People are waiting impatiently for Starmer to name his Minister for Women and Equalities.

Many are saying by rights it should be Rosie Duffield.

More likely it will be India Willoughby.… Read the rest

Ugh. Speaking of that whole issue of competence versus politics…defiance and “grit” and determination aren’t always or necessarily virtues.

US President Joe Biden vowed to stay the course in his re-election bid and defeat Donald Trump in a defiant speech on Friday, as questions continue to swirl over whether he will drop out of the race.

At a rally in Madison, Wisconsin, the 81-year-old acknowledged his disastrous performance in last week’s CNN debate. “Ever since then, there’s been a lot of speculation. What’s Joe going to do?” he told the crowd. “Here’s my answer. I am running and going to win again,” Mr Biden said, as supporters in the crucial battleground state cheered his name. It marked his

Such a fine young man.

The person who wrote this tweet has just been convicted of rape. I despair at the staggering naivety of so many people in decision-making roles who seem to believe that some topics let them off thinking about and dealing with the full dark complexity of humanity. pic.twitter.com/Md0aqbh0R6

— Lucy HunterBlackburn (@LucyHunterB) July 5, 2024

So it turns out that that Lexi Bowen was just convicted of rape? Why yes, as the BBC reported (badly, evasively) just a couple of days ago. I objected to its distortions at the time. I’m glad I’m not the only one.… Read the rest

Humanists UK on the long history of godless Prime Ministers:

In the run-up to the general election, several newspapers published stories saying that Keir Starmer would be the UK’s ‘first atheist Prime Minister’ – but as Humanists UK pointed out at the time, that simply was not true! As a non-religious person with a belief in ‘irreducible human dignity’ (as he put it to a recent biographer), Sir Keir is only the latest in a long line of non-religious and humanist heads of government in the UK.

I’m envious. It’s decidedly not the case over here in The Colonies.

Prior to becoming the first ever Labour Prime Minister in 1929, Ramsay MacDonald was the Chair (sometimes ‘President’) of Humanists

Originally a comment by Sackbut on Look how energizzzzzzzz.

Kevin Drum raised an interesting point on his blog. He began by expressing some sympathy for the Republicans who don’t like Trump, but nonetheless feel compelled to vote for him. Drum then muses about what it would take for him to vote for the Republican candidate for president (not specifically Trump, just in general).

At least one commenter noted that we aren’t just electing a president, we are electing an administration. The people appointed and hired by the president and those around him matter as much as the president. And they almost always come from one political party, that of the president. Given this, and even absent the aberration that … Read the rest

Remember “Sophie Molly”? From The Scotsman a few weeks ago:

parliamentary candidate for the Scottish Greens has defended calling JK Rowling a “torn-faced cow” on social media.

Sophie Molly, a trans woman who is standing in Gordon and Buchan at the general election, said she stood by the comment. Ms Rowling highlighted the insult after becoming embroiled in a row with Ms Molly on X over the weekend.

The Greens hopeful criticised a book the author has contributed to called The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht, which includes essays from a range of women who have been critical of the impact of trans issues on women’s sex-based rights. It was co-edited by Susan Dalgety, a columnist for The

Sigh.

President Biden and his top aides have said his appearances in the coming days are part of a series of campaign efforts designed to prove that his performance in last week's debate against Donald Trump was nothing more than "a bad night." https://t.co/KpJTxMEaAG

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 5, 2024

Nothing more than a bad night, eh? So we can be very sure it will never happen again? Even though it’s clearly been happening a lot, and getting worse? Even though we all know the arrow of time does not reverse course?

And then there’s the headline saying he stumbled over his words.

We’re doomed.… Read the rest

There’s nothing to worry about, it’s just that he gets exhausted and needs a lot of sleep.

Questions about Biden’s fitness for office and ability to seek a second term have swirled since his stunningly halting debate performance at last week’s CNN presidential debate.

CNN reported Thursday that Biden privately acknowledged to an ally earlier this week that the next stretch of days are critical as to whether he can save his reelection bid. The White House and campaign have insisted the president is not considering ending his campaign.

Asked about concerns about Biden’s age, top advisers have repeatedly and emphatically cited his aggressive schedules during international travel as examples of his vitality and capacity to do the job at

All RIGHT.

Dr Hilary Cass will sit as a cross-bench Member of the House of Lords. This is it. Never has a peerage been more well deserved. In floods of tears here that she has the recognition for the task she took on with such aplomb, curiosity, insight and fairness. https://t.co/TYNnpdthsZ

— Rachel Cashman (@CashmanRachel) July 4, 2024

Very very good news. … Read the rest

Ah. Yes, that’s the way to convince everyone that you’re the right choice for the grueling job – tell us you need more sleep and won’t be available after 8 pm. That’s very good, because there are never emergencies when presidents have to stay up late and deal with shit.

President Joe Biden told Democratic governors during a meeting at the White House on Wednesday that part of his plan going forward is to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m. so that he can get more sleep, according to three sources briefed on his comments.

Yeah, see, Joe, that was part of the issue all along. That’s always why it’s been tacitly understood that presidents over the age of … Read the rest

Oh that was a body positivity campaign was it? I didn’t realize.

Their fans are well accustomed to seeing Team GB’s women’s Olympic rugby players assert their prowess on the pitch. They are less accustomed, however, to seeing them in lingerie. 

Faced with a stiff training session ahead of the impending Olympic Games, the last thing sports aficionados would expect to encounter is these accomplished athletes practicing their moves in a series of racy lace bras, knickers, teddies and suspenders. Where were their sports bras? In fact, where were their clothes?

For this particular training session at Richmond Rugby Club in south west London, the women’s usual kit was very much surplus to requirements. Team GB members Ellie Boatman, Celia

MSN reports:

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has issued a rare rebuke against President Joe Biden after his administration recently stated its belief that gender-affirming surgeries should only be for adults. While transgender children rarely undergo such procedures, HRC said such decisions should be left between families and medical professionals rather than politicians.

While the nature and reality or lack thereof of “gender affirmation” of course should be left up to the “Human Rights” Campaign.

The Biden administration has repeatedly expressed support for the right of trans youth to access gender-affirming care. However, the White House said, “The Administration does not support surgery for minors,” after Fox News and The New York Times both reported on efforts by

So much for “higher” education.

Academics have condemned the University and College Union’s decision to campaign against a widely praised independent review into NHS treatment for gender-questioning children, claiming its position is “anti-scientific” and could expose researchers to harassment.

The outcry follows the unanimous vote by the UCU’s national executive committee to adopt a motion which claims that the landmark Cass Review into gender identity services for young people, published in April, “falls short of the standard of rigorous and ethical research expected of research professionals” and “provides no evidence for the ‘new approach’ it recommends”.

Which being interpreted means “we don’t like it.”

The 388-page report by Hilary Cass, a former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child

Consider carefully the malice. Seriously. Consider it very very very carefully. There’s a lot of it, and it’s persistent, and it targets mostly women. Get your considering boots on.

Sarah’s full tweet:

And as I have made very clear to the BSB, you need to consider carefully the malice behind much of this. This man requests anonymity – it is granted to the extent that I will not be informed of either complaint or response. Man then publishes entire thing to show that claimed fragility was bogus. If the BSB proceeded with this then presumably I would not be told the name of the accuser. I consider this unacceptable. Complainants must be named because – in my now considerable experience

As Biden digs in…

Defiance has become as much a part of Joe Biden’s psychology as Delaware.

Well that’s one way of putting it. Another way is that Joe Biden is all for Joe Biden.

But as the president and his inner circle dig in following his disastrous debate performance last week, a growing number of Democratic leaders are saying they want him to step aside for the good of the party – and the country.

“Digging in” isn’t always a virtue.

“There’s a large and increasing group of House Democrats concerned about the president’s candidacy, representing a broad swath of the caucus,” another House Democratic lawmaker told CNN on condition of anonymity to speak candidly. “We are deeply

BBC drools over guy who plays darts:

A transgender woman and darts player from Hull who has faced a wave of abuse and exclusion from competitions says she has been questioning her future within the game. Samantha Lewis’s passion for darts runs deep, and the sport has spanned generations in her family.

That is, his grandparents played darts and his father plays darts. Very generations-spanny, very newsworthy.

However, Ms Lewis, 28, has been left wondering if she should continue in the sport.

Here he is:

That arm, that wrist, that hand, those shoulders, that neck. Never mind darts, he could be wrestling bulls.

But oh dear, some people are saying men shouldn’t be playing in women’s darts competitions. Can … Read the rest

Oh interesting, Willoughby is now claiming to be persecuted and marginalized the way immigrants are.

Women aren’t countries India.

We’re people. pic.twitter.com/BAdND8c0Hi

— Dr. Jane Clare Jones (@janeclarejones) July 2, 2024

Which is so fascinating because you’ll never guess how he’s talked about immigrants himself.

The things India Willoughby has said on here and about immigration and support for Nigel Farage are a thousand times worse than anything JK Rowling has said.

— Paul (@greasydunlop) November 28, 2022

Meanwhile, India Willoughby – missing out on ‘Humanitarian Of The Year, 2020’ – managed to disgust Daily Mail readers with her racism, and lose her job on This Morning because she wanted to see asylum-seekers drown in an icy grey sea. pic.twitter.com/a6hywiQoQ2

Rock bottom.

This man is the lowest of the low. @IndiaWilloughby, you’re quite the sick fuck, aren’t you? pic.twitter.com/yOvATb3o5v

— Somebody Out There (@SirJackKubrick) July 2, 2024

… Read the rest

The Bookseller informs us:

Three of the biggest UK publishers’ Pride networks have responded to the launch of an anonymous gender critical network, releasing a joint statement saying “publishing should be a safe and inclusive space for all, including our trans and non-binary authors and colleagues”.

Also including our spinach-eating authors and colleagues and our sedentary authors and colleagues and our poker-playing authors and colleagues and our beer-drinking authors and colleagues…one could go on this way into infinity.

Who is saying publishing should not be a safe and inclusive space for anyone?

No one, of course. Not one damn person. You can search until your pith helmet is a mere rag but you won’t find anyone saying that.

And while … Read the rest

Another big surge forward on the road to hell.

The US supreme court’s decision on Monday to confer broad immunity to former presidents is likely to eviscerate numerous parts of the criminal prosecution against Donald Trump over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

In other words yes, the presidency is in effect a dictatorship.

Most crucially for the special counsel, Jack Smith, his prosecutors will not be able to introduce as evidence any acts deemed to be official, even as contextual information for jurors to show Trump’s intent.

“There’s such divinity doth hedge a king…”

The alleged illegal conduct came in five categories: Trump pressuring US justice department officials to open sham investigations into election