Scrutable

So, he wanted a list presented as a table ?

NEW: Rishi Sunak’s police escort now consists of actual officers running beside his car… as well as pedal bikes

https://twitter.com/PolitlcsUK/status/1 ... 1216174081

Reminds me of Kim wotsit in North Korea. And the Fat Sweaty Coppers thing in some sketch comedy show. Keystone Kops too.

And the actual car train comprised a set of Land Rover Defenders (or similar) with tinted windscreens.

To me, they come over as the kind of thing a gangster or an oligarch would drive. Also inconsistent with government decarb policy, as there are no Defender EVs, or even plug-in hybrids. And they might be Land Rovers, but they are made in Slovakia.

There's a rumour that it was because they were worried about Extinction Rebellion - clicky

That does explain the joggers and the cyclists. I don't know if they've ever tried it in the UK, but police in some USian cities use bikes for crowd control. They line up with the bikes forming a barrier, it's more mobile than fences. You might have seen it in footage of the George Floyd/BLM protests in 2020. Could be that they might be giving it a go. Police on foot with truncheons is more traditional.

Are we allowed to call the Tory right NatCs now?

monkey wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 11:58 am

Are we allowed to call the Tory right NatCs now?

When I first heard the name of that conference I did wonder if they just hadn't thought about the name, or more worryingly, had.

WFJ wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 2:58 pm

monkey wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 11:58 am

Are we allowed to call the Tory right NatCs now?

When I first heard the name of that conference I did wonder if they just hadn't thought about the name, or more worryingly, had.

I am sure they knew what they were doing. They have been at it for a long time - e.g. Douglas Murray has been spouting his conspiracy theory laden* sh.t for years and the ideas they have been trying to spread have been around longer. They have just been given acceptance from the participation of prominent right wing Tories.

Either Sunak has no control over his party, or he's quietly allowing it because he sees it as a vote winner. That's the bit that worries me the most.


*Theories that have roots in antisemitism and still blatantly contain those tropes.

monkey wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 11:58 am

Are we allowed to call the Tory right NatCs now?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L0k6OLUMs0

Every Conservative Conference speech!
by Matt Green

monkey wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 4:16 pm

roots in antisemitism and still blatantly contain those tropes.

"Not the values of the intelligentsia – the globalised elite whose loyalties are to everyone and no-one."

Very, very deeply rooted in antisemitism and still drawing heavily on it. It's most reminiscent of Soviet antisemitism, but it's also the kind of thing white nationalists and arab nationalists would say as a very blatant dogwhistle.

monkey wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 11:58 am

Are we allowed to call the Tory right NatCs now?

Yes, but I fear that the choice of the term 'national conservatism' was already a deliberate dog whistle, and conscious reference to national socialism. You can't really mock them by agreeing with them.

Formerly AvP wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 6:11 pm

monkey wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 11:58 am

Are we allowed to call the Tory right NatCs now?

Yes, but I fear that the choice of the term 'national conservatism' was already a deliberate dog whistle, and conscious reference to national socialism. You can't really mock them by agreeing with them.

He's not calling then "National Conservatives", he's calling then "NatCs". Say precisely the latter thing out loud, and you'll kick yourself for what you missed.

IvanV wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 8:08 pm

Formerly AvP wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 6:11 pm

monkey wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 11:58 am

Are we allowed to call the Tory right NatCs now?

Yes, but I fear that the choice of the term 'national conservatism' was already a deliberate dog whistle, and conscious reference to national socialism. You can't really mock them by agreeing with them.

He's not calling then "National Conservatives", he's calling then "NatCs". Say precisely the latter thing out loud, and you'll kick yourself for what you missed.

But you do know what the National Socialist party was more commonly known as, right?

IvanV wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 8:08 pm

Formerly AvP wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 6:11 pm

monkey wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 11:58 am

Are we allowed to call the Tory right NatCs now?

Yes, but I fear that the choice of the term 'national conservatism' was already a deliberate dog whistle, and conscious reference to national socialism. You can't really mock them by agreeing with them.

He's not calling then "National Conservatives", he's calling then "NatCs". Say precisely the latter thing out loud, and you'll kick yourself for what you missed.

They didn’t miss that.

IvanV wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 8:08 pm

Formerly AvP wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 6:11 pm

monkey wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2023 11:58 am

Are we allowed to call the Tory right NatCs now?

Yes, but I fear that the choice of the term 'national conservatism' was already a deliberate dog whistle, and conscious reference to national socialism. You can't really mock them by agreeing with them.

He's not calling then "National Conservatives", he's calling then "NatCs". Say precisely the latter thing out loud, and you'll kick yourself for what you missed.

Perhaps I expressed myself badly. I was attempting to suggest that the national conservatives deliberately chose the term 'national conservatism' as a dog whistle reference to 'national socialism'. Calling them 'NatCs' (and yes, I am of course perfectly aware of what it sounds like) amplifies this dog whistle, rather than providing a critique of it.

I understand the attraction to a sufficient number of potential voters of general xenophobic dog-whistles, because there is a lot of xenophobia in the electorate. But a dog-whistle that so directly references Nazis? Yes, it would appeal to some BNP/NF types. But does it not repel many more?

IvanV wrote: ↑

Wed May 17, 2023 8:21 am

I understand the attraction to a sufficient number of potential voters of general xenophobic dog-whistles, because there is a lot of xenophobia in the electorate. But a dog-whistle that so directly references Nazis? Yes, it would appeal to some BNP/NF types. But does it not repel many more?

Perhaps I am giving them too much credit, but I envisage them playing both angles: "See! Disagree with these liberals and they immediately say you are a Nazi!!" and "Welcome, would-be stormtroopers".

IvanV wrote: ↑

Wed May 17, 2023 8:21 am

I understand the attraction to a sufficient number of potential voters of general xenophobic dog-whistles, because there is a lot of xenophobia in the electorate. But a dog-whistle that so directly references Nazis? Yes, it would appeal to some BNP/NF types. But does it not repel many more?

Nationalism is always part of Fascism, but not all nationalists are Fascist. See the SNP or Plaid Cymru for example. A lighter form of Nationalism has always been part of Conservatism too, it's a core part of the ideology, even if they are rarely explicit about it.

There's a dog whistle there for the far right, but there's also less far right people who will find the label of "Nationalist" acceptable, and the conference seems to be about encouraging that.

Today's offerings include

David Starkey arguing that left-wingers and racial justice groups are "jealous" of the Holocaust's primacy and want this to be replaced by slavery. And that they want the end of western culturye.The line-up includes Melanie Phillips; ex-Ukipper and keen culture warrior Peter Whittle; Viktor Orban-superfan Rod Dreher; Darren Grimes; Tony Young; and Lee Andrerson.
.

(I'm quoting, that should say Toby Young)

More here

https://twitter.com/peterwalker99/statu ... c0s7A&s=19

Tessa K wrote: ↑

Wed May 17, 2023 2:26 pm

Today's offerings include

David Starkey arguing that left-wingers and racial justice groups are "jealous" of the Holocaust's primacy and want this to be replaced by slavery. And that they want the end of western culturye.The line-up includes Melanie Phillips; ex-Ukipper and keen culture warrior Peter Whittle; Viktor Orban-superfan Rod Dreher; Darren Grimes; Toby Young; and Lee Andrerson.
.

It's a who's-who of right wing proto-fascist culture warriors with an overinflated sense of their own abilities as thinkers.

dyqik wrote: ↑

Wed May 17, 2023 3:57 pm

Tessa K wrote: ↑

Wed May 17, 2023 2:26 pm

Today's offerings include

David Starkey arguing that left-wingers and racial justice groups are "jealous" of the Holocaust's primacy and want this to be replaced by slavery. And that they want the end of western culturye.The line-up includes Melanie Phillips; ex-Ukipper and keen culture warrior Peter Whittle; Viktor Orban-superfan Rod Dreher; Darren Grimes; Toby Young; and Lee Andrerson.
.

It's a who's-who of right wing proto-fascist culture warriors with an overinflated sense of their own abilities as thinkers.

Proto is being generous

So... how long before Points Braverman jumps or is pushed?

FlammableFlower wrote: ↑

Sun May 21, 2023 8:24 am

So... how long before Points Braverman jumps or is pushed?

Sunak must have been sitting on this story for a while. Hard to believe his team aren't responsible for this story leaking now.

WFJ wrote: ↑

Sun May 21, 2023 8:41 am

FlammableFlower wrote: ↑

Sun May 21, 2023 8:24 am

So... how long before Points Braverman jumps or is pushed?

Sunak must have been sitting on this story for a while. Hard to believe his team aren't responsible for this story leaking now.

Presumably he feels threatened that Braverman's horrible nationalist rhetoric is an attempt to outflank and replace him, but unable to confront her directly over it.

EACLucifer wrote: ↑

Sun May 21, 2023 12:50 pm

WFJ wrote: ↑

Sun May 21, 2023 8:41 am

FlammableFlower wrote: ↑

Sun May 21, 2023 8:24 am

So... how long before Points Braverman jumps or is pushed?

Sunak must have been sitting on this story for a while. Hard to believe his team aren't responsible for this story leaking now.

Presumably he feels threatened that Braverman's horrible nationalist rhetoric is an attempt to outflank and replace him, but unable to confront her directly over it.

He blinked. I wonder whether it just wasn't a good enough excuse to defenestrate her. Or whether a posse of the swivel-eyed cornered him in a quiet corridor to remind him of the implicit deal whereby they put up with him in return for him giving them sufficient influence in the cabinet.

Given all the sh.t she's pulled I find it hard to get worked up about her asking Civil Servants about options for taking the course privately. It barely registers on the TorySleeze-O-Meter. She should be sacked because she's evil and sh.t...

Cynical me thinks the Tories like these non-stories that suck oxygen, means less press pages for reporting what really matters.