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Rula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times, picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Let's see this recent political fuss over gang scandals for what they are. The sudden sudden concern among politicians about the rights of a subset of child rape victims – only those abused by men of Pakistani descent – is beyond ridiculous.
Conservative leaders who failed to implement the recommendations of the latest inquiry into child sexual abuse are suddenly demanding new recommendations. The Tory leadership runner-up blames the abuses “strange cultures” (Were they alien cultures when the perpetrators were in the Roman Catholic Church or the Anglican Church?). A reformist British MP has called for an investigation “into why white British girls are being raped by men of Pakistani origin”. The intention is clear and driven by competition for Elon Musk's ethno-nationalist sentiment.
It is a dream scandal for those who exploit it. Either they can secure their demand for a new national inquiry, which will then be milked, or they can scream for a cover-up. It plays into a broader agenda to destroy trust in the institutions of liberal society.
We can see the falsehood in many claims. Grooming gangs preying on young girls in towns such as Rotherham, Oxford, Oldham and Telford have not been ignored. There have been multiple inquiries over the past decade. Far from being exposed by street thug Tommy Robinson, she was exposed by The Times – it doesn't get more mainstream media than that. In fact, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was at the time the Director of Public Prosecutions He was praised Work to secure convictions.
But, once you get over the cynicism, here's the thing. These atrocities have happened. The abuse was disgusting and ongoing. The details are horrific. Ordinary people have failed shockingly. Misguided sensitivities over the fact that a large number of gangs are made up of men of Pakistani origin, and fear of being seen as racists, have shamefully been given priority over prosecuting the attackers. Equally important was the contempt the police and authorities had for the victims, whom they dismissed as lower class.
The arguments for another, more specific investigation into the grooming gang cases are not as clear-cut. As Starmer put it, “reasonable people” would disagree on this. The basic facts and common failure patterns in abuse cases (close community of abusers, power imbalances, and neglect of victims) are now well known. There have been many local inquiries although it is not entirely true to say that this aspect has been fully covered by Alexis Jay's extensive investigation. There is merit in the view that it would be better to proceed with the implementation of its recommendations.
However, even making these points means knowing that it will not be enough. The case against the investigation is very difficult. It's hard to believe the government's position will hold, though Data and white perpetrator incidents, There is no reason to limit such an investigation to perpetrators belonging to only one ethnic group.
This outburst also highlights something else. It is no longer possible to manage politics as it was before. Musk's direct and obsessive interventions on behalf of the hard right across Western nations – a form of MAGA imperialism – combined with the power of TikTok, and Meta's retreat from fact-checking and moderation, represent the latest stage in tearing down the old rules of politics. The speech. Musk has become particularly hostile to Starmer since the arrests related to social media posts inciting the riots in Southport.
Gone are the days of condescending contempt, or of refuting arguments with one grand speech broadcast live on TV news channels. The debate is no longer concentrated in a handful of manageable media. Unwelcome decisions cannot be passed quietly into the public eye. Social media and podcasts that shape the news agenda operate outside the rules. The battle is taking place at a rapid pace, with extremist language, misinformation, and relentless exaggerated publications. The challenge facing the major parties is that political success requires mastery of a method that does not lend itself to nuance, statistics or technocratic details. It makes it more difficult to judge.
This harsh terrain requires almost immediate recognition of issues that resonate more broadly. One reason the demand for an investigation is so powerful is that it seems plausible, making ordinary citizens side with the instigators.
The country's bloc is not anti-immigrant. He is pro-control, pro-integration, and above all, pro-justice. Citizens will not tolerate complacency in dealing with deep evil for reasons of racial sensitivity. They expect common standards to be applied. “Two-tiered” Kerr is too dangerous for Starmer.
The most recent failure has been the pace of change at the national level. Inquiries are made, recommendations are accepted and then discontinued. Attention moves elsewhere. The investigation into Jay took seven years and two more years have passed since then. Data is still insufficient. A major proposal for a new criminal offense of not taking action on reports of abuse was not put forward. Conservatives slowed down and Work behaviorAfter musk. Citizens are disgusted, and they now have a way to make their voices heard without any censorship.
The saga is a brutal example of how Musk brought online politics to its inevitable endpoint. The region has changed irrevocably. Unless mainstream leaders want to go down the unwanted path of censorship, they need new rules of the game. The digital landscape will mercilessly punish those who remain in analogue mode.
