Rodge

[The Free Speech Union @SpeechUnion]

What is going on with Labour and social media?

The Free Speech Union has been discussing internally whether Andy Burnham will be better or worse than Sir Keir Starmer when it comes to free speech.

We’ve concluded that he’ll be just as bad — if not worse.

Andy Burnham’s team has confirmed that he will push ahead with Starmer’s controversial social media ban for under-16s. We also know that the Technology Secretary, Liz Kendall, is looking into a potential ban on VPNs, which would put the UK in the same league as Iran, Iraq and North Korea.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, led by Burnham ally and constituency neighbour Lisa Nandy, has also published a Green Paper, Watch This Space, which proposes forcing social media companies to prioritise the promotion of what the Government deems to be “trustworthy” news sources — namely content from public service broadcasters such as the BBC.

There is no evidence that Andy Burnham would abandon these plans when he enters Downing Street in just 13 days’ time.

This is a deeply concerning proposal and an extraordinary interference with freedom of association and free speech on social media — one that the Free Speech Union opposes wholeheartedly.

In another full-frontal assault on free speech and our right to engage in open political debate online, Labour’s Deputy Leader and close Burnham ally Lucy Powell wants to impose new legal duties through the Representation of the People Bill that would effectively treat private citizens as broadcasters and censor social media platforms during election periods.

This raises serious practical questions. Would individuals be prevented from expressing political views on social media during elections? The Free Speech Union also cannot see how such restrictions could realistically apply only to UK citizens. Surely they would have to extend to overseas users as well? President Trump and JD Vance would almost certainly have something to say about that.

This all seems to be part of Labour’s explanation for why it is struggling in the polls. Rather than recognising that people are concerned about issues such as mass uncontrolled migration, higher taxes, unemployment and soaring energy bills, Labour ministers appear to believe that voters are simply being misled by misinformation and disinformation on platforms such as X.

Last Thursday, Lisa Nandy flounced off X, citing an increase in abuse and the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

If Government ministers — particularly those responsible for the media — are concerned about misinformation, they should remain on the platform and challenge it. Trying to suppress it is not the answer.

As Louis Brandeis famously said, “The remedy to harmful speech is more speech, not enforced silence.”

Watch Free Speech Union General Secretary Lord Young below 👇

[Simon Danczuk @SimonDanczuk]

Starmer has always lacked self-awareness. He's literally just had to resign as PM because nobody believed he served the public. And Makerfield by-election was a "desperate stunt" to try and find a better leader. Total lack of principles. Labour's hypocrisy knows no bounds...

[Claire Coutinho @ClaireCoutinho]

On 2nd June I raised concerns about the security of our electricity grid. I was told by Ed Miliband that I was scaremongering.

Since then I have been contacted by a whistleblower within our grid operator, the NESO.

They allege that operators are being instructed to hide information that shows the grid is not being operated securely.

Worse, they allege that Corporate Affairs interefered with operational decisions to stabilise the grid - risking blackouts to protect NESO's reputation.

Despite this coming from within the operator, the Minister doubled down on calling this ‘scaremongering’ rather than wanting to know the truth.

This Government is asleep at the wheel.

They must urgently investigate these allegations.

[Rodge @RodgeDodge]

@MikeTappTweets And how much has @andyburnham cost you intellectually challenged individual 🤔! @Reuters @AP @spectator @thetimes @PrivateEyeNews @DailyMirror @TheEconomist @NickFerrariLBC @BethRigby @bbclaurak @TrevorPTweets @lewis_goodall @AndrewMarr9 @GMB @UKLabour @WelshLabour @thisiskent

[Claire Fox @Fox_Claire]

"This is a gimmick" from a man who is only an MP cos he forced a by-elction when one not needed, all to force an internal LP coup to dump one prime minister & allow his own coronation. Now that is what I call a gimmick.

[Rodge @RodgeDodge]

@lukejcr A response from a little man both in intellect and stature! 😂😂😂

[Rodge @RodgeDodge]

@lukejcr @Keir_Starmer personal wealth isn't to be sniffed at either! 🤔

[Richard Tice MP 🇬🇧 @TiceRichard]

Desperate Labour stop at nothing to prevent Reform’s success.

Their hypocrisy is shameless having accepted £4 million from Cayman registered hedge fund and over £500,000 from 8 companies who then received almost £150 million in Government contracts.

[Rodge @RodgeDodge]

@LBC @NickFerrariLBC Ineptitude personified 🤔

[Rodge @RodgeDodge]

@HonestHalo A very @UKLabour party coup, disgraceful behaviour of the 400+ Labour MP's🤬

[Rodge @RodgeDodge]

@TomK_Brit1993 Resign and call a general election! 🤔

[The Free Speech Union @SpeechUnion]

The Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Lucy Powell, is advocating the effective censorship of social media platforms during election periods.

General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, Lord Young, tells @Jacob_Rees_Mogg on @GBNEWS that this is deeply sinister and amounts to Soviet-style censorship.

What Powell is proposing is greater control over what people can say on social media. The consequence of this plan would be to treat individuals posting online as though they were broadcasters.

Lord Young also raises a practical question: surely these rules would apply not only to UK citizens, but also to foreign nationals.

We imagine President Trump and JD Vance would have something to say about that.

Watch Lord Young below 👇

https://t.co/ndVxkCIfpI

[Watercolours 13 @GaylardJennifer]

Lucy Powell, how dare you say it was Keir Starmer's decision to resign, you and your cohorts, with your coup, made it impossible for him to stay, you've purposefully decided on Burnham for PM, the public will judge you on your dishonesty and malice.

[Dr Pam Gosal MBE @DrPamGosal]

John Swinney is doing everything he can not to implement what was so clearly set out in the @ForWomenScot Supreme Court ruling.

He now says he wants to consult on a ‘domestic approach’ when it comes to implementing the EHRC’s guidance.

He should know he cannot simply pick and choose which parts of the guidance he likes and does not like.

Instead of listening to radical trans activists he should start listening to women.

[BBC Politics @BBCPolitics]

PoliticsJOE’s Ava-Santina Evans tells #PoliticsLive “a massive reset" is required as the programme discusses the government’s new proposal on donations from overseas votes moving to the UK

https://t.co/UFjNaEePze

[Matt Goodwin @GoodwinMJ]

I’ll keep saying it as it is:

I’m not going to take £15 billion off BRITISH pensioners while we are spending twice that amount on foreign nations and people who aren’t even British.

British. Pensioners. First. Always‼️

[Make Europe Great Again - M.E.G.A @ScaryEurope]

🚨🇬🇧WATCH: A video of Andy Burnham shutting down the grooming gang inquiry and CLASHING with local residents emerges.

[The Free Speech Union @SpeechUnion]

Lucy Powell, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party — and potentially our next Deputy Prime Minister — is calling for greater restrictions on social media, particularly during election campaigns.

It is becoming abundantly clear that this Government does not like being scrutinised by either the public or Parliament. We saw that with the Courts and Tribunals Bill, which ministers tried to force through Parliament at breakneck speed and which would have severely curtailed our ancient right to trial by jury.

The Government is not content with just banning under-16s from accessing social media. Lucy Powell wants to go much further and has identified the Representation of the People Bill as the legislative vehicle for doing so.

The Free Speech Union had already earmarked the Representation of the People Bill as legislation of significant concern. While Keir Starmer may be leaving Number 10, it is becoming increasingly clear that an Andy Burnham government would be every bit as hostile to free speech — if not more so.

[America Recharged 🇺🇸 @AmericaRecharge]

If allegations that Andy Burnham awarded a £4 million EV contract to his wife are proven true, would you consider it corruption?🇬🇧🇬🇧

A) Yes

B) No

C) Investigate first

D) Other

👇🧐🇬🇧🇬🇧

[Retard Radar @FullRetardRadar]

This is the reality they don’t want you to think about.
The average Englishman wakes up and gets taxed on his telly, his house, his car, his fuel, his wages, his shopping, his pint, and even his fucking holiday. By the time they’re done he’s had a third of his money taken before he’s even spent it, then they come back for more on everything he buys.
Meanwhile the smug bastards who designed this shit sit there on tax-free salaries with non-contributory pensions, looking down their noses at him. They don’t live under the same rules. They never have.
This isn’t taxation. It’s legalised robbery dressed up as governance, and the working man is the only one expected to keep paying while they keep taking.