Ben Williams

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Ben Williams

Ben Williams

@FaringForwards

Wherein cunning but in craft? Wherein crafty but in villainy? Wherein villainous but in all things? Wherein worthy but in nothing?

เข้าร่วม Temmuz 2017
1.8K กำลังติดตาม1.3K ผู้ติดตาม
Ben Williams
Ben Williams@FaringForwards·
@nfergus @shashj “If the British Army invaded Europe, I should have it arrested by the police.” (Attrib Bismark, but when it comes to Otto one usually finds most things are apocryphal!)
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Niall Ferguson
Niall Ferguson@nfergus·
This excellent discussion had the power to shock even me — and I have been lamenting the disarmament of Britain for years. ⁦⁦@shashj⁩ on good form. Money quote: “the British Army could just about take control of a market town on a good day.” bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0…
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Ben Williams
Ben Williams@FaringForwards·
Jonathan Sumption in The Times. When a friend sent the screenshot , I assumed it was a particularly good Craig Brown parody.
Ben Williams tweet media
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Fraser Nelson’s Swedish Wife
Sandbrook is a materialist historian while Holland emphasises the role of ideas and beliefs. This is why the show is fun. Tom talks at length about trends in religion and philosophy. Dominic brings him 'down to earth' and reminds us of the impact of the washing machine, etc.
A Field@ponyfaceddog

@BucketsOf_Rain Sandbrook's philosophy is "live in Chipping Norton and let live".

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Isabel Paterson
Isabel Paterson@IsabelPat1886·
@FaringForwards @alexmassie Always said this. "OK, through gritted teeth, we'll reluctantly do this stuff you all say you want. And there will be a reckoning, and you'll all pay". Instead "Yay! The tap's open!" It will take decades, or a full-blown crisis, to put the evil genie back in the bottle.
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Ben Williams
Ben Williams@FaringForwards·
@Alonso_GD I do believe that. And if it’s impossible, then one form of abortion up to birth has indeed been legalised. Own what you believe.
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Alonso Gurmendi
Alonso Gurmendi@Alonso_GD·
You can say “I think women who are denied an abortion and attempt one on their own as a desperate last resort should be charged with a crime and sent to jail”. You don’t need to lie and say “abortion up to birth had been legalised”. It hasn’t. Own what you believe.
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Ben Williams
Ben Williams@FaringForwards·
Strangely, I was only reflecting last night that if Charles III wanted to emulate Charles I, this would be the issue: a complete dislocate between SW1 values and everyone else's, on which the people would support the King. Fortunately for SW1, he's a bit of a wimp 😊
Dr. Calum Miller@DrCalumMiller

King Charles has the legitimate power to reject this abortion up to birth bill. If the Royal veto is ever valid (which it is), it is for the protection of innocent human life.

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Ben Williams
Ben Williams@FaringForwards·
I also think this is one of the few bad *policitical* calls made by Cummings. He seems to have thought that breaching the manifesto pledge not to raise tax would have been disastrous, a la Bush 41. But people would have understood this was a Black Swan event, like a war.
Ben Williams@FaringForwards

@alexmassie The big mistake Sunak made was not to couple furlough with “after the crisis is over, there will be a 3 p rise in income tax in each band into the cost is repaid.” Not only would that have made people less sanguine about lockdowns, it would have shown there is no money tree.

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Ben Williams
Ben Williams@FaringForwards·
@peter_sarris The narcissism is evident from the very first words. Does she really think anyone knows, still less cares, about her “rule” on Early Day Motions, such that we need a portentous explanation of why she’s disapplying it? It’s unwittingly hilarious.
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Ben Williams
Ben Williams@FaringForwards·
In the early years of the show, when he was writing for the Mail, DCS constantly referenced his fear of being cancelled. He made a joke of it, but it was obvious to me that it was a serious worry to him, and who can blame him? And now he suddenly finds himself earning 7 figures a year. That can’t have made the fear of cancellation any less.
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John Duffield
John Duffield@jfwduffield·
Also their intellectual backgrounds are important too. @holland_tom has written extensively on ancient & medieval history & religion. @dcsandbrook is a modern historian who takes secularism for granted & lacks intellectual curiosity in pre-modern ideas & religiosity.
West End Girl@BucketsOf_Rain

Holland and Sandbrook never cease to amaze you, really. Holland is meant to be the drippy liberal, and Sandbook the roast-beef conservative. But Holland is unquestionably, obviously correct. You don't need to be any sort of scholar to know this. Just be alive.

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Ben Williams
Ben Williams@FaringForwards·
@peter_sarris Applying Conquest’s 2nd law of politics, it’s pretty obvious that she’s an agent for the Vatican.
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Peter Sarris
Peter Sarris@peter_sarris·
Not bright enough to be a Fabian
Queen Bee@KingBobIIV

Fabian Labour MP, Stella Creasy was the predominant architect to push through legalising abortions, right until the moment of birth, for any reason. She was also the primary advocate for state sanctioned murder for elderly and disabled. Here are some quotes from Fabian founders: Sidney Webb wrote in 1907: “No consistent eugenist can be a ‘laisser-faire’ individualist… he must interfere, interfere, interfere!” And more bluntly, on reproduction: “The whole of the unskilled labourers… are now tending to multiply… and to transmit their incapacity to their children.” George Bernard Shaw, 1910: “We should find ourselves committed to kill a good many people who are not fit to live.” And on reproduction / social worth: “The right to live… is conditional.” Beatrice Webb wrote in her diary (early 1900s): “The multiplication of the feeble-minded, the diseased and the incapable is a terrible danger to the race.” And elsewhere: “No eugenicist can doubt that the… poor… are reproducing too fast.” H. G. Wells wrote in Anticipations (1901): “The swarms of black and brown… and dirty-white people… will have to go.” And more directly tied to class: “The irresponsible and unproductive elements of the population… will have to be eliminated.” Here she is with her baby. She thinks her baby matters more than your babies, because you're just poor working class scum that need eliminating.

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Ben Williams
Ben Williams@FaringForwards·
@residentadviser Sandbrook has always had a fear of being cancelled. Probably having, unlike Holland, actually having worked in academia.
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