- “Anders Tegnell’s lesson for the Covid Inquiry” – A written submission to the Halett Inquiry by Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s former State Epidemiologist, contains a barrage of uncomfortable facts, says Freddie Sayers in UnHerd.
- “BBC locked in antisemitism row after exec hugged pro-Palestine protester” – The BBC has been plunged into an antisemitism row after a Palestinian film maker was allowed to rant against Israel at a film festival and was then hugged by one of the broadcaster’s executives, reports the Express.
- “BBC’s choice for Eurovision called Israel an ‘apartheid state’ responsible for genocide” – The BBC has been urged to drop Britain’s entrant at next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after it emerged he’d signed a letter calling Israel an “apartheid regime” and criticising “Zionist propaganda”, reveals the Telegraph.
- “The silence of the anti-racists” – It’s high time we ignored the confected race rows that clutter public debate and confronted the very real hatred in our midst, says Tom Slater in Spiked.
- “Why universities target jews” – Elite U.S. schools are increasingly monocultural institutions that reject free thinkers, writes Levi Troy in City Journal.
- “Britain’s only growth area is regulation and red tape” – Our economic prospects are under serious threat – it’s time to rein in the regulators, says Matthew Lesh in the Telegraph.
- “Political gremlins lurk in the OBR’s immigration numbers” – The Government is doubling down on a political economy its 2019 voters don’t want, argues Karl Williams in CapX.
- “Macron has been humiliated by Marine Le Pen” – Marine Le Pen celebrated what she called “an ideological victory” after Emmanuel Macron’s Government finally had its controversial immigration Bill approved, writes Gavin Mortimer in the Spectator.
- “EU countries, lawmakers agree major reform of asylum system” – EU member states and the European Parliament have agreed to a major overhaul of the bloc’s laws on handling asylum-seekers and migrants, according to DW.
- “Donald Trump cannot run for President, state court rules” – Colorado’s highest court has ruled Donald Trump is disqualified from holding office and removed him from the state’s 2024 ballot due to his ‘incitement’ of the January 6th ‘insurrection’, according to the Telegraph.
- “Colorado undermines democracy in the name of democracy” – For years, we’ve been told that Donald Trump is a ‘worse-than-Hitler’ threat to democracy, says Peter Meijer in the Free Press. It’s odd, then, to now be told that the best way to save democracy is by banning Trump from the ballot.
- “The lawfare against Donald Trump is increasingly farcical” – Does kicking a popular candidate off the U.S. electoral ballot protect democracy? Or is that, in fact, deeply anti-democratic, asks Freddy Gray in the Spectator.
- “The American Left can’t hide its hatred for Britain” – By shelving talks over a free trade deal, Biden has confirmed all our worst fears about the Democrats, says Douglas Murray in the Telegraph.
- “Major Scottish battery factory enters into administration” – AMTE Power has seen its finances tip into the red due to a lack of orders and investment, reports the National.
- “New tax on older boilers could be blocked by Tory MPs in bid to keep energy bills in check” – Rishi Sunak is facing another New Year rebellion as Tory MPs plan to block new taxes on older boilers, says the Sun.
- “Ørsted to press ahead with world’s largest offshore wind farm in North Sea” – Ørsted is going to press ahead with developing the world’s largest offshore wind farm in the North Sea after the U.K. increased financial support for the sector, reports the FT.
- “What would Roger Scruton make of 15-minute cities?” – Roger Scruton would have viewed the 15-minute cities brouhaha with mournful puzzlement, says Samuel Hughes in CapX.
- “Flawed trans guidance shows the need to change the law” – While it makes significant progress in some areas, the Government’s trans school guidance is far too vague on some critical issues, argues Miriam Cates in the Telegraph.
- “SPOTY fans brand award a ‘sham’ after Mary Earps wins public vote” – Disgruntled sports fans claim that the achievements of the other Sports Person of the Year nominees “far outweigh” those of Lioness goalkeeper Mary Earps, according to the Mail.
- “Who’s on the naughty list?” – Prince Andrew’s sex accuser has hinted “a lot of people will be nervous” after a judge ruled more than 170 of Jeffrey Epstein’s associates are to be named, reports LBC.
- “Benjamin Zephaniah… ‘a titan of British literature’?” – Benjamin Zephaniah, in death, has been granted a public importance that seems a little out or proportion to his literary achievements, writes Duke Maskell in the New Conservative.
- “Woke books and sensitivity readers have destroyed publishing” – If traditional publishing houses want to stay profitable, they should learn from heterodox independents, argues Madeline Fry Schultz in the Telegraph.
- “Why the Jonathan Majors conviction just made Disney’s very bad year infinitely worse” – As villain Kang the Conquerer, Jonathan Majors was the lynchpin of Marvel’s ‘next phase’. But his real-life villainy could ruin it all, says Robbie Collin in the Telegraph.
- “From Michelle Mone to Harry and Meghan, it was a year of utter shamelessness” – The Telegraph’s Allison Pearson presents her ‘awards’ for the year, including gongs for ‘Abuse of the English Language’ and ‘Least Convincing Female’.
- “The problem with the Covid Inquiry” – On X, Together spokesman Francis Hoar identifies two key matters that the Covid Inquiry has failed to look at: The failure to follow pandemic plans and the failure to enquire into the necessity of lockdowns.
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Stuart Broad SURELY
“SPOTY fans brand award a ‘sham’ after Mary Earps wins public vote” – Disgruntled sports fans claim that the achievements of the other Sports Person of the Year nominees “far outweigh” those of Lioness goalkeeper Mary Earps, according to the Mail.”
Earps, who’s unlikely to be good enough to play professionally at all in the mens game, who’s won nothing of meaning, who’s ‘famous’ for telling her opponents to f*ck off, and who wore her underwear on the outside to pick up the award, comes ahead of lifetime achieving role models who’ve reached the very pinnacle of the history of their game. What a sorry state of affairs for so many reasons. It’s hard to know whether this was a fit-up by the BBC or was genuinely voted for by the legion of women that would vote for no other reason than Earps is a woman. Either way, it’s another win for leftist politics and the ever-spiralling ridiculousness of woke propaganda. Bugger all to do with sport though.
As we’re constantly told that there’s no difference between men and women, and that women’s sports is just as good as men’s, the simple, fair, solution is to level the playing field and compete together in all sports. We could then judge the real skill levels of all. Of course, however, when that happens (Barry donning a frock and becoming Barbara) then that’s unfair, because, you know, we’re suddenly different. Have your cake and eat it. Again.
‘Legions of women’ ganging up and voting for a sporting contest sounds highly unlikely to me.
Many people vote for the person they want to win rather than the person whose achievement they think is the greatest.
And for those who argue that the award is called Sports Personality of the Year, so it isn’t necessarily about achievement, Andy Murray has won it twice.
Mary Earps won fair and square because it was a public vote, it is being argued. However, the public can only vote for those on a shortlist of just six. A few days before the shortlist was announced, on 12 December, I looked at the betting on the Paddy Power website and Ronnie O’Sullivan was second favourite, behind Mary Earps. On 3 December, Ronnie O’Sullivan became the oldest player to win the UK Snooker Championship while also the youngest player to win the UK Championship, 30 years previously. This is a remarkable achievement by any sporting standard. Yet Ronnie O’Sullivan wasn’t even on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year shortlist announced nine days later. I don’t see anything fair and square about that.
Some people are pointing out that it’s not so much a sports achievement award, it’s a sports personality award. Several years ago, after the snooker careers of Alex Higgins and Jimmy White had faded, I remember hearing TV pundits discussing the current state of snooker. One of them said, “The problem is that there are no personalities in snooker these days”, and another pundit (I wish I could remember whom) said, “I disagree, there are several personalities in snooker these days – however, they all belong to Ronnie O’Sullivan.”
Why should we be surprised, we are in the era of meaningless awards. Everything from the Nobel Prize, the Booker and to the various music awards, all of them are utterly pointless now. WE all know that Broady is a champion worthy of this prize and in any normal world he would have scooped up this prize no problem and it would have been the right thing to do to mark the end of an amazing career but so be it – we don’t live in a normal world.
Our man Andrew Bridgen gets to have another debate on excess deaths on Jan 16th. Shall we see if we can count the MPs who can be arsed to attend on two hands instead of one this time round? Also, more from Tess Lawrie on the IHR debate that recently took place in Parliament;
”ANDREW BRIDGEN has been granted a debate on Trends in Excess Deaths by the Backbench Business Committee.
News Uncut always finds the use of the word ‘granted’ as laughable – although not in the funny way. It is as people are treating Bridgen like a naughty school child that has suddenly had a good day and are rewarding him as such.”
https://uncut.substack.com/p/we-must-keep-standing-up-for-this
The covid enquiry. Sir Humphrey in Yes Minister was spot on. It is not the purpose of a public enquiry to obtain the facts, It’s purpose is to protect the reputation of officials. You do this by setting the terms of reference to avoid areas you don’t want looked at
Yes, myk! I’ve got a set of hardback books of the script for those programmes. It’s unlikely that the Beeb would take the risk of producing shows like that at present.
In a news article somewhat in contrast to the above, you can read in the Global Times how China is planning to turn itself into an Agricultural powerhouse;
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202312/1304019.shtml
This article seems reminiscent of an old ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign and seems in stark contrast to the rewilding, cut back on farming, reduce fertiliser, net zero approach to farming that is being pushed in the UK and the western world. Now China has such good links with Russia it should have good supplies of fertiliser and fuel to help in it’s dig for victory. I cannot help but feel that when it comes to food and farming, yet again, we in the western world are being played for fools.
The state of California has declined to build more reservoirs even as its politicians encourage more low paid immigration. As a result there are complaints of water shortages (sic) and demands farmers stop wasting it on plants.
you couldn’t make it up.
“BBC’s choice for Eurovision called Israel an ‘apartheid state’ responsible for genocide”
If he is dropped, he should hire the FSU for his defence.
If only to test the FSU’s commitment to free speech.
Whose free choices do you think the FSU should defend? The artiste or the BBC or the public who finance the latter and have agreed to do so on the basis of a clear obligation to impartiality.
It’s absurd to compare Israel to South Africa: the Boers weren’t racial supremacists, had been there for centuries and didn’t treat the blacks anywhere near as badly as the Jews have spent the last 75 years treating the Palestinians.
The Sharpeville Massacre only involved 69 deaths, and if the SAAF ever killed thousands of black women and children the SA government did a brilliant job of covering it up.
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/democracy-in-decay-spoilt-self-obsessed-stella/
This is an interesting piece particularly for the take-down of Stella Creasy. The rest is funny for the sheer naiivety of the author John Wycliffe. I won’t go in to details but my point will soon become clear.
“Ørsted is going to press ahead with developing the world’s largest offshore wind farm in the North Sea after the U.K. increased financial support for the sector”
Ah, what’s another few billion of tax payers money matter? Its not ours, let them have it!
And don’t forget, it’s cheap and clean electricity 😉