Best Of

I haven't followed the indefinite leave to remain story closely, but am I right in thinking the allegation of racism stems from Reform saying that they wouldn't touch the post-Brexit deal for EU nationals? Kind of ironic if so.

There's also Tice's girlfriend effectively going back to the 1980s and saying John Barnes isn't British/English.

IN the world according to @Keir_Starmer if I grew up in, say, Somalia, I could credibly claim to be Somalian. Could I? Really? I think that would be laughable.

https://x.com/sundersays/status/1973352925880787217

https://x.com/IsabelOakeshott/status/1973051041428963374

I remember meeting some friends of my grandparents who congratulated my then girlfriend, now wife, on how beautifully she spoke English. My wife is of Sri Lankan heritage (or "black as the ace of spades" as my granddad is alleged to have referred to her) but was born in Margate, and her English is a hell of a lot more beautiful than her Sinhala, judging by how tuk tuk drivers laugh at her efforts in Colombo. I suppose the people congratulating her on her English probably didn't consider themselves to have racist attitudes. My wife of course was gracious to them, as she was to my grandparents, who I think were rather fond of her.

Now about ID cards from the Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/01/keir-starmer-labour-collapse-public-support-digital-id-cards?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

That's also a demonstration of the incredibly fickle nature of public opinion.

...in June, 53% of voters surveyed said they were in favour of digital ID cards for all Britons, while 19% were opposed...

...Just 31% of people surveyed after Starmer’s announcement over the weekend said they were supportive of the scheme, with 45% saying they were opposed. Of those, 32% said they were strongly opposed...

The British electorate is Andy Pipkin personified.

"Do you really want that?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure? Only last time, you didn't like it."

"Want it."

"Here you are then."

Pause.

"Don't like it."

This morning’s grandstanding at Quantico only solidified what we already know: @PeteHegseth continues to disparage and lie about women in the military.

He claimed the military needs to “return to the male standard” in combat jobs (of 1990!), but here’s the truth: there has never been a separate male and female standard. When women entered combat roles, one standard was set, and we’ve been meeting it ever since. You can either do the job or you can’t. Period...
https://x.com/AmyMcGrathKY/status/1973080569576624326

What people like Hegseth don't understand is male and female physical capabilities are both distribution curves of some description - with the male curve further to the right of the female one.

That means if you set qualifying criteria at anyone fixed point, you get more men than women meeting it. But some women will always qualify unless you set the bar extremely high such that you struggle to find enough men.

Let's say "run 5km in 20 minutes" - most men can't do it but you'll find far more men than women in an amateur race (see any park run result). But the finalists in the women's 5k world athletics all ran it in around 15 minutes.

So having women in the armed forces is entirely consistent with the idea of "on merit only". You would just suspect fewer than 50% women, which funnily enough is the case already.

"Rupert Lowe MP
@RupertLowe10

A local Great Yarmouth charity refused my salary donation today, clearly because they don’t like my approach to politics. Left-leaning people involved.

Thousands of pounds that won’t go to the people they’re supposed to help because they can’t put petty politics aside - very disappointing.

Pathetic. We should all be in this to make Great Yarmouth a better place to live and raise a family.

That’s the only thing I’m interested in - it’s why I’m donating my entire MP salary to make it happen, alongside all other efforts.

We will find another home for the donation"

https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/1973122545546330249

To be fair to Lowe he does seem to believe in putting your money where yar mouth is. Which despite his politics, I think is great.

Reagan-appointed U.S. District Judge Paul G. Young on ICE wearing masks:

"ICE goes masked for a single reason -- to terrorize Americans into quiescence."

"In all our history we have never tolerated an armed masked secret police."
https://x.com/AaronBlake/status/1973075306723360981

The reason the ICE agents started wearing masks, was because Antifa were setting up websites to dox them which ended with firebombing their homes.

Obligitary “MAGA Lies” far-right source https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/women-federal-charges-doxxing-ice-agent-b2835066.html

With all due respect, the right thing happened, the woman was arrested and charged.

There is no excuse at all for agents of the state not being able to be identified. It is the state that has the monopoly on violence, and therefore it is literally the single most important thing in any society that its agents can be identified.