Labour is this week advertising for a role as chairman of the ‘Diversity and Inclusion Committee.’ The group’s purpose is to keep the honours system “representative of UK society” and is also “guided by the Prime Minister’s strategic priorities for the honours system.” Strategic priorities like fast-tracking gongs to people who showed “unity and defiance” to Summer’s riots…
The application deadline is 11th November, with interviews ending in December. Funnily enough, the last government also advertised for a similar role – the only difference is that it was for ‘Representation & Outreach’ at the time. Who needs representation when you can have diversity?
Whoever put up the new job advertisement hasn’t even bothered to get rid of the old name throughout the page. The old name is still there three times…
A bemused Tory source tells Guido:
“Re-running an important recruitment process just for this – costing taxpayers’ money and insulting candidates who had taken time to apply – is a telling sign of where Labour’s priorities are.”
Woke is as woke does…
Could an SW1 staple on Wilfred Street be the latest victim of the decolonisation woke agenda? Popular pub The Colonies has been spruced up recently… but reopened under the new (less flavoursome) name The Pineapple. Despite its homage to colonial Africa and imperial theme, the watering hole was a particular favourite of right on Home Office civil servants, not to mention CCHQ staff…
It’s not all bad news though for culture warriors and history warriors – the name change is just a throwback to the pub’s previous incarnation – the original tavern on the site was named The Pineapple as far back as 1809. As the Campaign for Real Ale notes:
“Named the Pineapple until 1974 and refurbished ten years later to reflect an African colonial theme, this comfortable, split level pub has an extensive back courtyard garden leading to Castle Street. Some interesting prints are displayed on the panelled walls.”
Guido’s looking forward to the new menu, and catching up with some civil servants from 4 p.m. onwards…
Nick Ferrari asked Labour’s National Campaign Co-ordinator Pat McFadden a simple question on LBC: “Where would a trans woman go to use the bathroom in a restaurant that’s just got a man and a woman’s facility”? Rather than answer it he reacted with faux-exasperation: “You’ve enjoyed asking this question I think in recent days, Nick.” Is Labour getting impatient for polling day?
Ferrari hit back: “Because [Starmer] keeps changing his position.” This comes after Starmer said this week that biological males with gender recognition certificates do not have the right to enter women-only spaces, itself following Bridget Phillipson’s refusal eight times to answer the same question. Even after the Cass Report they can barely bring themselves to say it…
McFadden continued:
“Look, we want to protect women only spaces in the end this is for the premises and I think with this uh issue you know, asking politicians this one day after another in some kind of game… it’s right to protect women only spaces uh so I’m not sure the Equality Act needs to be changed… let’s act with a bit of kindness to people uh rather than using them as some kind of gotcha question in an interview.“
Which says precisely nothing…
UnHerd is reporting that the Foreign Secretary has acted in response to concerns raised by the Business Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, highlighting a Foreign Office-funded NGO – the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) – manipulating legitimate counter-disinformation efforts to provide cover for the undermining of right-of-centre online publications by blacklisting them with advertisers.
Cameron confirmed in writing that “the FCDO has not funded GDI since 2023, and there are no current plans to do so.” UnHerd reports that Dave then underlined that section by hand, and added, a handwritten “thanks for pointing this out.”
Dave wrote that while countering disinformation from adversaries was important, “protecting free speech is a priority for the department”, going on to say that taxpayers funds should be used to “uphold our values”.
Separately, the Chair of the Select Committee on Communications and Digital in the Lords, Baroness Stowell has written to ministers in the Foreign Office and other departments with responsibility for Media and Creative Industries as well as Tech and the Digital Economy, looking for clarification in regard to GDI funding and influence. Looks like the days of the taxpayer funding efforts to defund non-woke media are over.
Apart from calling out Lloyd Russell-Moyle for claiming that his “reading” of the Cass report is that there is toxicity “on all sides” while he’s been responsible more than his fair share, Health Secretary Victoria Atkins last night delivered a cutting attack on Wes Streeting for the left’s divisive stoking of the culture war:
“We need more people to face up to the truth, no matter how uncomfortable that makes them feel. I hope he has the humility to understand that the ideology he and his colleagues espoused was part of the problem… Does he know that when he and his friends on the left cried culture wars when legitimate concerns were raised, a culture of intimidation was created?”
Streeting has already apologised for saying that “trans women are women“. The tide is turning on the failure of institutions to protect children – not that the left will show any humility…
Pediatrician Hilary Cass submitted her final report and recommendations for “gender identity services” for children. Among other things, Cass finds that there is no good long-term evidence on gender-related medical interventions in children, and recommends that the current policy of supplying hormones to children from 16 should be urgently reviewed. That follows on from NHS England’s recent ban on puberty blockers for children – the tide is turning…
Wes Streeting was quick to issue Labour’s endorsement: “Today’s report must provide a watershed moment for the NHS’s gender identity services. Children’s healthcare should always be led by evidence and children’s welfare, free from culture wars. Clinicians and parents alike want the best for children at this crucial developmental stage. This report provides an evidence-led framework to deliver that.” There may be a few lingering red faces over at Labour HQ for anti-Rosie Duffield briefers…
Despite Sunak’s attempts to make political hay out of the trans issue he simply welcomes the report and says “extreme caution” is needed when treating kids. Meanwhile, there’s not much noise from the LibDems…
