For populists, vaccine scepticism is rooted in the belief that “the system” cannot be trusted. The same logic now drives climate change denial — they rely on the same basic message: “Elites are lying to you,” and “they want to control your life.” desmog.com/2025/04/28/gb-new…

They frame the world as a battle between “ordinary people” and “corrupt elites” — a group that now includes scientists, journalists, civil servants and academics. That worldview has deliberately eroded the very possibility of shared truth.

What began as fringe paranoia is now in the political mainstream — thanks to a fusion of populist politics, billionaire-backed news media and social media platforms designed to amplify outrage. For decades, right-wing populists and media have waged war on science and expertise.

Vaccines are among humanity’s greatest achievements. Since 1974, the WHO’s Expanded Programme on Immunization has saved the lives of over 100 MILLION children. Yet in both the UK and the US, a rising share of people now reject or distrust them. thelancet.com/journals/lance…

Behind it lies a powerful machine of disinformation, driven by a handful of divisive billionaires and populist politicians who profit from distrust — most visibly in the growing alliance between vaccine scepticism, climate denial, and the anti-migrant far-right.

When people at far-right rallies shout “Save our children,” they claim to be defending innocence from hidden dangers — migrants, “globalists,” vaccines. It’s a slogan that sounds moral but is political: it’s essentially a call to arms against nuance, expertise, and progress.

Rather than justify how their wealth was earned, these elites cultivate scepticism of their critics and of expertise itself. This deliberate erosion of trust shields their interests while undermining the science that saves lives and protects our planet. x.com/docrussjackson/status/…

They claim to want to help “save children” while spreading distrust of experts, reputable journalism, climate science, and vaccines — which have saved over 100 million children since 1974. By dividing the public, they protect their wealth and power.

🧵 Let's not mince words. A handful of selfish sociopathic billionaires and the populist politicians and media they fund have deliberately divided and radicalised millions of people across the world, solely to protect their wealth and power.

Given that there are so many stultifyingly ill-informed voters in the UK, here are a few verifiable facts that for some strange reason, populist politicians and UK news media rarely, if ever, mention: 1. Non-UK nationals (foreign citizens) make up 12-13% of the prison population and cautions/convictions in England and Wales (2024-2025 data), roughly matching their estimated share of the adult population (12%). This has stayed stable despite rising migration. 2. Migrants skew younger/more male (demographics that drive crime across groups). After controlling for age and sex, non-citizens are slightly underrepresented in prisons compared to British citizens. Conviction data is less granular but follows similar patterns. 3. The Great British public estimates that asylum seekers' share of total immigration is around 33%, when (based on 2025-2026 data) they account for around 10-11% of long-term immigration (88,000 asylum out of 813,000 total inflows in 2025). 4. Many Brits also believe immigration/net migration is still at record highs or rising. In reality, net migration fell sharply to 171,000 in 2025 (halved from prior years, and the lowest outside pandemic since 2012). 5. 32% think most immigration is illegal (higher among some groups like Reform UK and Restore Britain supporters). In reality, irregular/small boat arrivals account for just 2-3% or less of total immigration, and a majority of them are found ti be legitimate asylum seekers; the vast majority of total immigration is entirely legal (visas for work/study). 6. There is also a persistent widespread view that most asylum seekers are economic migrants with low grant rates. In reality, the overall success rate is around 60-66% for recent asylum seekers; many small boat claims succeed on protection grounds, though backlogs and appeals complicate it. So while public concern about immigration remains high, you do have to question why so many British people are still absolutely clueless about the reality after more than a decade of relentlessly discussing immigration. It's almost like we're being deliberately misled by privately educated multimillionaires who have selfish ulterior motives...

#TheTrumpVanceEffect: corrupt to the core

I asked Wilf just earlier this week if he calls out guests for lying on his show. Here’s one right here:

RT @HackneyAbbott: Some people heard Farage's call for pure rage and decided to burn people out of their homes. Now he wants to use the Sta…

If only he’d been chancellor at some point and had actually done so. If only…

Sadiq Khan declares war on anti-London 'haters' with launch of £7million global promotional campaign trib.al/p6z06AM

A Ghanaian woman raised in South Africa was left homeless after her Durban salon was looted in anti-migrant violence in May. She and her 14-year-old son now sleep on the street next to some 200 other migrants reut.rs/3Qfdprf

Britain’s return to the EU is only a matter of time ft.trib.al/Pj0T2N1 | opinion

"Get the kids off the street and into theatre clubs, drama clubs, sports clubs, youth clubs. Start funding them and then people won't be on their phones so much."

Keir Starmer and I disagree on many things, but good people across the political spectrum will welcome today’s verdicts, condemn these appalling attacks which seem to have been sponsored by Russia, and wish the PM and his family well. Whatever our political differences, no one should face intimidation, threats or attacks because they hold public office. Democracy is settled at the ballot box, not through fear or violence and definitely not through foreign interference from hostile countries.

Let's just reflect on this for a moment. For the past few months a group of people who style themselves "patriots" have been peddling propaganda on behalf of a foreign state after it sponsored a firebomb attack on our Prime Minister.