THE WEEK IN CARTOONS 4-10 OCT 2020

04.10.20 - Bob Moran, Sunday Telegraph

04.10.20 - Nick Newman, Sunday Times

05.10.20 - Paul Wood, Spectator

05.10.20 - Steve Bright, The Sun

05.10.20 - Patrick Blower, Daily Telegraph

05.10.20 - Ingram Pinn, Financial Times

06.10.20 - Morten Morland, The Times

06.10.20 - Ben Garrison, Grrr Graphics

06.10.20 - Christian Adams, Evening Standard

06.10.20 - Muzaffar Yulchiboev, Cartoon Movement

07.10.20 - Patrick Blower, Daily Telegraph

08.10.20 - Bob Moran, Daily Telegraph

08.10.20 - Peter Brookes, The Times

08.10.20 - AF Branco, Legal Insurrection

08.10.20 - Ben Garrison, Grrr Graphics

08.10.20 - Christian Adams, Evening Standard

09.10.20 - Bob Moran, Daily Telegraph

09.10.20 - Paul Thomas, Daily Mail

09.10.20 - Matt Pritchett, Daily Telegraph

10.10.20 - Len, Spectator

10.10.20 - Morten Morland, Spectator

10.10.20 - Matt Pritchett, Daily Telegraph

10.10.20 - Bob Moran, Daily Telegraph

DAFT DAVE DEMOLISHED

Dave Lammy was dismantled earlier this week during a Commons debate.  Tory minister Alex Chalk responded to Lammy's criticism of the Private International Law (Implementation of Agreements) Bill by raising the spectre of Lammy's own record as a minister in the Blair and Brown governments.  The bill is designed to replace EU legislation for cross-border disputes after Brexit is completed, so naturally Remainer Lammy wasn't happy about it and labelled the bill 'monstrous and egregious'.

Chalk reminded Lammy that he was a minister when Labour made use of similar legislation, to which Lammy appears to nod in agreement.  As Chalk continues to eviscerate Lammy's hypocrisy, the Labour frontbencher shuffles awkwardly in his seat and laughs.  Click below for the clip.

Alex Chalk clearly does his homework - as a qualified barrister would - on this evidence it's rather surprising that he is only a junior minister.  As for the bill, it sailed through to its next stage despite Labour opposition.  Lammy and 156 of his colleagues voted against it, as did their fellow Remainers in the Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru.  Starmer did not register a vote on this occasion.

The days of Labour and their Remain allies holding Brexit to ransom are thankfully over.

THE LONGEST WAIT

Remember the grooming gangs petition on the government website?  Clearly the government would rather you didn't.  The petition ran its six month course last month and closed, but despite surpassing the 100,000 signature threshold way back in March we are still waiting for the Parliamentary debate.  At that time it could be argued that coronavirus was more of a priority, but the Commons was sitting throughout June and most of July too.  It is now 213 days since the petition reached its target, the longest wait for any eligible petition on the government website.

The government response to the petition twice references a paper that it says will be released this year.  It also refers to a 'cross-government Child Sexual Abuse Strategy' that it says will be 'published shortly'.  Almost six months later neither has materialised.

On the day the government responded to the petition, Priti Patel said: "Victims of these sickening child sex abuse groups have told me how they were let down by the state in the name of political correctness.  What happened to these children remains one of the biggest stains on our country’s conscience.  It is shameful.  I am determined to deliver justice for victims and ensure something like this can never happen again".

The Home Secretary talks a good talk and she appears sincere, but clearly she is up against a number of obstacles - primarily a civil service determined to undermine and even sabotage her work.  We've seen this recently by internal leaks regarding her attempts to stem the flow of migrants across the Channel.

Whether it's bogus asylum seekers or grooming gangs, at some point she is going to have to deliver.  Kicking either issue into the long grass will not be appreciated in working class communities who lent the Tories their vote last December.

HARD TO ARGUE WITH HITCHENS

Peter Hitchens has been a critic of the government's approach to the pandemic since the outset, arguing that authoritarian measures such as lockdowns and mandatory face masks are a huge overreaction.  He accepts the virus is real and a threat to life, but makes his case eloquently and without resorting to any of the nonsense espoused by the likes of Piers Corbyn and his band of Covid-deniers.

Hitchens has conducted many lengthy interviews throughout the year, but a condensed snippet of some of his views can be found in the 7 minute clip below, in which he has an impromptu chat with fellow lockdown critic Francis O'Neill.

It's hard to argue with his rational train of thought, but even as the economic catastrophe begins to unfold a shrinking number will insist on doing just that.

For more in depth interviews exploring Hitchens' thinking, please visit the YouTube links below.

Interview with John Anderson (April 2020)

Interview with PoliticsJoe (May 2020)

Interview with Mike Graham (September 2020)

LAMMY HITS OUT AT TWITTER

Labour's Dave Lammy has hit out at Twitter after the Metropolitan Police cited a lack of co-operation for closing their investigation into a racist tweet sent to the MP.  Lammy tweeted the Met on August 2 about the message and the following morning claimed that their finest were on the case.  The account from which the message originated was later suspended by Twitter, albeit several days later.  Two months on and the police investigation is now closed reports Lammy.  Confirming the news on his Twitter account, Lammy directly addressed Jack Dorsey, the CEO of the social media giant...

Lammy quite rightly added that such messages should not be allowed to go unpunished and pointed out the disparency between Twitter's embrace of (so-called) Black Lives Matter and it's failure to address actual anti-black racism.

Both Dorsey and his organisation continue to promote BLM to the point that until recently the official Twitter profile was dedicated entirely to the organisation.  Perhaps, as Lammy says, it is more about appealing to an increasingly woke audience and making money rather than a genuine endorsement, but he is labouring under the misconception that the slogan and the organisation are separate identities.  BLM the organisation is not at all concerned with preserving black lives and ending anti-black racism, but manipulates ordinary black people to use as footsoldiers to assist in their Marxist revolution - under which all people will suffer, regardless of ethnic background.

As for Lammy, he followed up his two tweets by sharing a video in which he claims that black people are disproportionately affected by 'climate change'.  The climate movement, he says, is 'primarily about caring for the people who live on the planet'.  However, he then dedicates the rest of his monologue to black people only and ends with the sinister message - "Now is the time for black and climate movements to come together".  While Lammy is not himself on the hard left of politics, his message appears to be directed towards organisations that include those who openly embrace Marxism ie. BLM and Extinction Rebellion (see video below).

Lammy is often singled out for abuse not merely for the colour of his skin, but the racially divisive messages that pour out of his mouth at every opportunity.  There's no defending the abhorrent language sent his way, but there is no smoke without fire.  Racism will never be consigned to history by the likes of Dave Lammy.  If anything, it will only get worse.

PRIME MINISTER'S QUESTIONS 07.10.20

DUFFIELD RILES TRANSFASCISTS (AGAIN)

Rosie Duffield (right) pictured in happier LGBT times

Labour's Rosie Duffield has triggered the trans lobby for the second time in three months after trolls noticed that she liked a tweet that criticised gender neutral spaces such as toilets.  It didn't help that the tweet in question came from Maya Forstater, a woman who lost her job last year over tweets in which she had the audacity to declare that trans women (men) cannot legitimately be women.  Her latest tweet, liked by Canterbury MP Duffield, said that proposals to abolish gender specific spaces were "about celebrating cross dressers in the office".

In July Duffield liked a tweet from Piers Morgan that criticised CNN for using the term 'individuals with a cervix'.  Following a trans backlash she doubled down by replying to one of her detractors, saying: "I'm a 'transphobe' for knowing only women have a cervix?"  She was eventually forced to apologise for this 'shocking' declaration.

Duffield's latest Twitter controversy has led to calls for Keir Starmer to remove the whip.

The hard left pro-BLM morons at Sheffield University also weighed in...

As one Twitter user pointed out - bullying has no place either.  This will be lost on the hard left and transfascists who have made it their goal to eradicate alternative voices and thought that contradict their twisted world view.  Some trolls took time out from spewing bile against JK Rowling by sending Duffield some vile stuff, including a doctored image of hanged Italian fascists along with a wish that the MP also 'hangs like Mussolini'.  The image (see below) features four celebs superimposed onto the bodies, all of whom have been accused of 'transphobia' - actors Robbie Coltrane and Robert Webb and writers Graham Linehan and (naturally) JK Rowling.

The mainstream media also smelled blood as the issue of Duffield came up on Sky News yesterday during an interview with Angela Rayner.  Rayner did her best to sit on the fence regarding the trans vs feminism debate, but threw Duffield under the bus by saying that her colleague should 'reflect' on comments that could be seen as 'hurtful'.  Click below and listen to how the presenter Niall Paterson repeatedly demands: "What should happen to Rosie Duffield?" as if the MP had committed some vile crime.

Despite the lack of support from her superiors, Duffield remains defiant and discussed her predicament with the equally despised Forstater.  It wasn't quite Coventry that she referred to as Sky's Paterson suggested, but Stepford...

Duffield also trolled the trolls by changing her profile information.

It's clear that this story is going to rumble on, particularly if Labour frontbenchers like Rayner and Lisa Nandy continue to pander to the intolerant trans lobby.

Further reading

Duffield Falls Foul Of Transfascists

HARD LEFT REBEL AGAIN

Keir Starmer has suffered another rebellion in the House of Commons.  On Monday MPs voted on the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill and Labour MPs were instructed to abstain.  17 refused to do so and voted against the bill at its second reading.

The bill is designed to give legal protection to police officers, intelligence agents and their sources if they break the law during operations.  Less than a third of MPs registered a vote and the bill easily sailed through to its next stage.

All the Labour rebels belong to the Socialist Campaign Group - with the exception of Dawn Butler - as follows.

Diane Abbott

Paula Barker

Apsana Begum

Olivia Blake

Richard Burgon

Dawn Butler

Ian Byrne

Jeremy Corbyn

Ian Lavery

John McDonnell

Grahame Morris

Kate Osamor

Kate Osborne

Zarah Sultana

Mick Whitley

Nadia Whittome

Beth Winter

Another SCG member - Jon Trickett - also reportedly opposed the bill, but due to an administrative error his vote wasn't registered.  Both Labour tellers also opposed the bill - Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Lloyd Russell-Moyle - also of the SCG.  Tellers are not included in the count.

The other opponents were two Plaid Cymru and one SDLP member.

COUNCILLOR'S 'DAFT COW' OUTBURST

A Labour councillor labelled his local mayor a 'daft cow' during an online council meeting, thinking his microphone was muted.  The embarrassing mishap occurred as Allerdale Borough councillors met virtually on Monday using the Zoom app.  Cllr Alan Smith was until recently the leader of the opposition Labour group and was formerly leader of the council before the party got trounced in last year's council elections.  He made the remark towards the mayor, Cllr Hilary Harrington of the Allerdale Independents, as she took advice from an official off-screen.  The outburst immediately backfired as Cllr Smith realised he could be heard by everyone (watch below).

The mayor did not initially react to his remark, but following an adjournment she accepted an apology from Cllr Smith, albeit his apology appeared to be more concerned with the fact he'd been caught out.  Smith said: "It's been brought to my attention that my microphone was un-muted before we went into the adjournment, I may have made some derogatory remark.  I would like you to accept my apology for anything you may have picked up, it was totally out of conduct for me to have my microphone un-muted, I didn't know I was un-muted.  I'm sorry for what happened, take my apologies, please".

Despite the apology, another member of the Allerdale Independents later denounced Cllr Smith during the meeting.  Cllr George Kemp said: "I would just like to say how disgusted I am with the actions of Councillor Smith, absolutely disgraceful language for a former leader of this council.  It's an absolutely disgraceful thing he has done and he should be ashamed of himself".

The episode harks back to another Zoom clanger earlier this year when Labour's health minister in Wales dropped the f-word towards one of his own party colleagues.

MOST SHARED: WEEK 285

Persistent outbreaks of Covid-19 at university campuses across the country are no great surprise given the sight of students partying the night away in mass gatherings.  The resulting lockdowns, self isolation and suggestion that they may have to forego a traditional family Christmas has led to much 'trauma'.  Naturally, it's not their fault.  The government is to blame, obviously.

This inability to accept personal responsibility and decry the consequences of their actions as some great hardship is peak snowflakery.  The meme below summed this up perfectly and was shared 5,919 times via the Facebook page.

CORBYN ALLIES CALLED FOR CUMMINGS' HEAD

Jeremy Corbyn's recent dinner party for nine has once more laid bare the Covid hypocrisy of his hard left allies.  His colleagues in Labour's Socialist Campaign Group were damning in their condemnation of Dominic Cummings back in May, despite their fallen leader's persistent disregard for Covid rules and guidance from the outset of the pandemic.  It's a bit rich from Abbott, McDonnell and co...

Yes Nadia, and it's another rule for your glorious JC too!

THE WEEK IN CARTOONS 27 SEPT-3 OCT 2020

27.09.20 - Nick Newman, Sunday Times

27.09.20 - Morten Morland, Sunday Times

27.09.20 - Bob Moran, Sunday Telegraph

28.09.20 - Ben Jennings, Guardian

28.09.20 - Morten Morland, Times

29.09.20 - Patrick Blower, Daily Telegraph

29.09.20 - Christian Adams, Evening Standard

30.09.20 - Patrick Blower, Daily Telegraph

30.09.20 - Christian Adams, Evening Standard

30.09.20 - Tjeerd Royaard, NRC Handelsblad

01.10.20 - Peter Brookes, Times

01.10.20 - Christian Adams, Evening Standard

01.10.20 - Bob Moran, Daily Telegraph

02.10.20 - Paul Thomas, Daily Mail

02.10.20 - Matt Pritchett, Daily Telegraph

02.10.20 - AF Branco, Daily Torch

03.10.20 - Bob Moran, Daily Telegraph

03.10.20 - Paul Thomas, Daily Mail

DIANE'S BACK WHERE SHE BELONGS

A slimmed-down Diane Abbott launched Hackney's Black History Month on Thursday.  Clearly the backbenches suit her.  She looked worlds away from the haggard bumbling fiasco that provided us with endless entertainment from her stint on the front benches.  She even sported an opposing pair of shoes rather than the two left-sided shoes she famously wore on election day back in December.

If things had worked out very differently that day she would currently be overseeing the beginning of the largest wave of immigration this country has ever seen.  Under Labour migrants would not have to risk their lives to cross the English Channel in inflatables.  And there would be no question of them being herded into makeshift quarters like the Penally military camp in south Wales.  Diane's priorities are well known.  Thankfully she is safely installed on the backbenches alongside her former leader, their repulsive ideology firmly rejected.

KHAN'S LOCKDOWN MYTH

Sadiq Khan has reportedly suggested that his persistent calls for a lockdown of the capital have fallen on deaf ears because of party politics.  The Huffington Post quotes Khan as saying: "What the government needs to realise is we’re all on the same side, it’s not a Tory government versus a Labour mayor.  It’s actually all of us on the same side fighting this virus and what I’m saying to the government is: ‘Let’s work together to take preemptive action to avoid the need for a national lockdown.’ I do not want that and it’s really important we do what we can to avoid it".

Khan has been begging for stricter measures throughout the pandemic and was one of the first politicians to call for compulsory face coverings in shops, something he now wants extended to all public spaces.  He also wants the entire Greater London area locked down despite the fact there are huge disparities in the infection rate between local authorities.  More importantly, even the worst infection rates in the capital are far below those in the north of England and Wales.  Why is this little man pleading for a lockdown?  Is it a cry for attention?  Is it that all these 'insignificant' Brexit-voting parts of England and Wales (that once elected a Labour government) are getting too much attention?  Is it that his Greater Manchester counterpart Andy Burnham has been getting a lot of airtime during the pandemic and has been showing him up for the amateur politician he is?

As for Khan's claim that the Tory government is refusing to lock down the capital because it's a Labour stronghold, let's look look at who runs all the local authorities currently subject to lockdown restrictions in England...

Birmingham - Labour

Blackburn with Darwen - Labour

Blackpool - Labour

Bolton - Conservative minority (NOC)

Bradford - Labour

Bury - Labour

Calderdale - Labour

County Durham - Labour

Gateshead - Labour

Halton - Labour

Hartlepool - Independent/Conservative coalition (NOC)

Kirklees - Labour

Lancashire - Conservative

Leeds - Labour

Leicester - Labour

Liverpool - Labour

Manchester - Labour

Middlesbrough - Independent

Newcastle-upon-Tyne - Labour

North Tyneside - Labour

South Tyneside - Labour

Northumberland - Conservative minority (NOC)

Oadby - Liberal Democrat

Oldham - Labour

Pendle - Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition (NOC)

Salford - Labour

Sandwell - Labour

Solihull - Conservative

Stockport - Labour minority (NOC)

Sunderland - Labour

Warrington - Labour

Wigan - Labour

Wolverhampton - Labour

Clearly, only a narcissistic moron could possibly try and claim that the government is refusing to entertain his lockdown desires on party political grounds.  All the major cities on that list are controlled by Labour.  Take a hike you clown...

KEIR STARMER DID WHAT?

This was the bizarre tweet posted and swiftly deleted by a Labour group on Wednesday night.  An apology was then put up, but this was also later deleted.  The apology read:  "There has tonight been an unauthorised tweet on this account which has been deleted.  Apologies for this especially as it demonstrated a lack of Labour Socialist values".

It's clear that the loony left are still at the helm in this part of Kent, albeit the local MP is less sympathetic to their cause.  Canterbury's Rosie Duffield is a moderate who backed loudmouth Jess Phillips for the party leadership.  She was appointed a whip following Starmer's victory, but was in the role barely a month before she resigned over her lockdown liaisons with a married man.

JEZZA'S RULE OF... NINE

It was no great surprise to see the former Labour leader brazenly flouting Covid rules at a dinner party for nine.  He and his wife Laura were joined by seven others as they posed for a photo that has since gone viral.  The dinner was reportedly held in honour of hard left US activist David Graeber, who died last month.  His widow Nina was a guest and sat next to Corbyn.

David Graeber's widow (with dreadlocks seated on Corbyn's left)

Corbyn has persistently flouted Covid rules and advice throughout the year.  During the national lockdown when over 70s were advised to isolate, Corbyn continued to work as normal.  He attended the Commons in person, was pictured not observing social distancing and even travelled to TV studios for in-person interviews at a time when satellite interviews were becoming the norm.  On the day mandatory masks were introduced in shops in England, both he and his wife were photographed shopping without them.

Labour frontbencher Rosena Allin-Khan was asked about Corbyn's latest breach during her media rounds on Thursday.  Allin-Khan is no fan of Corbyn and she didn't make any attempts to defend him, albeit she couldn't help but bring up the lockdown travels of Dominic Cummings (as is traditional for any self-respecting Labour Remainer).  She contradicted herself as to whether Corbyn had been/would be fined for his latest breach, telling Sky's Kay Burley that he should be fined (see below), while telling Piers Morgan that he had been fined.

The Metropolitan Police have since confirmed that Corbyn will not be fined as they do not investigate Covid breaches 'retrospectively'.  Boris Johnson's father Stanley will also not be fined after he was pictured without a face mask in a London shop.