I Intend To Escape ......................And Come Back

A few links and bits and pieces of interest

This blog mostly serves as a repository for my own writing, but I thought if worthwhile to post a few links here to groups and causes I support or have sympathy for. Here goes.

Like many others I lean to the left on economic questions, and to the right on issues like the family, immigration and social cohesion. I am therefore happy to be a supporter of the small but perfectly formed SDP, under the leadership of William Clouston.

Below I list several other websites that I would encourage others to dip into.

Firstly spiked, which has achieved an enormous amount in recent years, especially in flying the flag for freedom of speech. Working perhaps from a similar commitment is the Free Speech Union, which performs a vital role in supporting those the mob come for. Elsewhere, I am a subscriber to the monthly magazine Fortean Times, which is so eclectic its perhaps hard to describe in a sentence. Perhaps the best way to do so is to say is that it takes issues often dismissed, seriously, and therefore expands our understanding? Staying in that area, for many years I ran a blog devoted to 9/11 conspiracy theories - 9/11 Cultwatch. Its a bit dated, but you can still see its posts here.

During Covid I read Henry Williamson's superb series of novels - A Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight. To me, Williamson is our greatest twentieth century author. The Henry Williamson Society's website can be viewed here.

Finally, for many years I have enjoyed the company and insights of Larry O'Hara, perhaps the UK's foremost expert on the far-right. Do visit the website of his magazine, Notes from the Borderland.

Techno Cynics of the World Unite, You Have Nothing To Lose But Your Chains

Every time I go on Twitter, there is a thread along the lines of 'this is how AI can work for you' or 'AI will change the world'. I'm sure it will, but will it change the world for the better?

As I see it, there are two problems with technology. The first is that some of the time it does not work. As a society we tend to blame the user rather than the developer or the manufacturer when this happens. One of the greatest miscarriages of justice this century - the Royal Mail subpostmasters scandal - occurred because it was easier to send people to prison for crimes they had not committed, than to admit the computer system, Horizon, was faulty.
The second problem is that technology creates new elites - think Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, Microsoft, Google. As we saw in the last US elections, by 2020 America had reached the stage whereby Facebook and Twitter considered themselves bigger than the President of the United States. Indeed as Niall Ferguson wrote in a masterful article for the Spectator in 2017, the battle between tech and Trump was one for the ages. Having won the first fight, Trump was to be decisively beaten in the second.

The power of Big Tech also reproduces itself, in more minor but irritating ways, at the local level. When I studied at Wolverhampton Polytechnic in the late 1980s, lecturers started on the hour, and you took handwritten notes. By the time I was lecturing myself a quarter of a century later, arrangements were in the style illustrated by Prof Stuart Wilks-Heeg:

And remember, these are all labour saving devices being used!

With this tech comes the rise of IT departments who replicate power in a distinct way. Staff at the University of Leicester, where I taught for a decade, were required to change their IT passwords every 90 days for security purposes. Students did not. It was no coincidence that students were paying lots of money to be at the university, whilst hourly paid lecturers like myself were employees expected to do as they were told.
One year the IT department had the bright idea of moving some staff to a new email system in exam marking week. This backfired spectacularly, and I had no access to the system for 36 hours. As an early career academic on a fixed term contract, if I was late doing my marking, the chances of me getting further contracts were zero. When I asked the IT department why they did not wait until the summer holidays to make such a major change, I was firmly put in my place; 'We have to be ready for new students coming from August'. In the new academic hierarchy, the IT department's convenience sat higher than those they provided a service too.

Forgive me therefore if I do not feel Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to liberate us for the better. Indeed, the most logical response appears to be to draw the curtains, carry on as before, using technology we are comfortable with and ignoring that which is too much trouble. And to always push back whenever change is imposed upon us.

A fund exists for those effected by the Horizon scandal, to allow subpostmasters to rebuild their lives. Donations can be made here.

How the Abedi brothers slipped through the net

Earlier this month I wrote a short piece for spiked on the third and final part of the Manchester Arena inquiry.

It details some of the sorry revelations to emerge, and highlights the reluctance of sections of the British state to really get into the weeds and the dirt when it comes to Islamist extremism.

You can read the article online here, and a pdf can be viewed below.

Download How the Abedi brothers slipped through the next spiked 09 03 2023

Two interventions on the independent review of Prevent

I neglected to post on her two articles I had published last month, discussing the long overdue independent review of Prevent, by William Shawcross.

For Con Home I asked whether anything will really be different this time - an attitude which rather percolates the response to many government initiatives, including the approach to immigration. You can read the article online here, and download a pdf below.

Download The Prevent Scheme will it be different this time Conservative Home 16 02 2023

The run up to last months Prevent review saw a series of leaks and counter leaks. For the Telegraph I asked whether the government would allow the various bureaucrats and civil servants control, or whether it would see the Prevent review process through to the end. Time will tell. The article is on the Telegraph website here. The pdf is below.

Download The Tories cant let naive bureaucrats take back control of counter terror strategy Telegraph 08 02 2023

The Trojan Horse Affair: A Documentary Record

Last month I was co-author, along with my colleague Damon Perry, of a report into the Trojan Horse Affair in Birmingham Schools.

You can read The Trojan Horse Affair: A Documentary Record online here. A pdf of the report can also be downloaded below.

Download The Trojan Horse Affair A Documentary Record

Qatar: Two Contributions to Debate

During November we saw the opening of a World Cup that, for the first time in the modern history of football, was not greeted with universal enthusiasm by supporters. Why? The host, and the methods used to win the hosting of the tournament.

I was involved in two contributions which attempted to provide a little more background to Qatar, and in particular Britain's relationship with it. The first was supplying some additional information, along with Dr Damon Perry, to a report by Sir John Jenkins for Policy Exchange. A pdf is below.

Secondly, I wrote a short piece for the Conservative Home which argued that in our dealings with Qatar, the UK's social cohesion must come first. Again, a pdf is below.

Download Qatar-Friend-or-Frenemy 2022

Download Its time that British elites had a reality check about our relationship with Qatar Con Home 23 11 2022

The Just Stop Oil Protests: Some analysis

October saw a series of protests across London and the south east, by the Just Stop Oil organisation.

Who are they, what do they seek to achieve, and why do they get away with things other political campaigns, do not?

I am one of three authors of a report by Policy Exchange which seeks to answer those questions. You may read the report online, or download a pdf, here.

A pdf of the report can also be viewed on the link below.

Download The-‘Just-Stop-Oil-protests

The Personal Is Perhaps Not Political

A couple of years after everyone else, I have just finished reading 'The Madness of crowds: Gender, Race and Identity' by Douglas Murray.

It is very good, indeed the only one of his books which has missed the mark is probably the one no one talks about now - the 2006 text 'Neoconservatism: Why we need it'. The truth of course is that we didn't!

In the conclusion to the Madness of Crowds, Murray writes beautifully of the effort people put into politics, and how identity politics in particular becomes all-consuming. It is worth quoting in full:

But of all the ways in which people can find meaning in their lives, politics - let alone politics on such a scale - is one of the unhappiest. Politics may be an important aspect of our lives, but as a source of personal meaning it is disastrous. Not just because the ambitions it strives after nearly always go unachieved, but because finding purpose in politics laces politics with a passion - including rage - that perverts the whole enterprise.

For anyone who has ever been involved in, or observed a political split within an organisation, these words hit home:

If two people are in disagreement about something important, they may disagree as amicably as they like if it is just a matter of getting to the truth or the most amenable option. But if one party finds their whole purpose in life to reside in some aspect of that disagreement, then the chances of amicability fade fast and the likelihood of reaching any truth recedes.

The quotes are on p.255-56 of the 2020 paperback edition.

The Islamist Attack on Salman Rushdie: Comment

On Friday 12 August an attempt was made to murder the writer Salman Rushdie at a public event in New York State.

I was quoted on the issue of Rushdie's security, and the wider threat from terrorism in the Sunday Post newspaper on 14 August. As the article does not appear to be online, I attach it as a pdf below.

Download Sunday Post Peter Swindon on Rushdie attack p 8-9 14 08 2022

Research Note: The Lady of Heaven Protests

The protests against The Lady of Heaven movie have ended in a complete victory for the protestors.

England and Wales abolished laws against blasphemy under the last Labour government in 2008. As at Batley Grammar School in 2021 however, it appears possible for Islamist protestors to enforce blasphemy codes by taking to the streets.

This research note, published yesterday by Policy Exchange, considers events this month, and traces the opposition to The Lady of Heaven movie back to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

You can read the research note online here, and download a pdf below.

Download ‘The-Lady-of-Heaven Research note 20 06 2022

Extremism review must take a tough stance on Islamism

My take on the Shawcross review on Prevent, currently sitting in the Home Secretary's in tray.

Published in the Times on Tuesday 17 May.

You can view a pdf of the article below.

Download Extremism review must take a tough stance on Islamism 17 05 2022

Why is Extinction Rebellion protesting against gender-critical feminists?

Yesterday spiked were good enough to publish an article I wrote on the Bristol Extinction Rebellion FB page calling a protest against a feminist meeting at Bristol University.

A link to the article on the spiked website is here. A pdf of the piece may be read below.

Download Why is Extinction Rebellion protesting against gender-critical feminists_ - spiked 08 05 2022

Delegitimising Counter-Terrorism: The activist campaign to demonise Prevent

Last month I was one of three authors of a new report for Policy Exchange, looking at the Islamist campaign against the prevent policy.

You can find a link to the report here. And download a pdf of the report below.

Download Delegitimising-Counter-Terrorism 2022

Anti-Zionism Coordination Committee and Jeremy Corbyn MP

This is a short piece for the Understanding Islamism project of the think tank Policy Exchange.

It considers the advertised appearance of Jeremy Corbyn MP at an anti-Zionist event. Mr Corbyn did not however, join the proceedings. The controversy was covered in the Daily Mail.

A link to the article can be read here, and a pdf of the article, below.

Download Anti Zionism Coordination (AZC) Annual Conference and Jeremy Corbyn MP - Policy Exchange 25 02 2022

UK Islamist responses to the proscription of Hamas

This is a short article, for the Understanding Islamism project of the website Policy Exchange.

It considers the responses of British Islamists to the complete proscription of the Islamist group Hamas - previously only its military wing had been illegal in the United Kingdom.

You can download a pdf of the article below, and read it online here.

Download UK Islamist reactions to the proscription of Hamas as an international terrorist group - Policy Exchange 16 01 2022

2021 in an image

The Winter Solstice is here (the longest day) and it seems appropriate to consider the year, what we have done and what we have not done.

If I had to summarise 2021 in a single image, it is below:

Network of Networks: The Muslim Brotherhood in Europe

This week the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European parliament published the report on the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe that I have worked on with the Italian researcher Tommaso Virgili.

You can see the report launch, and download a copy of the report, on the ECR website here.

A pdf of the report can be found below.

Download Network of Networks MuslimBrotherhood in Europe Stott Virgili 2021

Turkey expands its religious influence

As Saudi Arabia increasingly looks to move away from influencing the growth of Islam in the west, Turkey is a more important player than ever.

This article, for Policy Exchange's Understanding Islamism project, seeks to explain the influence of the Diyanet, Turkey's Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Read it online here, and as a pdf below.

Download Turkeys Ministry of Religious Affairs An increasingly important player at home and abroad 19 10 2021

14 Questions following the killing of David Amess MP

I wrote the following for the Policy Exchange website earlier this month.

You can read the text here, and as a pdf below.

Download 14 questions for ministers and police emerging from the killing of Sir David Amess MP 19 10 2021

British connections of banned French charity BarakaCity revealed

This article, for Policy Exchange, examines the French NGO BarakaCity.

Proscribed for extremism in its home country, its CEO Idriss Sihamedi, has publicly sought asylum in Turkey. However it has for several years been active in this country, and is currently seeking to expand its operations in Britain, an issue that should raise concerns.

There is a link to the article here, and a pdf below:

Download British connections of banned French Islamic charity BarakaCity revealed

Environmentalist disruption shifts from the West End to the M25

As the protests of Extinction Rebellion have become increasingly staid, it is perhaps no surprise Insulate Britain have opted for a tactic of far greater disruption.

However, those key workers who have kept the country going during the pandemic, will struggle to recognise either the world of the environmentalists, or one where the police stand by as motorways are blocked. My thought on these events can be read on the on the Policy Exchange website here.

The article can also be downloaded as a pdf below:

Download Environmentalist disruption shifts from the west end to the M25 17 09 2021