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Will the Ayrshire hotelier follow Musk’s lead in renouncing Farage? – politicalbetting.com

SystemSystem Posts: 12,240
edited January 5 in General
Will the Ayrshire hotelier follow Musk’s lead in renouncing Farage? – politicalbetting.com

Well, this is a surprise! Elon is a remarkable individual but on this I am afraid I disagree. My view remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never sell out my principles. https://t.co/V7iccN6usS

Read the full story here

«134

Comments

  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,086
    Zeroth.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,180
    I think the value in this market is Kemi. Lab don't decapitate and Ref have noone else.
  • It’s not surprising this has happened.

    Elon Musk is a loose cannon and the rhetoric he’s been spouting over recent days has become more and more extreme.

    He clearly has an irrational hatred of Keir Starmer and the elected government of this country.

    Whilst he’s free to think and say what he likes, I really do think the ability to hold him to account on Twitter is essentially non-existent with how the site operates. We’ve seen before when the temperature gets too high, that people end up doing dangerous things and I just worry that this is where we are headed, again.

    Some of the stuff Musk has said is totally outrageous and I really hope that anyone from any political persuasion would be able to call it out for what it is. I pray this site does not fall victim to it.

    I’m off to watch Below Deck.
  • Stark_DawningStark_Dawning Posts: 9,751
    Bit mealy mouthed from Nigel though. 'remarkable individual' indeed. I'd have told Musk where to stick it. Perhaps Nigel is more craven than we'd hitherto been led to believe.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 72,031
    Nigel Farage of those three.

    Not because of the politics but because he always does it when he feels the need for large amounts of cash on the lecture circuit gets bored of it.
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,978
    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,516
    Big week for 🚀 launches next week, New Glenn and Starship 7 both scheduled for launches
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,319
    Cookie said:

    I think the value in this market is Kemi. Lab don't decapitate and Ref have noone else.

    Your money is tied up though. Could be 2029 before any of them is replaced.

  • eekeek Posts: 28,700

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    It wasn't at all irregular. Tommy was found guilty of libel and continued (and continues) to repeat the same libel...

    What else can a court do in that circumstance...
  • I think Bad Enoch will outlast Farage as Farage has a tendency to get bored, give the leadership up to others so he can concentrate on other matters/make money in the States, then return to the leadership whenever it suits him again.

    If Farage steps down he can always step back up again, Kemi can't.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,675
    Pulpstar said:

    Big week for 🚀 launches next week, New Glenn and Starship 7 both scheduled for launches

    Both are looking likely to slip.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,158
    edited January 5

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,675
    eek said:

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    It wasn't at all irregular. Tommy was found guilty of libel and continued (and continues) to repeat the same libel...

    What else can a court do in that circumstance...
    Throw a large book at him.

    Rather like the idiots who do their protests repeatedly, until the courts throw the book at them.

    If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime 27 times.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 53,160
    Farage could sell the whole Reform shebang to Musk.

    Walk away with a huge amount and not give a toss who Musk installs.
  • It’s not surprising this has happened.

    Elon Musk is a loose cannon and the rhetoric he’s been spouting over recent days has become more and more extreme.

    He clearly has an irrational hatred of Keir Starmer and the elected government of this country.

    Whilst he’s free to think and say what he likes, I really do think the ability to hold him to account on Twitter is essentially non-existent with how the site operates. We’ve seen before when the temperature gets too high, that people end up doing dangerous things and I just worry that this is where we are headed, again.

    Some of the stuff Musk has said is totally outrageous and I really hope that anyone from any political persuasion would be able to call it out for what it is. I pray this site does not fall victim to it.

    I’m off to watch Below Deck.

    The way to hold to account people who are saying outrageous things is to expose them for being fools.

    Your desire to see him censored is dangerous and redundant. Its absolutely possible to hold him to account by exposing and ridiculing him, there's no need for censorship.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,762
    What!

    No Ed Davey???

    We demand a recount
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,583

    I think Bad Enoch will outlast Farage as Farage has a tendency to get bored, give the leadership up to others so he can concentrate on other matters/make money in the States, then return to the leadership whenever it suits him again.

    If Farage steps down he can always step back up again, Kemi can't.

    On the other hand, Kemi's leadership has two modes of failure- she can jump (agree, unlikely) or be pushed (inevitable in the end). As of now, Nigel can't be pushed from what he owns lock, stock and Rupert.

    Meanwhile, she has backed her Justice spokesman.

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jan/05/badenoch-defends-jenricks-remarks-about-people-from-alien-cultures

    Someone needs to ask her if she supports what he said, or just his right to say it.
  • FossFoss Posts: 1,075

    As I mentioned earlier and had no response to, this will be one of the biggest years for the telecoms industry in decades.

    I’m personally very excited to see what the outcome of the merger is. My hope is we will get two very strong networks as a result which can genuinely compete with BT/EE.

    I will be watching the spectrum purchases that O2 make from MergeCo with much interest.

    Do you see them picking up CityFibre/Altnets to fully compete with BT/EE and VM/O2 ?
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,675
    a
    rcs1000 said:

    What!

    No Ed Davey???

    We demand a recount

    I’m looking forward to the Reform/LibDem coalition.

    Perhaps we can get the full on fights that used to occur in the South Korean Parliament?
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,675
    DavidL said:

    FPT

    Those passages do Starmer credit but it is remarkable how the landscape has changed.

    Firstly, in Scotland, we have the rape shield provisions found in the Criminal Procedure (S) Act 1995. These make it impermissible to ask any complainer about any prior sexual or criminal conduct unless an application has been made to the court explaining in advance why that evidence might be relevant (an obvious example being a previous admitted false allegation). Secondly, in Scotland, we have gone a long way (some might say too far) in excluding what we call collateral material, such as that the complainer had consented on other occasions. Taken together, the scope of cross examination has been very severely restricted and it tends to be relatively brief.

    Secondly, we have simply stopped being apologetic about our victims. Many, possibly even most, have found themselves in situations where they have been sexually abused because they have drug problems, drink problems or psychological issues relating to their mental health. We have gone on the front foot about this. They have been picked because they have these vulnerabilities. It is not a reason to doubt the evidence of the victim, it is a reason to look carefully at the conduct of the accused.

    Thirdly, and possibly most controversially in Scotland, the old protections of corroboration have been substantially diminished. What is meant by a de recenti statement (that is immediately after the event) has been extended to months if there are good reasons why it had not been made earlier. Similarly, the rule on distress viewed by an independent witness has been extended in time.

    The result of these changes is that it is a very rare allegation of rape that does not get to a jury. Whether they are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt is a different matter but juries too, in my experience, are far more realistic than they used to be about what has really been going on. The #MeToo movement has had a definite and positive effect here. Jurors are much more willing to see abuses of power and addictions as vitiating any question of consent.

    Personally, I have some reservations about some of the excluded evidence. I have some worries that a life changing conviction can and does come to pass on the back of what is, in reality, a single source of evidence. I have concerns about the sheer number of cases that are being prosecuted and the delays that causes. But what an improvement.

    “Personally, I have some reservations about some of the excluded evidence. I have some worries that a life changing conviction can and does come to pass on the back of what is, in reality, a single source of evidence.”

    Think of it as laying down work for the next generation of up and coming lawyers. Without some wrongly imprisoned people to free, how will the young idealists prove themselves?
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,583
    rcs1000 said:

    What!

    No Ed Davey???

    We demand a recount

    He's probably preparing a sack race photo op as we speak.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,585
    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 54,145

    DavidL said:

    FPT

    Those passages do Starmer credit but it is remarkable how the landscape has changed.

    Firstly, in Scotland, we have the rape shield provisions found in the Criminal Procedure (S) Act 1995. These make it impermissible to ask any complainer about any prior sexual or criminal conduct unless an application has been made to the court explaining in advance why that evidence might be relevant (an obvious example being a previous admitted false allegation). Secondly, in Scotland, we have gone a long way (some might say too far) in excluding what we call collateral material, such as that the complainer had consented on other occasions. Taken together, the scope of cross examination has been very severely restricted and it tends to be relatively brief.

    Secondly, we have simply stopped being apologetic about our victims. Many, possibly even most, have found themselves in situations where they have been sexually abused because they have drug problems, drink problems or psychological issues relating to their mental health. We have gone on the front foot about this. They have been picked because they have these vulnerabilities. It is not a reason to doubt the evidence of the victim, it is a reason to look carefully at the conduct of the accused.

    Thirdly, and possibly most controversially in Scotland, the old protections of corroboration have been substantially diminished. What is meant by a de recenti statement (that is immediately after the event) has been extended to months if there are good reasons why it had not been made earlier. Similarly, the rule on distress viewed by an independent witness has been extended in time.

    The result of these changes is that it is a very rare allegation of rape that does not get to a jury. Whether they are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt is a different matter but juries too, in my experience, are far more realistic than they used to be about what has really been going on. The #MeToo movement has had a definite and positive effect here. Jurors are much more willing to see abuses of power and addictions as vitiating any question of consent.

    Personally, I have some reservations about some of the excluded evidence. I have some worries that a life changing conviction can and does come to pass on the back of what is, in reality, a single source of evidence. I have concerns about the sheer number of cases that are being prosecuted and the delays that causes. But what an improvement.

    “Personally, I have some reservations about some of the excluded evidence. I have some worries that a life changing conviction can and does come to pass on the back of what is, in reality, a single source of evidence.”

    Think of it as laying down work for the next generation of up and coming lawyers. Without some wrongly imprisoned people to free, how will the young idealists prove themselves?
    I know you jest but it could come very quickly. There is a decision awaited from the Supreme Court on this very point and if they rule that the rules have been so strict as to prevent a fair trial under Article 6 a lot of convictions are going to need to be looked at.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,778

    It’s not surprising this has happened.

    Elon Musk is a loose cannon and the rhetoric he’s been spouting over recent days has become more and more extreme.

    He clearly has an irrational hatred of Keir Starmer and the elected government of this country.

    Whilst he’s free to think and say what he likes, I really do think the ability to hold him to account on Twitter is essentially non-existent with how the site operates. We’ve seen before when the temperature gets too high, that people end up doing dangerous things and I just worry that this is where we are headed, again.

    Some of the stuff Musk has said is totally outrageous and I really hope that anyone from any political persuasion would be able to call it out for what it is. I pray this site does not fall victim to it.

    I’m off to watch Below Deck.

    The way to hold to account people who are saying outrageous things is to expose them for being fools.

    Your desire to see him censored is dangerous and redundant. Its absolutely possible to hold him to account by exposing and ridiculing him, there's no need for censorship.
    I've been saying he's a fool for years. A dangerous fool, more recently.

    But the response i get are things like: "He's a genius!!! Look at all the rockets and cars he's designed!!! You're a nobody!!!"

    It's hard to expose him, as I have zero influence over the mainstream media, and he controls one of the main alternative routes - Twix. And there are masses of weird nerds and bots jumping in to defend their God. Not just on Twix - on here as well.

    But what many people miss is that it is perfectly possible to be both highly intelligent and a fool. In fact, the more intelligent you are, the more likely you are to be in a position to do some really, really foolish stuff. No-one trusts the village idiot with the nuclear codes.

    Actually, that's a *really* bad analogy given American and Russia, isn't it? ;)
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,978

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 52,639

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    Also why would the party of the AG be significant? Is @TSE implying that a Tory would be more sympathetic to Robinson?
  • eekeek Posts: 28,700
    edited January 5

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    That's a completely different contempt of court case regarding Mr Yaxley-Lennon

    The article you post is connected to his "reporting" of a case in Canterbury - the reason he's currently in jail is repeated libel of completely unfounded allegations against a Syrian refugee... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c704eedkqkvo
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 11,810
    At some point, the media and everyone else will realise that Musk tweeting about UK politics doesn't actually have any effect. He can't just will Farage gone or Yaxley-Lennon freed.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 54,145

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    IANAE in English procedure, far from it, but courts tend to get twitchy if contempt of court matters are not open and shut and allow the Judge to deal with it summarily. In those circumstances the question of whether there should be a full, independent prosecution is normally given to the prosecution authorities so that they can decide if there should be a prosecution in the conventional way with the appropriate procedural protections etc. As I read it, that is what happened here.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,158

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    Also why would the party of the AG be significant? Is @TSE implying that a Tory would be more sympathetic to Robinson?
    There you go again.

    Read Frank Booth’s original post about the Labour AG.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,778

    At some point, the media and everyone else will realise that Musk tweeting about UK politics doesn't actually have any effect. He can't just will Farage gone or Yaxley-Lennon freed.

    I think that's very complacent. He can set a mood amongst a significant portion of society, and has been damaging this country's reputation for months.

    Georgescu in Romania shows how the Internet and social media can be a very useful tool for subverting democracy.
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 11,810

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    Yaxley-Lennon "welcomed the referral to the attorney general and said he hoped he "makes the right decision"," reported the BBC at the time ( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152 ).

    You can read the full judgement of the outcome of the case at https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ag-v-yaxley-lennon-jmt-190709.pdf
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 52,639

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    Also why would the party of the AG be significant? Is @TSE implying that a Tory would be more sympathetic to Robinson?
    There you go again.

    Read Frank Booth’s original post about the Labour AG.
    Was it not a Labour AG responsible for the latest case?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clynm2700kgo

    The Attorney General’s Office launched the new action against Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, over alleged breaches of a court order not to repeat defamatory lies about a Syrian refugee.
  • RochdalePioneersRochdalePioneers Posts: 29,088
    It's very clearly obvious that Labour have done the Bad Thing. For 14 years they were in office and did Nothing. Thank goodness we now have Badenoch and Musk here to point at the guilty parties.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,675
    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    FPT

    Those passages do Starmer credit but it is remarkable how the landscape has changed.

    Firstly, in Scotland, we have the rape shield provisions found in the Criminal Procedure (S) Act 1995. These make it impermissible to ask any complainer about any prior sexual or criminal conduct unless an application has been made to the court explaining in advance why that evidence might be relevant (an obvious example being a previous admitted false allegation). Secondly, in Scotland, we have gone a long way (some might say too far) in excluding what we call collateral material, such as that the complainer had consented on other occasions. Taken together, the scope of cross examination has been very severely restricted and it tends to be relatively brief.

    Secondly, we have simply stopped being apologetic about our victims. Many, possibly even most, have found themselves in situations where they have been sexually abused because they have drug problems, drink problems or psychological issues relating to their mental health. We have gone on the front foot about this. They have been picked because they have these vulnerabilities. It is not a reason to doubt the evidence of the victim, it is a reason to look carefully at the conduct of the accused.

    Thirdly, and possibly most controversially in Scotland, the old protections of corroboration have been substantially diminished. What is meant by a de recenti statement (that is immediately after the event) has been extended to months if there are good reasons why it had not been made earlier. Similarly, the rule on distress viewed by an independent witness has been extended in time.

    The result of these changes is that it is a very rare allegation of rape that does not get to a jury. Whether they are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt is a different matter but juries too, in my experience, are far more realistic than they used to be about what has really been going on. The #MeToo movement has had a definite and positive effect here. Jurors are much more willing to see abuses of power and addictions as vitiating any question of consent.

    Personally, I have some reservations about some of the excluded evidence. I have some worries that a life changing conviction can and does come to pass on the back of what is, in reality, a single source of evidence. I have concerns about the sheer number of cases that are being prosecuted and the delays that causes. But what an improvement.

    “Personally, I have some reservations about some of the excluded evidence. I have some worries that a life changing conviction can and does come to pass on the back of what is, in reality, a single source of evidence.”

    Think of it as laying down work for the next generation of up and coming lawyers. Without some wrongly imprisoned people to free, how will the young idealists prove themselves?
    I know you jest but it could come very quickly. There is a decision awaited from the Supreme Court on this very point and if they rule that the rules have been so strict as to prevent a fair trial under Article 6 a lot of convictions are going to need to be looked at.
    I jest only in the sense of laughing about the certain outcome.

    “All this has happened before and will happen again.”
  • MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 13,700
    edited January 5

    I think Bad Enoch will outlast Farage as Farage has a tendency to get bored, give the leadership up to others so he can concentrate on other matters/make money in the States, then return to the leadership whenever it suits him again.

    If Farage steps down he can always step back up again, Kemi can't.

    On the other hand, Kemi's leadership has two modes of failure- she can jump (agree, unlikely) or be pushed (inevitable in the end). As of now, Nigel can't be pushed from what he owns lock, stock and Rupert.

    Meanwhile, she has backed her Justice spokesman.

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jan/05/badenoch-defends-jenricks-remarks-about-people-from-alien-cultures

    Someone needs to ask her if she supports what he said, or just his right to say it.
    I agree with you Stu. This is the bigger story from today.

    There’s definitely a bit of “Suella” going on here. Jenrick is defining the position of the whole Conservative Party, daring Badenoch to sack him. If she doesn’t, she’s undermined and weaker, and Jenrick wins and grows stronger.

    It’s a battle for the soul of the Conservative Party, where I sense 97% of PB is on Kemi side on this one.

    To use the grooming gang victims as political football, to push one dimensional, opportunistic political points, copying pure populism from Musks ignorant outpourings, is such obvious betrayal of all victims. Because the bottom line every victim needs most, is change, that awful conviction rates for coercion and control and abuse isn’t happening again and again, that everyone everywhere, groomed, controlled, exploited and abused, get their perpetrator charged and justice via the courts and law. To have focus on anything other than this right now is simply the wrongheaded, irresponsible thing to do. because it simply isn’t over and historical as the impression Shadow Justice Secretary is pushing - look at what is going on today, the awful charging and conviction rates for the controlling behaviour abuse in UK today, the hard work still needed to be delivered by politicians of all parties.

    By the end of tomorrow, if Jenrick has not resigned, Kemi should sack him, like Heath sacked Powell Enoch.
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,978
    eek said:

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    That's a completely different contempt of court case regarding Mr Yaxley-Lennon

    The article you post is connected to his "reporting" of a case in Canterbury - the reason he's currently in jail is repeated libel of completely unfounded allegations against a Syrian refugee... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c704eedkqkvo
    I haven't posted anything. I mentioned Ben Habib's tweet. It was TSE who brought the 2018 Canterbury case into it. Whatever the verdict of the current AG on the refugee case it's always going to cause a bit of an issue when you have a political appointee making a decision against an enemy of the Labour party. I hope he got it right.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,675
    eek said:

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    That's a completely different contempt of court case regarding Mr Yaxley-Lennon

    The article you post is connected to his "reporting" of a case in Canterbury - the reason he's currently in jail is repeated libel of completely unfounded allegations against a Syrian refugee... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c704eedkqkvo
    To be fair, Mr Y-L is in contempt of court of many courts. Added to his other crimes, it does make it rather hard to keep the record straight.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,158
    Oh dear, it appears some of Tommeh's fans seem quite outraged that the current AG is Jewish.

    Twitter really is a sewer.
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 63,909

    It's very clearly obvious that Labour have done the Bad Thing. For 14 years they were in office and did Nothing. Thank goodness we now have Badenoch and Musk here to point at the guilty parties.

    The important point is Labour seem to have had no plan, other than just win the election
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,978

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    Yaxley-Lennon "welcomed the referral to the attorney general and said he hoped he "makes the right decision"," reported the BBC at the time ( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152 ).

    You can read the full judgement of the outcome of the case at https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ag-v-yaxley-lennon-jmt-190709.pdf
    That's 2018. The controversy is really over the one this year.
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 11,810
    eek said:

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    That's a completely different contempt of court case regarding Mr Yaxley-Lennon

    The article you post is connected to his "reporting" of a case in Canterbury - the reason he's currently in jail is repeated libel of completely unfounded allegations against a Syrian refugee... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c704eedkqkvo
    And these events shouldn't be confused with when he was sent to jail for kicking a police officer in the head as he lay on the ground, or when he was sent to jail for travelling to the US on someone else's passport, or when he was sent to jail for mortgage fraud. Or indeed with his suspended sentence for headbutting a man in Blackburn, nor his forthcoming trial for failing to provide his mobile phone PIN when requested by police. Nor when he was found guilty of stalking; nor when he was convicted of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour, for leading a group of football hooligans into a brawl in Luton. Nor when he was fined for failing to appear at the High Court to answer questions over his finances relating to his bankruptcy claim; nor when he was investigated by HMRC over his taxes.
  • RochdalePioneersRochdalePioneers Posts: 29,088

    It's very clearly obvious that Labour have done the Bad Thing. For 14 years they were in office and did Nothing. Thank goodness we now have Badenoch and Musk here to point at the guilty parties.

    The important point is Labour seem to have had no plan, other than just win the election
    So the blame for nothing being done for a decade and a half is on Labour?
  • theProletheProle Posts: 1,242
    FPT

    ydoethur said:

    If we can talk about something else, admittedly rather depressing, a few days ago an embankment collapsed on the historic Bridgewater Canal.

    It's still leaking, and still collapsing. The banks for several hundred yards either side of the breach have been undermined, leading to the steel linings falling into the main channel, and the stop boards are breaking because they're all rotten. Meanwhile, the area damaged by flooding is extensive.

    (Start at 12 mins) https://youtu.be/8env2H36Hto?si=Nj13N9KH-hxBDBKP

    https://youtu.be/meEAQO5TKwk?si=l2DJKHZ5YzBh-KCD

    I do not see how this gets repaired, given the owners. We could well have lost the first major canal of the Industrial Age.

    The failure mode of the embankment is curious; it'd be interesting to discover how it happened. If we do...
    Suggestions I believe that there was a culvert under it which collapsed due to the pressure of floodwater and took the whole embankment with it.
    It breached pretty much there in the 70s, I think it required the local councils to chip in to get it repaired then.
  • No_Offence_AlanNo_Offence_Alan Posts: 4,649

    At some point, the media and everyone else will realise that Musk tweeting about UK politics doesn't actually have any effect. He can't just will Farage gone or Yaxley-Lennon freed.

    I think that's very complacent. He can set a mood amongst a significant portion of society, and has been damaging this country's reputation for months.

    Georgescu in Romania shows how the Internet and social media can be a very useful tool for subverting democracy.
    It's the current government in Romania which is subverting things.
  • GIN1138GIN1138 Posts: 22,420
    Is Musk going to make Farage look centrist and reasonable lol?
  • RochdalePioneersRochdalePioneers Posts: 29,088
    GIN1138 said:

    Is Musk going to make Farage look centrist and reasonable lol?

    A big win for Farage if so!
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,158
    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 11,810

    At some point, the media and everyone else will realise that Musk tweeting about UK politics doesn't actually have any effect. He can't just will Farage gone or Yaxley-Lennon freed.

    I think that's very complacent. He can set a mood amongst a significant portion of society, and has been damaging this country's reputation for months.

    Georgescu in Romania shows how the Internet and social media can be a very useful tool for subverting democracy.
    I think there are significant problems associated with social media and how groups can subvert democracy, as happened with Georgescu. But Musk tweeting something should not be headline news and doesn't have much effect. If Musk gives Reform UK $$$$, that will matter.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 28,686

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    Also why would the party of the AG be significant? Is @TSE implying that a Tory would be more sympathetic to Robinson?
    If you read the previous quotes, young Frank said the Attorney General is a Labour politician. He is now, but was not in 2018, of course. Elon Musk should also check his calendar as Starmer was DPP when many of these groomers and rapists were prosecuted.
  • eekeek Posts: 28,700

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    Also why would the party of the AG be significant? Is @TSE implying that a Tory would be more sympathetic to Robinson?
    If you read the previous quotes, young Frank said the Attorney General is a Labour politician. He is now, but was not in 2018, of course. Elon Musk should also check his calendar as Starmer was DPP when many of these groomers and rapists were prosecuted.
    Your sentence doesn't imply what you think it does.

    What you have actually said is that Starmer was in charge when many of the groomers and rapists were prosecuted...
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,675

    eek said:

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    That's a completely different contempt of court case regarding Mr Yaxley-Lennon

    The article you post is connected to his "reporting" of a case in Canterbury - the reason he's currently in jail is repeated libel of completely unfounded allegations against a Syrian refugee... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c704eedkqkvo
    And these events shouldn't be confused with when he was sent to jail for kicking a police officer in the head as he lay on the ground, or when he was sent to jail for travelling to the US on someone else's passport, or when he was sent to jail for mortgage fraud. Or indeed with his suspended sentence for headbutting a man in Blackburn, nor his forthcoming trial for failing to provide his mobile phone PIN when requested by police. Nor when he was found guilty of stalking; nor when he was convicted of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour, for leading a group of football hooligans into a brawl in Luton. Nor when he was fined for failing to appear at the High Court to answer questions over his finances relating to his bankruptcy claim; nor when he was investigated by HMRC over his taxes.
    Perhaps we should list the laws he hasn’t broken?

    I am fairly certain about the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894

    Any others?
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 28,686

    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
    You see, here's the problem. Hiring sex workers is not the same as gang-raping children. We need to resist the temptation to lump everything together, as is too often the case these days.
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,978

    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
    Many British men can be said to lack respect for women but you need to start coming to terms with the particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin. The crimes are grotesque.
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,869

    Oh dear, it appears some of Tommeh's fans seem quite outraged that the current AG is Jewish.

    Twitter really is a sewer.

    Which is why I really read anything on it. Life is something much nicer without it.
  • eekeek Posts: 28,700
    edited January 5

    eek said:

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    That's a completely different contempt of court case regarding Mr Yaxley-Lennon

    The article you post is connected to his "reporting" of a case in Canterbury - the reason he's currently in jail is repeated libel of completely unfounded allegations against a Syrian refugee... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c704eedkqkvo
    I haven't posted anything. I mentioned Ben Habib's tweet. It was TSE who brought the 2018 Canterbury case into it. Whatever the verdict of the current AG on the refugee case it's always going to cause a bit of an issue when you have a political appointee making a decision against an enemy of the Labour party. I hope he got it right.
    Current AG? - the contempt case for which SYL is in jail at the moment kicked off in June before Labour came into power.

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jul/29/tommy-robinson-flees-uk-on-eurostar-amid-contempt-of-court-proceedings
    Quote
    The solicitor general launched legal action against Robinson in June over an alleged breach of a court order after he lost a libel battle in 2021.
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 63,909

    It's very clearly obvious that Labour have done the Bad Thing. For 14 years they were in office and did Nothing. Thank goodness we now have Badenoch and Musk here to point at the guilty parties.

    The important point is Labour seem to have had no plan, other than just win the election
    So the blame for nothing being done for a decade and a half is on Labour?
    Of course not, but they have arrived in office with a landslide and yet have created over 61 consultations and worst of all kicked social care into touch

    Labour had the chance to be a reforming government but seem frightened of their own shadow
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,158

    eek said:

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    That's a completely different contempt of court case regarding Mr Yaxley-Lennon

    The article you post is connected to his "reporting" of a case in Canterbury - the reason he's currently in jail is repeated libel of completely unfounded allegations against a Syrian refugee... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c704eedkqkvo
    And these events shouldn't be confused with when he was sent to jail for kicking a police officer in the head as he lay on the ground, or when he was sent to jail for travelling to the US on someone else's passport, or when he was sent to jail for mortgage fraud. Or indeed with his suspended sentence for headbutting a man in Blackburn, nor his forthcoming trial for failing to provide his mobile phone PIN when requested by police. Nor when he was found guilty of stalking; nor when he was convicted of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour, for leading a group of football hooligans into a brawl in Luton. Nor when he was fined for failing to appear at the High Court to answer questions over his finances relating to his bankruptcy claim; nor when he was investigated by HMRC over his taxes.
    Perhaps we should list the laws he hasn’t broken?

    I am fairly certain about the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894

    Any others?
    I also find it quite sad that people who say they are trying to get justice for the victims of these horrid crimes and are using Tommy Robinson to bash Starmer seem oblivious to the fact that Robinson's actions almost stopped some people getting justice and letting the perpetrators get away with it.
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 11,810
    edited January 5

    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
    Many British men can be said to lack respect for women but you need to start coming to terms with the particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin. The crimes are grotesque.
    There is no "particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin". There has been a problem involving some individual British men of Pakistani origin. Blaming a group for the actions of some individuals is wrong. We shouldn't blame all white British men living in north London for the lack of respect from Sean Thomas. We shouldn't blame all British men of Pakistani origin for the actions of some. Why does this need to be explained to you?
  • eekeek Posts: 28,700

    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
    You see, here's the problem. Hiring sex workers is not the same as gang-raping children. We need to resist the temptation to lump everything together, as is too often the case these days.
    Depends on the sex workers - there is evidence that Elon Musk has met convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,675

    eek said:

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    That's a completely different contempt of court case regarding Mr Yaxley-Lennon

    The article you post is connected to his "reporting" of a case in Canterbury - the reason he's currently in jail is repeated libel of completely unfounded allegations against a Syrian refugee... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c704eedkqkvo
    And these events shouldn't be confused with when he was sent to jail for kicking a police officer in the head as he lay on the ground, or when he was sent to jail for travelling to the US on someone else's passport, or when he was sent to jail for mortgage fraud. Or indeed with his suspended sentence for headbutting a man in Blackburn, nor his forthcoming trial for failing to provide his mobile phone PIN when requested by police. Nor when he was found guilty of stalking; nor when he was convicted of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour, for leading a group of football hooligans into a brawl in Luton. Nor when he was fined for failing to appear at the High Court to answer questions over his finances relating to his bankruptcy claim; nor when he was investigated by HMRC over his taxes.
    Perhaps we should list the laws he hasn’t broken?

    I am fairly certain about the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894

    Any others?
    I also find it quite sad that people who say they are trying to get justice for the victims of these horrid crimes and are using Tommy Robinson to bash Starmer seem oblivious to the fact that Robinson's actions almost stopped some people getting justice and letting the perpetrators get away with it.
    Not so much sad as scum being scum.
  • theProletheProle Posts: 1,242
    DavidL said:

    FPT

    Those passages do Starmer credit but it is remarkable how the landscape has changed.

    Firstly, in Scotland, we have the rape shield provisions found in the Criminal Procedure (S) Act 1995. These make it impermissible to ask any complainer about any prior sexual or criminal conduct unless an application has been made to the court explaining in advance why that evidence might be relevant (an obvious example being a previous admitted false allegation). Secondly, in Scotland, we have gone a long way (some might say too far) in excluding what we call collateral material, such as that the complainer had consented on other occasions. Taken together, the scope of cross examination has been very severely restricted and it tends to be relatively brief.

    Secondly, we have simply stopped being apologetic about our victims. Many, possibly even most, have found themselves in situations where they have been sexually abused because they have drug problems, drink problems or psychological issues relating to their mental health. We have gone on the front foot about this. They have been picked because they have these vulnerabilities. It is not a reason to doubt the evidence of the victim, it is a reason to look carefully at the conduct of the accused.

    Thirdly, and possibly most controversially in Scotland, the old protections of corroboration have been substantially diminished. What is meant by a de recenti statement (that is immediately after the event) has been extended to months if there are good reasons why it had not been made earlier. Similarly, the rule on distress viewed by an independent witness has been extended in time.

    The result of these changes is that it is a very rare allegation of rape that does not get to a jury. Whether they are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt is a different matter but juries too, in my experience, are far more realistic than they used to be about what has really been going on. The #MeToo movement has had a definite and positive effect here. Jurors are much more willing to see abuses of power and addictions as vitiating any question of consent.

    Personally, I have some reservations about some of the excluded evidence. I have some worries that a life changing conviction can and does come to pass on the back of what is, in reality, a single source of evidence. I have concerns about the sheer number of cases that are being prosecuted and the delays that causes. But what an improvement.

    The general principle of law (English law at least) is that it's preferable to free 10 guilty men rather than wrongly inprison one innocent man.

    The problem with rape is that it's a crime which often takes place in private, and which is only criminal if the victim's state of mind at the time make it so. It's therefore unsurprising that, unfortunately, in murky circumstances, when it's basically his word vs hers, particularly in cases where consent has been given in the past, juries have been reluctant to convict.

    I'm deeply unconvinced that putting a finger on the scales by withholding relevant information (eg previous consent) is the right course of action. Sure it will mean more guilty men jailed, and that can only be a good thing, but IMHO the potential cost in innocent lives ruined is too high.

    Incidentally, none of this is very relevant to the apparent difficulties in apprehending the grooming gangs currently being hotly discussed - enough of their victims were under 16 where it should have only required DNA/medical evidence that intercourse had occurred to prove a charge of statutory rapes.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,583

    I think Bad Enoch will outlast Farage as Farage has a tendency to get bored, give the leadership up to others so he can concentrate on other matters/make money in the States, then return to the leadership whenever it suits him again.

    If Farage steps down he can always step back up again, Kemi can't.

    On the other hand, Kemi's leadership has two modes of failure- she can jump (agree, unlikely) or be pushed (inevitable in the end). As of now, Nigel can't be pushed from what he owns lock, stock and Rupert.

    Meanwhile, she has backed her Justice spokesman.

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jan/05/badenoch-defends-jenricks-remarks-about-people-from-alien-cultures

    Someone needs to ask her if she supports what he said, or just his right to say it.
    I agree with you Stu. This is the bigger story from today.

    There’s definitely a bit of “Suella” going on here. Jenrick is defining the position of the whole Conservative Party, daring Badenoch to sack him. If she doesn’t, she’s undermined and weaker, and Jenrick wins and grows stronger.

    It’s a battle for the soul of the Conservative Party, where I sense 97% of PB is on Kemi side on this one.

    To use the grooming gang victims as political football, to push one dimensional, opportunistic political points, copying pure populism from Musks ignorant outpourings, is such obvious betrayal of all victims. Because the bottom line every victim needs most, is change, that awful conviction rates for coercion and control and abuse isn’t happening again and again, that everyone everywhere, groomed, controlled, exploited and abused, get their perpetrator charged and justice via the courts and law. To have focus on anything other than this right now is simply the wrongheaded, irresponsible thing to do. because it simply isn’t over and historical as the impression Shadow Justice Secretary is pushing - look at what is going on today, the awful charging and conviction rates for the controlling behaviour abuse in UK today, the hard work still needed to be delivered by politicians of all parties.

    By the end of tomorrow, if Jenrick has not resigned, Kemi should sack him, like Heath sacked Powell Enoch.
    One would like to think she would. But I've got a horrible feeling that she won't.

    And "too weak to slap Jenrick down" and "too stupid to realise that freedom to discuss difficult questions doesn't give freedom to just say anything" are the most charitable explanations I can come up with. If someone has a better one, I'm all ears.
  • eekeek Posts: 28,700
    theProle said:

    DavidL said:

    FPT

    Those passages do Starmer credit but it is remarkable how the landscape has changed.

    Firstly, in Scotland, we have the rape shield provisions found in the Criminal Procedure (S) Act 1995. These make it impermissible to ask any complainer about any prior sexual or criminal conduct unless an application has been made to the court explaining in advance why that evidence might be relevant (an obvious example being a previous admitted false allegation). Secondly, in Scotland, we have gone a long way (some might say too far) in excluding what we call collateral material, such as that the complainer had consented on other occasions. Taken together, the scope of cross examination has been very severely restricted and it tends to be relatively brief.

    Secondly, we have simply stopped being apologetic about our victims. Many, possibly even most, have found themselves in situations where they have been sexually abused because they have drug problems, drink problems or psychological issues relating to their mental health. We have gone on the front foot about this. They have been picked because they have these vulnerabilities. It is not a reason to doubt the evidence of the victim, it is a reason to look carefully at the conduct of the accused.

    Thirdly, and possibly most controversially in Scotland, the old protections of corroboration have been substantially diminished. What is meant by a de recenti statement (that is immediately after the event) has been extended to months if there are good reasons why it had not been made earlier. Similarly, the rule on distress viewed by an independent witness has been extended in time.

    The result of these changes is that it is a very rare allegation of rape that does not get to a jury. Whether they are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt is a different matter but juries too, in my experience, are far more realistic than they used to be about what has really been going on. The #MeToo movement has had a definite and positive effect here. Jurors are much more willing to see abuses of power and addictions as vitiating any question of consent.

    Personally, I have some reservations about some of the excluded evidence. I have some worries that a life changing conviction can and does come to pass on the back of what is, in reality, a single source of evidence. I have concerns about the sheer number of cases that are being prosecuted and the delays that causes. But what an improvement.

    The general principle of law (English law at least) is that it's preferable to free 10 guilty men rather than wrongly inprison one innocent man.

    The problem with rape is that it's a crime which often takes place in private, and which is only criminal if the victim's state of mind at the time make it so. It's therefore unsurprising that, unfortunately, in murky circumstances, when it's basically his word vs hers, particularly in cases where consent has been given in the past, juries have been reluctant to convict.

    I'm deeply unconvinced that putting a finger on the scales by withholding relevant information (eg previous consent) is the right course of action. Sure it will mean more guilty men jailed, and that can only be a good thing, but IMHO the potential cost in innocent lives ruined is too high.

    Incidentally, none of this is very relevant to the apparent difficulties in apprehending the grooming gangs currently being hotly discussed - enough of their victims were under 16 where it should have only required DNA/medical evidence that intercourse had occurred to prove a charge of statutory rapes.
    Problem there is a lack of DNA evidence due to the time between the most recent occurance and reporting the incident to the police.
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,978

    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
    Many British men can be said to lack respect for women but you need to start coming to terms with the particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin. The crimes are grotesque.
    There is no "particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin". There has been a problem involving some individual British men of Pakistani origin. Blaming a group for the actions of some individuals is wrong. We shouldn't blame all white British men living in north London for the lack of respect from Sean Thomas. We shouldn't blame all British men of Pakistani origin for the actions of some. Why does this need to be explained to you?
    I never said all men of Pakistani origin. But I'm afraid it is very commonplace among them. For instance in relation to the debate around sex workers, it's well known that many avoid men of Pakistani origin for this very reason. Not they they are all misogynists but they won't take the risk.

    For goodness sake even people like Yasmin AB were prepared to say this in the past. There are intelligent British Pakistanis who will say this.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,158
    edited January 5

    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
    You see, here's the problem. Hiring sex workers is not the same as gang-raping children. We need to resist the temptation to lump everything together, as is too often the case these days.
    As Maggie Oliver has pointed out a lot of sex workers have either been trafficked into the job or started underage.

    Plenty of them have substance issues.

    What was a common modus operandi of these crimes, plying them with booze and drugs to get them hooked.
  • ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 4,145

    Oh dear, it appears some of Tommeh's fans seem quite outraged that the current AG is Jewish.

    Twitter really is a sewer.

    A reassuringly expensive sewer, though. $40bn buys a chap the most luxurious sewer imaginable. A sewer that constantly back-slaps you with affirmative thumbs up's about your own shit.

    $40bn seems cheap.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,158
    On topic, thank God Starmer didn't make Farage our man in Washington.
  • Liverpool can’t go dropping points at home against relegation haunted sides with array of difficult away games coming at them. Liverpool spent the first half looking leggy and yard off the pace - that’s where they dropped the points.

    Manchester United were excellent today and nearly snatched it at the end

    However, Liverpool are 6 points ahead and have a game in hand

    Not only that, in Salah they have the best player in the league and will win it
    I think you have put the finger on the actual button here. Salah has an incredible goal involvement of over 70% so far this season. But to what degree will the rest of the team step up if his form drops off or he’s injured for length of time? We can’t know. And that’s the problem when everything giving team cutting edge goes through one great player.

    It’s not just Salah who won’t be at the club next season, Arnold, who has turned down millions having not signed a new contract, proving he made his mind up to leave ages ago, didn’t turn up today.

    It’s not just this game Liverpool looked jaded and their press was poor, their performances have been slipping this direction throughout December, meaning they don’t look as strong defensively. The extra gruelling Champions League programme could be taking its toll - it was incredible the Everton away game cancelled and only one blank week was available in next few months. Tiredness equals not just dropped points but injuries too - have you noticed an outbreak of hamstring strains and tears occurring over the last week or so.

    And the fixture list was so kind to Liverpool up until Christmas, but is far steeper test from here on in. How will they bounce back or react mentally if they take just 2 points from 12 and are back in the chasing pack? We can’t possibly know, especially as so many of these players haven’t won anything recently, unlike Man City.

    comparing the fixtures, I think Man City will win the title in May, or if not, will come very very close to denying Liverpool.
    How the hell was the fixture list kind to Liverpool up until Christmas?

    The only realistic (sorry Forest!) challenger for the title is Arsenal and the first half fixture between Liverpool and Arsenal was played at the Emirates. The second half of the season fixture is due at Anfield.

    So Liverpool have 6 points, a game in hand, and the second half fixture between them and their challenger is being played at home.
    Six points and away game at Everton is nothing at this stage. Run of 2 points from 4 fixtures, and that buffer is gone.

    It would be nice for us neutrals to get name other than Man City etched on for once!

    But you saying you heard no football experts talking about Liverpools fixtures being easy start? They did. Over and over for months. One glance at it start of season and it was clear imbalance between first half and second half of season. Football being so much about confidence, is easy when racking up wins, when dropping points regularly it’s far harder.

    So how do you equate that more straightforward first half fixture list, not balanced out to trickier now till end of season? Liverpool to Everton, Bournemouth, Fulham, Brentford, Manchester City, Brighton, Villa, Forest and Chelsea.

    Arsenal haven’t really been in it or on it, all season, as Martinelli, Merino, Jesus, Trossard not assisting Saka in providing cutting edge and points. Havertz goes invisible in tough away fixtures too. Soon as Saka was declared out for months with tricky to recover from hamstring problem, Arsenals chance of major trophy was over for this season.

    Chelsea, Man City, and Forest can all pounce if Liverpool start faltering and fall back to the pack. I won’t say Newcastle because like Liverpool and Arsenal they are another side over reliant on one player, and Izak has an awful appearance record season on season. the Toon likely mid table finish when he’s inevitably injured.

    But that’s also a warning how Liverpools title dream can fail if Salah picks up a similar injury. Liverpool do have too many eggs in the Mo basket. Salah’s incredible goal involvement record this season was put to Slot who wisely reacted like it’s not good, such an issue for him and the team. So Slot knows, even if the fans are not awake yet to how precarious Liverpools chances are.
    City aren't 6 points and a game behind, they're 12 points and a game behind.

    Liverpool could get 1 point from 5 games and still be ahead of City.

    Liverpool are due to face Arsenal at Anfield, your list of mid-table away fixtures like Bournemouth etc aren't an imbalance.
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,978

    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
    Many British men can be said to lack respect for women but you need to start coming to terms with the particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin. The crimes are grotesque.
    Why do I need to come to terms with it? I mean how do you know I have or haven't?

    I've not participated in any of the crimes, I don't know anybody who has, if I did I would have gone to the authorities.

    Should I also come to terms with the CSE crimes committed by the Catholic Church and the Church of England or is that different?
    Because all you do is deflect. You simply won't admit that there is a particular problem with women among British Pakistani men. I suggest you start watching youtube channels from people like Candid With Lubna.

    https://www.youtube.com/@Lubna.Candid
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,675
    eek said:

    theProle said:

    DavidL said:

    FPT

    Those passages do Starmer credit but it is remarkable how the landscape has changed.

    Firstly, in Scotland, we have the rape shield provisions found in the Criminal Procedure (S) Act 1995. These make it impermissible to ask any complainer about any prior sexual or criminal conduct unless an application has been made to the court explaining in advance why that evidence might be relevant (an obvious example being a previous admitted false allegation). Secondly, in Scotland, we have gone a long way (some might say too far) in excluding what we call collateral material, such as that the complainer had consented on other occasions. Taken together, the scope of cross examination has been very severely restricted and it tends to be relatively brief.

    Secondly, we have simply stopped being apologetic about our victims. Many, possibly even most, have found themselves in situations where they have been sexually abused because they have drug problems, drink problems or psychological issues relating to their mental health. We have gone on the front foot about this. They have been picked because they have these vulnerabilities. It is not a reason to doubt the evidence of the victim, it is a reason to look carefully at the conduct of the accused.

    Thirdly, and possibly most controversially in Scotland, the old protections of corroboration have been substantially diminished. What is meant by a de recenti statement (that is immediately after the event) has been extended to months if there are good reasons why it had not been made earlier. Similarly, the rule on distress viewed by an independent witness has been extended in time.

    The result of these changes is that it is a very rare allegation of rape that does not get to a jury. Whether they are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt is a different matter but juries too, in my experience, are far more realistic than they used to be about what has really been going on. The #MeToo movement has had a definite and positive effect here. Jurors are much more willing to see abuses of power and addictions as vitiating any question of consent.

    Personally, I have some reservations about some of the excluded evidence. I have some worries that a life changing conviction can and does come to pass on the back of what is, in reality, a single source of evidence. I have concerns about the sheer number of cases that are being prosecuted and the delays that causes. But what an improvement.

    The general principle of law (English law at least) is that it's preferable to free 10 guilty men rather than wrongly inprison one innocent man.

    The problem with rape is that it's a crime which often takes place in private, and which is only criminal if the victim's state of mind at the time make it so. It's therefore unsurprising that, unfortunately, in murky circumstances, when it's basically his word vs hers, particularly in cases where consent has been given in the past, juries have been reluctant to convict.

    I'm deeply unconvinced that putting a finger on the scales by withholding relevant information (eg previous consent) is the right course of action. Sure it will mean more guilty men jailed, and that can only be a good thing, but IMHO the potential cost in innocent lives ruined is too high.

    Incidentally, none of this is very relevant to the apparent difficulties in apprehending the grooming gangs currently being hotly discussed - enough of their victims were under 16 where it should have only required DNA/medical evidence that intercourse had occurred to prove a charge of statutory rapes.
    Problem there is a lack of DNA evidence due to the time between the most recent occurance and reporting the incident to the police.
    In one case, the Police litterally caught the offenders in the act. They let the men go. And arrested the girl for being drunk and disorderly.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 19,040

    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
    Many British men can be said to lack respect for women but you need to start coming to terms with the particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin. The crimes are grotesque.
    There is no "particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin". There has been a problem involving some individual British men of Pakistani origin. Blaming a group for the actions of some individuals is wrong. We shouldn't blame all white British men living in north London for the lack of respect from Sean Thomas. We shouldn't blame all British men of Pakistani origin for the actions of some. Why does this need to be explained to you?
    I never said all men of Pakistani origin. But I'm afraid it is very commonplace among them. For instance in relation to the debate around sex workers, it's well known that many avoid men of Pakistani origin for this very reason. Not they they are all misogynists but they won't take the risk.

    For goodness sake even people like Yasmin AB were prepared to say this in the past. There are intelligent British Pakistanis who will say this.
    Given the rates of rape and sexual assault, across society as a whole, it seems perverse to pick out one demographic of men as a problem, rather than men as a group itself.

    But whenever I've suggested on here in the past that there might be a problem with male culture and attitudes to women, to sex, to consent and rape, and with the very low number of rape convictions achieved compared to the number of rapes committed, then I am told that the criminal justice system is working just fine in relation to rape.

    Do you need to come to terms with the particular problem of misogyny among British men?
  • ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 4,145

    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
    Many British men can be said to lack respect for women but you need to start coming to terms with the particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin. The crimes are grotesque.
    Why do I need to come to terms with it? I mean how do you know I have or haven't?

    I've not participated in any of the crimes, I don't know anybody who has, if I did I would have gone to the authorities.

    Should I also come to terms with the CSE crimes committed by the Catholic Church and the Church of England or is that different?
    It's very different. I can't quite put my finger on why and certainly wouldn't write it down if I had such thoughts. But rest assured, it's very different.
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 5,019

    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
    Many British men can be said to lack respect for women but you need to start coming to terms with the particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin. The crimes are grotesque.
    There is no "particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin". There has been a problem involving some individual British men of Pakistani origin. Blaming a group for the actions of some individuals is wrong. We shouldn't blame all white British men living in north London for the lack of respect from Sean Thomas. We shouldn't blame all British men of Pakistani origin for the actions of some. Why does this need to be explained to you?
    Owen Jones levels of delusion. Have a read through this:

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherham_child_sexual_exploitation_scandal
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,978

    eek said:

    theProle said:

    DavidL said:

    FPT

    Those passages do Starmer credit but it is remarkable how the landscape has changed.

    Firstly, in Scotland, we have the rape shield provisions found in the Criminal Procedure (S) Act 1995. These make it impermissible to ask any complainer about any prior sexual or criminal conduct unless an application has been made to the court explaining in advance why that evidence might be relevant (an obvious example being a previous admitted false allegation). Secondly, in Scotland, we have gone a long way (some might say too far) in excluding what we call collateral material, such as that the complainer had consented on other occasions. Taken together, the scope of cross examination has been very severely restricted and it tends to be relatively brief.

    Secondly, we have simply stopped being apologetic about our victims. Many, possibly even most, have found themselves in situations where they have been sexually abused because they have drug problems, drink problems or psychological issues relating to their mental health. We have gone on the front foot about this. They have been picked because they have these vulnerabilities. It is not a reason to doubt the evidence of the victim, it is a reason to look carefully at the conduct of the accused.

    Thirdly, and possibly most controversially in Scotland, the old protections of corroboration have been substantially diminished. What is meant by a de recenti statement (that is immediately after the event) has been extended to months if there are good reasons why it had not been made earlier. Similarly, the rule on distress viewed by an independent witness has been extended in time.

    The result of these changes is that it is a very rare allegation of rape that does not get to a jury. Whether they are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt is a different matter but juries too, in my experience, are far more realistic than they used to be about what has really been going on. The #MeToo movement has had a definite and positive effect here. Jurors are much more willing to see abuses of power and addictions as vitiating any question of consent.

    Personally, I have some reservations about some of the excluded evidence. I have some worries that a life changing conviction can and does come to pass on the back of what is, in reality, a single source of evidence. I have concerns about the sheer number of cases that are being prosecuted and the delays that causes. But what an improvement.

    The general principle of law (English law at least) is that it's preferable to free 10 guilty men rather than wrongly inprison one innocent man.

    The problem with rape is that it's a crime which often takes place in private, and which is only criminal if the victim's state of mind at the time make it so. It's therefore unsurprising that, unfortunately, in murky circumstances, when it's basically his word vs hers, particularly in cases where consent has been given in the past, juries have been reluctant to convict.

    I'm deeply unconvinced that putting a finger on the scales by withholding relevant information (eg previous consent) is the right course of action. Sure it will mean more guilty men jailed, and that can only be a good thing, but IMHO the potential cost in innocent lives ruined is too high.

    Incidentally, none of this is very relevant to the apparent difficulties in apprehending the grooming gangs currently being hotly discussed - enough of their victims were under 16 where it should have only required DNA/medical evidence that intercourse had occurred to prove a charge of statutory rapes.
    Problem there is a lack of DNA evidence due to the time between the most recent occurance and reporting the incident to the police.
    In one case, the Police litterally caught the offenders in the act. They let the men go. And arrested the girl for being drunk and disorderly.

    eek said:

    theProle said:

    DavidL said:

    FPT

    Those passages do Starmer credit but it is remarkable how the landscape has changed.

    Firstly, in Scotland, we have the rape shield provisions found in the Criminal Procedure (S) Act 1995. These make it impermissible to ask any complainer about any prior sexual or criminal conduct unless an application has been made to the court explaining in advance why that evidence might be relevant (an obvious example being a previous admitted false allegation). Secondly, in Scotland, we have gone a long way (some might say too far) in excluding what we call collateral material, such as that the complainer had consented on other occasions. Taken together, the scope of cross examination has been very severely restricted and it tends to be relatively brief.

    Secondly, we have simply stopped being apologetic about our victims. Many, possibly even most, have found themselves in situations where they have been sexually abused because they have drug problems, drink problems or psychological issues relating to their mental health. We have gone on the front foot about this. They have been picked because they have these vulnerabilities. It is not a reason to doubt the evidence of the victim, it is a reason to look carefully at the conduct of the accused.

    Thirdly, and possibly most controversially in Scotland, the old protections of corroboration have been substantially diminished. What is meant by a de recenti statement (that is immediately after the event) has been extended to months if there are good reasons why it had not been made earlier. Similarly, the rule on distress viewed by an independent witness has been extended in time.

    The result of these changes is that it is a very rare allegation of rape that does not get to a jury. Whether they are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt is a different matter but juries too, in my experience, are far more realistic than they used to be about what has really been going on. The #MeToo movement has had a definite and positive effect here. Jurors are much more willing to see abuses of power and addictions as vitiating any question of consent.

    Personally, I have some reservations about some of the excluded evidence. I have some worries that a life changing conviction can and does come to pass on the back of what is, in reality, a single source of evidence. I have concerns about the sheer number of cases that are being prosecuted and the delays that causes. But what an improvement.

    The general principle of law (English law at least) is that it's preferable to free 10 guilty men rather than wrongly inprison one innocent man.

    The problem with rape is that it's a crime which often takes place in private, and which is only criminal if the victim's state of mind at the time make it so. It's therefore unsurprising that, unfortunately, in murky circumstances, when it's basically his word vs hers, particularly in cases where consent has been given in the past, juries have been reluctant to convict.

    I'm deeply unconvinced that putting a finger on the scales by withholding relevant information (eg previous consent) is the right course of action. Sure it will mean more guilty men jailed, and that can only be a good thing, but IMHO the potential cost in innocent lives ruined is too high.

    Incidentally, none of this is very relevant to the apparent difficulties in apprehending the grooming gangs currently being hotly discussed - enough of their victims were under 16 where it should have only required DNA/medical evidence that intercourse had occurred to prove a charge of statutory rapes.
    Problem there is a lack of DNA evidence due to the time between the most recent occurance and reporting the incident to the police.
    In one case, the Police litterally caught the offenders in the act. They let the men go. And arrested the girl for being drunk and disorderly.
    Indeed the argument being put forward by the phonies that it's just a matter of sex crimes being hard to prosecute won't wash in this case.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,778
    theProle said:

    FPT

    ydoethur said:

    If we can talk about something else, admittedly rather depressing, a few days ago an embankment collapsed on the historic Bridgewater Canal.

    It's still leaking, and still collapsing. The banks for several hundred yards either side of the breach have been undermined, leading to the steel linings falling into the main channel, and the stop boards are breaking because they're all rotten. Meanwhile, the area damaged by flooding is extensive.

    (Start at 12 mins) https://youtu.be/8env2H36Hto?si=Nj13N9KH-hxBDBKP

    https://youtu.be/meEAQO5TKwk?si=l2DJKHZ5YzBh-KCD

    I do not see how this gets repaired, given the owners. We could well have lost the first major canal of the Industrial Age.

    The failure mode of the embankment is curious; it'd be interesting to discover how it happened. If we do...
    Suggestions I believe that there was a culvert under it which collapsed due to the pressure of floodwater and took the whole embankment with it.
    It breached pretty much there in the 70s, I think it required the local councils to chip in to get it repaired then.
    The other day I had a look at the old ?six inch? maps on NLS, and the modern 1:25,000 maps. There is a stream running away (downstream) from the canal embankment at the place it burst, and the stream is not present upstream. This led me to posit that there was a sluice or overflow structure there. Having said that, although the canal slightly widens at that point on Google Maps Streetview (*), there is not much evident.

    Why it's interesting is the fact it has continued to collapse both ways along the canal, with erosion outside the sheet piling, as if the bank is being eroded away from the outside of the canal, not the inside. But IANAE.

    (*) Actually point photos taken by users,
  • ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 4,145

    eek said:

    theProle said:

    DavidL said:

    FPT

    Those passages do Starmer credit but it is remarkable how the landscape has changed.

    Firstly, in Scotland, we have the rape shield provisions found in the Criminal Procedure (S) Act 1995. These make it impermissible to ask any complainer about any prior sexual or criminal conduct unless an application has been made to the court explaining in advance why that evidence might be relevant (an obvious example being a previous admitted false allegation). Secondly, in Scotland, we have gone a long way (some might say too far) in excluding what we call collateral material, such as that the complainer had consented on other occasions. Taken together, the scope of cross examination has been very severely restricted and it tends to be relatively brief.

    Secondly, we have simply stopped being apologetic about our victims. Many, possibly even most, have found themselves in situations where they have been sexually abused because they have drug problems, drink problems or psychological issues relating to their mental health. We have gone on the front foot about this. They have been picked because they have these vulnerabilities. It is not a reason to doubt the evidence of the victim, it is a reason to look carefully at the conduct of the accused.

    Thirdly, and possibly most controversially in Scotland, the old protections of corroboration have been substantially diminished. What is meant by a de recenti statement (that is immediately after the event) has been extended to months if there are good reasons why it had not been made earlier. Similarly, the rule on distress viewed by an independent witness has been extended in time.

    The result of these changes is that it is a very rare allegation of rape that does not get to a jury. Whether they are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt is a different matter but juries too, in my experience, are far more realistic than they used to be about what has really been going on. The #MeToo movement has had a definite and positive effect here. Jurors are much more willing to see abuses of power and addictions as vitiating any question of consent.

    Personally, I have some reservations about some of the excluded evidence. I have some worries that a life changing conviction can and does come to pass on the back of what is, in reality, a single source of evidence. I have concerns about the sheer number of cases that are being prosecuted and the delays that causes. But what an improvement.

    The general principle of law (English law at least) is that it's preferable to free 10 guilty men rather than wrongly inprison one innocent man.

    The problem with rape is that it's a crime which often takes place in private, and which is only criminal if the victim's state of mind at the time make it so. It's therefore unsurprising that, unfortunately, in murky circumstances, when it's basically his word vs hers, particularly in cases where consent has been given in the past, juries have been reluctant to convict.

    I'm deeply unconvinced that putting a finger on the scales by withholding relevant information (eg previous consent) is the right course of action. Sure it will mean more guilty men jailed, and that can only be a good thing, but IMHO the potential cost in innocent lives ruined is too high.

    Incidentally, none of this is very relevant to the apparent difficulties in apprehending the grooming gangs currently being hotly discussed - enough of their victims were under 16 where it should have only required DNA/medical evidence that intercourse had occurred to prove a charge of statutory rapes.
    Problem there is a lack of DNA evidence due to the time between the most recent occurance and reporting the incident to the police.
    In one case, the Police litterally caught the offenders in the act. They let the men go. And arrested the girl for being drunk and disorderly.
    Is the problem more that 'the police are woeful', then?
  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 6,958

    GIN1138 said:

    Is Musk going to make Farage look centrist and reasonable lol?

    A big win for Farage if so!
    Quite possibly. It’s certainly true that polling suggests he won’t have any electoral success by hitching his wagon to Tommy Robinson and his ilk. Farage needs to convert people who have traditionally been in the political mainstream but are fed up with Labour and the Tories. He won’t convert them by chasing after far right figures.

    That said, if Reform start turning on themselves over all this then it could be bad news for him.
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 5,019
    On the efficacy of previous enquiries, from the Jay report (2014):

    "One child who was being prepared to give evidence received a text saying the perpetrator had her younger sister and the choice of what happened next was up to her. She withdrew her statements. At least two other families were terrorised by groups of perpetrators, sitting in cars outside the family home, smashing windows, making abusive and threatening phone calls. On some occasions child victims went back to perpetrators in the belief that this was the only way their parents and other children in the family would be safe. In the most extreme cases, no one in the family believed that the authorities could protect them."
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,675

    Oh dear, it appears some of Tommeh's fans seem quite outraged that the current AG is Jewish.

    Twitter really is a sewer.

    It’s not Twitter. It’s not X

    It’s Twatter. And always has been.

    As discussed here - https://youtu.be/d3Mrfut-FSw?si=sSoTKGZeFtwEQD0K
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,740

    eek said:

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    That's a completely different contempt of court case regarding Mr Yaxley-Lennon

    The article you post is connected to his "reporting" of a case in Canterbury - the reason he's currently in jail is repeated libel of completely unfounded allegations against a Syrian refugee... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c704eedkqkvo
    And these events shouldn't be confused with when he was sent to jail for kicking a police officer in the head as he lay on the ground, or when he was sent to jail for travelling to the US on someone else's passport, or when he was sent to jail for mortgage fraud. Or indeed with his suspended sentence for headbutting a man in Blackburn, nor his forthcoming trial for failing to provide his mobile phone PIN when requested by police. Nor when he was found guilty of stalking; nor when he was convicted of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour, for leading a group of football hooligans into a brawl in Luton. Nor when he was fined for failing to appear at the High Court to answer questions over his finances relating to his bankruptcy claim; nor when he was investigated by HMRC over his taxes.
    Perhaps we should list the laws he hasn’t broken?

    I am fairly certain about the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894

    Any others?
    Furious and wanton driving of a Hanson cab?
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,675
    ohnotnow said:

    eek said:

    theProle said:

    DavidL said:

    FPT

    Those passages do Starmer credit but it is remarkable how the landscape has changed.

    Firstly, in Scotland, we have the rape shield provisions found in the Criminal Procedure (S) Act 1995. These make it impermissible to ask any complainer about any prior sexual or criminal conduct unless an application has been made to the court explaining in advance why that evidence might be relevant (an obvious example being a previous admitted false allegation). Secondly, in Scotland, we have gone a long way (some might say too far) in excluding what we call collateral material, such as that the complainer had consented on other occasions. Taken together, the scope of cross examination has been very severely restricted and it tends to be relatively brief.

    Secondly, we have simply stopped being apologetic about our victims. Many, possibly even most, have found themselves in situations where they have been sexually abused because they have drug problems, drink problems or psychological issues relating to their mental health. We have gone on the front foot about this. They have been picked because they have these vulnerabilities. It is not a reason to doubt the evidence of the victim, it is a reason to look carefully at the conduct of the accused.

    Thirdly, and possibly most controversially in Scotland, the old protections of corroboration have been substantially diminished. What is meant by a de recenti statement (that is immediately after the event) has been extended to months if there are good reasons why it had not been made earlier. Similarly, the rule on distress viewed by an independent witness has been extended in time.

    The result of these changes is that it is a very rare allegation of rape that does not get to a jury. Whether they are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt is a different matter but juries too, in my experience, are far more realistic than they used to be about what has really been going on. The #MeToo movement has had a definite and positive effect here. Jurors are much more willing to see abuses of power and addictions as vitiating any question of consent.

    Personally, I have some reservations about some of the excluded evidence. I have some worries that a life changing conviction can and does come to pass on the back of what is, in reality, a single source of evidence. I have concerns about the sheer number of cases that are being prosecuted and the delays that causes. But what an improvement.

    The general principle of law (English law at least) is that it's preferable to free 10 guilty men rather than wrongly inprison one innocent man.

    The problem with rape is that it's a crime which often takes place in private, and which is only criminal if the victim's state of mind at the time make it so. It's therefore unsurprising that, unfortunately, in murky circumstances, when it's basically his word vs hers, particularly in cases where consent has been given in the past, juries have been reluctant to convict.

    I'm deeply unconvinced that putting a finger on the scales by withholding relevant information (eg previous consent) is the right course of action. Sure it will mean more guilty men jailed, and that can only be a good thing, but IMHO the potential cost in innocent lives ruined is too high.

    Incidentally, none of this is very relevant to the apparent difficulties in apprehending the grooming gangs currently being hotly discussed - enough of their victims were under 16 where it should have only required DNA/medical evidence that intercourse had occurred to prove a charge of statutory rapes.
    Problem there is a lack of DNA evidence due to the time between the most recent occurance and reporting the incident to the police.
    In one case, the Police litterally caught the offenders in the act. They let the men go. And arrested the girl for being drunk and disorderly.
    Is the problem more that 'the police are woeful', then?
    They were fixing a problem.

    There was no prospect of prosecuting the men. Too difficult etc.

    By arresting the girl, they took her away from the men and locked her up in a cell for the night.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 43,682
    edited January 5

    theProle said:

    FPT

    ydoethur said:

    If we can talk about something else, admittedly rather depressing, a few days ago an embankment collapsed on the historic Bridgewater Canal.

    It's still leaking, and still collapsing. The banks for several hundred yards either side of the breach have been undermined, leading to the steel linings falling into the main channel, and the stop boards are breaking because they're all rotten. Meanwhile, the area damaged by flooding is extensive.

    (Start at 12 mins) https://youtu.be/8env2H36Hto?si=Nj13N9KH-hxBDBKP

    https://youtu.be/meEAQO5TKwk?si=l2DJKHZ5YzBh-KCD

    I do not see how this gets repaired, given the owners. We could well have lost the first major canal of the Industrial Age.

    The failure mode of the embankment is curious; it'd be interesting to discover how it happened. If we do...
    Suggestions I believe that there was a culvert under it which collapsed due to the pressure of floodwater and took the whole embankment with it.
    It breached pretty much there in the 70s, I think it required the local councils to chip in to get it repaired then.
    The other day I had a look at the old ?six inch? maps on NLS, and the modern 1:25,000 maps. There is a stream running away (downstream) from the canal embankment at the place it burst, and the stream is not present upstream. This led me to posit that there was a sluice or overflow structure there. Having said that, although the canal slightly widens at that point on Google Maps Streetview (*), there is not much evident.

    Why it's interesting is the fact it has continued to collapse both ways along the canal, with erosion outside the sheet piling, as if the bank is being eroded away from the outside of the canal, not the inside. But IANAE.

    (*) Actually point photos taken by users,
    OTOH the drone pics look like the embankment crosses a shallow valley (from the flood pattern) so there ought to be a stream on the higher side ... puzzling!
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 72,031
    edited January 5

    eek said:

    I have to say I was not aware of the startling claim that Ben Habib has made. Is he really correct with regards to the Robinson prosecution, that it was highly irregular. Whatever you think of TR, the Attorney General is a Labour politician and TR has spent his life exposing the party's dirty underbelly, notwithstanding the fact he has certainly done things he should not have done.

    No, he's not right.

    You and he need to do some research.

    Also from which party was the AG from in 2018?

    A judge retrying ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.

    Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.

    But Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC ruled the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45951152
    Habib's claim is that it is very unusual in a civil trial for the AG to act in this way. Was that the case in 2018? I'm not a legal expert I'd just like a clear response.
    That's a completely different contempt of court case regarding Mr Yaxley-Lennon

    The article you post is connected to his "reporting" of a case in Canterbury - the reason he's currently in jail is repeated libel of completely unfounded allegations against a Syrian refugee... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c704eedkqkvo
    And these events shouldn't be confused with when he was sent to jail for kicking a police officer in the head as he lay on the ground, or when he was sent to jail for travelling to the US on someone else's passport, or when he was sent to jail for mortgage fraud. Or indeed with his suspended sentence for headbutting a man in Blackburn, nor his forthcoming trial for failing to provide his mobile phone PIN when requested by police. Nor when he was found guilty of stalking; nor when he was convicted of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour, for leading a group of football hooligans into a brawl in Luton. Nor when he was fined for failing to appear at the High Court to answer questions over his finances relating to his bankruptcy claim; nor when he was investigated by HMRC over his taxes.
    Perhaps we should list the laws he hasn’t broken?

    I am fairly certain about the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894

    Any others?
    Furious and wanton driving of a Hanson cab?
    Driving sheep through York on a Sunday?

    Handling a salmon in suspicious circumstances?

    Carrying a plank along a pavement in London? (If Musk comes over, could his escort be arrested under that law?)

    Some examples here:

    https://www.london-law.co.uk/the-curiosities-of-the-laws-of-the-land/
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,978

    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
    Many British men can be said to lack respect for women but you need to start coming to terms with the particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin. The crimes are grotesque.
    Why do I need to come to terms with it? I mean how do you know I have or haven't?

    I've not participated in any of the crimes, I don't know anybody who has, if I did I would have gone to the authorities.

    Should I also come to terms with the CSE crimes committed by the Catholic Church and the Church of England or is that different?
    Because all you do is deflect. You simply won't admit that there is a particular problem with women among British Pakistani men. I suggest you start watching youtube channels from people like Candid With Lubna.

    https://www.youtube.com/@Lubna.Candid
    Fuck off, you tried to turn this into a partisan smear about the Labour AG then have been embarrassed the process started under a Tory AG and another Tory AG did something similar.

    I have consistently said there's a problem and it needs sorting. I pointed out there was an approach by the mosques to stamp this out.

    My mantra has always been let justice be done though the heavens fall.
    I haven't been embarrassed by anything. What 'process' are you talking about? A whole series of different legal decisions which others have been happy to refer to but not the one that Habib referenced regarding a Syrian migrant made by the current AG as I understand. A person I DID NOT smear but simply asked for an answer to.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,675

    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
    Many British men can be said to lack respect for women but you need to start coming to terms with the particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin. The crimes are grotesque.
    Why do I need to come to terms with it? I mean how do you know I have or haven't?

    I've not participated in any of the crimes, I don't know anybody who has, if I did I would have gone to the authorities.

    Should I also come to terms with the CSE crimes committed by the Catholic Church and the Church of England or is that different?
    Because all you do is deflect. You simply won't admit that there is a particular problem with women among British Pakistani men. I suggest you start watching youtube channels from people like Candid With Lubna.

    https://www.youtube.com/@Lubna.Candid
    Fuck off, you tried to turn this into a partisan smear about the Labour AG then have been embarrassed the process started under a Tory AG and another Tory AG did something similar.

    I have consistently said there's a problem and it needs sorting. I pointed out there was an approach by the mosques to stamp this out.

    My mantra has always been let justice be done though the heavens fall.
    “My mantra has always been let justice be done though the heavens fall.”

    Excellently British.

    For full effect, you need to be wearing three piece tweed, plus fours, affecting a moustache that can be used as a rifle rest, and personally thrashing a bounder.

    Like Yarxley-Lennon.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,158

    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
    Many British men can be said to lack respect for women but you need to start coming to terms with the particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin. The crimes are grotesque.
    Why do I need to come to terms with it? I mean how do you know I have or haven't?

    I've not participated in any of the crimes, I don't know anybody who has, if I did I would have gone to the authorities.

    Should I also come to terms with the CSE crimes committed by the Catholic Church and the Church of England or is that different?
    Because all you do is deflect. You simply won't admit that there is a particular problem with women among British Pakistani men. I suggest you start watching youtube channels from people like Candid With Lubna.

    https://www.youtube.com/@Lubna.Candid
    Fuck off, you tried to turn this into a partisan smear about the Labour AG then have been embarrassed the process started under a Tory AG and another Tory AG did something similar.

    I have consistently said there's a problem and it needs sorting. I pointed out there was an approach by the mosques to stamp this out.

    My mantra has always been let justice be done though the heavens fall.
    I haven't been embarrassed by anything. What 'process' are you talking about? A whole series of different legal decisions which others have been happy to refer to but not the one that Habib referenced regarding a Syrian migrant made by the current AG as I understand. A person I DID NOT smear but simply asked for an answer to.
    Can you direct me to all your posts about the Church scandals and victims?
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 120,158

    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
    Many British men can be said to lack respect for women but you need to start coming to terms with the particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin. The crimes are grotesque.
    Why do I need to come to terms with it? I mean how do you know I have or haven't?

    I've not participated in any of the crimes, I don't know anybody who has, if I did I would have gone to the authorities.

    Should I also come to terms with the CSE crimes committed by the Catholic Church and the Church of England or is that different?
    Because all you do is deflect. You simply won't admit that there is a particular problem with women among British Pakistani men. I suggest you start watching youtube channels from people like Candid With Lubna.

    https://www.youtube.com/@Lubna.Candid
    Fuck off, you tried to turn this into a partisan smear about the Labour AG then have been embarrassed the process started under a Tory AG and another Tory AG did something similar.

    I have consistently said there's a problem and it needs sorting. I pointed out there was an approach by the mosques to stamp this out.

    My mantra has always been let justice be done though the heavens fall.
    “My mantra has always been let justice be done though the heavens fall.”

    Excellently British.

    For full effect, you need to be wearing three piece tweed, plus fours, affecting a moustache that can be used as a rifle rest, and personally thrashing a bounder.

    Like Yarxley-Lennon.
    Will a morning suit suffice?

    I have an addiction to wearing morning suits.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,583

    Oh dear, it appears some of Tommeh's fans seem quite outraged that the current AG is Jewish.

    Twitter really is a sewer.

    It’s not Twitter. It’s not X

    It’s Twatter. And always has been.

    As discussed here - https://youtu.be/d3Mrfut-FSw?si=sSoTKGZeFtwEQD0K
    Somehow, Kemi B needs to be asked what she thinks of the remarks of her predecessor but four.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 13,372
    edited January 5
    Labour is being a bit shit at the moment on the things that matter, like the economy and social care, so maybe all this Tommy Robinson Musk stuff about the last government is kind of ok by them.

    I’d rather they actually pulled their fingers out and started doing stuff though. Follow Ed Miliband’s lead.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 56,927
    edited January 5
    carnforth said:

    On the efficacy of previous enquiries, from the Jay report (2014):

    "One child who was being prepared to give evidence received a text saying the perpetrator had her younger sister and the choice of what happened next was up to her. She withdrew her statements. At least two other families were terrorised by groups of perpetrators, sitting in cars outside the family home, smashing windows, making abusive and threatening phone calls. On some occasions child victims went back to perpetrators in the belief that this was the only way their parents and other children in the family would be safe. In the most extreme cases, no one in the family believed that the authorities could protect them."

    Sweet Jesus Christ. Contrast that with the people defending the culture of the gang rapists (here and elsewhere)

    We need an overall inquiry, which is ferociously neutral and forensic. And will put people in court, and then in jail

    Perhaps Skyr Toolmakersson will actually surprise us, and do that. If he does, I will be the first to applaud
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 43,682

    viewcode said:

    Those discussing the grooming gangs may wish to see the twitter feed of former PB contributor Sean Thomas. You can find it here: https://nitter.poast.org/thomasknox .

    Is that the same Sean Thomas who used to post about hiring prostitutes?

    The same Sean Thomas who 'in 2003 he wrote an article in The Spectator about his problems with internet porn, and how it caused him to “wank myself into hospital”'

    He must have real respect for women.
    Many British men can be said to lack respect for women but you need to start coming to terms with the particular problem of misogyny among British men of Pakistani origin. The crimes are grotesque.
    Why do I need to come to terms with it? I mean how do you know I have or haven't?

    I've not participated in any of the crimes, I don't know anybody who has, if I did I would have gone to the authorities.

    Should I also come to terms with the CSE crimes committed by the Catholic Church and the Church of England or is that different?
    Because all you do is deflect. You simply won't admit that there is a particular problem with women among British Pakistani men. I suggest you start watching youtube channels from people like Candid With Lubna.

    https://www.youtube.com/@Lubna.Candid
    Fuck off, you tried to turn this into a partisan smear about the Labour AG then have been embarrassed the process started under a Tory AG and another Tory AG did something similar.

    I have consistently said there's a problem and it needs sorting. I pointed out there was an approach by the mosques to stamp this out.

    My mantra has always been let justice be done though the heavens fall.
    “My mantra has always been let justice be done though the heavens fall.”

    Excellently British.

    For full effect, you need to be wearing three piece tweed, plus fours, affecting a moustache that can be used as a rifle rest, and personally thrashing a bounder.

    Like Yarxley-Lennon.
    Also indicating what a jolly learned chap and credit to his legal training m'friend TSE is, together with the kindness to translate it for those unfortunate enough not to know the original:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_justitia_ruat_caelum
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 29,084

    I think Bad Enoch will outlast Farage as Farage has a tendency to get bored, give the leadership up to others so he can concentrate on other matters/make money in the States, then return to the leadership whenever it suits him again.

    If Farage steps down he can always step back up again, Kemi can't.

    On the other hand, Kemi's leadership has two modes of failure- she can jump (agree, unlikely) or be pushed (inevitable in the end). As of now, Nigel can't be pushed from what he owns lock, stock and Rupert.

    Meanwhile, she has backed her Justice spokesman.

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jan/05/badenoch-defends-jenricks-remarks-about-people-from-alien-cultures

    Someone needs to ask her if she supports what he said, or just his right to say it.
    What Kemi Badenoch needs to do is GET SOME POLICIES.

    The Tories have no track record of delivery - none. It therefore follows that to get anywhere with the electorate they are going to have to be MORE specific about their policies, timetable, costings, even drafting the bills ready, than the other parties. Kemi needs to get some policies - clever policies, well-thought out policies, eye-catching policies, do the ENGINEERING WORK on them and GET THEM OUT. That is where she will find the Tories' niche - the party of experience, receipts, and holding themselves accountable for delivery because they understand that they failed to deliver before.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,778
    edited January 5
    Carnyx said:

    theProle said:

    FPT

    ydoethur said:

    If we can talk about something else, admittedly rather depressing, a few days ago an embankment collapsed on the historic Bridgewater Canal.

    It's still leaking, and still collapsing. The banks for several hundred yards either side of the breach have been undermined, leading to the steel linings falling into the main channel, and the stop boards are breaking because they're all rotten. Meanwhile, the area damaged by flooding is extensive.

    (Start at 12 mins) https://youtu.be/8env2H36Hto?si=Nj13N9KH-hxBDBKP

    https://youtu.be/meEAQO5TKwk?si=l2DJKHZ5YzBh-KCD

    I do not see how this gets repaired, given the owners. We could well have lost the first major canal of the Industrial Age.

    The failure mode of the embankment is curious; it'd be interesting to discover how it happened. If we do...
    Suggestions I believe that there was a culvert under it which collapsed due to the pressure of floodwater and took the whole embankment with it.
    It breached pretty much there in the 70s, I think it required the local councils to chip in to get it repaired then.
    The other day I had a look at the old ?six inch? maps on NLS, and the modern 1:25,000 maps. There is a stream running away (downstream) from the canal embankment at the place it burst, and the stream is not present upstream. This led me to posit that there was a sluice or overflow structure there. Having said that, although the canal slightly widens at that point on Google Maps Streetview (*), there is not much evident.

    Why it's interesting is the fact it has continued to collapse both ways along the canal, with erosion outside the sheet piling, as if the bank is being eroded away from the outside of the canal, not the inside. But IANAE.

    (*) Actually point photos taken by users,
    OTOH the drone pics look like the embankment crosses a shallow valley (from the flood pattern) so there ought to be a stream on the higher side ... puzzling!
    Looking at the maps and the aerial views, I think there used to be a stream running across the field. The canal was then built, and the stream downstream used as an overflow (or whatever) from the canal. To avoid needing another expensive culvert under the embankment, they diverted the tiny stream upstream into the river.

    In fact, looking at it again, the 'stream' might actually be an old course of the river.

    But I'm probably wrong. It's fun thinking about it, though. At least for me...

    (You can see the stream heading away from the embankment in the middle of the view below.)
    https://maps.app.goo.gl/3DvEXRxS5BG37abd7

    Edit:

    So... thinking about it, as a WAG; if it is an old course of the river, could the flood water that built up on the upstream side of the embankment have eroded away the infill of the old river, allowing water to pass under the embankment and weakening its foundations?
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 52,639
    The grooming gang story continues to gain traction in the US.

    https://x.com/tedcruz/status/1875984544828129472
  • TimSTimS Posts: 13,372

    Oh dear, it appears some of Tommeh's fans seem quite outraged that the current AG is Jewish.

    Twitter really is a sewer.

    It’s not Twitter. It’s not X

    It’s Twatter. And always has been.

    As discussed here - https://youtu.be/d3Mrfut-FSw?si=sSoTKGZeFtwEQD0K
    Somehow, Kemi B needs to be asked what she thinks of the remarks of her predecessor but four.
    Kemi must be wondering what’s hit her. From day 1 it’s all about Reform, Farage, Trump, the Saffer, and it’s a world where moderation gets you condemned but trying to ride the tiger gets you eaten.
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