Starmer's detailed response to the question about Jess Phillips was very much an experienced KC in full 'closing submissions' mode. He needs to do more of that (when appropriate), as (a) it is extremely effective and (b) he excels at it.
I worry the people of the left who are in positions of wealth and influence are missing a fundamental point about the tactic the right are using. The victims of the grooming gangs were largely white, working class, had pre-existing trauma and presented as challenging to the professionals in their life. As such the professionals treated them with contempt. It wasn’t protecting Muslims at the heart, it was good old fashioned class issues and snobbery. This is the experience of many of the poorest in our society throughout their life. The right are redirecting that away from the middle and upper class and towards immigrants to fuel support for themselves. It’s easier to point out the injustice when the people are a different colour. It’s harder when they are showing the same prejudices which the leaders on the right have towards the poorest and most vulnerable in our society.
Couldn’t agree more. Class is the defining issue for this country. The right wing are determined to keep the status quo and have found the perfect way to do it. I think we need more muscle from Kier and a stronger narrative in how class determines success or failure in this country
Honestly don’t know enough about that case to comment. I was quite young when it happened and have never read into it enough to make an informed comment.
There is no doubt Starmer is a sane and decent human who could be a fantastic PM. There is considerable doubt in my mind as to whether that sane and decent human is capable of translating his good words into effective action which is what this country desperately needs right now. In this context he needs to ensure neither Musk nor any other billionaire can buy UK politics. Its not about Reform or Farage or even Musk. Its about the integrity of the democratic process in the UK. So far he has done nothing like his predecessors to protect the voters of the UK from the kind of dark money that is already poisoning the UK political well and as time goes by the fine words will begin to ring hollow.
A very helpful article. I was genuinely shocked by the Jenrick statement. The Tories appear to be locked in a struggle to outflank the nativist right, which is stupid and irresponsible.
I have been prodding a few people in discussions here on substack about why they were suddenly outraged about the grooming gangs and what they understood to be the reasons for the initial failures to prosecute? I quickly realised that many people have been radicalised to believe that there was an actual conspiracy by DPP Starmer and Labour councils to allow Muslims to rape white children, that raping white children was done (and continues to be done) for racist jihad reasons and supported by Muslim communities, and that any national enquiry outcome will find those to be "facts" - or be another cover-up. (One lady did send me an illustration with an Aryan athlete and a swastika, and said she was proud to be racist. That was refreshingly clear after all the conspiracy talk)
I do think that cowardice about challenging men and women in Muslim communities on their misogynistic beliefs about "white slags" has contributed to the scandal. I also know that feminists were saying for years that the (white) police and other institutions were likewise treating these girls as "sluts" not worthy of protection and not as child victims. But the amount of 'impervious to facts' fantasy thinking and plain lying about this issue reminds me of Trump world and the "stolen election" mantra. I hadn't thought about Powell in a while. But enough people have told me about the "indigenous" British this week to make me realise there's still fertile ground for his ideas.
Doesn't the nature of grooming gang crime itself (taking place behind closed doors, with the victims often too traumatized to talk about what happened to them) make it inherently difficult to solve?
Wasn't one (white) grooming gang in Bristol only caught because they were stealing cars as well as grooming girls?
Perhaps the Tories weren’t just egged on by Musk, but also emboldened by Trump’s victory itself (in part from promising “mass deportation” of illegal immigrants in the US) into thinking that they could push for their own “mass deportation” of Muslims, using the grooming gang threat as a pretext?
IMHO there needs to be something said about the role of the media in all this too. A question asked today was: is this just happening now (the new UKG actions) because of Musk. But we need to reflect on why the media didn't care to cover the findings and recommendations of the IICSA after seven years of work, investigations, reports and testimony because the final report was published the day Truss resigned. And are the media only really interested now because they are obsessed with Trump and are chasing click-bait 'row' narratives?
Very good post, but, based on what I saw when I accidentally switched LK's show on on Sunday, you are being incredibly generous called Philp "reasonable". His performance there was disgusting.
The Starmer answer is terrific, if only now he’d follow it up with policy
Algorithms are promoting specific types of posts, there is no world where this isn’t a form of ‘publishing’ it certainly isn’t a neutral platform, thus there is no reason a law can’t be written that holds social media companies to the same legal obligation of other media companies for what they put on their air or websites or newsprint
If Facebook or Twitter promote a post that is defamatory then the same way you can sue NewsCorp if they print such a story then it should be ok to sue Meta or Musk if they promote false and defamatory posts
Just write the law, stop being so defensive, you are the Government, take these billionaires on because appeasement isn’t working
Has Brexit not neutered the ability of Starmer (or any other UK PM for that matter) to act here, because (given that the bad guys are now running the US) the EU is the only entity with sufficient demographic and economic heft to take on the social media titans?
It always makes me laugh when Catholics jump on this bandwagon, maybe they should sit out the whole ‘criticising groups for endangering children’ discourse
What? You mean the professionally single men who fiddle around with their baubles, wearing voluminous cassocks while huffing frankincense, with all their experience of supervising/hiding systemic abuse, exploiting society’s most vulnerable, couldn’t have some useful insights? /s
I do wonder whether the statement "We know there were cultural sensitivities because they were identified by myriad local and national inquiries. " sums up actual cultural sensitivities, or instead encapsulates a very British unwillingness of employees (of the state) to criticise their employer (the state) while they are still employed by them.
Perhaps child abuse suspicions that were waved away because of a lack of resources to investigate and prosecute (or maybe just the widespread *perception* of that lack of resources, as advanced by more or less the whole of the media for decades now), were explained - when challenged - as people attempting to be sensitive to racial politics.
Not because that was the real reason at the time, but because people *thought* that racial sensitivity would be seen as more acceptable by those asking the questions than "we didn't have the time" or "I don't have enough training to recognise it when it's staring me in the face". Too often, it was.
Besides, it's easier to train people in racial sensitivity or trans-positive policies than it is to train them how to be better at the nuts and bolts of their job. So that tends to be the type of training carried out, along with those (and other fashionable/currently newsworthy) types of training that help in simplistic box-ticking that British management (across both private and public sectors) are encouraged to use.
What would be more useful would be actually helping staff improve their performance, but would have to start with increased staff numbers, so the ones there already are didn't feel constantly overwhelmed, That's more costly, and more time-consuming, and so doesn't happen.
Very informative article. Now let’s see him put his money where his mouth is. As for Jess Philips, I certainly don’t agree with her on every issue, but she has done a thousand times more for women and children in this country than any of these frothing idiots can comprehend.
A little plea - can you not put links to Twitter? I don’t want to view anything on Twitter. I had to hastily cancel that link opening! I just wanted to watch the clip of Starmer’s speech but I’m sure I can find it elsewhere.
I fully agree with the points expressed in the article, but I do think Starmer gave up any right to the moral high ground with his attack advert last year which asserted that Rishi Sunak did not think adults who sexually abused children should go to prison. I don’t think Liz Truss’s claim about Jess Phillips was any more egregious than that one - both are blatantly false. But once you start slinging mud, you’ve got to be able to take it as well.
Just a personal observation... The grooming gang topic is something that I have not really followed.
1. It is distasteful
2. I associate it with Tommy Robinson mis-information.
3. I have no personal experience of the issue.
4. It is illegal and the law is being enforced regardless of the perpetrators.
5. It is not particularly interesting (that is not to say it is not important).
I feel similar about transgender and illegal immigration (other right wing dividing issues).
The lack of a common sense, generally accepted, consensus about what is right and wrong means that either I need to research the issues in depth (there are more important issues out there) or I do not feel informed enough about the history nor the remedial actions taken to counter the narrative.
That's very honest of you. But if you can, I would encourage you to read Julie Bindel on the grooming gangs (I think there are two articles not behind a pay wall, in Unherd, possibly the Critic?) as her work and that of the male journalists who followed up on the scandal is very informative.
On other issues, such as the impact of gender ideology on women's rights, you are right that there is no consensus, but one of the great gifts to the right, from well-meaning centrists, has been allowing the bullying and censorship of normal moderate people by Trans activists, so that only "right-wing" media allowed any discussion at all. It's one reason many people initially welcomed Musk's takeover of Twitter, as it was possible to actually talk again there.
Starmer's detailed response to the question about Jess Phillips was very much an experienced KC in full 'closing submissions' mode. He needs to do more of that (when appropriate), as (a) it is extremely effective and (b) he excels at it.
I worry the people of the left who are in positions of wealth and influence are missing a fundamental point about the tactic the right are using. The victims of the grooming gangs were largely white, working class, had pre-existing trauma and presented as challenging to the professionals in their life. As such the professionals treated them with contempt. It wasn’t protecting Muslims at the heart, it was good old fashioned class issues and snobbery. This is the experience of many of the poorest in our society throughout their life. The right are redirecting that away from the middle and upper class and towards immigrants to fuel support for themselves. It’s easier to point out the injustice when the people are a different colour. It’s harder when they are showing the same prejudices which the leaders on the right have towards the poorest and most vulnerable in our society.
Couldn’t agree more. Class is the defining issue for this country. The right wing are determined to keep the status quo and have found the perfect way to do it. I think we need more muscle from Kier and a stronger narrative in how class determines success or failure in this country
Similarly wasn't police corruption rather than racism the main factor in the Met's failure to catch the murderers of Stephen Lawrence?
Honestly don’t know enough about that case to comment. I was quite young when it happened and have never read into it enough to make an informed comment.
Thank you for writing this. Keep on keeping on with this brilliant journalism. This country needs you and those like you more than ever.
There is no doubt Starmer is a sane and decent human who could be a fantastic PM. There is considerable doubt in my mind as to whether that sane and decent human is capable of translating his good words into effective action which is what this country desperately needs right now. In this context he needs to ensure neither Musk nor any other billionaire can buy UK politics. Its not about Reform or Farage or even Musk. Its about the integrity of the democratic process in the UK. So far he has done nothing like his predecessors to protect the voters of the UK from the kind of dark money that is already poisoning the UK political well and as time goes by the fine words will begin to ring hollow.
A very helpful article. I was genuinely shocked by the Jenrick statement. The Tories appear to be locked in a struggle to outflank the nativist right, which is stupid and irresponsible.
I have been prodding a few people in discussions here on substack about why they were suddenly outraged about the grooming gangs and what they understood to be the reasons for the initial failures to prosecute? I quickly realised that many people have been radicalised to believe that there was an actual conspiracy by DPP Starmer and Labour councils to allow Muslims to rape white children, that raping white children was done (and continues to be done) for racist jihad reasons and supported by Muslim communities, and that any national enquiry outcome will find those to be "facts" - or be another cover-up. (One lady did send me an illustration with an Aryan athlete and a swastika, and said she was proud to be racist. That was refreshingly clear after all the conspiracy talk)
I do think that cowardice about challenging men and women in Muslim communities on their misogynistic beliefs about "white slags" has contributed to the scandal. I also know that feminists were saying for years that the (white) police and other institutions were likewise treating these girls as "sluts" not worthy of protection and not as child victims. But the amount of 'impervious to facts' fantasy thinking and plain lying about this issue reminds me of Trump world and the "stolen election" mantra. I hadn't thought about Powell in a while. But enough people have told me about the "indigenous" British this week to make me realise there's still fertile ground for his ideas.
Doesn't the nature of grooming gang crime itself (taking place behind closed doors, with the victims often too traumatized to talk about what happened to them) make it inherently difficult to solve?
Wasn't one (white) grooming gang in Bristol only caught because they were stealing cars as well as grooming girls?
Perhaps the Tories weren’t just egged on by Musk, but also emboldened by Trump’s victory itself (in part from promising “mass deportation” of illegal immigrants in the US) into thinking that they could push for their own “mass deportation” of Muslims, using the grooming gang threat as a pretext?
IMHO there needs to be something said about the role of the media in all this too. A question asked today was: is this just happening now (the new UKG actions) because of Musk. But we need to reflect on why the media didn't care to cover the findings and recommendations of the IICSA after seven years of work, investigations, reports and testimony because the final report was published the day Truss resigned. And are the media only really interested now because they are obsessed with Trump and are chasing click-bait 'row' narratives?
Very good post, but, based on what I saw when I accidentally switched LK's show on on Sunday, you are being incredibly generous called Philp "reasonable". His performance there was disgusting.
The Starmer answer is terrific, if only now he’d follow it up with policy
Algorithms are promoting specific types of posts, there is no world where this isn’t a form of ‘publishing’ it certainly isn’t a neutral platform, thus there is no reason a law can’t be written that holds social media companies to the same legal obligation of other media companies for what they put on their air or websites or newsprint
If Facebook or Twitter promote a post that is defamatory then the same way you can sue NewsCorp if they print such a story then it should be ok to sue Meta or Musk if they promote false and defamatory posts
Just write the law, stop being so defensive, you are the Government, take these billionaires on because appeasement isn’t working
Has Brexit not neutered the ability of Starmer (or any other UK PM for that matter) to act here, because (given that the bad guys are now running the US) the EU is the only entity with sufficient demographic and economic heft to take on the social media titans?
It always makes me laugh when Catholics jump on this bandwagon, maybe they should sit out the whole ‘criticising groups for endangering children’ discourse
What? You mean the professionally single men who fiddle around with their baubles, wearing voluminous cassocks while huffing frankincense, with all their experience of supervising/hiding systemic abuse, exploiting society’s most vulnerable, couldn’t have some useful insights? /s
I do wonder whether the statement "We know there were cultural sensitivities because they were identified by myriad local and national inquiries. " sums up actual cultural sensitivities, or instead encapsulates a very British unwillingness of employees (of the state) to criticise their employer (the state) while they are still employed by them.
Perhaps child abuse suspicions that were waved away because of a lack of resources to investigate and prosecute (or maybe just the widespread *perception* of that lack of resources, as advanced by more or less the whole of the media for decades now), were explained - when challenged - as people attempting to be sensitive to racial politics.
Not because that was the real reason at the time, but because people *thought* that racial sensitivity would be seen as more acceptable by those asking the questions than "we didn't have the time" or "I don't have enough training to recognise it when it's staring me in the face". Too often, it was.
Besides, it's easier to train people in racial sensitivity or trans-positive policies than it is to train them how to be better at the nuts and bolts of their job. So that tends to be the type of training carried out, along with those (and other fashionable/currently newsworthy) types of training that help in simplistic box-ticking that British management (across both private and public sectors) are encouraged to use.
What would be more useful would be actually helping staff improve their performance, but would have to start with increased staff numbers, so the ones there already are didn't feel constantly overwhelmed, That's more costly, and more time-consuming, and so doesn't happen.
Very informative article. Now let’s see him put his money where his mouth is. As for Jess Philips, I certainly don’t agree with her on every issue, but she has done a thousand times more for women and children in this country than any of these frothing idiots can comprehend.
As expected an interesting and perceptive post, thank you.
Ps please advise your survey designer to add Bluesky to their drop down menus.
A little plea - can you not put links to Twitter? I don’t want to view anything on Twitter. I had to hastily cancel that link opening! I just wanted to watch the clip of Starmer’s speech but I’m sure I can find it elsewhere.
Or at least post links to xcancel.com ?
I fully agree with the points expressed in the article, but I do think Starmer gave up any right to the moral high ground with his attack advert last year which asserted that Rishi Sunak did not think adults who sexually abused children should go to prison. I don’t think Liz Truss’s claim about Jess Phillips was any more egregious than that one - both are blatantly false. But once you start slinging mud, you’ve got to be able to take it as well.
Brexit MEANS Brexit
#winning
Just a personal observation... The grooming gang topic is something that I have not really followed.
1. It is distasteful
2. I associate it with Tommy Robinson mis-information.
3. I have no personal experience of the issue.
4. It is illegal and the law is being enforced regardless of the perpetrators.
5. It is not particularly interesting (that is not to say it is not important).
I feel similar about transgender and illegal immigration (other right wing dividing issues).
The lack of a common sense, generally accepted, consensus about what is right and wrong means that either I need to research the issues in depth (there are more important issues out there) or I do not feel informed enough about the history nor the remedial actions taken to counter the narrative.
That's very honest of you. But if you can, I would encourage you to read Julie Bindel on the grooming gangs (I think there are two articles not behind a pay wall, in Unherd, possibly the Critic?) as her work and that of the male journalists who followed up on the scandal is very informative.
On other issues, such as the impact of gender ideology on women's rights, you are right that there is no consensus, but one of the great gifts to the right, from well-meaning centrists, has been allowing the bullying and censorship of normal moderate people by Trans activists, so that only "right-wing" media allowed any discussion at all. It's one reason many people initially welcomed Musk's takeover of Twitter, as it was possible to actually talk again there.