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[Starver]

In unrelated news, interesting that a politician is defending themselves against accusations that they recently held a more compassionate view... Arguments about total free-for-all gender identification aside, this was even at the time just a mere opportunistic nod towards not being as institutionally anti-Trans as some would wish it to remain, and yet the back-pedalling done in her current campaign has been quite aggressive, just to wipe out any signs of 'weakness' in their personal policy-portfolio.

Which just goes to show that they're targetting a very limited subset of people (a disproportionate fraction of the ~0.3% of the population that may get to vote on which of the final two candidates). If it doesn't collapse (like May vs Leadsom), which I actually rather hope it does, sometime before the end of the month, just for the lulz.

[Loud Whispers]

Oh yeah. Penny was one of those dark horse candidates who surprisingly made it far into the leadership contest and ended up vying for Rishi for the role. When it became apparent that they might actually win they switched their branding to try and win over the backbenchers by being all "I am turbo-Tory, more Tory than Tory is"

[hector13]

Well it’s nice to see that it’s just going to be more of the same bullshit but in a different suit when they eventually stop stabbing each other in the back and elect the PM.

[Loud Whispers]

I'm just glad Jeremy Hunt lost. He was the one with the biggest fetish for selling the NHS

[Great Order]

Personally I'm just please Patel didn't throw her hat into the ring. Might as well ask for MI5 to become the Gestapo at that point.

[Loud Whispers]

Personally I'm just please Patel didn't throw her hat into the ring. Might as well ask for MI5 to become the Gestapo at that point.

She'd probably pick a different spook org to empower because MI5 might not be fond of her

[feelotraveller]

Well the Lucy Lowe decision to prosecute for murder and not for rape was just a tactical one

A top cop told colleagues not to review a triple murder case investigated by his detective dad.
Telford abuse victim Lucy Lowe, 16, died with sister Sarah, 17, and 49-year-old mum Eileen, who was known as Linda, in a blaze started by cabbie Azhar Ali Mehmood, 25, in 2000.
Lucy met Mehmood when she was 13 and a year later had his daughter Tasnim – who survived the inferno after he placed her under a tree.
The Sunday Mirror revealed in 2018 the deaths were linked to the exploitation of hundreds of Shropshire girls.
A public inquiry sparked by our exposé is set to report on Tuesday and will examine whether the authorities failed Lucy.
We can reveal that, before the inquiry was commissioned, Supt Tom Harding signalled the Lowe case did not merit “review”.
The original murder probe was led by his father, Det Chief Insp Clive Harding, now retired. It is claimed officers were told Mehmood was part of a grooming gang. But it would be nine years before child sexual exploitation probe Operation Chalice was launched.
Of the Hardings, the force said there was no conflict of interest, adding: “In 2020, the CPS advised there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any sexual offences.”

Their boss thought there was no point going for a rape case where the evidence had already gone up in flames whereas the murder case already carried the max sentence and evidence was in abudance. Of note is not that they did not choose to prosecute for rape, but that they chose not to do a follow-up investigation to the extent of the rapes. To shed some light on this as well, police in this country have a habit of "statistics management." They look bad if there are large numbers of unsolved crimes or crimes without conviction so it seems likely that the superintendent (which is the lowest ranking of the senior police ranks, but still fairly senior) was content with securing the conviction of this one guy without even considering the possibility that this was part of a much larger network of child trafficking. If there really has been something deeper beyond the stated hypersensitivity, I still haven't found anything suggesting a deeper conspiracy. I can't say I see your point

The failure to investigate (which is what I originally said in a previous post, but thanks for the correction here) was likely tactically designed to avoid revealing the links to the grooming network.  It is not true that all the evidence went up in flames - at least Lucy's diaries which police handed over to Tasnim in 2018 survived.  In them Lucy wrote about how she was taken to perform sexual acts on multiple older men.  Her father George who also survived could have testified about the rape he allegedly heard taking place.  And as the quote you posted mentions officers investigating the murder were told that Mehmood was part of a grooming network so saying the police did not even consider this possibility is just wrong, they ignored it despite claims and seeming evidence to the contrary.  What other hard evidence might have been available we will likely never know.  I do not buy in to the 'statistics management' argument in this case, it is not impossible that it had some bearing but the pendant in me feels need to point out that your own account introduces something further, that is other than hypervigilance about appearing racist, to 'explain' why an investigation of potential sexual crimes was not undertaken.  As to claims of a 'deeper conspiracy' or 'everyone involved being a child rapist' these are not things that I said but rather comical exaggeration on your part.  So when you say "I can't see your point" please don't be disappointed when I merely shrug and say "Oh, I know."

What I can fully agree with is

So when the reports conclude that police were in fact aware in gross detail of it taking place over the last three decades, and aware that it was being done by the same men, and still chose to do nothing, it doesn't surprise me. Yet it still doesn't satisfy why nothing was done and why no one will ever face justice for this, or whether this kind of crime is still ongoing and we don't know about it for the exact same reasons it was allowed to happen in the first place. It gives me conniptions

it's just that I assess the 'reasons' for it happening differently.

[Loud Whispers]

Reasons being...?

[Il Palazzo]

but the pendant in me feels need to point out that

1. Why did you put the pendant in you, you naughty boy? Take it out before it causes a blockage.
2. Don't listen to the pendant. It's an inanimate object.

(runs away)

[Starver]

Should you have brooched that issue?

[Loud Whispers]

Should you have brooched that issue?

Well I can't clasp the issue

[Starver]

(Just watching today's episode of Pointless, whilst visiting somebody... Just had a round in which you had to name (obscure) members of the UK cabinet, post-2021 reshuffle. The three pairs of players were not very good at this, on the whole, although it was clearly recorded before the recent contest was anywhere near happening. I think at least two of the runners-and-riders were in the list of Pointless answers, and several others who you ought to know by now. If you're appropriately the right side of the geofenced (or VPNed) for iPlayer, you might consider watching just for that round (the second). )

[feelotraveller]

but the pendant in me feels need to point out that

1. Why did you put the pendant in you, you naughty boy? Take it out before it causes a blockage.
2. Don't listen to the pendant. It's an inanimate object.

(runs away)

What i do with my pendant is nobody's business but my own.

No need to runaway, that's a funny typo.   


Separately, maybe the Tories should consider Scott Morrision as leader, seeing as he's such a proper god-fearing sort.

“Do you believe that if you lose an election that God still loves you and has a plan for you?” he asked to applause and laughter.  “I do. I still believe in miracles. God has secured your future, all of it. Yeah, even that bit.”
...
“We trust in Him. We don’t trust in governments. We don’t trust in United Nations, thank goodness,” Mr Morrison said.
...
During his address, Mr Morrison also took aim at “safe spaces” that he said had been “taken out of so much context” that they no longer meant a place between someone and God.  “Don’t get me started,” Mr Morrison said.

Or are they genuinely worried Boris might take his words to heart?

[Loud Whispers]

God is finally smiting Western Europe for its many sins. I am melting in this heat, and must continue walking to work in the heat as the trains have all fucking melted too

[hector13]

It’s not that bad. You only get that heat for a bit.