'In 1968 Enoch Powell was sacked from shadow cabinet...today he would be touring podcast studios in UK & America raising money for a new party.' Depressingly true. In a diverse society there have to be non-negotiable democratic norms citizens abide by & the state MUST defend & protect.

Disappointed w BBC for that Mandelson interview. A slap in the face to Epstein victims. He was part of the system of male power which enabled & dismissed abuse. The media went after Mandelson correctly in my view. Now the media is aiding his swift rehabilitation & PR. 1/2

What a wonderful and caring human being Jonny Yaxley is.

Monthly Twitter UK users since Musk 2022 May22: 26.8m May23: 24.3m (-2.5m) May24: 22.1m (-2.2m) May25: 18.9m (-3.2m) Loss of 8 million (30%) in 3 years Daily users on Twiiter after Musk 2022:10.3 m 23: 9.5 (-0.8m) 24: 8.6 (-0.9m) 25: 6.9 (-1.7m) Loss 3.4 million in 3 years (33%) Ipsos/ Ofcom

Interesting how socio-economic issues are simply not a high concern for Reform voters.

“Many who argue for revocation claim that it is necessary to preserve the integrity of citizenship. In fact... to allow the state to annul citizenship so easily is to take its meaning insufficiently seriously.“ My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...

For years I've called for the proscription of Patriotic Alternative not under existing terrorisn proscription orders but with a new set of hateful extremism proscription orders. For years successive UK governments have instead allowed such dangerous groups to continue operating with impunity.

If Ofcom as regulator is allegedly reluctant to intervene over politically difficult issues of impartiality, then frankly who will? Ofcom as an independent body is there to provide checks & balances. Our institutions must reaffirm their commitment to this especially during these polarised times.

There are legal limitations/principles about freedom of expression. But that doesn't mean those shouting the loudest about these cases have a principled or consistent approach about free speech.That's the real issue.Ideologues using free speech as a culture war & weaponising it for political reasons

It is right el-Fattah apologised for those extreme tweets but to negate all his other pro-democracy activity is peverse. The UK populist right demanding he should lose his British citizenship is ironically peak cancel culture & extreme, the very thing they always complain about.

Very pleased to hear this. The attempt to censure those who counter hate, extremism & disinformation is dangerous & threatens us, our children, our freedoms & democracy. Following the US' Nat Sec Strategy,it's clear European countries are on a collision course with the US. This is a battle of values

EU Commission response to US sanctions imposed upon advocates of regulating social media ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Now, during the time for giving, would you consider giving to CCDH? Your gift would fuel the research campaigns and advocacy to hold tech bosses accountable for the harms they cause online. Together, we can build a safer internet for all. Donate today ⤵️

This is a serious escalation of the supposed war against “censorship”: in the name of free speech, five people are now having their visas revoked and are facing deportation. This is a narrative Bari Weiss’s Free Press was heavily involved in pushing, too.

A summons against Reginald D Hunter by the Campaign Against Antisemitism has been quashed after a judge ruled the 'abusive' private prosecution was intended to get the comedian 'cancelled'

In the gloom, there are points of light - and what connects them is courage. Last column of 2025 offers some reasons to be hopeful www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I too was sickened to read arguments made by academics - of who neither they or their daughters will experience FGM - compare what is an act of torture to "designer vaginas." The clue is in the name: "mutilation." Trying to justify FGM for any reason is beyond peverse & an inverted form of racism.

Trump’s dismantling of climate research center is a ‘destruction of knowledge,’ critics say

Again these people aren't patriots. They hate our country and are allied to others who hate it too. Nothing will ever be achieved by seeking to appease them

Very good piece by Sir David Omand on why social cohesion in the face of extremism is a security imperative. In the face of rising extremism and the threat to democracy, the time for a new strategic approach is well overdue.

Ben Jennings on the Bondi beach terror attack – cartoon

Despicable attack on Bondi beach targeting Sydney's Jewish community on 1st day of Hanukkah killing 12, is not only an attack on a religious community it is an attack on democracy & democratic freedoms. Heartbreaking. My thoughts are with victims&families. We must stamp out this antisemitic hatred.

53% Brits think Reform is racist. @theobserveruk.bsky.social "Reform's roll of shame"demonstrates not a case of a bad apple but an institutional problem. The anti-Muslim hate, dangerous obsession with Sadiq Khan, the racism, incitement & support for far right beliefs leaves one fearful about the UK.

Political violence is an attack on our democracy & yet we are seeing more actions like this occuring. Councillors in Kent were "violently intimidated" and "pelted with eggs" at a meeting by "people wearing balaclavas" in the public gallery. www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc....

Citizens of countries including the UK and France will have to disclose the past five years of their social media history to visit the US even though they are covered by visa waiver schemes, under new proposals by the Trump administration. www.ft.com/content/683b...

🗞️ Our latest issue: Why Virginia Giuffre is our Person of the Year Cover story by @sonia-sodha.bsky.social The pain she suffered at the hands of powerful men was ultimately too much to bear, but 2025 will be remembered as the year of her vengeance 🔗 Get 10 weeks for £10: bit.ly/3KP8338

NEW Extremism, conformity, and the problem of law How the law can (attempt to) regulate extremism, but it can really do nothing about conformism. By me emptycity.substack.com/p/extremism-...

Most discussions about “misinformation” treat the problem as if people simply don’t have good enough critical-thinking skills. It sounds intuitive, but it’s not entirely accurate. The problem isn’t just individual ignorance, it’s the structure of the information environment people are placed into.

Piers Morgan's interview of neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes - "Hitler is cool" - shows how the cordon sanitaire is eroding. Extremist groups used to say this stuff privately & if recorded secretly, they'd still deny it. Now? Open, brazen, no apology for such beliefs & PROUD. x.com/i/status/199...

"MAGA is looking for imperial expansion into Europe, promoting 'patriotic parties' on the far-right of our politics," says Jon Sopel. "This needs serious attention." Trump is making a move on Europe – and the UK is looking the other way www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/trum...

Horrifying. Like something out of a horror film. But not surprising. As one of these women describe, the maternity system in Britain is broken. My female friends & family - all had some kind of stressful experience incl NHS doctors. It's the tip of the iceberg. We don't even know the full scale.

Trump crowns himself world king… but kindly lets Russia and China rule their fiefdoms. The new US national security strategy makes clear the US president’s plan to for western hegemony, writes Steve Bloomfield. https://bit.ly/3KCd7HW

Whatever the EU does it must not capitulate to the US Gov or Musk on this issue. The divide between Europe and the US on enlightenment values and protecting democratic freedoms gets bigger everyday. The US' National Security Strategy confirms the disdain the US holds for Europe & those values.

Politicians, media have a responsibility to counter extremist rhetoric. Connor's view is anti-democratic & a rejection of the pluralistic values of our country.We can passionately disagree on issues but his position crosses a red line that I hope all politicians from all parties will publicly reject

I support the launch of this much needed and timely APPG on Counter Extremism. We need a new strategic whole of society approach if we are to protect our democratic way of life. I wish the APPG all the best in its endeavour.

Jonathan Hall rightly states Britain should stand upto US free speech absolutists who don't want regulation of social media companies. Ditto to the absolutists here too who naively think more speech will counter bad speech. This doesn't work with the platforms! www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...

Did an interview. Spoke about conspiracy theories, extremism, Southport, disinformation, the rise of populist parties, the failure of mainstream political parties and the gradual erosion of democracy and its freedoms. Basically all of the issues I focus on as part of the day job.

"Nigel Farage’s youth is not quite as irrelevant as he would have us believe. Because the past has a nasty habit of intruding into the present – and future." Latest column www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Tucker Carlson: UK is being ruined by immigration, abortion, a lack of love for flag, “state-sponsored suicide” and the death of free speech where England is more authoritarian than Russia. Oh and “everyone’s, like, bisexual” in the Middle East; “the lesbian thing is way overblown” & it goes on...

Shocking. FSU ask if "Ofcom are on yr back" & if they've approached "yr business about compliance with the Online Safety Act." Ofcom are THE official regulator & they're ensuring businesses comply with UK legislation. Not sure who FSU see as the problem? OSA/Ofcom or platforms with illegal content?

I joined @cwarzel.bsky.social on the Galaxy Brain Podcast to explain some of the reasons why America, and a lot of other Western democracies, are sliding into authoritarianism and why it's probably inevitable www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvFh...

Reality is aspects of our democratic system is fundamentally broken. Having repeatedly been lied to by politicians & citizens weary about meaningful accountability hence repeat lying, I hope the younger generation refuse to accept this woeful status quo. Our democratic model will wither otherwise.

All political systems eventually decay. Why should democracy be an exception?

The Heritage Foundation, after its founding in 1973, quickly became “the most influential think tank in America,” Peter Wehner argues—and it’s “as good an institution as any in which to study the intellectual and moral decline of the American right.”

Why did Grok say that Elon Musk "edges out” Jesus Christ as a role model for humanity? Charlie Warzel and @matteowong.bsky.social on another strange day in the chatbot's history:

this, *this*, is the greatest crossover of all time

Really important piece by Fraser Nelson in today's Times. There are fundamental questions not answered by the Covid Inquiry including the use of lockdown itself. And despite one of the points of the Inquiry was to learn lessons for the future, we're still left in the dark about some key issues.

Antisemitic content on X risen from half a million posts a year to a million a day over last 3 years. Beyond peverse.Clear eg of X mainstreaming Jew hatred. When I was Counter-Extremism Commissioner my 2021 Review stated that the then Online Safety Bill would not adequately address extremist content

I left Twitter in 2015 ten years ago because of the scale of threats, abuse, cyber-stalking I received & the real world impact it had on me personally & professionally. Under Musk X is worse. He is a foreign hostile actor, interferes in our democracy, incites violence. Gov should be bold & abandon X

The Molly Rose Foundation’s @mollyroseorg.bsky.social suggestion to UK government to extend the legal requirement for transparency from public officials to apply to tech companies is a brilliant idea. The Government should adopt it.