Today on the Guardian is a voice-blog interview with Gaby Hinsliffe and Sonia Sodha - good pretty sensible (tho' liberal not terribly 'left-wing') journalists. I thought the interview was full of some useful thoughts and facts. At: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/audio/2025/jan/09/grooming-gangs-do-we-need-another-inquiry-politics-weekly-uk-podcast
Since it is about 30 minutes: I give some time indicators of what I thought were some key discussion points. “This episode talks about grooming, rape and trafficking, which some listeners might find upsetting. The government has resisted calls for another inquiry into grooming gangs. But with questions still unanswered, are survivors getting the justice they deserve? And why has the issue become so politicised? The Guardian’s John Harris is joined by columnist Gaby Hinsliff and Observer columnist Sonia Sodha to discuss.” 6 mins-7 mins - National prevalence. Sonia Sodha. 7 mins-30 sec – Tory neglecting the prior Alexis Jay report and its 22 recommendations. 8 mins 20 sec – Do we need to have another enquiry - Hinsliff? ‘Stench of opportunism’ from those on right calling for another enquiry 10 mins – Keri Starmer’s role – changes guidelines to make ‘unreliable’ young witnesses to the trials to the 11 min 40 s on - Several reports note that there is hesitancy about talking about immigrants after the 2001 Oldham riots; & Labour Party 12 min –14 min - Is a new enquiry needed again, Sodha notes the enquiries stated “we do not have enough data on the prevalence” so we need a new national enquiry. Police have *not* been collecting data on ethnicity despite being instructed to do so. Causality. . . ?! 15 min - national review not equal to a national enquiry 17 min - Police and front-line workers accountability; 18 47 on - Tory Party opportunism and inflammatory. Especially 19.30 Words Robert Jenryck (Shadow Justice Secretary) & Kemi Badenoch exacerbating sentiments – result of “alien cultures” – explicit linkages with reducing immigration. 25 mins - Deportations if dual citizenship 26 min - Starmer picks up Jay’s recommendation on ‘mandatory reporting’. Anyway - surely (? - well maybe not 'surely') . . . we might all agree as a minimum, as Leftists that: i) There is no peculiar "Pakistani" gene or social exclusive perversion to rape. ii) Links between poverty/powerlessness/class are strongly associated with childhood deprivation cycles and propensity to victimisation. (For time-space I am not going to reference this here) iii) Fascist/Right wingers have leapt on this issue from sheer opportunism, and are able to make some hay - since: iv) The powers that be have indulged in cover ups - but likely at local levels of city-town leadership including police and social care agencies. . . But apparently not at Starmer's door despite all his other short comings https://mlrg.online/politics/summer-of-open-fascist-riots-in-britain-legacy-of-tory-misrule-and-labour-spinelessness/ v) Before anyone points to me for saying Starmer's clean on this one. . . " -> At: https://mlrg.online/politics/summer-of-open-fascist-riots-in-britain-legacy-of-tory-misrule-and-labour-spinelessness/ -> "Keir Starmer himself is a staunch upholder of British traditional power. He is simply a staider version of Blair flashiness. A recent summary of his previous ‘form’, puts his much-praised legal skills into the proper context: “Throughout his legal and political career, Mr. Starmer has displayed a deeply authoritarian impulse, acting on behalf of the powerful…. Feted by the judicial establishment, Mr. Starmer was hired to run the Crown Prosecution Service in 2008, putting him in charge of criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. Professional success brought him closer to the state, which he repeatedly sought to shield from scrutiny. He did not bring charges against the police officers who killed Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian migrant who was mistaken for a terrorist suspect and shot seven times in the head. Nor did Mr. Starmer prosecute MI5 and MI6 agents who faced credible accusations of complicity in torture. Nor were so-called spy cops — undercover officers who infiltrated left-wing activist groups and manipulated some of their members into longterm sexual relationships — held accountable. He took a different tack with those he saw as threatening law and order. After the 2010 student demonstrations over a rise in tuition fees, he drew up legal guidelines that made it easier to prosecute peaceful protesters. The following year, when riots erupted in response to the police killing of Mark Duggan, Mr. Starmer organized all-night court sittings and worked to increase the severity of sentencing for people accused of participating.” Plenty to attack Starmer on without false accusations. H -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#34475): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/34475 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/110460869/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/13617172/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
