Links 47: Nancy Faeser hating free speech edition

things I found interesting

Nancy Faeser hates freedom of speech

Nancy Faeser is a German politician (and Minister of the Interior until 6 May 2025), who hates freedom of speech. How do we know this? Because someone posted this picture of her:

The sign originally said "we remember" but was doctored to say "I hate freedom of speech". So of course she reported him to the police and he got a suspended sentence of 7 months.

When a politician responds to criticism by persecuting the critics, they clearly do hate freedom of speech.

Unfortunately Faeser is living during the wrong time: she would have loved being head of the Gestapo or Stasi but, sadly for her, those institutions no longer exist.

The plot against Corbyn

The book Get In: The Inside Story of Labour under Starmer details the plot to remove Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader:

Jeremy Corbyn was destroyed by a "conspiracy [...] a plot without precedent in Labour history".

The astonishing story [...] revolves almost entirely around one man, Morgan McSweeney, the founder of Labour Together, the organisation that propelled Starmer to power, and now his Chief of Staff.

Labour Together [...] was a ruthless, factional grouping which aimed, “to use any means necessary to delegitimise and destroy” Jeremy Corbyn.

The key weapon they alighted on was allegations of antisemitism.

I disagree with Corbyn on policy, but think he's basically a decent person.

Starmer is different: he's a snake. He reminds me of Stalin.

Penguins in space!

The Democratic Penguins Republic now has a space program:

And they're colonising Mars.

Keeping out undesirables causes nimbyism

Deep left Analysis points out that high house prices are caused by a desire to keep out criminals and other undesirables:

There is a housing shortage in desirable areas. But that’s a “desirable area” shortage (not a housing shortage).

The problem isn’t that we don’t build enough houses; the problem is that behavioral segregation is only possible through pricing. The only way we can manifest “desirable areas” is by pricing criminals out of the market, i.e., zoning.

If you lower housing prices, the result is an influx of undesirable behavior.

I agree that this is a large part of the cause for nimbyism (in the USA, at least -- it's less true in the UK).

DLA also suggests ways to get high-IQ people to reproduce more:

Increase the standards for college admissions with more G-loaded testing.

Provide 100% student loan forgiveness for any woman who gives birth during college.

Provide pregnant students with a 3 year “maternal leave.” This would allow mothers to reduce or suspend their course load for three years without losing their admission status, while continuing to receive free housing and an augmented “family” meal plan.

Provide loan forgiveness for births after college. For example, 1 year after college, 90% loan forgiveness; 9 years after college, 10% loan forgiveness. This would stack with each new child, so that two children within 10 years of college completion would cover 100% of loans.

I would also point out that far too many dumb people go to university these days, which has forced them to cut standards.

Is the Starmers' marriage in trouble?

Dan Wootton thinks the Starmers' marriage is in trouble:

Praise for Israel's slimming campaign

UK Laywers for Israeli Genocide has praised the blockade of Gaza, saying it will help reduce obesity:

A UK-based advocacy group for Israel has been criticised for suggesting a reduction in obesity resulting from the war in Gaza may increase life expectancy there.

The comments by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), which came amid warnings of impending famine in Gaza, were condemned as “sickening” by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC).

UKLFI’s patrons include the former supreme court judge John Dyson, the former Conservative leader Michael Howard and David Pannick KC, who has represented Boris Johnson and the late queen.

The remarks were made by Jonathan Turner, the chief executive of UKLFI, in response to a motion due to be debated at the Co-operative Group’s annual general meeting calling for the retailer to stop selling Israeli produce.

It's pretty obvious which country Dyson, Howard, Pannick and Turner are loyal to, and it isn't Britain. They should all be stripped of their UK citizenship and kicked out of the country.

Popular policies politicians prefer postponing

James Breckwoldt has done research on policies that are popular with many voters, but which politicians aren't talking about much.

This is a write up of one of my academic articles about what issues are out there in public opinion that voters want and care about, but which political elites are not supplying.

In terms of specific policies, he came up with this list:

• Convicted paedophiles should be given the death penalty.

• The UK should have no immigration whatsoever for the next 5 years.

• The percentage of seats a party wins in a general election should be the same as the percentage of votes they get nationwide.

• Cannabis should be legal to use, buy and sell.

• The UK should re-join the European Union.

• It should be illegal for landlords to raise rents by more than the rate of inflation.

• People should have to get a licence in order to own certain breeds of dog.

• Every British citizen should receive £500 per month from the government with no strings attached.

• It should be a crime for MPs to knowingly mislead Parliament.

• Assisted dying should be legal for people with a terminal illness

America less popular than China

Politico notes that US popularity has dropped after Trump’s return. In many countries America is less popular that China:

Plaid and Reform ahead in Senedd poll

There's an election to Wales's devolved assembly, the Senedd, on 7 May 2026. A recent poll puts Plaid first and Reform second:

This would be an upset because Labour has won every Senedd election so far. Just as Labour used to be strong in Scotland, they are strong in Wales. TLDR News has the details:

My take is that this is being caused by the general feeling that Britain is broken. Voters on the right see Reform as the solution, voters on the left see Plaid as the solution. But many people, all across the UK, see both Conservatives and Labour as the problem, not the solution.

Left Moldbuggism

NonZionism describes Left Moldbuggism:

Left Moldbuggism is a term I invented to describe a political ideology that is in the process of being constructed. Left Moldbuggism is the first ideological system that vindicates the present state of affairs while conforming to a minimum standard of rationality

Left Moldbuggism can be described simply as accepting the basic model of modern ‘democratic’ society outlined in Unqualified Reservations, but concluding that it nevertheless represents the best possible option among viable alternatives and we should work within the system to improve it.

Car seats as contraception

Dr. Insensitive Jerk writes:

Mandatory car safety seats prevented 140 births for every life they saved.

Safetyism sucks the life from our culture, figuratively and literally.

Mine use in Ukraine

Ryan McBeth has an informative video up on drone use in Ukraine:

Chinese kill switches in US solar plants

The Times reports that Chinese ‘kill switches’ found hidden in US solar farms:

Chinese “kill switches” that could allow Beijing to cripple power grids and trigger blackouts across the West have been found in equipment at US solar farms. The rogue devices, including cellular radios, were discovered in Chinese-made power inverters that are used to connect solar panels and wind turbines to electricity grids across the world, including the UK.

This emphasises a point I have made time and again: the UK and Europe need to become self-reliant for all their electronics, computing and communications infrastructure.