Best Of

"Middle-class white men banned from public sector internship
National Audit Office’s six-week paid programme only accepts female, black heritage or lower socio-economic applicants" (£)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/06/middle-class-white-men-banned-from-public-sector-internship/

Are white, middle-class heterosexual men the most put upon cohort in UK society?

That's not the point. This is officially sanctioned discrimination by sex and race, and that will create injustice.

If you play this game, you create social division.

I think most people would look at the situation and say that giving an occasional helping hand up to historically marginalised groups helps undo existing injustices. But some white middle class heterosexual men are snowflakes and easily triggered when their familiar advantages are reduced in the slightest.

I think most people would look at the situation and say that discriminating against anyone is wrong.

Two wrongs do not make a right.

I think two wrongs don’t make a right. But you’re the one who favours ethnically cleansing Palestinians, so I kinda thought you were in the two wrongs DO make a right camp.

I am not in favour of it, I do think relocation might be the least worst option to end the cycle of violence.

I would love to see a better, sustainable, option but as long as Hamas exist and their like, and as long as they are supported by the likes of Iran, it does not seem limely.

As long as Netanyahu and his uber Zionist clique lives then Hamas are not the genocidal nutters but actually freedom fighters.

Netanyahu is the best recruitment agency Hamas and Hezbollah have ever had.

Without him and his ilk, Hamas and Hezbollah would be starved of necessity and relevance.

Palestine is a State and it belongs in defined borders on the Gaza Strip and West Bank stolen by Israel.

The best solution is to empty Gaza of Palestinians, and move them all to the West Bank, moving all the Israeli settlers out of the West Bank and back in to Israel and Gaza to house them.

That means Israel is a whole state without a dangerous enclave of Palestinians who hate them, and Palestine is a whole state without illegal Israeli settlements. It is fair and just - nobody gets everything they want, but everyone gets what they need.

Leaving aside several issues with this plan, I note that there are over twice as many Gazans as Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Which I think should be fine. Gazans would tend to live more densely than Israeli settlers. I'd be more concerned that the Israeli settlers would burn and raze it all to the ground rather than let Palestinians live there, which would be very probable, but it would still be worth it to solve the problem.

Any moral solution to Israel-Palestine issue needs to remember that both Palestinians and Israelis should have the same right. Simply removing the Palestinians, is clearly in breach of that.

The Palestinians are idiots. They have ruined their own country.

To be fair not all of them are.

Their leadership are though.

DecrepiterJohnL said:
Andy_JS said:
Can we please continue to talk about why Paul Quinn hasn't received a longer sentence after allowing Andrew Malkinson to spend 17 years in prison?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfbLCXIaZBo
Or should we talk about why Malkinson was not released for more than 12 years after DNA evidence exonerated him? Or why the CCRC turned him down twice. Or even how he came to be wrongly convicted in the first place.


I did some research into this and read the various reports. So if there's any interest, happy to share.

I’m still annoyed about an interview with Lammy the other morning about this where firstly he was asked about the fairness of Malkinson having to pay for his experts and legal advice out of his settlement and he waffled and eventually said he would have to look into the situation (how he doesn’t have it etched in his brain is beyond me) and then the Today interviewer failed to follow up with what is surely the crux of this by asking him whether he can say straight that anyone who is a victim of a miscarriage of justice should not be financially damaged in any way.

I remember Alex Chalk being asked, on the same subject when Justice Minister, absolutely unequivocally saying that Malkinson and similar should not be financially punished.

It’s surely as clear as daylight that if the state makes an error which costs you your freedom, reputation, sanity, life of freedom then any costs incurred whether board and lodging or legal and associated costs to prove the failure by the state should be borne by the state.

I cannot understand why Lammy could not just say, this is a disgrace and we are drafting legislation to ensure that nobody shall be charged anything relating to a false conviction. I can’t imagine there is anyone on here who would not think this is appropriate so why can a politician not just fix it.

If the government prosecutes you, you hire a lawyer and you are found innocent, who pays your lawyer?

You’re not found innocent. You’re found ‘not guilty’.

"Middle-class white men banned from public sector internship
National Audit Office’s six-week paid programme only accepts female, black heritage or lower socio-economic applicants" (£)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/06/middle-class-white-men-banned-from-public-sector-internship/

Excellent news. Even better if it makes Telegraph readers froth at the mouth.

Probably something to do with the fact that the NAO staff are overwhelmingly male, white and from upper class backgrounds.

And they're not even being paid for the privilege, internships are for people desperate enough to work for nothing just to get work experience.

You drive two votes to Reform every time a policy like this is enacted, which you then double-down on by enjoying their reaction.

You lack the intellectual curiosity and reflection to realise the division this is driving into our politics, and a rather nasty communitarian one as well that is toxic to a unifying democracy, still less change it, and this pattern will be repeated until you do.

Quite. We could well see a Con/Lab/LD coalition simply to head off the nutters.

Unfortunately none of the three are really improving forces, and the clown shows are increasingly good at deceit.

I think the Conservatives have got the balance right, and there are encouraging signs that some in the Labour movement are starting to as well, especially Shabana Mahmood. We also have centre-left posters on here like @LostPassword and @maxh who get this.

Not all do yet - and, strangely, the LDs seem the most wedded to this ideology - but I am confident we will get there because it's so barking mad.

When we do "they" will say they believed it all along, and it was inevitable it would happen anyway, despite fighting it every step of the way.

Yes, perhaps I was being too negative. Kemi is going in the right direction, and for Labour Mahmood does seem very sensible. Well anyway I hope you're right in your more positive outlook.

"Middle-class white men banned from public sector internship
National Audit Office’s six-week paid programme only accepts female, black heritage or lower socio-economic applicants" (£)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/06/middle-class-white-men-banned-from-public-sector-internship/

Are white, middle-class heterosexual men the most put upon cohort in UK society?

That's not the point. This is officially sanctioned discrimination by sex and race, and that will create injustice.

If you play this game, you create social division.

I don't agree with discrimination of any description, positive or negative. The narrative of white, heterosexual men being disadvantaged by positive discrimination remains largely untrue in my opinion. Doubtless you could find me one or two examples, but by and large I would rather take my chances with figures of authority as a white, heterosexual male than I would anyone else.

But this is about individuals. It is active discrimination against a set of individuals based on the colour of their skin, their gender and their sexuality. So yes, those white heterosexual males are bring disadvantaged. In any other examples of race or sexuality this would be illegal.

But the likes of Farage are selling a narrative that in general white men are being disadvantaged to the benefit of non white men. Clearly on ocassion it happens. I would argue it happened to Henry Nowak. That shouldn't have been the case. I would hope that the error was not the system but the individual policeman. Of course I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

Honestly I don't really care what Farage thinks. I do care that everyone is treated on the same basis. That clearly isn't happening at present and I fear there is an institutional systemic reason.

"Middle-class white men banned from public sector internship
National Audit Office’s six-week paid programme only accepts female, black heritage or lower socio-economic applicants" (£)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/06/middle-class-white-men-banned-from-public-sector-internship/

Excellent news. Even better if it makes Telegraph readers froth at the mouth.

Probably something to do with the fact that the NAO staff are overwhelmingly male, white and from upper class backgrounds.

And they're not even being paid for the privilege, internships are for people desperate enough to work for nothing just to get work experience.

You drive two votes to Reform every time a policy like this is enacted, which you then double-down on by enjoying their reaction.

You lack the intellectual curiosity and reflection to realise the division this is driving into our politics, and a rather nasty communitarian one as well that is toxic to a unifying democracy, still less change it, and this pattern will be repeated until you do.

Quite. We could well see a Con/Lab/LD coalition simply to head off the nutters.

Unfortunately none of the three are really improving forces, and the clown shows are increasingly good at deceit.

I think the Conservatives have got the balance right, and there are encouraging signs that some in the Labour movement are starting to as well, especially Shabana Mahmood. We also have centre-left posters on here like @LostPassword and @maxh who get this.

Not all do yet - and, strangely, the LDs seem the most wedded to this ideology - but I am confident we will get there because it's so barking mad.

When we do "they" will say they believed it all along, and it was inevitable it would happen anyway, despite fighting it every step of the way.

"Middle-class white men banned from public sector internship
National Audit Office’s six-week paid programme only accepts female, black heritage or lower socio-economic applicants" (£)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/06/middle-class-white-men-banned-from-public-sector-internship/

Excellent news. Even better if it makes Telegraph readers froth at the mouth.

Probably something to do with the fact that the NAO staff are overwhelmingly male, white and from upper class backgrounds.

And they're not even being paid for the privilege, internships are for people desperate enough to work for nothing just to get work experience.

You drive two votes to Reform every time a policy like this is enacted, which you then double-down on by enjoying their reaction.

You lack the intellectual curiosity and reflection to realise the division this is driving into our politics, and a rather nasty communitarian one as well that is toxic to a unifying democracy, still less change it, and this pattern will be repeated until you do.

Quite. We could well see a Con/Lab/LD coalition simply to head off the nutters.

Unfortunately none of the three are really improving forces, and the clown shows are increasingly good at deceit.

"Middle-class white men banned from public sector internship
National Audit Office’s six-week paid programme only accepts female, black heritage or lower socio-economic applicants" (£)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/06/middle-class-white-men-banned-from-public-sector-internship/

Are white, middle-class heterosexual men the most put upon cohort in UK society?

That's not the point. This is officially sanctioned discrimination by sex and race, and that will create injustice.

If you play this game, you create social division.

I think most people would look at the situation and say that giving an occasional helping hand up to historically marginalised groups helps undo existing injustices. But some white middle class heterosexual men are snowflakes and easily triggered when their familiar advantages are reduced in the slightest.

An entirely predictable and thought-free response that reflects the well-worn tropes, shibboleths and mantras of your class.

"Middle-class white men banned from public sector internship
National Audit Office’s six-week paid programme only accepts female, black heritage or lower socio-economic applicants" (£)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/06/middle-class-white-men-banned-from-public-sector-internship/

Are white, middle-class heterosexual men the most put upon cohort in UK society?

That's not the point. This is officially sanctioned discrimination by sex and race, and that will create injustice.

If you play this game, you create social division.

No you won't!

Correcting an injustice might make those who benefitted from it agrieved, but it doesn't make them victims.

Treating people discriminated against by the system doesn't mean punishing those who had benefitetd from it.

I'd be up set if a car iIbought turned out to be stolen and had to be returned to it's owner, but I wouldn't blame them or say I should be allowed to keep it.

Nor if I had no idea it was stolen would I be prosecuted.

When we abolished slavery we compensated Slave owners not Slaves.

Apparently the logic being that the slaves were benefitting from their fredom, but the owners were losing their right to own other people and would have to pay people instead.

We sort of thought Slavery was a one of fee as opposed to paying in instalments.

The idea that white people are losing out because others are being treated just like them is just bizarre!

Peter.

This is an embarrassingly illogical and incoherent post, with a very weak argument at its heart. That's made even weaker by its repetition.

I'm afraid it makes me think far less of you.

Sorry.

"Middle-class white men banned from public sector internship
National Audit Office’s six-week paid programme only accepts female, black heritage or lower socio-economic applicants" (£)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/06/middle-class-white-men-banned-from-public-sector-internship/

Are white, middle-class heterosexual men the most put upon cohort in UK society?

That's not the point. This is officially sanctioned discrimination by sex and race, and that will create injustice.

If you play this game, you create social division.

I think most people would look at the situation and say that giving an occasional helping hand up to historically marginalised groups helps undo existing injustices. But some white middle class heterosexual men are snowflakes and easily triggered when their familiar advantages are reduced in the slightest.

I think most people would look at the situation and say that discriminating against anyone is wrong.

Two wrongs do not make a right.

I think two wrongs don’t make a right. But you’re the one who favours ethnically cleansing Palestinians, so I kinda thought you were in the two wrongs DO make a right camp.

I am not in favour of it, I do think relocation might be the least worst option to end the cycle of violence.

I would love to see a better, sustainable, option but as long as Hamas exist and their like, and as long as they are supported by the likes of Iran, it does not seem limely.

As long as Netanyahu and his uber Zionist clique lives then Hamas are not the genocidal nutters but actually freedom fighters.

Netanyahu is the best recruitment agency Hamas and Hezbollah have ever had.

Without him and his ilk, Hamas and Hezbollah would be starved of necessity and relevance.

Palestine is a State and it belongs in defined borders on the Gaza Strip and West Bank stolen by Israel.

The best solution is to empty Gaza of Palestinians, and move them all to the West Bank, moving all the Israeli settlers out of the West Bank and back in to Israel and Gaza to house them.

That means Israel is a whole state without a dangerous enclave of Palestinians who hate them, and Palestine is a whole state without illegal Israeli settlements. It is fair and just - nobody gets everything they want, but everyone gets what they need.

Leaving aside several issues with this plan, I note that there are over twice as many Gazans as Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Which I think should be fine. Gazans would tend to live more densely than Israeli settlers. I'd be more concerned that the Israeli settlers would burn and raze it all to the ground rather than let Palestinians live there, which would be very probable, but it would still be worth it to solve the problem.

Any moral solution to Israel-Palestine issue needs to remember that both Palestinians and Israelis should have the same right. Simply removing the Palestinians, is clearly in breach of that.

The Palestinians are idiots. They have ruined their own country.