'WOKE', 'CANCEL' & 'VIRTUE SIGNALLING'

[Roger]

A joy to read this - get back to the Job FGS   

"The public are “fed up” with police officers' virtue-signalling rather than locking up burglars, one of Britain’s most senior police officers has said. Stephen Watson, the new chief constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), said police officers' traditional impartiality is being put at risk by “making common cause” with campaign groups by, for example, taking the knee or wearing rainbow shoelaces.

He believes the public's tolerance of “woke” policing is at a “high water mark” and needs to be rebalanced. Asked if he would take the knee in uniform, he said: “No, I absolutely would not. I would probably kneel before the Queen, God, and Mrs Watson, that’s it.” Mr Watson, 53, has been handed one of the toughest jobs in policing: to turn around one of Britain’s biggest forces after excoriating criticism of its poor performance and the premature departure of its previous chief constable.

In an interview with The Telegraph, he pledged to restore confidence by investigating every crime however “minor”, banning the recent fashion for “screening out” weak cases and restoring neighbourhood policing, or more colloquially “bobbies on the beat”."

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/13/public-fed-virtue-signalling-police-should-locking-burglars/

[Roger]

Are we seeing the beginning of a fight back against this rubbish ?   

Now University Professors :-

"Lord Wharton, who chairs the Office for Students, says the academic boycott was setting a 'deeply concerning precedent'

The head of the universities watchdog today declares that academics should "leave their personal political views at home” as he accuses Oxford dons protesting over a Cecil Rhodes statue of prioritising "high-flown rhetoric" over students' education. Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Lord Wharton, who chairs the Office for Students, says that more than 150 academics threatening to boycott teaching at Oriel College were setting a "deeply concerning precedent". The former Conservative MP says many people would find the move "baffling and inexcusable", stating: "I wonder how many working people would threaten to effectively work to rule to change the building or logo of their employer."

The intervention by Lord Wharton, who previously ran Boris Johnson's leadership campaign, will inflame a row that has become the latest battle in the culture wars engulfing British public life. Yesterday, Lord Mendoza, the provost of the 700-year-old Oriel College, said that he had received an "enormous" number of offers from other academics volunteering to fill in for dozens of colleagues who had threatened a boycott over the college's decision to retain a statue of Rhodes.

The rebel dons have said that they will refuse to give tutorials to Oriel's undergraduate students and discontinue any assistance they give the college with its outreach work, including interviewing undergraduates. They have also pledged to withdraw from all talks, seminars and conferences sponsored by Oriel and halt their involvement in recruiting fellows or any other appointments at the college.

Separately a Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll for The Sunday Telegraph found that 44 per cent of people disagree with statues of historical figures being taken down if their views or actions are now considered unacceptable, compared to 30 per cent who said such monuments should be removed. Writing in this newspaper, (read the full piece below) Lord Wharton states: "This is an abuse of their privileged status and is at the expense of students.  I wonder how many working people would threaten to effectively work to rule to change the building or logo of their employer. Many ordinary people will find it baffling and inexcusable, doubly so in such challenging times." "

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/12/universities-regulator-says-academics-should-leave-personal/

[caller]

Just  replace them with other academics. Job done.

[Roger]

Caller I agree. It's a bit like the bloody footballers - play football and keep views on politics and racism off the pitch - IMO that's why the fans are booing.

Likewise for the Prof's - get on with what you ARE paid for !

[Roger]

Good to read 

"Exodus over transgender advice continues as Government pulls out of Stonewall diversity training

The Government has pulled out of Stonewall diversity training, The Telegraph can reveal, as an exodus over its transgender advice continues. The Cabinet Office confirmed that it and the Government Equalities Office have ended membership of the controversial LGBT charity's Diversity Champions scheme.

Officials quietly left last year over “value for money” concerns, but the move has only just emerged in the most high-profile blow for the charity so far. It comes as Liz Truss, the women and equalities minister, suggested all Government departments cut ties over growing fears that the scheme lobbies for workplace policies that risk being at odds with the 2010 Equality Act. The programme counts 250 Whitehall departments and public bodies among its 850 members, who pay at least £2,500 a year for guidance on pronouns and gender-neutral facilities.

Employers are urged to drop gendered terms like “mother” for a spot on Stonewall's coveted equality league table. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Justice triggered an expected “exodus” of Whitehall departments from the scheme, with Robert Buckland, the Justice Secretary, drawing up withdrawal plans over disquiet that its “dubious” trans tips stifle free speech. In recent weeks, human rights watchdog the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, Channel 4, Ofsted, employment dispute service Acas and a string of police forces, councils and universities have all confirmed they have cut ties with Stonewall.

Ms Truss, whose equalities department falls under the Cabinet Office, is understood to be concerned that taxpayers are still funding multiple Government agencies to subscribe to the scheme, including the Home Office and Foreign Office. As the central arm of the Government, the Cabinet Office is understood to be responsible for deciding whether other departments now follow suit and leave.

Last month, in a landmark report, the barrister Akua Reindorf accused Stonewall of “potential illegalities” in its advice to Essex University, and claimed its trans policy “states the law as Stonewall would prefer it to be, rather than the law as it is”. Legal experts and women’s rights groups claim that Stonewall’s guidance downplays legal protections for biological sex by allowing male-born trans women to enter female lavatories and changing rooms, and silences employees who disagree.

Maya Forstater, co-founder of human rights group Sex Matters, welcomed the Cabinet Office’s exit. “Government departments should not be paying lobby groups to police what their staff say and do,” she said. “Stonewall has a clear political agenda to change the law based around gender identity, rather than sex, and they advance this through the Champions Scheme and Workplace Equality Index with government departments. “This relationship was never appropriate and we hope that with the Cabinet Office leaving other government departments and public agencies will soon follow.”

A Government spokesman confirmed the civil service remains a Diversity Champions member. He said: "The Cabinet Office and Equality Hub support inclusive workplaces and, as has been the case for many years, departments work with a variety of external schemes.” The Telegraph previously revealed that Stonewall advises organisations to replace the term mother with “parent who has given birth” to help boost their ranking on its equality leaderboard, and adopt gender-neutral language and pronouns.

The charity’s accounts show it received at least £2.6 million in government grants between 2015 and 2019, with the Department for Education the biggest spender - £934,424 - and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office the second at £660,028. Stonewall said it is “very proud” of its work to promote LGBT-inclusive workplaces that tackle discrimination and prejudice. A spokesman said: “As with every membership programme, organisations come and go depending on what works best for them at the time, but we’re pleased to say that our Diversity Champions programme is continuing to grow… by thirty organisations in total [this year].”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/06/17/government-pulls-stonewall-diversity-training-exodus-transgender/

[Roger]

One step forward . . . . "Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, has ordered the Home Office to scrap the courses for staff after it emerged that Border Force and UK Visas and Immigration, two of the department's agencies, offered training intended to alert people to hidden prejudices they may harbour. Spending records show Border Force paid £32,510 last year to Challenge Consultancy, a diversity firm that previously said Peter Pan character Captain Hook represented a "sinister" message on disability. The Telegraph has previously reported that Challenge has used the slogan "if you have a brain, you have a bias" in its resources, and its founder Femi Otitoju said in a 2019 interview that she "only worked in order to be an activist". In December last year, a government review led to ministers concluding that “unconscious bias training does not achieve its intended aims”. The Government said the training “will therefore be phased out in the civil service”." https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/06/19/exclusive-priti-patel-axes-unconscious-bias-training-border/

And five steps back     "The role of head girl at one of Britain’s leading girls’ schools will be renamed because it is seen as “too binary”. St Paul’s Girls’ School in Hammersmith, which charges pupils £26,000-per-year, is to rename the position to head of school after pupils asked for it to be given a more inclusive title. Helen Semple, the deputy head of the school, gave a training session in April during which it was claimed that there are at least 150 different gender identities. The session, which was called ‘Beyond the Binary: Understanding how to be inclusive for all gender identities’, welcomed Emma Cusdin, a transgender woman whose company Global Butterflies “helps companies create trans inclusive working environments”.

"The LGBTQI world is an amazing rainbow of positivity and labels. We love labels. We love terminology, we love flags, we love parties," Ms Cusdin reportedly said at the meeting. "Young people are finding amazing ways to self-identify. At the last count, we stopped counting at 150 gender identities that people are self-identifying [as]. We did a little quiz in terms of what the 150 are - I know about 30, in terms of what the definitions are. Parents should not be “afraid to ask” their children about unfamiliar terminology surrounding gender and often “haven’t had access” to the same education around gender issues as school staff, Ms Cusin added" . . . .
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/19/st-pauls-girls-school-rename-role-head-girl-binary-connotations/          

[Roger]

The largely 'woke' EU has ganged up on Victor Orban the PM of Hungary, who objects to the promotion of homosexuality in Schools to those under 18 - I agree with Orban but 16 might be better than 18    Merkel and Macron raise their woke eyebrows and Rutter of the Netherlands suggest Hungary cannot continue to be a Member of the EU . . . . .

Victor Orban - “I am a fighter for their rights. I am a freedom fighter in the communist regime. Homosexuality was punished and I fought for their freedom and their rights. So I am defending the rights of the homosexual guys, but this law is not about that,” he said. “The law is about to decide what kind of way parents would like to sexually educate the kids.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/24/eu-leaders-to-confront-hungarys-viktor-orban-over-lgbtq-rights

Good to see that the Leaders of some other EU Members agree with him - mainly the eastern 'bloc' plus Portugal https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/06/25/hungary-lgbt-propaganda-law-european-union-leaders-condemned-slovenia-poland/

This one will run and run . . . . .

[Robert]

Hi Roger,

The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage in December 2000. Four couples wed at Amsterdam's town hall literally minutes after the law came into effect on April 1, 2001.

Maybe you can better understand why Mark Rutte (his correct name) spoke out regarding this law. Mr. Orban also restricted other things which are not according to EU principles.  Mark Rutte said if you do not like EU then leave like the British, nothing more nothing less. If you are in the EU you also have benefits.

Have a nice day.

[caller]

It's actually a stupid call by Rutte and probably has  more to do with Orban's rule in Hungary generally, rather than just on this one issue. Can you imagine the upheaval if Hungary, then Poland actually left? It's not going to happen.

It's all  part  of the larger EU problem of a centralised liberal left centre, as far detached form ordinary people as they possibly can be, always seeking to issue diktat's over rules and standards based on their own principles, without much thought being given to how they will be received (you will obey).

But in fairness, it's a system acceptable to most EU member states, and their citizens presumably, as that is how their own Countries are run, many with limited histories as nation states, where a few, rather than the many, have always taken the lead (Frances 'political class').

It's one of the reasons the UK was always at odds with the majority. 

[Robert]

But please do not forget that at this time there are trying to form a government (already just over 100 days trying) in The Netherlands. So Rutte wanted to look strong and made this comment. Could have done more diplomatic way but all those politicians use words (not so much action IMHO).

"It's actually a stupid call by Rutte and probably has  more to do with Orban's rule in Hungary generally, rather than just on this one issue."
I wrote already:  Mr. Orban also restricted other things which are not according to EU principles.

UK is out of the EU already so why still so many comments about EU? Why not tried to change things when still in the EU? For me personally I do not comment about things happening in the UK as up to UK.

[Roger]

Hi Robert - yes Rutte - I spelt the phonetic   

You say - "Why not tried (try) to change things when still in the EU?" - surely the UK tried very hard to change things throughout it's long membership and this culminated in David Cameron's failed negotiations and the Referendum to remain or leave ?

Coming back to the point - I wouldn't regard myself as homophobic but I am personally very much against the positive promotion of LGBT matters with children and young people.

Well done Victor Orban   

[caller]

UK is out of the EU already so why still so many comments about EU? Why not tried to change things when still in the EU? For me personally I do not comment about things happening in the UK as up to UK.

I only responded to your post!

I take your point about Rutte and trying to form a coalition - how long are they given.

My general view is that the EU should step back from trying to make one bloc all think and behave the same. It's not necessary and just causes friction.

It will be certainly be interesting to see what happens to the EU if both Merkel and Macron depart the stage. I'm not suggesting it's imminent collapse or anything like that, which would actually be a disaster, but a shift in direction of the leadership to smaller states would be welcomed by many I think. It has been bossed by Germany and to a lesser degree, France, for too long.

[Robert]

I only responded to your post!

I take your point about Rutte and trying to form a coalition - how long are they given.

My general view is that the EU should step back from trying to make one bloc all think and behave the same. It's not necessary and just causes friction.

It will be certainly be interesting to see what happens to the EU if both Merkel and Macron depart the stage. I'm not suggesting it's imminent collapse or anything like that, which would actually be a disaster, but a shift in direction of the leadership to smaller states would be welcomed by many I think. It has been bossed by Germany and to a lesser degree, France, for too long.

I only responded to your post! Okay fair enough, my apologies.

I take your point about Rutte and trying to form a coalition - how long are they given. Do not know, will have to see 

It has been bossed by Germany and to a lesser degree, France, for too long. Fully agree for 100%

[Roger]

Comments from Mrs Murray and others in examples of some modern nonsenses we'd best be without !

" . . . Judy Murray is right in her tirade against the more than half of UK primary schools who no longer “believe in” competitive sports and refuse to announce “winners” and “losers” at the end-of-term sports days. "

 " . . . the banning of red pens in some schools. Back in LA, I remember having to bite my tongue when my daughter’s teacher explained that “because the kids find it too upsetting to have mistakes circled in red, we use pink instead”. Pink? Why not one of those rainbow markers my nine-year-old loves, with a scattering of gilt stars while we’re at it?"

" . . . do we ban all exams? Lie to kids right up until the age of 18 – “losing is just as good as winning” – and unleash a generation into the world who fall at the first hurdle and lie there crumpled and sobbing if they aren’t constantly praised for things they aren’t much good at?"

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/columnists/2021/06/28/judy-murray-spot-children-need-know-feels-like-lose/

[Roger]

One of my favourite songs from Queen, "I'm going slightly mad !" great lyrics   

https://youtu.be/Od6hY_50Dh0

Which brings me to this line - 'one wave short of a shipwreck' :-

Just like this bl**dy School : "Despite its rarefied status, this elite seat of learning is at the epicentre of a spectacular and utterly toxic dispute over claims that a cabal of Left-wing staff are seeking to brainwash impressionable pupils via ultra-woke 'identity politics'. The row culminated last week in a group of concerned parents sending its headteacher, Robin Appleby, a 12-page complaint accusing ASL of 'institutional racism' and 'indoctrination' of children via the teaching of 'critical race theory', a 'controversial and divisive' ideology that revolves around the concept of 'white privilege'.

The parents argue that 'partisan' teaching has created a 'culture of fear' that is 'harmful to our children's mental health' and claim the school's treatment of race and gender issues breaks the Education Act. The detailed letter also alleges that a recent decision by ASL to create racially segregated after-school clubs, in which pupils mix solely with peers of the same ethnicity, breaches the Equality Act. 'It feels like ASL has fallen into the hands of a woke cult,' says one of its authors. 'Every subject, from art to literature to history, is now being taught through a prism of race or gender, at times to very young children."

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9739259/Indoctrination-generation-Racially-segregated-clubs-white-pupils-told-theyre-oppressors.html

And there you have it   

[Roger]

Despite being typical of the BBC's 'Woke' thrust, I've been watching 'Vigil', in six parts, about a plot to embarrass the Royal Navy by disabling a nuclear sub on patrol. Soppy rubbish, as noted here in the DT https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2021/09/26/vigil-episode-6-review-tv-drama-bad-could-russian-propaganda/

I was moved to add a comment which hit the DT's 'most liked' list briefly - to my surprise as I thought I might be slaughtered as unwoke :-

"DCI Silva - blundering around cluelessly and frankly not strong enough for the job - her survival was pure luck and due to the sacrifice and muscle of several male characters.. This series was awful beyond belief - the BBC's preoccupation with shoving the purity of their 'wokeness' down our throats again - the Captain is of course black and the 2 Senior Police and one of the two MI5 investigators are women. Naturally, the 2 Police Ladies happen to be in a lesbian affair.

Trash, indigestible rubbish - I will be giving the advertised next thriller by this crass team the widest of berths . . . "

This says it all about the BBC - a few days ago in the DT - "Tim Davie, the director-general of the BBC, has been given a pay rise of £75,000 after one year in the role. The broadcast executive succeeded Lord Hall of Birkenhead in September 2020, and was given the same remuneration as the former boss, taking home £450,000. Mr Davie’s pay has now increased 15% to £525,000 after a year leading the corporation, making his salary more than three times higher than that of Boris Johnson, who earns £160,000 a year. The increase moves the director-general closer to the £600,000 he previously earned as head of BBC Studios, the corporation’s commercial arm."

It's raining here too        

[Roger]

I can hardly believe my ears and eyes when I see these 'goings on'   

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-10540621/SARAH-VINE-Gender-neutral-loos-prove-weve-gone-mad.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-10540659/JANET-STREET-PORTER-Airbrushing-mum-dad-depressing-victory-PC-brigade.html

[Roger]

I was delighted to see this today - well done Jacob !    Here's the sentiment of it - "Work is a serious place of business to deliver things for taxpayers who are paying politicians and civil servants for their time." IMO a good article and the action, well overdue. . . . . .

"Jacob Rees-Mogg has ordered more than 250 “woke” training courses to be scrapped after launching a crackdown on Civil Service “indoctrination”. The Cabinet Office minister has axed 60 per cent of the wellness, inclusion and diversity courses available to civil servants in his department, and has written to other ministers urging them to do the same.

The courses scrapped include motivational sessions entitled “Find Your Mojo”, “Give Me Strength” and “Buddy to Boss”. They also include courses Mr Rees-Mogg claimed were “indoctrinating” civil servants with “divisive ideological agendas” such as instruction in micro-aggressions and micro-behaviours.

A course delivered by the Behavioural Insights Team – also known as the Nudge Unit – entitled “De-biasing Decision-making” has also been scrapped. An online description says it “enables participants to use behavioural insights to counter cognitive biases in government and make better calibrated decisions and judgments, ultimately resulting in better project planning, delivery and policy outcome.

But Mr Rees-Mogg dismissed the courses as a waste of taxpayers’ money and civil servants’ time, telling The Telegraph: “We cannot make taxpayers pay for civil servants to take courses with names like ‘Find Your Mojo’, ‘Buddy to Boss’ or ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’.

“Courses like this are being scrapped so that civil servants can develop genuinely useful skills instead of being indoctrinated in the divisive ideological agendas that have permeated some of these courses.” "

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/09/01/jacob-rees-mogg-axes-250-woke-civil-service-training-courses/

[Alfie]

Jacob Rees-Mogg for the next PM!

[Coolkorat]

Jacob Rees-Mogg for the next PM!

God help the UK....