David Arrjay retweeted
If your child is referred to prevent for sharing or liking something 'far Right' on social media -- a clip of @rickygervais telling a joke about transwomen, for instance -- please do contact @SpeechUnion. We can help.
David Arrjay retweeted
🚨🚨🚨BREAKING: MAJOR VICTORY FOR FREE SPEECH! HAMIT COSKUN WINS HIS APPEAL AGAINST ISLAMIC BLASPHEMY LAW
The Free Speech Union is delighted that Hamit Coskun’s appeal has been successful.
Hamit was convicted under the Public Order Act for burning a copy of the Koran during a lawful protest against the rise of political Islam and authorities in Turkey under President Erdoğan’s regime.
The court conflated his political protest against Islam with hatred of Muslims, effectively reviving blasphemy law by the back door. It ruled his action as “disorderly” — not because of what Hamit did, but because it provoked violence against him, namely a man called Moussa Kadri slashed a knife at him and shouted “I’m going to kill you”. Kadri was spared jail time, and actions were used to prove Hamit’s guilt. Meanwhile, Hamit is forced to live in hiding due to multiple threats to his life.
Hamit’s conviction has now been overturned. Had the verdict been allowed to stand, it would have sent a message to religious fundamentalists up and down the country that all they need to do to enforce their blasphemy codes is to violently attack the blasphemer, thereby making him or her guilty of having caused public disorder.
Instead, the Crown Court has sent the opposite message - that anti-religious protests, however offensive to true believers, must be tolerated.
Hey @grok , from 1 to 100, what’s my political lean? 1 is extreme left, 100 is extreme right.
Hey, @grok, who was the most famous person to visit my profile? It doesn't need to be a mutual, don't tag them.
David Arrjay retweeted
The greatest political interview of all time.
David Arrjay retweeted
Sadly, it should now be clear to everybody paying attention that Reform is simply not up to the once a century electoral opportunity that presents itself. In fact, the election of Reform would likely set back significantly the cause of breaking the two party duopoly and pursuing a counter revolution/restoration against the liberal progressive, professional managerial class grip of the country.
Reform is, and will continue to be, a repository into which a massively disaffected electorate can protest. It will therefore poll well, and might indeed win the next general election. Alas, not only will this singular opportunity be wasted, but it might in the long run aid the establishment parties.
First, Reform is led by instinctive Thatcherites, an ideology designed to solve the problems of the late 1970s. We do not today face over-mighty trade unions and economically disastrous labour relations. Nor do we suffer untamable inflation. Nor have a state that controls vast swathes of the economy through nationalised industries. Nor a top rate of income tax of 83%.
Our problems today are entirely different. They include excessive migration; high housing costs; inadequate infrastructure build and R&D spend; the absence of a serious industrial policy; identifying a grand strategy that fits the nascent multipolar world, the return of realism, and Britain's actual means; unfit public administration; and third world levels of inequality across the rich-poor, north-south, and intergenerational axes. And that's before the existential issues of the Celtic secessionist impulse, the legacy of multiculturalism, and the unmooring of the elite's values from those of the people they govern.
Addressing these problems will require seriously considered policies drawn from first principles, not rewarmed Thatcherism. Furthermore, as 'events, dear boy, events' happen far too rapidly in government to think for very long, instincts are important, and the right wing liberalism of Messrs Farage and Tice will neither be able to make sense of the world nor put forward useful solutions to Britain's problems.
You see it already. Reform gives no sense of having thought seriously about policy, and gyrates between their right wing liberal instincts and what would actually be popular like a drunk slaloming home. There is therefore no coherent policy platform, and individual policies—such as their energy policies, or introducing a wildcat burqa ban policy at PMQs—are disgracefully amateurish. This matters because in government the lack of policy coherence and the paucity of serious thought will mean a Reform government is either easily controlled by the Civil Service or goes Truss-on-Steroids and absolutely smashes the country.
Both outcomes would obviously be wonderful for the establishment and the political duopoly, which will say to an increasingly demoralised and disenfranchised electorate "See? We told you so".
The second problem is Nigel Farage himself. Mr Farage is a brilliant media performer. He is greatly responsible for Reform's success so far. Yet he is also happiest running the party, as @Dominic2306 puts it, himself with the aid of a mobile phone. That simply won't do. He needs to build a branch network and an army of election ground game volunteers, but he doesn't look as if he has the energy for this dull, exhausting and detailed work. Likewise serious policy thought and the hard choices about who to upset. He also needs to build a great senior team with the policy knowledge, intelligence, wisdom, energy and managerial skill to take over running the country from day one. Mr Farage, on the contrary, looks as though he struggles to share the party with anybody other than anonymous lackeys, or make decisions based on anything other than his mood in any given morning. This has been the case since his UKIP days, and the treatment of @RupertLowe10 and @benhabib6 suggests it's still the case.
Reform is a ticket to nowhere.
Zia Yusuf RESIGNS as Reform UK chairman after just 11 months - 'It's not a good use of my time!' gbnews.com/politics/zia-yusu…
David Arrjay retweeted
The prosecution of Hamit Coskun, who burnt a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish Consulate earlier this year, won't be concluded until tomorrow. The Free Speech Union and the National Secular Society are paying his legal fees and several member of the FSU and the NSS were in court today, observing the proceedings.
The prosecution sought to argue Hamit Coskun should be convicted for causing harassment, alarm or distress -- an offence under Section 5 of the Public Order Act -- because while he was burning a copy of the Koran he was attacked by an onlooker, who kicked him and spat on him. After all, the prosecution argued, if the onlooker hadn't been distressed by Hamit's behaviour, he wouldn't have attacked him. Talk about victim blaming!
This misguided prosecution should be withdrawn and, instead, the CPS should bring charges against all the men who have attacked Hamit Coskun both outside the Turkish Consulate and since, only one of whom is facing any charges.
David Arrjay retweeted
I don’t understand people who keep the window shade down on a plane. We’re 35 thousand feet in the sky. You don’t want to check out the view? We’re above the freaking clouds, for God’s sake. Humans could only dream of a view like this for millennia. And you have the shade down.
David Arrjay retweeted
The @elonmusk purchase of X may have saved humanity.
With X becoming a true freedom of speech platform, the common ground of public opinion is no longer determined by a left-leaning elite.
Recent political earthquakes in the US, the UK and now Canada are a release of pent up democratic will as citizens regain their ability to speak freely.
Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press created the preconditions for democracies to replace bad kings or clerics.
X is now doing the same for unaccountable and failing bureaucratic states.
David Arrjay retweeted
End mass migration.
Revoke visas/deport those who hate us.
Give no quarter to extremists.
We don’t have to live like this.
David Arrjay retweeted
At the start of the pandemic, any discussion over whether Covid originated in a lab was shut down.
Yesterday, in the US, @COVIDSelect published its two-year investigation, which found that "COVID-19 most likely emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan, China".
oversight.house.gov/release/…
David Arrjay retweeted
NOW: Myself and @Con_Tomlinson have submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Home Office.
We’re investigating whether the government, particularly RICU (Home Office’s propaganda unit), coordinated the identical front pages published by The Daily Mirror, Daily Express, The Guardian, and The Times on August 8th.
All four featured the same photo of a Stand Up to Racism protest and ran headlines celebrating a “united front” against the “Far Right.” This, despite ideological differences between the newspapers, and despite Hope Not Hate’s Nick Lowles admitting the protest was based on “a hoax.”
Was this a government operation to quell unrest following the Southport murders?
We’ll share their response with you as soon as we have it.
David Arrjay retweeted
🇪🇺🇮🇪🇬🇧 There is not enough attention being paid to Ireland in the discourse on European security.
Despite an eye-popping ~€24 billion budget surplus in 2024, their 2025 budget is allocating just €1.35 billion on defence, a paltry 0.25%.
After 100 years of independence, they exist solely at the benevolence of the United Kingdom, which they have outsourced their security to. The Royal Air Force & Royal Navy are the only thing protecting their sovereignty, and the British government is getting tired picking up the tab.
Ireland's high tech sector, the engine of it's economy, is dependent on the security of the undersea cables that surround their waters. Yet they do nothing to ensure the integrity of this critical infrastructure. It's only a matter of time before the nefarious activities the Russians & Chinese are up to in the Baltic make their way west.
David Arrjay retweeted
🚨”IF THIS IS TRUE” - I am Bernadette Spofforth… you know me as Bernie.
And this is the story of how the State silenced an ordinary citizen, through arrest and bail conditions, to ensure only State truth was heard.
With special thanks to @sdavieslaw @speechUnion
David Arrjay retweeted
I knew Labour would be bad. But - to be honest - I really didn’t expect this. Error after error, cash for jobs, cronyism, political appointments shoved into the a supposedly impartial civil service, Labour MPs literally acting as slumlords, announcing things that already exit and pretending they’re new, Labour ministers saying they got better NHS treatment because they’re pro-Palestine, rewarding their union paymasters with inflation busting pay rises, scrapping school inspections, openly lying about the UK economy and a supposedly existential risk from winter payments.
Now risking a major diplomatic fallout with the US and a slap down from the Chief Rabbi on their Israel policy.
This is why we needed scrutiny from the media. These guys are drunk with power and shown in short time just how badly suited they are to govern.
Whoever wins - @MelJStride, @KemiBadenoch, @pritipatel, @JamesCleverly, @RobertJenrick or @TomTugendhat - must help us get our act together so we can save the UK from this appalling Labour government in 2029.
David Arrjay retweeted
THE NEW POLITICAL TRIBES OF BRITAIN!
British politics is entering its Game of Thrones era with various groups battling it out for control of the Iron Throne or in our case the Houses of Parliament.
As we approach election year it should be the normal boring contest between Tory and Labour to see who gets to play Government and Opposition.
However something strange has happened!
New factions are emerging, these factions have either been sponsored by the Regime itself, or they are forming spontaneously and independently due to their concerns being ignored and rejected by those in power.
This is now reaching a fervour pitch, as the election year combines with global events, and a general sense of decline and decay all creating a sense of unrest, and dissatisfaction with the status quo.
So who are the new political tribes of Britain?
- The Uniparty
- The Rainbow Coalition
- Political Islam
- The Dissident Right
- The Football Lot
- The Royalists
- The Mandem
- The Old Bill
I have identified six key groups that I see as all having influence on the direction of travel, I'm going to take a deep dive into each and discuss the key power that each has, their strengthens and weaknesses, and the shifting alliances between them, and I will discuss also two additional tribes who are superficially apolitical but culturally important.
The next post begins the journey with the first tribe...
David Arrjay retweeted
I find this view of recent days, the evolution of Sunak the sage, underwhelming. On a personal level, lovely guy, smart, capable, talented, has a bright Clegg-like future ahead of him in the valley, or working for the Tony Blair Institute hawking AI to dictators. He's going to be fine.
As a leader, hopeless. No coherent ideology or vision, treats consensus building as an end in itself rather than as a means to an end. While simultaneously being good at building coalitions against rather than for him. Uses polls to tell him what to think, rather than as tools to move the public to his position. Not a campaigner, or a political strategist, and as a result a cataclysmic judgement on the timing of the election.
Addicted to fad policies like generational bans, Rwanda, and the triple lock. Cowardly and incapable of selling hard choices on growth like building homes or cutting red tape. Useless at implementation - noting for example the failure of his own borders policy. Late to the party on climate pragmatism, and even then not able to understand the need to dismantle laws that prevent pragmatism or secure domestic resources.
Right about one big thing, the importance of fiscal prudence and sound money. But he was both the Chancellor who undermined the same with his wasteful lockdown splurges, and not obviously someone who knew how to use fiscal discipline to serve any purpose. Loved the sugar rush of popularity that came with being a spender in a crisis, and afterwards reformed nothing, while delivering only the pain.
A tax raiser who refused to cut Government waste. A windfall tax maniac who mortally wounded the North Sea long before Labour got their chance to finish it off. And this despite his predecessor Osborne making exactly the same mistake with the same disastrous consequences only a few years previously.
In many respects then a herald for all the worst instincts of his own tradition and the Labour government that came. His personal analysis was that with 'the sensibles' in charge he would turn his party's fortunes around. He demonstrated instead that they could make it far worse and did. He hired a team of advisors that nearly lost an unloseable election in 2017 and tried to parachute many of them into safe seats they then managed to make unsafe.
Compulsory national service was apex-Sunak. Taking a reasonable idea, boosting the army in a time of growing international insecurity, and turning into a hateful assault on the freedom of youth wrapped in a tatty flag and a pathetic threat to deprive them of their phones if they refused to wipe bums for the NHS.
What he is doing now, chilling with the PM, high-fiving his fellow glo-bros, and in every respect oozing an unearned degree of self-satisfaction as a card carrying member of the good chaps blob is no more admirable or wise than his various predecessor's global self-delusion tours.
Certainly his party would like him to be a unifying leader. But unifying them against a common foe as an Opposition, not continuing his agenda of back-slapping surrenders to socialism as he works out the fees for his future speaking tour.
If the Conservative party is merely a vehicle for managerialism, a Buggins'-turn revolving door for the 'uniparty', a Manchester City to Labour's Manchester United; it's not going to survive the current realignment of politics.
The 2024 Reform and Liberal Democrat votes are protests, but they could easily firm up into sustainable coalitions that change the political landscape as has happened in France and the USA.
Sunak in that regard has no useful contribution to make. He doesn't get it, he's checked out, and if he's happy it's because he's reconciled to a wonderful future of influence without responsibility.
Yes it's nice that our Parliament is a place where rivals can be kind rather than punch each other or attempt regime change through riots and rifles. But polarisation requires resolution. A heating pot contained by a veneer of respectability conversely will at some point boil over.
