More than One in Three Children in Poverty as UK Deprivation Hits Record High

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: Study finds almost quarter of UK population living in poverty, reaching the highest level this century

More than one in three children and a quarter of adults are living in poverty in the UK as deprivation levels rise to the highest in the 21st century, according to a landmark report.

The study by the Social Metrics Commission (SMC), which uses measures recently adopted by the UK government, found the cost of living crisis had plunged 2 million more people into severe hardship since 2019.

In total, more than 16 million people are defined as living in poverty, or 24% of the UK population – the highest since comparable records began in 2000.

Children accounted for the biggest rise of any social group falling into poverty, the report found, with an extra 260,000 on the breadline since before the Covid pandemic, meaning a record 36%, or 5.2 million children, were in deprivation. » | Josh Halliday, North of England editor | Monday, November 18, 2024

Truly, without any exaggeration, this is a NATIONAL DISGRACE! How could this once proud nation allow itself to sink to such depths? The ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ is clearly the land of neither HOPE nor GLORY! What a bloody farce that song is! The one that is sung so proudly on the ‘Last Night of the Proms’! This pathetic country is the land of hope and glory only for the HAVES. For the HAVE-NOTs it is a land of HOPELESSNESS and one BEREFT of GLORY!

It all started with the woman the Soviets called the “Iron Lady”, who believed that relative wealth/poverty mattered not a jot. Listen to the cr** here.

We can thank fourteen years of Tory rule and mismanagement for this sad state of affairs. Alas, this Labour administration under the seemingly heartless Starmer is little better. This country is now not only becoming ever poorer, it is also becoming increasingly heartless.

Brought up to be proud to be British, can I now honestly say that I am proud to be British? Certainly not! The country is on its uppers and the country’s values and morals are at rock bottom. A country that cannot look after its children or its elderly doesn’t deserve to survive! — © Mark Alexander

Peter Stefanovic: Millions of People Are Living in Poverty, Destitution & Using Food Banks - It’s Barely Mentioned

Oct 24, 2024

UK Must Prepare for Widespread Road Pricing, Says Infrastructure Tsar

THE GUARDIAN: Sir John Armitt says charging per mile ‘inevitable’, with move to electric vehicles likely to create £35bn tax shortfall

Britain must prepare for the widespread use of road pricing to make up a £35bn shortfall in tax revenues from the transition to electric vehicles, the country’s top infrastructure adviser has said.

Sir John Armitt, the chair of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), said it was time for a “proper public debate” about the future funding of the road network and other critical projects.

“It’s politically a very difficult issue isn’t it? But many people will say road pricing is inevitable. Personally, I don’t see why it should be any different to anything else,” he told journalists on Thursday.

“We pay for all our other infrastructure services as we use them, and we pay for driving on the road, as we use it, via petrol tax. And if you’re going to lose the petrol tax, at [more than] £30bn a year, what is government going to replace it with?” » | Richard Partington and Gwyn Topham | Thursday, October 10, 2024

Brexit and the Empire: Is This the End of ‘Global Britain’? | DISPATCH | UK Politics Documentary

Sep 30, 2024

Britons who voted for Brexit were either duped by the system and the lies they were fed or were insane. Nobody in his right mind who has any understanding of economics would have voted to leave the largest single market in the whole world — a market which is right on our doorstep!

We Brits have paid a very high price for this INSANITY and ECONOMIC IGNORANCE. We have ended up poorer! Much poorer! People like Farage, Hannan & Co., and other clowns like them would belong in the stocks of their local public squares in an earlier age. Idiotic clowns all! Alas we, the people, must pay the very high price for the follies of the few. We have been forced to relinquish our rights as full-on citizens of Europe with all the attendant privileges. And for what in return? To become “subjects of the King”? What a trade-off! We even have an inferior passport now! Blue, it may be; but inferior it is for sure! How can Brits feel proud to be British anymore when the country is going to the dogs? – © Mark Alexander

Andrew Klavan — The Censorship Is Just Beginning | Konstantin Kisin

Erd 18, 2024 | Konstantin Kisin, co-host of Triggernometry, joins us for an insightful conversation about the rising threat of censorship in England and shares his perspective on the future of America.

Hillsdale College hosts Andrew Klavan »

Gain instant access to a free video series about the Great Reset here.

SP!KED : How Britain Fell to Censorship

Aug 21, 2024 | The UK has become a posterboy for the perils of censorship. In the wake of the recent race riots, the British state has set about arresting and jailing not just the rioters, but also those who posted hateful memes or spread misinformation during the unrest. Anglophiles looked on aghast, as this once liberty-loving nation appeared to suddenly fall to authoritarianism. The depressing truth, however, is that this was a very long time coming. Here, Tom Slater lifts the lid on the UK’s decades-long experiment with policing speech. Being arrested for posting something offensive online has been alarmingly normal for some time now. And the bar for censorship is only getting lower and lower. Britain is a warning to genuine liberals the world over. Censorship is poison. Never, ever let it in.

Very troubling developments indeed in Starmer’s unfree Britain. – © Mark Alexander

The World Is Shocked at British Censorship & Lack of Free Speech and Our Authoritarian Government

Aug 17, 2024 | On today's NCF Deprogrammed, NCF Director Peter Whittle, Senior Fellows Rafe Heydel-Mankoo and Dr. Philip Kiszely and Amy Gallagher of Stand Up to Woke discuss the shocking stifling of free speech in Britain and the reaction of Elon Musk. Also, millions of Britons are now economically inactive and a net drain on the state.

A pall has come over the nation since Keir Starmer has become prime minister. I am retired, so I have lived for rather a long time already. But for the very first time in my life, I am nervous about writing anything on this blog. I feel that people who write on the Internet are being watched. Starmer's Britain is a rather intimidating place. For the first time in my life, I am now beginning to understand how an average German must have felt in Hitler's Third Reich. Anyone who disagreed with what was going on must have felt frightened to open their mouths.

This blog has been going for a very long time. Certainly more than twenty years. Never before have I ever given much thought about expressing my views – until now!

I always sleep extremely well; however, last night was the exception. I tossed and turned for much of the night, asking myself whether I should close this blog. That is how bad things have got under Herr Starmer! Freedom of speech in this country is a thing of the past. It hasn't taken Starmer long to kill it, either!

We all know why this is happening. This is not rocket science.

My country has been ruined by weak and badly-informed politicians of all stripes and hues. The passing of our wonderful, late Queen Elizabeth II hasn't helped any either. She was such a steadying hand. She was the embodiment of wisdom and long political experience. She had dealt with such an array of past prime ministers.

I have yet to decide about this blog. But I am giving its closure serious consideration. I shall keep you apprised. Naturally, I shall be hoping for better days ahead. However, any turning point is a long way off. We have a hard-left, socialist government. The modus operandi of such governments is always to ban things and take people's freedoms away from them. – © Mark Alexander

Keir Starmer Confirms Online Safety Act Will Be Reviewed after Far-right Riots

THE GUARDIAN: Remarks follow concern about role of misinformation in unrest and come as people are jailed for inciting violence online

Online misinformation laws will be reviewed after a spreading of falsehoods contributed to this month’s far-right riots, Keir Starmer has said.

The prime minister said social media was “not a law-free zone” during a visit to a police station on Friday, hours before two men were jailed for encouraging people on social media to attack hotels housing asylum seekers.

Starmer was asked about the warning by the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, that the Online Safety Act was not fit for purpose and needed to be revisited.

Starmer told broadcasters: “I do agree that we’re going to have to look more broadly at social media after this disorder, but the focus at the moment has to be on dealing with the disorder and making sure that our communities are safe and secure.”

There have been calls for the Online Safety Act, which empowers the media regulator, Ofcom, to fine social media platforms that fail to tackle disinformation, to be enforced more quickly. (+ video) » | Eleni Courea and Mabel Banfield-Nwachi | Friday, August 9, 2024

The New DARK AGE of which I wrote so many years ago has well and truly DAWNED! Goodbye freedom of speech! Hello Mr Stasi! Perhaps those who rue the end of East Germany should think about coming to live in the UK. I think they might feel very much at home here. – © Mark Alexander

Complete Fake News BS!” Piers Morgan vs Andrew Tate on Riots

Aug 7, 2024 | This week, the UK has been gripped in the throes of violent riots; ignited by the murders of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance in Southport, Merseyside. In a matter of hours, disinformation about the suspect began to spread around social media, claiming the 17-year-old assailant was an illegal Muslim migrant; which turned out to be untrue. Andrew Tate in particular made these claims on his X account, leading MP Nigel Farage to push out these falsehoods as well. As a result, both mosques and Muslims themselves have been attacked.

Piers Morgan brings Andrew Tate onto Uncensored to take him to task over his part in the amplification of these falsehoods, and the latter furiously defends himself. A war of words ensues - but at the very least, Tate does call for an end to the rioting and violence.


Please be aware that this discussion contains some very strong language. It is therefore unsuitable for children. – Mark

UK Riots: Looters and Rioters Given 'Tough' Prison Sentences

Aug 7, 2024 | “They are trying to show these rioters that if you go out there, if you loot, if you steal, if you trash places, you will be jailed.” Rioters face “tough” sentences as the government tries to “restore the link between actions and consquences,” says The Times’s political editor Steven Swinford.

Keir Starmer Dodges Questions about Elon Musk's Bizarre Comments on UK Riots

Aug 7, 2024 | "Starmer might actually be being responsible in not responding to that and ignoring him for the loon he is." Keir Starmer dodged questions from reporters about Elon Musk's comments on X regarding widespread riots in the UK.

If this young lady seriously thinks that there are no indigenous Brits, she is truly and utterly delusional! She needs to wake up! The word 'naïve' doesn't even begin to describe her attitudes. No wonder this country is in the state it is! – © Mark Alexander

UK Riots: 'The Next Eruption We See Will Be Bigger' | Tim Montgomerie

Aug 7, 2024 | “We have these people in Britain who have no real prospect of ever being an integrated part of our country.” ‘The next eruption we see will be bigger’ if we don’t help those who feel ‘disenfranchised’ and ‘disassociated’ from British society, says Conservative commentator, Tim Montgomerie.

WIKIPEDIA: Tim Montgomerie »

Starkey: ”The Government Is Making Files on You”

David Starkey says our speech is being monitored.
So what’s the difference between the UK now and East Germany as it was? We have our very own Stasi, then, eh?– Mark

Minority Communities Fearing for Their Lives as Riots Escalate

Aug 6, 2024 | The last week of violence and riots has taken a huge toll on minority communities, with many fearing for their lives and not wanting to leave their homes. In response to the riots that are happening across the country, barrister Sailesh Mehta says 'this is going to be a major test for the criminal justice system and the government.' Broadcast on 06/08/24

UK PM Starmer: 'Standing Army' Set to Be Deployed Against Far-right Rioters | DW News

Aug 5, 2024 | Police in Britain say they have arrested almost 400 people in connection with days of unrest aimed at migrants and the UK's Muslim community. On July 29th, a 17-year-old male killed three girls at a dance class in the city of Southport. Violence erupted soon after the killings. British police say online disinformation which falsely identified the 17-year-old as an asylum-seeker, played a part in fueling the riots. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised to bring the full force of the law to bear on people who took part in what he called an act of "far right thuggery." According to British media, the 17-year-old's parents are from Rwanda.

UK Riots: Elon Musk Claims 'Civil War' in the UK Is Inevitable

Aug 5, 2024 | Keir Starmer “condemns” Elon musk’s claims that the UK is on the brink of “civil war” insisting its a “minority of "thugs" that do not speak for Britain, says Times Radio’s Alicia Fitzgerald.

How Recent ‘Xenophobic’ Riots Compare to 2011 ‘Anti-police’ London Looting

Aug 5, 2024 | “There’s a common process here, which is people who get involved in these events think that other people support them.” Rioters “feel empowered” when they loot and cause violence because they “don’t feel alone” at a large demonstration, says social psychologist John Drury.

Both Islamophobia and Islamism are nonsense terms. A phobia is an irrational fear. There is nothing irrational about fearing Islam, a religion which has the goal of domination. And as for Islamism, there is no such thing. The concept of Islamism has been made up by Westerners to create a distance between Islam, the religion, and Islamism, or political Islam. Only someone who is totally ignorant of Islam would make such a distinction. The fact of the matter is this, and it is clear: Islam is political. Islam recognises no separation of mosque and state, no separation of the temporal from the spiritual. Truth to tell, an Islamist is a fully-practising Muslim. He is carrying out his faith as it is supposed to be carried out.

Here's the thing: Western values and Islamic values are totally and utterly immiscible. A state cannot successfully pursue policies of equal rights for all when Islam is in the mix. Does anyone seriously believe that Muslims will ever accept rights for gays? Or ever accept that women are equal to men?

Neither this government under Keir Starmer, nor any other government under some other leader, be he Labour or Conservative, is ever going to solve this problem — and it is truly a HUGE problem to solve — unless and until the facts mentioned above are fully understood. Government policies must be based on understanding the true nature of Islam.

My greatest fear is that these riots, in the long-run, will only get worse if PROPER SOLUTIONS to the problem are not found. Band aids just will not do. – © Mark Alexander

Influencers Driving Extreme Misogyny, Say Police

BBC: Online influencers like Andrew Tate are radicalising boys into extreme misogyny in a way that is "quite terrifying", police are warning.

Senior police officer Maggie Blyth said young men and boys could be radicalised in the same way that terrorists draw in followers.

She was speaking as the National Police Chiefs Council published a report into violence against women and girls, external, which it is calling a "national emergency".

The NPCC estimated at least one in 12 women in England and Wales would be a victim of violence every year - or about two million women.

And it said the problem had been growing, with "more complicated types of offending". » | Francesca Gillett, BBC News | Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Violence against women a ‘national emergency’ in England and Wales, police say: National Police Chiefs’ Council analysis reveals 2m women a year estimated to be victims of male violence »

Britain Approves Lab-Grown Meat for Pet Food

THE NEW YORK TIMES: British dogs and cats are set to become the first animals in Europe to chow down on meat cultivated from chicken cells.

Britain has approved the sale of lab-grown meat for pet food, becoming the first European nation to give its blessing to a process that has prompted opposition in other countries.

The move, which became an opportunity for entrepreneurs after Britain’s split from the more-regulated European Union, is a victory for the biotech industry, which the British government hopes to build into a superpower.

The landmark approval went to Meatly, a British company that grows meat from chicken cells for pet food. Its product, which will begin feeding trials in August, arrives at a time when the worldwide market for pet food is expected to grow 5 percent this year to $151 billion, according to the research firm Statista.

And it is more sustainable and kinder to animals, said Owen Ensor, the chief executive of Meatly.

“It allows you to still feed the meat that your pets crave and that you want to feed your pet — while providing all the nutrients that your pet needs,” said Mr. Ensor, who added that he had fed the product to his cats, Lamu and Zanzi. » | Amelia Nierenberg, Reporting from London | Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Approve lab-grown meat for pets as much as you like, but keep the cr** away from humans! Humans are eating enough cr** as it is. We don’t need to add to the list of junk foods that people ingest. – © Mark Alexander

Peter Stefanovic: Shocking & Shameful. 13 Million Adults Now Struggle to Access Dental Care in England. Its Victorian

Jul 17, 2024