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Dec 30, 2021 10 tweets 5 min read Read on X
A short #THREAD on Boris Johnson's time as Editor of the establishment-right mouthpiece, The Spectator, Chaired by failed GB "News" Chief Andrew Neil, & owned by toxic tax-avoiding right-wing billionaire libertarian crank Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph.
Before joining The Spectator as editor, Boris Johnson had worked for Murdoch's Times, & the Barclay Brothers' Daily Telegraph. He had also briefly been political commentator for The Spectator under Dominic Lawson.

From 1999, Johnson established himself as a "colourful" editor.
A campaign to have Johnson selected in the safe seat of Henley saw rivals anonymously smeared as 'gay, alcoholic or suspiciously left-wing', & in the 2001, Johnson was elected MP for Henley. By 2004 he was vice-chair of the Tory party, & in Michael Howard's shadow cabinet.
His editorial policy: "in favour of getting rid of Saddam, sticking up for Israel, free-market economics, expanding choice... not necessarily a Thatcherite or neocon magazine, though in our editorial coverage we tend to follow roughly the conclusions of those lines of arguments".
In February 2003, Johnson was the subject of a Scotland Yard inquiry relating to a column by Taki, targeting barrister Peter Herbert, a black man.

Following the column, Herbert received over 40 racist emails, mostly from the USA, some of which contained death threats.
In October 2004, a Spectator editorial suggested that the death of the hostage Kenneth Bigley was being over-sentimentalised by the people of Liverpool, accusing them of indulging in a "vicarious victimhood" and of possessing a "deeply unattractive psyche".
The Spectator began to be referred to as the 'Sextator', owing to the number of sex scandals connected with the magazine.

These included an affair between columnist Rod Liddle & the magazine's receptionist, & Boris Johnson's own affair with another columnist, Petronella Wyatt.
Johnson at first denied the relationship, dismissing the allegations as "an inverted pyramid of piffle", but was sacked from the Shadow Cabinet in November 2004 when they turned out to be true.
On his departure in 2005, Andrew Neil paid a glowing tribute to Johnson's editorship:

"Boris has been a wonderful and magnificent editor of The Spectator and we are sorry to lose him; in many ways he will be irreplaceable. But we wish him every success in his political career."
During Johnson's editorship, Mary Wakefield began working at the magazine: she is now the magazine's commissioning editor and is married to Boris Johnson's former political advisor Dominic Cummings.

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More from @docrussjackson

Jul 28
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The shameless lie that "Britain is lawless" is categorically false, as it contradicts empirical data on crime trends, rule of law metrics, and the functioning of UK institutions. Reform UK often use fearmongering exaggeration and selective framing to create a sense of crisis. Image
Official data from the ONS and Home Office indicate that overall crime rates in England and Wales have fluctuated but do not support the notion of a "lawless" state. The ONS reported a 7% decrease in total recorded crime (excluding fraud) from 2023 to 24.

theconversation.com/most-crime-has…
Violent crime, while a concern in certain areas of the UK, has not reached levels that would justify describing Britain as "lawless."

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Jul 21
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#OnThisDay, 21 July, 1969, the Chicago Daily News published: The ‘love it or leave it’ nonsense, by Sydney J. Harris.

It began: One of the most ignorant and hateful statements that a person can make is “If you don’t like it here, why don’t you leave?”

I reproduce it, below. Image
Harris was born in London in 1917, moving to the US in 1922. A formidable journalist who established a distinct voice integrating incisive social commentary with wit and humour, his weekday column, ‘Strictly Personal’, was syndicated in 200 US newspapers. Image
The ‘love it or leave it’ nonsense, by Sydney J. Harris.

One of the most ignorant and hateful statements that a person can make is “If you don’t like it here, why don’t you leave?”

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Jun 29
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A few thoughts on Bob Vylan leading the #GlastonburyFestival crowd in chants of "Death to the IDF" (Israeli Defence Force), livestreamed by the @BBC, and the mischaracterisation of the chant by some MPs, news media, and activists. Image
In England, where #GlastonburyFestival is located, all of us have the right to freely express our criticism of anyone or anything - as long as there is no intent to provoke immediate unlawful violence or there is a reasonable likelihood it will occur as a consequence.
In England, free speech is protected under Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998. However, inciting violence is a criminal offence under several laws which attempt to balance public safety with free expression rights.

There are a number of key provisions in UK Law.
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Jun 26
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Socially isolated and radicalised online, Marcus Monzo, 37, was convicted of murdering 14-yr-old Daniel Anjorin and attacking others with a sword.

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Debate is too often framed as being about free speech, rather than its sometimes horrific consequences.

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In many countries, especially since Musk bought Twitter/@X, underregulated online extreme content has been used to groom and radicalise vulnerable people.

Too many cowardly politicians are scared to speak up for fear of being branded 'anti-free speech'.

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Jun 10
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Some MPs who have been in parliament for many years NEVER appear on any of the @BBC's "flagship" politics shows - but Reform's privately educated shit-stirring 'anti-elite' former Tory Sarah Pochin - an MP for FIVE WEEKS - gets her own special introduction on #PoliticsLive. Image
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#PolitcsLive Image
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Jun 7
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The 'Women's Safety Initiative' is an anti-migrant AstroTurf disinformation group founded by Jess Gill, a Fellow of the Koch-funded climate change denial group, the Foundation for Economic Education, & an apprentice at the Mises Institute. The '1 in 4' claim is a lie. Image
Before I outline the evidence that (despite what we are told every day by politicians, activists, and news media) there is no discernable link between either legal or illegal immigration and increased crime rates in OECD countries, including ours, some context about Jess Gill. Image
Jess Gill’s involvement with these radical free-market climate change denying Koch foundation funded organisations is deeply concerning.

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