[Watchman]

And I've just read that the damages were actually paid by the department

Fuckwit is as fuckwit does

Michelle Donelan, the science minister, has apologised and paid damages after accusing two academics of “sharing extremist views” and one of them of supporting Hamas.

In a statement posted on X, the secretary of state for science, innovation and technology said she had deleted a tweet and letter published last year, and accepted what she termed a “clarification” from one of the academics, Prof Kate Sang at Heriot-Watt university in Edinburgh.

Sang launched a libel action against Donelan after the minister published a letter to the UK Research Institute (UKRI) which urged it to cut links with Sang and another academic, Dr Kamna Patel of University College London. Donelan had described her “disgust and outrage” at their appointment to an expert advisory group to Research England on equality, diversity and inclusion...

https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... bel-action

The sooner these cunts are voted out of power, the better for everybody.

[Oboogie]

My first reaction was that Ben Obese-Jecty was taking the piss as I'd never heard of blue octopuses being an anti-Semitic trope. When and how did that become a thing? I get the spreading tentacles bit, but why blue specifically?

[Yug]

And another one

A Conservative peer has apologised and paid damages to a doctoral student after wrongly saying an octopus soft toy used as her University Challenge team’s mascot was chosen as an antisemitic symbol.

The former MEP Jacqueline Foster had already apologised publicly and privately to Melika Gorgianeh, a doctoral student in astrophysics at Oxford University, following comments made after the episode of the BBC Two quizshow was broadcast in November.

In a new post on X on Tuesday morning, Lady Foster reiterated her apology and said she had paid “substantial damages and costs” to Gorgianeh.

It comes a day after Michelle Donelan, the science minister, apologised and paid damages after accusing two academics of “sharing extremist views” and one of them of supporting Hamas. Donelan’s costs were paid by her department...

https://amp.theguardian.com/law/2024/ma ... -challenge

[Tubby Isaacs]

Credit here for the BBC in having called this right at the time- and got a bucketload of shit for it.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Hang on. Either she did the libel in a personal capacity (she pays), or in her ministerial capacity (resign).

[Dalem Lake]

Where's the Taxpayers Alliance when you need them?

[davidjay]

Where's the Taxpayers Alliance when you need them?

It's not much, but it's a start.

It's also probably the finish.

[Bones McCoy]

Are they reviving the operation, so It'll be up to speed to greet the Labour government?

2 possibilities.

1. The Tory Astroturf Group that's lain dormant for 13 years is waking like a fake news cicada.
Because the grift only works with Tories in opposition.

2. They've attached themselves to a new, more hard libertarian benefactor.
In which case they'll be running the LibLabCon slogans and hoping one of the R-class parties displace the Tories.

[Abernathy]

Jeremy Cunt is not happy at being held to account by Amol Rajan :

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/j ... ed4&ei=93

Cunt describes Rajan's remarks as "not worthy" of the BBC. Interesting to speculate as to what he means exactly by "not worthy"' in this context

Seems to me Cunt means "bloody indolent and insubordinate, you fucking oik. Get back in your fucking box. "

[Watchman]

The spineless little shitweasel has just opened the wallet

Sunak defends taxpayer funding Michelle Donelan's libel settlement, on grounds dispute related to her doing her job

Rishi Sunak had defended the use of taxpayers’ money to make a payment of £15,000 for damages to an academic libelled by Michelle Donelan, the science secretary.

The prime minister claimed that it was right for the government to cover the cost to the damages because the legal dispute arose as a result of Donelan doing her job.

[Dalem Lake]

The spineless little shitweasel has just opened the wallet

Sunak defends taxpayer funding Michelle Donelan's libel settlement, on grounds dispute related to her doing her job

Rishi Sunak had defended the use of taxpayers’ money to make a payment of £15,000 for damages to an academic libelled by Michelle Donelan, the science secretary.

The prime minister claimed that it was right for the government to cover the cost to the damages because the legal dispute arose as a result of Donelan doing her job.

The spineless little shitweasel has just opened the wallet

Sunak defends taxpayer funding Michelle Donelan's libel settlement, on grounds dispute related to her doing her job

Rishi Sunak had defended the use of taxpayers’ money to make a payment of £15,000 for damages to an academic libelled by Michelle Donelan, the science secretary.

The prime minister claimed that it was right for the government to cover the cost to the damages because the legal dispute arose as a result of Donelan doing her job.

Then she's got to go, surely? Of course she won't, because Sunak's a little weasel shitbag, but could you imagine if it was a Labour minister who fucked up as royally as this and the taxpayer footed the bill.

[Philip Marlow]

My first reaction was that Ben Obese-Jecty was taking the piss as I'd never heard of blue octopuses being an anti-Semitic trope. When and how did that become a thing? I get the spreading tentacles bit, but why blue specifically?

The octopus was used by the Nazis to depict supposed Jewish control, but it has also been used in various other forms of propaganda - including Israeli propaganda about Iran - to symbolise forms of supposedly sinister influence. That said, had the plushie cephalopod in question not been in the vicinity of a Muslim student I doubt anyone would have said anything about it.

As for the other ‘You and Hamas sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g’ affair of the week, further embarrassing details below. I’m not usually a lawfare kinda guy, but am rapidly coming to the conclusion that people who throw this kind of rhetoric around should be legally fucked into the sun. It’s difficult if they’re bright enough to keep things sufficiently vague, but if they’re stupid enough to go after named individuals…

[Andy McDandy]

It's a nice mix of stupidity, arrogance, and the thinnest of skins.

[Philip Marlow]

Also reminds me that the first time I ever heard of Policy Exchange was when Newsnight caught them submitting forged receipts as evidence in an investigation into ‘extremist literature’ their researchers had supposedly purchased in British mosques.

[Youngian]

The octopus was used by the Nazis to depict supposed Jewish control, but it has also been used in various other forms of propaganda - including Israeli propaganda about Iran - to symbolise forms of supposedly sinister influence.

Those depictions are a bit scarier than a blue cuddly octopus. SPECTRE uses a sinister octupus as its logo. Don’t know if that was devised by Ian Fleming, wouldn’t be the first time he’s been accused of a whiff of antisemitism in his villains.

[davidjay]

Another one going:

Theresa May: Conservative ex-PM to stand down at next election

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68509239

[kreuzberger]

A nasty, mean-spirited bit of work. I hope that her retirement is troublingly brief.

[Bones McCoy]

A nasty, mean-spirited bit of work. I hope that her retirement is troublingly brief.

It's the wheat-fields I feel sorry for.

[Watchman]

Will Richie Rich sack her for inciting violence.............no she was only saying this in her role of Secretary of State for Education

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/li ... a0970b5dc2

[Bones McCoy]

A nasty, mean-spirited bit of work. I hope that her retirement is troublingly brief.

It's the wheat-fields I feel sorry for.

Will soon be ennobled: "Lady Windrush of Grenfell" - anybody?