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London
Joined January 2009
DavidMapstone retweeted
I’m dealing with a family emergency, so I won’t be doing broadcast interviews on the John Davidson Tourette’s tic at the BAFTAs story. Hearing the N word shouted at two of the most successful black actors in the world, on stage at the BAFTAs and broadcast on the BBC, was horrible. It made people uncomfortable. It should have. But it was an involuntary tic from someone who lives with Tourette’s syndrome. It was not chosen. It was not intentional. It was not an expression of belief. What’s astonishing is watching people who constantly lecture the public about inclusion suddenly abandon it the moment it becomes complicated. The same voices that demand respect for lived experience are now acting as if a neurodivergent man consciously decided to shout a slur for sport. Tourette’s is a neurological condition. It is not a political statement. It is not a moral failing. You cannot preach DEI and then punish someone for symptoms of their neurodivergence. Even the Royal Household has previously understood Davidson’s condition. Not even the late Queen was immune to his tics he said “F*ck the Queen” TO HER FACE. If that reality can be accepted there, it should not be beyond the rest of us. Two things can be true at once. The word is abhorrent. The tic was involuntary. If your commitment to inclusion collapses when it involves neurodivergence, then it was never inclusion in the first place.
This was the response when John Davidson said ‘Fuck the Queen’ to her face while receiving his MBE. “One of the officials put his hands on my shoulder and said, ‘Don’t worry, the Queen understands’, and at that point I felt accepted. Her Majesty was very kind”
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DavidMapstone retweeted
Both Danny Blanchflower and Jack Kyle were born in Belfast 100 years ago today. That's pretty extraordinary.
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DavidMapstone retweeted
It wasn't just Starmer, the chatterati, the poderati, the lobby, Whitehall and all its Sir Humphreys....they all were saying a year ago, maybe to deal with 4 years of Trump we've all got to get a bit more Trumpy. Mandelson's appt was part of that panicky zeitgeist. 1/
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DavidMapstone retweeted
If you watch one thing today, make it this
"I would claim the friend's privilege to tell Peter that he has been, at best, naïve and foolish, at worst, greedy and duplicitous." @TrevorPTweets reflects on his friendship with Lord Mandelson amid controversy over the former ambassador's association with Epstein.
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DavidMapstone retweeted
Trump says UK and other NATO troops stayed “mainly in the back” in Afghanistan. May I please introduce you to Lance Corporal Joshua Leaky VC - who ran into enemy fire to rescue injured US marines.
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Morning Sport on @SkyNews done ✔️ Honestly don’t know why I bother posting on here to get quite so much abuse from strangers but then I think ‘ I’m still alive and well so I am going to post - sexist, ageist, haters you do you’ . That’s it.
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DavidMapstone retweeted
📽️ Been working on this film on & off, for the best part of a year. About the reality (not just the theory) of tariffs. It's the tip of the iceberg of the biggest econ story of our day. It'll air on @SkyNews Fri but u can watch the whole thing here NOW👇 youtu.be/woT0FX5Ztas?si=ABY4…
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Grooming gangs continue to operate in the UK. Narrated by the voices of survivors, a new @SkyNews documentary out today tells the story of the gangs and how they are exploiting young girls. From @LizLaneSky & @Sarahcoconnell, watch Prey: youtube.com/watch?v=bGV4Cdb_…
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DavidMapstone retweeted
youtu.be/bGV4Cdb_w3I @Sarahcoconnell @LizLaneSky @scarlett_w53584 I'm glad that we have spoke out and I really do hope it raises awareness if you are a girl that been groomed or is still being groomed then it's ok to speak out YOUR NOT STANDING ALONE !!!
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The fact this is the first time I’ve personally seen any media coverage of women grooming young girls blows my mind. We’re lucky that the girls in this film were willing to speak out about their horrific experiences, or the public would be none the wiser. Well done to all the girls who have had the courage to speak out and to @scarlett_w53584 @Sarahcoconnell @LizLaneSky @holly__beaumont
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In June 2022, the government tried GPS tagging some asylum seekers to see if it improved compliance with immigration bail conditions. The pilot scheme ended in December 2023. Here's what it found...🧵
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In October, I had a v long chat with Alan Moore. On magick, sci-fi, the perils of eco-doomerism, the joy of occultist pranks, the psychogeography of Stoke Newington, the invention of the taser - and much more! As a Christmas treat here it is IN FULL. seamas.medium.com/its-a-rabb…
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DavidMapstone retweeted
The numbers in the water industry are boggling. I run through some of them below. One I’d love to add is the combined hourly rate of Court 15 as lawyers for Thames Water and various creditors prepare to make & oppose the case for a £3bn emergency loan news.sky.com/story/five-char…
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DavidMapstone retweeted
An almost perfect interaction.
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Is Ed the best journalist currently at work in the U.K.?
🚜FARMAGEDDON🌾 The story of what's REALLY going on in farming. A story far more complex than the conventional wisdom. This isn't just (or even mainly) about inheritance tax. It's about a cascade of challenges & crises that may ultimately threaten food security. 📽️5 min primer👇
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This is an exceptionally stupid decision. A matter of huge public interest and - potentially - public safety significance is stonewalled. The only people who will benefit are propagandists. I refuse to believe this data could not be simply gathered. If the will existed.
The Home Office has denied my request to publish data on illegal migrant crime - they claim the public doesn't want them to commission 'dozens of entirely new statistical analyses simply to answer questions in Parliament.' Millions of British people want to know this information, and deserve to know it. Tell me - do you want to see these figures? This is a cover up. I have no doubt whatsoever they hold information on the crimes being committed by illegal migrants. And if they don't? That's an even bigger scandal. We ALL must demand this data. Contact your MP, tell them the importance of knowing the truth. I have other routes to obtain this data, and will now urgently pursue them.
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DavidMapstone retweeted
As things stand, #AssistedDying will come in to force by the end of 2027. Many questions remain unanswered. Read my analysis of what it could look like in practice: thetimes.com/article/d1b9e78…
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DavidMapstone retweeted
This seems pretty alarming: coroners will be unable to investigate assisted deaths under Leadbeater’s bill (h/t @historykev)
I am an atheist and a liberal but see assisted dying as profoundly unprogressive in our broken health and care system after seeing its consequences abroad and reporting on so many health scandals at home. My @theipaper column explains why inews.co.uk/opinion/theres-n…
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