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The trans debate could cost this Cambridge porter his job | The Spectator
This is a story about a man called Kevin Price, who was until last week a councillor and who is, for now at least, employed as a porter at a Cambridge college.
The story illustrates two points. First, political conflict over trans rights and...
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James Kirkup
Say the words or lose your job: Cambridge students want to sack their servant because he won’t say “trans women are women”. spectator.co.uk/article/the-tr… via @spectator
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James Kirkup
Lots of women have faced threats to their jobs for questioning trans orthodoxy. Now a man is in the same trouble, will more people speak up? spectator.co.uk/article/the-tr… via @spectator
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What if Jeremy had won? - UnHerd
Britain would have had a very different pandemic under the leadership of Prime Minister Hunt
Can the Conservatives steal Labour's clothes on welfare? - UnHerd
The party that demonised shirkers could set a radical new agenda
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James Kirkup
Tories used to demonise benefits claimants as idle scroungers. Covid-unemployment means they need a new, more generous story on welfare.
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Did 'Eat Out to Help Out' cause a second wave? - UnHerd
Many believe the Government's policy was a health disaster — but their evidence is shaky
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James Kirkup
Did 'Eat Out to Help Out' cause a second wave?
My @SMFthinktank @aveek18 makes his debut for @UnHerd with an excellent bit of evidence-sifting and analysis.
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It's time to listen to the NHS gender clinic whistleblowers | The Spectator
Why are increasing numbers of children designated as transgender? Are the resulting medical interventions safe and justified and in the best long-term interests of those children?
These are questions of public interest. Some of the answers being...
What is to become of the Lib Dem cockroaches? - UnHerd
More interested in trans issues than the state of the nation, Ed Davey's party is facing extinction
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James Kirkup
Lib Dems used to boast about being cockroaches who could survive nuclear winter. That winter is here. Now they must scuttle away from identity politics & #FBPE extremism - and get back to generating liberal policies on issues voters actually care about.
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How women won the war against gender 'self-ID' | The Spectator
Liz Truss, in her role as equalities minister, has confirmed to Parliament that the Government will not amend the Gender Recognition Act 2004 to allow people to change their legal gender without the approval of doctors and officials. 'Self-ID' is...
What does transgender mean and what does the law say?
The rights of transgender people have been in the spotlight a lot in recent years.
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James Kirkup
PS I have criticised some BBC reporting on this issue in the past, but this bbc.co.uk/news/explainer… is a really good, solid and clear explainer on a complex issue.
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Response to Gender Recognition Act (2004) consultation
The Government's response to the Gender Recognition Act (2004) consultation
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James Kirkup
Liz Truss confirms to Parliament that the Government will not amend the Gender Recognition Act to allow people to chose their own legal gender without medical approval.
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London coronavirus economy tracker - Social Market Foundation
This report, commissioned by Peabody, examines the emerging impact of the coronavirus crisis on London’s economy. It explores the latest timely data on economic outcomes to
produce an as up-to-date picture as possible.
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James Kirkup
Latest @PeabodyLDN SMF London Coronavirus Economy tracker highlights something that should be better-recognised: London, and especially low-income London, is suffering more than other places. “Levelling up” and the recovery isn’t just about “the north”.
smf.co.uk/publications/l… pic.twitter.com/MrHSLGj2af
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Trans activists hate Rowling because she’s a woman
If you’re unwise enough to rely on Twitter for information about the world, you might be wondering if JK Rowling is dead. The hashtag #RIPJKRowling has been all over Twitter for several days but it’s
Imagine a world without the United States of America... - UnHerd
France and Britain have reached a stalemate in North America and no colonial rebellion ensues
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James Kirkup
If a Scottish economist had made different choices in 1721, France wouldn't have had a revolution, there would be no United States of America, Britain wouldn't have commanded India - and Waterloo Station would be in Paris. My 'What if....?' for @unherd
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A portrait of power, warts and all - UnHerd
A series set in Cromwell's England shows that taking control is easy enough — but keeping it is much harder
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James Kirkup
Strongly recommend anyone, but especially people interested in politics, read the Seeker novels by SG MacLean: her portrait of Cromwell’s England says a great deal about power and people.
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James Kirkup
SG MacLean’s brilliant novels about Cromwell’s England contain lessons for today’s politics. In particular, power is easy to capture but hard to keep.
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Duel Britannia: The myth of Britain's culture war | The Spectator
Can I make a confession? I’m not really interested in the Last Night of the Proms. I don’t think I’ve ever watched it. I don’t really know the words to 'Rule Britannia'. Or the other one.
Does that mean I hate Britain and all it stands for? Does...
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James Kirkup
Most of us don’t have strong feelings about things like the Last Night of the Proms. We are civilians in a culture war fought by a handful of paramilitaries. spectator.co.uk/article/duel-b… via @spectator
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Why I'm glad Boris and Starmer are sitting out the trans rights war | The Spectator
I’m starting to think that Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer have quite similar views about the politics of trans rights, sex and gender. I’m also inclined to think this could be a good thing.
In the last couple of weeks, both the PM and the Labour...
What MPs are still getting wrong about the trans debate | 25 February 2019 | The Spectator
I am a little late in coming to the recent report on community cohesion by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hate Crime. It was published earlier this month but drew little attention at Westminster: yet another example of Brexit smothering the...
What Dungeons and Dragons taught me about politics - UnHerd
The skills learned about heroes and monsters are relevant to many aspects of government
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James Kirkup
So, @TomChivers, your choice, sir: swords, pistols, or +3 magic halberds?
unherd.com/2020/08/what-d… pic.twitter.com/ckbNS6pWA5
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James Kirkup
Brexit: the ultimate Dungeons & Dragons campaign? unherd.com/2020/08/what-d… pic.twitter.com/3zBmkn2Cxs
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What explains the rising number of children with gender issues? | The Spectator
I have recently read a fascinating new paper, via a Mail on Sunday report, about the growing number of children presenting as transgender to gender clinics. It raises all sorts of questions, and deserves to be read widely and carefully. The paper,...
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James Kirkup
What explains the rising number of pre-teen girls with gender issues? TV programmes showing middle-aged transwomen? Or messages spread via YouTube and social media? Sadly, experts are reluctant to explore the most likely option. spectator.co.uk/article/do-tv-… via @spectator
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Don't forget about BTECs during the A-level circus | The Spectator
The summer ritual of A-level results day is so well known it's easy to forget the thousands of students receiving their BTec National results.
That’s the intro to a BBC News item on vocational qualification results issued today. It’s also the story...
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James Kirkup
250,000 kids are getting BTEC results today, but almost no one in politics or media talks about them. Ignoring the education of half the country does economic, social and political harm. spectator.co.uk/article/don-t-… via @spectator
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The BBC's failure to report gender identity accurately | The Spectator
‘Blackpool woman accessed child abuse images in hospital bed’.
It’s a good headline, in that it catches your attention.
But there are two things making it an effective headline, at least in the sense that it gets attention. One is the notion of...
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James Kirkup
The sex offender whose sentencing is covered in this BBC report is recorded by Lancashire Constabulary and in court documents as male. Shouldn’t the BBC have reported that? spectator.co.uk/article/the-bb… pic.twitter.com/KfCDJgOF0c
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James Kirkup
Reporting on sex and gender identity is complicated and sensitive for journalists. But in the end, it’s more important to tell the truth than to be nice. spectator.co.uk/article/the-bb… via @spectator
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