This is Northumberland Calling 26.1.23

The persistence in the face of adversity pays edition

Hello America (particularly Central Ohio), this is Northumberland calling

One by one the dominoes are falling. GC feminists are racking up the wins in the employment tribunals. Big news at the start of the week, Professor Jo Phoenix won her employment tribunal against the Open university. The 155 page judgement found that she had been harassed for her gender critical beliefs. https://unherd.com/thepost/jo-phoenix-wins-tribunal-case-over-gender-critical-views/

This is from the Critic (and not behind a paywall) https://thecritic.co.uk/a-phoenix-rises/

This is the actual judgement and they do not hold back on their disquiet at what the Open University and various academics did. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65ae82d58bbe95000e5eb1f7/Ms_J_Pheonix_v_The_Open_University_3322700.2021___other_FMH_Reserved_Judgment.pdf

There are  other employment tribunals on this subject going through the system. The big one at the moment involves the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre. The British justice system takes a long time. Closing oral arguments will now not be heard until April.

The PO Inquiry continues with the unedifying example of a PO inspector insisting that a cleared sub postmaster must be guilty and that he did not believe the court’s judgement. Another inspector admitted to fraud concerning the CV he used to get hired. In the meantime, the Fujitsu director who claimed Horizon was like Ft Knox continues to have a multi-million pound job with another company. Yesterday another of the victims had her conviction quashed. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/conviction-quashed-for-victim-of-post-office-horizon-scandal-68-c79sd0jhb or  https://archive.is/CMktp

The UK Armed services are very short staffed and could not fight a war with Russia. The general mood is that Russia’s strategy (a bit like Hamas’s) is to wait until Western public opinion becomes tired of the war and then to claim victory.  The US military has noticed and the Secretary of the US Navy has stated Britain needs to boost its defence spending to counter the Russian threat. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/01/25/britain-should-boost-troops-biden-official/ or https://archive.is/w04tB

Britain has finally proscribed Hizb ut-Tahrir  and thus the NHS has finally suspended the GP who fronted the organization in the UK and chaired meetings of the terror group. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/24/british-hizb-ut-tahrir-leader-gp-suspended-nhs/  or https://archive.is/3rTN7   This op-ed explains why Britain needs to do more to root out terrorists and their sympathizers from the public sector, including going back to the basics. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/25/britain-must-purge-public-sector-of-terrorist-sympathiser/  or https://archive.is/Ph7UC

Tomorrow is Holocaust Memorial Day. One of the obits published in the Telegraph was of Lord Sale and Sele who happened among other things in his long life to be one of the first soldiers to enter Belsen. Thus he had little time for any Holocaust denial. This is him speaking about his experience a few years ago: 

Unfortunately Holocaust denial is growing amongst the young in the UK as a recent study by yougov shows. This is deeply worrying on a number of levels as the Holocaust is one of the major focuses in UK history education. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/24/a-third-young-people-say-israel-acting-like-the-nazis/  or https://archive.is/NImqo

The University of Edinburgh says that certain emails from a scientist exist regarding the origins of COVID but are unwilling to release them as the release could put his life in danger. An interesting response. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/university-keeps-prominent-covid-19-scientists-emails-under-wraps-7bpwbz9qr or https://archive.is/vK53g

Here, Paddy is helping me write (no doubt contemplating more mischief) as I have signed my latest contract and am under a deadline. And further to the tea kerfuffle – buy decent tea leaves (loads of different varieties Blue Lady is one of my faves –  basically mango Earl Grey) , boil the kettle (use the boiling time to think) and don’t bother with the salt. Drink it with milk, lemon or have it unadulterated like I do.