Richard Brooks

David Reich on how much ancient DNA evidence has overturned so much consensus thinking how ancient cultures spread. "It wasn't peaceful, it wasn't friendly, it wasn't nice. Some of our archaeologist co-authors were just really distressed."

This is a poll on Cambridge student voter intention, ran by the head of the Cam Uni Labour Club. I cannot overstate how much this worries me. Cambridge students are painfully out of touch with national feeling. Green is leading by a total landslide: the party that has single-handedly the worst policies on trans and immigration imaginable. When I was cancelled (for owning 3 gender-critical books!), I was astounded at the number of people who said things along the lines of: “Why are you choosing to die on this hill when the majority of people disagree with you!?” and, even more annoyingly, “Look at all the intelligent people around you who disagree! “. It is very rare for an academic here to speak their mind of this subject, so many students automatically assume their beliefs. This isn’t helped by the pride progress flag adorned on every hall. Or the ‘gender expression’ funds, offered by many a JCR, providing money for Stand to Pee devices, breast forms and binders. It is propaganda. They have no idea that the vast majority of the British public do indeed know what a woman is. But I don’t blame them! School taught my cohort gender ideology as fact- a few boys in my class were chastised for saying they didn’t buy it. And public institutions keep up the falsehood - have you been to an NHS waiting room in the last ten years? It is no wonder. But a huge worry. Very soon these students will graduate. they will take up positions in law, in science; as teachers, politicians etc. Some will change their minds on things, i’m sure. But it is naive to assume this is the typical leftist fad young people go through, and even more naive to think we won’t feel the lash.

US has reinstated full sanctions on Russia after temporary lifting was not extended.

For the first time in a decade, it is possible to believe that Britain too might one day reverse its far right populist revolution and rejoin Europe

If NATO falls apart (unlikely), its successor might be BSTO (Baltic Sea Treaty Organization). Just like NATO is organized around the Atlantic, BSTO would be organized around the Baltic Sea: Poland, Baltics, Nordics, UK, Netherlands, Germany. Only goal: to defend against Russia.

The main mediator, Pakistan, thought it did. The other two, Egypt and Turkey, also thought it did. Iran thought it did. Somehow, they all got completely the wrong impression. This shows just how difficult it will be to get anything across the line. The US will try to ring-fence Israel from having to take the strategic hit from this, but can they? Iran will attempt, from here, to isolate Israel themselves, lumping all the blame for the failure of the ceasefire on Tel-Aviv. They will hope that the global court of diplomatic opinion takes their side as the oil continues not to flow so that Israel is able to continue clobbering Lebanon (I make no judgement on whether Israel is justified in doing so: I simply say that this is what's going to happen.)