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Roula Khalaf, editor of the FT, picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Let’s take a look at this latest political outrage to create a gang scandal. The sudden sanctimonious concern among politicians on the right for a subset of child rape victims — abused only by men of Pakistani heritage — is beyond reproach.
Conservative leaders who failed to implement the recommendations of the latest inquiry into child sexual abuse have suddenly made a new demand. The runner-up for the Tory leadership is responsible for the abuse “Foreign Culture” (Was it an alien culture when the perpetrators belonged to the Roman Catholic or Anglican Church?) A UK Reform MP demanded an inquiry into “why young British white girls are being raped by men of Pakistani heritage”. Objectives are clear and motivated by competition Elon Musk’s ethno-nationalist affections.
It is a dream scandal for those who exploit it. Either they secure their claim for a new national inquiry, which will then be further milked, or they can cover up. And it serves a broader agenda of eroding faith in the institutions of liberal society.
We see lies in many claims. Grooming gangs preying on young girls in towns such as Rotherham, Oxford, Oldham and Telford have not been ignored. Over the past decade there have been multiple findings. Far from being exposed by street thug Tommy Robinson, it was exposed by the Times newspaper — you don’t get more mainstream media than that. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Director of Public Prosecutions at the time, actually appreciated for Act to confirm conviction.
But, once you get past the cynicism, here’s the thing. These brutal incidents happened. The abuse was sickening and unsustainable; The details are terrifying. The common man failed miserably. Misguided sensitivity to the fact that a large number of gangs are made up of men of Pakistani background and fear of appearing racist took priority, shamefully, over going after the abusers. As significant as the contempt for the police and authorities for the victims was their dismissal as an underclass.
Another, more specific, argument for investigating the grooming gang case is not clear. “Reasonable people,” in Starmer’s words, could disagree on this point. The key facts and common patterns of abuse failure (a tight-knit community of abusers, power imbalances, and contempt for victims) are now well known. Much local research has been done although it is not entirely accurate to say that this aspect was fully covered by the extensive Alexis J. investigations. There is merit in the view that his recommendations would be better implemented.
And yet, to even make this point is to know it won’t do. The case against an investigation is a very hard sell. It’s hard to believe that the government will hold the line – given that though Information And The phenomenon of white criminals, There is no case for limiting such investigations to criminals of only one ethnic group.
This flare-up also highlights something else. Politics can no longer continue as before. Musk’s direct and frenzied intervention on behalf of the hard right across Western countries – a form of maga imperialism – and the power of TikTok, and Meta’s retreat from verification and moderation, mark the final stage of dismantling the old norms. Musk has become particularly hostile towards the striker since his arrest in connection with social media posts inciting the Speech Southport riots.
The days of highbrow or rebuttal arguments are over with a magisterial speech broadcast live on a revolving TV news channel. Controversy is no longer concentrated in a few manageable media. Unwanted decisions cannot be quietly slipped away from the public. Social media and podcasts that shape the news agenda operate outside the norm The fight is waged with speed, extreme language, misinformation and relentlessly exaggerated posts. The challenge for mainstream parties is that political success requires mastery of a medium that does not lend itself to nuance, statistics or technical detail. This makes it more difficult to govern.
This brutal terrain requires almost immediate recognition of issues that resonate more broadly. One reason the demand for inquiry is so strong is that it seems reasonable, given that ordinary citizens are on the side of agitators.
The people of the country are not anti-immigrant. It stands for regulation, for integration and above all, for fairness. Citizens will not tolerate soft-pedaling on deep evils due to racial sensitivities. They expect common standards to be enforced — the epithet “two-tier kear” is too dangerous for Starmer.
A final failure has been the pace of change at the national level. Inquiry held, recommendation accepted then adjourned. Attention is diverted. J The investigation took seven years and two more years have passed since then. Data is still insufficient. A substantive proposal for a new criminal offense of failure to act to report abuse has not been introduced. Conservatives dawdled and Labor actedPost-mask. Citizens are rightly fed up and they now have a way to make themselves deaf.
This story is a brutal example of how Musk has brought online politics to its inevitable end point. The region has changed irrevocably. If mainstream leaders don’t want to go down the unwelcome path of censorship, they need a new playbook. The digital landscape will mercilessly punish those who remain in analog mode.
