The pied piper of national ruin

Joseph Dinnage has a topical CAPX piece on Zack Polanski. Worth reading, but if voters can't see through Polanski, there isn't much to hope for.

How to beat Zack Polanski

• Like the pied piper of economic ruin, Zack Polanski is leading young people to misery
• The British Right must learn from the Canadian Conservatives' success with young voters
• You can’t blame the young for feeling sufficiently disenchanted to vote for a man nicknamed ‘hypnotits’

The Green Party’s victory in last week’s Gorton and Denton by-election was a grim indicator of where British politics could be heading. With 40% of the vote, Hannah Spencer won her campaign by stirring the pot of local sectarianism; releasing campaign videos in Urdu and Bengali, accusing the Government of funding ‘genocide’ in Gaza, and – most absurdly – claiming that ‘people like’ the Reform UK candidate Matthew Goodwin caused the Manchester arena bombing by ‘dividing people’.

You’ll notice that none of these strategies have anything to do with the environment. Under Zack Polanski’s leadership, the Greens have shifted from environmentalism to what French conservatives have termed Islamo-gauchisme – a fusion of traditional Leftism with the imported communal grievances of a growing Muslim population. Polanski has branded this the politics of ‘hope’, but of course this menacing ideology of economic self-destruction and social division is nothing of the sort.

Designed for another era

BBC plans for end of the licence fee as we know it

The BBC warned that the the licence fee is in “irreversible” decline and urged the Government to back a new, “fairer” funding mechanism, which could see people pay less.

Rising levels of evasion and non-payment, which cost the corporation more than £1bn last year, require an overhaul of a charge “designed for another era”, which is set to rise to £180 in April...

In its proposals to change the licence fee, which last year brought in £3.8bn of revenue, the BBC pointed to the German system where citizens pay a “digital public service media” tax of €18.36 (£16) per month regardless of whether they watch or listen to the nation’s equivalent of the BBC...

In a stark warning to the Government, Tim Davie, the outgoing director general, said: “The choice is clear: back the BBC or watch it decline, the status quo is not an option.

“Clear decisions are needed to ensure the BBC is funded sustainably and fairly so it can continue to deliver, both for audiences and the country.”

There is at least some interest to be gleaned from the way language is distorted here. Not much though, this creepy idea has been foreseen for years, it can't possibly be imposed honestly so they don't bother.

a new, “fairer” funding mechanism

a “digital public service media” tax

ensure the BBC is funded sustainably and fairly

Charge of the Blight Brigade

Zack Polanski's Greens could rock Labour in London as 'Zohran Mamdani beat old Democrats' in New York

The Green Party could 'easily' win hundreds of seats in London at the May local elections, says local government expert Professor Tony Travers

Zack Polanski’s Green Party could storm to local election success against Labour in London as Zohran Mamdani beat the Democratic establishment in New York, says a leading expert...

Tony Travers, Professor of Local Government at the LSE, believes Labour risks losing half its seats, some 600, in the capital in the May local elections.


It's not immediately obvious if this would be better, worse or much the same for Londoners. Probably worse if Green politics and the general trend of UK politics are any guide.

The only silver lining seems to be a possibility that voters might work out how much damage is embedded in Green politics before the next general election...

...no I don't think it's likely either.

Chasm

Gorton by-election revealed ‘chasm’ between politics and people, Burnham warns

The Labour mayor of Greater Manchester suggested the result demonstrated Westminster was not focused on the priorities of ordinary people.

The Gorton and Denton by-election “revealed the full depth of the chasm between people and Westminster politics”, Andy Burnham has said in one of his first public comments on the ballot.


Oh come on Andy, the chasm has been there for a long time and you are part of it, you can't bridge it because you can't drop the Labour baggage. It isn't complicated, but you must know that.

And nobody is surprised

House Oversight Committee concludes Tim Walz' administration knew of fraud, failed to act

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s administration was made aware of fraud in benefits programs early in his tenure, but failed to take action to stop it, an interim report based on testimony from nine state officials concluded.

Senior Minnesota government officials, including Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, were aware of claims of widespread fraud in the state’s federally funded welfare programs for years, but failed to act other than to retaliate against whistleblowers, the House Oversight Committee concluded in a report released Wednesday.

We've heard of the problem before in numerous other contexts - attacking whistleblowers. It's common enough to begin with the baseline assumption that whistleblowers are to be taken seriously, especially when more than one of them blows the same whistle in the same way. It's a clue.

Carney's Law

Canadian prime minister calls Iran war an extreme example of a rupturing world order

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says he regrets the Iran war is an extreme example of a rupturing world order in which countries increasingly act without respect for international norms and laws

Carney was speaking at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based international policy think tank, during the Australian leg of a trade-focused, three-nation visit that began in India. He will ddress the Australian Parliament on Thursday before flying to Japan on Friday.


Yet oddly enough, those 'laws and norms' don't necessarily include scientific laws or the desirable but elusive norms of sound science, political veracity, honesty, free speech or worthwhile democracy.

Fortunately there is no world order in Carney's global bureaucrat's sense - at least not yet. Maybe we should be gratified that climate change no longer seems to be the main culprit disrupting it all.

Sustainable haircare interventions

The solution to Britain's climate crisis? Hairdressers, scientists say

Scientists are calling on an unexpected warrior in the fight against climate change – the humble hairdresser.

Experts say the UK's hair stylists are emerging as 'powerful, under–recognised influencers' in tackling the climate crisis.

New research shows that hairdressers are seen as confidantes or even counsellors, and are uniquely placed to hold influential conversations about global warming.

Aren't these 'powerful, under–recognised influencers' the same people we used to think of as gossips? 

For their study, the team also ran a nationwide intervention in 25 salons using 'Mirror Talkers' – eco–tips placed on salon mirrors to prompt sustainable haircare interventions.

I hope somebody is making this stuff up. I'm off to the kitchen for a cup of tea and a biscuit.