Tell me about Kemi Badenoch

[BlastedPimples]

I've not taken any notice of the Tory leadership contest. And today is the estates day with Kemi being the favourite.

What's she about then?

We currently have a huge swing in some areas of the world to horrific state sanctioned treatment of women. There will always be men who enjoy doing their very worst to women on an individual level but when it’s state sanctioned when men have voted for those people and support them in power that’s a culture that is no way should be supported.

@username7891

That's not what she said. She said that not all cultures were of equal value, then clarified the culture as Muslim.

If it's the same interview I saw, she didn't say that.

But also, why would it be scandalous if she did? You might validly think Muslim culture (very broad strokes, obviously) is superior, inferior, a bit of a mixed bag, it's complicated, etc.

Unless you think all cultures are of equal value full stop, the above are all entirely reasonable positions. And if you do think all cultures are of equal value, you have to concede that your own culture is no better than the KKK, Isis or the Spanish Inquisition. That no cultural progress is possible. No progressive can hold that position.

How come Labour haven't stopped it?!

It's because I viewed it as dog whistle politics. We've just had riots aimed at the Muslim community and she's trying to draw Reform voters back into the fold. We all know how Reform voters feel about immigration and Muslims in particular.

Many cultures have negative as well as positive aspects, why draw attention towards Muslims in particular? She didn't give an example of any other culture.

I support the right of Brits to support any national side, or several, or none.

But I do find your claim a bit curious, because team support goes to identity. If Britishness isn't about identity (at least a bit) then what is it about?

My problem with Badenoch is she seems to continually have to post explanation of her comments.

She allows her mouth to run away with her and say awful things. I think if you can say what she does then you mean it and the explanations are backtracking rather than "I didn't mean it like that".

And if she constantly says things that sound out of the meant context she shouldn't be in a position to represent the country in the international stage.

She wasn't born in Nigeria, she was born in the UK to Nigerian parents and was brought up in Nigeria until returning to the UK when she was 16.

She is smart and a
brave. The tories need both.

Starmer is an enormous disappointment

Quite. I completely agree with her. Why should we be importing views that child marriage is ok, that women shouldn't work or get an education or that gay people should be stoned? I don't agree with any of those cultural views and I agree with her that those views are not as valid as British values of inclusivity.

I am looking forward to seeing how she performs to be honest, she could win me back over as a previous Conservative voter that left the Tories behind after Boris.

Because it’s complete dog whistle politics. He was implying that people of Asian heritage should support British cricketers rather than Indian. If they don’t, they’re not properly British. Crazy thinking-many people who gave settled here from overseas root for their ‘home’ country or country of heritage. It doesn’t make them less ‘British’. And I find people who lecture about ‘British Values’ and how superior they are do it to appeal to a certain sector of the population.

I've just read her pamphlet and it's all over the place, woolly and vague. What's the point that she's trying to make re autism? She appears pretty clueless and heartless in that aspect. Schooling provision for autism is so poor that many children have to attend school out of their area. Also, mental health funding is woefully inadequate. Those figures that she's quoted show that it's starting to catch up. I'm sure that some benefit claimers have taken advantage of the system and push the figures up. I know one man who is genuinely depressed, but spends 16 hours a day playing on the play station and has done nothing to address his problems. I do feel as though there should be a mandatory overcoming CBT/anxiety/depression course if you are on benefits or signed off work. I've used the NHS ones in the past and they are really helpful.
She raises some interesting issues, but then the pamphlet reads as a university undergrad essay and fails to make many clear points.

She has already gone down in my estimation (I didn't have an overarching view other than she seems too right wing for me). She seems very focused on the economy rather than happiness and quality of life.

Funny, I had always thought of Tebbit's test as an inclusive one: "it doesn't matter where you come from. If you support us in the cricket, you are one of us."

As a test of cultural Britishness I think that's a fair test, and quite an intuitive one. I know lots of people with multiple nationalities, and there is a difference between "I'm British and Swiss", and "I'm British. Well, I also have a Swiss passport" that is perfectly understandable and not at all divisive.

As a test of legal/civic Britishness, I'd reject it too. Our civic rights and our part in public life should have nothing to do with background, beliefs, language, or even loyalties (i.e. an IRA terrorist with a British passport receives full protection of that status, or it means nothing).

@MrsJoanDanvers I'm just reading up now on the context of his comments (I was a bit too young to get it all first time), and you are right he meant it 'against' those who haven't (in his view) sufficiently assimilated.

I have to say that there's a version of his statement that I'd support.

Strongly disagree with this version: "these foreigners can't be trusted, on the whole, and the fact they support the sports teams of their origin proves it".

Moderately agree with this version: "we should aim for a situation where people who come to this country feel rooted in it and support us, at least no less than they support other countries, at the gut level that sport gets at. That's the right goal of our policies".

@GeneralPeter I remember watching Italia 90 on a portable telly at work-people of Irish descent were rooting for Ireland. A couple of Welsh colleagues were hoping England would lose. It was all good natured-it really didn’t occur to any of us that those whose parents were Irish weren’t really British. Another colleague whose parents were Scottish supported Scotland in the rugby. Not England even though his family had been here for 2 generations. All this dog whistle stuff tries to create division.

She was 28 Harriet Harman accepts Tory MP Kemi Badenoch's hacking apology - BBC News

Think this comment says a lot about her and exactly who she is

https://x.com/haggisuk/status/1853013950171865572?s=46&t=qpgtjZBgKIUNwBWOzz_3Y5g

But apparently being the first woman chancellor isn't breaking a glass ceiling at all according to her.

Well to be fair the chancellor position is not a glass ceiling for women in this country due to the previous female prime ministers in the UK. Labour might be impressed with themselves for this @LyndaLaHughes because their bar is so low, but for the rest of us that bar was passed back in the 80’s with Thatcher. So Labour are 40 years late and a dollar short.

The position has never been taken by a woman before, therefore it is a significant achievement. It's possible to celebrate more than one achievement for women, no matter what side of the fence you are.

Yes it is and I am pleased we have a female chancellor. However I do cringe somewhat when she keeps on about it because multiple other women have surpassed this level of authority, just not in labour. Still you are right, I should be congratulating her for rising to such high office within the Labour Party - that is historically difficult to achieve if you’re a woman.

Totally disagree.

You're making snide remarks, like Badenoch. Classy.

You seek to interpret facts as snide remarks @username7891

No, I see snide remarks for exactly what they are. Classless women tearing another woman down.

For example, she doesn't keep going on about it, the press have. So you're factually incorrect, just snide.

She highlighted it several times in her introduction to the budget @username7891 to enormous self-congratulatory cheers from the labour benches. It was like a parallel universe where 3 female UK PMs had never happened