Conspiracy theories abound about overconfident intelligentsia 'borrowing' votes for other candidates in order to get their preferred opposition on the ballot; Baseless accusations are being made left, right and centre.
London: The Conservative leadership race took a surprise turn on Wednesday when 83 MPs threw out James' smart centrist conservative stance, leaving Chemie Patenock and Robert Jenrick in the final round for leader to be decided by Conservative members.
Conspiracy theories are rife about an overconfident intelligentsia “borrowing” votes for other candidates in order to get their preferred opposition on the ballot; Baseless accusations are being made left, right and centre.
Many were surprised, as it was almost a foregone conclusion that Tom Tugenthat would wisely be in the final two following Tuesday evening's elimination, giving members the choice of a centrist and right-wing candidate. If more moderate Conservative members supported Cleverly or Tugenthat, how could they now suddenly agree with the more vocally radical Badenoch or the gun-toting Genrick for reform? The fact that the two right-of-center candidates are facing off and are believed to be nurtured by the same faction behind the scenes lends credence to the theory that the same old forces are conspiring to elect the opposition leader. Innocent members who are unaware of the mockery and tricks played by democracy.
With 90,000 new members and 2 newly elected local councillors, the new leader will be tasked with renewing/unifying the party to face a storming Reform UK party. The battle for common ground is often between the Reform and the Tories. Conservative territory has traditionally been “right-wing,” but in the past decade liberalism and awakening have driven conservatives so far to the left that they are unrecognizable; At some point the Tories are forced to define their platform, how history, British cultural preservation, Britishness and a sense of belonging fit into today's Conservatism.
Rupert Lowe, the charismatic reform MP for Great Yarmouth, is expert in saying the above, as he points out what matters to Britons today; His speech at the Reformation Conference was punctuated with relevant references to history, philosophy and England's political past.
However, there is not much ideological gap between Patenoch and Jenrick, but their attitudes and personalities differ. Kemi Badenoch is like a TV presenter who asks a lot of the right questions, but is willing to throw a random grenade into the conversation (like locking out civil servants and higher maternity pay), she's not yet policy driven. Robert Jenrick was the oldest common politician; His ideology and policy were so adaptable that he was nicknamed Robert Generic. Neither of them have much experience in leading the party and it is unlikely that they will follow their campaign messages during their leadership bids in 3-4 years.
This week sees the publication of Boris Johnson's political memoir Unleashed, in which he questions what the world would be like if Johnson were still prime minister. It seems there are still some people who want Boris Johnson back, who they believe can only win the next general election for the Tories. Others believe that if Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe campaign in constituencies that appeal to Johnson, their votes will shift to reform.
The Director General of MI5 spoke at the Counter Terrorism Operations Center in London about the current national security threats facing the UK. Ken McCallum concluded by praising all those involved in detecting and disrupting terrorists, saying the task is complex and requires commitment and courage, there are priorities and constraints, the consequences are unpredictable; This resonated with citizens calling to arms.
DG McCallum announced ll Five Eyes counter-terrorism agencies are working in an unprecedented joint capacity with UK agencies to tackle increasingly complex and interconnected state threats to UK security.
MI5's CT work is split between 75% Islamic extremism and 25% radical ring-wing terrorism, but within these broad topics there is a “dizzy of ideologies and beliefs” mixed with previous grievances, conspiracy theories, online hatred and confusing information. Individuals. A shocking 13% of MI5 investigations involved under-18s who are particularly receptive to online right-wing propaganda, while online radicalization targets both forms of extremism, but anonymity makes detecting existential conspiracies challenging. The threat level for the UK, including Northern Ireland, remains at “significant”.
The conflict in the Middle East has brought home a new transnational threat from a weakened Islamic State and al-Qaeda, DG McCallum cited ISKP's March attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow as an example of how terrorist organizations can operate in Europe.
In addition to the above, there are additional threats from authoritarian regimes (Russia, Iran, China) that rely on espionage and advanced cyber operations to target government information, technology, democracy, journalists and human rights defenders; Inquiries are up 43% in the last year alone. McCallum warned that Russian and Iranian state actors had turned to “criminal proxies for their dirty work”, adding that the GRU was intent on creating “chaos on British and European streets”, with arson and vandalism already identified.
Since January 2022, twenty Iranian plots have been foiled and MI5 is preparing for further attempts. Internet surveillance is key to identifying potential terrorists; He affirmed that privacy, encryption and legal access can work together in the interest of national security.
DG puts China in a separate category because of the economic relationship, not because there aren't risks to be managed here too. Addressing ministers, the public and private sectors, the DG warned that the choices and risks to safeguarding the UK's competitive advantage are complex and require an informed approach to support growth without undermining democracy. He encouraged those in academia, technology and business to study advice from the National Cyber Security Center and the National Security Agency, which provide joint guidance against threats such as espionage, sabotage and malware.
Keir Starmer is reported to be holding National Security Council meetings once a week, a step up from David Cameron as no prime minister held regular meetings. Defense, Foreign and Home Secretaries, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, MI5's Ken McCallum and MI6's Richard Moore, NSA Sir Tim Barrow, General Sir Roland Walker, Madeleine Alessandri – the new chairman – will attend. Joint Intelligence Team and Morgan McSweeney No. 10 Chief of Staff.
