Asian pimps, Channel 4 and the BNP
Julie Bindel has an article in the current edition of Standpoint regarding the issue of the Asian pimp gangs that exist in some midland and northern towns in England, who exploit mostly local working-class...
Author: Matthew Smith
John Ware does hatchet job on Muslim schools
Last night, BBC1 broadcast a Panorama programme presented by John Ware, purporting to expose “extremism” being promoted through private Islamic schools in the UK, both full-time schools and Saudi-run weekend ones. He starts off...
Disability, punishment and attitude
I got a comment earlier today from WildKat (Kimberley Robbins) in response to a post I’d made in August about the incident in Saudi Arabia in which a man who had been paralysed in...
Camilla’s here to stay, folks
Charles and Camilla (as in, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, previously Parker-Bowles, for anyone who hasn’t been following that story intensely — not that I have, but it turns up like a...
Crossrail
Earlier today I went to an exhibition for Crossrail, the project to build a railway line under London from east to west, to match the existing north-south route. The project was begun in 1989...
The cute nurse and the abusive ME patient (updated)
After the Gilderdale story made headlines this past January (and the other coverage of assisted suicide and mercy killing that happened around the same time), I was expecting both stories to be featured in...
Yes, the law DOES apply to middle-class White people
This past week or so, there have been two major news stories in the UK about men arrested for saying things on the Internet that made a strong suggestion of violence that may not...
The need for dedicated care for sensitive patients (updated)
Earlier today I got an update from the family of Emily Collingridge, a lady from south London who wrote a book on living with Severe ME, based partly on her experiences (she has been...
Idiots insult troops and poppy
This image, by Willie Vass shows Celtic fans displaying a slogan insulting the poppy appeal and British troops over the centuries. While British troops have actually done a lot of bad things in Ireland,...
On new unemployment laws and student protests
I read today that the government are proposing new legislation that would bring in supposedly new restrictions on people who are on Jobseeker's Allowance, in which people who refuse work or "community service" will...
What’s up with Google?
Am I the only person noticing that Google’s web services are getting a bit flaky? Almost every day I notice that web searches fail (as in, fail to connect altogether), and I can’t connect...
Charity pressure II: “Poppy Fascism”
Following on from my earlier post about being under pressure to give money to charity, another row has broken out about the decision of a British news presenter, Jon Snow, not to wear a...
The X26 and why it sucks
The X26 is the bus I've been commuting to work on most of this week. It has one main benefit, which is that it runs directly from New Malden, where I live, to Croydon,...
How much can we blame al-Awlaqi?
So, Roshonara Choudhary, the stupid woman who tried to murder the MP, Stephen Timms, has received a 15-to-life sentence. Today, the Guardian (and probably other papers) printed transcripts of her interviews with the police...
Religious and charity “muggers”
Anyone who’s lived in London for a while knows about “charity muggers” – people who approach you in the street to get you to sign up to make direct debit donations to their charity....
About that Donate button
Update: I have now received nearly £80 which exceeds the likely amount needed (with another promised), so jazakum Allah khair to everyone who donated. The donate button will remain, but the appeal is ended...
Starting my Asperger’s journey
Last Thursday I went to my GP in New Malden (or rather, one of the GPs at the clinic I’m registered at), and asked him to refer me to those who might be able...
Costa comfort
I’ve not always been a coffee drinker – I was first introduced to it by my Mum and it was an instant, and not sweet to my no doubt immature taste buds. I came...
How can this STILL be happening?
Parents tell how every day is a battle to care for teenager struck down with chronic fatigue syndrome – The Daily Record "Chronic fatigue syndrome", in this context, is M.E. (the symptoms described are...
Will we ever punish cops who kill?
Last night I saw a Crimewatch appeal for information regarding the murder of PC Keith Blakelock, a policeman who was murdered during riots on the Broadwater Farm estate in north London in 1985. Blakelock...