35 years Arabic and MENA specialist | Author | Speaker | Possibly Railways... | All views my own of course | العربية | Français
Deal CT14
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Mark Goldfinch retweeted
IT’S NOT A NEW LANDING STRATEGY.
IT’S A NEW LAUNCHING STRATEGY.
Let’s take a tactical and business-like approach to this.
Because.. well… it’s tactics and business. Actually.
Let’s be clear. The intention is not to cross the English Channel unaided and land on a chosen British beach.
The intention is to escape France, reach UK waters and be picked up by British authorities.
Getting away from France is the challenge.
So, in priority order, why are boats now appearing as far west as Portsmouth?
1. A lower risk of interception in France
This is the principal reason. Calais, Dunkirk and Boulogne are heavily watched. Moving west into Normandy gives the traffickers quieter beaches and a better chance of launching before French police can intervene.
2. Reaching UK waters triggers the rescue operation
Once an obscenely overcrowded boat reaches UK waters, British maritime authorities are effectively compelled to intervene. Where the passengers eventually come ashore is largely irrelevant to the smugglers.
3. A wider coastline stretches enforcement
Launching farther west forces French and British authorities to monitor hundreds of additional miles of coastline, diluting surveillance, patrols and response capability.
4. “Mega-dinghies” make longer routes possible
Larger boats carry more passengers and fuel. They also allow the gangs to make vastly more money from each successful launch.
5. Portsmouth is a consequence, not necessarily the destination
The vessel was intercepted and its occupants brought ashore by the rescue services. Portsmouth was the receiving port, not necessarily the traffickers’ planned landing point.
The smugglers have traded a longer, more dangerous sea journey for a lower chance of being stopped in France.
That is the tactical change. This is business risk management. Simple.
Illegal migration 101.
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
The problem with the phrase ‘taking the law into their own hands’ as an automatic pejorative is that it assumes the law is legitimate.
Former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption once said that although we have a legal obligation to follow the law, which is a tautology, we don’t have a moral obligation to follow bad laws.
It is very hard for the government to justify what it’s doing (and not doing) in moral terms. We know these aren’t real asylum seekers, we know some will commit crimes, some may even be terrorists, and at best they’ll cause massive social unrest. Thus the government is failing in its basic duty to keep citizens safe.
Even if all that wasn’t true, the British people have clearly expressed for years that they don’t want these migrants here, so the government is also ignoring the will of the people.
Hence if what the government is doing is legal, then clearly those laws are wrong. It can’t in any meaningful sense be legal to flood the country with dangerous illegal migrants.
Obviously I’m not encouraging anyone to do anything, this is just a philosophical point.
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
I am very, very sorry to say this, but the Muslim Brotherhood is expanding its influence across Africa and Yemen—with Egypt enabling them in Sudan, and Saudi Arabia enabling them in both Sudan and Yemen.
And in the UK, the Brotherhood is also winning, thanks to the Labour Party.
This is a complete catastrophe.
Wherever the Muslim Brotherhood gains influence, instability, bloodshed and state fragmentation tend to follow.
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
This is totally wrong. Ex-police officer Stephen Gray had been convicted of sharing a post showing a piece of bacon alongside a man with a turban and a caption reading; “ Fun facts about bacon. People who eat bacon have less chance of marrying a 9-year-old.”
Gray,65, who spent three decades in Cleveland police, was found guilty and made to pay £1,000 in fines and costs for making a grossly offensive post on Facebook.
The disgraceful verdict was reported in The Telegraph.
This verdict is total crap. It’s not grossly offensive and the District Judge at Newton Aycliffe is an idiot.
Delighted to report that the Free Speech Union is going to fund his appeal. I’m sure he will win.
As Grsy says all he did was make a joke, an ironic joke, about Islam.
If this ludicrous conviction was to stand the UK would have introduced blasphemy by the back door.
The judge has made a serious error and he should be stood down.
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
The issue is that nobody in the MSM is incentivised to promote the SDP.
We would take votes from Reform, Labour and even the Tories.
We would drag the Overton window even harder towards nationalism vs their preferred, kneejerk globalism.
We would hasten the realignment that the old parties have spent 20 years trying to clamp down.
And we don't have a large enough membership to be undeniable, nor news making personnel.
So we have to become undeniable via members, local elections, defections, growth, prominent supporters and - ultimately - Parliamentary representation by 2029.
There are a number of steps to take towards this. But they all require funds. Which is why we're trying to raise money - somewhat like a startup would. It's the only way forward.
We need to find the people who want to create a better future for their children. The people who know all the money in the world won't insulate their grandkids from a country in collapse.
We need to find donors who want Britain to be governed by people with a plan - who unashamedly, wholeheartedly love the country and view politics as service, not personal aggrandisement. Donors who know that delusional, insipid and stupid MPs, economic collapse and civil war are no way for such a wonderful and storied country to go out. Who want to help genuinely rebuild.
The work is underway. We don't know if it will succeed but we have to try.
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
How the Muslim Brotherhood has embedded itself in Western societies - a follow-up to my long-read piece published by @unherd in May: existentialpolitics.substack…
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
I believe that this is very, very important
Out campaigning again today for our fantastic @RestoreBritain candidate, Jez Hermer MBE — and we had a brilliant response from the local residents we spoke to! 🇬🇧
I’ve fought many elections and worked alongside many candidates over the years, and I can genuinely say that Jez is one of the strongest local candidates I’ve ever had the pleasure of campaigning with.
This is his home. Jez has lived in the area all his life, knows these villages and their communities, and already serves local people as a parish councillor.
A former Royal Marines Major, awarded an MBE following more than 20 years of service, a local businessman and someone who has dedicated much of his life to public service — Jez has the experience, commitment and determination to be an outstanding councillor for this community.
In our video, Jez introduces himself and explains in his own words why he is standing, what this area means to him and the priorities he will fight for if elected.
This is also a hugely important moment for Restore Britain. This is our first ever council by-election, and we couldn’t have asked for a stronger candidate to represent us.
If you live in Guston, Kingsdown or St Margaret’s-at-Cliffe, please get behind Jez and vote for him on Thursday 27 August.
And we need your help! If you can spare even a few hours between now and polling day, please come and join us campaigning. Every leaflet delivered, every door knocked and every conversation matters.
We have a fantastic candidate, we are getting a fantastic response on the doorstep — now let’s turn that support into votes and make our first council by-election our FIRST WIN! 🇬🇧
VOTE JEZ HERMER MBE — RESTORE BRITAIN — 27 AUGUST
@RupertLowe10 @_HenryBolton @VocalIPUK
#RestoreBritain #JezHermer #Dover #Kingsdown #StMargaretsAtCliffe
Promoted by Tracy Bailitis on behalf of Jez Hermer and Restore Britain, both of Suite 4 Millennium House, Gapton Hall Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR31 0NL.
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
The big picture:
Any analyst examining the Sahel today and the expansion of Russian influence, the growth of terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram and JNIM, and the demographic and economic indicators of North Africa will see what is about to unfold.
A larger migration crisis at this point is not a question of if but when. For the moment, each episode can be presented as a dispute between Morocco and another country with conspiracy theories about why and how but there is a huge pressure on NATO South that people should keep in mind.
Problems on Europe’s external borders will persist, problems on North African countries who also are now destinations for migrants will also persist, and every weakness the EU displays through mass regularization programs, weak return policies, inconsistent border enforcement, or signals that irregular entry will ultimately be rewarded will invite exploitation by smugglers, hostile states, and ideological networks seeking to deepen political divisions across both shores of the Mediterranean.
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
“The more you follow these networks, the more you realise you are looking at a big unelected club, in my view trying to enact global socialism. Everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet.”
My piece on Pedro Sánchez:
open.substack.com/pub/gillc/…
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
Le immagini che arrivano da Ceuta sono impressionanti e dimostrano, ancora una volta, che l’immigrazione clandestina fuori controllo rappresenta una minaccia concreta per la sicurezza dei confini europei.
Mi sono confrontata con il Ministro dell’Interno Matteo Piantedosi. L’Italia non resterà a guardare. Stiamo convocando gli organismi preposti, e all'esito di queste riunioni siamo pronti a intervenire anche con strumenti straordinari per difendere i confini e la sicurezza dei cittadini, come la sospensione dello spazio Schengen con la Spagna.
Sull’immigrazione clandestina non arretreremo di un millimetro: difendere i confini, fermare i trafficanti di esseri umani e garantire rimpatri efficaci continuerà a essere la linea di questo Governo.
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
There is great confusion about what Decolonization and indeed Colonization means.
The fact is: it means very little except 'a culture or mindset you dont like.' For whatever reason. And that usually means: the West. Since the West decolonized long ago, it really means the Western liberal democracies. It is a smart criticism because it means nothing, and hence it is hard to disagree with nothing and furthermore since the West itself is embroiled in a mix of moral fuddlement, political paralysis and cultural self hatred, you can be sure that Western leaders are very embarrassed by the very use of the word and many in the West will actually agree - even though they are not sure what they are agreeing with. it is a very useful rhetorical tool because Westerns are always going to be worried to answer in any meaningful way other than guilt and shame; and it is a growing industry - perfect for endless conferences. Like this one.
The reality of empires and colonies is something else entirely.
In early modern times, the Ottoman Turks conquered colonized enslaved exploited murdered and forcefully converted millions and ruled a vast tricontinental empire for four centuries; the Western powers led by Spain Portugal France and Britain later joined by Italy Germany Belgium also conquered colonized enslaved exploited murdered and converted using missionaries huge empires across the continents.
The Iberians lost much of their empires first; the Ottoman sultanate-caliphate started to decolonize with the Greek war of independence in 1820s and totally disintegrated in 1918; the British and French decolonized between 1940s and Sixties.
You could argue the Americans and Soviets comported themselves like anti-imperial imperialists during the Cold War and after - and indeed today's America toys at times with neo-tsarist expansionism - Greenland etc .
Thats it - noone in the Legacy Powers Britain or France etc seems keen on colonizing anything now; there are almost no colonizations left to decolonize - though many love to denounce their own country's past which is for some a most enjoyable enriching and virtuous pastime.
But in real life, empire and colonization are happening, often perpetrated by the very proponents of antiWest rhetoric. Russia is attempting to retake its limotrophic empire in Ukraine right now the old -fashioned way: by conquest and killing; a phalanx of Middle East neo-imperial powers are engaged in tournaments of power in failing states like Somalia, Libya and benighted Sudan; Iran established an informal empire across Iraq Syria Lebanon Yemen in its Six Armies strategy - its final destiny as yet undecided on the battlefield of the Third Gulf War; and Turkish leaders now regularly and openly declare their wish to reassert Ottomanist power in former Ottoman vilayets Syria Lebanon Israel, and former Ottoman cities Damascus Beirut Jerusalem....
So imperialism and colonialism just mean: other people, but never you.
At the World Decolonization Forum, Dr. Esra Albayrak, the daughter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, spoke about their endeavour to “decolonize” the West.
The first phase of their plan as she says is not within the political realm, but the realm of knowledge and thought.
Their alliance is not advocating for a world without the West, rather, there is an open invitation for the West to accept its own “decolonization”.
The current centers of knowledge located in Paris, London, Amsterdam. And New York; need to be replaced by new centers in Istanbul, Jakarta, Addis Abbaba, Rabat, Cairo, and Gaza.
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
Funny how on the new Left,
- ‘Hope Not Hate’ is in fact a purveyor of hate
- ‘Liberal’ really means illiberal, often frighteningly so
- the ‘anti-fascists’ are strikingly similar in outlook and methods to the actual fascists
- the ‘anti-racists’ turn out to be more obsessed with race and more racist than any generation since the 1930s, especially when it comes to Asians, Jews and whites
- ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ really means no diversity at all, rather strict uniformity of ideas, and the forceful exclusion of dissenters
- ‘Safe spaces’ are very unsafe spaces for anyone expressing any kind of open inquiry or challenging idea
- ‘pro-science’ says men can have periods and women can have penises.
It’s exactly as Orwell said it.
The Left has truly lost its way.
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
A recent discussion about the grim realities unfolding across Britain left me more than usually reflective. The fact is I no longer have any interest in the reactive, superficial churn of political discussion in the media or on X.
Academia offers little new insight either—at best a post-mortem analysis long after the facts are obvious, at worst more posturing dressed in scholarly robes. I’ve long since grasped the trajectory of affairs which are developing as I guessed they would, perhaps faster.
I turned instead to the Bible to help centre my own thoughts and for broader context and grounding. As often happens, I came across something illuminating:
‘For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.’ .(2 Timothy 4:3-4)
I thought this captured the condition of Britain with uncomfortable precision. The grooming gang scandals, now documented across dozens of towns and cities over decades, provide the clearest contemporary example.
The figure of at least 250,000 victims—mostly vulnerable girls subjected to organised, racially motivated group rape—is not a ceiling but a floor.
Every serious inquiry has described its own numbers as conservative. Under-reporting, destroyed records, deliberate institutional reluctance to record ethnicity or pursue patterns, ongoing intimidation of survivors, and the simple passage of time all point in one direction: the true toll is substantially higher. The evidence is not ambiguous.
Yet the deeper problem is structural and psychological. There is no normal political solution available because the system that enabled and then concealed this horror lacks both the capacity and the will to correct itself.
It retains ample institutional inertia and self-preservation instinct to maintain the status quo—managing narratives, suppressing dissent, kicking cans—until the accumulated contradictions make continuation impossible.
At that point it shatters.
Many people sense this in their bones. They register the scale of betrayal, the demographic and cultural fractures, and the hollowing of legitimacy.
At the same time, the drive to shield the psyche from a reality that would demand painful recognition and action is extraordinarily powerful.
What we are witnessing is not ordinary normalcy bias but something more deliberate: a willed incomprehension. It is self-protective cowardice dressed as prudence and not hastening to judge.
History shows the pattern clearly. Civilisations rarely collapse from external pressure alone. They implode because problems that were soluble at one stage were deferred through aversion to discomfort and cost.
The result is rarely gentle adjustment. It is violent over-correction after the window for measured response has closed. Britain is not exempt from this ancient dynamic.
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
We owe those who serve the UK the kit to do the job and the loyalty to stand by them when it's done. We are failing on both.
I’ve spent my whole time in government making that case. Number 10 will not listen, so I am resigning as Minister for the Armed Forces.
Letter to the PM below.🫡🫡🫡⬇️⬇️
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
A remarkable repetition of history: HS Kimon, Hellenic Navy's new frigate now sent to Cyprus to protect it from Iranian drones with its missiles, is named after the Athenian general Kimon, son of Miltiades, who sailed to Cyprus in 450 b.C. with 200 triremes to fight the Persians.
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
My fellow compatriots,
Ali Khamenei, the bloodthirsty despot of our time, the murderer of tens of thousands of Iran’s bravest sons and daughters, has been erased from the face of history. With his death, the Islamic Republic has in effect reached its end and will very soon be consigned to the dustbin of history.
Any attempt by the remnants of the regime to appoint a successor to Khamenei is doomed to fail from the outset. Whoever they place in his stead will have neither legitimacy nor longevity, and will undoubtedly be complicit in the crimes of this regime as well.
To the military, law enforcement, and security forces: any effort to preserve a collapsing regime will fail. This is your final opportunity to join the nation, to help ensure Iran’s stable transition to a free and prosperous future, and to take part in building that future.
The death of the criminal Khamenei, though it does not avenge the blood that has been spilled, may serve as a balm for the wounded hearts of the grieving fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, and the families of those who gave their lives in Iran’s Lion and Sun National Revolution.
Honorable and courageous people of Iran,
This may be the beginning of our great national celebration, but it is not the end of the road. Remain vigilant and prepared. The time for a widespread and decisive presence in the streets is very near. Together, united and steadfast, we will bring about the final victory, and we will celebrate Iran’s freedom across our beloved homeland.
Long live Iran,
Reza Pahlavi
هممیهنانم،
علی خامنهای، ضحاک خونخوار زمان، قاتل دهها هزار تن از شجاعترین فرزندان ایران از صفحه روزگار محو شد. با مرگ او، جمهوری اسلامی نیز در عمل به پایان خود رسیده است و بهزودی زود به زبالهدان تاریخ خواهد پیوست.
هر تلاشی از سوی بقایای رژیم برای تعیین جانشین خامنهای، از پیش شکستخورده است. هر که را به جای او بنشانند، نه مشروعیت خواهد داشت، نه بقا؛ و بیتردید شریک جنایات این رژیم نیز خواهد بود.
به نیروهای نظامی، انتظامی، و امنیتی: هرگونه تلاش برای حفظ رژیمی در حال سقوط، محکوم به شکست است. فرصت آخر شماست تا به ملت بپیوندید؛ به گذار باثبات ایران به آیندهای آزاد و آباد کمک کنید؛ و در ساختن آن آینده سهیم باشید.
مرگ خامنهای جنایتکار، اگرچه دادِ خونهای ریختهشده را باز نمیگرداند، اما میتواند مرهمی باشد بر دلهای سوخته خانوادههای دادخواه؛ پدران و مادران، همسران و فرزندان داغدار؛ و خانوادههای جانفدایان انقلاب ملی شیروخورشید ایران.
ملت شریف و شجاع ایران،
این اگرچه آغاز جشن بزرگ ملی ماست؛ اما پایان راه نیست. هوشیار و آماده باشید. زمان حضور گسترده و تعیینکننده در خیابانها بسیار نزدیک است. ما با هم، متحد و استوار، پیروزی نهایی را رقم خواهیم زد، و آزادی ایران را در سراسر میهن اهوراییمان جشن خواهیم گرفت.
پاینده ایران،
رضا پهلوی
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
Today marks the end of the survivor participation for our rape gang inquiry hearings. I simply have no words that describe the bravery and courage of these women who have come forward.
No words.
What they have been through is indescribable.
It has been a life-changing experience for me. I never thought such evil was possible. Never. Not here, in Britain. In our towns, in our communities. It is pure evil. These men are so utterly depraved.
If it were up to me, thousands of them would receive the death penalty.
To do what they did, on such an industrial scale, to innocent young girls - many of whom were already in such an incredibly vulnerable place? There is no redemption possible. The world is a better place without them in it.
I started this inquiry because so many others failed.
Speaking honestly, I did not understand how deep this evil is rooted in our society.
Police, politicians, council officials, the NHS, social workers, children’s homes - it is everywhere.
IS everywhere. Not was. IS.
Meeting these women, and men, listening to how severely they were failed by those tasked to protect them? My views have changed forever. I knew it was bad. I never knew how bad it was.
Every single one who has come forward is a hero in my view.
The courage and grace in how they have conducted themselves is unlike anything I have seen in my life. All because they don’t want others to suffer the same fate. That is an extraordinary sacrifice. They could have just moved on with their lives. Tried to forget. But no, they chose to do this. I am in awe of all of them.
Our hearings will finish tomorrow, following the contribution of three more expert witnesses.
Then the next stage begins. We will produce a report, and then we will seek to put people in prison. There are FAR more testimonies and evidence to release - this will keep coming and coming and coming.
Even with a media blackout, we have reached tens of millions. We have made real progress.
And following such immense demand, we will reopen the portal so that more women can tell their stories.
This is just the beginning.
Politicians from all parties have failed these girls, again and again and again.
I do not intend to join that list.
To everyone who donated, thank you. To our team, thank you. And especially to the survivors, thank you.
I believe that together we can start to make Britain understand what is happening, and then finally do something about it.
Mark Goldfinch retweeted
In 2008, Prince Charles did something that left textile historians astonished, he discovered that the last remaining artisans in Britain who could hand-weave the intricate Harris Tweed that had been synonymous with Scottish Highland culture for centuries were elderly and dying without successors and that within years authentic craft knowledge distinguishing real Harris Tweed from industrial imitations would be lost forever, taking with it not just a fabric but centuries of cultural identity, economic livelihood for remote island communities and irreplaceable expertise about creating cloth so durable and weather-resistant that modern synthetics still couldn't match its performance.
What's extraordinary is how comprehensively he intervened: Charles didn't just fund preservation; he revolutionized the entire Harris Tweed economy by personally wearing fabric prominently, convincing high-end fashion designers to feature it in their collections and creating markets where traditional weavers could command prices reflecting their extraordinary skill rather than competing with cheap industrial knockoffs, essentially transforming Harris Tweed from dying craft into luxury good that made traditional production economically viable again. He established apprenticeship programs on the remote Scottish islands where Harris Tweed originated, recruiting young Hebrideans into what their parents considered a dead-end craft and pairing them with master weavers who'd assumed their knowledge would die with them, creating urgent knowledge transfer that preserved not just weaving techniques but cultural traditions, Gaelic language, and community relationships that had always been inseparable from cloth itself.
What's remarkable is how he championed legal protections: Charles supported Harris Tweed's designation as protected geographic indicator, meaning that only cloth hand-woven by islanders in their homes on Outer Hebrides using local wool could legally be called Harris Tweed, essentially preventing corporate appropriation and ensuring that this cultural heritage and economic benefits remained with the communities who'd created and maintained it across generations. His foundation funded modern looms that reduced the brutal physical labor of traditional weaving while maintaining the hand-crafted quality that made Harris Tweed unique, understanding that preservation didn't mean freezing the craft in amber but allowing it to evolve sustainably so weavers could make decent livings without destroying their bodies or compromising fabric's distinctive character.
What's profoundly moving is the cultural revival this enabled: young Hebrideans who'd been leaving their islands for mainland cities discovered they could build dignified careers in their communities, Gaelic language experienced modest revival because weaving knowledge was transmitted in Gaelic, and remote islands found renewed purpose and economic vitality through craft that connected them to their ancestors while creating sustainable futures.
Today, Harris Tweed is thriving with waiting lists for fabric, traditional weavers earning professional wages, and global recognition as luxury sustainable textile, proving that preserving traditional crafts isn't romantic nostalgia but viable economic strategy when you create appropriate market positioning and protect artisans from exploitation. He taught us that cultural heritage and economic development aren't opposing forces but partners when traditional crafts are valued and protected appropriately, that geographic protections ensure communities benefit from their heritage rather than watching corporations steal and profit from it, that some textile production should remain hand-crafted because quality and cultural value justify cost, and that preserving traditional industries in remote communities isn't charity but recognizing that cultural diversity and sustainable livelihoods matter more than maximizing industrial efficiency.
#drthehistories
