Starmer’s current chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, served as the head of a machine that targeted media outlets on the left and right, foreshadowing the UK’s crackdown on dissent.
This piece lays out something far more disturbing than garden-variety factional infighting: it shows how a small, well-connected political clique quietly built an entire censorship infrastructure under the banner of “fighting misinformation,” then used it to kneecap critics on both the left and right. What’s striking is how seamlessly noble language—anti-hate, anti-extremism, fact-checking—was repurposed into a tool for consolidating power and erasing dissenting media ecosystems.
Whether one likes Breitbart, The Canary, Corbyn, or Farage is beside the point. A democracy can’t survive if the governing faction is allowed to run anonymous astroturf operations, skirt electoral law, influence advertisers, and covertly shape the information environment from behind a curtain. If these revelations are accurate, they show a political machine willing to burn down pluralism to control the narrative. That should worry everyone, regardless of ideolog
,The UK isn't a democracy and really never was except for brief periods; e.g., following WWII when the Labour government over the next few years, universal health care, unemployment insurance, widow's insurance, nationalized mines and steel. The crackdown on dissent has gone on for quite a few years at this point. For example, this year people have been arrested in the hundreds for supporting Palestine. The main organization supporting Palestine has been described as a "terrorist" organization and banned.
Absolutely. It’s unsettling to see governments that brand themselves as democracies leaning harder on speech controls than some of the states they criticize. When suppressing dissent becomes bipartisan and international, it stops looking like ‘protecting the public’ and starts looking like managing narratives. People should be able to challenge power — from any direction — without fearing criminal penalties.
And with the UK arresting and jailing more people for speaking freely than Russia. Furthermore, countries like mine, Canada, trying to restrict the speech of critics from left to right too.
I’M A DROP SITE SUBSCRIBER AND BC I DON’T SEE ANY WAY TO REACH YOU, I’M WRITING HERE BC I SAW RYAN INTERVIEW JEREMY THIS MORNING ABOUT JEREMY’S ARTICLE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PUBLISHED YESTERDAY - ABOUT PALESTINIAN factions discussing ways to to attain self-determination, given Israeli’s juggernaught of venal land grab in all of the OPT. How can I obtain that article? Thank you. My email is rhsilver@comcast.net (or regenesilver@gmail.com). Re: Starmer, why be surprised? Israel spends billions, along with its pals in other countries, to discredit any attempt proving that Israel is a rogue, terrorist state that seeks to rid greater Palestine of all Palestinians.
Starmer and crew’s repression of journalism is concerning, but that’s no excuse for Ryan to go on Bannon’s show to discuss this. Bannon and his ilk would see all of us who want a better future banned (or worse). We don’t need to collaborate with fascists. Please stick to the amazing journalism you do without making these kind of alliances.
This piece lays out something far more disturbing than garden-variety factional infighting: it shows how a small, well-connected political clique quietly built an entire censorship infrastructure under the banner of “fighting misinformation,” then used it to kneecap critics on both the left and right. What’s striking is how seamlessly noble language—anti-hate, anti-extremism, fact-checking—was repurposed into a tool for consolidating power and erasing dissenting media ecosystems.
Whether one likes Breitbart, The Canary, Corbyn, or Farage is beside the point. A democracy can’t survive if the governing faction is allowed to run anonymous astroturf operations, skirt electoral law, influence advertisers, and covertly shape the information environment from behind a curtain. If these revelations are accurate, they show a political machine willing to burn down pluralism to control the narrative. That should worry everyone, regardless of ideolog
,The UK isn't a democracy and really never was except for brief periods; e.g., following WWII when the Labour government over the next few years, universal health care, unemployment insurance, widow's insurance, nationalized mines and steel. The crackdown on dissent has gone on for quite a few years at this point. For example, this year people have been arrested in the hundreds for supporting Palestine. The main organization supporting Palestine has been described as a "terrorist" organization and banned.
Absolutely. It’s unsettling to see governments that brand themselves as democracies leaning harder on speech controls than some of the states they criticize. When suppressing dissent becomes bipartisan and international, it stops looking like ‘protecting the public’ and starts looking like managing narratives. People should be able to challenge power — from any direction — without fearing criminal penalties.
Excellent points.
And with the UK arresting and jailing more people for speaking freely than Russia. Furthermore, countries like mine, Canada, trying to restrict the speech of critics from left to right too.
It’s brilliant to see more UK coverage. Keep up the good work!
The people that cry anti-semitism seem to be in the back ground against free speech.
I’M A DROP SITE SUBSCRIBER AND BC I DON’T SEE ANY WAY TO REACH YOU, I’M WRITING HERE BC I SAW RYAN INTERVIEW JEREMY THIS MORNING ABOUT JEREMY’S ARTICLE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PUBLISHED YESTERDAY - ABOUT PALESTINIAN factions discussing ways to to attain self-determination, given Israeli’s juggernaught of venal land grab in all of the OPT. How can I obtain that article? Thank you. My email is rhsilver@comcast.net (or regenesilver@gmail.com). Re: Starmer, why be surprised? Israel spends billions, along with its pals in other countries, to discredit any attempt proving that Israel is a rogue, terrorist state that seeks to rid greater Palestine of all Palestinians.
I don't agree with BB. But independent Journalism is more important then ever.
Starmer and crew’s repression of journalism is concerning, but that’s no excuse for Ryan to go on Bannon’s show to discuss this. Bannon and his ilk would see all of us who want a better future banned (or worse). We don’t need to collaborate with fascists. Please stick to the amazing journalism you do without making these kind of alliances.