I see 46% of the NEETs cited in the Milburn Review (18-24 years old, not in Education, Employment and Training) are also not claiming benefits so it doesn't seem there's much margin in changing the benefit system.
The notion all NEETs are scroungers living off benefits is yet another of these silly old ideas which fall apart under the slightest scrutiny.
Presumably living with family and skint.
It seems obvious that the best way to tackle NEETs and also the welfare bill is to address the mental health crisis and training of the young. Browbeating and impoverishing them doesn't seem effective.
Providing jobs suitable for non academic young people would also help. Maybe a version of Remploy for young people.
A cynic would wonder how many members of the juries were from an ethnic minority background.
The same first jury that convicted them on two charges?
We either trust juries or we don’t
They heard the evidence. We didn’t
Normally when there's a miscarriage of justice it's because the judge has mishandled the case, or the prosecution has withheld evidence from the defence, or the defence has exhibited rank incompetence. I can't think of many cases where the jury has been to blame.
That's not to say that juries are perfect - they're drawn from the general population, and so will share the prejudices and fallibiities of us all - but they're by far the most reliable part of the system.
Labour MPs don't know where money comes from. That's why Keir Starmer is a dud and why every contender lining up to replace him will be one too.
You can't fix this busted flush of economic illiteracy that is the Labour Party, so stop trying.
My open letter to Tony Blair below👇
Why is she writing to an "I was the future once" old has-been that had little of any substance to say. I am sure it's fantastic politics, but it looks like low rent performative nonsense.
I know her reputation is building on here even if her poll numbers are moving in the opposite direction. I can't understand it. Even quite sane posters seen to think she has something when most just can't see it
She’s being compared favourably to the competition. Davie! Starmer!! Polanski!!! Lowe!!!! Farage!!!!!
If you wonder why I am such a fan of Margaret Thatcher here's one of the many reasons.
🗣️ ‘But it’s in northern France.’
🚨 Margaret Thatcher being entirely herself in November 1996 in this brilliant anecdote from Chris Patten's diaries, serialised in the Daily Telegraph on this day, 29 May, in 2022.
I like that. People I've worked with seem to be dropping like flies at the moment. It's very easy to find anecdotes for almost all of them though It's unlikely I worked with any of them for more than a day or two. Judith Chalmers is the latest after Scott Hastings. I worked with her for just a day and she was very nice. But she left me with two stories. She was very fussy about her hairdresser. I got her my regular one who I thought she'd like. He was extremely gay and only 18. It was a good choice. She was crazy about him and after we'd finished she said he was the nicest and best hairdresser she'd ever had and she gave him 2 £20 notes as a tip. Unfortunately it was at that time and within a year he'd died of Aids. The other thing I remember is her saying that the best restaurant in the world was La Collombe d'Or which I was able to recommend for years afterwards.
Truth Social - Tommy 14 names X / Twitter - Lowe / Restore Daily Mail - Reform
It says something when the social media platforms are more extreme than the Daily Mail..
Anecdotally X / Twitter seems to have got progressively more fascist over the last six months or so. Although it’s always difficult to tell the universal from the personal on social media since the algorithm is very good at pushing whatever it takes to keep you engaged - perhaps this is more a sign that I need to log off?
On a more general note - the radicalising nature of modern social media in all directions is something that does perhaps justify regulation. Just transparency about the algorithms & their operation might be sufficient though - whatever we do needs to be the minimum intervention necessary to avoid interfering with people’s right to free speech & free association. Sadly I suspect the government will choose poorly, as the current OSA demonstrated so clearly.
Thoughts?
Ban algorithmic feeds. If people want feeds they can subscribe to their preferred authors. Nobody's free speech is violated, you can still choose anything and everything you want to see or hear, but you have to choose it instead of letting the algorithm do their thinking for you.
"His Master's Voice" being repeated on BBC Sounds for those nostalgic for the Call me Dave years Though not as with the zeitgeist as his earlier ('98) "In the Red" which featured the Reform party
Comments
Also...
Judge referred Farage to Lord Hermer over Manchester airport comments
Reform leader’s remarks on two-tier justice were passed to attorney general for potential prosecution
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/29/judge-manchester-airport-assault-trial-farage-hermer/
NEW THREAD
That's not to say that juries are perfect - they're drawn from the general population, and so will share the prejudices and fallibiities of us all - but they're by far the most reliable part of the system.