Tag Archives: The U.K. Telegraph

This Is NOT A New Story

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In 2014, I posted an article about the grooming scandal in Rotherham, England.

On August 31, 2014, The U.K. Telegraph reported (it is behind a paywall):

The Rotherham scandal and a series of cases in towns including Rochdale highlighted how evidence of Pakistani men targeting white girls for abuse was repeatedly played down for fear of accusations of racism.

Mr Danczuk (Simon Danczuk, who helped expose a pattern of grooming of white teenage girls by men from a Pakistani background in Rochdale, where he is the Labour MP) said the elements of Pakistani political culture itself were partly to blame for the cover-up.

“There are cultural issues around the way politics are done in the Asian community which have to change,” he said.

He said he had personally come under pressure from Asian councillors and members of the community for speaking out as well as being warned by prominent figures in his party.

He pointed to the way in which two Muslim councillors in Rochdale had provided character references for one of the perpetrators of the Rochdale abuse.

That was 10 years ago. At that time, it had been going on for sixteen years.

On January 8. 2025, The U.K. Telegraph reported:

Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips’ decision to block a public inquiry into the Oldham grooming gangs seems, from the outside, to be almost inexplicable. Children were raped and abused by gangs of men while the authorities failed to protect them.

A review of the abuse in Oldham was released in 2022, but its terms of reference only stretched from 2011-2014. Survivors from the town said that they wanted a government-led inquiry to cover a longer period, and catch what the previous review had missed. In Jess Phillips’s letter to the council, revealed by GB News, she said she understood the strength of feeling in the town, but thought it best for another local review to take place.

This is a scandal that should be rooted out entirely, and investigated by the full might of the British state. Voices ranging from Elon Musk to Kemi Badenoch have joined the calls for an inquiry. Yet the Government seems curiously reluctant to dig into the failings of officials.

Elon Musk has taken a lot of heat for calling for an investigation. Because the push-back he is receiving, I wonder exactly who is involved in this scandal. This is an important story. Western civilization cannot ignore the continuing abuse of children.

There Is No Moral Equivalency Here

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On November 13th, The U.K. Telegraph reported the following:

The IDF said it attempted to supply 300 litres of fuel for “urgent medical purposes” to Shifa hospital in Gaza City, but that Hamas prevented the hospital from receiving it – a charge which Hamas has denied.

Israeli troops said they placed the jerry cans of fuel close to the hospital, as had been coordinated with Shifa hospital officials.

“The IDF received evidence that Hamas officials prevented the hospitals from receiving the fuel,” the forces said.

Hamas denied it had refused 300 litres and said the offer “belittles the pain and suffering of the patients who are trapped inside without water, food, or electricity.”

It comes after three newborn babies died and dozens more were put at risk from a power outage caused by intense fighting nearby.

Late on Sunday, Al-Shifa and Gaza’s second largest hospital said they were suspending operations.

The article includes the following:

When Hamas decided to put their headquarters in a tunnel network under the hospital, they made the hospital a potential target. the Israeli Defense Forces have done everything they can to spare civilians, but when Hamas blocks fuel from the hospital, Hamas is guilty of war crimes. Civilized nations need to hold them accountable.

The Trip To Ireland

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The coronation of King Charles III will be held at Westminster Abbey on May 6. President Biden will not be in attendance. American Presidents generally send a delegation to the coronation rather than personally attending, so there is nothing unusual here. The First Lady will likely lead the delegation.

However, some of the press doesn’t see it that way.

On Wednesday, The U.K. Telegraph posted the headline, “Joe Biden has gravely insulted Britain.” The subtitle read, “The US President thinks nothing of lecturing the government on Northern Ireland policy, and has shown contempt for the Special Relationship.”

On Thursday, John Hinderaker at Power Line Blog quoted the Telegraph article:

President Biden’s insulting decision to prioritise Ireland over the UK on his visit to mark the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement should have come as no surprise. It is just as unsurprising as his decision to skip the coronation of King Charles III. Biden, like Barack Obama before him, has shown nothing but contempt for Great Britain and the Special Relationship.

Biden began his presidency in 2021 by removing a bust of Winston Churchill from the Oval Office. …

Biden’s insult towards Churchill and his memory set the tone for his presidency. His approach towards Britain, traditionally America’s closest friend and ally, has been sneering, arrogant and disrespectful. With deep roots in Ireland, Biden’s track record as a US Senator and Washington politician for half a century has been one of unyielding support for the Irish Republican cause. As recently as 2017 he was photographed with Gerry Adams and erstwhile IRA fugitive Rita O’Hare.

Biden’s missteps are not a surprise. Robert Gates, the former defense secretary, once remarked that President Biden has been “wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.”

It wasn’t necessary for President Biden to attend the coronation, but visiting Ireland just weeks before and skipping the coronation is tone-deaf.