Valuing Everyone...

...except those damned heretics who won't bend the knee!

Three peers face being banned from using House of Lords bars and restaurants after refusing to take a controversial sexual harassment course.

Former Tory party treasurer Lord Kalms, Lord James and Lord Willoughby will lose access to Lords' facilities, and will be only allowed to communicate with staff by email, after refusing to take part in 'Valuing Everyone' training.

Good for them for sticking to their guns,. Unlike others. 

Former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Heseltine called the training a 'shocking waste of taxpayer money' after completing it to avoid punishment.

What a craven example to set. Typical of Hestletime, who clearly values subsidised food over principle. 

Challenge Consultancy has pocketed £885,354 for running the course across the Commons and Lords, a Parliament spokesman said.

You'll note that attendance for MPs was made voluntary instead of compulsory. Because they knew they'd all turn up anyway? 

The peers will only get the access back if they agree to the training, which Lord James, 83, who previously advised George Osborne, argued is an infringement on freedom of speech.

Hereditary peer Lord Willoughby, 82, said the training was 'misguided' and amounted to 'virtue signalling'. He told the committee: 'The idea that we should be trained to value everyone is wholly misguided.

'However much training I get, I will never value everyone; as an example, I will never be able to value murderous terrorists, however many re-education or self-criticism camps I am required to attend.'

Well said! 

Lord Stanley Kalms, 89, who ran electronics retailer Dixons, said: 'During that period I was at the forefront of female equal rights and pay well ahead of legalisation.'

To demand that they now turn up for a hugely expensive Two Minute Indoctrination is repulsive. 

Dishonesty Is At The Heart Of The Transgender Movement...

...and this is the result:

Violent offences committed by men who self-identify as female are being recorded as having been perpetrated by women – leading to claims that the practice is distorting official crime figures.

Well, of course it is. It's distorting everything, all for the sake of a section of the population so tiny, there are probably more giant pandas... 

At least 16 police forces record crimes according to offenders' own declaration of their gender. Feminist campaigners and politicians say that the male biology of transwomen differentiates them from women, so it is more important to record offenders' biological sex than their self-declared gender.

That this has to be spelled out shows what an utter mockery has been made of objective reality. 

Kate Coleman, of the Keep Prisons Single Sex campaign, said police forces that accepted offenders' self-declared gender misled the public and made it harder to tackle crime. She added: 'Males and male crime are hidden in the female data and statistics. This has serious implications for the accuracy of statistics and service planning and development.

'Data must be accurately recorded to enable male prisoners to be identified as male and male crime as male. Neither male prisoners nor male crime should be hidden by recording it as female.'

And that's not even the half of it: 

Ms Antoniazzi also raised concerns about misleading media reporting of offences committed by transgender offenders, highlighting BBC claims that child sex abuse by women had risen sharply, something that could be explained by male abusers identifying as female.

If you cannot accurately define a thing, you can't combat it. Is that the grand plan behind all this nonsense? 

Well, Who Are You Going To Believe..?

The people who live there?

David, who is 79 and retired, said he did not view the area as having a severe lack of community spaces. “We’ve got the whole of the beach, the whole seafront,” he said. “We have plenty of community spaces, I would say. It doesn’t feel like we are lacking anything at all.”

This sentiment is shared by Mark Allen, who has been running Munchies cafe on the seafront of the Norfolk seaside town for nine years.

“I don’t think we are lacking in community spaces. I actually think that areas like this are lovely and have a nice local community feeling. I wouldn’t say there’s a noticeable lack of community spaces.”

Or the 'experts'?

The analysis, conducted by Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion of public assets in the worst-off council wards, found that left-behind neighbourhoods on average have a disproportionate lack of social infrastructure in comparison with the national average.

So, the experts are wrong (again)? Or...is it a matter of how 'community spaces' are defined?

Kyra Drake, 25, who has been working for the charity and cafe for two years, recognises that although the cafe has a role as a community hub for locals, the area would benefit from an increase in development and funding for community spaces.

“I’d like to see more supported community spaces for LGBT people and other minorities in particular,” she said. “I think it’s really important that more community spaces like that exist in Yarmouth North, and we don’t have anything of the sort currently.”

Aha! Is that a clue I see, perchance? 

Just What Is It You Think 'The Wider Electorate' Cares About, Mustafa?

Mustafa Al-Dabbagh, a spokesperson for the Muslim Association of Britain, said: “We’re speaking to British Muslims on a daily basis and they feel alienated. Muslims feel like they are not being taken seriously by the leadership on the Labour party. There seems to be an attitude that Muslims have always voted Labour, so they’re always going to.”

He said the party needed to take a stronger stance on tackling Islamophobia as well as on foreign policy issues. “The Conservatives have left Labour with an open goal to come and engage with Muslim constituents and it’s not doing so. You have a government that ignores foreign policy issues like Palestine and Kashmir, and you have an opposition that equivocates,” he added.

Because I can tell you - it's not what happens in other countries, it's what happens in the UK... 

“When you’ve got Labour party officials briefing frankly Islamophobic statements and making Muslims feel like they’re not part of the wider electorate then I’m sorry, what do you expect from us?” he said.

If your concerns are purely for foreign policy, then you're not part of the wider electorate, are you? 

Seems Representative Enough To Me...

Buckingham Palace has admitted it “must do more” in terms of diversity and is “not where we would like to be” as figures show people from ethnic minority backgrounds make up 8.5% of its staff.

 *shrugs*

Buckingham Palace wants to reach a target of 10% of its staff being from ethnic minority backgrounds by 2022. It has not ruled out appointing a diversity tsar, though has no plans at present to do so.

Bit odd. The Royals don't have a very happy history with tsars, do they? 

Close, Hugh, But No Cigar...

Hugh Muir in the 'Guardian':

One could dismiss this as a football terraces thing, but I suspect it is the sharp end of something that’s happening more widely in society. I think we have reached the point in the race in Britain debate where a section of white establishment Britain is saying: “That’s it. We have heard your plight and George Floyd was terrible and yes, perhaps you do need a few more jobs and we can do that, but you keep going on about it and you are making us feel responsible and uncomfortable: we have heard you, but we have heard enough.”

Well, no, Hugh. 

It's more a case of: “That’s it. We have heard your constant whining about your supposed awful life in this country and how you are 'in pain' for the not-untimely death of yet another member of your wretched 'community' across the pond who spent his time on earth preying mostly on you, and we are just about reaching saturation point; if you don't like the way we run our country, you're free to leave, and frankly, we'd be happy to see the back of you.” 

Six months ago the pollsters Opinium asked people what they thought about BLM and were told that 55% of adults polled believed BLM had increased racial tension.

One wonders just what the other 45% think - surely it can't be that they've decreased it?!? 

It's Victimhood Chess, Not Poker!

Posting on Twitter, Andrea wrote: "I’m absolutely disgusted. This nail Salon Style Studio in South Wimbledon called me to cancel the appointment because they don’t do nails on man.

Andrea added: "When she first called up and asked me directly 'Are you a man or a woman?', I was puzzled, because that question asked with that intention felt transphobic anyway.

"Once she heard my voice, she went 'Oh, so you're a man', and hung up the phone.

"I was shocked - what just happened? But I felt like I had to say something, so I called them out on Twitter and Instagram."

Of course you did, sweetie... 

"Best part is that I identify as gender fluid, so I'm also a woman."

Errr, no. I don't think that's how it works. 

But I think the nail bar woman's queen is in trouble here. 

Salon Director Maria told the Wimbledon Times that the cancellation was due to the beautician's own religious beliefs.

She said: "As a Muslim woman she is not allowed to touch another male under any circumstances.

"It would not be out of place to mention that the same way Andrea has stated on all the social media platforms that there must be equal treatment towards non-binary or transgender individuals, I strongly believe that the beautician has the same right in relation to her religion."

Ouch! Check, mate!  

"Furthermore, we only have one beautician at the salon at the moment, due to the lockdown and Covid situation."

Oh, throwing in covid is just overkill! 

Free Speech For Me, Never For Thee...

Mike Roper, the headteacher of Allerton Grange high school in Leeds, was forced to apologise after he claimed in an assembly that some people saw the flag as a “symbol of antisemitism”.

Video of the speech was posted online, going viral and prompting a backlash and protests, with extra police having to be posted outside the school.

'The flag' being the Palestinian flag, of course. If he'd said the same about the Union flag the 'Guardian' would probably be giving him a guest writer's spot...

The assembly was intended, the school said, to address tensions within its multiracial student community caused by the situation in Israel.

But instead the speech brought accusations of “blatant Islamophobia” and staff being instructed to help students into and out of school safely following the furious response.

In other words, teachers had to plan for the usual screeching outside the school gates from the usual mob. 

Similar disputes have occurred in schools across the UK since the latest deadly violence in Israel and Gaza, with questions raised over why children expressing support for Palestine are being accused of antisemitism and in some cases subjected to disciplinary action.

So they are being disciplined for expressing an opinion? 

No. Don't be silly. That only happens to the staff!

During a protest at Clapton girls’ academy in east London, students sat down and chanted “free Palestine”, refusing to return to lessons.

See? They weren't disciplined for having an opinion at all, but for their actions in refusing to attend school and learn something other than the tribal hatreds they undoubtedly learn at home, or at the local mosque. 

The Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer said: “Imagine being a Palestinian kid at this guy’s school, being told your national flag is inherently hateful. Absolutely outrageous.”

We get told ours is that all the time, usually by morons like you. We just laugh and shrug it off. 

The author and Cambridge University academic Priyamvada Gopal also reacted with dismay to the video.

Oh, well, this'll be good! 

She said: “Young people can be taught about the evils of antisemitism, and they can learn about the Palestinian flag and its importance to a people’s struggle for self-determination. We are all capable of holding more than one thought in our head at the same time, and students should not be patronised by pretending otherwise.”

There's no evidence you can manage even one, love. 

Daniel Kebede, a senior vice-president of the National Education Union, said schools should be a safe space that allowed young people to explore difficult subjects.

It should. But it should be the same for the staff, too. And it's not, is it? 

Maybe This Is The Real Plan..?

Chief Constable Adderley...

Oh, him again..? 

...made the comments whilst voicing his 'strong feelings' against the College of Policing's plans to require all recruits to gain a degree before joining the force - rather than the traditional training programme.

The police chief said he believes the 'very, very young workforce coming through' who believe they are 'invincible' will cause a 'perfect storm' when combined with the growing anti-police violence forces are now facing.

Yes, it's almost uncanny, isn't it? If the powers that be wanted to cultivate a growing disrespect for the police, it's hard to see what they'd do differently, isn't it? 

He told Police Oracle how some new recruits in Northamptonshire had been so 'taken aback by the role' and the violence the force deals with that they had walked out of self-defence training. 

Some told the force they hadn't realised that working weekends and nights was part of the role, the Police Oracle reports.

Chief Constable Adderley said that the recruits have 'no life experience' and he clearly tells them that the training 'is not an extension of sixth form college. This is a really serious business'.

Add this to the damage that diversity hires are doing, and that long march has conquered another institution. 

Heading Off Trouble At The Pass...

Montana’s governor has signed a bill that bans transgender athletes from competing on school and university sports teams that correspond with their gender.

Predictably, the usual suspects got up on their hind legs and barked like trained seals:

“If you look at the legislature’s justification for advancing the transgender sports ban, they could cite not one instance where transgender participation in athletics has been a problem or caused conflict,” said Alex Rate, legal director of ACLU of Montana.

Not in Montana, yet? Well, it won't be long... 

A female New Zealand Olympic weightlifter says women complaining about transgender athlete Laurel Hubbard competing in the Tokyo Games are being told to 'be quiet'.

 Yeah, you aren't reading it wrong - it says 'post' not 'pre'!

So the governor is being forward-looking. What's wrong with that?

Incompetent, Lazy, Or Corrupt..?

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Constabulary said: "Police received a report that two dogs had allegedly attacked a horse, which was said to have sustained superficial injuries, at a rural location in the Helston area at around 3pm on Wednesday 31 March.

“An allegation of a public order offence was also made. Officers carried out enquiries into both allegations and no further action will be taken.”

Are they all incompetent in this police farce? 

I mean, I know they give up easily when faced with anything likely to raise a sweat, but good grief, this isn't the sort of incident you'd expect them to swerve, is it? 

Hope claims the owner encouraged the canine and even threatened to shoot her and her brother with a hunting gun, Cornwall Live reports. The dog became so violent it "dangled" off the horse by its teeth, Hope alleges.

The teenager said: "We asked the owner’s name and why he was there. He claimed he had permission and was getting up in our faces, making threats. His dog was on my big mare, and he was saying ‘go on, go on’, while blocking the foals from getting to her.

"We jumped over the gate to get away from it, and the dog went into the fields to attack the other mare.

"He [the owner] was throwing abuse at us, threatening to shoot us with a hunting gun, and then went away after 15 minutes of just staring at us."

Someone with dogs attacking livestock and then threatening to shoot the owners of said livestock, and they won't take action? Why not? 

Or, possibly, someone from a specific identity group that the police won't touch?

 

Is It 'Justice' You Want, Or Someone With Deep Pockets To Blame?

Sonali Bhattacharyya, a volunteer with the Justice for Belly campaign group, said campaigners were calling for an inquest into her death and a public inquiry to determine if GTR was culpable.

She said: “We’re here today on the first anniversary of Belly Mujinga’s death, united in anger and grief.

“A year on, and her family still have no answers. They still wait for justice.”

But they do have answers. They just aren't the ones they want... 

A lawyer for Mrs Mujinga’s family, Lawrence Davies, said the force had refused to disclose the suspect’s name, preventing them from pursuing a private prosecution and further civil claims.

Because there's no evidence that the supposed incident had anything to do with her death, and a lot - specifically, a negative covid test - that it didn't: 

BTP asked the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to review the evidence and look into whether there were any further lines of inquiry, but prosecutors ruled out homicide charges.

CCTV footage of the interaction, which lasted around 15 seconds, was said to not show any conclusive evidence a criminal offence took place, while results from a Covid-19 test on March 25 confirmed the suspect had not been infected with the virus.

DNA evidence from Mrs Mujinga’s clothing was inconclusive, while witness accounts did not provide a consistent enough picture to bring charges, according to the CPS.

So what sort of 'justice' is it that you - or more accurately, the leeches battening on to you - want to see, exactly? 

You Shouldn't Ask A Question When You Might Not Like The Answer...

As the discussions around gender violence continue, a story about a young Black woman has resurfaced.

Blessing Olusegun’s body was found last September on Bexhill seafront.Blessing was a 21-year-old from south London who worked in Sussex caring for elderly patients. Just one week into her placement, she was reported as missing and later found dead in Bexhill-on-Sea. Her death was “inconclusive” (Ed: I think she means 'cause of death', she's pretty conclusively dead!) and the postmortem examination found no external or internal injuries on her body.

Now people are starting to ask for more answers.

Like...what? That she was murdered by those cunning white supremacists that supposedly infest this green and pleasant land?  

Would Blessing’s death have garnered more attention if she was a white woman?

Ah. Right. Well, maybe, maybe not. 

Sarah Everard, of course, was murdered. And allegedly by a serving policeman. That would make her story newsworthy no matter what colour she was. 

How can people be concerned with Black women’s welfare if we aren’t included in gender violence conversations?

I'll include you, happily. But given you mostly meet your deaths and injuries at the hands of your own race, you might not like how that conversation develops... 

Well, You've Convinced Me...

Yaa Gyasi, a novelist apparently, and one can only hope she writes more coherently than in this whine for the 'Guardian':

I was thinking about that driver’s words again last summer as news poured in about the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. I was thinking about the way in which white people, in order to justify their own grotesque violence, so often engage in a kind of fiction, an utterly insidious denialism that creates the reality it claims to protest. By which I mean an unwillingness to see the violence that is actually happening before you because of a presumption of violence that might happen, is itself a kind of violence. What exactly can a man with a knee on his neck do, what can a sleeping woman do to deserve their own murder?

Well, on the one hand, be a convicted career criminal who held a gun to a pregnant woman's belly, and on the other, be the ex-girlfriend of a drug dealer and sleeping with a man who shoots at the police when they enter with a warrant.  

You've never heard that expression 'Lie down with dogs, wake up with 9mm bullet holes', Yaa?

So many of the writers of colour that I know have had white people treat their work as though it were a kind of medicine. Something they have to swallow in order to improve their condition, but they don’t really want it, they don’t really enjoy it, and if they’re being totally honest, they don’t actually even take the medicine half the time.

You've convinced me your brand of snake oil isn't worth taking, that's for sure. I won't be buying your opus. Or reading it for free, either.

It's The 'No Smoke Without Fire' Campaign...

Cambridgeshire Police have received dozens of allegations of racism by their staff over the last five years - but not one of them have been upheld.

132 police officers and staff were investigated between 2015 and 2020, but not one faced disciplinary action.

So, two conclusions to be drawn here. Anyone want to guess who is drawing the most advantageous one for their hobby horse? 

Campaigners have called for allegations to be re-investigated after the figures were branded "disgusting" and forces were accused of "gaslighting" victims of discrimination.

Yes, they are disgusting, when you think about it. But I suspect I think so for vastly different reasons than you... 

Katrina Ffrench, chief executive of StopWatch, which campaigns to make police more accountable, said the figures highlight a toxic culture within the UK's law enforcement.

They highlight a toxic culture, all right. But I don't think it's in the police... 

The Right Stuff..?

European space chiefs have launched their first recruitment drive for new astronauts in 11 years...

Excellent news!  

...with particular emphasis on encouraging women and people with disabilities to join missions to the Moon and, eventually, Mars.

Wait, what? Identity politics in space now...? 

The European Space Agency (ESA) said on Tuesday that it was looking to boost the diversity of its crews as it cavassed for up to 26 permanent and reserve astronauts.

Why? Space exploration is a tough enough job without having the added burden of someone who is potentially weaker than male crewmates, or needs expensive adaptations to perform to the same level.

I mean, what possible reason would you have, other than the PR opportunity? 

Adapting technology that enabled humans to be in space could open the opportunity for people with disabilities, Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti said.

“When it comes to space travel, we are all disabled,” Cristoforetti added.

But some will now be more disabled than others. 

Hey, I Found It!

The most niche 'Guardian' article ever!

Adriana Pierce is empowering queer female and non-binary performers whose relationships have been excluded from classical dance.

What..?!  

Pierce, who left the company after seven seasons to focus on choreography and musical theatre, has rarely felt represented as a queer woman in the ballet world but with her new movement, #QueertheBallet, she hopes to inspire change.

Her first project is a pas de deux en pointe choreographed on the American Ballet Theatre dancers Remy Young and Sierra Armstrong, which she is developing during a dance residency at the Bridge Street theatre in Catskill, New York.

“I want to show people an authentic, complex relationship between two women through ballet,” Pierce explains. “I want people to see that ballet can be more than a man lifting a woman in a tutu.”

When The Pendulum Swings Too Far...

The 'Guardian' on the sometimes unsettling history of black and minority police officers:

They told of “old sweats” or “John Wayne types” who were openly racist towards the public. “Words such as ‘spooks’, ‘nigger’ and ‘coon’ are in such general use throughout the service that one officer counted 230 instances in one week,” the summary said.

Decsribing a time in the past when things were undoubtedly bad. But that's not the case today, surely? 

Thirty years on from that historic event – more than half a century after Norwell Roberts, now celebrated as the UK’s first postwar black police officer, donned his uniform – black and Asian officers are still struggling to find their place in the police service.

Really? Today's police offices still resound to the epithets from unreconstructed dinosaurs in uniform? 

Few now say they hear racial slurs in their stations or find racist graffiti on their lockers or faeces in their helmets. In policing, as in wider society, the line has been drawn against such overt discrimination.

So...what's the issue?