Connect with us
DAPA Banner

Politics

Nicholas Brendon Remembered In Tributes From Sarah Michelle Gellar And Buffy Cast

Published

on

Sarah Michelle Gellar

The stars of Buffy The Vampire Slayer have been paying their respects following the death of cast member Nicholas Brendon.

Over the weekend, it was announced that Nicholas – best known to Buffy fans for his portrayal of Xander Harris in the supernatural series – had died at the age of 54.

His family told CNN that the actor had died in his sleep, of natural causes.

In a statement, they said: “Most people know Nicky for his work as an actor and for the characters he brought to life over the years. In recent years Nicky has found his passion in painting and art.

Advertisement

“Nicky loved to share his enthusiastic talent with his family, friends and fans. He was passionate, sensitive, and endlessly driven to create. Those who truly knew him understood that his art was one of the purest reflections of who he was.”

His spokesperson later clarified: “While it’s no secret that Nicholas had struggles in the past, he was on medications and treatment to manage his diagnosis, and he was optimistic about the future at the time of his passing.”

Following the news, his Buffy co-stars paid tribute, with Sarah Michelle Gellar sharing a quote from the show alongside the message: “I saw you Nicky. I know you are at peace, in that big rocking chair in the sky.”

Sarah Michelle Gellar

David Boreanaz wrote: “There are people you work with and then there are people you share time with. Nick was the latter.

“Some moments stay small on paper, a laugh between takes, a look that says ‘we got this’, the quiet understanding of showing up and doing the work together. But those are the things that last.

Advertisement

“He carried something real, not perfect, not polished, just real. And in this business that matters more than most things.”

Alyson Hannigan also thanked her late co-star for “years of laughter, love and Dodgers”, while Charisma Carpenter said: “I will miss the version of the man I once knew – someone who was so warm and loving. He was cuddly, funny, silly, self-deprecating, and supremely talented. I loved every scene we had together back in the day.”

Outside of Buffy, Nicholas played Kevin Lynch in Criminal Minds, as well as appearing in shows like Private Practice and Faking It.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Politics

South Korea tells Israel to stop playing the victim

Published

on

South Korea tells Israel to stop playing the victim

Several South Korean government officials have called out Israel on social media, urging it to break free from the “chain of hatred” and the “memory of victimhood”. Basically, South Korea found a professional way to tell Israel to stop playing the victim.

The first statement came from Lee Jae Myung, the President of the Republic of Korea. It was in response to a video in which an Israeli soldier threw a Palestinian man off a roof. He stated:

I need to look into whether this is true, and if so, what measures have been taken.

The forced comfort women issue that we are raising is no different from the Jewish massacre or wartime killings.

In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement.

Advertisement

It stated:

including the trivialization of the massacre of Jews on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel, are unacceptable and warrant strong condemnation.

Israel wants to keep bringing up the Holocaust while committing another one. At what point does the world realise it’s just an excuse?

Advertisement

And why are Palestinian lives, or Korean lives, worth less than the lives of Israelis?

Israel is like the abusive man who refuses to go to therapy for his own childhood abuse. Your pain is not an excuse to cause more pain.

Advertisement

The account also claimed the video was fake. It wasn’t. Israel should know that tactic doesn’t work anymore.

The incident happened in 2024 in the West Bank. At least two other soldiers stood and watched.

Unsurprisingly, the statement also brings up Hezbollah and Hamas, and labels them ‘terrorists’. But from where I’m standing, the only terrorists are the US and Israel.

South Korea condemns indiscriminate killings

In response, Choo Mi-ae, the first female leader of South Korea’s Democratic Party, also put out a statement.

Advertisement

She pointed out the forced enslavement and sexual abuse by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War Two, along with the imprisonment, massacres, live burials in mines and military bases, chemical and biological experiments, and the Kantō earthquake massacre.

Essentially, she listed all the reasons that South Korea could be using to justify playing the victim and committing genocide. The difference, though? It isn’t.

She ended with:

No matter how much it is Israel, I strongly support President Lee Jae-myung for sending the message that indiscriminately killing civilians is wrong from a human rights perspective.

Are world leaders finally growing a backbone?

Advertisement

Of course, killing civilians is wrong from pretty much every perspective — unless you’re a genocidal war criminal.

Victimhood

Finally, Park Hong-geun, Minister of Planning and Budget, called on Israel to:

break free as soon as possible from the chain of hatred where the memory of victimhood leads to further perpetration

He then took a dig at Israel’s lack of universal human rights:

The Ministry of Economy and Finance will, in designing the future of the Republic of Korea, prioritize the people’s livelihood and national interests as core values, while never losing sight of universal human rights as the foundation of human civilization.

Of course, it’s rare for a US ally to stand up to Israel.

Advertisement

But really, far more world leaders should be saying the same thing.

Who’d have thought we would have all this crying and victimhood because the president of South Korea said that it’s wrong to throw people off a rooftop?

Israel thinks the Holocaust is a universal get-out-of-jail-free card. But it isn’t. At some point, you have to decide not to perpetrate the exact same crimes your own people are trying to heal from, or the cycle never ends.

Many world leaders are staying silent and refusing to call Israel’s actions what they are — war crimes. But silence only benefits the oppressor. Which is why the rare occasions that they do speak out are so important.

Feature image via 이재명 / YouTube

Advertisement

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Politics

Labour drafting MPs to canvass London

Published

on

Labour drafting MPs to canvass London

With the local elections looming, the serious parties are mobilising their supporters to hit the streets and engage with the public. Labour, meanwhile, are panicking, because Starmer encouraged the party’s grassroots to “leave”:

Labour — Shaking off the fleas

In the post above, HuffPost’s Kevin Schofield wrote:

NEW: With the elections on May 7 less than a month away, Labour chair Anna Turley has written to 2024 intake MPs urging them to campaign in London when they return to Westminster next week.

She says: “Every London council seat is up for election in May. I know you’re all doing great work across the country but let’s use our time in the big smoke to help our Labour family there.”

Advertisement

An MP says: “Things must be bad.”

So, Labour are asking MPs to ignore their constituency work for a month so they can prop up the party’s failing London operation. Fair enough, it’s when they’re in Westminster, but it’s still time they could spend responding to constituents or making plans.

If you’re wondering what happened to all the Labour activists and door knockers – well – a lot of them left after Starmer said this:

As the BBC reported on 7 April:

Advertisement

Six million voters, more than 1,800 councillors across 32 boroughs. The simple numbers behind what could be one of London’s most complicated elections.

On 7 May every council in the capital will go to the polls to decide who will run their authorities over the next four years.

And no longer, it seems, can Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats be confident that they alone will be running town halls.

The rise of Reform UK on the right and the Green Party on the left are presenting real and new challenges.

In other words, Starmer has fucked up so badly that he’s ended the political norms which have persisted for a century.

Advertisement

To be fair, he did have a lot of help from the Labour and Tory MPs who worked tirelessly to convince the public that the two-party system just doesn’t work.

The BBC continued:

After 7 May it’s possible five or even six parties will be in charge of various councils in London.

The previous red blanket, with Labour currently running 21 boroughs, becoming more of a patchwork quilt.

It will go lower

Beyond the local elections, Labour are also at risk of losing most of their MPs in the capital:

Advertisement

The way things are going, the above map could prove optimistic.

Advertisement

After all, if Starmer has proven one thing, it’s that he can always become more unpopular.

Featured image via The Canary

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Politics

Iran blames US for ceasefire failures

Published

on

Iran blames US for ceasefire failures

Iran has blamed the US for the failure of the ceasefire talks in Islamabad, Pakistan. In response, and in true toddler fashion, ‘President’ Trump threatened a naval blockade if “Iran wont bend”.

Iran’s Parliamentary ⁠Speaker, Mohammad ⁠Baqer Ghalibaf, said that Iran raised “forward-looking” initiatives during ceasefire negotiations in Pakistan, but the US failed to “gain the ‌trust” of the delegation.

US-Iran negotiations — Sticking points

The US framed the lack of a breakthrough mainly around Iran’s refusal to meet its core demand: a firm commitment not to develop nuclear weapons.

In an interview, Vance said that the US refuses to give up its demand that Iran has no right to Uranium enrichment.

Advertisement

Which is hilarious, given that two of the most powerful militaries in the world have spent nearly two months indiscriminately bombing Iran and threatening to nuke it.

However, Iran has consistently said it has no intentions of building nuclear weapons and its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes. Several experts have backed this up. One said:

There was no evidence that Iran was close to a nuclear weapon.

Iran has said that it is willing to negotiate limits on its nuclear activities if sanctions are removed.

Advertisement

In 2015, Washington and Tehran signed a nuclear deal under US President Barack Obama. This put a limit on Iran’s uranium enrichment at 3.67% in return for sanctions relief. However, Trump withdrew Washington from the deal three years later and slapped sanctions back on Iran.

Since then, Iran has accelerated its uranium enrichment to 60%. However, to make an atomic bomb, 90% enrichment is required.

Iran — The right to self-defence

Importantly, though, you don’t see the US or Israel threatening to nuke Russia, South Korea, or even the UK. Why? Because those countries also have nukes — it would be the ultimate self-destruct button.

Advertisement

Of course, Israel and the US do not want Iran to have the tools it needs to defend itself. That way, they can continue to threaten it.

The US also demanded that Iran hand over enriched uranium and open the Strait of Hormuz — without recognising Iran’s sovereignty over it.

But unfortunately for Vance, unlike with his wife, coercive control does not work on a self-reliant sovereign nation.

In response to the US’s unreasonable demands, Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highlighted the importance of the US accepting Iran’s legitimate rights and interests.

Advertisement

He said:

The success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and good faith of the opposing side, refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and the acceptance of Iran’s legitimate rights and interests.

According to a Turkish journalist in Pakistan, Abbas Araghchi and Steve Witkoff nearly got into a physical altercation during the peace talks.

We all know Araghchi would have fucked him up badly. Both in a fight of fists and in a fight of words.

Araghchi has a PhD in philosophy and has been working in foreign policy for 37 years. He is also fluent in three languages. But Witkoff? He’s a real estate developer.

‘Naval Blockade’

In one of Trump’s standard Truth Social posts, he claimed that the US Navy would start blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

Advertisement

Which Iran is already doing.

Is Trump going for a double blockade? Double negative makes a positive?

Or is he saving Iran the time and money and risking getting blown up in the process?

Toddler Trump added:

Advertisement

THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION, and Leaders of Countries, especially the United States of America, will never be extorted. I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas.

Previously, Trump threatened tariffs on practically every nation. The difference here is that the Strait of Hormuz is shared Iranian/Omani sovereign territory. They have the right to impose tariffs on its seas.

Plenty of other waterways have tariffs. For example, the Panama Canal charges ships to pass through, with the cost depending on the ship’s size.

Similarly, the Suez Canal collects tolls dependent on vessel type and size.

What has become clear in recent days is that Donald Trump wants control of the Strait of Hormuz. He previously suggested that the US may consider charging a toll across the Strait, which would require direct US military control over the strategic waterway.

Advertisement

Colonialism

This is colonialism in action. Masked as “ending disruption.” One which the US itself caused.

There would be no problem if the US and Israel hadn’t caused one. It’s not that hard to go about your daily life without feeling the need to murder Brown children. Get a hobby, read a book, build a LEGO set.

But this bullshit colonialist mindset is exactly why so many innocent people are being murdered in West Asia. The US and Israel bomb schoolgirls in Iran in an illegal and unprovoked attack. Iran defends itself and closes the Strait of Hormuz. The US wants to reopen the Strait and control it, which, by the way, would not be closed if it weren’t for its own actions.

Trump is a power-hungry terrorist who is willing to destroy the lives of Brown people just so he can feed his own ego.

Advertisement

Feature image via HG

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Politics

Gaza flotilla leaves Barcelona

Published

on

Gaza flotilla leaves Barcelona

A large humanitarian ‘Global Sumud Flotilla” has left Barcelona with essential supplies for Gaza, which continues to starve under Israeli blockade and bombing. Earlier flotillas and their volunteer crews have faced attack and abduction by the Israeli occupation, but have raised international awareness of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. The convoy, which will grow to more than 70 vessels and over a thousand participants as it sails, is the fifth flotilla to set sail since the beginning of 2025 and the largest so far.

Large crowds of well-wishers turned out on a grey day to see the volunteers on their way, as footage and photos provided by crew member and former parliamentary candidate Corrie Drew show:

The Israel lobby and its media brigades have already started their attacks. The Jerusalem Post crowed over the fact that bad weather means the supposedly “faltering” flotilla will not leave the Spanish coast until a local storm passes. It also questioned why the convoy is leaving during a supposed ceasefire in Gaza — ignoring the fact that Israel is murdering Palestinians and stealing territory daily in typical ‘you cease, we fire’ fashion, and continues its illegal starvation blockade.

However, spirits and defiance among the crew are high. Organisers say that boats will continue to sail until Gaza is free and open. Irish actor Liam Cunningham, who supports its mission, said that:

Advertisement

every kilogram of aid on these ships is a failure [of state government], because all the people on these ships who give their time to help their fellow human beings are doing what their governments have a legal obligation to do.

Featured image via the Canary

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Politics

UK bases are ‘invaluable’ to US military

Published

on

UK bases are 'invaluable' to US military

Britain’s defence secretary, John Healey, has said that UK bases have been invaluable to the US military. This raises serious concerns, given that the UK’s involvement is supposedly only for ‘defensive purposes’

UK bases used for ‘Defensive actions’

Already, a retired RAF squadron leader has told Declassified that Starmer’s claim he only let the US use British bases for “defensive” actions against Iran is a “fiction”. Of course, that is clear to anyone paying attention.

He added that it was “glaringly obvious” that US missions from RAF Fairford were conducting offensive strikes.

Advertisement

Of course, there is nothing ‘limited’ or ‘defensive’ about using UK bases to bomb innocent people.

The UK is literally facilitating war crimes.

Advertisement

Now, speaking at a conference in London, Healey said:

Advertisement

Even in this current conflict, the basing permissions that we in the UK have agreed with the US have been invaluable to their military operations.

If we focus on our actions rather than just simply the exchange of words and social media posts, then the fundamentals for me remain.

Being ‘invaluable’ definitely doesn’t sound very ‘limited’ or ‘defensive’ to me. It appears that, despite Starmer’s bullshit facade, the US and Israel are using UK bases to commit multiple genocides.

The UK government does not appear to care about the US using UK facilities to carpet-bomb innocent people. Additionally, Starmer is still unwilling to stand up to Trump. 

All of this speaks to the continued colonial mindset of the UK government.

Colonialism in action

Earlier this week, the Guardian reported that:

Advertisement

Before the ceasefire announced by Trump late on Tuesday, which Starmer said countries in the region believed was “fragile”, the UK led a call of military planners from 35 nations on ways to secure the strait if there was peace, including the removal of Iranian mines.

The question has to be asked as to why the white Prime Minister of a Western Nation is leading a call which may help decide the fate of Iran — a majority brown country in West Asia? There’s a word for that.

Why is the future of the region in the hands of a white Zionist and not the people who actually live there?

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS):

Every State has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baselines determined in accordance with this Convention.

The Strait of Hormuz is 21 miles wide at its narrowest point — meaning that Iran and Oman have sovereignty over every mile of that water. Unlike the majority of the West would have you believe, it is not international waters.

Advertisement

Which is why it’s even more fucked up that the UK is trying to exercise so much control over the sovereign territory of a majority brown country. Meanwhile, Starmer continues to claim the UK’s actions are purely ‘defensive’ as if he doesn’t appear to want a direct stake in the control of the Strait of Hormuz.

The most important thing John Healey missed was that UK bases have been invaluable in an act of illegal aggression. Meaning, the UK is just as bad as the US and Israel. Starmer and the British Establishment are actively participating in genocide, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing.

There are not many problems that cannot be traced back to the British Empire — but you might have thought that in 2026, under a Labour Government, there might be a red line or two. Looks more like two blue lines from where we’re looking.

Feature image via AFP News Agency/ YouTube

Advertisement

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Politics

Streeting is preparing to challenge Starmer

Published

on

Streeting is preparing to challenge Starmer

On 12 April, Wes Streeting appeared on the Sunday interview shows. With the local elections fast approaching, you’d expect him to be on an election footing. As Saul Staniforth noted, however, it seemed like Streeting was actually gearing up to challenge his boss, Keir Starmer:

As if things couldn’t get any worse in this country!

Advertisement

Post-Starmer

As everyone knows, Labour are going to get hammered in the upcoming local elections. And when we say ‘hammered’, we don’t simply mean they’re going to get beaten; we mean they’re going to get smushed into paste:

It’s shaping up to be Labour’s greatest defeat since… well, since possibly ever.

The worry for Labour is it won’t stop with one defeat, either, and that the local election loss will translate into a general election wipeout.

Accordingly, heavy losses in the local elections will mean Labour have no choice but to give Starmer the boot. This might not fix things, but it’s clear there can be no fix with him at the helm, so it’s a necessary step if nothing else.

Streeting manoeuvres

In the clip at the top, Streeting criticises Donald Trump for threatening to wipe out the civilisation of Iran. Staniforth identified this as Streeting gearing up for a leadership challenge, and there are two good reasons to think this:

Advertisement
  1. Trump and his war on Iran are incredibly unpopular in the UK, so it makes sense to attack him.
  2. Streeting has no personality traits besides political ambition, so he wouldn’t attack Trump unless it benefitted him.

Of course, you could say that Streeting attacking Trump is a sign that he doesn’t want to become PM. After all, as PM, he would have to engage with Trump one-to-one.

The reason why this doesn’t hold up is because Streeting knows what every other politician does – namely that Trump has a cheat code. If a person rolls over and shows Trump their belly, he doesn’t care what they’ve said in the past.

Keir Starmer and Boris Johnson are examples of British politicians who publicly spoke out against Trump only to roll over later on; JD Vance is an example of an American politician:

Staniforth also highlighted the following:

Advertisement

Health

As much as Streeting wants to come across as a respectable and righteous politician, he simply cannot get over the disdain he feels for the medical professionals he represents:

It’s no secret why Streeting is opposed to our once-successful public health model either, as James Wright wrote for the Canary:

Labour health secretary Wes Streeting has taken another £55,000 from the ODP Group Ltd—which provides headhunting services to the NHS and private healthcare providers.

The firm’s owner, Peter Hearn, has longstanding links to private healthcare.

Additionally:

Advertisement

This is not the first donation Streeting has accepted from a Hearn-linked company. In 2023, he took £48, 000 from the OPD Group, according to the National (Scotland). in donations from another company Hearn controls. And the Financial Times has reported that, through seemingly shell companies, Hearn previously donated over £1m to Labour and prominent individual MPs like Streeting from between 2014 and 2023.

Streeting — Starmer 2.0?

While some have said Streeting would be Starmer 2.0, we don’t think that’s the case. Streeting is more ideologically driven that Starmer, if only because our current PM isn’t curious enough to hold his own opinions.

The problem is that Streeting’s ideology is the toxic privatisation mindset of Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. In other words, we’ll need to hold on to our public institutions if he becomes PM, because he’ll be selling off everything that isn’t nailed down.

Featured image via BBC

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Politics

World Cup exit makes Italy enter crisis mode

Published

on

World Cup exit makes Italy enter crisis mode

The Italian Football Federation has published a detailed report outlining the reasons behind the sharp decline in the standard of the game within the country, alongside a package of proposed solutions to rebuild the system, following the senior team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup finals for the third consecutive time.

Italian fans are in a state of shock and anger after failing to reach the 2026 World Cup, following the defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final of the first leg of the European play-offs, meaning the four-time world champions will miss the tournament for the third consecutive edition, after Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.

On the administrative front, Gabriele Gravina announced his resignation as president of the Italian Football Federation on 2 April, under mounting political and media pressure. A new president is to be elected at an extraordinary meeting in the capital, Rome, on 22 June, whilst he will continue to lead the federation on an interim basis until then.

Prolonged structural crises transcends World Cup

The Italian Football Federation confirmed in its report that the country’s football problems are not new, but date back many years, with various indicators showing a worsening trend, noting that the crisis has become “structural” and requires radical solutions.

Advertisement

The report identified four main factors behind the decline of Italian football, as follows:

1- Declining reliance on domestic players

The report highlighted a clear decline in opportunities for Italian players within clubs, noting that:

  • The average age of Serie A players is 27, one of the highest in Europe
  • Foreign players account for 67.9% of playing minutes
  • Only 89 Italian players out of 284 feature regularly
  • The proportion of players under 21 does not exceed 1.9%
  • Only two academies are among the world’s top 50 (Atalanta and Juventus)

2- Decline in technical quality

The report noted a decline in the technical quality of the Italian league, the most notable aspects of which are:

Advertisement
  • A slower pace of play compared to the major leagues
  • Lower dribbling rates
  • A decline in attacking effectiveness and high pressing

3- A worsening economic crisis

The report revealed the difficult financial situation facing Italian clubs, the most notable features of which are:

  • 194 clubs have been relegated since 1986 for financial reasons
  • Annual losses exceeding €730 million
  • Debts amounting to €5.5 billion
  • Agent fees rising to over €300 million
  • A large number of professional clubs (97) compared to other European leagues

4- Weak infrastructure

The report acknowledged that Italy remains outside the top 10 European countries in terms of stadium quality, due to weak government investment and a decline in sports facility development projects.

The report also highlighted regulatory and legal obstacles, notably the congested match calendar and European regulations limiting the imposition of specific quotas for domestic players, alongside the federation’s limited ability to impose direct structural reforms on clubs.

Proposed solutions to save Italian football

The Federation put forward a range of solutions, most notably:

Advertisement
  • Tax incentives to support investment in youth and infrastructure
  • Development of the youth sector and academies
  • Reform of the league system
  • Improvement of stadium infrastructure
  • Reorganisation of the clubs’ financial system
  • Reform of the refereeing system

The report concluded by emphasising that saving Italian football requires “radical and comprehensive reform”, based on unity among all parties and governmental and legislative support, placing the public interest above all other considerations.

Featured image via the Canary

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Politics

Donald Trump Warns US Navy Will Block Strait Of Hormuz

Published

on

Donald Trump Warns US Navy Will Block Strait Of Hormuz

The US navy is to blockade the Strait of Hormuz to all ships after talks to end the Iran war collapsed, Donald Trump has announced.

In a post on Truth Social, the US president accused Tehran of “extortion” for charging tolls for oil tankers to use the vital waterway.

Any ships which have paid money to Iran in order to safely sail through the strait will also be hunted down, Trump said.

His comments came after his vice-president JD Vance said that talks between US and Iranian officials in Pakistan had broken down without a peace deal being agreed.

Advertisement

Trump insisted the talks “went well”, but had broken down over Tehran’s refusal to give up its ambitions to build a nuclear bomb.

He said: “Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz.

“At some point, we will reach an “ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO IN, ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO OUT” basis, but Iran has not allowed that to happen by merely saying, “There may be a mine out there somewhere,” that nobody knows about but them.

“THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION, and Leaders of Countries, especially the United States of America, will never be extorted. I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas.”

Advertisement

Trump said the US navy will destroy any mines which have been laid in the strait, and warned that “any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL”.

“As they promised, they better begin the process of getting this INTERNATIONAL WATERWAY OPEN AND FAST,” he added.

In a separate post, he went on: “Iran will not be allowed to profit off this Illegal Act of EXTORTION. They want money and, more importantly, they want Nuclear.

“Additionally and, at an appropriate moment, we are fully “LOCKED AND LOADED,” and our Military will finish up the little that is left of Iran!”

Advertisement

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Politics

The hypocrisy of Britain’s ban on Kanye West

Published

on

The hypocrisy of Britain’s ban on Kanye West

The post The hypocrisy of Britain’s ban on Kanye West appeared first on spiked.

Source link

Continue Reading

Politics

Malicious Compliance: The Best Way To Deal With A Toxic Boss

Published

on

A maliciously compliant act is a creative form of resistance against a boss’ marching orders.

When you have a bad boss keeping you down, your best way to fight back might be to try “malicious compliance,” according to a growing online movement of disgruntled workers.

For them, a maliciously compliant act is a creative form of resistance against their boss’ marching orders. You might fulfill what you’re asked in order to stay employed, but your actions will not be exactly what the person wanted.

Servers say they do it to fight back against entitled customers. If a rude customer asks for extra butter, they’ll bring back a ridiculous amount of butter to the table, for example.

According to the subreddit that documents acts of malicious compliance, it involves any act when people are “conforming to the letter, but not the spirit, of a request.” Popular examples include: If a boss asks you to dress better without specifying what that means, you wear a suit. Or if a boss orders you to be the only team to work in the office on Fourth of July, you expense a barbecue feast costing thousands of dollars.

Advertisement

But if you decide to try this yourself, proceed with caution. Career and legal experts say this can help you survive under a bad boss –– or it can spectacularly backfire.

For micromanagers, malicious compliance can give them a taste of their own medicine.

A maliciously compliant act is a creative form of resistance against a boss’ marching orders.

Yana Iskayeva via Getty Images

A maliciously compliant act is a creative form of resistance against a boss’ marching orders.

Micromanagers can often be insecure, rigid bosses who need constant unwarranted check-ins for reassurance that you’re working.

“Malicious compliance can work well against an insecure manager,” said Ryan Stygar, an employment attorney and author of the upcoming book, Get It in Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Your Rights at Work.

Advertisement

In this case, your malicious compliance is going above and beyond to comply with a micromanager’s demands. If they want a list of your daily tasks, you send long, bulleted emails.

“When you follow their instructions exactly, it exposes how inefficient those instructions really are,” he said. “For example, if they want to approve every email, their inbox quickly becomes a mess. I compare this [as] holding up a mirror to the micromanager. Once they see how burdensome the micromanagement has become, they typically back off.”

It helps to confirm that this is what they wanted. You might reply to a micromanager with, “Thank you for your instructions today. This confirms I will submit every client-facing email to you for approval before sending,” Stygar said. This response works because it “creates a paper trail,” he said. “It also locks in their expectations…It prevents them from ‘moving the goalposts’ and claiming you did not comply with their orders.”

“Now there is no confusion. If work slows down, you have proof showing why its not really your fault. With a reasonable manager, this may get them to back down,” Stygar said. “With a toxic one, it may not. But it will make it much harder for them to twist the facts either way.”

Advertisement

And if timing matters, mention that you sent their request by noon, per their last email, in your malicious compliance. “Now any delay is clearly tied to the process the micromanager imposed on you — not your performance,” Stygar said.

And this kind of strategic resistance might not be so malicious after all. If you do go above and beyond for a micromanager it might actually be “exuberant compliance,” said Mary Abbajay, president of leadership development consultancy Careerstone Group and author of Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss. “Exuberant compliance is when you’re giving them what they want and it’s not reflecting on your work,” she said.

For toxic bosses, it can be a protective response – but it can also have consequences.

Bad bosses can be difficult, but a toxic boss is a dismissive, demeaning boss that is trying to ruin your mental health.

Advertisement

A toxic micromanager, for example, is “trying to control you,” Stygar said. “They’re probably hoping you make a mistake so they can enjoy the power trip of jumping all over you.”

Typically, in these cases, malicious compliance is when you know what you’re doing will lead to a less efficient, more chaotic outcome for your team, but your preferred alternatives got rejected by your boss. If your horrible boss has a new workflow that is doomed to fail, you follow it because you had no choice, for example.

In these cases, your malicious compliance might actually be “protective compliance,” Abbajay said. “All you can do is survive a toxic boss. And if…giving them what they want is going to protect you until you can get yourself out of there, then I’m all for it.”

Ideally, you only do this kind of protective compliance while you actively job hunt for a better opportunity, because if you keep doing this, “you are never going to actually thrive, and you’re never going to get to find out your full potential,” Abbajay said.

Advertisement

But don’t be snarky about it or this defiance will backfire.

People who need to resort to malicious compliance to push back against their boss’ orders are not happy employees. They’re often scared, overworked employees who are just trying to get through each day. But don’t let your negative emotions seep into your malicious compliance. Stygar said that “malicious compliance works best as a defensive measure, not a revenge tactic.”

In his view, the “deadly sins” of malicious compliance are if you’re sarcastic in your response, if you purposefully slow work down, and if you try to embarrass or mock your boss.

“A toxic manager is often looking for ‘insubordination,’” Stygar said. “If you give them that opportunity, even by accident, they will take it.”

Advertisement

Instead, the safer but tedious approach is to maintain a neutral tone and document what nonsense your boss is asking you to do in case you need to prove yourself later.

“Keep copies of these exchanges for yourself. Build a record that shows exactly what they told you to do and how you followed it,” Stygar said.

And don’t do malicious compliance that makes it seem like you’re not good at your job.

“If your malicious compliance is delivering substandard work, then that actually isn’t going to reflect very well on you, because it’s still your work and your name is attached to it,” Abbajay said.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025