In an unsurprising development, it appears that several rightwing commentators in the US have been getting funding from Russia, with encouragement to push pro-Putin talking points. They’re claiming they never knew where the money was coming from, and from what I know about them, I’m willing to believe that they really are that stupid.
A quick look at the history and flaws of the horseshoe theory of extreme politics.
I think it’s the latter, but the other two are valid. Jenrick is one of those politicians who will say what they think will help their career. His comments about arresting people for saying Allahu Akbar were definitely stupid and racist, but also an obvious pitch to the worst members of the Tory party.
So yes, he is stupid, because he’s chosen racism as his way to get noticed, without a are for the damage it does. People have died because of the sort of language he chooses to use.
May he get the Tory leadership, and be dragged back to obscurity by it, along with all the scum he courts, and the Reform arseholes they’re emulating.
It makes sense, though. The push to make the televised leaders’ debates Tory and Labour only comes primarily from Labour. Starmer will barely have to open his mouth if he’s facing Sunak- just let Rishi be Rishi and Tory votes will keep falling.
But throw a Green, or even a Libdem, into the mix, and viewers will be reminded how far Starmer is from what the country really needs. It makes sense for him to chicken out of that.
Sunak announces UK general election for 4 July
Okay, it’s not people like me who are going to cause the death of the Tory party. They’re going to do it themselves, with a little help from splitters who are somehow even more vile than them. But it can’t come soon enough, frankly.
Their complete obliteration, a la Canada ’93, is unlikely. But wouldn’t it be nice to see them reduced to single figures of MPs.
For a while, I thought Rishi Sunak was only as useless as David Cameron- in other words, actually an improvement on the incompetents he succeeded. I’m a big enough man to admit I was wrong. He’s at least as hopeless as Truss, even if he has managed to cling on a bit longer.
Things are looking awful for the Tories after two by-election losses. Here’s hoping they get worse.
Of course, they’ll be replaced by a Starmer Labour party, who’ll be both a massive improvement and blandly useless at the same time. But we’ll deal with that problem after the Conservative party is burnt down.
For a few months, I’ve been arguing on Facebook with ‘Gender Critical’ Green Party members. It’s hard to fit my thoughts into the restricted space of a Facebook post (and I’ll probably still miss stuff out in this extended format), what follows is addressed to them, in an attempt to explain my position-
I’m a middle aged, white, cis man, from a middle class background. I’m a little bit bi, so I do have some skin in the game, but most of my opposition to your stance comes from basic empathy and having read enough history to know where this could go.
Your language and logic is full of tropes lifted from right wing talking points and the moral panics of previous generations. You’ve thrown out unexplained (likely unexplainable) references to postmodernism, critical theory and the like, as well as that boogeyman beloved of the empty headed reactionary- Cultural Marxism. All to try to justify your opposition to the terror of ‘trans ideology’- something with even less substance than all your other words.
Being trans is lived reality for millions around the world. It’s not an ideology, it’s a fact. Proportionally, the trans population is tiny, but over the last few years, prejudice against them has ramped up. They’re almost up there with immigrants now as the most popular scapegoats of Tories and Republicans.
Something that is an ideology is your beloved protected Gender Critical belief. It’s the ideology the Tories and Republicans use to justify proposed and actual laws designed to persecute trans people. It’s been the driver of at least one murder in the UK, and doubtless many more worldwide. GC ideologues have talked about how their world would be so much better if they could just get rid of trans people. They have drawn the support of neo-nazis.
You’re going to tell me that you don’t agree with those people, that you’re not like them. But you’re lying. You’ve cited Linehan to support your points. You stand with JK Rowling. You’ve demanded support for the LGB Alliance. And those are just the examples I can think of off the top of my head.
I was going to be generous, and say that the line between Gender Critical belief and rabid transphobia is so fine it’s basically invisible. But I’m not even sure there is a line. You hold a belief that makes you think less of a group of people because of how they were born. That belief makes you think it would be acceptable to place restrictions on their freedoms. You may not say the quiet part out loud- even to yourself- but you occupy ideological space with the absolute worst of our politicians.
That is why I think you don’t belong in the Green Party. We’re a progressive organisation, and you’re trying to force regressive beliefs on us.
I plan to waste less of my time on you from now on. I’ll still call you out when you deserve it and I’m feeling feisty, but I’m going to spend more time on positive actions. Be proud for yourselves for that at least- you’ve inspired me.
There’s still a version of my trans kids and allies vs the terfs novel that needs to be written. I may try to break the writer’s block on what I’ve got so far, or it could need a whole new start, but I will keep trying.
More immediately, I have signed up to do Miles for Mermaids in March. I’ve committed to put in at least 100 miles on my bike whilst raising money for a charity that supports trans kids and their families. Thanks for getting me off my arse and back to improving my health and bank balance by cycling to work. Click here to chip in and do your bit as well.
Unable to cope with their constant failures being reported, Tory ministers are stoking the culture wars against the BBC again.
The BBC is far from perfect, and studies have shown it’s more likely to side with the establishment. But what the Tories want is to force it to be a propaganda machine paid for by the people it tells their lies to.
Personally, I think the best result in this year’s general election- for the long term health of the country, planet and democracy- would be Labour winning a majority just small enough they have to rely upon votes from Green and other MPs to guarantee bills pass. They could be forced into concessions on the environment, proportional representation, and progressive taxes that they’d be too cowardly to make by themselves.
On the other hand, the utter collapse of the Conservative party would do wonders for the mental health of the nation.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/jan/15/yougov-poll-telegraph-tories-disaster-analysis
Tory attempts to destroy schemes promoting walking and cycling were heavily influenced by conspiracy theories.
At the point where they’re governing by tin foil hat, the Conservative Party needs to be destroyed. Not just voted out of power, but comprehensively dismantled, with some of them serving well deserved prison sentences.
The Labour leader is scared of what the Tories might say about the costs of environmental spending, so may cut back what is pledged. He’s too quick to make life easy for himself by avoiding the policies that will make life better for the rest of us.
Unless he really screws up, Starmer will be the next Prime Minister. A Labour government will be better for the country than a Conservative one. But that’s an incredibly low bar, and the current Labour leadership seem interested in only just clearing it. They have no aim but power, and no imagination about what they’ll do with it.
Today is the 20th anniversary of the repeal of Section 28. Finding that out sent me to my bookshelf to see if I still have my copy of AARGH! – Artists Against Rampant Government Homophobia – the comic put together to protest it.
It’s really sad that we’re in the position where a mutated zombie version of Section 28 could be unleashed upon us. It may be time for AART! – Artists Against Rampant Transphobia.
From a throwaway tweet over lunch on Tuesday-
I came home and had a play in Inkscape, and here’s the result. If you want to tell Santa what you want, the design is available on a wide variety of products at Redbubble.
The cross-party housing committee isn’t quite proposing the destruction of landlords. But suggesting that the worst of them have their properties confiscated is a good start.
The Conservative Party needs to be so thoroughly beaten at the next election that it collapses and is never heard from again. It’s the least they deserve for policies that leaves us poorer, colder and at greater risk from climate change just so their rich friends can get a little richer.
Though I did accidentally introduce them as Salford Greens at the start of the video. I *was* in Salford Greens for six or so years, so my brain must still be wired to that, I guess.
The frog in a pan of water- not registering the rising temperature until too late- has been used as an analogy for climate change for years. In this article, it’s used in reference to British democracy, fading away with every attack on protest and gag on charities. It’s imperative we get rid of the Tories, but that’s just a first step.
What was the line ascribed to Churchill? “Democracy is a terrible system, but it’s better than the alternatives.” Or something similar.
The linked article argues that the Western model of democracy is flawed, and in many cases not even truly democratic. We need to improve, and face up to some dark history, before we can legitimately claim that what we have is the best system.
I read the original version of this as a long tweet, and it made the bus ride to work very depressing.
Starmer’s Labour Party seem set on ruling out policies that would help them and the country long term, just to appease the right wing press that will never support them anyway. Expect more ‘make Brexit work’, and worse, as the general election approaches.