38 Degrees Petition Against Sunak’s Rushed Sale of Land Meant for HS2

‘Rishi Sunak is already trying to sell off the land meant for high-speed trains in the North.

t’s a rushed move that means mayors won’t be able to use the land for other transport options and future governments won’t be able to easily revive the plans. [1]

The Birmingham and Manchester land is safeguarded for the next few weeks, which means we’ve got time to stop it being auctioned off for a quick bit of cash. [2] That means we at least have a fighting chance to get proper working trains and transport.Rishi Sunak is dealing with public and industry backlash for abandoning the North. [3] Revoking the sale of the land so it could be used for transport in other ways could be an easy way to win back public opinion – that’s why Joshua from Manchester launched a petition on the 38 Degrees website to get the Prime Minister to change his mind.David, will you sign the petition to stop the sale? We’ll only win this with huge numbers – so after you sign, will you share it with 5 people?

ADD MY NAME

I’M NOT SIGNING BECAUSE…

It’s bad enough that Rishi Sunak announced that HS2 was cancelled while in Manchester which he drove to from London – an option lots of us don’t have. [4] Now he’s promising transport links in the North but won’t actually pledge that they’ll happen. [5] Why is he so eager to sell off the land instead of waiting to see what transport links mayors want to put in place?

Even if HS2 doesn’t go ahead, all options should be explored before the land is sold. But we’ll only make the Prime Minister listen if enough of us make some noise.

So, will you sign and share the petition, David?It takes 30 seconds

ADD MY NAME

I’M NOT SIGNING BECAUSE…

Thanks for being involved

Grace, Megan, Robin, Anna and the 38 Degrees team

NOTES:
[1] The Guardian: Sunak’s ‘spiteful’ sale of land intended for HS2 dashes hopes of revival
[2] The Independent: Rishi Sunak admits list of HS2 replacement projects just ‘illustrative’ and not pledges
[3] BBC News: Scrapped HS2 line: ‘Crewe has been forgotten’
The Guardian: Industry backlash at Sunak’s ‘damaging’ U-turn on northern leg of HS2
[4] Manchester Evening News: LIVE: HS2 Manchester link cancelled by Rishi Sunak – updates and reaction
The Independent: Sunak says he will ‘probably be driving’ to Manchester for Tory party conference
[5] See note 2′

Simon Danczuk on the ‘Frontline Reforms’ Needed to Protect Vulnerable Girls from the Grooming Gangs

I’ve been writing letters to various newspapers and politicos calling for a multicultural demonstration against the Asian grooming gangs. This is not just to support the victims, who have suffered decades of abuse by evil men, but also to show solidarity between all the people of different colours and ethnicities of our great nation. Whites have marched with Blacks and Asians to show their support for their struggle against hate and discrimination. I’ve no doubt many people of colour would respond to support White victims of such terrible abuse.

And we need such a march, led by the left, because the right and the hard right are using it to discredit Labour. In the case of Tommy Robinson, it’s being used to preach an islamophobic message. He and his supporters see it as characteristic of the true nature of Islam, and I’ve noticed a lot of comparisons being drawn on the internet between it and ISIS’ sex slavery. In fact, a glance through an proper, scholarly book on Muslim slavery, such as Jonathan A.C. Brown’s Slavery & Islam (London: OneWorld Academic 2019) shows very clearly that the grooming gangs have nothing to do with Islamic slavery. Brown’s book shows very clearly that slaves, even sex slaves, had certain rights, although monsters like ISIS are very determined not to tell their followers the legal rulings that provide these. He also describes the process of abolition throughout the Islamic world to the point where the majority of the world’s Muslims were as shocked by ISIS’ enslavement of Kurdish and Yezidi women and girls as everyone else. The gangs were also off their faces on drugs and alcohol, which are definitely haram to Muslims. The gangs who committed these vile crimes didn’t commit them because they were Muslims, but because they were simply evil men and found a way to prey on the vulnerable.

The Tories are also using it to discredit the left, because the gangs largely operated in Labour-run towns. Mark Pattie, one of the many great commenters on this blog, has corrected me about this, stating that the Labour MPs Simon Danczuk and Sarah Campion were active trying to bring the gangs to justice. Indeed, I’ve found a report by Chris Jones from the Manchester Evening News of 20th December 2013 of Danczuk’s views on the Rochdale grooming gang. This reports that

‘Simon Danczuk said there was now enough evidence to know why grooming gangs were able to target and exploit vulnerable youngsters under the noses of those agencies employed to protect them.

Rochdale’s MP has called ‘frontline changes’ to stop more youngsters falling into the hands of sexual predators.

Simon Danczuk said there was now enough evidence to know why grooming gangs were able to target and exploit vulnerable youngsters under the noses of those agencies employed to protect them.

He said the lessons of those reports, including today’s damning serious case review, needed to be put into place to stop the abuse taking place.

He said: “There has been enough reports for us to know that the Rochdale grooming scandal was allowed to go on too long because of a collective failure on the part of a number of agencies.

“It’s time now to see the frontline changes that are desperately needed.

“Young people continually tell me they do not trust the police and we need to see strong leadership to start rebuilding this trust.

“This report shows that policies, culture and attitudes within many agencies were actively unhelpful when dealing with victims of child abuse and that’s why we have to see a very different approach.”

Mr Danczuk, who called for a serious case review in the wake of last year’s trial and jailing of nine men for grooming five victims, said the report revealed that agencies had failed to recognise the scale of sexual exploitation and instead were too busy chasing targets.’

For more information see https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/rochdale-grooming-scandal-mp-says-6434337

Danczuk also contradicted the police, who denied that race was a part of it by stating that it certainly was.

See the BBC News report for 12 May 2012 ‘Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk says race part of grooming case’ at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-18005765.

We need to come together to show very clearly that every form of racism is unacceptable, no matter who it is directed against. And the left in particular needs to show this, as the Tories are pursuing a ‘divide and rule’ strategy against the White working class and people of colour.