This is Northumberland Calling 19.04.24

The Islamo-Gaucherie a term to define the new alignment edition

Hello American (Particularly Central Ohio) this is Northumberland Calling

Huge news – Scotland has fallen in line with the Cass Report. Note that even the Guardian has shifted its editorial. No mention of ‘trans children’. The tide has very much shifted in the UK. But there remains a lot to be done re the situation of ideological capture in education etc. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/18/scottish-gender-clinic-pauses-prescribing-puberty-blockers-to-under-18s?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

This by Victoria Smith who wrote Hags is very good at describing the situation and indeed pointing out many of the potential pitfalls – there are many children who have been taught through schools, books and the media that going through the ‘wrong puberty’ is something to be avoided. It is a very regressive ideology based on stereotypes and ultimately seeks to exclude rather than include. Why should the term woman not encompass all natal females? Why does liking something or preferring to do something which society has said ‘traditionally has been aimed at males’ magically consign a person to the opposite sex ? https://unherd.com/newsroom/puberty-blocker-ruling-hasnt-solved-scotlands-gender-problem/

My new word for the week is taqiyya – it is a lie which is given for pious reasons aka a politically expedient lie,  and therefore in Islamic law considered to be fine. Because of the problems between Shia and Sunni some dissembling could be required.  A good example of taqiyya has been in the response of some Muslim commentators – for example pretending that Qada (a way to make up for lost prayers) doesn’t exist or that it had been only quiet praying before the school instituted a pray ritual ban when in fact there had been bullying of moderate Muslims. Think the phrase ‘peaceful protests’ while the skyline burned during the BLM protests and you have the commentator committing  taqiyya.

Katharine Birbalsingh and Michaela school did win the right to ban prayer rituals. The 83 page judgement makes for interesting reading because it does lay bare the practices of Michaela. There is no ‘free time’, even lunch time when students are in the yard is guided socialization to discourage bullying . https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Judgement-R-v-Michaela-Community-Schools-Trust.pdf

After in the process of banning prayer rituals, Birbalsingh did consult an Iman who agreed to host a prayer room so that students could make up prayers if they wished (it is a 5 minutes walk from the school). The student in question does not wish to leave the school as she values the education. The mother of the student has threatened another legal case but is sending the second child there in September. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/michaela-school-prayer-ban-parents-muslim-student-imam-7cpqkffw0

There is a new Policy Exchange report on Iran’s influence in the UK and how it uses the cover of the Islamic Centre of England (ICE) to further its aims. Iran has been behind the rise in blasphemy protests, including the protests at schools (were they involved in the Michaela protests?) . It is about the need for counter-subversion, something which MI5 has claimed is not necessary.  Britain did use counter subversion tactics to great effect during the Cold War. Many of these tactics are not expensive and in fact one of the most successful involved a small team which highlighted various stories to sympathetic journalists. https://policyexchange.org.uk/publication/tehran-calling/

All this is important because as David Frost points there is this new combination – Islamo-Gaucherie as they are now known in France or fundamentalist Islamists combining the far-Left and indeed the woke. It is an interesting  op-ed about Fundamental Islamists (aka those who follow the takfiri movement) combining with the Woke Left in an effort to topple the West https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/18/islamists-the-far-left-and-woke-are-uniting-to-topple-west/  or https://archive.is/MRsDI

A debate on the Cass Review was held in parliament. It is worth reading the transcript as Victoria Atkins managed to skewer certain MPs. Atkins may be slightly late coming to the fight to protect vulnerable children from unnecessary medicalization but she is committed now.  She confirmed amongst other things that all the Adult Clinics are now cooperating.  Her put downs to certain members are great. https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2024-04-15/debates/AFE3A39A-3333-4790-AE30-776A474188C4/CassReview

The former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon’s husband has been arrested and charged with embezzlement, slightly a year after he was first questioned. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/04/18/nicola-sturgeon-husband-peter-murrell-rearrested-snp/  or https://archive.is/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/04/18/nicola-sturgeon-husband-peter-murrell-rearrested-snp/

Kemi Badenoch is seeking to kill off bad ideas from the FCA including targets for greater diversity as she doesn’t think it will assist in achieving anything but more red tape. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/04/18/badenoch-attacks-diversity-red-tape-holding-back-britiain/  or  https://archive.is/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/04/18/badenoch-attacks-diversity-red-tape-holding-back-britiain/

Paddy after being groomed. He was bored while I was writing…

Here Paddy was looking particularly shaggy and I doubted if he’d enjoy the groomers, so I invested in a hand stripping comb after reading this article on how to groom your spaniel. https://thecotswoldspaniels.com/2017/09/18/how-to-groom-a-spaniel/  Paddy seemed to have enjoyed the experience and is now looking far tidier. He has to look his best as he now has a fan club – some children have moved in further down the bank and one of their big highlights is apparently seeing Paddy…

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