Good piece. I also agree with her about the grooming gangs:
"What’s the other thing the Huddersfield gang-grooming has in common with all the other gang- grooming (see above)? That’s right. When the girls’ families told police that Asian men were brutalising their daughters, the police did precisely… zero.
"They were more worried about Islamophobia accusations than protecting girls. An idiot police spokesman declared: ‘Lessons have been learned.’ Yeah, right. How about sacking the police chiefs who presided over what looks rather like collusion in rape? "
I don't necessarily agree that the police were worried about Islamophobia questions (I think West Yorkshire police just hate girls and women), but I do think they should damn well sack the police chiefs responsible.
A lot of people are saying they feel shocked at agreeing with the Mail. I used to be the same. I used to despise the Mail and everything it represented. One of the things I've come to realise over the past couple of years is that the Mail does a lot of good reporting that leaves the Guardian and Observer trailing. I remember when the Kids Company scandal broke, they ran loads of good investigative pieces compared to next to nothing in the Guardian. Ditto Savile - they really pursued the case. If there's a story about poor care in a hospital, the Mail is on it like a terrier. And their reporting on issues such as transactivism's assault on women's and girls' rights has been excellent. As we know, the Guardian has been absolutely pathetic on the issue.
It should remind us all of the importance of a free press. However much we disapprove of what the Mail stands for, it's doing good work to uncover a lot of stories that we just wouldn't otherwise know about.