The mayor feasts remind me of AOC and her tax the rich dress at the met gala dinner where tickets were 35,000 dollars apiece. But those who criticized the blatant hypocrisy were told that it wasn't hypocritical because AOC didn't actually pay for the dress or the ticket herself, her corporate sponsors did! If that doesn't prove the point that politicians are bought and paid for by the corporations and the whole meta gala feast shit is just the rich making sure they can 'network' to stay richer well......It just makes me mad. And you are right it is totally let them eat cake BS. All those rich little sponges need to be kicked out of office immediately until they can figure out how to have ordinary regular meetings in regular clothes with regular food, like the rest of us peasants!
About 40 years I went to Versailles -- it was New Year's day and thus the palace was closed but the grounds were open. I could really understand why the French Revolution happened.
They need to understand about taxpayers' money. I thought the man who is leading Bangladesh now had it right about how few people tend to think of it as belonging to the taxpayer instead simply seeing it as 'government' money.
It's also the foundational idea that money equals wealth which is a problem imo. We have created a world where money may equal power, but true wealth and true power have little to do with money once basic needs are met. More and more money aka power only enables folks to act out more and more dysfunction. There are rare birds at the top who seem able to remain balanced with an excess of money and power, but most cannot.
I totally agree. I should say that photo of AOC in tax the Rich made me decide not to wear a mask unless totally obligated to do so. There only the little people wore masks. It spoke volumes.
It is upsetting that the focus on the gang rapes is on excuses and deflection. So, it's fine that girls are raped if Police are busy. It's fine that rapes occur if the rapist's country of origin is pertinent. We must be sensitive to their culture, by all means, including sacrificing children on the alter of diversity.
It does make me v angry. It also unfairly smears ordinary people from the same area or happen to share the same religion with the same slur. It is only very few men who have behaved in this fashion, not the vast majority of the law abiding populace. The enablers should be made to confront what they did and the Spiral of Silence about this should be broken.
Maybe only a Few in men the context of the millions that have flooded in but those few men would have had to be really busy to rape that many young girls that many times. Even the most virile would have had to take some time to reload no? So in actuality not really a few at all.
I don't think it is ALL Pakistani men from that region. I have no idea how large a group it is who did this. There were about 100k Pakistani who emigrated from that specific area. Say 1% of that group (and allowing for 50% of migrants to be women) you are still talking 500. On one girl's phone was 119 numbers of Pakistani men.
I do think you have to examine the misogyny and racism inherent in the religion as they practiced it -- namely considering all non-Muslim women to be trash and used as such -- and what role that had to play in the crime and the cover up within the community.
Re the bit about that Paris theater (theatre): The militants aren’t “allowing people in.” My reaction is to ask why the people affected don’t simply force their way in? What a generation of snowflakes we’ve brought upon us!
Michelle you are such a fabulous reporter, opinion writer, author+ !! It amazes me; I am envious, for this level of writing eludes me w/o uninterrupted time.
It is clear for yourself & others (JIP), writing is a God-given gift & I am both inspired to keep at it or find a ghost writer.
We are blessed that you share. We here in SW Pa need journalists like you! I have the info but time is a huge factor.
Thank you— a lift to start my Friday. Just fantastic!
PS The twisted sick “irony”, is, this *is* Bari’s hometown. She has gobs of credibility but her love for herself & the limelight supersedes reporting the truth.
I laughed out loud, imagining the reactions of a bunch of fat-cat Frenchmen being told they must cancel a feast: “Mais NON!!! We have been fattening up ze ortolans for months! We have already ordered ze DRC!* Sacré bleu!”
Looking forward to listening to Kemi’s speech today. Wishing everyone a lovely winter weekend!
*The rarest and most expensive burgundy, not available to us mere mortals.
And I am sure you saw that the Princess of Wales is in remission. She and William are now the patrons of the Royal Marsdon Hospital where she received her treatment.
Great column, Michelle. I always enjoy reading you.
From 4,000 miles away, it looks like the Reform party is growing quickly and becoming very popular. Nigel Farage makes faint warning bells go off in my head - not loud, more like a buzz - kind of like Tommy Robinson. They say the right words but the delivery seems shady, and there's too much emphasis on them and not the issues. Elon Musk seems to be supporting them, and his weight can make or break (which right now I love).
Do you feel there's enough energy forming to begin some real reform in the UK?
Farage is a showman. He talks a good game. He is not far right like Yaxley-Lennon. I think he is more complicated than the media present him. (I have this on good authority from someone who has known him since before he entered politics) There are many in the establishment who will never forgive him for Brexit. Reform is growing very quickly, particularly in working class areas which would never vote Tory. He is certainly on the right re immigration and integration in Europe including the European Convention on Human Rights.
I had to look up that Yaxley-Lennon = Tommy Robinson. The warning bells are getting louder.
As we've learned, there is a difference between being able to lead and grow a movement and being able to actually implement needed changes. And being able to appoint effective managers. The current establishment seems very entrenched, I hope the new party is clever.
Thanks for the reply and keeping us abreast of the situation(s).
Farage won't allow him or indeed anyone who has been a member of the so-called nationalistic parties (the British National Party or the English Defence League) into Reform.
Farage hired/ appointed Zia Yusuf to put Reform on a more professional footing. Yusuf who is a British Muslim
Wow. Just wow. Humans have such a long history of letting the really rotten and most ruthless eggs ruin things for everyone else. Time and time again it seems to be a minority of bad actors that control us. Have a friend who worked in social services as a counselor for years. She said it is amazing how a single ahole who is given a leadership position in the system, can really really screw things up. Ordinary good employees will be co-opted and intimidated- manipulated and controlled and the spiral of silence continues. A different type of grooming than the rape gang one, but grooming to control others nonetheless. Reminds me of a high up Catholic secretary woman who helped cover up the priest sex abuse scandals. Her excuse was that the institution of the Catholic Church must be protected at all costs because the Church does so much 'good' in the world. As we have all seen, it is not just the perps who are the problem, it is those who enable them in both small and large ways for multiple reasons.
That is v true. And as I did safeguarding for my church for a time (I am RC), I agree with that assessment about why so many priests were able to abuse with impunity. The enablers help sweep everything under the carpet.
And there has been a spectacular new find at Pompeii https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c15zgvnvk4do
That is awesome!
It is isn't it? So fab that they are continuing to find things there.
And the Times has now started to investigate Lord Herman and his links to Gerry Adams etc. He apparently received for representing Adams in a 2022 case which was struck out. There is nothing wrong with him receiving that money. It is simply that he is now representing the UK government in legal matters... https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/attorney-general-was-paid-30000-to-represent-gerry-adams-vprtd9qn7 or https://archive.ph/wJTiN
The mayor feasts remind me of AOC and her tax the rich dress at the met gala dinner where tickets were 35,000 dollars apiece. But those who criticized the blatant hypocrisy were told that it wasn't hypocritical because AOC didn't actually pay for the dress or the ticket herself, her corporate sponsors did! If that doesn't prove the point that politicians are bought and paid for by the corporations and the whole meta gala feast shit is just the rich making sure they can 'network' to stay richer well......It just makes me mad. And you are right it is totally let them eat cake BS. All those rich little sponges need to be kicked out of office immediately until they can figure out how to have ordinary regular meetings in regular clothes with regular food, like the rest of us peasants!
About 40 years I went to Versailles -- it was New Year's day and thus the palace was closed but the grounds were open. I could really understand why the French Revolution happened.
They need to understand about taxpayers' money. I thought the man who is leading Bangladesh now had it right about how few people tend to think of it as belonging to the taxpayer instead simply seeing it as 'government' money.
It's also the foundational idea that money equals wealth which is a problem imo. We have created a world where money may equal power, but true wealth and true power have little to do with money once basic needs are met. More and more money aka power only enables folks to act out more and more dysfunction. There are rare birds at the top who seem able to remain balanced with an excess of money and power, but most cannot.
I totally agree. I should say that photo of AOC in tax the Rich made me decide not to wear a mask unless totally obligated to do so. There only the little people wore masks. It spoke volumes.
It is upsetting that the focus on the gang rapes is on excuses and deflection. So, it's fine that girls are raped if Police are busy. It's fine that rapes occur if the rapist's country of origin is pertinent. We must be sensitive to their culture, by all means, including sacrificing children on the alter of diversity.
It does make me v angry. It also unfairly smears ordinary people from the same area or happen to share the same religion with the same slur. It is only very few men who have behaved in this fashion, not the vast majority of the law abiding populace. The enablers should be made to confront what they did and the Spiral of Silence about this should be broken.
Maybe only a Few in men the context of the millions that have flooded in but those few men would have had to be really busy to rape that many young girls that many times. Even the most virile would have had to take some time to reload no? So in actuality not really a few at all.
I don't think it is ALL Pakistani men from that region. I have no idea how large a group it is who did this. There were about 100k Pakistani who emigrated from that specific area. Say 1% of that group (and allowing for 50% of migrants to be women) you are still talking 500. On one girl's phone was 119 numbers of Pakistani men.
I do think you have to examine the misogyny and racism inherent in the religion as they practiced it -- namely considering all non-Muslim women to be trash and used as such -- and what role that had to play in the crime and the cover up within the community.
Thanks for the roundup, Michelle.
Re the bit about that Paris theater (theatre): The militants aren’t “allowing people in.” My reaction is to ask why the people affected don’t simply force their way in? What a generation of snowflakes we’ve brought upon us!
The police should and should evict but they have to wait because the original people were invited in and so it wasn't trespass.
The theatre should have called les flics when it first started.
Michelle you are such a fabulous reporter, opinion writer, author+ !! It amazes me; I am envious, for this level of writing eludes me w/o uninterrupted time.
It is clear for yourself & others (JIP), writing is a God-given gift & I am both inspired to keep at it or find a ghost writer.
We are blessed that you share. We here in SW Pa need journalists like you! I have the info but time is a huge factor.
Thank you— a lift to start my Friday. Just fantastic!
PS The twisted sick “irony”, is, this *is* Bari’s hometown. She has gobs of credibility but her love for herself & the limelight supersedes reporting the truth.
Thank you for enjoying this and my writing! I take that as a real compliment.
I laughed out loud, imagining the reactions of a bunch of fat-cat Frenchmen being told they must cancel a feast: “Mais NON!!! We have been fattening up ze ortolans for months! We have already ordered ze DRC!* Sacré bleu!”
Looking forward to listening to Kemi’s speech today. Wishing everyone a lovely winter weekend!
*The rarest and most expensive burgundy, not available to us mere mortals.
Yes I am glad you saw the funny side. Only the French...
Did you see that they have found something spectacular at Pompeii? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c15zgvnvk4do
Omg!!!! Incredible! And we are so fortunate that it’s intact!
I know. It is just marvellous. This is the Telegraph's take https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/01/17/life-of-roman-empire-elites-pompeii-discovery/ or https://archive.ph/lhSJj
And I am sure you saw that the Princess of Wales is in remission. She and William are now the patrons of the Royal Marsdon Hospital where she received her treatment.
Great column, Michelle. I always enjoy reading you.
From 4,000 miles away, it looks like the Reform party is growing quickly and becoming very popular. Nigel Farage makes faint warning bells go off in my head - not loud, more like a buzz - kind of like Tommy Robinson. They say the right words but the delivery seems shady, and there's too much emphasis on them and not the issues. Elon Musk seems to be supporting them, and his weight can make or break (which right now I love).
Do you feel there's enough energy forming to begin some real reform in the UK?
Farage is a showman. He talks a good game. He is not far right like Yaxley-Lennon. I think he is more complicated than the media present him. (I have this on good authority from someone who has known him since before he entered politics) There are many in the establishment who will never forgive him for Brexit. Reform is growing very quickly, particularly in working class areas which would never vote Tory. He is certainly on the right re immigration and integration in Europe including the European Convention on Human Rights.
I had to look up that Yaxley-Lennon = Tommy Robinson. The warning bells are getting louder.
As we've learned, there is a difference between being able to lead and grow a movement and being able to actually implement needed changes. And being able to appoint effective managers. The current establishment seems very entrenched, I hope the new party is clever.
Thanks for the reply and keeping us abreast of the situation(s).
The warning bells with Yaxley-Lennon are clarion.
Farage won't allow him or indeed anyone who has been a member of the so-called nationalistic parties (the British National Party or the English Defence League) into Reform.
Farage hired/ appointed Zia Yusuf to put Reform on a more professional footing. Yusuf who is a British Muslim
and disgusted at the lack of integration (going from the article last week https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/01/12/zia-yusuf-reform-chairman-immigration-british-values/ ) seems to be doing that.
But who knows. There is many a slip between cup and lip.
Hello Northumberland! Good to see Ya. Another fine roundup of articles.
I'm glad to see the inquiry is going forward. But I'm sorry to see how pathetic France is.
We have similar problem with black-on-black crime on this side-a the pond. But it's guns instead-a knives.
This Lord Hermer sounds like a real piece of work.
TY for the link to Kemi's speech. But what a bizarro world. The story of Andrea Jenkin's mother is totally ridiculous.
I'm glad the bees are doing well, and Paddy is looking good. Hope he behaves himself.
Good luck on the AFS and, as always, TY Michelle.
I also just found this really good op ed on why Kemi was right to say that the rape gangs came from a 'peasant subculture'. It also links the rape gang silence with the NGO silence over the rape of the Israeli women on 7 Oct 2023. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/01/17/grooming-gangs-rapists-from-sub-communities-kemi-right/ or https://archive.ph/apCY4
Wow. Just wow. Humans have such a long history of letting the really rotten and most ruthless eggs ruin things for everyone else. Time and time again it seems to be a minority of bad actors that control us. Have a friend who worked in social services as a counselor for years. She said it is amazing how a single ahole who is given a leadership position in the system, can really really screw things up. Ordinary good employees will be co-opted and intimidated- manipulated and controlled and the spiral of silence continues. A different type of grooming than the rape gang one, but grooming to control others nonetheless. Reminds me of a high up Catholic secretary woman who helped cover up the priest sex abuse scandals. Her excuse was that the institution of the Catholic Church must be protected at all costs because the Church does so much 'good' in the world. As we have all seen, it is not just the perps who are the problem, it is those who enable them in both small and large ways for multiple reasons.
That is v true. And as I did safeguarding for my church for a time (I am RC), I agree with that assessment about why so many priests were able to abuse with impunity. The enablers help sweep everything under the carpet.
So good to see you as well JT. I hope you enjoy Kemi's speech.
I was so pleased both hives were flying. It can be disheartening when a colony fails.