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Not a single Reform MP decided to attend yesterday’s commons debate on tackling violence against women and girls.
https://hansard.parliament.uk/common...tWomenAndGirls
Ctrl+F “Reform” in the debate transcript and you’ll see several MPs mentioning their absence.
Was Nigel too busy hard at work in Clacton? Has he even set foot in Clacton since the election?
And now a dozen Reform UK councillors to resign over Farage’s leadership. This comes following Musk’s tweet that Farage was not up to the job.Quote:
Originally Posted by Canton Kev
The councillors alleged the party was being run in an “autocratic manner” and accused Farage of “disloyalty” to long-term members. There are splits within the party over the jailed far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who is supported by Musk.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics...age-leadership
Ha ha ha.
In fairness I did say several times that I think there is a far more substantial issue to be discussed here rather than the one happening.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Cartman
Nonetheless, good questions!
I think a new inquiry may be useful on pulling together previous ones and piercing together whether there was an overarching culture within the authorities not to intervene earlier and why. Why were peoples concerns dismissed etc. my understanding is that previous reports have focused on individual authorities and the most coordinated looked at 6, whereas such gangs have been reported in at least quadruple that number of authorities.
We need to know the extent that these decisions existed and why. We need to understand why people thought they could get away with it and why they did for so long. We also need to know and hold to account any decision makers who haven't probably been scrutinized. They were talking about it on Times Radio this morning about how some of the people who completely let people down are still working in positions of power in youth protection.
I suspect the recommendations will make a difference. But that doesn't mean there cannot be an overarching inquiry into what may well be Britain's shame of the century. The extent of all this really is unfathomable and if something within our culture allowed this to happen we need to fully understand it. Sunlight is the best antiseptic and all that.
BBC had a story on their front page (for a few hours at least) about survivors criticing the dismissal of an inquiry
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93qplwpll2o
The characterisation of all this as something from the far-right seems increasingly obscene
Some survivors do want a new national enquiry. Others - including the main survivor groups - do not as they (for now) see it as an obstacle to enacting the recommendations made by the previous national enquiry. That may change - there seems to be a move across the political spectrum, and amongst a growing number of victims, for a new targeted enquiry specifically about senior council officers and police cover ups. Some of that has come out in local enquiries but it has not been consistent and there may be gaps.Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesWales
Andy Burnham coming out in favour of a new national enquiry has made it much more difficult for Starmer to hold the current line. There is also a growing view that the existing recommendations (sat on by the Tories) can be actioned in parallel.
But this is a story that has been hijacked, distorted, and weaponised by people who don't give a toss about the victims. The Tories did nothing when in power for 14 years. Tommy Robinson and his far right fans (yes they are) see it as a way to promote a racist ideology, and Elon Musk is busy destabilising any governments that might restrict his power and wealth. That is obscene.
Starmer has got this wrong in my opinion - but his position is more defensible than many of his critics.
There is a racist element to this story for sure Jon, but I would say it's more about those girls that were raped because of their race wouldn't you? Is that not the bigger story? Why don't we get to grips with why that happened and discuss those issues more?Quote:
Originally Posted by jon1959
Are others not hijacking this to talk about the far- right when in fact that is a very small part of this story? It's an issue about exploiting the story for political gain (which as referenced always gets done, sadly) but the far far bigger story is what actually happened, no? Would you think it normal if I were more angry at the Workers Party of Britain to exploit the war in Gaza for political gain, or to be more angry at the war itself?
I agree that Burnhams intervention changes things. Perhaps now people will stop labelling talk of inquiries as being "far-right" as unbelievably happened this week.
Already Starmers comments on this sound extraordinary to me. Ironically that he and others were so quick to jump to that stance kinda highlights the need for one even more as you wonder if many cases were dismissed or ignored by councils because they labelled the accusations themselves as far-right?
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/poli...-b1203246.html