Politics punditry. Podcast @RightDishonour. Contributions @spectator @unherd @TheCriticMag @CapX
London
Joined February 2009
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Jimmy Nicholls retweeted
.@jdenicholls argues that pedestrianisation can help our high streets to recover
thecritic.co.uk/in-praise-of…
Jimmy Nicholls retweeted
These people have been yelling "WHO FNUDS YOU?!?" at me for years, and in a surprise turns of events, I now learn that I actually FNUD them, involuntarily.
And so do you.
spectator.com/article/why-is…
Read all about it: thecritic.co.uk/in-praise-of…
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Jimmy Nicholls retweeted
Car-free high streets are more pleasant and more successful, argues @jdenicholls
thecritic.co.uk/in-praise-of…
When I did jury service the prosecuting barrister explained there was no intended difference between these two phrases, and the judge did not object
Important detail re the Russell Brand verdict: The phrase "beyond reasonable doubt" is no longer used to instruct juries. Juries are now instructed in the language of "being sure," as in, "Are you sure that the defendant either knew she was not consenting or was reckless as to whether she did or did not consent?"
The judge (Mr Justice Bennathan) gave the jury a written “route to verdict” with a series of questions for each count. These repeatedly asked “Are you sure…"
These is the recommended Crown Court Compendium approach used in today's
English and Welsh jury trials. Cc @megynkelly @dshensmith
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First they came for the strangle porn, and I said nothing, because it is not the same issue as political speech
"Repeal the porn laws"—my colleagues @TheEconomist on Britain's latest free-speech mess.
"Pornography is an unpopular thing to defend. But Britain has become too willing to ban anything pearl-clutchers dislike, from plastic straws to noisy protests."
economist.com/leaders/2026/1…
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At a Costa in Wales earlier this year and it almost surprised me that the two young guys behind the till were Welsh. In London it's more common to see foreigners in those entry-level jobs. The lump of labour fallacy doesn't mean that specific people won't struggle to get a job!
One of the most pernicious impacts of the Boriswave is how it led to the complete destruction of part-time for Brits. Every job a teenager would want to do to make a few quid is now gone. Sad.
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Jimmy Nicholls retweeted
Jason Arday unleashed a defamation law firm and even the police on Jack Grove to prevent his investigation of Arday’s misdeeds from coming to light. This is among the many dishonest acts that Arday committed and that apologists such as @PeterJukes are dismissing and overlooking.
Yes I read it and I also read Grove’s very thorough account of what happened. If you think his behaviour merited a warning call from the police and threats of pricey litigation, you and I see journalism and a lot more very differently
timeshighereducation.com/opi…
Jimmy Nicholls retweeted
You can say that there was too much coverage of the story.
Or you can keep rehashing it months later.
But I don't understand doing both.
Jimmy Nicholls retweeted
If an oligarch had used the Metropolitan Police and Carter Ruck to silence a journalist, would that be similarly brushed over and forgiven?
"Not without reason has it pleased Almighty God that Sacred Scripture should be obscure in certain places, lest, if it were freely open to all, it would perhaps be held in little esteem or be ill-understood and lead into error."
Unless you have read & examined his PhD thesis & indeed others you are not qualified to decide whether or not his PhD should or should not have been awarded. You don't seem to be an academic with a PhD relevant to his topic, so you are not qualified to dispute his award.
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Seems significant that the Economist is publishing this. Confirms the stereotypes, and what rightwingers have been saying for a while
The Economist's estimate of Britain's age- and sex-standardised conviction rates for sexual offences by the offender's nationality
economist.com/britain/2026/1…
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Taxes are quite routinely passed onto consumers, hence a can of full sugar Coca-Cola subject to the sugar tax costs more to consumers than a Diet Coke
Nope, that’s not how taxes and price works. The price is determined by demand and supply.
Companies charge the highest price they can given demand. A tax levied on *profits* does not affect a company’s cost ie supply.
Taxes on *windfall* profits (like oil and gas) are the most efficient kind of tax there is.
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I assume as a British person who has benefited from the legacy of stolen wealth from abroad, Butler will be the first person reaching into her pocket?
A stolen watch doesn’t become yours just because you pass it down to your children. So why apply a different rule to stolen labour, wealth and land? Reparations are about inherited benefit and inherited loss. Time doesn’t erase injustice.
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I take no view on whether Islam was a factor in the recent riots, but topline stats are misleading. Once you adjust for age, urban location, poverty, political outlook etc then Muslims will be above 10% of relevant cohort (and riots not representative of country demography)
Actually quite impressive how wrong Rashid is here and how tendentious his arguments are. Took a banana to a gun fight
Worth listening to this @BBCr4today discussion between Jonathan Hall KC (@terrorwatchdog) and the Culture Editor of the @NewStatesman, @tanjil_rashid_
(3 clips)
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