Elon Musk Has a Strange Fixation With Trolling Britain

THE NEW YORK TIMES: In a barrage of posts rife with misinformation, he revived questions about a child sex abuse scandal, vilified the prime minister and defended a jailed far-right agitator.

He demanded the release of a convicted criminal and far-right agitator. He falsely accused the prime minister, Keir Starmer, of failing to go after child rapists when he was head of public prosecutions. He endorsed a post calling on King Charles III to dissolve Parliament and call elections to remove Britain’s seven-month-old Labour government, a constitutional impossibility.

Elon Musk has once again set his sights on Britain, putting the country in the bull’s-eye in the capricious world of his online obsessions. In a fusillade of posts that began before the new year, Mr. Musk moved on from his enthusiastic boosting of a far-right party in Germany to targeting Britain on multiple politically sensitive fronts.

After mostly ignoring Mr. Musk’s trolling, which has been going on for months, the British government on Friday snapped back, though in characteristically polite fashion.

“Elon Musk is an American citizen and perhaps ought to focus on issues on the other side of the Atlantic,” the government’s health minister, Andrew Gwynne, said in an interview with LBC radio. Mr. Gwynne’s boss, the health secretary, Wes Streeting, told reporters, “Some of the criticisms Elon Musk has made, I think, are misjudged and certainly misinformed.” » | Mark Landler, Reporting from London | Friday, January 3, 2025

‘The Scale of Censorship Is Insane’ | Greg Lukianoff on Britain’s Speech Police

Dec 30, 2024 | Is the UK a free country anymore? An estimated nine people per day are arrested for making offensive comments online. In fact, more people had their collars felt in Britain for speech crimes in 2015 and 2016 than were arrested in the US during the entirety of First Red Scare. Here, Greg Lukianoff – president of the US’s Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression – warns that laws against so-called hate speech, and the elite panic over ‘misinformation’, have given licence to the British state to trample on our liberties. He also discusses the Trumpian threat to free speech, the explosion of campus censorship in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, and what it really means to ‘incite violence’.

SP!KED can be supported here.

Why Poland Will Overtake British Economy by 2030

Dec 17, 2024

Brexit was the stupidest, stupidest, stupidest decision that Britons have taken since World War II. Only a fool would have advocated that the UK exit the European Union, and we all know who that fool was! Unfortunately, there were many Britons who were ill-informed enough to follow him. Nobody with any understanding of economics could have voted to leave the largest, most successful customs union and single market in the whole world, more especially when that single market is right next door, on our doorstep. There will be a special place in Hell reserved for the loudmouth who pushed for this ridiculous outcome. Especially for a country such as ours which is anyway in steep decline. Now, not only have we lost an empire, but we have lost our influence and greatest economic opportunity that was not only open to us but to which we belonged. Would that clowns joined circuses instead of entering politics! – © Mark Alexander

Britain’s Bright and Ambitious Are Running Out of Reasons to Stay

THE TELEGRAPH: At this rate, we are bound to keep losing our young people to far-flung parts of the world

Another day and another friend reveals they are preparing to jump ship and head abroad to seek their fortune. It’s not hard to see why.

Outside of a job in the City of London, Magic Circle of law firms or professional services giants, the quality of life for most young professionals has stalled. » | Sam Brodbeck, Money Advice Editor | Saturday, December 14, 2024

This country is ONE BIG MESS. Money is tight for so many. Enjoyment is a thing of the past. You can't even smoke a cigarette for a little pleasure here anymore. The thought police and behaviour police are everywhere around. Food is so expensive Energy is unaffordable for so many. House prices have gone through the roof, so have become unaffordable for all but the privileged. (Who'd want to be young again?) All I ever do now is stay at home and do my own thing. Who wants to mix with miserable, judgmental people? One could go on and on. But that is enough to get a flavour of my thoughts on the matter. In short, you can't do this, you can't say that, and you can't afford the other. If I were younger, I'd be out of this hellhole in a heartbeat. – © Mark Alexander

Millions Sent Government Alert as Storm Darragh Approaches

BBC: Around three million people in parts of Wales and south-west England have been sent an emergency alert from the government as Storm Darragh approaches the UK.

It is the largest use of the warning system yet and has been sent to the mobile phones of people in areas covered by the Met Office red weather warning for the storm.

The alert made a loud siren-like sound when it was delivered to devices, even if they were set on silent, and lasted for around 10 seconds.

The Met Office issued a rare red warning - the most serious type - earlier on Friday for wind. It is in place from 03:00 to 11:00 GMT on Saturday.

The Met Office only issues red warnings when meteorologists believe that dangerous, potentially life-threatening weather is expected imminently. » | Imogen James & Anna Lamche, BBC News, Chris Fawkes, Lead Weather Presenter | Friday, December 6, 2024

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.