Twitter under Musk....

[matticus]

Just listening to "The Rest Is Politics Podcast" (Alistair Campbell & Rory Stewart) and they came up with an interesting idea/question: Who in the UK is feeding Musk all his stuff? They figured Musk doesn't (or didn't) have a clue who Jess Phillips is, doesn't have time to get to know what's going on in UK politics, and the current issue he's latched on to wasn't current news so wouldn't have featured on his "radar".

Which does raise the question as to who in the UK is prompting him, feeding him the names, the issues, etc.

Ian

Why does it have to be someone in the UK? Plenty of american journalists, diplomats, secret service, businessmen etc etc are following UK affairs.

 

[Xipe Totec]

Just listening to "The Rest Is Politics Podcast" (Alistair Campbell & Rory Stewart) and they came up with an interesting idea/question: Who in the UK is feeding Musk all his stuff? They figured Musk doesn't (or didn't) have a clue who Jess Phillips is, doesn't have time to get to know what's going on in UK politics, and the current issue he's latched on to wasn't current news so wouldn't have featured on his "radar".

Which does raise the question as to who in the UK is prompting him, feeding him the names, the issues, etc.

Ian

I wouldn't look a great deal further than the sort of 'politicians' he's allegedly been dangling a hundred million dollars in front of.

 

[Beebo]

Just listening to "The Rest Is Politics Podcast" (Alistair Campbell & Rory Stewart) and they came up with an interesting idea/question: Who in the UK is feeding Musk all his stuff? They figured Musk doesn't (or didn't) have a clue who Jess Phillips is, doesn't have time to get to know what's going on in UK politics, and the current issue he's latched on to wasn't current news so wouldn't have featured on his "radar".

Which does raise the question as to who in the UK is prompting him, feeding him the names, the issues, etc.

Ian

I think we all know the answer to that.


View: https://youtube.com/shorts/49ngBGAzpkI?si=2hlioXrI6YZgFgK6

 

[AuroraSaab]

Musk didn't resurrect the current debate. It started up again because the transcripts from some of the trials were publicised recently and because Jess Phillips, in October, rejected the call from Oldham council for a national inquiry and told them (4 months after their request) to get on with it themselves. Musk later took the opportunity to use it as a stick to beat Starmer with, which brought it to international attention.

It wasn't 'current news' to the likes of Rory Stewart but it was current news to many others, long before Musk latched on to it.

It is still current news. When 7 more rapists were convicted in Rotherham in September Charlie Peters was the only member of the national press in the courtroom. The reports in mainstream outlets were just based on court press releases.


View: https://x.com/CDP1882/status/1834279408422846709

 

[Psamathe]

Musk didn't resurrect the current debate. It started up again because the transcripts from some of the trials were publicised recently and because Jess Phillips, in October, rejected the call from Oldham council for a national inquiry and told them (4 months after their request) to get on with it themselves. Musk later took the opportunity to use it as a stick to beat Starmer with, which brought it to international attention.

Wasn't aware Musk has been following released recent transcripts of trials that initiated his Twitter attacks, great things about forums like this is you learn stuff you'd never realised before. But do those transcripts Musk has been reading include details of Starmer's involvement at the CPS or Ms Phillips actions?

For Musk day before yesterday was a long time ago so events from last Oct I consider irrelevant to his launching his current outburst.

Personally I'm not reassured Musk has “saved humanity,” (by purchasing Twitted as claimed by Conservative Party Shadow Minister Andrew Griffith (from https://www.politico.eu/article/us-elon-musk-saved-humanity-uk-tory-andrew-griffith/).

Ian

 

[AuroraSaab]

No, of course they don't. They are the horrific summing ups from trials, as I think you know. There has been discussion of them on social media and wider media coverage of Phillips' refusal of a national enquiry to Oldham council (who are led by a minority Labour administration) for a while now. Without the original offences and Phillips' refusal there would be nothing for Musk to bang on about though.

 

[Rusty Nails]

there would be nothing for Musk to bang on about though.

That never stops him normally.

I am sure he is really, really, really concerned about this issue in a foreign country and it has nothing at all to do with him being 'dissed" by Starmer or his dealings with Trump and Farage.

By all means let's have this UK discussion about kicking the ball into the long grass again, because the UK does love a good national inquiry...we are experts in them, rather than first implementing and reviewing the effectiveness of the existing recommendations, but don't let us kid ourselves that Musk's intervention is done with benevolent intent.

 

[icowden]

No, of course they don't. They are the horrific summing ups from trials, as I think you know. There has been discussion of them on social media and wider media coverage of Phillips' refusal of a national enquiry to Oldham council (who are led by a minority Labour administration) for a while now. Without the original offences and Phillips' refusal there would be nothing for Musk to bang on about though.

It does rather miss the nuance that the reason Jess Phillips has refused an enquiry is that there has just been an enquiry and the previous administration didn't implement a single recommendation. She is now working on getting the recommendations implemented which would be far more use than starting a new enquiry which would thus prevent the recommendations being implemented for another god knows how many years.

 

[AuroraSaab]

Other people think there are other reasons, as has been discussed.

Why can't the Jay recommendations be implemented ASAP and there also be a more comprehensive inquiry? They aren't mutually exclusive.

https://www.standard.co.uk//comment...abuse-inquiry-elon-musk-victims-b1203415.html

 

[multitool]

Watch today's Politics Live and you will hear a former Conservative advisor explaining why the recommendations haven't been implemented and a Labour Peer explaining why a new inquiry will interfere with current prosecutions.

 

[AuroraSaab]

Given that an inquiry would take a couple of years at least I can't see how it would affect current police investigations. It would focus on institutional failings not seeking out further suspects. Should Oldham Council, who Phillips' told to do their own inquiry, and all the other councils that Jay didn't cover, shelve any investigations into their failings just in case it undermines current prosecutions too?

I can't think of other scandals of this magnitude, which is bigger than Grenfell or the Post Office, where it would be delayed for such a reason.

 

[icowden]

Given that an inquiry would take a couple of years at least I can't see how it would affect current police investigations.

It wouldn't - it's the way that the Tories are trying to force a statutory enquiry that would cause an issue.
Sky have an explainer here:-
https://news.sky.com/story/the-tori...iry-wont-result-in-a-probe-heres-why-13285082

By proposing an amendment at the second reading, the Conservatives have to use what is known as a "reasoned amendment".
If this passes, instead of changing the proposed bill for future votes, it kills it off and no further stages take place.
Furthermore, this would stop the government reintroducing the Children's Wellbeing Bill again until after the next King's Speech.
The purpose of Children's Wellbeing Bill is to reform things like the children's care system and protecting children in schools.

 

[multitool]

Given that an inquiry would take a couple of years at least I can't see how it would affect current police investigations. It would focus on institutional failings not seeking out further suspects. Should Oldham Council, who Phillips' told to do their own inquiry, and all the other councils that Jay didn't cover, shelve any investigations into their failings just in case it undermines current prosecutions too?

I can't think of other scandals of this magnitude, which is bigger than Grenfell or the Post Office, where it would be delayed for such a reason.

It might just be the simple fact that you don't know everything

 

[AuroraSaab]

That wouldn't be the case if Starmer decided to order an inquiry would it, IC?

I don't know everything. I do know there are lots of people who would like this horrific scandal to be brushed under the carpet. Why didn't they delay the Jay investigation if government inquiries are so detrimental to police prosecutions?

 

[icowden]

That wouldn't be the case if Starmer decided to order an inquiry would it, IC?
I don't know everything. I do know there are lots of people who would like this horrific scandal to be brushed under the carpet. Why didn't they delay the Jay investigation if government inquiries are so detrimental to police prosecutions?

I think you are continuing to miss the point. The Tories were arguing for an inquiry just to prevent the current Bill passing into law. They are pretending otherwise.

There is nothing to stop Labour from ordering a further inquiry, and indeed Jess Philips has not ruled out a further enquiry. What she has pointed out is that they believe that local inquiries are far more effective, but if, when she is consulting with local councils, a national enquiry is seen as being the way forward then at that point they would consider it.

The Tories are not interested in a national inquiry. They are just continuing with their dog whistle politics. They have nothing to offer other than undermining the current government. They aren't arguing for better policy, better thought out decisions or using political arguments that they think something is best for the country. They have discovered that all you have to do is copy Trumpian logic and it works. The Labout Party have not worked out yet that they just need to tell the opposition to pi$$ off and find some actual working policy positions.