I was only half listening to the news at the end of the week, and over the weekend, preoccupied as I was with a five-hour drive to Edinburgh. I’d have followed it closely on the radio in the car but as soon as I put it on Mrs Watson, who likes to drive or be driven without any ‘babble’, asks if there is something I am specifically listening to – to which my response is invariably “clearly not and no longer” and off it goes. It would make no difference if I said “yes”.
So, only able to pick up the occasional snippets, I clearly misheard one aspect of the reshuffle caused by the departure of serial house purchaser and persistent tax avoider Angela Rayner. I thought I heard that Shamima Begum had been appointed Home Secretary. This kept me amused for a few miles until we swapped places at the wheel and I could check my phone. Turns out that it was even worse. Shabana Mahmood had been appointed as Home Secretary.
I had been wondering what policies an air-headed ISIS pinup girl could possibly enact. Given her treatment at the hands of the medieval Islamic savages while she acted as a comfort girl for them, there was an outside chance that she might be even tougher on our own enemy within, who we seem unable or unwilling to fight on the beaches, than a succession of Home Secretaries to date. Surely, she has had the Muslimness shagged right out of her; certainly, it looks that way when you see her.
But Shabana Mahmood has brains, experience, and is a Muslim for whom – as she has declared – her faith comes first. If her faith comes first then her values must be completely at odds with our British values of freedom, tolerance and equality (and diversity) as none of these things are visible in Muslim societies. Richard North asks in TCW Defending Freedom “How can a devout Muslim safeguard security and freedoms built on Western values?” Zia Yusuf, head of Reform’s DOGE, has apparently caught her taking exception to “white, males” holding the English flag. She hates us and she hates the St George’s flag.
Of course, the conclusion is that she can’t safeguard security and freedoms built on Western values. She cannot possibly defend values in which she does not believe. As a practising Roman Catholic, I hate our country. To be more specific, I hate what we have become. I hate our government, and I hate the woke values that dominate our policies and institutions. But as a Christian, I am exhorted – by none other than Jesus Himself – to render unto Caesar and to love my enemy.
I interpret that as doing all I am permitted to do, within the law, to shine a spotlight and effect change wherever I have the necessary influence. Ms Mahmood has no such restraints emanating from her religion – which “comes first”. Islam is about discrimination against women, dominance over and death to infidels, and the implementation of Sharia law. Correct me if I am wrong.
I don’t envisage Shabana Mahmood entering the House of Commons with an AK-47 and spraying her fellow legislators with bullets. But her presence as a prominent Muslim in such a prominent position, without the apparent will to demonstrate her patriotism, gives power to the elbows of those who may. She claims that she will be tough on illegal migrants. Pull the other one Shabana. Possibly encouraged by the news that she had been appointed, we ‘welcomed’ over 1000 illegal migrants to our southeastern shores on Saturday.
Further down the reshuffle kerfuffle, Net Zero Brains Ed Miliband was asked to step down but refused to go. Did I read that correctly? “Asked” and “refused”. Starmer’s failure to remove one of the most unpopular and frankly ridiculous members of his government speaks volumes about his leadership skills. Non-existent. I’ll bet Ange is kicking herself now, she should have waited to be asked to resign…and refused.
Ange’s departure has left a vacuum where a black hole already existed. That of the meaningless and pointless position of Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. It seems to be an assumption that the replacement will be a woman. Take a look at the potential candidates – a peek is about all you’ll manage – and consider the possibilities. Sir Keir’s alleged penchant for Ukrainian rent boys may, in part, be explained by the women with whom he surrounds himself. Mrs Starmer clearly wants nothing to do with him.
But every cloud. The reshuffle brings Brain of Britain David Lammy back into the spotlight as Deputy Prime Minister. This raises the possibility that we will see him in action, deputising for the Prime Minister, at PMQs. The extent of his ignorance is legendary. His performance on Mastermind proved that he was anything but. More recently, he had to report himself to the Environment Agency for fishing without a licence. We may never have known except that he decided to do this with the US Vice-President JD Vance. Stupid or what?
Starmer probably thinks that he has saved the day with this reshuffle. But I think he will find otherwise when we go to the polls. He may even be ousted long before a general election if some Labour MPS have any sway over the party. Meantime, unrestrained by any straitjackets – physical or metaphorical – the lunatics are still firmly in charge of the asylum.
Roger Watson is a retired academic, editor and writer. He is a columnist with Unity News Network and writes regularly for a range of conservative journals including The Salisbury Review and The European Conservative. He has travelled and worked extensively in the Far East and the Middle East. He lives in Kingston upon Hull, UK.
If you enjoy The New Conservative and would like to support our work, please consider buying us a coffee or sharing this piece with your friends – it would really help to keep us going. Thank you!
(Photograph: UK Home Office, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
No Moslems should be in positions of authority given their faith being at odds with modern democracy – however some comfort might be taken in the case of Ms. Mahmood who can’t be particularly devout or she’d let her husband, father or sons fulfill their destiny to be in charge of the serious stuff (and she’d surely wear more encompassing attire)?
I have no idea why some words are underlined.
The underlining disappared!
Well, my entire (short) comment disappeared!
Patricia, sorry about that. The system automatically withholds comments with links – it has to, otherwise we get drowned in spam. Will try to approve in a timely fashion.
Thank you for letting me know. It was just an initial comment, saying I’d be back later to comment properly – in short, I was pointing out to the author of the article that describing himself as a “practising Roman Catholic” was incorrect, that that title only came into use when it was introduced by the Anglicans at the time of the Reformation – the Church’s name is simply “the Catholic Church” (I, too, am a practising Catholic!) The link I included was to a short article giving the essential historical information and was entitled how did the Catholic Church get her name. I’m deliberately not capitalising it as a title in case this doesn’t get through either. I was planning to return asap to comment properly on the article – the excellent article which I originally had just skimmed – but now I have to go out for a couple of hours. I will return, though to agree with the author on everything except the name of the Church, LOL! For the record, I know that most Catholics use the same adjective and it is displayed across parish and diocesan website all over the place but it’s incorrect, nevertheless. Again, thank you for taking the trouble to let me know about links. I’ll remember that now.
Afraid the horse has long since bolted. You only have to look a local councils or Mayor ships to understand the infiltration by Muslims.
I’ve just skimmed this article so will be back to read it more carefully later but I always stop short when I read “As a practising Roman Catholic…” Because, as a practising Catholic myself, I know that “Roman Catholic” is not the name of the Church. It was added at the Reformation by the Anglican protesters. Not sure if links are allowed here but I’ll give it a try – this gives a brief history of “How did the Catholic Church Get Her Name”.
https://www.christianorder.com/files/HOW%20DID%20THE%20CATHOLIC%20CHURCH%20GET%20HER%20NAME.pdf
What treachery has been meted out to the British citizen by our own establishment.
I don’t understand how, if Starmer is supposed to be the ‘leader’ and presumably ‘boss’ of his so called Party, Millibrain, when asked (why not ‘told’?) to reshuffle, can get away with simply refusing. Nope, not going. How is this possible? Has he got something on Starmer? Was a bribe exchanged?Contrary to what you say, It is claimed that he is far and away the most popular member of the Government. Perhaps you meant unpopular with the public, but when did our opinion ever matter?
But how can he just refuse? What if Yvette Cooper had refused to reshuffle from being Home Secretary – no, I like it here, I’ve been Shadow Home Secretary for 14 years (has she?), or Lammy refused to reshuffle from being Foreign Secretary? Would Starmer simply have said, oh, OK then? I thought an order from the boss was an order from the boss, however ludicrous and weak he is.
Have I missed something here – I don’t pretend to be a political genius. Is a ‘reshuffle’ just ‘advisory’? It makes no sense, if anything does these days. And why is the media not making a lot more fuss about this? Millibrain is a dangerous and borderline insane, yet seems to have more power than his ‘boss’. Please explain, somebody.
Perhaps Mad Milly’s refusal to go (if true) might have something to do with the possibility that no others are daft enough to take on this unpopular cause as they (and we) know it will eventually be exposed for the scandal that it is? Of course there will be those Labour MPs not yet in the inner circle who would still jump at the opportunity (being themselves a bit dim) but their ineptitude might damage the cause and anyway Mad Milly might find his resurrection as Labour Leader impossible if kept on as Green stooge.
First class article – getting to the point and staying there: a rare gift these days.
The writer is spot on throughout, especially with this observation: “I don’t envisage Shabana Mahmood entering the House of Commons with an AK-47 and spraying her fellow legislators with bullets.” No. The tactics in this day and age are different, much more subtle, if no less obvious: get into Government leadership positions (and any other leadership positions around) until a majority is all but achieved across the UK.
I found a very interesting article on Christian marriage today in which several suggestions were offered to get the indigenous population back in the saddle but oddly, the only one omitted, the one suggestion that would turn things around if it caught on, was “have more children”. Drum roll.
For, sure as night follows day, until we take seriously the duty to “multiply” (within marriage!) we can expect the demographics in the UK to continue to change until we are very far from being the indigenous population any more.
Again, terrific article: “reshuffle kerfuffle” – love it!
Pingback: Emily Thornberry Is the New Mrs Dutt-Pauker - The New Conservative
Pingback: One in (No)One Out - The New Conservative