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Category: UK
December 19, 2023
Jack Montgomery
Culture
UK

Scotland Mulls Taylor Swift Ticket Tax.

Scotland’s left-separatist government is considering a “Taylor Swift ticket tax” on people attending stadium gigs for popular musicians, to raise tax revenue after blowing billions on welfare programs and mass migration. The tax would take the form of a £1 (~$1.30) levy on ticket purchases.

“We have gone through a pivot point during the pandemic; there has been a change in social behaviors and there has been extreme distress in the arts and cultural sector,” said Angus Robertson, Minister for Culture in the Scottish Government.

“We acknowledge that and we have tried to support the sector through that difficult period,” he continued, saying the “levy proposal is worthy of further consideration.”

The Scottish Government, headed by the Scottish National Party (SNP) in coalition with the Scottish Greens, currently faces a £1.5 billion budget shortfall. Nevertheless, First Minister Humza Yousaf is currently lobbying to import thousands of Gazans, which would strain public finances even further.

Arts and culture funding is not always spent wisely, with the Scottish Government previously funding “queer datasets” used to produce artificial intelligence drag shows.

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Scotland's left-separatist government is considering a "Taylor Swift ticket tax" on people attending stadium gigs for popular musicians, to raise tax revenue after blowing billions on welfare programs and mass migration. The tax would take the form of a £1 (~$1.30) levy on ticket purchases. show more
December 18, 2023
Religion
UK

Britain BANS PRAYER Near Abortion Clinics.

England’s High Court has upheld a local government order establishing a so-called “buffer zone” against prayers being said near an abortion clinic. Livia Tossici-Bolt, who heads the pro-life group 40 Days for Life Bournemouth, and Christian Concern had attempted to overturn the ban, arguing it “criminalized prayer and reading from the Bible”.

Judges determined on Friday that the banning order “lawfully followed the democratic and consultative procedures”. They said any infringements of freedom of religion, speech, and the right to protest were “justified by the legitimate aim of protecting the rights of women attending the clinic.”

Christian Concern intends to appeal the decision. “Peaceful witness near abortion centers are helpful to many women in crisis pregnancies, offering genuine choice by providing support,” argued Christian Legal Centre chief executive Andrea Williams.

British police are exceptionally rigid in enforcing “buffer zones” protecting abortionists. Lone Christians have in some cases been arrested or fined for praying silently inside their heads near clinics.

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England's High Court has upheld a local government order establishing a so-called "buffer zone" against prayers being said near an abortion clinic. Livia Tossici-Bolt, who heads the pro-life group 40 Days for Life Bournemouth, and Christian Concern had attempted to overturn the ban, arguing it "criminalized prayer and reading from the Bible". show more
December 18, 2023
Jack Montgomery
Economy
Politics
UK

Anti-Brexit Biden Shelves US-UK Trade Deal Talks.

Plans for a trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom have been shelved indefinitely by President Joe Biden. An 11-chapter draft agreement had previously been prepared by the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) office, with negotiations for a deal expected to commence before the close of 2023. American and British government sources have both confirmed that these will not go ahead after pushback from the Democrat-led Senate and Biden himself.

A spokesman for Sen. Ron Wyden, chairman of the influential Senate Finance Committee, said: “[his] view that the United States and United Kingdom should not make announcements until a deal that benefits Americans is achievable.” He also complained the USTR had not involved Congress in the process enough.

There was also some pushback on a trade deal from the British side. In particular, the British government is concerned about allowing chemical-washed and hormone-treaded American meat into the British market.

The U.S. is the UK’s top partner for both imports and exports, and the two countries are each other’s top foreign investors. A trade deal was impossible prior to Brexit, however, as European Union (EU) membership rules say the bloc controls member-states’ trade policy.

Former President Donald Trump was keen to secure a wide-ranging trade deal with Britain, but the country’s governing “Conservative” Party slow-walked the break with the EU, having been caught off guard by the 2016 Brexit vote.

Biden, an avowedly anti-British career politician, has been much less keen on negotiating a deal in the interests of both nations.

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Plans for a trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom have been shelved indefinitely by President Joe Biden. An 11-chapter draft agreement had previously been prepared by the United States Trade Representative's (USTR) office, with negotiations for a deal expected to commence before the close of 2023. American and British government sources have both confirmed that these will not go ahead after pushback from the Democrat-led Senate and Biden himself. show more
December 13, 2023
Breaking
UK

England ‘Basically No Longers Exists’, Says Tucker Carlson.

Speaking to Steve Bannon on Wednesday morning’s episode of War Room, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson explained that he believes England, where his ancestors are from, “basically no longer exists.”

Discussing the global populist revolt, including the Brexit movement, Carlson ripped into mass migration and the abdication of traditional values in the former global power.

“I didn’t pay attention to [Brexit]… but you did,” Carlson told Bannon, before explaining, “There is a thread that connects all of these [countries where oligarchs rule over their people]”.

Carlson, who just launched his new ‘Tucker Carlson Network’, lauded the efforts of Hungary and its Prime Minister Viktor Orban to push back against the globalist agenda.

WATCH: 

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Speaking to Steve Bannon on Wednesday morning's episode of War Room, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson explained that he believes England, where his ancestors are from, "basically no longer exists." show more
December 13, 2023
Jake Welch
UK

1 in 4 Young Brits Open to Banning Bible for ‘Hate Speech’.

Just under one-quarter of young people in the United Kingdom (UK) would support banning the bible if certain passages conflict with modern “hate speech” laws, according to a recent survey from Whitestone Insights.

Pollsters asked 2,088 Britons to respond to the question: “Unless the offending parts can be edited out, books containing what some perceive as hate speech should be banned from general sale, including if necessary religious texts such as the Bible.”

They found that 23 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 said the Bible should be banned if it potentially causes offense. Hardly much better were those between ages 35 and 54, with 17 percent concurring. Another 13 percent of those aged 55 and above also agreed.

“We may no longer be a majority Christian population here in Britain. That’s even more reason to protect freedom of speech and belief for all,” said Lois McLatchie, the communications officer at Alliance Defending Freedom.

“We need a robust defense of religious freedom from those who craft our legislation, and we need to educate the ‘be kind’ generation on the truly hateful consequences of censorship before this type of thinking creeps further into reality,” she added.

Britain has seen a steady rise in hostility towards Christians over the past several decades. As of this year, it is illegal for Christians to silently pray outside abortion clinics.

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Just under one-quarter of young people in the United Kingdom (UK) would support banning the bible if certain passages conflict with modern "hate speech" laws, according to a recent survey from Whitestone Insights. show more
December 12, 2023
Jake Welch
Health
UK

DATA: 45% of Brits Say They Want Masks for Public Transport.

Almost half of the British public – 45 percent – support the reimposition of mask mandates on public transport, with that figure rising to a staggering 52 percent in Greater London, according to a recent poll from More in Common UK.

Pollsters asked over 2,000 Britons whether they would “support or oppose the government re-introducing… COVID-19 restrictions at the current time?” to which roughly one-fifth of the public suggested they support the return of restrictions.

Support for restrictions was highest among Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) and millennials (born between 1981 and 1996), with a third of the latter supporting the arbitrary closure of nightclubs and limits on how many people can meet at the same time. Just under one-third – 31 percent – similarly support closing nightclubs. One-quarter of both Gen Z and Millennials supported closing restaurants and pubs.

Whereas 27 percent of Gen X (between 41 and 55 years old) and Baby Boomers (aged between 56 and 74) support closing nightclubs, and even fewer support closing restaurants and pubs, at 17 percent among Baby Boomers and 12 percent for the “silent generation (those older than 75).”

The effectiveness of the measures imposed by governments to combat the spread of COVID-19 has been consistently questioned and debunked by a number of studies, including the fact that lockdowns saved just 1,700 lives in Britain and 4,000 in the United States.

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Almost half of the British public – 45 percent – support the reimposition of mask mandates on public transport, with that figure rising to a staggering 52 percent in Greater London, according to a recent poll from More in Common UK. show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
Look I mean I wish I could expand upon why my fellow countrymen remain so pusillanimous in the face of a 3-year-old virus scare, especially when so many of the “mitigating measures” have repeatedly been shown to have been nothing but theater
for exclusive members-only insights
Look I mean I wish I could expand upon why my fellow countrymen remain so pusillanimous in the face of a 3-year-old virus scare, especially when so many of the “mitigating measures” have repeatedly been shown to have been nothing but theater show more
for exclusive members-only insights
Yousaf
December 12, 2023
Jack Montgomery
Immigration
News
Politics
Religion
UK

Scotland’s Pakistani ‘First Minister’ Unilaterally Held Anti-Israel Talks With Turkey’s Erdogan, Against UK Policy.

Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf has sparked a diplomatic row by holding an unauthorized meeting with the Turkish president. Yousaf, roughly equivalent to a U.S. state governor, is a Pakistani-heritage Muslim. He has been pushing the British government to back an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and import thousands of Gazan refugees. Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, nominally a NATO ally, also backs a ceasefire. He has branded the West’s support for Israel against Hamas “barbaric”.

By discussing a ceasefire with Erdogan at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), Yousaf breached diplomatic protocol. Foreign policy and defense are reserved to the British central government. Yousaf, as head of the devolved Scottish government, should not have met a foreign government representative without British government officials present.

With Yousaf’s party being left-separatist, it has long attempted to set up a parallel foreign policy. Foreign Secretary (Secretary of State) David Cameron has threatened to expel Scottish government officials from Foreign Office premises over the Erdogan breach, however.

Yousaf is no stranger to controversy in British politics. He swore his oath of allegiance in the Scottish Parliament in Urdu, the official language of his family’s native Pakistan. He also railed against the number of white people in Scotland while he was the government minister responsible for justice matters.

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Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf has sparked a diplomatic row by holding an unauthorized meeting with the Turkish president. Yousaf, roughly equivalent to a U.S. state governor, is a Pakistani-heritage Muslim. He has been pushing the British government to back an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and import thousands of Gazan refugees. Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, nominally a NATO ally, also backs a ceasefire. He has branded the West's support for Israel against Hamas "barbaric". show more
farage
December 11, 2023
UK

Farage Hints Return To Politics, But Says Joining ‘Conservative’ Party is Unlikely.

Brexit leader Nigel Farage has stated he has little interest in joining Britain’s Conservative Party under the leadership of neoliberal immigration squish Rishi Sunak. Farage recently finished third-place on reality TV show ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here’. In a post-show interview, Farage criticized the Conservatives (aka ‘Tories’) for lying to the electorate about immigration numbers over four consecutive elections. He did not entirely dismiss the potential of aligning with the Conservatives under a different leader.

Rumors of Farage’s potential candidacy for the Tories have been circulating since his appearance at the party conference in Manchester in October 2021. While numerous senior figures from the party have shown interest in welcoming him on-board, the former UKIP and Brexit Party leader’s participation in the next general election would depend on his approval by the Tory selection board and local party adoption—an assurance yet unsecured.

Farage, who previously had seven failed attempts to become a Member of the British Parliament, is the current honorary president of Reform UK, the renamed ‘Brexit Party’ he pioneered in 2018. The party performed marginally lower than expected in special elections this year, averaging under  four percent of votes in six contests. Farage stressed his decision to participate in politics again will not be immediate.

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Brexit leader Nigel Farage has stated he has little interest in joining Britain's Conservative Party under the leadership of neoliberal immigration squish Rishi Sunak. Farage recently finished third-place on reality TV show 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here'. In a post-show interview, Farage criticized the Conservatives (aka 'Tories') for lying to the electorate about immigration numbers over four consecutive elections. He did not entirely dismiss the potential of aligning with the Conservatives under a different leader. show more
December 7, 2023
UK

Britain’s ‘Conservative’ Govt Is Raising the Price of the License You Have to Own to Watch TV.

The UK government confirmed the television license fee – a tax on owning a TV and consuming content created by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) – will increase by £10.50, from £159 to £169.50, indicating a 6.6 percent rise.

This adjustment is less than the outlined £15 – around 9 percent rise based on the yearly inflation average the BBC and Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) anticipated.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer disclosed this week that there will be a review of the BBC’s funding model, likely due to the increase of the license fee. The elevated fee is set to come into effect this coming April, after the £159 fee stayed stagnant for about two years. The BBC Board acknowledged the government’s move to tie the license fee to inflation after two years of no increase during a period of high inflation.

The government’s decision to raise the license fee by a smaller margin is alleged to lead to “no material difference” to those struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, according to the Shadow Culture Secretary Thangam Debbonaire. The government also recently announced Samir Shah as its preferred candidate to assume the role of BBC Chairman following Richard Sharp’s earlier departure this year.

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The UK government confirmed the television license fee – a tax on owning a TV and consuming content created by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) – will increase by £10.50, from £159 to £169.50, indicating a 6.6 percent rise. show more
December 7, 2023
William Upton
UK

Britain’s New Rwanda Immigration Deal Will Cost Over $150M to Deport A Few Hundred Migrants… Maybe.

The United Kingdom’s “Conservative” government announced a new deal with the war-torn nation of Rwanda this week. A deal which could see a pathetically small number of migrant asylum seekers currently in Britain sent to the African nation instead. In November of this year, the UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled the government’s original agreement with Rwanda to relocate migrants was unlawful.

Addressing the court’s concern that those seeking asylum could be returned to their home countries by the Rwandan government, the new agreement will create a joint tribunal of both UK and Rwandan judges to review deportations from the African nation.

“We feel very strongly that this treaty addresses all the issues raised by their lordships in the Supreme Court and we have worked very closely with our Rwandan partners to ensure that it does so,” said Home Secretary James Cleverly at the signing of the new agreement in Rwanda on Tuesday. Addressing concerns the government would agree to send the Rwandan government additional financial support, he added: “Let me make it clear. The Rwandan government has not asked for and we have not provided any funding linked to the signing of this treaty.”

Rwanda received £140million from the United Kingdom as part of the original deal under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Billed as an “economic transformation and integration fund,” the money was in reality a pay-off to the Rwandan government to close the deal and the costs the country would incur taking in the migrants. No migrants were ever relocated to Rwanda under the original agreement before the UK courts ruled in unlawful.

Critics of the original Rwanda Policy argued it was more of a gimmick than an actual solution. Estimates for the number of migrants that would be sent to Rwanda range from 200 to a few thousand.

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The United Kingdom's "Conservative" government announced a new deal with the war-torn nation of Rwanda this week. A deal which could see a pathetically small number of migrant asylum seekers currently in Britain sent to the African nation instead. In November of this year, the UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled the government's original agreement with Rwanda to relocate migrants was unlawful. show more