Source link

Michelle O’Neill doesn’t mince words: the first nationalist First Minister for the North of Ireland’s six counties sat down with Scottish paper the National. She had plenty to say about culture, reunification, Scottish independence, and the arrogance of Westminster.

Politics trickles through culture

Something huge is shifting in the North of Ireland.

You can feel it in the music, with establishment-baiting Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap packing out venues across the world. You can see it on TV as Derry Girls made the six counties a cultural export. And you can measure it in the polling: 63% of people in the North now want a united Ireland inside the European Union.

Michelle O’Neill is not surprised. “Young people have it in spades,” she says of the new cultural confidence coursing through a nationalist Ireland.

That generation have a real, confident view of who they are, confident in their Irishness, very happy to assert it. They will not accept second-class citizenship.

Their parents endured it. Their grandparents endured it. This generation doesn’t plan on more of the same.

Unionists are losing the culture war

The confidence is undoubtedly real. But so is a hard, enduring, sometimes dangerous resistance to it.

O’Neill is unsparing about the forces lining up to suppress it. Political unionism, for example, she says:

blocked the Irish language at every turn.

The North still has no Irish language strategy. They fought for years just to get an Irish Language Act.

For those in political unionism trying to block that, they’re saying to young Irish Gaeilgeoirs [Gaeilge speakers] that you don’t have a place here.

What message does that send in 2026? It’s one of disrespect and intolerance and arrogance.

Young people, she says, have no truck with it. If Kneecap have done anything — they’ve certainly rocked the boat politically — it’s make Gaeilge very cool. And the new vibrancy on the streets is the proof.

British government fails yet another Palestine prosecution as Kneecap man goes free

Give us our Referendum

The cultural moment and the political moment are inseparable. When 63% of people in the North want reunification, the Good Friday Agreement’s constitutional logic demands a response.

Under its terms, the Northern Ireland Secretary holds the power to call a border poll when they believe a majority favours it. But Hilary Benn has refused. O’Neill is direct about what that refusal means.

Give us a referendum. If they’re so strong in the strength of the Union, what have they got to fear? Live up to the commitment.

She frames it, correctly, as a democratic right — one explicitly enshrined in the Agreement that ended thirty years of bloody conflict. Westminster signed that Agreement and should honour it.

An Ireland within Europe — that is the big prize.

(This is a sentiment certainly shared with the majority of SNP politicians and voters. Some 62% of Scots voted to remain in the EU, and that figure has likely only risen since. Brexit is still felt sorely in Scotland.)

But O’Neill knows the prosaic questions matter too. Taxes. pensions, healthcare, etc. She doesn’t want to simply dodge them. She flips them and, yes, perhaps weaponises them. But why shouldn’t she?

She’s right to point out, for example, that the six counties don’t have devolved fiscal powers of anything like the scope that Scotland has, which is still far below the scope of Westminster. (Although this scope is also limited by Rachel Reeves’ rigid OBR fiscal rules.)

Reunification, O’Neill argues, is an opportunity: a stronger economy, free education across the island, a roof over everyone’s head. The research backs her up too, where people in the Republic already earn more, have higher living standards, and face shorter healthcare waiting lists. (Not that the south is without problems, however — particularly Dublin’s notorious housing crisis.)

Untied Kingdom: anti-unionist parties take power across the Celtic nations

The new Celtic Alliance

O’Neill watched last week’s Scottish Parliament vote for an independence referendum with keen interest. She watched Westminster’s response with something closer to fury.

The very quick response from Whitehall was that they would completely disrespect and disregard that mandate. That’s a mandate from the people.

She sees Scotland, Wales, and the North of Ireland as part of the same story.

The recent elections in Scotland and Wales really add to that message. The people want self-determination, they want to take their future into their own hands.

The SNP and Plaid Cymru taking power in Edinburgh and Cardiff, in her words:

Demonstrates a real, seismic change in terms of our politics, collectively, here. …

The nations on the periphery of this broken union are moving. Westminster is not listening. That is no longer sustainable and it looks like major change is coming, sooner than later.

People are tired of the mess of Westminster. They’re tired of the disregard shown towards them. The austerity agenda, the revolving door of British prime ministers, Brexit — we have never been top of the agenda. We never will be. Our interests will never be served by Westminster.

That is not, despite SW1’s imagination, mere Celtic bitterness — it is serious political analysis. And it is shared, increasingly, from Belfast to Edinburgh to Cardiff.

O’Neill wants power-sharing in Stormont to work — she has even put her own party’s veto on the table to make institutions function. She can, she believes, make devolution work today while arguing unapologetically for constitutional change tomorrow.

But the direction of travel is clear. The nations are watching each other and drawing the same conclusions. Westminster’s continued disregard built this moment — it has no one else to blame.

Featured image via Getty/Charles McQuillan

By Cameron Baillie

Source link

Andy Burnham at the launch of his campaign as Labour’s candidate for the Makerfield by-election, 22 May 2026 (PA Images / Alamy)

4 min read16 min

Exclusive: Andy Burnham has told The House magazine that he would support “early change” to the House of Lords, with reform – including downsizing it – coming by way of the next general election.

Advertisement

The Greater Manchester mayor was speaking at a campaign stop on Friday in the Makerfield constituency, where he is Labour’s parliamentary candidate in a by-election. If he wins on 18 June, he has confirmed that he hopes to replace Keir Starmer in No 10.

Asked by The House whether he still backed turning the Lords into a ‘Senate of Regions and Nations’, with seats for metro mayors included in it, he stood by his support for overhauling the Upper Chamber and said it should be “the first place to look” for cutting “the cost of politics”.

“I wouldn’t rule out quite an early change, and possibly the 2029 general election or beyond, because I’ve long believed that there’s a first stage of Lords reform, which is indirect election that could be linked to a general election, and I just think we can’t delay this any longer,” Burnham said.

Advertisement

“I don’t think we can justify half of our national legislature being unelected. I think this is something that is, in many ways, quite scandalous.

“If you think about this constituency and the feeling here that Westminster looks past it – when you look at the flooding issues it’s got, the illegal tip, poor infrastructure, a whole host of other issues. Is it a surprise to people here that that might be like that when you have a House of Lords that’s largely drawn from within the M25?”

He added: “I can’t justify, personally, 800-plus members of the House of Lords. I don’t think – with great respect to many people in it, because I have true great respect, because there’s some incredible people in there – what the country spends on the House of Lords is actually justified by what the output is.

Advertisement

“I’m just being honest with you. I’m not going to hold back on it, actually, because I just think we’ve allowed this to persist for too long. If you want to cut the cost of politics, that’s the first place to look.”

In an interview with The House in November 2023, Burnham said reform of the Upper Chamber was urgent.

“I heard a narrative when I was in government a lot – that all that constitutional stuff, it’s not really a priority, we’ll get round to it at a different time. I’ve come around to the thinking that you can’t actually do that, that the wiring of the country is part of the problem,” he said before the 2024 general election.

Burnham also told The House on Friday that he maintains his support for changing Labour’s position on standing candidates in Northern Ireland. The party has a longstanding policy of not contesting elections in the devolved nation.

Advertisement

The leadership hopeful said his endorsement of electoral reform, which would introduce a switch to a more proportional voting system, could facilitate the change to Labour’s refusal to field candidates in Northern Ireland.

“Yes, I’ve had a position on that going back. But it would obviously require careful conversations with our sister party, the SDLP, and with other political parties in Northern Ireland. I wouldn’t want to blunder in and create an issue.

“But I do have an in-principle commitment that democracy should allow the range of parties to be represented, and personally I am in favour of more proportional systems, and that allows that approach, because in that type of system it’s not the case of one party not contesting where a sister party is involved. I just think it allows more collaboration between parties.”

Burnham was at a pub in Orrell announcing his call to cut business rates by 20 per cent for pubs and music venues and to remove small, family, high-street businesses, including hairdressers and cafes, from business rates altogether.

Advertisement

He said Labour had “got it wrong on small businesses” and the policy would be funded by raising rates on warehouses used by online tech giants and via action on empty retail spaces on the high street.

A Survation poll published on Thursday put Burnham 10 per cent ahead of his closest rival, Reform candidate Robert Kenyon (49 per cent to 39 per cent).

 

Source link

In a new review, notorious pro-Israel agitator John Mann has pushed for measures to silence NHS humanitarianism. The government and NHS have already pledged to implement them, including a crackdown on NHS staff members openly expressing solidarity with Palestinian people during Israel’s ongoing genocide.

This is about Israel, not about ending racism

Israel is a key junior partner to US billionaire–imperialism. The UK is a junior partner too, so giving Israel political and material support is just part of the deal. And for British political elites trying to get away with this shameful behaviour, consistent and widespread public outrage over Israel’s genocide in Gaza has been a big problem.

This is why Keir Starmer’s regime has filled departments with pro-Israel lackeys, cracked down on citizens’ right to protest, and censored pro-Palestinian voices. So Mann’s review, calling for a ban on NHS staff wearing ‘political’ badges or wearing their uniforms at protests (with clear mentions of pro-Palestinian activism), is no surprise.

Meanwhile, years of UK governments backing genocide have helped to normalise far-right talking points. And in this context, racism against NHS workers has increased significantly – primarily targeting Black and Brown staff. There have even been examples of clear anti-Palestinian bias in the country’s main nursing union.

All forms of racism are vile. But Mann and other pro-Israel politicians have long prioritised and weaponised antisemitism allegations to try and smear or silence critics of Israel. The new review seems to be a continuation of that.

As we’ve reported previously, Mann is not Jewish himself. He’s just a person who has received tens of thousands of pounds from pro-Israel lobbyists and lobby groups over the years. He has also made many visits to Israel – one of which the Israeli government paid for itself.

Mann’s wife, meanwhile, is new MP Jo White. She isn’t Jewish either, but is a vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel. Pro-Israel lobbyists and groups have happily donated to her. And one of these is Palace Yard Events Ltd, which the government has given over a million pounds to ‘tackle antisemitism’ in the education system.

Humanity-free zones

Countless genocide scholars, legal experts, and human rights groups call Israel’s actions genocide. Among the 70,000+ people it has murdered since 2023, over 20,000 are children.

You might have thought this would have shamed pro-Israel voices into piping down a bit. But they haven’t. They’ve just denied a genocide is happening and kept going, waging firm institutional efforts to suppress any resistance in public life to our government’s complicity in genocide.

As we’ve regularly reported, the UK government has deep links to the Israel lobby, arrested both Jewish and non-Jewish people for opposing genocide, and antisemitically sought to conflate the state of Israel and its crimes with the religion of Judaism.

In service of its commitment to US billionaire-imperialism and its Israeli allies, the government is increasingly trying to silence public expressions of humanity. This normalises the type of repression that the far right (which could very possibly gain power at the next election) won’t hesitate to weaponise even more intensely.

This is all incredibly dangerous. We need to firmly oppose it, and defend our right to fight for humanity.

Featured image via Getty/Leon Neal

By Ed Sykes

Source link

Reform UK’s MP candidate for Makerfield, Robert Kenyon, once self-proclaimed himself as a sexist, but now he is running for parliament he coincidentally won’t accept the label and insists:

I’ve got nothing but respect for women… I’ve said things years ago that I wouldn’t say now.

However, his complete refusal to apologise for comments that many women rightfully found deeply offensive exposed another issue with the Makerfield ‘hopeful’. Instead of showing an ounce of humility or reflecting on why people objected, he doubled down.

That response only strengthened the perception that he places his own views and sense of certainty above the concerns and rights of the women understandably affected by his disgusting, derogatory comments.

Basically, it goes to underscore how his sexism is still alive and well, which is hardly a shock in a patriarchal, woman-hating party as Farage’s Reform.

Fiona Bruce, "The question asked most by the audience about your Robert Kenyon was about comments you've made in particular about women"

Lady in maroon, "I'd rather have a career politician than a plumber who is a sexist"

Fiona Bruce, "You may not be aware of the things Robert… pic.twitter.com/K4zGQMlgiM

— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) June 4, 2026

Advertisement

Reform classic – never apologise

Needless to say, concerns regarding sexism were amongst the most common questions raised by audience members on Question Time, according to Fiona Bruce. Kenyon obviously sought to deflect and deny any notion of being a sexist, despite declaring himself as such. However, his virtue signalling response to a female audience member speaks volumes.

The audience member stated she would:

rather have a career politician than a plumber who’s a sexist.

Fiona Bruce then provided context for those who might not be aware of Kenyon’s pretty disgusting remarks about women, particularly pointing out:

Okay, you described yourself as a sexist. You have made offensive comments about women. You’ve admitted that.

You’ve also said that abortion is the cowardly act of women murdering a defenceless baby and that women do it so they can shag anyone they want.

That’s your phrase, not mine.

As I say, I’m raising it because lots of people in the audience raise it. I want to give you a chance.

Nevertheless, a striking contradiction runs through Kenyon’s subsequent defence. He appears comfortable applying the label to himself when it suits his argument yet rejects it outright when women raise concerns about his comments. Instead, he points to the fact that he was raised by a single mother and grew up with a grandmother and sister, as though those relationships alone settle the question.

The problem is obvious: having women in your life has never served as proof that you respect women or understand their experiences. If it did, no man with a mother, sister, wife, or daughter could ever face accusations of sexism. The argument does not address the criticism – it simply attempts to sidestep it.

He’s a ‘changed man’ apparently, as he said:

So, I won’t accept that label. I mean, a lot of the things have been said 15 years ago. I hold my hands up. I’ve made mistakes.

Recent abusive comments towards Carol Vorderman were also brought up, in which he has been more than happy to perversely sexualise her – which women well know, from experience, puts us at risk of sexualised attacks and abuse.

No apology there either, of course.

*Shocking, Reform UK's Robert Kenyon again refuses to apologise for insulting Carol Vorderman, and doubles down* #BBCQT

Sarah Wakefield, "I spoke to Carol Vorderman this morning, she's really distressed that you, Robert Kenyon, have failed to apologise for any of these… pic.twitter.com/tNUwBQfgje

— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) June 4, 2026

Kenyon’s defence as weak as it is predictable

Bruce wasted little time highlighting the problem with that defence, reminding viewers that Kenyon made those comments about abortion only a few years ago, including claims that women were “murdering” babies so they could sleep around.

Yet Kenyon seems to believe his relationships with women somehow settle the matter. By that cynical standard, every sexist in history would get a free pass simply because they had a mother, sister, wife, or daughter. The argument is as weak as it is predictable.

Needless to say, every abusive man in history also knew women. Women gave birth to them, raised them, worked with them, and often endured their behaviour. Simply having women in your life is not proof of respect for women, nor does it automatically make someone an ally of women’s rights.

Kenyon’s opposition to diversity doesn’t stop at equality for women, as this audience member below poignantly highlighted:

Gent in pink slams Reform UK's Robert Kenyon,

"As a community we want a normal person, a real person stepping in and taking charge to make sure that people of our constituency can get ahead in life the best they can"

"I would rather have a community made up of diversity, of… pic.twitter.com/ehtoTGWEWH

— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) June 4, 2026

Advertisement

One X user commented:

People are trying to whitewash this man by saying it was in the past. People don’t fundamentally change – believe them the first time.

He’s against women, abortion & freedom to choose. Believe the man, don’t vote for him & allow him to slip back to the sewer he came from.

Another said:

“I was bought up by women” seems to be his reasoning that he isn’t sexist. Similar to “I can’t be racist I have a Motown record”

Give a liar or a bull sh***** a spade: They can’t resist talking & automatically start digging a hole as we can clearly see #RobertKenyon doing here.

If we were living in normal times, Rob Kenyon's performance on #bbcqt tonight would be the biggest case of political suicide since Nick Griffin was on #QuestionTime in 2009;

Inarticulate
Only recited scripted Reform talking points throughout
Looked and sounded out of his depth pic.twitter.com/1xF8Cqwfck

— Jay Walker (@jayBwalker) June 4, 2026

Advertisement

Sexists were also birthed by women – and most often, raised by them

Kenyon’s attempt to dismiss comments he previously embraced as merely an “alleged” label simply does not stand up to scrutiny. Rather than addressing the concerns people raised, he has fallen back on the argument that he cannot possibly hold sexist views because he has women in his life.

It truly is little different from the tired old defence: ‘I can’t possibly be racist because I have a Black friend.’

Thus, Kenyon’s argument entirely misses the point. Every man has women in his life – mothers, sisters, partners, colleagues, friends, teachers, and carers. Simply knowing or ‘caring’ about women does not make someone immune from criticism when they make comments that are sexist, derogatory or dismissive.

Therefore, what stands out most is not the original comment but the ignorant response that followed.

Rather than recognising why people took issue with the Reform candidate’s remarks or offering any meaningful apology, Kenyon has chosen to dispute the criticism itself. That approach has only deepened concerns about his dangerous judgment.

When someone seeks influence and authority, their willingness to listen to criticism and reflect on their mistakes matters just as much as the views they express.

Featured image via YouTube screenshot/BBC News

By Maddison Wheeldon

Source link

John Swinney knows the rules. He can’t pretend he doesn’t.

?

So let there be no mistake: if Police Scotland and the Crown Office refuse to investigate the First Minister’s open public confirmation this week that a serious crime was committed by the SNP over the “ring-fenced” fundraiser money from 2017 and 2019, it will be beyond any fair dispute that Scotland is a corrupt banana republic where the powerful and the elite can simply do whatever they want, as brazenly as they like, and the law will turn a blind, uncaring eye.

That the prosecutorial service of a nation is run by a government minister answerable to a political party leader has always been a source of embarrassment. It makes Scotland look like a tinpot dictatorship, a North Korea-style state where a huge artifice of pantomime is constructed to disguise the fact that the country is a naked plutocracy.

Advertisement

That’s an opinion increasingly widely shared in Scotland.

That editorial leader from today’s Scottish Sun is speaking for every single person of integrity and decency left in the country. We have prima facie evidence that a crime has been committed – the misappropriation (at a minimum) of well over half a million pounds. We know exactly who did it, and they’ve confessed unambiguously and openly in public, in front of news cameras. Multiple properly-constituted complaints have been filed. And yet despite a five-year investigation, nobody has been prosecuted for it and we haven’t even been given the most cursory explanation of why.

And there are growing suspicions too, that the one person who WAS convicted over an entirely separate crime which indirectly led from the investigation might be about to be let off incredibly leniently for it.

Natalie McGarry was sentenced to almost two years in prison for embezzling £25,000. If Peter Murrell is handed a shorter prison term (or even no prison term at all) later this month – with the nation helpfully distracted by Scotland’s World Cup campaign – for stealing more than EIGHTEEN TIMES as much as McGarry did, on the grounds that he’s paid back the money to the people who also committed a crime with it, it will be a scandal of unprecented proportions in the history of Scottish justice, save perhaps the case of the Lockerbie bomber.

Advertisement

It was revealed this week that Murrell’s assets include a £613,000 pension fund. It is entirely conceivable that Murrell’s embezzlement contributed significantly to the size of that fund, which will have earned a very significant sum in interest over the years that he was stealing large amounts.

So by the time you also factor in the selling of all his illegally-obtained trinkets, it’s within the bounds of possibility that even after paying back the money, Murrell will come out of the deal financially ahead. The SNP, meanwhile, will have been fully reimbursed for its losses and will be the happy recipients of a welcome and substantial unexpected boost to their threadbare coffers.

The only people who will have lost out will be the people – supporters of all parties and none – who donated to a fund that was specifically, explicitly and stridently advertised as being for Scottish independence and NOT for general SNP purposes, and instead saw it spent on the latter.

And ever-useless, the Scottish media is allowing Swinney to dodge that issue and focus solely on donations from SNP members – the only donors to the “ring-fenced” funds who might reasonably be imagined to accept the money being spent on broader SNP interests.

Advertisement

(Coincidentally, a study today revealed that less than half of 2014 Yes voters voted SNP at last month’s election, with a whopping 31% of them voting for Unionist parties. “The SNP” and “independence” are not synonyms.)

Operation Branchform made front-page headlines across the globe, so it’s probably not an exaggeration to say that the world is watching to see the outcome of the new complaint lodged with Police Scotland and the Crown Office yesterday.

If there is to be no rule of law for the powerful in Scotland, if we are to be revealed as the only bent dictatorship in the world where the idiot population keeps voting for the crooked dictators of their own genuine free will, then that is something that the rest of the planet will notice, and then turn their faces away from our shame.

Source link

Robbie Keane’s path back to Celtic has hit a massive wall, is due to him not condemning Israel’s ongoing genocide in Palestine.

A club where he once dazzled on loan is no longer warmly remembering him for his footballing achievements. What began as murmurs of discomfort has now hardened into robust opposition.

Dozens of Celtic supporter groups have signed a joint letter opposing Keane’s potential appointment, citing his decision to manage Maccabi Tel Aviv during Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza.

The message is blunt. The mood is serious and the pressure on the Celtic board is unmistakable.

Celtic fans aren’t having it

Keane, the Republic of Ireland’s record goalscorer, is among the frontrunners to replace Brendan Rodgers after reports of ongoing talks with principal shareholder Dermot Desmond.

In a statement, the coalition of groups said:

For us, Robbie Keane’s decision to manage Maccabi Tel Aviv during the genocide in Gaza is impossible to ignore.

Celtic was founded by a community shaped by the legacy of genocide, displacement and famine.

Our club’s roots lie in solidarity with those who suffered injustice and oppression. We cannot forget where we came from, nor turn our backs on those facing genocide today.

Advertisement

Celtic fans clearly do not care about his ability as a manager; they see a man who has not spoken to oppose Israel’s genocide. And, in managing Maccabi Tel Aviv, Keane took a position with a club whose fans regularly chant “death to Arabs.”

If Keane had not realised, he will know now that the world and the club have changed and that being silent is being complicit.

Keane’s decision to remain in Israel after the outbreak of the Gaza genocide has become the defining issue for a significant section of the Celtic support. What might once have been a footnote in his managerial journey has become, for many, a line that cannot be crossed.

A growing movement

In recent days, the opposition has spilled from online forums into the physical space around Celtic Park. Graffiti and banners rejecting the idea of Keane as manager have appeared outside the stadium, signalling that this is not a fringe sentiment but a movement with momentum.

The catalyst was a statement published by a group calling itself Celtic Fans for the Liberation of Palestine. It set out a clear, uncompromising stance:

Keane’s association with Maccabi Tel Aviv during the Gaza war is incompatible with Celtic’s identity and history.

That statement has now been endorsed by 67 supporter groups, according to the North Curve Celtic account on X. The list includes some of the club’s most influential and recognisable fan collectives, the Green Brigade, the Bhoys Celtic ultras, and long‑established supporters’ clubs such as Glasgow University CSC and Craigneuk Tommy Gemmell CSC.

This is not a handful of dissenting voices. It is a coalition.

A fanbase that won’t stay quiet

Celtic’s board now faces a delicate, high‑stakes decision. Keane is a recognisable name, a former fan favourite, and a manager with an average resume. However, the backlash is real, organised and rooted in the club’s cultural DNA.

The letter from supporters warns that appointing Keane would be predictable and uninspiring at a time when Celtic should be showing ambition. More importantly, it argues that the move would fracture the unity required for the club’s next chapter.

This is not simply a debate about a manager. It is a debate about what Celtic stands for.

Keane’s situation is the latest example of how global politics increasingly intersects with football. Managers and players are no longer judged solely on results or style; their choices, associations and moral positions are scrutinised with unprecedented intensity.

For Celtic, a club with a uniquely political fan culture, that scrutiny is amplified.

Supporters have long embraced causes beyond football, from anti‑racism to workers’ rights to Palestinian solidarity. The club’s identity is inseparable from its community roots, and its fanbase has never been shy about challenging decisions that clash with those values.

In that context, the opposition to Keane is not surprising.

What happens next?

The Celtic board has not publicly commented on the letter or the growing backlash. Keane remains one of the leading candidates, but the political temperature around his candidacy has risen sharply.

If Celtic proceed with the appointment, they risk a rift with a vocal and influential section of their support. If they back away, they will be seen as a moral and fair ownership that listens to their fanbase.

This is a dynamic that could shape future managerial decisions if he is morally fit for the job.

The coming days will reveal whether the board believes the weight of fan opposition makes his appointment untenable.

What is certain is that this is no longer just a managerial rumour. It is a test of what Celtic stands for and who gets to define it.

Featured Image via Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

By Faz Ali

Source link

In January 2024, the EU established sanctions against individuals and entities supporting Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It has now broadened these sanctions to also target members of Hamas’ Political Bureau, known as the ‘Politburo’.

EU extends Hamas sanctions to include 10 political members

According to the EU, the Politburo is a decision-making body, so its members are “responsible for violent actions carried out by Hamas.” 10 members now find themselves sanctioned. Measures include travel bans and the:

freezing of all funds and economic resources belonging to, owned, held or controlled by, members of the Politburo.

This decision comes as the Israeli occupation continues, with impunity, its fully documented genocide of Palestinians.

In a statement, Hamas has said the EU’s sanctioning of its political bureau, but not the Israeli occupation is:

a policy of double standards in dealing with the Palestinian cause.

It questions why political leaders defending their people’s legitimate rights are sanctioned, while the EU “turns a blind eye” to documented violations of international law carried out by “Israel”.

According to the EU, Hamas’:

violent actions constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and of human rights law.

It has also accused Hamas of continuing to “represent a threat to international peace and security.”

Far fetched lies

But what about Israel? This is blatant hypocrisy. Far fetched lies against Hamas, including of mass rapes and beheaded babies on 7 October 2023, have been disproved by publications such as the Electronic Intifada. They are part of the occupation’s campaign to go to any lengths to justify its ongoing genocidal assault of Gaza.

Yet there is no doubt whatsoever about the Israeli occupation’s long list of international law violations. These began almost eight decades ago, when ‘Israel’ was formed in 1948. It forcibly displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes, and has failed, to this day today, to respect their right to return. And its atrocities continue. These include the crimes of forcible displacement, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, starvation, torture, collective punishment, and genocide. It also systematically violates its ceasefire agreements.

These ‘Israeli’ war crimes and crimes against humanity, are not only directed towards Palestinians. Since 2023, it has also targeted countries across the Middle East– Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Yemen.

‘Israel’ a threat to humanity

‘Israel’ has global supply chains, and one of the most advanced, heavily funded militaries in the world. It also has a total disregard for humanity, and fails to comply with any international rules or norms. In reality, nothing threatens global peace and security more than the Israeli occupation. It a serious threat not only to regional and international peace and security. but the entire international legal framework.

By expanding its sanctions on Hamas, the EU claims it is “holding perpetrators accountable”. It also states that it demonstrates that “violent actions and extremism carry consequences.”

But as yet, the EU has taken no effective measures against the criminal state of “Israel” which, as of 4 June 2026, has killed 72,956 Palestinians in Gaza, and injured 173,043. It has sanctioned several illegal settlers, out of the more than 780,000 residing in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. But sanctioning a few of these is nothing more than theatre.

EU failing Palestinian people

These settlers carry out criminal acts for the Zionist government, which the EU has failed to sanction. There have been no arms embargos, no trade sanctions. The EU is the Israeli occupation’s largest trading partner. Trade in goods between the two amounted to €43.3 billion in 2025. The EU takes in nearly 30 percent of all Israeli occupation exports, while accounting for almost 35 percent of all goods imported into ‘Israel’.

It is the Israeli occupation that is the source of conflict and instability. There would be no Hamas if there were no occupation. Resistance to “Israel” is a legal right for all Palestinians, guaranteed under international law, so cannot be criminalised.

Hamas says the targeting of its political leaders confirms these sanctions come “as a response to pressure from the occupation and are not based on standards of justice.” And it calls on the EU to “review its biased policies, cease providing political cover for the occupation, and work to hold its leaders accountable instead of prosecuting the victims.”

According to Hamas, the will of the Palestinian people and their legitimate national rights will not be undermined, irrespective of any measures introduced.

Featured image via Getty/John Moore

By Charlie Jaay

Source link

George Finch, the 19 year old running two councils, told The House magazine Restore Britain were akin to the BNP. (Alamy)

3 min read12 min

The teenage Reform UK councillor leading Warwickshire council has claimed that a Restore Britain government would deport people “just because of their colour”.

Advertisement

George Finch, the 19-year-old councillor who is currently in charge of both Warwickshire County Council and Bedworth and Nuneaton Borough Council, said in an interview with The House magazine that he would fear for Sikh and Gurkha communities in his area, who have “fought with us (Britain)” in wars, if Rupert Lowe’s party entered power.

A Restore Britain spokesperson told PoliticsHome: “Finch is talking total bullshit.”

His comments come as Restore Britain looks to challenge Reform UK’s position as the leading right-wing party in the UK.

Advertisement

Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth, launched the party after falling out with Farage and being removed from Reform UK following accusations of bullying that he denies. Endorsed by the controversial billionaire owner of X, Elon Musk, Restore Britain is seen as to the right of Reform, promoting policies like the mass deportation of all illegal immigrants and shutting down universities that “brainwash students into hating their own culture”.

The party showed signs of its potential electoral threat to Farage at last month’s local elections. Restore Britain won all 10 seats it contested in Great Yarmouth on 7 May, helping to deny Reform a majority.

Meanwhile, polling published ahead of this month’s crucial by-election in Makerfield suggests that Lowe’s party is eating into the Reform vote in the northwest. A Survation survey published on Thursday put Labour candidate Andy Burnham 10 per cent ahead of Reform’s Robert Kenyon (49 per cent to 39 per cent), with Restore Britain’s Rebecca Shepherd in third place on 8 per cent.

Advertisement

Speaking to The House about the electoral threat posed to Reform by Restore Britain, Finch said the latter was “just a party on social media”: “What are their policies? What are their people?”

He said that several councillors whom he helped get elected for Reform have defected to Lowe’s party, claiming that they realise the sort of party they have joined and “the direction they want to go in”. 

“They just think: ‘Oh, well, I don’t like the way Reform is being done’, and you think, ‘right, okay, whatever your thought is, but why them?” said Finch.

He added: “In Bedworth, we’ve got a huge Sikh and Gurkha population that fought with us, and we take pride in celebrating them on Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day.

Advertisement

“And the whole town comes out, and it’s great when people say, ‘I’m gonna vote Restore.’ The Sikhs and Gurkhas that fought during the war? ‘Oh, yes, we love those people. They’re great.’ Under a Restore government, they’d be gone. No excuse, no reason. Gone, just because of their colour.”

The House magazine’s full interview with George Finch will be published in print and online in June.

 

Source link

England’s Test summer did not so much begin as detonate. Sixteen wickets, two rain breaks, one rampant seamer back from the sidelines, and a Lord’s crowd jolted awake before they had even settled into their seats — the kind of relentless cricket England at Lord’s so often produces.

By stumps, New Zealand were 61 for 6 chasing England’s 140 all out, and Ollie Robinson had rewritten the script of his own career in a single breathless over. In truth, anyone who has witnessed England at Lord’s knows how quickly things can change.

What unfolded on day one was not tidy, was not measured, and certainly was not the “smarter cricket” England have been preaching since the Ashes. It was chaotic, unpredictable, and pure Test cricket.

Robinson returns on fire at England’s Lord’s Test

Robinson hadn’t bowled a Test over since early 2024. Fitness issues, form questions, and a sense that England had moved on had left him drifting on the margins. So when Ben Stokes gave him the ball under overcast skies, Robinson responded with four wickets in six balls. A triple-wicket maiden to announce his return at Lord’s in England colours.

Devon Conway was first, pinned lbw after two jittery inside edges. Kane Williamson followed, undone by a ball that climbed and flicked to short leg. Then Rachin Ravindra, trapped by a nip-backer that straightened late. New Zealand were 2-3, Robinson was 3-0, and the game at Lord’s continued without pause.

He was not done there. Later, Daryl Mitchell shouldered arms to one that jagged back and clipped the stumps. Robinson closed the day with 4-10 from six overs a spell that reminded England exactly why they had made the right call.

Brook stood tall as Jamieson ran riot

Put in to bat, England’s innings was a familiar mix of promise and collapse. Harry Brook’s 56 was the lone act of resistance, a counterpunching half-century built on crisp timing and a little luck. He was dropped twice on his way to fifty.

Around him, wickets tumbled. Emilio Gay, on debut, struck two stylish boundaries before edging Kyle Jamieson. Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell were trapped lbw in quick succession. Joe Root nicked off. Jamie Smith misjudged a leave. Ben Stokes fell to a stunning one-handed grab from Williamson at slip.

Jamieson, playing his first Test in more than two years, was relentless. His 5-62, his sixth five-wicket haul in just 20 Tests. Absolutely shredded England’s middle order. Nathan Smith and Will O’Rourke backed him up with sharp, disciplined spells.

Brook’s 10 boundaries gave England something to cling to, and a gritty last-wicket stand between Shoaib Bashir and Josh Tongue nudged the total to 140. Not enough, on most days. Luckily, this was not most days. For England at Lord’s, 140 can sometimes be made to look like a mountain.

New Zealand was feeling the heat

If England’s batting was shaky, their bowling was anything but. Gus Atkinson trapped Tom Latham lbw. Tongue, hitting the stumps for his 50th Test wicket, removed Tom Blundell. Glenn Phillips, counterattacking with 31 not out, was the only New Zealander to look remotely settled.

The day belonged to Robinson. Every ball he bowled carried menace, the wickets just kept on falling for him.

England’s reset began in chaos

This was supposed to be the start of England’s post-Ashes recalibration. A shift toward clarity, discipline, and smarter decision-making. Instead, it was a reminder that Test cricket rarely follows the script.

The pitch misbehaved. The ball swung, seamed, and spat. Also, in the middle of it all, Robinson rediscovered the version of himself England have been desperate to see again. The drama of England at Lord’s never seems to disappoint.

With New Zealand 79 runs behind and only four wickets in hand, day two promises more drama. The pitch won’t get easier. The bowlers won’t get kinder. England, for all their batting issues, have the momentum.

This Test already feels like a scrap. It is messy, unpredictable, and utterly compelling. If Robinson’s opening salvo is anything to go by, England’s summer might just have found its spark.

Featured image courtesy of David Rogers / Getty Images

By Faz Ali

Source link