13, 2020
In a post on here recently you abused all 17 million people who voted differently to you.
Now here in your final paragraph you describe this as hate speech.
August 14, 2020
Postmodernist mumbo-jumbo yet again, Edward.
August 14, 2020
I didn’t think your post was that bad Martin.
But if you insist.
August 14, 2020
Rubbish, Martin. The right may say things you disagree with, but (some of) the left prevent those on the right from speaking by verbal, legal and physical attacks. That includes loss of jobs.
August 14, 2020
Martin thinks all that is only fair.
August 14, 2020
Employers can only sack people for having the “wrong” opinions because Tory employment “law” permits that.
The power of employers should be reined in, or there will be no end to this.
You won’t get that from John’s party however.
August 14, 2020
Now you want employees to not be sacked for making non PC comments.
Looking forward to seeing you back that up.
August 15, 2020
I have always thought that employees should only be sacked for failures which materially affect their performance.
All firms should clearly state that the personal views of their employees on matters unconnected with the business are not their concern, provided that any related actions by them are within the law.
Employers are entitled not to employ criminals if they so wish.
August 13, 2020
I have no idea what you are talking about!
August 13, 2020
So who are these people who we are persecuting, Martin? And if they feel persecuted why aren’t they fleeing to France in rubber dinghies to claim asylum?
August 15, 2020
Now there is an idea! …
August 13, 2020
SJR, very good topic.
When it comes to controlling the narrative, there are none so experienced as the elite.
(I shall call them the Davos Group).
As soon as anyone start to investigate the Davos or comment on their actions, the thought police arrive and shut the convo. This is evident on social media and file upload sites.
Davos Group control all the main stream media and most of the social media.
Investigative journalism is all but finished, superbly shown in the latest Corona/Covid-19.
Wall to wall 24/7 media coverage, also using moving gif images behind the narrator (for it is a story after all) to use symbolism to hammer home the Project Fear.
(The moving gif is for your sub conscious to absorb).
Tooley Stu
August 13, 2020
I do not allow it, as I do not like unpleasant or dangerous language casting possibly false allegations and adding to divisions.
>
That is understandable as an MP you represent all, of course. Perhaps some of these posts are just intended for your private perusal? It is for you to judge. However, it is part of free speech to criticize large groups, big business, billionaire plots, religious extremists, if you chose not to allow it then you limit free speech.
I have always found you fair if I am to be honest. Just try to allow as much free speech as you can, dangerous or not, the truth sometimes is.
August 13, 2020
Yes, the Left is increasingly fascist, I long for the days of small government patriotic conservatism. Now, all we have is globalist sell-outs and God knows where this all ends.
August 13, 2020
+1
August 13, 2020
we do need to challenge some of the left wing assumptions which make all that more difficult
>
I could not agree more, the problem is the MSM.
August 13, 2020
I believe we are in the final stages of the book of Revelation. I would rather it not so, but that would not be intellectually honest.
August 14, 2020
bizarre.
August 13, 2020
We used to have an unwritten contract with those who lead us. It saved unnecessary debate because we knew we could earn our rights by acting responsibly in society and our leaders would honour their side of the contract by providing for our security, whether in policing, health, housing, borders, etc. With the introduction of insidious “human rights” legislation there’s no longer an obligation for people to earn rights, they simply turn up and demand them, whether they’ve acted responsibly, or not.
At the core of a safe society is the knowledge that everyone will be required to obey the law. We need to believe it’s the (common) law of the land that provides the final word, safe in the knowledge that if the rule of law can be disputed it’s the law that would change, not the narrative; especially, when designed solely to work around the law. Sadly, it’s the new generation of narrowly educated liberal left political classes who have abandoned the principles that bind us in harmony. They routinely make excuses for lawbreakers and criticise/demand apologies from those tasked with enforcing laws on which they’ve placed their own skewed interpretation. Meanwhile the left, specifically, pre-judge lawbreakers as disadvantaged “victims of circumstance”; they’re not, they’re simply criminals undeserving of any special consideration. We need to level up to a more equal society, not level down.
August 13, 2020
Stop pandering to and chasing after the hardened left, many of whom will never vote for you in a million years and start listening to those that DID vote for you.
Start quashing more extremist leftist attitudes. For example, those that demand all historical statues should be removed just because they can’t understand that attitudes were different in times of old, need to be told where to go. By allowing this happen is nothing more than historical vandalism.
Universities that push a strong leftist agenda should not be given public money to do so. Those that are now demanding a bailout should be refused, unless they agree to return to institutions of balanced education and opinions.
Universities, I believe, is where many of the problems as described in the article stem from. Extreme left attitudes are promoted, encouraged and not stamped upon. One such example, Safe Spaces were not needed in my day at University, so why are they needed now? It is just pandering to those that cannot accept other people have an opinion that differs to theirs. In addition certain guest speakers are banned unless they have a particular attitude, how is this balanced?
I largely believe many traditional working class to be decent people, with common sense attitudes. However they are increasing tarred with the same brush as the radical metropolitan left, the ones who are coming out with these ridiculous ideals of what they consider to be right and wrong.
The Conservatives managed to appeal to these people at the last election, so start listening to them, or risk them returning to a Labour party of ridiculous attitudes.
August 13, 2020
The communists knew finally the game was up when the Berlin Wall came down and the communist way of life in the USSR was finally exposed as a terrible idea held together only by severe authoritarian rule.
As a result the communists in the West have infiltrated our institutions and morphed into organisations/pressure groups with their sole intention to destroy capitalismâs ability to create wealth and through poverty and chaos to gain power.
Hence the Greens/ER/climate change agenda push for âgreenâ energy goals which are technologically unachievable in order to cause power shortages leading to economic collapse and subsequent civil disorder.
The PC/woke/identity politics/cancellation movement is designed to cause division and stresses in society again to disrupt wealth creation and social harmony whilst at the same time stopping free speech as a pre-cursor to softening up the population into accepting one party politics and authoritarianism.
The push for mass immigration into Europe, which has now been made an official goal of the UK by Mrs. Mayâs signing of the UNâs Global Migration Pact, is designed to undermine the wealth and social stability of the West.
August 13, 2020
For me, the debate regarding immigration in general and the dinghy people crossing the channel in particular is missing a key element: that we, the British or we, the English (however you choose to draw the boundary) are a political community.
The nature of that community is that it is tied to a particular tract of land and is informed by its history and a shared sense of its future. In particular, *we* are a community – we expect to have control over who is part of the community and who we recognise as being part of it. This is why controlling our borders is important – it literally defines who can take part in the wider national community and all its activities which we collectively create. If anyone can wander in and demand to be treated as a member, it undermines our sense of being a particular national community where we belong rather than just a random collection of people.
So yes, it is about shared resources, house prices, space on the roads. It is about who gets benefits. But it is also about something much deeper: who are *we* and who gets to be part of that *we* and on what terms.
That is the point that I would like to hear ministers and MPs take a lead on and reintroduce into public discourse. At present, the left is either careless about this issue or outright hostile to the idea of nation.
As one our brightest and articulate MPs, I hope you will make a contribution to this discussion.
August 13, 2020
+1 âweâ are all related, thatâs what a nation is. We share genes. âOurâ survival is so important individuals die for it, willingly.
August 14, 2020
Martin in Cardiff admitted earlier this week that they are coming to take advantage of our considerable ‘illegal’ economy.
The one that has a blind eye turned towards it. Remainers offer a laissez faire opinion of it…. whilst bleating that leaving the EU will result in the erosion of working conditions.
There is nothing ‘modern’ about modern slavery. We had eradicated it in Britain for a while (for all races) to our credit.
This is as culturally corrosive as corrupt postal voting. It means people operating outside the law and no – amnesty is not the solution, that will only beget more of it.
August 13, 2020
I’m sorry to say government ministers are among the worst offenders. ‘Global warming’ became ‘climate change’ then ‘climate crisis’ then a ‘climate emergency’, now it’s THE climate emergency’, definite article, All this despite 700 professional climate scientists stating there isn’t one.
Likewise a few weeks ago we were warned of a potential ‘second wave’ of Covid 19, now I hear ministers referring to THE second wave although many medical specialists believe it to be unlikely.
Both these instances of panic talk are causing catastrophic damage to our economy by grossly exaggerating supposed risks.
August 13, 2020
Ian,
+1 from me…
Well spotted on the ‘moving goal posts’ of the Climate saga.
Also.. watch how the wording is being changed in the Plandemic.
Covid-19.. now Coronavirus.
They are not the same animal at all.. but the media swops and changes to suit the narrative.
Tooley Stu
August 13, 2020
There is very clearly no crisis and there are very much more important, cost effective and urgent things to deal with anyway. Furthermore even if their CO2 devil gas catastrophe religion were remotely true the solutions they suggest do not even work in CO2 terms. The war against CO2 does far far more harm than good. Every decent (and honest) physicist, scientists and engineer knows this. Even some biologists do!
August 13, 2020
Yet more boats, more freeloaders etc etc. None of you have any intention of saving this country. It is our punishment for daring to vote NOT to ruled/wiped out by the EU.
August 13, 2020
bigneil
“None of you have any intention of saving this country. It is our punishment for daring to vote NOT to ruled/wiped out by the EU.”
Exactly !
August 13, 2020
I could murder a ‘cup of tea’!
Ooops⊠my mistake, I didn’t mean to offend, incite violence, or prejudice …
August 13, 2020
a better vision of the future.
Repeal the Climate Change Act, disband the Climate Change Committee, get rid of the BEIS department which only talks to environmental activists.
August 13, 2020
+1 but Boris has a climate alarmist new wife and a new baby too.
August 13, 2020
Re âI encourage people to write in with a better vision of the futureâ
Well you need some top-level principles on which to hang all the details policies, instead of a mish mash which donât join up, something like:
1 Large, significant, sustained and ongoing move of power away from the state and towards the individual citizen. In everything. So, individuals get to control their own NHS health insurance pay-outs and where they take them, control their own school budgets and where they take them, their own housing subsidy payments and where they take them, and so on.
2 Large, significant, sustained reduction in state bureaucracy. Reduce the amount of money spent on bureaucracy in the MOD, dept of health, and so on.
3 Re balance the economy. Stop this social engineering that believes we can be a services-based economy, financial services, tourism, and education provider. Stop making it too difficult for manufacturing to operate here, a lot of the âgreenâ measures forcing production to close here and move to India & China actually push up net world pollution. Stop the state (& Dom Cummings) trying to pick winners. Treat all productive parts of the economy equally.
4 Stand up for free speech. Abolish compromise agreement confidentiality clauses. Libel etc to be revoked. Implement proper free speech guarantees like in US.
5 Encourage and reward people for âdoing the right thingâ. Encourage saving, stop restricting benefits payments to people who have savings, etc. Encourage safer driving, negative points for X years of safe driving with no prosecutions, to balance out the points from the anti-car nutter policies.
6 Proper immigration reductions. Stop issuing work visas to India in such vast quantities. Stop offering perks to nationals from other countries here without indefinite leave that Brits would not get in their home country. No free schooling for families here on work or student visas, unless Brits would get equivalent in their home country, donât let them in if they cannot afford the cost of their kids schooling. Indefinite leave and British passports should be much harder to get.
7 Be a lot more pro-British, and fight actively for the people already here & already holding British passports. Stop being so naĂŻve in international negotiations.
8 Stop treating the NHS like a religion. Copy from the best of the rest of the world, Australian & New Zealand health systems etc.
9 Stop being anti-car driver, adopt policies of abd.org.uk
10 Free school meals for all school children of any age or demographic. The means testing misses too many families that struggle.
11 Mandate that all new build properties, either business or residential MUST have fibre optic telco connection all the way from the individual premise back to the nearest exchange. No more laying copper anywhere, always replace with fibre. Grant tax breaks for putting fibre to the premise into any existing property.
12 Abolish the Financial Ombudsman Service, and bar all of its senior officers from taking up any posts anywhere else in the public sector. Provide grants to individuals to take financial organisations to expanded small claims courts.
13 Push for a proper meritocracy. All âequalityâ rules and laws to protect white working-class accents as much as skin colour, religion and gender. No more active discrimination against the white working class, especially men, in the name of âpositive discriminationâ.
14 Take the media to task for showing far higher proportion of BAME presenters and stars than actually exist in the real population of the country. In particular push for talented white people with working class and regional accents to have far more air time, to redress this balance.
15 Tackle corporates moving their profits around corporate structures so that tax only become payable in havens. Ban companies with ultimate holding companies registered in havens from bidding for public sector work.
16 Encourage freelancing. Embrace that part of the economy. Donât make them pay for work travel & hotels out of taxed income due to IR35, and other nonsense.
17 Stop the state manipulating countless markets. E.g. Donât subsidise electric cars, if people want them, they will buy them. Donât pay for BBC through mandatory licence, let them go subscription based etc.
18 Stop the nonsense of the public sector trying to subcontract too much to small companies, its badly thought through nonsense. Often a big outsourcing deal is the best solution, if its is donât be frightened to do it.
19 Active work by the government to protect British intellectual property. Coordinated action to slow down the rate at which it leaks to competitor nations.
20 Reward politicians who stand up for what their manifesto said. No rewards for those who lied and put stuff in their manifesto they clearly never intended to deliver. In everything from honours system, to other roles granted, etc.
21 Tanks on the lawns of the sink schools immediately. Nothing deserves more attention fast. The sink schools that have been sink for decades and decades through lots of name changes, building changes, and political fashions need rapid action. Especially the worst ones in the old industrial heartlands and inner cities. Put Katharine Birbalsingh into the house of lords, make her an education minister, and give her whatever power she wants to fix the sink schools. Real dramatic change within first 6 months needed, it will be hard, but its an emergency.
Many more statements of the blooming obvious available. You can pay my think tank a grand a day and I will happily provide.
So, we want a freer, less bureaucratic society which spends less on its admin and more on actual delivered results. We want much more power in the hands of individuals and away from all the arms of the nanny allocating & rationing state. We want more balance in the economy. We want a proper meritocracy where all can benefit from protections against prejudice against their heritage, and a fair chance to succeed. We want a pro-British government in everything it does. We want more genuine justice available to middle income earners not just the richest or poorest.
August 14, 2020
and thats telling you!
August 15, 2020
đ
August 16, 2020
Well done Iain.
Totally agree on no 21.
August 13, 2020
Your failure to moderat this entry and a further one at 10.14 suggests sadly to me that you are part of the problem and not the solution.
Nothing I have said is likely to get you in court, it must be too close to the truth.
August 13, 2020
Let us start with with cancelling that IDIOT Theresa May’s hate speech dictat and releasing the thousands of police involved in the non-job of tracking hate speech back into the field. There again the way the police system is controled these days through the Common Puropse BS it is probably a lost cause. Let us go back to the days, pre Macpherson report and get some police on the street with common sense (not purpose) and some true community policing.
Zero toelrance comes to mind.Remember Ray Mallon?
August 13, 2020
+1 and almost everything else that silly, dishonest, nasty, socialist dope did.
August 15, 2020
You have a kind heart LL, or maybe just a gentleman. âSilly socialist dopeâ are not the words that spring into my mind. Worse by a margin than Joyce and deserving of the same penalty.
August 13, 2020
Well said.
The hate speech laws need to be abolished, primarily because they are subjective, and that they inhibit free speech. Also they somehow tend to be used to the advantage of pressure groups and against traditional viewpoints. Traditional or majority opinion, evidence and truth seem to have no effective protection.
If someone says something that is generally considered outrageous, then surely the resulting public opprobrium is the remedy, else they can be ignored. We do not need hate speech laws to arbitrarily say what is allowed or not.
The TV media too must be held to account – no more selective reporting, or introducing interviewees as experts when they are really political activists.
August 13, 2020
Political correctness must be opposed at all times at and in all levels of society. It must not be tolerated or excused. It is malevolent.
PC is a restraint on all speech and thought, it subdues enthusiasm and initiative and destroys individual and collective confidence. It causes weakness and negativity, destroys pride in personal and national abilities and the wish to protect and defend our way of life, and seeks to punish those who speak against those who wish to take it away.
Cumulatively it reduces economic activity and the creation of wealth. It is a weapon of today’s liberal fascists, who are now at the top of our country’s administration. Those close to them must have the courage to speak against them personally, avoidance of conflict is not acceptable.
Everyone must stand against it, those professing a belief in freedom must be prepared to put their heads above the parapet; if they don’t they are the worst type of coward.
August 13, 2020
Left language – everything has to be electric and green
Just seen the new northwest ambulance service BMW electric i3 (just carries paramedic staff) at ÂŁ35,000 â hope it doesnât run out of power going to an emergency
August 13, 2020
Politically Correct speech – PC – is Orwellian.
It pretends to to try to reduce and eliminate incorrect speech.
Of course, speech results from a thought – it is the way we verbalize and communicate ideas. So when someone says “you mustn’t say that” – what they really mean is “You can’t mustn’t think that”
It is Orwellian…
August 13, 2020
.. but do we have to bad mouth and insult everyone whom we fail to agree with or don’t take a shine to. Do we have to belittle every other person in a childish verbal fight to demonstrate some pseudo egotistical power . Free speech doesn’t mean a free for all to bring down the general tone to a slagging match.
August 13, 2020
It would be good to have a proper evaluation of energy supply. I guess we all want to preserve the climate yet at the same time fossil fuels get a bad press. So a totally independent review of the best energy sources will be helpful.
Policing our borders is a massive challenge because no matter what resources or agreements are in place people will find ways round it. It is my understanding that Britain introduced the idea of Asylum to the UN after WW2. May be the simple solution is to abolish the right to claim Asylum in Britain? ok ok may be this is far too simplistic and subjected to world condemnation and even trade sanctions, however I put this out for further comments and Im sure clarification on what can and cannot be done
August 13, 2020
Agreed – no asylum seeker should reach the U.K. they have to apply for asylum in the âfirst safe countryâ.
August 15, 2020
They do not have to apply for asylum in the âfirst safe countryâ: thatâs Ă bovine ignorance of the UK Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
(With apologies to the cows and bulls, they do not deserve it).
August 13, 2020
JR
In response to this topic……..I”m mortified, completely mortified.
August 13, 2020
But not actually mortified.
August 14, 2020
steve – -please don’t be.
dictionary – mortified ’cause (someone) to feel very embarrassed or ashamed.’
You should not be ashamed not embarrassed, generally your contributions add value and reality to this blog.
August 17, 2020
They certainly are in line with the overall average.
August 13, 2020
Weakness from Johnson today in his remarks in a Northern Ireland on an EU trade agreement. The Irish press are reporting Johnson agreed the âabsolute necessityâ for a free-trade deal that would be tariff- and quota-free. Remarks like that will be interpreted in Brussels and Dublin as the U.K. waving a white flag.
We cannot after to any role, direct or indirect for the ECJ or any EU law in any field. Better to collect tariffs on the EU trade surplus than surrender fish or sovereignty for a bad one-side deal. The EU -and all its member states should recognise in binding that Gibraltar and art works like the Elgin Marbles are lawfully British. There should be no participation by the UK in EU Judical and Home affairs or agreement that we stay in the ECHR. We should agree nothing but a fair trade deal that covers services in exchange for goods and agriculture.
August 14, 2020
Freeborn John
Gibraltar was war booty important at the time because it gave us dominance in the slave trade over Spain. Do you think this is considered legitimate today? Also Minorca was ceded to us at the same time but managed to liberate itself. Do you want that back as well?
As regards the ownership of the Elgin marbles, they were created by a civilisation at a time when our forefathers were still painting pictographs on cave walls. You think we are now the rightful owners of those?
August 14, 2020
MH I think that we owe Lord Elgin a debt of gratitude for the fact that the Elgin Marbles still exist, I donât think that the Parthenon has emerged unscathed?
August 14, 2020
The biggest damage to the Parthenon was done in 1687 by Morosini, Mutino and the Turk leaders who were storing gunpowder on the hill when the Venetians attacked.
When Lord Elgin between 1801 and 1813 took the Marbles, he pretended to have an agreement with the Turk Ottoman authorities, which since then has never been found by any researcher historian in any archive.
Good that in his days Lord Byron considered Lord Elgin’s actions as looting and vandalism.
Now Cynic Lester, could you please give me a list of all the damages that the Greeks have done to the Parthenon since their independence from the Turks in 1832. Thanks in advance.
August 14, 2020
PC is not the specific language of the left. It is the language of government, party, and any organisation or individual who wishes to suppress the truth for their own ends. It is rife in the UK and insidiously tangible. It is the destroyer of democracy. Prove to me otherwise.
August 14, 2020
The extent of free speech is controlled by what is broached.
The majority of speech is in reaction to a subject. News channels process what they communicate from their informant. Others may comment freely on the subject chosen for them at source. Speech which does not reach many others may be free, but it is limited in its freedom of reach.
August 14, 2020
Liberté, égalité, fraternité/ Liberty Equality Fraternity (Left in the dust and lost in translation, spirit and well meaning). High-jacked by Momentum and Union bully boys in recent times and Marxist / Communists too.
The road to Hell has been paved with good intentions but interpretation has always been problematic. Just ask the French….
August 15, 2020
Out of about half a million Labour members, Momentum had just thirty thousand.
They were never the big deal that the shrieking hysterics on the Right claimed – as ever.
August 15, 2020
Polls this week show the Conservatives 7 points ahead.
Schools must return, making sure adults working there are safe from each other at all times, this means staff and faculty room changes. It is vital they do reopen, I will not tolerate Communist China’s complete disregard of public hygiene destroying the life chances of a generation in successful open capitalist countries.
August 18, 2020
It’s not only the spoken word. You are not allowed to draw pictures (e.g. as in the Danish newspapers or Charlie Hebdo of some years ago), you can’t make models or sculpted images of people without worrying about upsetting some sections of the populace. The police can’t carry out routine inspection of vehicles without getting a “do you know who I am” response and having the race card played against them. Again.