It annoys me that the council can't put a stop to what's going on more quickly.

 But it surely can't surprise you?

Villagers are angry that, while strict planning controls apply to them, the travellers appear to be able to 'get away with anything' by flouting the rules. Around 120 people attended a meeting with local councillors in the village hall on Monday.

They pointed to a recent planning decision which is available to read on the council's website.The proposal was to convert a barn in a field opposite where the traveller camp now is, and also on Green Belt, into three dwellings. It was refused because the design of the proposed buildings 'would not adequately reflect the agricultural character of the area' and would be contrary to the Warrington Local Plan.

Well there's your problem, better to ask for forgiveness than permission. The travellers know this. 

Maybe it's about time everyone else learned? Maybe it's time everyone else stopped playing by rules that don't appear to be applied fairly to everyone?

10 Responses? Is That All?

You know when they lead with 'anecdotal evidence' the actual evidence doesn't support the clanging headline. And so it proves here:

Alison Hicks, an associate professor in library and information studies at UCL, interviewed 10 UK-based school librarians who had experienced book challenges.

No, Reader, 'book challenges' doesn't mean grappling with a too-large tome on a too-high shelf. The concern here is book banning. And the US is blamed for it, of course. 

One “spoke of finding propaganda from one of these groups left on her desk”, while another “was directly targeted by one of these groups”. Respondents “also spoke of being trolled by US pressure groups on social media, for example when responding to free book giveaways”.

'Trolled'? In other words, people responded to their posts on social media, as social media was designed to allow. Gosh, I always thought these were books, but maybe they are something else, if librarians have never heard of them!

Hey, librarians! These are great, you can look up the meanings of words in them, and never embarsass yourselves again!

This supports the findings of an Index on Censorship survey last year, in which 28 of 53 librarians polled reported that they had been asked to remove books from library shelves, many of which were LGBTQ+ titles. In more than half of those cases, books were taken off shelves.

Maybe investigate why less than half weren't? 

One cause for concern in the UK is the “lack of robust evidence” about how widespread censorship is, said Coiffait-Gunn. “It’s hard to evidence what doesn’t happen and which books are not available.” The government does not tally how many school libraries or librarians there are, “let alone track book bans”.

A government that doesn't track librarians?! Perish the thought! 

Most UK libraries follow the Cilip ethical framework, which states that published materials should not be restricted on any grounds but the law, said Jewell.

“That gives them the confidence and assurance to reject demands” for censorship.

“What we must guard against is a climate where libraries avoid stocking certain books – or holding talks or activities – for fear of negative publicity, threats or intimidation,” he added.

Given most modern libraries stock anything but books, I doubt it'll have much effect. 

It's Not Just The Sex Of The People They Are Looking For....

...it seems they are fully prepared to gaslight the public about the age now too. If he's really 16, he must have had a very tough paper round...in Afghanistan!

If It Took You A Decade To Realise What Was Going On…

...then your general intelligence level should be of more concern than your sexuality.

Ben says his ordeal started in his early 20s, after he was invited to attend Bible studies with an elder from his church. These started off as innocuous religious seminars, but Ben says things quickly changed and the elder started exerting control over what clothes he wore and how he styled his hair - encouraging him to wear what was seen as traditional masculine styles. He says he stopped the sessions after the elder started forcing him to make himself sick by tasting a bitter liquid whenever he had sexual thoughts or urges about other men. Ben told BBC News it took more than a decade to realise he'd been subjected to conversion practices, despite living with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as he struggled to confront what had happened to him.

This is a result of a Stonewall survey aiming to throw light on conversion tactics. Because, of course,  you-know-who are kicking up a fuss about them:

Both surveys suggested that trans and non-binary respondents were more likely to say they had experienced some form of conversion therapy. Results from Stonewall's research suggest that 38% of trans and non-binary respondents had experienced physical assault in an attempt to alter their gender identity.

Makes a nice change from them receiving fawning acceptance and encouragement from the medical and psychological professions... 

In February, the then-women and equalities minister, Anneliese Dodds, told the Women and Equalities Committee that draft legislation outlawing conversion practices would be brought forward before the end of the parliamentary session this summer. Some campaigners and politicians have shared concerns that a ban could criminalise parents, therapists or teachers for questioning a young person's gender identity.

Does anyone ever do that these days? Certainly doesn't appear they are allowed to already!  

'Can Present As A Female'

 ...but not very well!

Police are searching for a wanted person who has been recalled to prison. North Yorkshire Police are searching for Jason Whiteoak, from Selby, who has convictions for serious sexual assault and robbery.

Whiteoak, who can present as female under the name Karla, has also been known by a number of other names. 

Can he? Well, Reader, you be the judge:

I suppose at least Thames Valley Police aren't trying to gaslight us all that he IS a woman called Karla, unlike Surrey Police....

H/T: IanJ via email

More Of This, Faster!

A police chief as (sic) torn up a diversity guide that told officers to avoid saying 'blacklisted' and 'black sheep' in case it offended anyone.

Not really a 'police chief' though, just another political appointee... 

Hertfordshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards called the document 'virtue signalling' and said it would 'damage public trust and confidence in policing'. The nine-page diversity, equality and inclusion reference guide, published last year, was created by Bedfordshire Police and Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire constabularies.

 Wonder how many man-hours that took, that could have instead been spent on the beat?

It called on police officers to use gender neutral language such as 'pregnant person' rather than pregnant women while it advised against using 'Christian-centric' language such as 'faith'. Mr Ash-Edwards, who was elected into his role last May, said he and Hertfordshire Chief Constable Andy Prophet shared concerns over the guide and have now 'commissioned a review of all such documents'.

 So, why didn’t they do anything about it until now? What’s prompted a sudden outbreak of courage?

He demanded a return to 'common sense... when it comes to language' and told The Telegraph in a statement: 'Asking police officers and staff to use terms such as 'pregnant people' is unlikely to be seen as 'inclusive' by many women, for example.'

 Indeed, and yet, wasn’t that the case last year too?

Mr Ash-Edwards said from his experience of meeting residents from diverse communities 'many Asian residents are worried about family gold burglaries, our Jewish communities fear anti-Semitic hate crimes'.

'What I have yet to hear is a call for more virtue signalling,' he said.

Well, you’re very unlikely to, nor would you have last year when the wretched thing was published. But still, I suppose, more joy in heaven, and all that… 

Clearly, The Need For Segregated News Is Over

As it nears its 20th anniversary next year, PinkNews should be celebrating a period that has seen remarkable progress for some but not all LGBTQ+ people in Britain. Instead, the future of the world’s largest LGBTQ+ website looks uncertain after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct were made against Benjamin Cohen and Anthony James, the couple who run the outlet.

The website, set up in 2005 when Cohen was the Channel 4 News technology correspondent, has, at times, wielded its influence for positive change in British LGBTQ+ life.

But often, when one looks behind the scenes, one finds everything isn't as rosy as it appears. And then, the great and good begin to rethink their approbation: 

Last week, Downing Street called the claims against Cohen and James “very concerning” and James was suspended from his role at the Bedfordshire hospitals NHS foundation trust. The potential downfall of an influential title that bills itself as a safe space for LGBTQ+ journalists has caused dismay and sparked wider fears about the state of queer media in the UK.

Maybe we don't need a specifically 'queer media'? 

“It’s horrific to hear these allegations, especially for the journalists working there. There’s not many LGBTQ+ publications in the UK, especially ones with this sort of financial backing and influence,” said investigative journalist Finbarr Toesland. Last year, Toesland authored a study, commissioned by the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity (LHC) at Birmingham City University...

Ha ha ha ha! No, really? Good God!

...that found LGBTQ+ journalists face an increasingly hostile environment in the UK. Seventy-eight per cent of those surveyed agreed that it is becoming more dangerous to be an LGBTQ+ journalist in the UK.

What sort of 'hostility' are we talking about, anyway? Any examples? 

“I was quite surprised at the time to hear their experiences and how challenging they had found it. There was one example of a journalist who was working in sports media. When they walked into a press briefing, they overheard someone say: ‘That’s that gay journalist from x publication.’ There are examples of people feeling singled out because of their sexuality and facing homophobic abuse,” he said.

People whose self-image appears to rely entirely on them being recognised as 'gay journalists' consider overhearing the fact that they are being referred to as 'gay journalists' some sort of 'hostility'? 

We Will Remember Them...

Even if this year, thanks to the relentless march of identity politics, the Legion has come a bit of a cropper. and allowed its poison to taint this day.

  

So this year, instead of the Legion's appeal, I have found a better cause to support.

The flowers left thick at nightfall in the wood,

This Eastertide call into mind the men, 

Now far from home, who, with their sweethearts, 

should Have gathered them and will do never again. 

In Memoriam (Easter 1915) by Edward Thomas

Delayed Deaths...

Two people have died from injuries sustained in separate Notting Hill carnival attacks.

Well, at least they had suspects in custody quickly. 

Shakiel Thibou, 20, was charged with attempted murder, possessing a knife and violent disorder. He attended court alongside his older brothers Sheldon, 24, and Shaeim, 21, who were also charged with violent disorder and assault by beating of an emergency worker. In the case of Mussie, Omar Wilson a 31-year-old man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody at a south London police station.

If only this year's weather had been different. 

Commander Charmain Brenyah, the Met's spokesperson for Carnival, said: 'Carnival is about bringing people together in a positive celebration. That it has ended with the tragic loss of life, among other incidents of serious violence, will sadden everyone involved.'

That the Met Police have a dedicated spokesperson for this wretched even tells you all you need to know about why it will continue to go on and on, doesn't it? 

The Reality Of Multiculturalism...

Terrifying video shows the moment a mob of men brutally beat a lesbian couple who were out celebrating one of their birthdays. Emma MacLean said she and her girlfriend, who she only identified as 'Tori,' were walking in downtown Halifax, Canada on June 22 when they first encountered a group of about 10 men...

Bloody macho lumberjacks, I expect?  

...they believe to be of Middle Eastern descent and from Syria.

Oh. 

As they were passing by, one of the men allegedly made a rude comment about MacLean - prompting her girlfriend to stand up for her.

'My girlfriend, Tori, said "Hey that's my girlfriend,"' MacLean recounted to CTV News. 'They continued walking and then Tori followed them to basically verbally be like "That is not OK,"' MacLean said.

So not only did you fall for the multiculti 'we can all live together' bullshit, you swallowed the Hollywood premise that girls can challenge grown men with impunity. Say, haven't we heard this one before? I think we have. And closer to home, too.   

That's when the group allegedly started to beat Tori.

And 'allegedly' is doing a lot of work here, because there's video. So we don't have another HMMONA case this time.  

Eventually, a bystander alerted police patrolling the area nearby - but by then, MacLean said the fight had already ended.

Hurrah, policemen to the rescue, ladies! Aren't you lucky? They won't stand for this nonsense in ultra-liberal Canada! Will they? 

Officers then spoke with one of the men involved in the assault, who blamed the fight on the two women. The other men involved refused to cooperate with police, or give their IDs, MacLean said.

Oh. I thought that would earn you a trip downtown to correct your attitude. I guess 'immigrant' trumps 'lesbian' in Trudeau's frozen liberal paradise... 

"But I am undoubtedly overthinking this."

The selection process for these punters is still a mystery, but they are clearly a far cry from a random assortment. Everyone has a good story to tell or a revelatory taste in music. The Instagram-ready young blonde Brooke turns out to be a law student who loves classical music and plays Poulenc’s Novelette in E Minor, though narratively speaking she is beaten by Ellis, a boxer from a rough council estate (“high crime rate but we’ve got a Costa, so it’s all good,” he says, deadpan) whose mother saved up to buy him a keyboard from Argos when he was four. There was no money for lessons so he learned through council-funded schemes and his own hard work. He plays Chopin’s lyrical, lovely Ballade No 4 and takes everyone’s breath away. “Do you think he’s aware of how difficult this piece really is?” says Mika. Is that an odd thing to say? I feel it’s an odd thing to say – as if anyone from a council estate who can play such a piece must be a kind of idiot savant rather than a true musician.

It's a nice feelgood show about music talent so yes, you are overthinking this. But you wouldn't be a 'Guardian' columnist if you couldn't somehow manage to shoehorn your political viewpoint into absolutely anything you're given, would you?  

Look, an old man can still play! Look, a nine-year-old who seems to be on the autistic spectrum can play with emotion! There is an unspoken agreement that it is as amazing Amy has pink hair and still likes Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata as that she is self-taught, via tutorials on the internet.

*sighs* 

Step In And Help? Nah...

This is the moment a gang of hooded thugs today kicked and punched a police officer in a McDonald's as they pinned him to the floor.

An elderly man tries to assist the downed officer by trying to push one of the men off him, as a female officer also tries to help her colleague in vain.

She's useless. Not a surprise.  

The three attackers then quickly flee out the open door. One of them in the blue coat is grabbed by the female officer and trips over, but he successfully gets away after being helped by his accomplice.

They'd been sent to investigate a report of a robbery, apparently.  

Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland, lead for policing in Kingston, said: 'I know members of the public will be disgusted by the assault on my officers.'

Frankly, while I would have been a few years ago, now I'm pretty ambivalent.  

‘So, Mr Izzard…’

‘… what first attracted you to a script where the protagonist changes who they are by virtue of a magic potion?’

Strange How This Is One Thing Rishi Doesn't Have To Worry About, Isn't It?

A follow-up to this:

Labour MPs have been offered increased security after facing direct threats from constituents over the party's stance on Gaza. Frontbenchers say there is a 'real fear' that a 'lone wolf' could be pushed over the edge by the continuing tensions and commit an act of terror.

Could it be that there aren't any fanatical voters who feel betrayed by him? Or, just not on this particular issue? 

Pressure has continued to build on the Labour leader to shift his position on the conflict, holding crisis talks with Muslim MPs on Wednesday amid reports that some were considering resigning. Yesterday shadow minister Imran Hussain became the first frontbencher to sign a motion demanding an immediate ceasefire and an 'end to the total siege of Gaza'.

The Early Day Motion is now signed by 39 Labour MPs, while a further six have publicly called for a ceasefire.

Lie down with dogs, Keef, expect the fleas to start making demands when you wake up… 

Is It The Ides Of March Already?

It seems to come around so quickly...

Four Labour shadow cabinet members are on resignation watch tonight after Keir Starmer failed to quell Labour wrath over the Israel-Hamas conflict - as the party faces a possible implosion following the leader's silence on Gaza at PMQs.

I can't say that I'm not amused, despite the despicable reason they give for it, because it couldn't happen to a more deserving chap, could it?

Sir Keir seemed to be desperately trying to avoid inflaming the issue at today's PMQs, using all his six questions at the weekly Commons clash to target Rishi Sunak on domestic issues. But his tactics were immediately undermined when shadow equalities minister Yasmin Qureshi stood up and demanded: 'How many more innocent Palestinian people must die before this prime minister calls for a humanitarian ceasefire?'

You wanted these people in your party, you courted them, you promoted them, and now they have shown you what they were all along. They're yours. Own them.

Why Would You Want To Represent Them?

Labour councillors are said to be very uneasy over the protest ban, with one saying: “How do we show solidarity to the communities who voted for us to be their voice and represent them?”

You're Labour councillors - ignoring the wishes of your constituents is usually second-nature, so why should this be any different? 

Delivering a speech at the University of Leeds on Thursday, Lady Warsi said the response to recent protests was an example of how Muslims are “judged by a harsher standard” and made to feel that they “don’t matter” in society.

That's why they are never out of the papers whinging about stuff, I guess. 

She warned that the lack of action over the issue could lead to devastating outcomes, citing recent government figures on hate crime showing that “once again Muslims are the most targeted religious group”.

Gosh, I wonder why that could be? If it's even true. 

The Guardian has seen another letter to Starmer from at least 72 Labour councillors who are facing pressure from their local communities to resign over the party’s stance. Remaining anonymous over fear of losing their positions, they told the leader, “we respectfully urge you to recognise the Palestinian struggle and the root causes of this ongoing conflict” otherwise “Muslims will not vote for the Labour party in the next election should you remain leader”.

Who are you going to vote for, then? 

Sauce For The Goose, Leroy...

What I found utterly amazing were these acts of solidarity across the country, made by individual officers and their staff associations and the UK Police Federation, but based on scant information about the Chris Kaba killing. Policing is supposed to be evidence-based, however a critical mass of armed officers put their rational thinking to one side and joined this mass hysteria of handing back their firearms authorisation.

...after all, how many of the black mobs that gather outside police stations when some gangster has been taken out stop to 'consider the evidence', eh?

What this showed me was the toxic culture of some in the firearms fraternity.

Is that more or less toxic than the knife and machete fraternity, then?

...I hope each and every officer reflects seriously on why they carry out their role, and reminds themselves of the rewards and risks that apply when first they seek to join the firearms command, things that are reiterated to them during training. The reward, for some, is the glamour of carrying firearms and the associated paraphernalia; the risk is the scrutiny that follows the discharging of a firearm and the possibility of ending up in court to defend their actions as proportionate and necessary.

Even when that's already been decided, Leroy? 

To Paraphrase Lydia Grant: "Woke Costs..."

Suspended GB News TV presenter Reverend Calvin Robinson has won an out-of-court settlement from the Royal Academy of Dance after he was sacked from a senior role for opposing a drag queen storytelling session for children.

Mr Robinson, 37, was awarded £8,000 after the RAD removed him from its education sub-committee for protesting against what he believed to be the sexualisation of minors.

"...and right here's where you start paying!"

So, They Do Exist..?

A former Ministry of Defence police officer has won a discriminations case after she was sacked for failing the bleep test exam. An employment tribunal ruled that the multi-stage fitness exam, which sees participants run back and forth at increasing speed, did not take into account 'innate biological differences' between men and women.

That won't please the trans cult, will it? 

During the grueling fitness test she scored just 6.7 instead of the required 7.6. She continued to be deployed in Scotland in April 2017 but after repeatedly failing attempts at the test was dismissed in October last year.

The College of Policing found that the officer had been 'indirectly discriminated against' on the ground of sex, when other alternative tests could have been made available.

Maybe they didn't see why they should have to provide them for someone unable to meet the basics? 

Did You Think There'd Be No Consequences?

Well, what do you think now?

On Wednesday, more than a year on from the incident, the CPS announced it had authorised a murder charge to be issued against a police officer who is only being identified as Officer NX121. Protests from his colleagues, which the Met said has 'increased over the past 48 hours', is said to have left London with a 'skeleton' of armed police, causing panic among Met chiefs.

You can't force police to carry guns; they are volunteers. And if you fail to support them they will withdraw that goodwill.

'Hundreds of Authorised Firearms Officers on the MO19 command have handed in their blue tickets,' the source told The Sun.

'They are angry and upset. Their families are worried and therefore they do not believe they are in the right frame of mind to carry a firearm.'

The source suggested that officers are taking time away to determine whether they can continue a job which could be life-changing if they become involved in a shooting.

That's the thing with goodwill - it has to come from both sides to work/