AI scandals, Trump theatrics and social media bans
Welcome back after a small essay-related delay this week.
British politics served up a curious mix of local embarrassment, international showmanship, and domestic debate that looks suspiciously as though we are collectively losing our minds. Trump Derangement Syndrome is real. TWOP is suffering acute symptoms. Here’s the run-down.
Police, AI and a Fan Ban That Shouldn’t Have Been.
A scandal erupted over how West Midlands Police ended up banning supporters of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv from a Europa League game against Aston Villa based on false, AI-“assisted” intelligence. Senior officers had initially claimed that security concerns justified the ban; subsequent inquiries found that some of the supposed intelligence, including references to a totally fictitious match, came from AI-generated content that were not ever superficially verified.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford (really should have gone to Surrey) has, in relatively quick order, been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, lost the confidence of the Home Secretary and “retired” with immediate effect after misleading MPs and proving himself a total duffer for not knowing that Microsoft Co-Pilot is, in fact, an AI tool. Duh!
Whatever your view of football, or policing, this episode raises questions about how technology is being used in official decisions with very limited understanding of its limitations, how accountability works at the highest levels of British policing and how trust in law enforcement can be eroded by easily avoidable errors. Also that senior police officers have sawdust for brains. Perhaps that is actually not that shocking.
Trump’s Iran Posturing: Strong Words, No Action
On the international front, Donald Trump dominated headlines again, this time around the brutal protests in Iran. Anti-government demonstrations that begun in late December as the “bazaars” (known in other contexts as “SMEs”) protested the precipitate decline of Iranian economic activity following the collapse of the currency after the reimposition of UN-mandated sanctions by the E3|(way to go France, Germany, UK!) As the protests grew in scale and strength the Ayatollah’s regime initiated an information lockdown, cutting off internet access and international telephony and authorised a violent crackdown that left thousands dead in one of the most serious waves of unrest since the 1979 revolution.
But then, but then…
Mr Trump issued public statements (OK, Truth Social, but close) threatening “very strong action” if Iranian protestors were executed and flirting with supporting regime change in Tehran. But as we know, talk is cheap and by the end of the week Trump’s threats remained rhetorical, with no clear shift to military intervention and U.S. focus seeming to lag behind on-the-ground events in Iran.
Greenland: Not for Sale, But Getting Terribly Loud
In a story that feels like it belongs in a satire section, Trump also suddenly revived his interest in “owning” Greenland. After previously suggesting the U.S. should purchase it, Trump threatened tariffs on European allies, including the UK, unless Denmark agrees to a transfer of control, framing it as a national security imperative.
To be clear: Denmark and Greenland have both said the territory is not for sale under any circumstances. Greenland’s leadership has consistently asserted it will remain part of the Danish realm and NATO.
Trump’s rhetoric drew perplexed but serious rebukes from European “allies”, guffaws of laughter from Mr Putin and actual exasperation from Starmer who found himself in the unusual position of receiving the explicit support of Kemi Badenoch and Ed Davey and even some tooth-sucking acceptance from the Greatest Living Englishman (Nigel Farage, not Piers Morgan, OK?)
Perhaps most bizarrely, in one widely reported oddness, Trump sent a letter to the Norwegian Prime Minister linking his Greenland ambitions to a perceived slight over not winning a Nobel Peace Prize, reminding us all that even geopolitical drama comes with Trump-style personalisation.
This finally sent TWOP over the edge in to full-on meltdown. The White House is now occupied by an idiot. We have sent a letter too.
Robert Jenrick Does a Bit of Everything… Very Badly
Back in UK domestic politics, nothing says “I am loathed inside my own party” quite like being sacked then defecting to a rival party. Former Conservative frontbencher Robert Jenrick was dismissed from his party by leader Kemi Badenoch after plotting to join Reform UK and (idiot!) leaving his notes on a photocopier. Jenrick initially denied that he had any such plans in a cringe telephone conversation with the Tory Chief Whip, got sacked, ran round like a headless chicken for most of a day and then pitched up late to a press conference to announce his conversion to Reform, claiming he hopes to “unite the right” under Nigel Farage’s banner.
It really is hard to choose which dimension of this best explains why many of “Bobby’s” former colleagues loathed him: egotism, opportunism, incompetence, or sheer ghastliness. But for the purposes of this roundup, suffice it to say Jenrick’s crossing of the floor (no by-election, nah mate!) has added to the sense of chaos and careerism that now defines UK centre-right politics. It’s the incompetence that really lingers.
NEW TWOP GAME: SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
BASIL WAS FUNNY
From a playbook perspective this seems to have caused Farage a fanboy misstep. Having been so swiftly sacked by a decisive Badenoch, it would have been better for Brand Reform for Farage to have said “No” to Jenrick’s membership application so as to demonstrate that Reform was not in the process of being taken over by a bunch of ex-Tories determined to avoid personal electoral obliteration.
Having welcomed the loathsome careerist into Reform’s ranks it will now be harder for Farage to maintain a distinctive difference from the failed Tories who are overrunning the Reform image.
Social Media Ban for Under-16s: Noise Gets Louder
Finally, a familiar domestic UK topic has gained exposure this week: political calls to ban social media use for under-16s. What started as a diffident policy proposal looking for an enthusiastic support group (clue: overstretched middle-class parents would be a good start) has suddenly found unexpectedly broad support from the Conservatives, who are sounding as if their focus groups came back saying “this could be a big one lads” even though it seems entirely antithetical to the Tory small state, personal freedom agenda.
The idea has been framed as protecting mental health and safety, but critics — including many social scientists — argue that outright bans are both impractical and potentially counterproductive.
There’s not yet unanimity on this in parliament, and public opinion is mixed, but it’s worth flagging that this conversation is now becoming a regular fixture in UK political debate rather than an occasional fringe suggestion, but with Sophie Winkelman pushing for ACTION! NOW! it can only be so long before her husband’s cousin’s majesty’s government decides to run with something or other.
We will return to this Social Media Ban topic shortly, with a deeper look at the trade-offs of bans vs increased regulation, but the short takeaway this week is: there is a lot of talk about bans, far less about workable implementation. TWOP is a four-square regulation improver and an avowed opponent of anything approaching a “ban.”
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