Best Of

Labour activists will tell you that a woman is anyone who says they are a woman, so no issues with that clause.

I don't know how many Labour activists you chat with in the Sandpit, but it isn't true here.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/dec/06/trans-women-barred-main-labour-womens-conference-2026

That’s from after the Supreme Court judgment, that told them that what they were doing previously was illegal.

Not according to Sandy Kemp in the Peggie case.

That judgement appears to be a total mess.

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/sandie-peggie-tribunal-hit-formal-36392646

It’s almost as if the process is the punishment for Peggie, one hopes that she ends up with her costs in full.

The weird thing is that I spoke to a distinguished employment lawyer and he assured me that Kemp had an excellent reputation as a safe pair of hands. I was having reservations because it seemed to me that he had lost control of the process and was hearing absurd amounts of irrelevant evidence to the question that was actually before him with the consequence that the evidential part of the hearing took multiple times longer than it should have.

The questions before the Tribunal were pretty straightforward: was Peggie entitled to object to a biological male using a female changing room because they identified as female? If she was, was her employer wrong to suspend her for her complaint? And, additionally, was the historic disciplinary procedure brought against her (and ultimately, if belatedly dismissed) harassment?

The first of these questions might have been thought to be somewhat uncertain given various official guides issued by the Scottish government until the FWS decision but really that should have ended that issue. I am as bewildered as most as to what has happened here but this is starting to look career ending.

Starmer probably does need replacing but no obviously good replacement IMO.

He tied himself to the genocidal killers in the Israeli government at the worst possible time and Jews and Gentiles from a leftish persuasion haven't trusted him since. Then along comes Zack with all the right credentials and snatches 15% of his potential vote.

Whether they go back to a genocidal Starmer led Labour Party for fear of Farage or Badenoch (both of whom are worse) is too difficult to say. I and several others I know are struggling for a good answer

Having bitten my lip and taken a deep breath...calling Starmer 'genocidal' is inflammatory hyperbole, but the 'Jews and Gentiles' framing is infinitely more concerning, even with the "from a leftish persuasion" qualifier. You're treating Jewish voters as a monolithic bloc separate from other voters defined primarily by Israel-Palestine policy, which is both inaccurate and plays into problematic (at the very least) stereotypes. Jewish people in the UK have diverse political views across many issues, just like everyone else.

There are legitimate concerns about Labour's foreign policy, but this kind of framing isn't helpful. Particularly given the news from Sydney. I'd like to think the editorial team will take a look at this one.

Very sad news coming out of Australia. Of course the media won’t dare state the obvious that there’s a direct link with this massive increase in anti-Semitic attacks and the Gaza War .

And that Netenyahu and the IDF actions have increased anti-Semitism globally .

It’s the Jews fault they got shot then?

Terrorists have been targeting Jews in the West for decades.

I never said that . If you don’t believe Netenyahu and the IDF actions have increased anti-Semitism then you’re in denial .

The trouble is:

If innocent Muslims start being killed in the UK will you be blaming it on jihadists?

And remember the huge demonstrations in London occurred immediately after 7 October and before Israel had taken any real responsive action.

YouTube channels spreading fake, anti-Labour videos viewed 1.2bn times in 2025
More than 150 anonymous channels using cheap AI tools to spread false stories about Keir Starmer, study finds
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/dec/13/fake-anti-labour-video-billion-views-youtube-2025

I've got to the stage where I don't believe anything.

Which is, of course, the precise goal of the subversion of the media. So many lies that in the end we do not know what the truth is.

It is extraordinarily corrosive and why I often express deep contempt for those media outlets and individuals who look for what is convenient for their world view, rather than what is true.

The disease that began in Russia, then spread to America is now infecting British media too- KGB News and Liz Truss are already late stage symptoms. Meanwhile the tsunami of guff on social media is an even more virulent poison.

In Australia the social media ban for kids is a step that could seriously be considered, though my preferred option is the Estonian one- teach kids, and adults, how to work out what is most likely to be true.

Some action is certainly needed- at the very least preventing further American control of British media channels.