Starmer’s chronicles

This is a superb, excoriating piece of commentary on how the ‘New Left’ has driven many of the ‘Old Left’ (a.k.a. Working class Britons) into the arms of the Far Right. It’s by Kevin McKenna, a columnist in the Herald, which is a Scottish newspaper so one or two of his examples are from a Scottish perspective, but it takes in plenty of UK-wide issues and frankly IMHO is a must-read.

Silence of the left over grooming gangs is a gift to right wing rabble
…
Its proponents specialise in an ersatz Socialism which is about as authentic as purchasing a doctorate from one of those six-fingered, banjo-playing universities in the American Deep South. It’s all about the feels and the emotions and the state of everyone’s mental health. But they’ll say little of those factors that cause real mental breakdown. While they’re scanning their Blue Sky and Tik Tok accounts for their next trigger rush real people are being marginalised and dehumanised by multi-deprivation.
…

Paywall-dodging archive link:

https://archive.is/2025.01.07-084141...t-wing-rabble/

Originally Posted by Pierre

Clearly not enough, as there have been something 50 towns/cities implicated.

There needs to be an over arching national enquiry that covers everything, especially the culture that enabled it to continue.

What exactly did you find insufficient about the 7 year long inquiry that included 15 investigations and produced 19 reports, and which of the recommendations do you disagree with?

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Hugh

What exactly did you find insufficient about the 7 year long inquiry that included 15 investigations and produced 19 reports, and which of the recommendations do you disagree with?

That report lumped the Islamic Child Rape gangs in with other scandals such as the church, and Westminster, and a host of other issues (all valid btw) but to suggest it was a 7 year enquiry into Child Rape gangs is incorrect.

In regards to Islamic Child Rape Gangs which they call:

Child sexual exploitation by organised networks investigation report

the recommendations they proposed were:

- Provide a mandatory aggravating factor for sentencing networks of child sexual exploitation offenders

- Publish an enhanced Child Exploitation Disruption Toolkit

- Review government guidance on child sexual exploitation

- Ensure government guidance distinguishes between risk and harm

- Collect data on child sexual exploitation and child sexual exploitation networks

- Ban the unregulated placement of children

Notice anything missing from the above?

It doesn't focus on why it is predominantly men of Pakistani heritage, why they do it, why culturally they think it's ok to do to white girls and they don't really think they're doing any thing wrong.

Islamic is only used once in the report.

Muslim is only used when referring to the Muslim Council of Britain, or when talking about a young muslim boy that was abused (nothing to do with the Rape gangs)

Asian is mainly used when referring to the demographic of the respondents to the report.

In regards to the rape gangs it is a wholly inadequate report.

That is what I find insufficient.

In regards the specific report produced on "Child sexual exploitation by organised networks investigation"

It too fails to look at the culture of the rape gangs.

The reports focus on the safe guarding failures and hardly touches on the perpetrators.

What do you think exactly are the recommendations in the report that will get to the heart of the rape gangs and address the cultural entitlement Pakistani men in these communities feel they have to rape young white girls with impunity?

[ianch99]

Originally Posted by Chris

This is a superb, excoriating piece of commentary on how the ‘New Left’ has driven many of the ‘Old Left’ (a.k.a. Working class Britons) into the arms of the Far Right. It’s by Kevin McKenna, a columnist in the Herald, which is a Scottish newspaper so one or two of his examples are from a Scottish perspective, but it takes in plenty of UK-wide issues and frankly IMHO is a must-read.




Paywall-dodging archive link:

https://archive.is/2025.01.07-084141...t-wing-rabble/

A very cartoon-like click bait article aimed to stir the populist rhetoric. He drones on about the "new left" without being specific and then goes on and on, using excessive hyperbole, about everything has been ruined by these mysterious people. The man just wants attention, he has no ability to discern detail or nuance, just extreme positions.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Pierre

That report lumped the Islamic Child Rape gangs in with other scandals such as the church, and Westminster, and a host of other issues (all valid btw) but to suggest it was a 7 year enquiry into Child Rape gangs is incorrect.

In regards to Islamic Child Rape Gangs which they call:


the recommendations they proposed were:



Notice anything missing from the above?

It doesn't focus on why it is predominantly men of Pakistani heritage, why they do it, why culturally they think it's ok to do to white girls and they don't really think they're doing any thing wrong.

Islamic is only used once in the report.

Muslim is only used when referring to the Muslim Council of Britain, or when talking about a young muslim boy that was abused (nothing to do with the Rape gangs)

Asian is mainly used when referring to the demographic of the respondents to the report.

In regards to the rape gangs it is a wholly inadequate report.

That is what I find insufficient.

In regards the specific report produced on "Child sexual exploitation by organised networks investigation"

It too fails to look at the culture of the rape gangs.

The reports focus on the safe guarding failures and hardly touches on the perpetrators.

What do you think exactly are the recommendations in the report that will get to the heart of the rape gangs and address the cultural entitlement Pakistani men in these communities feel they have to rape young white girls with impunity?

Islam might be a red herring, it might be more cultural than religious, there's a rape in India every 5 minutes apparently and in both India and Pakistan conviction is hard to obtain plus I remember Imran Khan victim blaming for what was called Pakistans rape epidemic a few years back by saying women weren't wearing enough clothes, no wonder I've seen the term rape culture in regard to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh if that's their leaders public attitude towards the crime

[Russ]

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Islam might be a red herring, it might be more cultural than religious, there's a rape in India every 5 minutes apparently and in both India and Pakistan conviction is hard to obtain plus I remember Imran Khan victim blaming for what was called Pakistans rape epidemic a few years back by saying women weren't wearing enough clothes, no wonder I've seen the term rape culture in regard to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh if that's their leaders public attitude towards the crime

The problem is thick people very easily conflate Islam with Pakistani/Indian individuals and those of similar Asian descent.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Russ

The problem is thick people very easily conflate Islam with Pakistani/Indian individuals and those is similar Asian descent.

They do and for others it suits an agenda, in the same way criticism of Israel and their government equates to antisemitism. One thing I am quite sure off is that if Stephen Yaxley- Lennon has the answers, the question wasn't worth asking.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Islam might be a red herring, it might be more cultural than religious, there's a rape in India every 5 minutes apparently and in both India and Pakistan conviction is hard to obtain plus I remember Imran Khan victim blaming for what was called Pakistans rape epidemic a few years back by saying women weren't wearing enough clothes, no wonder I've seen the term rape culture in regard to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh if that's their leaders public attitude towards the crime

It’s an excellent point, and of course not all Muslims would consider this, that’s a given.

I agree it would appear to be a cultural phenomenon of the sub-continent, as you rightly say it is also predominant in India.

I will reframe any future rhetoric around that.

Originally Posted by ianch99

A very cartoon-like click bait article aimed to stir the populist rhetoric. He drones on about the "new left" without being specific and then goes on and on, using excessive hyperbole, about everything has been ruined by these mysterious people. The man just wants attention, he has no ability to discern detail or nuance, just extreme positions.

He made you think you might be ‘New Left’ then … ?

[ianch99]

Originally Posted by Chris

He made you think you might be ‘New Left’ then … ?

He made me think he is a rambling idiot and that anyone that takes the clown car of an article seriously needs to revisit reality.

That’ll be a ‘yes’ then …

[ianch99]

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

They do and for others it suits an agenda, in the same way criticism of Israel and their government equates to antisemitism. One thing I am quite sure off is that if Stephen Yaxley- Lennon has the answers, the question wasn't worth asking.

While I do think the religious and community leaders do need to visibly step up and discuss what they are doing to address the causes of these crimes and demonstrate what they are doing to prevent it, it is more than obvious this pearl clutching we see in the right wing media & from assorted trolls would not be happening if said offences were carried out by white gangs.

The reason this is overblown is to continue to fuel the fire about immigration into this country. All part of the ongoing narrative to subvert objective truth in favour of siloed, primarily social media based, "news" sources that can be controlled and manipulated to achieve a desired goal. You can see today's news from Meta if you want more proof of this.

---------- Post added at 22:19 ---------- Previous post was at 22:15 ----------

Originally Posted by Chris

That’ll be a ‘yes’ then …

I have answered your question. You continue to troll if you wish ...

Originally Posted by ianch99

I have answered your question. You continue to troll if you wish ...

You have indeed, but not in the way you think. You’ve actually rather neatly proved the point that lies behind McKenna’s opinion piece.

Yes, it is an opinion piece. Of course it adopts a certain grand polemical style. It stands in a grand British Press tradition of using this literary form to call out hypocrisy and misbehaviour. The point is, as an intelligent reader, you’re supposed to price that in and then engage with the underlying argument. And tellingly, you refused (or are unable) to do so. Ironic, given that the point you are perhaps wilfully missing is that the ‘New Left’ is characterised by an abandonment of intellectual curiosity and a refusal to engage in debate, substituting instead diktat vis a vis acceptable opinions and public behaviour.

I don’t know where you think McKenna is coming from here, but do bear in mind that Scottish public discourse is traditionally ‘Old Left’ to borrow his phrase, and at present that is rubbing hard up against the ‘New Left’ project championed in recent years by the SNP and, while in coalition, the Greens. The fault line has a particular flavour north of the border, but his analysis holds true across the UK. When the (so-called) enlightened, metropolitan left lectures the traditional working class left on how to behave and what to think, it drives votes to the BNP, UKIP, Reform, whoever. McKenna is not a shill for any of these causes by any means.

[ianch99]

Originally Posted by Chris

You have indeed, but not in the way you think. You’ve actually rather neatly proved the point that lies behind McKenna’s opinion piece.

Yes, it is an opinion piece. Of course it adopts a certain grand polemical style. It stands in a grand British Press tradition of using this literary form to call out hypocrisy and misbehaviour. The point is, as an intelligent reader, you’re supposed to price that in and then engage with the underlying argument. And tellingly, you refused (or are unable) to do so. Ironic, given that the point you are perhaps wilfully missing is that the ‘New Left’ is characterised by an abandonment of intellectual curiosity and a refusal to engage in debate, substituting instead diktat vis a vis acceptable opinions and public behaviour.

I don’t know where you think McKenna is coming from here, but do bear in mind that Scottish public discourse is traditionally ‘Old Left’ to borrow his phrase, and at present that is rubbing hard up against the ‘New Left’ project championed in recent years by the SNP and, while in coalition, the Greens. The fault line has a particular flavour north of the border, but his analysis holds true across the UK. When the (so-called) enlightened, metropolitan left lectures the traditional working class left on how to behave and what to think, it drives votes to the BNP, UKIP, Reform, whoever. McKenna is not a shill for any of these causes by any means.

Whatever dude. You can rationalise it anyway that makes you happy. The piece was written by an idiot and if you want to see it as the Emperor's New Clothes then please go ahead. If you also want to climb a high pulpit and preach on how only the enlightened can see through the polemic and digest the real majesty of the argument then, again, please go ahead. However, you do run the risk as coming across a bit pompous & patronising.

Originally Posted by ianch99

Whatever dude. You can rationalise it anyway that makes you happy. The piece was written by an idiot and if you want to see it as the Emperor's New Clothes then please go ahead. If you also want to climb a high pulpit and preach on how only the enlightened can see through the polemic and digest the real majesty of the argument then, again, please go ahead. However, you do run the risk as coming across a bit pompous & patronising.

I have to say this phrasing is so unlike you it crossed my mind that it might actually not be you.

I’m not here to cheerlead for any particular journalist, but I will simply point out that he’s been in the industry for decades, and writes for one of the UK’s major regional morning titles. Dismissing him out of hand just because you don’t like what he’s saying …. Well, you truly are making his point for him.

The real pity here is that I genuinely expected a bit more willingness to engage from you. Them’s the breaks I guess.