What happened on 20th June 2023 - with your comments in the Web

 On Tuesday, Jacob Rees-Mogg got under fire for backing anti-abortion misinformation. 

Abortion rights campaigners have criticised Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg for amplifying debunked anti-choice propaganda in Parliament that “could increase xenophobia” against Chinese people.

Rees-Mogg and his Conservative colleague Tim Loughton signed their names in support of a document from the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) called ‘Complicit: Is UK money contributing to coerced abortion in China?’ last month. The report was launched in Parliament and promoted on Rees-Mogg’s GB News show.

The report claims on its first page that “close to 500 million” forced abortions have been carried out in China under the country’s one-, two- and three-child policies since 1980, with the backing of UK funding through the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

"I genuinely don't see why the conservatives like this guy - he's the epitome of a Victorian era rulling class that doesn't want things to change, makes fun of the working class, yet the tory working class is like "inject this stuff directly into my veins"."

"The problem is he is smart. Dangerously smart, he just puts that intelligence to work in the most insidious of ways. He thinks he’s doing “God’s work” and that’s probably why he sleeps so well at night."

"Fascism, remember a certain party rise to power in the last century, fuelled by hatred and control?

And that wasn't just in one country, and there's a global murmur towards such vile ideologies in this. It's the epitome of selfishness, entitlement and callousness."

"Look at British culture. Toffs are usually depicted in fiction as benign overlords only interested in the plebs wellbeing and often use their position of privilege to save the day (old school chum, ancient law, 'pulling some strings' etc.)

People think they are all like that."

On Tuesday as well, Brits learned that Britain's FBI has a ‘toxic male culture’ where sexism and bad behaviour may be ‘brushed under the carpet’ and top officers escape sanction. 

The National Crime Agency (NCA) was likened to an ‘old boys’ network’ yesterday by some staff who said ‘casual sexism’ is tolerated and ‘predatory sexual behaviour’ is treated with leniency.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found senior NCA staff accused of misconduct are escaping suspension and being moved to different departments, in contrast to junior staff who don’t receive the same favourable treatment.

Inspectors now want the Home Office to change the law so that NCA staff dismissed for misconduct can also be banned from working elsewhere in law enforcement.

The report raises the prospect that the joint deputy head of the NCA, Steve Rodhouse could be placed on a College of Policing barred list if he is found guilty of gross misconduct.

 "The NCA is NOT Britains FBI. Its main remit is organised crime. A British FBI would include our MI5, or Secret Service, and Counter Terrorism. The NCA is really a retirement home for ex Special Branch and CID detectives, so bring their old blokish culture with them."

"Shocking, but sadly not surprising - The National Crime Agency must be dismantled at once and replaced with Agency crewed from the people of the streets."

Also on Tuesday, the Daily Mail reported about a lucky British guy has won £55million jackpot in the EuroMillions draw.

Players have been urged to check their tickets to see if they won Tuesday's jackpot, which would make them richer than Harry Kane, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. It is the second time this month that a UK ticket-holder has won the jackpot, with another player cashing in on £111.7m on June 2. 

 This inspired many jokes and stories in comments. Also more Brits wanted to play.

"It wasn't me.....again......!!!!!...."

 "I remember getting 4 balls and 1 number off (44, was 45) the last, one star and was, again, and the winning star was what I picked on my second line (line one 4 & 7, line two 4 & 11, latter was winning). got around 58 quid off it. Insane to think I was only 2 numbers off having close to 100 mil. Also hold a neverending grudge that two numbers can make such diff they should up the higher end prizes a little at the expense of the jackpot. Anyways I'll reach my grave being annoyed at what could have been."

"Just be able to afford a flat in Kensington then lol"

This day either, Britain is only “just holding on” to its influence in Nato because its Army is too small, the alliance’s deputy commander has warned.

Gen Sir Tim Radford, the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR), the second-in-command of Nato’s military arm, said Britain’s position as one of the organisation’s leading nations could be in doubt after years of defence cuts.

The Army currently has 76,000 serving troops, 21,000 fewer than a decade ago and less than a third of the total when Gen Sir Tim joined the military.

In the past decade, the number of regular soldiers has fallen from 97,000 and is to come down further to 73,000.

“I think we [the British Army] are too small,” Gen Sir Tim, 60, told The Telegraph. “We do need to grow.”

He warned that the country’s position of influence, “hard fought” for by Second World War commander Gen Bernard “Monty” Montgomery, risks being lost. 

"Why is our military being run down?

I think Ukraine proves that good old fashioned tanks, man power etc are still needed…Is it because it’s thought computers are the way forward? Is it the deep state trying to run GB down to prove something?"

"In a Democracy the government’s main responsibility is the defence of the realm and its citizens from those who would do harm to us both externally and internally. This and I suspect the next government will certainly not live up to either of these two principle duties. In a very increasingly dangerous world only supine politicians and a institution such as our not fit for purpose Treasury and MOD could argue that reducing a small standing army to an even smaller standing army is the right course of action."

"Our value in NATO is not in duplicating capability they already possess, more soldiers, but in offering options they otherwise would be short of, fixed wing naval aviation, nuclear powered submarines, stealth fighter aircraft.

We shouldn't prioritise funding a larger Army over the other two service branches, which provide our military unique selling proposition."

"These are the same chiefs who have destroyed army procurement ? We need to increase our air combat and naval fires and missile stocks asap , our low earth orbit space capability , build hardened shelters across every airbase, deploy a missile defence system for critical bases and infrastructure , increase the P8 force before granting these army generals a penny . Re the ground forces, give Special Forces , Paras , Marines their own budgets and the army air corp."