Tag Archives: political

Rachel Riley’s libel case: something doesn’t add up

On This Date 2020: Is EHRC too busy scrabbling for anti-Semitism in Labour to bother with obvious Tory Islamophobia?

Islamophobia: the creator of this image thought it was bad enough in the Tories under Theresa May. Now, with racist Boris Johnson in charge, who knows how far the rot has gone?

How long has the Equalities and Human Rights Commission been looking for anti-Semitism in the Labour Party now? A year?

Either it is very well hidden – which would be odd, considering the number of (admittedly mostly false) claims made against the party – or the EHRC is determined not to stop until it has managed to concoct a convincing case.

It doesn’t fill one with confidence in that organisation.

And now we see that the EHRC is trying to squirm out of handling 300 documented cases of Islamophobia – in the Conservative Party.

Does anybody else smell a rat?

According to the Mirror, the dossier handed to the EHRC – by the Muslim Council of Britain – contains information about 16 Conservative MPs, one MEP, nine election candidates and 183 party members.

That’s 209 people, so presumably some are multiple offenders. I wonder if Boris Johnson is listed among them?

The allegations include:

A former councillor calling for “unconditional surrender” by Muslims, who they label “brutes who beat, kill and maim young women”;
A local party association chair who called for Muslims to be banned;
A member who called for Muslims to be thrown from bridges;
Another member who called for the forcible sterilisation of Muslims.

The MCB also condemns the Conservative Party’s failure to suspend MP Daniel Kawczynski after he spoke at an event alongside far-right leaders, and for failing to take action on MP Karl McCartney, who shared Islamophobic and anti-Semitic social media content by Tommy Robinson and Katie Hopkins.

Secretary General Harun Khan said the EHRC had failed to give any response to the MCB’s first formal complaint in May 2019, and says it was ‘extraordinary’ that the watchdog had taken no action in the 10 months since.

“There is no doubt that the Conservative party has an Islamophobia crisis: it is institutional, systemic and widespread” he said,

“The party’s response has been one of denial, dismissal and deceit – this results in clear discrimination against Muslims because of their religion”

The EHRC says it is waiting for information about a promised internal inquiry by the Conservative Party, which it is claiming will be “independent” even though it is to be carried out within the party structure.

This Writer can only wish them good luck with that. We’re all also awaiting publication of the report on Russian influence on the Conservative government, and on Boris Johnson’s relationship with Jennifer Arcuri.

Wise heads think it won’t just be a cold day in Hell, but their subjects may actually have taken up residence there before these reports are published.

Former Tory-supporting columnist Peter Oborne thinks – well, see for yourself:

300 allegations of Tory Islamophobia in devastating report. No coverage in FT or Daily Telegraph. Seven paras on p.16 of Times. Nothing in the Daily Mail, Express, or the Sun. My new column for MEE:

British Tories are morphing into a party of bigots https://t.co/t3i0mT8gYJ

— Peter Oborne (@OborneTweets) March 6, 2020

In his article, he wrote:

The problem stretches from the lowest ranks of the Tory party to the very top. There is a massive problem with Islamophobic bigotry among Tory grassroots, where the MCB has provided a list of more than 100 cases.

Party members, councillors and officials have repeatedly made disgusting statements about Muslims, calling for them to leave the country, making provocative insults about the Prophet Muhammad and peddling malicious lies.

This should not come as any surprise to anyone, since poll results published by the anti-racist organisation Hope Not Hate last year showed that more than half of Conservative members thought Islam was “generally a threat to the British way of life”.

I’ve written before about Bob Blackman, the Conservative MP for Harrow East, who shared an anti-Muslim post by Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the English Defence League; hosted the anti-Muslim Tapan Ghosh, the right-wing Hindu nationalist; and shared far-right and Islamophobic content on Facebook.

Anti-Muslim bigotry is not a barrier to promotion. Nadine Dorries, who also shared a tweet by Robinson, is now a health minister. This is no surprise, given that Johnson himself has a long record of making anti-Muslim remarks.

Tellingly, Johnson is surrounded by Islamophobes. Dominic Cummings, his most senior advisor, reportedly had overall responsibility for The Spectator website in 2006, according to Stuart Reid, the magazine’s acting editor at the time, when a controversial cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban was posted on the site.

One of Johnson’s up-and-coming advisors is Chloe Westley. She praised Anne Marie Waters, leader of the anti-Islam party For Britain, as a “hero”, even though Waters has called Islam “evil” and also has links to Robinson.

But he made a very important point: the UK’s mass media are ignoring this story:

I could find nothing at all about the MCB report in the Financial Times or Daily Telegraph. There were seven paragraphs on page 16 of the Times and 11 paragraphs on page 7 of the Guardian. Nothing in the Daily Mail, the Daily Express, or the Sun.

Most British newspapers are as Islamophobic as the Conservative Party itself, and in some cases, more so. This means they are effectively giving Johnson and his senior advisers and ministers a free pass to reshape the Tory party as a far-right, populist organisation of the type we already know too well on continental Europe.

It shows how the media have been manipulating your opinions and – by proxy – the actions of organisations like the EHRC.

The papers kicked up a huge fuss about the imaginary crisis of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party (where I doubt if even 200 genuine cases have been found among a membership of more than half a million in the past four years).

But their silence over 300 evidenced cases of Islamophobia in the Conservative Party, which is much smaller than Labour, means few people know about it and any outcry is therefore minimised.

So the EHRC can say there’s no real demand for it to investigate, despite the fact that, in real terms, it is a bigger issue.

Source: EHRC Condemned For ‘Failure’ To Act On Tory Islamophobia

Riley libel case: no news means bad news. What’s she up to?

It is now two weeks since my last update and I have heard nothing from Rachel Riley or her legal team.

You may recall that I have demonstrated to her that I have no assets and am therefore in no position to pay her any of the generous £150,000 the High Court awarded her in damages and costs. I offered her a deal, or suggested that she should take proceedings to bankrupt me, with all the adverse publicity that would attract.

She has not responded. It is possible that she is ignoring the point, particularly if she thinks there is nothing to be gained from bankrupting me. It is also possible that her legals are plowing through my other articles (all 16,000+ of them) to try to find a repetition of the defamatory allegations against her, on which they can threaten me with contempt of court proceedings. This would be frustrating, as I have previously asked them to identify any articles that cause them concern.

You will recall that I was led to believe Ms Riley’s solicitor, Mark Lewis, had demanded half of the CrowdJustice fund, after claiming that neither he nor she would see any money from the case. I suggested that Mr Lewis might like to go on the record retracting that demand – or denying that he made it; either would suit me. I have heard nothing from him.

Meanwhile, my own hard-working representatives still have yet to be paid for their work. I’m aware that some of you may be unsympathetic to this after the court loss, but I also hear that there remains considerable support for me – so I’m repeating my appeal. Please:

Make a donation via the CrowdJustice page. Keep donating regularly until you see the total pass the amount I need.

Email your friends, asking them to pledge to the CrowdJustice site.

Post a link to Facebook, asking readers to pledge.

On Twitter, tweet in support, quoting the address of the appeal.

I had hoped that this matter would be over by now but it seems Ms Riley is determined to extract something from me, despite there being nothing to gain, and despite the fact that she has known this for a considerable number of years.

Perhaps the intention is just to leave this hanging over me, so that if I ever manage to save an appreciable amount of money, she will be able to swoop in and reduce me to poverty again.

I’ll leave you to judge for yourself what kind of person would behave in such a manner.

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Riley libel case: communication breakdown?

The Royal Courts of Justice in London, where the law is known to be harsh on defendants in libel cases.

By now, you’ll probably be aware that I was not granted permission to appeal against the judgment in Rachel Riley’s libel action against me and therefore lost the case.

It was a bitter disappointment, which I thought emphasised the harshness of UK libel judges against those of us who have to defend ourselves against allegations against us.

You’ll be aware that I am forbidden from commenting on the case by injunction – but I’m sure those of you who are familiar with the circumstances will have formed your own opinion about what happened, and therefore about the judgment.

Now I have to come to terms with that judgment. You’ll be aware that a High Court judge said I should pay £50,000 in damages to Ms Riley and £100,000 towards her court costs. I don’t have that kind of money.

And you might have been led to believe that Ms Riley is not seeking it, after comments by her legal representative Mark Lewis in the Jewish Chronicle. “Neither Rachel’s barrister nor Patron Law (Mr Lewis’ firm) will see a penny,” he said.

But as I understand it, he then went on to demand half of the CrowdJustice fund – which is impossible to supply because it has been spent on my defence and in any case may not be used for that purpose. Perhaps Mr Lewis would like to go on the record retracting that demand – or denying that he made it; either would suit me.

My own representatives have submitted proposals for a deal. The alternative for Ms Riley is to spend more of her money on proceedings to bankrupt me – plus the adverse publicity she’ll get from bankrupting a carer and defender of vulnerable people including those with long-term illnesses and disabilities.

I passed the relevant information to my representatives a week ago and have not heard a word from Ms Riley’s people since then.

Perhaps there has been a communications breakdown. If so, it is for the lawyers to sort out; I’ve done my bit.

Sadly, my own representatives have yet to be paid for their work on the ‘permission to appeal’ hearing. I’m aware that some of you may be unsympathetic to this after the court loss, but I also hear that there remains considerable support for me – so I’m keeping the CrowdJustice page for the time being and repeating my appeal. Please:

Make a donation via the CrowdJustice page. Keep donating regularly until you see the total pass the amount I need.

Email your friends, asking them to pledge to the CrowdJustice site.

Post a link to Facebook, asking readers to pledge.

On Twitter, tweet in support, quoting the address of the appeal.

Use other social media in the same way.

And don’t forget that if you’re having trouble, or simply don’t like donating via CrowdJustice, you can always donate direct to me via the Vox Political PayPal button, where it appears on that website. But please remember to include a message telling me it’s for the crowdfund!

One good aspect of this is that I may have protected many other people who were threatened with libel proceedings by Ms Riley at the same time I was. The deadline for her to take action against them has passed so she cannot attack these people, who I believe were as sincere in their opinions as I was.

So, even in defeat, there are upsides to this affair.

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Zara Aleena probation failings not political says Tory boy Bowie – but they are

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak was under pressure over the murder of Zara Aleena in Ilford – so one of his mouthpieces rushed in to claim there was no political element to the case.

Ms Aleena was murdered by Jordan McSweeney, who had been wrongly assessed as a “medium risk” offender, when in fact the violent, woman-hating racist should have been classed “high risk” and recalled to prison after missing probation appointments.

A Ministry of Justice review has found that probation officers were under mounting pressure at the time of McSweeney’s assessment, with staffing shortages and an increasingly-heavy workload.

These are both symptoms of government funding cuts – and, indeed, during PMQs, Keir Starmer raised a “botched, then reversed” attempt to privatise the service, and a decade of underinvestment.

And Ms Aleena’s family’s spokeswoman, her aunt Faraz Naz, made it perfectly clear that “Government bears responsibility too, it is not just the probation service. They have blood on their hands.”

But Tory MP Andrew Bowie, discussing the case on the BBC’s Politics Live, falsely claimed this had not been said – after trying to say that the failings of the Probation Service were not political:

Of course they were.

They were the result of political decisions to starve the service of staff and resources.

A Conservative MP was responsible. But once again, it seems, we are not likely to see anybody take responsibility.

Have YOU donated to my crowdfunding appeal, raising funds to fight false libel claims by TV celebrities who should know better? These court cases cost a lot of money so every penny will help ensure that wealth doesn’t beat justice.

https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/mike-sivier-libel-fight/

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Ambitious strategy could win for Mike in Rachel Riley libel appeal

My legal team has agreed to a strategy I put forward for the special hearing on permission to appeal against the Rachel Riley libel judgment against me.

It’s ambitious – by which I mean there may be a risk of time-wasting attempts by the other side – but I thought it was worthwhile and I’m glad my representatives agreed.

I can’t tell you what it is. I see no reason in giving my opponents any extra time to work it out and try to find a defence (yes, they would be on the defensive) against it.

But I think it strengthens my case enormously.

We’ll find out in a week’s time when the hearing takes place. Be excited!

If you can also be generous, I and my team would be extremely grateful. We need funds to pay for all this work, so please:

Make a donation via the CrowdJustice page. Keep donating regularly until you see the total pass the amount I need.

Email your friends, asking them to pledge to the CrowdJustice site.

Post a link to Facebook, asking readers to pledge.

On Twitter, tweet in support, quoting the address of the appeal.

Use other social media in the same way.

The hearing will be on January 31, remember, and it will be broadcast from the judiciary website – https://www.judiciary.uk/you-and-the-judiciary/going-to-court/court-of-appeal-home/the-court-of-appeal-civil-division-live-streaming-of-court-hearings/ – and available on YouTube.

I hope you’ll be able to watch it – and that we’ll all like the outcome.

Have YOU donated to my crowdfunding appeal, raising funds to fight false libel claims by TV celebrities who should know better? These court cases cost a lot of money so every penny will help ensure that wealth doesn’t beat justice.

https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/mike-sivier-libel-fight/

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Riley libel appeal: her statement to the court – and what I think of it

Rachel Riley has submitted her brief statement to the Court of Appeal on whether I should have permission to appeal against the judgment in her libel case against me.

You won’t be surprised to learn that, in my opinion, it is utterly ridiculous.

Part of it – possibly deliberately – misrepresents the way Twitter works, the way people are expected to use it, and how some people misuse it in contravention of Acts of Parliament regarding harassment.

And much of it attempts to dismiss my appeal as challenging factual findings that I don’t like – which is another misrepresentation.

It seems to be based on guidance to the court which states: “In the absence of some other identifiable error, such as (without attempting an exhaustive account) a material error of law, or the making of a critical finding of fact which has no basis in the evidence, or a demonstrable misunderstanding of relevant evidence, or a demonstrable failure to consider relevant evidence, an appellate court will interfere with the findings of fact made by a trial judge only if it is satisfied that his decision cannot reasonably be explained or justified.”

There’s just one problem with that: my appeal is about showing the presence of material errors of law, the making of critical findings of fact which have no basis in the evidence, demonstrable misunderstandings of relevant evidence, and/or demonstrable failures to consider relevant evidence.

It follows that, in the light of these errors, the judge’s decisions cannot reasonably be explained or justified.

There is certainly some arguing to be done on the day of the hearing (January 31, remember, and it will be broadcast from the judiciary website – https://www.judiciary.uk/you-and-the-judiciary/going-to-court/court-of-appeal-home/the-court-of-appeal-civil-division-live-streaming-of-court-hearings/ – and available on YouTube).

But I think I can win this. I certainly think I’ve got Ms Riley “bang to rights”, as the saying goes, on at least one aspect.

But I need to be able to pay my representative to make those arguments. As I mentioned in a previous update, my people are doing great work and I really want to be able to pay them for it. But I’m still (currently) thousands of pounds short of funding this hearing.

There are vital points of justice here, involving the protection of vulnerable youngsters online – and that’s quite a topical issue at the moment.

So please, if you can, do one or more of the following:

Make a donation via the CrowdJustice page. Keep donating regularly until you see the total pass the amount I need.

Email your friends, asking them to pledge to the CrowdJustice site.

Post a link to Facebook, asking readers to pledge.

On Twitter, tweet in support, quoting the address of the appeal.

Use other social media in the same way.

I’ve got a good feeling about this. It is definitely winnable.

Let’s make that happen.

Have YOU donated to my crowdfunding appeal, raising funds to fight false libel claims by TV celebrities who should know better? These court cases cost a lot of money so every penny will help ensure that wealth doesn’t beat justice.

https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/mike-sivier-libel-fight/

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Mike submits extra information in appeal against Rachel Riley. Is it enough?

We had to extend the deadline for this but we got there in the end.

As part of its order for a special hearing on whether I should have permission to appeal against the judgment on Rachel Riley’s libel case, the Court of Appeal called for me to supplement my written submissions with further documentary evidence.

That material was presented to the court yesterday (January 17) – and I’m very excited about it.

I reckon I’m putting forward a strong case that the judgment against me was unsafe, because it ignored so many aspects of the evidence and the judge came up with ideas of her own, rather than making decisions on what was put before her.

Ms Riley’s legal team have until 4pm tomorrow to provide additional information of their own. I’m fascinated to see what they’re going to produce. It will need to be better than “the judgment went against Mike so that’s all” – because my entire argument is that the judgment was faulty.

Sadly, none of this will mean much if I can’t pay my own lawyers. It is a strong argument but I’m still (currently) thousands of pounds short of funding this hearing. My people are doing great work and I really want to be able to pay them for it!

I know times are hard but there are vital points of justice here, involving the protection of vulnerable youngsters online – and that’s quite a topical issue at the moment.

So please, if you can, do one or more of the following:

Make a donation via the CrowdJustice page. Keep donating regularly until you see the total pass the amount I need.

Email your friends, asking them to pledge to the CrowdJustice site.

Post a link to Facebook, asking readers to pledge.

On Twitter, tweet in support, quoting the address of the appeal.

Use other social media in the same way.

The special hearing is on January 31 and will be broadcast via the Judiciary website: https://www.judiciary.uk/you-and-the-judiciary/going-to-court/court-of-appeal-home/the-court-of-appeal-civil-division-live-streaming-of-court-hearings/. It will subsequently be available there and on YouTube.

I’ll update you on the response from Ms Riley after I’ve had a chance to look at it.

Have YOU donated to my crowdfunding appeal, raising funds to fight false libel claims by TV celebrities who should know better? These court cases cost a lot of money so every penny will help ensure that wealth doesn’t beat justice.

https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/mike-sivier-libel-fight/

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Rishi Sunak’s party political broadcast is everything it deserves to be [Something For The Weekend]

Rishi Sunak, as he appeared in his party political broadcast? Oh all right – it’s Quark from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. But I reckon there’s a good nickname in there…

I’ve been trying to avoid this.

But it seems Rishi Sunak’s first party political broadcast has caused a bit of a stir.

Personally, I thought having the slogan “Our priorities are your priorities” was a bit of a stretch; Tory priorities are to push down our wages so we can’t afford to eat, and to destroy the National Health Service so we can’t afford to get back to health after collapsing of malnutrition (see another story on This Site today).

Then I saw this…

Look, I know it is not cool to attack politicians for the way they look, but am I the only one who looks at the Sunak video and (as well as wondering whether the lighting crew had it in for him) thinks: pic.twitter.com/Wrl8SDgFXV

— CrémantCommunarde🧡🌤 (@0Calamity) January 12, 2023

… and thought I should take a look.

Clare’s tweet, below, sets the scene with another swipe at the way the broadcast made him look. You can view the clip itself as well:

Rishi !
Dear heart.
Are you auditioning for "Spitting Image" ?
Have you had "insider information" about a new series ?
I think we should be told …
So come on, spill the beans ! https://t.co/OIxNW7NTZY

— Clare Hepworth OBE (@Hepworthclare) January 12, 2023

Okay, we can talk about the lighting, and the lisp, but there are a few more important points to make.

Here’s Peter Stefanovic to make them:

Jeez! I’ve just seen Rishi Sunak’s first Party Political Broadcast.

I’ve fixed it for him pic.twitter.com/GagqO0Ue9D

— Peter Stefanovic (@PeterStefanovi2) January 12, 2023

To all of that, I’d like to add this:

Tories add the public money wasted on crony contracts for unusable PPE to their 'record NHS funding'. As you know, that money isn't around for the NHS, because it is lying in private offshore accounts. Yet the Tories have the brass neck to claim 'good stewardship' of public funds

— Revolution Breeze (@SueJonesSays) January 12, 2023

So not only did Sunak look and sound ridiculous, he was also talking nonsense.

Have YOU donated to my crowdfunding appeal, raising funds to fight false libel claims by TV celebrities who should know better? These court cases cost a lot of money so every penny will help ensure that wealth doesn’t beat justice.

https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/mike-sivier-libel-fight/

Vox Political needs your help!
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The Livingstone Presumption is now available
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Rachel Riley libel appeal to be live-streamed online – here are the details

The Court of Appeal is to live-stream video of the special hearing on whether I should have permission to appeal against the judgment in Rachel Riley’s libel case against me.

The hearing will take place on January 31 at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. I won’t know when or in which court until the day before it happens.

The decision to live-stream the appeal is a courageous one for the court, because it means the proceedings will be available for everyone with an interest in the case to view – both live and afterwards.

That means if the court makes a decision that people think is at odds with the evidence, not only will many people kick up a fuss, but their reasons for doing so will be available for everybody to see.

Sadly that is not an advantage for either side; public opinion could run against me as easily as it could against Ms Riley.

I applaud the decision because it means everybody who has been funding my defence will be able to see what their cash has been buying.

When my appeal against the strike-out of my defences was live-streamed in 2021, the live-stream was seen by more than 3,000 people – an enormous figure when compared with the 100 or so who watched the proceedings immediately before and after.

I hope more people will watch the events of the crucial hearing on January 31.

You can do this by accessing the judiciary’s website here: https://www.judiciary.uk/you-and-the-judiciary/going-to-court/court-of-appeal-home/the-court-of-appeal-civil-division-live-streaming-of-court-hearings/.

I still need funds to pay for the hearing. To support this vital bid for justice, please do one or more of the following:

Make a donation via the CrowdJustice page. Keep donating regularly until you see the total pass the amount I need.

Email your friends, asking them to pledge to the CrowdJustice site.

Post a link to Facebook, asking readers to pledge.

On Twitter, tweet in support, quoting the address of the appeal.

Use other social media in the same way.

I would certainly urge everybody reading this to watch the live-stream – or view the video as soon as you can afterwards.

The hearing will only last an hour and a half, and many of the discussion may be technical – but you should be able to understand my arguments and why I think it is important to make them.

Have YOU donated to my crowdfunding appeal, raising funds to fight false libel claims by TV celebrities who should know better? These court cases cost a lot of money so every penny will help ensure that wealth doesn’t beat justice.

https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/mike-sivier-libel-fight/

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