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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » If we are to have a 2018 general election then the Tories will

SystemSystem Posts: 11,006
edited May 2018 in General

imagepoliticalbetting.com » Blog Archive » If we are to have a 2018 general election then the Tories will have a significant financial advantage

Tories get more than three times more than Labour in Jan-Mar. Ukip? Not a penny pic.twitter.com/ZKwWx9akz7

Read the full story here


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    RobDRobD Posts: 58,961
    First :smiley:
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    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,285
    I'm never taking sleeping pills again.

    Roseanne Barr blames racist tweet on sleeping pills.

    Roseanne Barr has blamed a tweet in which she compared an African American woman to an ape on the influence of sleeping pills.

    The TV star, who falsely said that Valerie Jarrett, former advisor to Barack Obama, has connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, says her tweet was written after she had taken the prescription sleeping pill Ambien.


    https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/may/30/roseanne-barr-blames-racist-tweet-on-sleeping-pills
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,573

    I'm never taking sleeping pills again.

    Roseanne Barr blames racist tweet on sleeping pills.

    Roseanne Barr has blamed a tweet in which she compared an African American woman to an ape on the influence of sleeping pills.

    The TV star, who falsely said that Valerie Jarrett, former advisor to Barack Obama, has connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, says her tweet was written after she had taken the prescription sleeping pill Ambien.


    https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/may/30/roseanne-barr-blames-racist-tweet-on-sleeping-pills

    Certainly not over four days...which is what her rant covered (Clinton/Soros/Tommy/VJ)

    https://twitter.com/NewStatesman/status/1001821781555011584
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    Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,790

    I'm never taking sleeping pills again.

    Roseanne Barr blames racist tweet on sleeping pills.

    Roseanne Barr has blamed a tweet in which she compared an African American woman to an ape on the influence of sleeping pills.

    The TV star, who falsely said that Valerie Jarrett, former advisor to Barack Obama, has connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, says her tweet was written after she had taken the prescription sleeping pill Ambien.


    https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/may/30/roseanne-barr-blames-racist-tweet-on-sleeping-pills

    I always thought Roseanne's politics were hard left, rather than hard right, but perhaps there's not much difference.
  • Options
    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,285
    Sean_F said:

    I'm never taking sleeping pills again.

    Roseanne Barr blames racist tweet on sleeping pills.

    Roseanne Barr has blamed a tweet in which she compared an African American woman to an ape on the influence of sleeping pills.

    The TV star, who falsely said that Valerie Jarrett, former advisor to Barack Obama, has connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, says her tweet was written after she had taken the prescription sleeping pill Ambien.


    https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/may/30/roseanne-barr-blames-racist-tweet-on-sleeping-pills

    I always thought Roseanne's politics were hard left, rather than hard right, but perhaps there's not much difference.
    Prior to Trump she was what we'd call the Hard Left but it seems to confirm the horseshoe theory,
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    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,969
    Mr. F, when you get far enough to the extremes, it seems the choices are a boot stamping on your face because you're inferior and deserve it, and a boot stamping on your face for your own good.
  • Options
    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,902
    edited May 2018
    Perhaps my bet on Conte being PM isn't dead yet - Di Maio still wants him as PM.

    https://twitter.com/Giusepp98749072/status/1001807128917667840

    It'd be the greatest betting comeback since Lazarus if he somehow made it !
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    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    Not much business enthusiasm for Brexit:

    https://www.ft.com/content/d8db9a2a-6032-11e8-ad91-e01af256df68

    And an explanation accordingly floated as to why British productivity is so dismal.
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,843
    Tories to select their mayoral candidate for London this summer.
    https://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2018/05/exclusive-the-conservative-london-mayoral-candidate-selection-will-open-in-june.html
    Hopefully this allows for a proper examination of the candidates prior to the selection vote, then gives them 18 months as Khan’s unofficial opposition leader before the election itself.

    I wonder if the US Democrats shouldn’t do something similar for their 2020 Presidential candidate?
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    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,969
    Mr. Sandpit, might be trickier in the US? Also, I wonder if Clinton will end up attempting to be a backseat driver.
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    AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 23,754
    Pulpstar said:

    Perhaps my bet on Conte being PM isn't dead yet - Di Maio still wants him as PM.

    https://twitter.com/Giusepp98749072/status/1001807128917667840

    It'd be the greatest betting comeback since Lazarus if he somehow made it !

    No Arkady Babchenko is now on TV

    Not dead after all
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    RhubarbRhubarb Posts: 359
    Sandpit said:


    I wonder if the US Democrats shouldn’t do something similar for their 2020 Presidential candidate?

    I think the state-run primaries process might make that difficult and it might also exacerbate some of the internal divisions inside the Democrats - just look at some of the Bernie Bros reaction to Clinton even when the usual process was pretty much followed.

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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,843
    edited May 2018

    Mr. Sandpit, might be trickier in the US? Also, I wonder if Clinton will end up attempting to be a backseat driver.

    If I were the Dems I’d run the primaries a year early and let the party have a good think about what direction it wants to take. This will be especially true if they don’t make the gains they expect this November. Up until now all most of the senior party members seem to be doing is doubling down on the identity politics and relying on spreading their hatred of the incumbent President. Clinton and Pelosi need to be kept well away from the process.
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    williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 48,011
    edited May 2018

    No Arkady Babchenko is now on TV

    Not dead after all

    Apparently it was a setup to catch the people who ordered the hit.
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    Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,790

    Mr. F, when you get far enough to the extremes, it seems the choices are a boot stamping on your face because you're inferior and deserve it, and a boot stamping on your face for your own good.

    That's a very good summary.
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    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,902
    Sandpit said:

    Tories to select their mayoral candidate for London this summer.
    https://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2018/05/exclusive-the-conservative-london-mayoral-candidate-selection-will-open-in-june.html
    Hopefully this allows for a proper examination of the candidates prior to the selection vote, then gives them 18 months as Khan’s unofficial opposition leader before the election itself.

    I wonder if the US Democrats shouldn’t do something similar for their 2020 Presidential candidate?

    By George !
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    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,606
    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    He's been sent to jail because he broke the terms of his suspended sentence. However, I agree with you that trying to cover it up was wrong and, frankly, stupid. It just makes the authorities look shifty.
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    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,969
    His assassination was merely a setback: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-44307611
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    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited May 2018
    The head of Ukraine's security services, Vasyl Hrytsak, said at the press conference that the 'murder' had been staged to expose Russian agents.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44307611

    Jezza will be saying there is absolutely no concrete evidence Russia was involved.
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    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    Like Mark Twain, reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated.
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    tlg86tlg86 Posts: 25,187
    MaxPB said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    He's been sent to jail because he broke the terms of his suspended sentence. However, I agree with you that trying to cover it up was wrong and, frankly, stupid. It just makes the authorities look shifty.
    What troubles me more is that I'm guessing they put restrictions on his case for a reason (i.e. to protect other cases with restrictions) and then went "oh sod it, you can report it."
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    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    The gagging of the media is worrying and also counterproductive...Maajid Nawaz hits the nail on the head.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FniPiSLut8
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    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited May 2018
    tlg86 said:

    MaxPB said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    He's been sent to jail because he broke the terms of his suspended sentence. However, I agree with you that trying to cover it up was wrong and, frankly, stupid. It just makes the authorities look shifty.
    What troubles me more is that I'm guessing they put restrictions on his case for a reason (i.e. to protect other cases with restrictions) and then went "oh sod it, you can report it."
    AFAIK it wasn't they said "Oh sod it, go on", it was the likes of the Daily Mail that filed legal proceeding to get it overturned.
  • Options
    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,606
    tlg86 said:

    MaxPB said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    He's been sent to jail because he broke the terms of his suspended sentence. However, I agree with you that trying to cover it up was wrong and, frankly, stupid. It just makes the authorities look shifty.
    What troubles me more is that I'm guessing they put restrictions on his case for a reason (i.e. to protect other cases with restrictions) and then went "oh sod it, you can report it."
    It was probably to prevent his acolytes from repeating his actions and reporting from outside courtrooms.
  • Options
    RochdalePioneersRochdalePioneers Posts: 27,176
    On topic my CLP has enough cash to fight a snap election.

    Its a long campaign before an election we're scared off. The Tories can outspend us 10 to 1. They don't have any more than a dozen activists. But they have deep pockets.
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    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited May 2018
    MaxPB said:

    tlg86 said:

    MaxPB said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    He's been sent to jail because he broke the terms of his suspended sentence. However, I agree with you that trying to cover it up was wrong and, frankly, stupid. It just makes the authorities look shifty.
    What troubles me more is that I'm guessing they put restrictions on his case for a reason (i.e. to protect other cases with restrictions) and then went "oh sod it, you can report it."
    It was probably to prevent his acolytes from repeating his actions and reporting from outside courtrooms.
    If that was the case, the judge has no idea how the internet /social media / periscope etc works....
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    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,606

    MaxPB said:

    tlg86 said:

    MaxPB said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    He's been sent to jail because he broke the terms of his suspended sentence. However, I agree with you that trying to cover it up was wrong and, frankly, stupid. It just makes the authorities look shifty.
    What troubles me more is that I'm guessing they put restrictions on his case for a reason (i.e. to protect other cases with restrictions) and then went "oh sod it, you can report it."
    It was probably to prevent his acolytes from repeating his actions and reporting from outside courtrooms.
    If that was the case, the judge has no idea how the internet works....
    Does our judiciary even know the internet exists?
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,573

    The head of Ukraine's security services, Vasyl Hrytsak, said at the press conference that the 'murder' had been staged to expose Russian agents.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44307611

    Jezza will be saying there is absolutely no concrete evidence Russia was involved.

    Not been murdered yet....

    "The journalist apparently did not tell his wife that the murder had been staged. "Special apologies to my wife," he said."
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    Indigo1Indigo1 Posts: 47
    edited May 2018
    tlg86 said:

    MaxPB said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    He's been sent to jail because he broke the terms of his suspended sentence. However, I agree with you that trying to cover it up was wrong and, frankly, stupid. It just makes the authorities look shifty.
    What troubles me more is that I'm guessing they put restrictions on his case for a reason (i.e. to protect other cases with restrictions) and then went "oh sod it, you can report it."
    I believe that whatever they were trying to keep quiet was substantially published in the foreign press and so entered the public domain. Trying to hush this sort of thing up, in the modern age (given the internet and multinational media companies), even for the best reasons is likely to be futile, and end up making well meaning people look shifty.
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    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,285
    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    Judges have a very dim view of people that risk trials, especially those who already have a suspended sentence for the very same thing.

    Have a read of this.

    https://thesecretbarrister.com/2018/05/25/what-has-happened-to-poor-tommy-robinson/

    Simple truth, his actions could have collapsed the trials, and justice denied to the victims.

    Some on the far right have tried that tactic (with the assistance of the defendants) to hopefully incite riots.
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    CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,153
    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    Yes.

    Try the Secret Barrister which explains things.

    Or my post from the other day:-

    TR had a suspended sentence. That means that if you commit another offence during the period of the suspended sentence you go to prison. That is a standard condition of suspended sentences. They are suspended on the basis of your good behaviour. If you misbehave you go to prison which is what you were sentenced to at the time.
    - He was explicitly warned by the judge at the time that if he misbehaved he would go straight to prison.
    - There are strict contempt of court laws in relation to trials which restrict what can be reported. This is not because we are like East Germany but because we take seriously the process of trial - namely that defendants are innocent until proven guilty and that the jury must decide on the basis of the evidence presented at court not on the basis of ill-informed comment and misinformation by others, amongst other things.
    - What TR was doing was breaching this and therefore potentially risking the trial. This would have meant that thousands of pounds of public money would have been wasted, the work done by the prosecution would have been for nothing, the defendants would not have received certainty and the victims would not have got justice. What kind of malicious moron puts all this at risk while claiming to speak for the victims? A moment's thought would make it clear that the victims' suffering would continue if the trial was aborted and/or if they had to go through the ordeal all over again.

    TR knew all of this and deliberately waved two fingers at our judicial process while claiming - or allowing his supporters to claim - that he was being silenced because he spoke the truth, or some such bollocks. And it is bollocks because the truth of the allegations are being properly tested in court. Not on the streets. Which makes us very unlike - and better than - East Germany.

    Our criminal process is not perfect. But it's better than most. And those who treat it - and the defendants and victims - with contempt rightly suffer the consequences
  • Options
    TykejohnnoTykejohnno Posts: 7,362

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    The gagging of the media is worrying and also counterproductive...Maajid Nawaz hits the nail on the head.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FniPiSLut8
    Yep,the politician's, the police and the media left a gap and people like Robinson filled it.
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    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,969
    Mr. Urquhart, be fair. Politicians whose bloody job it is to know about stuff can be damned ignorant about it (see their disease for some sort of magic algorithm to make the whole interweb safe or a filter that uses special psychic energy to filter out naughty images), can't expect more from a judge.
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    David_EvershedDavid_Evershed Posts: 6,506
    Article in the Guardian today by Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas. She says she will not stand in the forthcoming election for Green Party leader.

    She will concentrate on being an MP.

  • Options
    murali_smurali_s Posts: 3,040
    Cyclefree said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    Yes.

    Try the Secret Barrister which explains things.

    Or my post from the other day:-

    TR had a suspended sentence. That means that if you commit another offence during the period of the suspended sentence you go to prison. That is a standard condition of suspended sentences. They are suspended on the basis of your good behaviour. If you misbehave you go to prison which is what you were sentenced to at the time.
    - He was explicitly warned by the judge at the time that if he misbehaved he would go straight to prison.
    - There are strict contempt of court laws in relation to trials which restrict what can be reported. This is not because we are like East Germany but because we take seriously the process of trial - namely that defendants are innocent until proven guilty and that the jury must decide on the basis of the evidence presented at court not on the basis of ill-informed comment and misinformation by others, amongst other things.
    - What TR was doing was breaching this and therefore potentially risking the trial. This would have meant that thousands of pounds of public money would have been wasted, the work done by the prosecution would have been for nothing, the defendants would not have received certainty and the victims would not have got justice. What kind of malicious moron puts all this at risk while claiming to speak for the victims? A moment's thought would make it clear that the victims' suffering would continue if the trial was aborted and/or if they had to go through the ordeal all over again.

    TR knew all of this and deliberately waved two fingers at our judicial process while claiming - or allowing his supporters to claim - that he was being silenced because he spoke the truth, or some such bollocks. And it is bollocks because the truth of the allegations are being properly tested in court. Not on the streets. Which makes us very unlike - and better than - East Germany.

    Our criminal process is not perfect. But it's better than most. And those who treat it - and the defendants and victims - with contempt rightly suffer the consequences
    +1

    Top post Cyclefree!
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    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    SeanT said:

    MaxPB said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    He's been sent to jail because he broke the terms of his suspended sentence. However, I agree with you that trying to cover it up was wrong and, frankly, stupid. It just makes the authorities look shifty.
    I'm not arguing against his conviction. I read the prior judgement and he was warned, in no uncertain terms, that if he did anything like this again (hassling suspects going to court), he would do time.

    You could argue he was filming convicted men (not suspects), you could argue 13 months is draconian, but he knew the very real risks and crossed the line pretty much deliberately.

    But the way it was so briskly and secretly executed, it doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel English, and it adds to the impression that the authorities are still trying to hoodwink the public on this incendiary issue. And we all remember that the first person to highlight it was Nick Griffin, another controversial rightwing figure, who was arrested and tried for speaking (it turns out) the truth.

    All very dodgy.
    Don't mess with the administration of justice. The courts really don't like it and they have the powers to take swingeing action if you piss them off.

    Fortunately, not many people are as malevolently stupid as Tommy Robinson.
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    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 31,918

    The head of Ukraine's security services, Vasyl Hrytsak, said at the press conference that the 'murder' had been staged to expose Russian agents.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44307611

    Jezza will be saying there is absolutely no concrete evidence Russia was involved.

    Not been murdered yet....

    "The journalist apparently did not tell his wife that the murder had been staged. "Special apologies to my wife," he said."
    He may well find himself murdered (or nearly) when she gets him back home!
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    AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 23,754
    Ukranians accusing Russians of murder attempt
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    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,902

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    The gagging of the media is worrying and also counterproductive...Maajid Nawaz hits the nail on the head.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FniPiSLut8
    On the substantive trials, T20177360 / T20187130 Akhtar and others, the jury is currently considering its verdict.

    Details: - No Information To Display -
    Trial (Part Heard) - Jury retire to consider verdict - 10:32

    Obviously they shouldn't be browsing the internet whilst doing so..

    http://www.thelawpages.com/court-hearings-lists/crown-court-daily/33/lists/2018-05-30
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    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340

    The head of Ukraine's security services, Vasyl Hrytsak, said at the press conference that the 'murder' had been staged to expose Russian agents.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44307611

    Jezza will be saying there is absolutely no concrete evidence Russia was involved.

    Not been murdered yet....

    "The journalist apparently did not tell his wife that the murder had been staged. "Special apologies to my wife," he said."
    He may well find himself murdered (or nearly) when she gets him back home!
    Possibly. But he should get the best sex ever if he survives the initial onslaught.
  • Options
    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,969
    King Cole, possibly, but given he really was (and perhaps still is) at risk of assassination, I hope she forgives him promptly.
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    CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,153

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    The gagging of the media is worrying and also counterproductive...Maajid Nawaz hits the nail on the head.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FniPiSLut8
    Yep,the politician's, the police and the media left a gap and people like Robinson filled it.
    Utter bollocks!

    All criminal trials in the UK face the same contempt of court laws. All journalists in the UK know what the rules are. There was no gap. The allegations are being rigorously tested in a courtroom on the basis of evidence. If Robinson had any evidence he'd be a bloody witness. But he doesn't. He's a provocateur who is either deliberately seeking to stop a trial or an ignorant moron who thinks his own opinions are more important than evidence.

    Once the trial is over and a verdict given people can comment as much as they bloody well like.

    And you know why no comment is permitted while the trial is happening. It's because we have this principle here: that people are innocent until proven guilty, even people accused of crimes as vile as these. And that the burden of proof is a heavy one and juries should only convict on the basis of evidence presented and tested in a courtroom not on the basis of the ravings of people outside. And these are bloody good principles because they stop the likes of you or I being imprisoned and losing our liberty on the basis of mob rule, ignorant commentary, prejudice and the rest of it.

    There is no gap. Just a demand for patience while the trial happens so that comment can be made on the basis of facts. I know that's like asking for the moon in these demented times when people open mouth before engaging brain. But it matters. As does respect for the rule of law.

    Grr.....
  • Options
    Indigo1Indigo1 Posts: 47
    SeanT said:

    I'm not arguing against his conviction. I read the prior judgement and he was warned, in no uncertain terms, that if he did anything like this again (hassling suspects going to court), he would do time.

    You could argue he was filming convicted men (not suspects), you could argue 13 months is draconian, but he knew the very real risks and crossed the line pretty much deliberately.

    I am not in the country, was any of this explained to the public by the regular TV news channels ? The man on the Clapham Omnibus isn't going to go routing around on a lawyers blog to understand what happened. He might well see FreeTommy tags and notice a lack of comment from the media and assume something dodgy is happening. Did the media ever make a clear statement that he had be arrested for interfering with a trial in spite of a clear warning from a judge, and jailed because he was on a suspended sentence ?

  • Options
    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,843

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    The gagging of the media is worrying and also counterproductive...Maajid Nawaz hits the nail on the head.

    ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FniPiSLut8
    Would be great to see Maajid Nawaz stand for Parliament. Tower Hamlets maybe.
  • Options
    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 31,918

    King Cole, possibly, but given he really was (and perhaps still is) at risk of assassination, I hope she forgives him promptly.

    I much prefer Mr Meeks prognostication. Of course his and yours could be the same!
  • Options
    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,902
    Sandpit said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    The gagging of the media is worrying and also counterproductive...Maajid Nawaz hits the nail on the head.

    ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FniPiSLut8
    Would be great to see Maajid Nawaz stand for Parliament. Tower Hamlets maybe.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampstead_and_Kilburn_(UK_Parliament_constituency) 2015 stood for the Lib Dems.
  • Options
    TykejohnnoTykejohnno Posts: 7,362
    Cyclefree said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    The gagging of the media is worrying and also counterproductive...Maajid Nawaz hits the nail on the head.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FniPiSLut8
    Yep,the politician's, the police and the media left a gap and people like Robinson filled it.
    Utter bollocks!

    All criminal trials in the UK face the same contempt of court laws. All journalists in the UK know what the rules are. There was no gap. The allegations are being rigorously tested in a courtroom on the basis of evidence. If Robinson had any evidence he'd be a bloody witness. But he doesn't. He's a provocateur who is either deliberately seeking to stop a trial or an ignorant moron who thinks his own opinions are more important than evidence.

    Once the trial is over and a verdict given people can comment as much as they bloody well like.

    And you know why no comment is permitted while the trial is happening. It's because we have this principle here: that people are innocent until proven guilty, even people accused of crimes as vile as these. And that the burden of proof is a heavy one and juries should only convict on the basis of evidence presented and tested in a courtroom not on the basis of the ravings of people outside. And these are bloody good principles because they stop the likes of you or I being imprisoned and losing our liberty on the basis of mob rule, ignorant commentary, prejudice and the rest of it.

    There is no gap. Just a demand for patience while the trial happens so that comment can be made on the basis of facts. I know that's like asking for the moon in these demented times when people open mouth before engaging brain. But it matters. As does respect for the rule of law.

    Grr.....
    What the he'll are you on about ? I was on about the grooming gangs and how these bastards were ignored by people in power,did you watch mr nawaz.
  • Options
    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,969
    Miss Cyclefree, could be wrong, but I think 'the gap' referred to was less reporting in trials than a broader addressing of the rape gang epidemic we seem to have, because the perpetrators are often Pakistani Muslim men and the authorities seem shyer about going after them than they should due to fears of being accused of racism.
  • Options
    CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,153
    SeanT said:

    SeanT said:

    MaxPB said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    He's been sent to jail because he broke the terms of his suspended sentence. However, I agree with you that trying to cover it up was wrong and, frankly, stupid. It just makes the authorities look shifty.
    I'm not arguing against his conviction. I read the prior judgement and he was warned, in no uncertain terms, that if he did anything like this again (hassling suspects going to court), he would do time.

    You could argue he was filming convicted men (not suspects), you could argue 13 months is draconian, but he knew the very real risks and crossed the line pretty much deliberately.

    But the way it was so briskly and secretly executed, it doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel English, and it adds to the impression that the authorities are still trying to hoodwink the public on this incendiary issue. And we all remember that the first person to highlight it was Nick Griffin, another controversial rightwing figure, who was arrested and tried for speaking (it turns out) the truth.

    All very dodgy.
    Don't mess with the administration of justice. The courts really don't like it and they have the powers to take swingeing action if you piss them off.

    Fortunately, not many people are as malevolently stupid as Tommy Robinson.
    Hmm.

    I take your point (and cyclefree's), and I have already read the Secret Barrister blog.

    I still don't think any courts should have the power to secretly imprison anyone. And when it is done in relation to this contentious issue.... where we already know some politicians and police have tried to cover things up?

    It may be legal but it doesn't look or smell very good.
    Oh FFS! The people who make the most noise about all those girls abused by grooming gangs are the ones doing their damnedest to stop those same girls getting justice. They should take a good long hard look at themselves.

    From the point of view of those who have had the courage to come to court as witnesses it looks and smells very good indeed that some malicious oik is not allowed to derail the process and risk forcing them - if the trial has to be aborted - to go through the whole painful process again.
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,361

    I'm never taking sleeping pills again.

    Roseanne Barr blames racist tweet on sleeping pills.

    Roseanne Barr has blamed a tweet in which she compared an African American woman to an ape on the influence of sleeping pills.

    The TV star, who falsely said that Valerie Jarrett, former advisor to Barack Obama, has connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, says her tweet was written after she had taken the prescription sleeping pill Ambien.


    https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/may/30/roseanne-barr-blames-racist-tweet-on-sleeping-pills

    Sanofi responds:
    https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/30/roseanne-barr-ambien-racism-611648
    'Racism is not a known side effect of Ambien'....
  • Options
    Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,790
    SeanT said:

    SeanT said:

    MaxPB said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    He's been sent to jail because he broke the terms of his suspended sentence. However, I agree with you that trying to cover it up was wrong and, frankly, stupid. It just makes the authorities look shifty.
    I'm not arguing against his conviction. I read the prior judgement and he was warned, in no uncertain terms, that if he did anything like this again (hassling suspects going to court), he would do time.

    You could argue he was filming convicted men (not suspects), you could argue 13 months is draconian, but he knew the very real risks and crossed the line pretty much deliberately.

    But the way it was so briskly and secretly executed, it doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel English, and it adds to the impression that the authorities are still trying to hoodwink the public on this incendiary issue. And we all remember that the first person to highlight it was Nick Griffin, another controversial rightwing figure, who was arrested and tried for speaking (it turns out) the truth.

    All very dodgy.
    Don't mess with the administration of justice. The courts really don't like it and they have the powers to take swingeing action if you piss them off.

    Fortunately, not many people are as malevolently stupid as Tommy Robinson.
    Hmm.

    I take your point (and cyclefree's), and I have already read the Secret Barrister blog.

    I still don't think any courts should have the power to secretly imprison anyone. And when it is done in relation to this contentious issue.... where we already know some politicians and police have tried to cover things up?

    It may be legal but it doesn't look or smell very good.
    In legal terminology, Robinson is an arse.

    He got everything he deserved.
  • Options
    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,285
    Yes, she works for Channel 4 News, Jon Snow is noted for his hard left views.
  • Options
    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,969
    Mr. Eagles, I recall Snow bleating about 'Soviet style censorship' regarding the D-notice on Prince Harry being on the front line in Afghanistan (which had been broken, of course, by Drudge). Daft sod he is.
  • Options
    CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,153

    Cyclefree said:

    SeanT said:

    The gagging of the media is worrying and also counterproductive...Maajid Nawaz hits the nail on the head.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FniPiSLut8
    Yep,the politician's, the police and the media left a gap and people like Robinson filled it.
    Utter bollocks!

    All criminal trials in the UK face the same contempt of court laws. All journalists in the UK know what the rules are. There was no gap. The allegations are being rigorously tested in a courtroom on the basis of evidence. If Robinson had any evidence he'd be a bloody witness. But he doesn't. He's a provocateur who is either deliberately seeking to stop a trial or an ignorant moron who thinks his own opinions are more important than evidence.

    Once the trial is over and a verdict given people can comment as much as they bloody well like.

    And you know why no comment is permitted while the trial is happening. It's because we have this principle here: that people are innocent until proven guilty, even people accused of crimes as vile as these. And that the burden of proof is a heavy one and juries should only convict on the basis of evidence presented and tested in a courtroom not on the basis of the ravings of people outside. And these are bloody good principles because they stop the likes of you or I being imprisoned and losing our liberty on the basis of mob rule, ignorant commentary, prejudice and the rest of it.

    There is no gap. Just a demand for patience while the trial happens so that comment can be made on the basis of facts. I know that's like asking for the moon in these demented times when people open mouth before engaging brain. But it matters. As does respect for the rule of law.

    Grr.....
    What the he'll are you on about ? I was on about the grooming gangs and how these bastards were ignored by people in power,did you watch mr nawaz.
    And the trials are now happening. And the people who claim to care about the poor girls are behaving in a way calculated to abort those trials. So colour me sceptical about how much these people really care about this issue. It was the Times which broke the story. It was politicians like Ann Cryer who first raised this issue. Authorities were appallingly slow about dealing with these allegations when they first arose. But they are now dealing with them. Robinson is just jumping onto a bandwagon and trying to make this about himself.
  • Options
    AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 23,754

    Yes, she works for Channel 4 News, Jon Snow is noted for his hard left views.
    one step from RT young Eagles

    on the wider issue - Skripal, Babchenko - is it that the Russian secret services are now totally blasé about killing people or theyre just crap at it ?
  • Options
    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,920
    On topic. There's not going to be an election (in the UK) this year.

    Italy on the other hand...
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    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,606
    The issue isn't Robinson getting arrested and jailed, the issue is that the media were gagged and unable to report it. That makes it look like a cover up, and Sean is correct, this is an issue that has already had more than its fair share of cover ups by the local authorities, police and national government. There is and has always been a disturbing lack of transparency on the Muslim rape gangs that plague our country.
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    Indigo1Indigo1 Posts: 47
    edited May 2018
    Cyclefree said:

    There is no gap. Just a demand for patience while the trial happens so that comment can be made on the basis of facts. I know that's like asking for the moon in these demented times when people open mouth before engaging brain. But it matters. As does respect for the rule of law..

    In the age of 24hr news no one has any patience. Not giving the public a clear and unambiguous explanation of what happened, which would not involve any need to comment on the trial in progress, is going to be an efficient recruiting sergeant for his disreputable cause, exactly as it was intended to be, the system was effectively played, his cause will have got a lot of publicity (half a million signatures!), the state will have been deemed to behaving in a shifty way by thousands of previously disinstereted observers, and I dare say his organisation received a few donations and requests for application forms.

  • Options
    RogerRoger Posts: 18,891
    Cyclefree said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    The gagging of the media is worrying and also counterproductive...Maajid Nawaz hits the nail on the head.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FniPiSLut8
    Yep,the politician's, the police and the media left a gap and people like Robinson filled it.
    Utter bollocks!

    All criminal trials in the UK face the same contempt of court laws. All journalists in the UK know what the rules are. There was no gap. The allegations are being rigorously tested in a courtroom on the basis of evidence. If Robinson had any evidence he'd be a bloody witness. But he doesn't. He's a provocateur who is either deliberately seeking to stop a trial or an ignorant moron who thinks his own opinions are more important than evidence.

    Once the trial is over and a verdict given people can comment as much as they bloody well like.

    And you know why no comment is permitted while the trial is happening. It's because we have this principle here: that people are innocent until proven guilty, even people accused of crimes as vile as these. And that the burden of proof is a heavy one and juries should only convict on the basis of evidence presented and tested in a courtroom not on the basis of the ravings of people outside. And these are bloody good principles because they stop the likes of you or I being imprisoned and losing our liberty on the basis of mob rule, ignorant commentary, prejudice and the rest of it.

    There is no gap. Just a demand for patience while the trial happens so that comment can be made on the basis of facts. I know that's like asking for the moon in these demented times when people open mouth before engaging brain. But it matters. As does respect for the rule of law.

    Grr.....
    Two very fine posts.
  • Options
    CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,153

    Miss Cyclefree, could be wrong, but I think 'the gap' referred to was less reporting in trials than a broader addressing of the rape gang epidemic we seem to have, because the perpetrators are often Pakistani Muslim men and the authorities seem shyer about going after them than they should due to fears of being accused of racism.

    They were shy. They are taking action now. And those who complained about the former now seem to be intent on undermining the action being taken. Because.....?
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,361
    This could start a trend...
    https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/05/trump-i-wish-i-had-picked-someone-other-than-sessions-for-attorney-general.html?

    May: "I wish I'd picked a different Chancellor/Foreign/Trade/Defence Secretary/Cabinet..."

    Electorate: "...
  • Options
    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,285

    Yes, she works for Channel 4 News, Jon Snow is noted for his hard left views.
    one step from RT young Eagles

    on the wider issue - Skripal, Babchenko - is it that the Russian secret services are now totally blasé about killing people or theyre just crap at it ?
    Both.

    The Russian Secret Services have gone downhill since they stopped recruiting people from the finest university in the world.

    They now target former polys FFS.
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    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,361

    Why ?
    She appears to be making an entirely reasonable point.
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    Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,790

    Cyclefree said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    The gagging of the media is worrying and also counterproductive...Maajid Nawaz hits the nail on the head.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FniPiSLut8
    Yep,the politician's, the police and the media left a gap and people like Robinson filled it.
    Utter bollocks!

    All criminal trials in the UK face the same contempt of court laws. All journalists in the UK know what the rules are. There was no gap. The allegations are being rigorously tested in a courtroom on the basis of evidence. If Robinson had any evidence he'd be a bloody witness. But he doesn't. He's a provocateur who is either deliberately seeking to stop a trial or an ignorant moron who thinks his own opinions are more important than evidence.

    Once the trial is over and a verdict given people can comment as much as they bloody well like.



    There is no gap. Just a demand for patience while the trial happens so that comment can be made on the basis of facts. I know that's like asking for the moon in these demented times when people open mouth before engaging brain. But it matters. As does respect for the rule of law.

    Grr.....
    What the he'll are you on about ? I was on about the grooming gangs and how these bastards were ignored by people in power,did you watch mr nawaz.
    In this case, the authorities are prosecuting people who are accused of these very serious crimes, and Robinson's actions could result in people who might be guilty of these very crimes getting away with it. That shows that he is not at all interested in trying to ensure that victims receive justice.
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    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,285
    Cyclefree said:

    Miss Cyclefree, could be wrong, but I think 'the gap' referred to was less reporting in trials than a broader addressing of the rape gang epidemic we seem to have, because the perpetrators are often Pakistani Muslim men and the authorities seem shyer about going after them than they should due to fears of being accused of racism.

    They were shy. They are taking action now. And those who complained about the former now seem to be intent on undermining the action being taken. Because.....?
    They don't care about the victims, they want riots.

    Do we think Tommy Robinson and his supporters were at this grooming trial, filming away?

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/edl-english-defence-league-leigh-mcmillan-jailed-paedophile-old-bailey-a8231231.html
  • Options
    AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 23,754

    Yes, she works for Channel 4 News, Jon Snow is noted for his hard left views.
    one step from RT young Eagles

    on the wider issue - Skripal, Babchenko - is it that the Russian secret services are now totally blasé about killing people or theyre just crap at it ?
    Both.

    The Russian Secret Services have gone downhill since they stopped recruiting people from the finest university in the world.

    They now target former polys FFS.
    Sky were convincing me about the North South life expectancy issue

    Now theyre interviewing Andy Burnham I can see it's not all bad.
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    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,606
    rcs1000 said:

    On topic. There's not going to be an election (in the UK) this year.

    Italy on the other hand...

    It looks like the Italian president has relented in the face of what could have turned into a proxy referendum of Italian EU membership with 5*/LN/Brotherhood on the Out side and FI/PD on the In side.
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    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 31,918
    On the Robinson case, I have some sympathy with SeanT and Indigo1. There hasn't been a lot of explanation about the Robinson case, and if there are several paedophilia cases, particularly invovling South Asians, then not reporting them cannot really be said to be in the public interest.
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    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,361
    SeanT said:

    Cyclefree said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    The gagging of the media is worrying and also counterproductive...Maajid Nawaz hits the nail on the head.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FniPiSLut8
    Yep,the politician's, the police and the media left a gap and people like Robinson filled it.
    Utter bollocks!



    There is no gap. Just a demand for patience while the trial happens so that comment can be made on the basis of facts. I know that's like asking for the moon in these demented times when people open mouth before engaging brain. But it matters. As does respect for the rule of law.

    Grr.....
    And yet exactly this happened before, with Nick Griffin. The whole issue was covered up, and that gave Griffin (another far right provocateur) an open goal to exploit, which he did, by telling the truth.

    And the reaction of the police? They ARRESTED Griffin and tried him, and it took a jury to acquit him.

    So the context and the echoes and the optics are not good. We know the law has got this very wrong in the past. Therefore it's not hard to see why TRobinson has got a petition for his freedom which has half a million signatures. Seen in that light, media gagging just looks very bad.

    The optics of trials collapsing would be worse.
    And in any event, PR really isn't what judges are supposed to be good at.
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    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,969
    Miss Cyclefree, I share your view on disrupting trials. I am not necessarily convinced about the wider coverage point, though. Julia Hartley-Brewer's knee got more coverage than a Newcastle rape gang being imprisoned.

    Mr. Brooke, as I mentioned last thread, their line dividing north and south is ridiculous (effectively east from the southern tip of the Welsh border). Be interesting to know the stats if the line were higher.
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    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,285
    My knowledge of the current Italian political scene is limited, so if anyone wants to submit a thread on it, I’ll be happy to publish it.
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    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 31,918

    On the Robinson case, I have some sympathy with SeanT and Indigo1. There hasn't been a lot of explanation about the Robinson case, and if there are several paedophilia cases, particularly invovling South Asians, then not reporting them cannot really be said to be in the public interest.

    Just seen the Indie report. Mate of Robinson’s?
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    AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 23,754

    My knowledge of the current Italian political scene is limited, so if anyone wants to submit a thread on it, I’ll be happy to publish it.

    call Andrea
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    Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,790

    On the Robinson case, I have some sympathy with SeanT and Indigo1. There hasn't been a lot of explanation about the Robinson case, and if there are several paedophilia cases, particularly invovling South Asians, then not reporting them cannot really be said to be in the public interest.

    It is common for there to be reporting restrictions in cases that involve alleged sexual offences, especially when the complainants are likely to include minors.

    Another possible reason for such restrictions is that both the complainants and jurors are at risk of being threatened.
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    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,920
    Off topic, and a consequence of the Roseanne tweets and fallout, I was staggered to see that a large number of people I considered misguided, but honest and interesting also retweeted the Soros story about him either being an SS member or making his money from sending other Jews to the concentration camps.

    I used to think that Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter were just the other side of the coin to Michael Moore and the like. But it's hard not worry about their - and they are supposed to be the thoughtful ones - willingness to spread the gravest of libels.
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    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,285

    My knowledge of the current Italian political scene is limited, so if anyone wants to submit a thread on it, I’ll be happy to publish it.

    call Andrea
    Good call.
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    CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,153
    MaxPB said:

    The issue isn't Robinson getting arrested and jailed, the issue is that the media were gagged and unable to report it. That makes it look like a cover up, and Sean is correct, this is an issue that has already had more than its fair share of cover ups by the local authorities, police and national government. There is and has always been a disturbing lack of transparency on the Muslim rape gangs that plague our country.

    There are a surprising number of trials where the media is gagged from reporting matters for a period for very good reasons. If I could be arsed I'd give you some examples. But people seem to think that the rule of law should be ripped up in this case because of previous failures to report, even if this has the effect of making the original problem worse.

    People just need to be adult not start foaming at the idea of cover ups because a lot of ignorant bloggers, some from the US (I note) from the sorts of people who think that Britain is about to turn into a part of the caliphate or some such nonsense and some with agendas, start talking ill-informed rubbish.

    It's almost as if some people would much rather talk about how the establishment is covering up Muslim rape gangs and persecuting those brave individuals speaking up about them (sarcasm alert) than actually do anything about catching and convicting the perpetrators.
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    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,920
    Sean_F said:

    On the Robinson case, I have some sympathy with SeanT and Indigo1. There hasn't been a lot of explanation about the Robinson case, and if there are several paedophilia cases, particularly invovling South Asians, then not reporting them cannot really be said to be in the public interest.

    It is common for there to be reporting restrictions in cases that involve alleged sexual offences, especially when the complainants are likely to include minors.

    Another possible reason for such restrictions is that both the complainants and jurors are at risk of being threatened.
    There's also the fact that - because of the large number of defendents - there are likely to be a number of linked cases.
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    RogerRoger Posts: 18,891
    rcs1000 said:

    Off topic, and a consequence of the Roseanne tweets and fallout, I was staggered to see that a large number of people I considered misguided, but honest and interesting also retweeted the Soros story about him either being an SS member or making his money from sending other Jews to the concentration camps.

    I used to think that Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter were just the other side of the coin to Michael Moore and the like. But it's hard not worry about their - and they are supposed to be the thoughtful ones - willingness to spread the gravest of libels.

    Always a mistake to libel someone with unlimited funds
  • Options
    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,606
    SeanT said:

    Nigelb said:

    SeanT said:

    Cyclefree said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    The gagging of the media is worrying and also counterproductive...Maajid Nawaz hits the nail on the head.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FniPiSLut8
    Yep,the politician's, the police and the media left a gap and people like Robinson filled it.
    Utter bollocks!



    There is no gap. Just a demand for patience while the trial happens so that comment can be made on the basis of facts. I know that's like asking for the moon in these demented times when people open mouth before engaging brain. But it matters. As does respect for the rule of law.

    Grr.....
    And yet exactly this happened before, with Nick Griffin. The whole issue was covered up, and that gave Griffin (another far right provocateur) an open goal to exploit, which he did, by telling the truth.

    And the reaction of the police? They ARRESTED Griffin and tried him, and it took a jury to acquit him.

    So the context and the echoes and the optics are not good. We know the law has got this very wrong in the past. Therefore it's not hard to see why TRobinson has got a petition for his freedom which has half a million signatures. Seen in that light, media gagging just looks very bad.

    The optics of trials collapsing would be worse.
    And in any event, PR really isn't what judges are supposed to be good at.
    A fair point.

    Setting aside the race/sex/grooming issue, I literally had no idea that English courts had the power to arrest, convict and jail you for 13 months, in a matter of hours, without a jury, and all of it literally in secret??? It sounds like something from Mao's China.

    They should not have this power.

    He broke the terms of his suspended sentence which is why it all happened so quickly. It being a secret is definitely wrong though.
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    Indigo1Indigo1 Posts: 47
    Sean_F said:

    On the Robinson case, I have some sympathy with SeanT and Indigo1. There hasn't been a lot of explanation about the Robinson case, and if there are several paedophilia cases, particularly invovling South Asians, then not reporting them cannot really be said to be in the public interest.

    It is common for there to be reporting restrictions in cases that involve alleged sexual offences, especially when the complainants are likely to include minors.

    Another possible reason for such restrictions is that both the complainants and jurors are at risk of being threatened.
    I dont think anyone was suggesting that anything was said about the trail of the alleged paedophiles, that would clearly be inappropriate. A statement that Robinson had been arrested for interfering with a trial in progress, and that after hearing, at which he had legal counsel, was jailed because he was on a suspended sentence and have previously been warned unambiguously by the trial judge about interfering, would seem to be all that was required to kill most of this idiotic conspiracy theorising.
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    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,902
    edited May 2018
    Are reporting rules the same for all trials ?

    I'm sure I remember seeing salacious allegations in the press all the time (Apologies if I'm misremembering) about Ched Evans, even when his trial was ongoing !
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    CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,153
    SeanT said:

    Nigelb said:

    SeanT said:

    Cyclefree said:

    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    The gagging of the media is worrying and also counterproductive...Maajid Nawaz hits the nail on the head.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FniPiSLut8
    Yep,the politician's, the police and the media left a gap and people like Robinson filled it.
    Utter bollocks!



    There is no gap. Just a demand for patience while the trial happens so that comment can be made on the basis of facts. I know that's like asking for the moon in these demented times when people open mouth before engaging brain. But it matters. As does respect for the rule of law.

    Grr.....
    And yet exactly this happened before, with Nick Griffin. The whole issue was covered up, and that gave Griffin (another far right provocateur) an open goal to exploit, which he did, by telling the truth.

    And the reaction of the police? They ARRESTED Griffin and tried him, and it took a jury to acquit him.

    So the context and the echoes and the optics are not good. We know the law has got this very wrong in the past. Therefore it's not hard to see why TRobinson has got a petition for his freedom which has half a million signatures. Seen in that light, media gagging just looks very bad.

    The optics of trials collapsing would be worse.
    And in any event, PR really isn't what judges are supposed to be good at.
    A fair point.

    Setting aside the race/sex/grooming issue, I literally had no idea that English courts had the power to arrest, convict and jail you for 13 months, in a matter of hours, without a jury, and all of it literally in secret??? It sounds like something from Mao's China.

    They should not have this power.

    It's whats known as a suspended sentence. Look it up. I have work to do. I'd happily teach you the basics of English criminal law - for a price. We could abolish them I suppose and then everyone would go to prison and we could wail instead about prison overcrowding and such like.
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    Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,790
    rcs1000 said:

    Off topic, and a consequence of the Roseanne tweets and fallout, I was staggered to see that a large number of people I considered misguided, but honest and interesting also retweeted the Soros story about him either being an SS member or making his money from sending other Jews to the concentration camps.

    I used to think that Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter were just the other side of the coin to Michael Moore and the like. But it's hard not worry about their - and they are supposed to be the thoughtful ones - willingness to spread the gravest of libels.

    Blimey! I'm no fan of Mr. Soros, but I find it astonishing that people would spread or believe such stories.
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    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,158
    Roger said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Off topic, and a consequence of the Roseanne tweets and fallout, I was staggered to see that a large number of people I considered misguided, but honest and interesting also retweeted the Soros story about him either being an SS member or making his money from sending other Jews to the concentration camps.

    I used to think that Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter were just the other side of the coin to Michael Moore and the like. But it's hard not worry about their - and they are supposed to be the thoughtful ones - willingness to spread the gravest of libels.

    Always a mistake to libel someone with unlimited funds
    We are entering an age when there is a complete breakdown in rationality and seeking the truth.

    The future is bleak if we can't pull back from all this madness.
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    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 31,918
    Sean_F said:

    On the Robinson case, I have some sympathy with SeanT and Indigo1. There hasn't been a lot of explanation about the Robinson case, and if there are several paedophilia cases, particularly invovling South Asians, then not reporting them cannot really be said to be in the public interest.

    It is common for there to be reporting restrictions in cases that involve alleged sexual offences, especially when the complainants are likely to include minors.

    Another possible reason for such restrictions is that both the complainants and jurors are at risk of being threatened.
    Fair points.
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    AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 23,754

    Roger said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Off topic, and a consequence of the Roseanne tweets and fallout, I was staggered to see that a large number of people I considered misguided, but honest and interesting also retweeted the Soros story about him either being an SS member or making his money from sending other Jews to the concentration camps.

    I used to think that Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter were just the other side of the coin to Michael Moore and the like. But it's hard not worry about their - and they are supposed to be the thoughtful ones - willingness to spread the gravest of libels.

    Always a mistake to libel someone with unlimited funds
    We are entering an age when there is a complete breakdown in rationality and seeking the truth.

    The future is bleak if we can't pull back from all this madness.

    Roger said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Off topic, and a consequence of the Roseanne tweets and fallout, I was staggered to see that a large number of people I considered misguided, but honest and interesting also retweeted the Soros story about him either being an SS member or making his money from sending other Jews to the concentration camps.

    I used to think that Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter were just the other side of the coin to Michael Moore and the like. But it's hard not worry about their - and they are supposed to be the thoughtful ones - willingness to spread the gravest of libels.

    Always a mistake to libel someone with unlimited funds
    We are entering an age when there is a complete breakdown in rationality and seeking the truth.

    The future is bleak if we can't pull back from all this madness.
    just switch off twitter and 24 hour news channels
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    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,285
    There were some pretty stringent reporting restrictions when it came to the phone hacking trials.

    PB and many other news organisations decided not to allow any comments BTL on those trials, that’s how strict they were.
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    Indigo1Indigo1 Posts: 47

    Roger said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Off topic, and a consequence of the Roseanne tweets and fallout, I was staggered to see that a large number of people I considered misguided, but honest and interesting also retweeted the Soros story about him either being an SS member or making his money from sending other Jews to the concentration camps.

    I used to think that Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter were just the other side of the coin to Michael Moore and the like. But it's hard not worry about their - and they are supposed to be the thoughtful ones - willingness to spread the gravest of libels.

    Always a mistake to libel someone with unlimited funds
    We are entering an age when there is a complete breakdown in rationality and seeking the truth.

    The future is bleak if we can't pull back from all this madness.
    We appear to be approaching, or possibly even passing, the point at which if the story doesn't develop quickly enough, or in an sensational enough manner, the media starts to broadcast/write a description of events which might be described as somewhat at variance with the actualité.
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    CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,153
    SeanT said:

    Sean_F said:

    SeanT said:

    SeanT said:

    MaxPB said:

    SeanT said:

    I'm not arguing against his conviction. I read the prior judgement and he was warned, in no uncertain terms, that if he did anything like this again (hassling suspects going to court), he would do time.

    You could argue he was filming convicted men (not suspects), you could argue 13 months is draconian, but he knew the very real risks and crossed the line pretty much deliberately.

    But the way it was so briskly and secretly executed, it doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel English, and it adds to the impression that the authorities are still trying to hoodwink the public on this incendiary issue. And we all remember that the first person to highlight it was Nick Griffin, another controversial rightwing figure, who was arrested and tried for speaking (it turns out) the truth.

    All very dodgy.
    Don't mess with the administration of justice. The courts really don't like it and they have the powers to take swingeing action if you piss them off.

    Fortunately, not many people are as malevolently stupid as Tommy Robinson.
    Hmm.

    I take your point (and cyclefree's), and I have already read the Secret Barrister blog.

    I still don't think any courts should have the power to secretly imprison anyone. And when it is done in relation to this contentious issue.... where we already know some politicians and police have tried to cover things up?

    It may be legal but it doesn't look or smell very good.
    In legal terminology, Robinson is an arse.

    He got everything he deserved.
    If English law was perfect, I'd say case closed. But when it comes to this kind of grooming, and people who publicise it, I refer you to R v Nick Griffin, 2006. So, hmm.
    That case does not prove what you think it does. Griffin and a colleague were acquitted on charges of inciting racial hatred in relation to words spoken during a campaign, which was filmed secretly. Griffin said a lot of things about Muslims and Islam, including allegations about grooming. He was acquitted because the prosecution failed to show that what he said fell within the scope of the relevant legislation.

    It is not clear to me why, if Griffin had evidence about grooming, he did not raise it with the authorities rather than make speeches about it.

    Of course the authorities should have investigated. They should have done so in 2002 when Ann Cryer MP first raised concerns. This was before Griffin raised anything. Indeed it was as a result of Ann Cryer going public that Griffin stood against her in her constituency to make political capital out of what she had said.

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    PurplePurple Posts: 150
    edited May 2018
    SeanT said:

    Even if Tommy Robinson is a vile fascist oaf (I think he's more oaf than fascist), there is something obscurely troubling about the swift way he was secretly judged (not tried), convicted, given 13 months inside, and whisked off to prison, and with any public reporting of this officially prohibited.

    He was, in effect, "disappeared". It's only because of social media, as far as I can see, that we know what happened to him. Now the courts have relented under the Twitter storm and the BBC gives us the facts.

    I am not a lawyer. Is all of this speed and secrecy normal?

    The speed, yes. If you rush into a crown court trial and shout abuse while sticking two fingers up at the judge, don't expect to be remanded for a few months while you wait for a copy of the advance evidence, a committal hearing in the magistrate's court, several leisurely pre-trial meetings between your counsel and the CPS, lots of family visits while you're not yet a convict and so you must be considered innocent, and so on. All the more so if you are on a suspended sentence. And in any case Tommy Robinson held his hands up - he formally pleaded guilty - so there was no need for a trial. I know he didn't insult the judge, but it's the same offence: contempt of court.

    The secrecy here is to protect the main trial.

    As far as I'm aware, the "comments" on Youtube (presumably comments by him, on tape) that got him into trouble haven't been identified - and it would probably be a contempt to identify them. But if someone can stomach watching all the material it might be possible to make a good guess at what they were.

    I'm wondering whether we will EVER get to know what the comments were, even once the main trial has concluded (or once all the trials have - I think there may be three).

    UKIP's line in defending Robinson is detestable but it's probably thoroughly rational.

    UKIP voteshare in general elections:
    1997 0.3%
    2001 1.5%
    2005 2.2%
    2010 3.1%
    2015 12.6%
    2017 1.8%

    EU elections:
    1999 6.5%
    2004 15.6%
    2009 16.0%
    2014 26.6%

    2nd Brexit referendum:
    (2016 51.9%)

    Given that most people's reason for supporting Brexit was their negative feeling about the consequences of immigration, a feeling they experienced as having had no "decent" channel for output for about 40-50 years, UKIP should be able to improve on 1.8% in the next GE if they play on how that feeling still isn't being addressed by the political class. Before then, after what seems to many of their past voters to have been an unsuccessful referendum, race riots might be considered useful. I noticed Milo Yiannopoulos was backing Robinson too.
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    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,158

    Roger said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Off topic, and a consequence of the Roseanne tweets and fallout, I was staggered to see that a large number of people I considered misguided, but honest and interesting also retweeted the Soros story about him either being an SS member or making his money from sending other Jews to the concentration camps.

    I used to think that Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter were just the other side of the coin to Michael Moore and the like. But it's hard not worry about their - and they are supposed to be the thoughtful ones - willingness to spread the gravest of libels.

    Always a mistake to libel someone with unlimited funds
    We are entering an age when there is a complete breakdown in rationality and seeking the truth.

    The future is bleak if we can't pull back from all this madness.

    Roger said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Off topic, and a consequence of the Roseanne tweets and fallout, I was staggered to see that a large number of people I considered misguided, but honest and interesting also retweeted the Soros story about him either being an SS member or making his money from sending other Jews to the concentration camps.

    I used to think that Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter were just the other side of the coin to Michael Moore and the like. But it's hard not worry about their - and they are supposed to be the thoughtful ones - willingness to spread the gravest of libels.

    Always a mistake to libel someone with unlimited funds
    We are entering an age when there is a complete breakdown in rationality and seeking the truth.

    The future is bleak if we can't pull back from all this madness.
    just switch off twitter and 24 hour news channels
    That only works if all your fellow voters do the same.

    Otherwise, you are just unaware of what mad, post-truth nonsense they are spreading around before they go and vote.
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,940
    edited May 2018
    Labour's funds problem now is that for all their extra members they no longer get anywhere near the City and business donations that went to New Labour under Blair and Brown with almost all those donors now going to the Tories. Beyond members they are almost entirely reliant on the unions for funds
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    Indigo1Indigo1 Posts: 47
    edited May 2018
    HYUFD said:

    Labour's funds problem.now is that for all their extra members they no longer get anywhere near the City and business donations that went to New Labour under Blair and Brown with.almost all those donors now going to the Tories. Beyond movers they are almost entirely reliant on the unions for funds

    ... and ticket sales apparently ;)
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    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 38,890
    MaxPB said:

    He broke the terms of his suspended sentence which is why it all happened so quickly. It being a secret is definitely wrong though.

    They were problems both ways, even if (as is probable) the courts did everything correctly.

    Put restrictions on the reporting of his arrest, as they did, and the usual nutjobs will spread FUD and conspiracy theories to further their ends.

    Don't put restrictions on the reporting of his arrest, and the usual nutjobs will spread FUD and conspiracy theories about his arrest and further publicise what he was saying and doing, possibly damaging the trial.

    The problem appears not to be the authorities, but Robinson and his followers who sadly appear more interested in publicising an ongoing trial (and assuming the guilt of the defendants) rather than in the truth of what is going on, or even justice.

    And they certainly care f'all about the victims.
This discussion has been closed.