Ben

[Empire Aesthetics @Empireaesth]

“England’s Pride and Glory”

- Thomas Davidson (1894)

[The Free Speech Union @SpeechUnion]

“Twenty-five years ago, the political class was more willing to engage in open debate.”

Today, there is an attempt to cast legitimate criticism of prevailing orthodoxies — whether on diversity, Islam, immigration, or climate change — as misinformation, disinformation, or hate speech.

At the heart of the free speech crisis is an unwillingness on the part of the promoters of these policies to defend them in public.

Instead of engaging in good-faith debate, they portray critics as beyond the pale.

In this relatively recent phenomenon, people are increasingly realising that if they challenge a certain cluster of prevailing orthodoxies, they are likely to be cancelled.

We must push back against this.

Watch the General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, Lord Young, speaking at our event in Belfast 👇

[Ben @Unfrugality]

@calvinrobinson Before that it needs a First Amendment law.

[Ben @Unfrugality]

@jonkay Why aren't they going out and crowdfunding it themselves? There's an unhealthy attitude of dependence on the federal government for everything.

[Ben @Unfrugality]

@JoshDehaas Just watched Not Reserving Judgement. Concerned about judicial activism as that discredits the judiciary and loses public trust. If people can't trust they'll be treated impartially it'll foster resentment among the public and undermine confidence in judicial process.

[Ben @Unfrugality]

@BijanOmrani @Telegraph What’s interesting is how quickly this sentiment can disappear when faced with a direct threat. Canada is a good example of how national self-flagellation can suddenly vanish. Slow but insidious demise under the veil of compassion is the risk.

[History Reclaimed @History_Reclaim]

How should historical evidence shape modern public narratives?

“Land Acknowledgement Fails to Acknowledge Facts” by Kevin Jon Fernlund examines the historical and demographic arguments surrounding modern land acknowledgements in the United States and other Anglosphere countries.

The article discusses pre-contact population estimates, Indigenous land use, European settlement, and competing interpretations of concepts such as terra nullius and “stolen land.”

https://t.co/Y8VOfbBiAD

#HistoryReclaimed #KevinJonFernlund #AmericanHistory #IndigenousHistory #ColonialHistory #NorthAmericanHistory #HistoricalResearch #LandAcknowledgement

[Ben @Unfrugality]

@Protestia She'll probably meet the Dali Lama and Ghandi...but not in Heaven.

[Ben @Unfrugality]

@NewWorldHominin @MelanieBennet_ I wouldn’t worry about it. If it’s on CBC no one will be watching it anyway.

[nigel biggar @NigelBiggar]

Britain today is not, in fact, a systemically racist country. According to the World Values Survey 2023, it is among the least racist on earth.

Yet narratives of colonial guilt and present racism remain precious to the “progressive” left. Why? Because they are politically useful. They furnish a moral drama of victims and oppressors, and a licence to shout down dissent.

That is why so many crusaders are unmoved by counter-evidence. Their politics is not really about raising up the downtrodden. It is about puffing up the crusader.

Read my thoughts at The Biggar Picture: https://t.co/H4oeYsyajO

[Ben @Unfrugality]

@NBrasing @Protestia Some of the most prominent Young Earthers have been Seventh Day Adventists because their theology has the least wiggle room. I agree with you though, I used to believe it but then I looked at the science, studied the Bible better and changed my mind. I’m a fan of WLC.

[Ben @Unfrugality]

@Protestia I found that auto tune gives singers confidence and makes the live stream sound better. Don’t notice it in the sanctuary though. Auto tune is no worse than EQs or other effects, it’s another tool.

[Ben @Unfrugality]

@RadioCarpenter @Protestia You’re right, though we do find it very noticeable on the live stream, even with the congregation blended in.

[Ben @Unfrugality]

@ALesserPaul @Protestia Exactly. If someone is against auto tune, are they also against EQs?

[Ben @Unfrugality]

@ScottFrye1960 @Protestia Most pro singers use auto tune. It isn’t going to fix large mistakes, only small pitch inconsistencies. It’s only rally noticeable on the live stream, but it gives our singers more confidence - they’re only volunteers and not professionals

[Ben @Unfrugality]

@Protestia @Nick_Shultenski You’re right, but…we’ve found that the live stream of the service is unforgiving, and any pitch mistakes are very noticeable, even with the congregation blended in. Auto tune gives some singers confidence when singing.

[Colin Wright @SwipeWright]

Every time someone says "Woke is dead!", Canada has vowed to add one character to the oppression alphabet.

We're currently at "MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+"

The new letters "MMIWG" stand for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

[Ben @Unfrugality]

@calvinrobinson I live as an immigrant abroad and I can't vote as I'm not a citizen. I respect that – it's the country's choice and they have the right to choose who they want to vote. If I don't like the policies they vote in, I'm free to leave – I have somewhere to go.

[Real Counties | Historic Counties @RealCounties]

You may notice we've updated our name.

Our focus hasn't changed - Britain's historic counties remain our subject, and our purpose remains the same.

The Campaign for Historic Counties continues as part of this work.

Britain's historic counties were never abolished. They remain the country's enduring geographic framework.

That's what we'll continue to explain - through history, maps and evidence.

[Mark W. @DurhamWASP]

“One cannot assess in terms of cash or exports and imports an imponderable thing like the turn of a lane or an inn or a church tower or a familiar skyline.”

Sir John Betjeman