- “Toby Young spearheads efforts against Starmer’s free speech clampdown just 24 hours after entering Parliament” – The Daily Sceptic’s Lord Toby Young has joined a cross-party parliamentary group dedicated to protecting free speech, just 24 hours after taking his seat in the House of Lords, reports GB News.
- “Christian Iraqi who burnt Koran shot dead ‘in live stream’” – An anti-Islam activist who sparked outrage across Muslim countries for burning the Koran has been shot dead in Sweden, reports the Mail.
- “Who killed Salwan Momika, the Iraqi who burned a Quran?” – In the Spectator, Kunwar Khuldune Shahid details how Salwan Momika joins a tragic line of critics of Islam slain in Europe.
- “It’s time we all stood up for the right to ridicule Islam” – The killing of the ‘blasphemer’ Salwan Momika is an intolerable assault on liberty, says Brendan O’Neill in Spiked.
- “Is Islam to blame for the grooming gangs? Part one” – Will the grooming gangs inquiry examine the racial and religious motives of the rapists? wonders Connor Tomlinson on the Restoration Substack.
- “Holocaust exhibition ‘too political’ to be displayed in Parliament” – A Holocaust memorial exhibition has been banned from Parliament for being too political even though the authorities have allowed pro-Palestinian activists to campaign in the same space, reports the Times.
- “Migrants who delay rescues until they reach British waters to face five years in jail” – Migrants who prevent rescues in the Channel taking place until they reach U.K. waters face up to five years in jail under Labour’s new law to tackle the small boats crisis, says the Mail.
- “Shameless Conservatives are rewriting the history of their immigration disaster” – Priti Patel’s excuses for record immigration numbers in an interview with the Sun’s Harry Cole are an insult to the intelligence of voters, writes William Atkinson in the Telegraph.
- “Badenoch rebukes Priti Patel for defending soaring immigration under Tories” – Priti Patel has been rebuked by her party leader after she defended sky-high immigration during the Conservative Party’s last years in office, reports the Express.
- “Reeves denies rift with Miliband over Heathrow expansion” – Rachel Reeves has denied a rift with Ed Miliband over her decision to support the building of a third runway at Heathrow Airport, says the Mail.
- “‘Reeves’ growth plan isn’t a patch on my mini-Budget’” – Liz Truss has branded Rachel Reeves’ plan for growth “thin gruel” and insisted that her mini-Budget contained much better plans to revive the economy, reports the Telegraph.
- “‘As a businessman, this is how I’d save Brexit’” – We have the freedom we need to make Brexit work, says Luke Johnson in the Telegraph. We just need to use it.
- “The hard truth about Britain’s soft power” – If you have to go on about ‘soft power’, the chances are you don’t have it – or that you are losing it, writes Douglas Murray in the Spectator.
- “Will those who put only anti-woke VC through a witch-hunt pay a price?” – In the Mail, Guy Adams reveals how Buckingham University’s anti-woke Vice Chancellor James Tooley was suspended in a shameless political hit job. But will the failed plotters pay?
- “Private school head accuses Reeves of ‘politically motivated tax on education’” – A private school headteacher has accused Rachel Reeves of imposing a “politically motivated education tax” on British students, after it emerged U.S. military personnel would be exempt, according to the Telegraph.
- “Richard Madeley grills Rachel Reeves on CV” – The Spectator’s Steerpike dishes out the latest drama on Rachel Reeves as Richard Madeley slams the Chancellor on Good Morning Britain, calling out her CV embellishments.
- “Keir Starmer isn’t the problem – the whole Westminster edifice is rotten” – What’s unfolding in Britain today seems less like a crisis of politics, but a crisis of legitimacy, says Sam Ashworth-Hayes in the Telegraph.
- “Labour can’t understand why Trump hates snivelling Mandy” – To any MAGA fanatic googling our forthcoming ambassador, he’ll sound like globalism incarnate, writes Tim Stanley in the Telegraph.
- “Reform U.K. surge ahead of the Tories in new polling” – A poll by Survation shows that Reform U.K. is ahead of the Tories and is now just three points behind Labour, according to the Mail.
- “Why don’t we know how many people are in Britain?” – The question of how many people live in Britain eludes some of the nation’s brightest statistical minds, writes Sam Bidwell in the Spectator.
- “British car production tumbles as drivers shun EVs” – Car production saw a massive drop last year as the sector faced difficulties in keeping up with Government targets and a lack of consumer appetite for electric vehicles, reports GB News.
- “Tesla profits slide as Musk battles to boost EV demand” – Tesla’s latest earnings report paints a grim picture for the EV giant, as net income in the fourth quarter of 2024 dropped over 70% year-over-year, according to Wonderful Engineering.
- “Why is the assisted dying bill being rushed through Parliament?” – In the Spectator, Andrew Tettenborn slams Kim Leadbeater’s rushed assisted dying bill, calling it a thinly veiled attempt to bypass opposition and stifle proper debate.
- “Terminally ill ‘do not have free choice’ on assisted dying” – A Marie Curie boss has warned that the terminally ill do not have “free choice” on assisted dying because palliative care is so poor, reports the Telegraph.
- “NHS to cut thousands of managers and free up millions for front line” – The NHS will cut 2,000 central manager jobs under plans to divert funds to the front line, says the Telegraph.
- “The avian influenza trilogy – more scratch and sniff” – On the TTE Substack, Dr. Tom Jefferson and Prof. Carl Heneghan probe the UKHSA’s first reported human H5N1 case in England, questioning whether it’s genuine transmission or just another wild goose chase.
- “Official Czech record level data shows Moderna recipients had up to a 50% higher death rate than Pfizer recipients” – On Substack, Steve Kirsch reveals Czech data showing Moderna’s 50% higher mortality rate than Pfizer, but authorities remain silent.
- “U.S. withdrawal from the WHO shines spotlight on need for reform” – On Substack, Rebekah Barnett argues that Trump’s WHO withdrawal exposes deep flaws in the organisation, forcing a reckoning that could spark long-overdue reform.
- “Canada should follow Trump’s lead and withdraw from the WHO” – Captured by authoritarian regimes, the WHO bungled its response to Covid and is pushing unscientific health policies on its members, says David Clement in the National Post.
- “Fake papers are contaminating the world’s scientific literature, fuelling a corrupt industry and slowing legitimate lifesaving medical research” – Shady global firms have turned fake research into an industry, corrupting the literature doctors and engineers depend on, says Frederik Joelving in the Conversation.
- “Scots think their country was a victim of the British Empire, poll finds” – Scots are more likely to see Scotland as having been a subject, rather than a partner, in the British Empire, reveals YouGov in a new poll. They were a partner, obviously.
- “The many questions of the Washington plane crash” – It surely won’t be long before a public figure tries to blame the new Trump administration’s militaristic streak for the Washington plane disaster, says Freddy Gray in the Spectator.
- “What caused the American Airlines plane crash in Washington DC?” – A failure by pilots to perform the time-honoured method of “seeing and avoiding” other aircraft appears to lie behind the Washington crash, reports the Times.
- “Trump administration offers two million federal workers payouts to resign” – Trump’s administration is offering federal workers the chance to take a “deferred resignation” which would mean they agree now to resign but get paid through September, says NBC News.
- “Trump’s first 10 days have overwhelmed the Democrats – and the liberal media” – Trump’s second term has thus far been more productive and energetic than that of any president in history, writes Charles Lipson in the Telegraph.
- “Former Obama administration adviser flew to Britain to rape nine year-old girl” – A former senior adviser to Barack Obama’s administration has been jailed for 11-and-a-half years after flying to the U.K. to rape what he believed was a nine year-old girl, reports GB News.
- “Trump vs Marvel: how the new Captain America film became a patriotic battleground” – The star of Captain America: Brave New World has irked the Right with seemingly un-American remarks, writes Alexander Larman in the Telegraph – but that isn’t the film’s only problem…
- “How the gender fever finally broke” – Loving, naive parents believed medical science was above politics and beyond question, says Abigail Shrier in the Free Press. Now, with the stroke of a pen, a destructive ideology has been eliminated.
- “How IPSO surrendered to the trans lobby” – In the Spectator, Conrad Roeber exposes how IPSO’s commitment to accuracy was undermined by trans lobby groups.
- “When will the NHS admit DEI is dead?” – In UnHerd, Josephine Bartosch slams NHS leadership for throwing taxpayers’ money at unnecessary DEI roles.
- “Sadiq Khan blasted for spending £2 million on statues and ‘woke’ plaques” – Sadiq Khan has been slammed for spending £2 million of taxpayers’ money on “woke nonsense”, reports GB News.
- “Policing chief drops diversity guide telling officers not to say ‘black sheep’” – A policing chief has torn up a diversity guide that told officers not to use the term “black sheep”, saying the public want crime solved not “virtue signalling”, says the Telegraph.
- “Bishop of Liverpool quits over sex harassment claims” – The Bishop of Warrington has revealed that she made a sexual harassment allegation against the Bishop of Liverpool, according to the Liverpool Echo.
- “Don’t believe the ‘Believe Her’ movement” – In the Spectator, Mary Wakefield slams the hypocrisy of the German Greens, turning Stefan Gelbhaar’s downfall – fuelled by a fictional accusation – into a cautionary tale of the ‘Believe Her’ movement.
- “Heaven is a ‘trad dad’” – In the Spectator, Arabella Byrne embraces her role as a “tradwife” to a “trad dad”, where his breadwinning funds her writing, and despite the economic gap, she finds satisfaction in the old-school balance of their partnership.
- “Women still need to be married to be taken seriously – and that’s no bad thing” – As Kirstie Allsopp proved this week, you really need to be a Mrs. rather than a Ms. to achieve ultimate power status, says Angela Epstein in the Telegraph.
- “Brian and Maggie, review” – By mistake, Channel Four has made a sympathetic drama about Margaret Thatcher, writes Anita Singh in the Telegraph.
- “Harry and Meghan are ridiculed by comedian at Netflix event in LA” – Harry and Meghan were barely mentioned at Netflix’s recent LA event, underscoring their waning influence with the streaming giant, says the Mail.
- “DeepSeek fails truth test by repeating Beijing talking points” – Analysis shows that the Chinese chatbot that has disrupted the world of AI responds to queries with fake news and Beijing’s talking points, reports the Times.
- “It’s not just DeepSeek, all AI is censored” – All AI bots reflect the biases of their creators, says Sean Thomas in the Spectator.
- “Newly discovered ‘Christmas asteroid’ could collide with Earth” – A newly discovered asteroid wider than a football pitch could smash into Earth in less than a decade – and carries the highest risk of impact ever recorded by the European Space Agency, reports GB News.
- “The Drenching Arms: part four” – In Paul Sutton’s Raven in Oxford, an exiled man forced into Orwellian re-education in a decaying Britain finds rare solace in a filthy stranger’s D-Day watch.
- “‘I became wrongly censorious’” – In conversation with Tucker Carlson, Piers Morgan admits he was “completely wrong” for pushing the Covid vaccine.
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Thursday Morning Gosport Rd, A31 & Winchester Rd, Chawton Alton
A friendly Daily Sceptic lady stopped by to say hello.
Scots think their country was a victim of the British Empire, poll finds
Support in Scotland for the SNP has been at around 30% of the population for decades, mainly in Glasgow, Dundee and parts of Edinburgh.
Most Irish immigrants to Scotland settled in the West of Scotland, particularly in Glasgow. Other popular destinations were Paisley, Dundee and Ayrshire and smaller numbers settled in Edinburgh and Stirling.
‘By the 1840s, the Catholic community in the west was overwhelmingly Irish – immigration from Ireland had been going on since the turn of the nineteenth century and by 1841 there were 126,000 people (5% of the population) of Irish birth resident in Scotland. Around 75 percent stayed in the west of the country, and most lived and worked in the manufacturing towns of the region……from then until 1851 over 80,000 Irish settled in the country, double the number of Irish immigrants who arrived between 1841 and 1846. Most of the destitute Irish landed at Glasgow – in 1847 alone over 50,000 arrived in Scotland’s largest city.’
https://www.rte.ie/history/post-famine/2020/1106/1176413-the-irish-invasion-how-the-irish-famine-changed-scotland/
So, by the mid 19th Century, about 10% of Scotland’s population was Irish….the proportion of Irish was pushing towards 20% in some cities…….the 1851 census records the Irish-born population in Coatbridge as 35.8%.
Given that the majority of Irish immigrants to Scotland were Roman Catholics, the birth rate of immigrant families had a major impact on population growth in Scotland.
Many Celtic supporters have Irish ancestry.That is why they supported the Irish Republican Army and are anti the British Royal Family, as we have just seen, again…..
Irish immigration to Scotland has, historically, been the driver of anti British Empire, Anti Royal Family, pro independence sentiments and of course a cavalier attitude towards campervan ownership……
Official Czech record level data shows Moderna recipients had up to a 50% higher death rate than Pfizer recipients
Shocking:
‘This data confirms the findings of the Hungary study which found Moderna had an 18% higher all-cause mortality during non-COVID periods even though “Pfizer was preferred among older adults with chronic diseases” which is a direct quote from the paper.
This was NOT caused by lower COVID efficacy for Moderna since the Hungary study showed Moderna had higher COVID protection than Pfizer.
The results for all but the very youngest people (under 25) was large and statistically significant. For 65 year olds, the mortality increase (2 year Moderna relative to Pfizer) was 1.65 with a 95% CI of 1.5-1.8.’
Mr Kennedy’s confirmation in post is a big fight. It is important for all of us, particularly youngsters, that he is confirmed.
This is all very odd.
“The female pilot commanding the flight, who has not yet been identified, at the time had also logged more than 500 hours, Koziol said.
‘Both pilots had flown this specific route before at night — this wasn’t something new to either one of them,’ he said.
‘These are our top pilots doing this National Capital Region.’
While the pilot being evaluated was at the wheel, if something were to have gone wrong, the instructor likely would have taken control, the publication stated.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14344975/black-hawk-pilot-identified-andrew-evans-dc-plane-helicopter-crash.html
Why won’t they name the third pilot?
As you can imagine, the conspiracies are flying on Twitter, so it’s obviously best to wait and see what revelations the investigation uncovers. I’ve no idea if the fault lies with the helicopter pilots or air traffic control. But then there’s this;
”If the X rumors are to be believed one of the pilots on the plane was a man who pretended he was a female Jo Ellis
He had been complaining about Trumps transgender ban.!!”
https://x.com/LeilaniDowding/status/1885232598709878918
Not sure why it’s saying the post’s been deleted when it’s still there;
”If the X rumors are to be believed one of the pilots on the helicopter was a man who pretended he was a female Jo Ellis
He had been complaining about Trumps transgender ban.!!”
https://x.com/LeilaniDowding/status/1885260079806533939
This is all just speculation at the moment, but here’s a post written by the above mentioned trans person;
”In 2023 I sent an email to my command giving them notice that I intended to start transition under the current in-service transition policy. My commander called me immediately after receiving the email and offered his support. I was met with overwhelming support from my entire command team and it would be kept confidential until I was ready to officially change genders. During this time, I started hormone treatment and started slowly presenting female in private or on vacations. I was medically stable and deployable 2 months later. Not every transgender person needs or wants gender reassignment surgery.
In 2024 I came out to my unit and started presenting publicly as a woman. Once again, I was met with overwhelming support from my unit at large. For obvious reasons, I was nervous I’d be unwelcome or make other females feel uncomfortable with my presence in the barracks, restrooms, etc. Many female soldiers in my unit offered their support. Some even went out of their way to make me feel comfortable in their space.
I’ve paid out of pocket for all my trans-related care. The military hasn’t covered any of it. I recently underwent facial feminization surgery and was non-deployable for 6 weeks. This was considered an elective surgery and not deemed medically necessary for transition. Similar to anyone who gets a nose job or face lift.”
https://www.smerconish.com/exclusive-content/living-to-serve-living-as-myself-a-transgender-service-members-perspective/
Keir Starmer isn’t the problem – the whole Westminster edifice is rotten
President Trump
‘…our government confronts a crisis of trust. For many years, a radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens while the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair.
We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home while, at the same time, stumbling into a continuing catalogue of catastrophic events abroad…….
We have a public health system that does not deliver in times of disaster, yet more money is spent on it than any country anywhere in the world.’
President Milei
‘Argentina was the “ghost of Western Christmases yet to come”, because we had already experienced everything you were going through, and we already knew how it would end.
If we want to change, if we truly want to defend the rights of citizens, we must first begin by telling them the truth. And the truth is that there is something badly mistaken about the ideas that have been promoted through forums such as this one.
Until the year 1800, the world’s per capita GDP remained virtually constant. However, from the 19th century onwards, and thanks to the Industrial Revolution, per capita GDP multiplied by 20, lifting 90% of the global population out of poverty, even though the population itself increased eightfold.
And this was only possible thanks to a convergence of fundamental values, respect for life, liberty and property, which enabled free trade, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the other pillars of Western civilization.
we invented capitalism on the basis of saving, investment, labour and reinvestment, and hard work…….Yet at some point in the 20th century, we lost our way and the liberal principles that had made us free and prosperous were betrayed.
A new political class, driven by collectivist ideologies and taking advantage of times of crisis, saw the perfect opportunity to accumulate power…..By promoting a socialist agenda while insidiously operating within the liberal paradigm, this new political class distorted the values of liberalism……
…..at the core of this new value system lies the fundamental premise that equality before the law is not enough, as hidden systemic injustices exist which must be rectified, an idea that serves as a gold mine for bureaucrats who aspire to omnipotence.’
That is the problem
‘we must once again embrace the last proven thesis of economic and social success. This is the model of freedom, once again embracing the ideas of freedom. Going back to libertarianism.’
And that is the solution.
The first political party in Britain that puts itself forward on that agenda will win a landslide…….
If we can’t get a Trump, maybe we can get a Milei? We certainly need someone like one or the other to bring us out of this decent into chaos.
Arg ‘descent’
I prefer Milei. He’s actually an avowed liberterian whose main mission is to shrivel the state.
Trump may be working to reduce the state. Might. But it’s neither his main goal nor do I think he particularly believes in it. Top of his agenda as I see it are keeping immigrants out and bringing industry back to the US.
Put it this way, Trump wants to give the state a trim. Milei wants to give it a proper crew cut.
“Don’t believe the ‘Believe Her’ movement”
Anyone might think this was a call to be sceptical about assertions without evidence.
“the whole Westminster edifice is rotten” – a (w)hole in one.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14342379/Migrants-prevent-rescues-Channel-dinghies-reach-UK-waters-face-five-years-jail.html
Oh that’s firkin marvellous. Instead of five star treatment they have to serve a couple of years in clink and then are released and Granted Indefinite Leave to Remain. That will definitely stop the soldiers arriving.
Another example of this country treating its people with contempt.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/01/30/democracy-is-failing-the-young-no-wonder-they-want-dictator/
Failing to understand that Kneel is the problem is a failure to understand the problem itself.
Migrants who resist rescue attempts in the Channel until reaching British waters will face up to five years in jail under new legislation tabled today by Labour.”
in other words, “if you don’t let us take you to Britain illegally, then we will arrest you and take you anyway, then you’ll get 5 years in prison (or travel lodge = uk prisons) or bed and board in a 5 star hotel all expenses paid and free clothing! So there,.. you bast!@ds.. that’s showed you huh?”
Sorry Piers, but it doesn’t matter one tiny jot whether or not the vaccine prevented transmission, it still should NOT have been pushed and coerced and forced on people like it was.
I’m sorry Piers, but that is a disgusting, contemptuous lie that keeps getting perpetuated and is completely false.
It was known from day 1 that those jabs didn’t stop the transmission of anything. Why? BECAUSE THE JAB PRODUCERS SAID SO!
I took the trouble to read the summary of the trials, which was public information, available to anyone who so much as bothered to look I’m just a regular person and I easily found the information. Before a single person got jabbed.
Piers Morgan is supposedly a journalist whose job is supposedly to ask questions, find answers, think critically and report to the public. On the most important issue of that time he asked zero questions, did zero thinking and instead became a shrill for the government like every other so called journalist.
So don’t come now on Tucker Carlson to launder your despicable actions with more lies. You weren’t led down any path. You ran down that path all by yourself, willingly and enthusiastically. You disgusting weasel.
You didn’t show any dignity at the time and you are showing less now by trying to blane your actions on others. “Wasn’t me guv, honest. It was ‘im made me do it.” What a scumbag.
Sorry but that is how these people need to be addressed when they come out with this garbage.
“Newly discovered ‘Christmas asteroid’ could collide with Earth”
Erm, just a second, you can’t call it ‘Christmas asteroid’ it’s ‘holiday season asteroid’!
Multicultural Festival asteroid perhaps?
In this case it’s fine because it’s something negative.
It’s ok to ascribe negative things to Christianity. In fact it’s encouraged
Some Russel Brand output on the C-19 Inquiry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sYzZme1A0U&list=WL&index=5 They Just Admitted THIS OUTLOUD!