⏳ Tuesday Fix: No Joke
Morning all,
Conservative MPs link Johnson's slurs to the need for Starmer to be escorted by police, a great distance (literally) remains between Russia and Europe, and Jimmy Carr sparks controversy in his latest stand-up show.
Until tomorrow,
Your Fixers
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MONDAY'S MAIN LINES
The leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, was escorted by police into a car after being heckled by an angry mob of protestors near parliament on Monday.
At least two were arrested after the incident, with those jeering him heard shouting he was a "traitor" and "paedophile protector".
Why? Last week in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Johnson repeated an insinuation Starmer "failed to prosecute" the late sex offender Jimmy Saville. Johnson refused to issue a full apology, and his Head of Policy resigned over the comments.
Worth noting: A number of years ago, Starmer was the Director of Public Prosecutions, and commissioned a report about Saville's abuse, which was published in 2013. The findings acknowledged the opportunity to prosecute Saville was missed because allegations were repeatedly not taken seriously by authorities at the time.
Responding to the report's findings, Starmer as DPP at the time said;
"I would like to take the opportunity to apologise for the shortcomings in the part played by the CPS in these cases." - Keir Starmer's 2013 statement
Backlash against the prime minister: While Johnson (below) said the behaviour towards Starmer on Monday was "absolutely disgraceful", at least six Conservative MPs - including one of Johnson's former Cabinet ministers - have now linked it to the PM's comments last week.
On Twitter, #JohnsonOut, #apologise and #primeminister are all trending hashtags.
WORLD'S APART?
After a marathon five-hour meeting on Monday, President Putin said "a number" of President Macron's proposals could be considered, but much of the media reports suggested there was no major breakthrough.
Macron moves to Ukraine today, where he will meet with President Zelensky in Kiev, and continue his effort to reach a diplomatic solution.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration are now suggesting Russia has amassed - by its border with Ukraine - 70% of the troops it would need to invade its neighbour.
While Macron and Putin met, President Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met in the White House, and an effort to put on a united front only highlighted an ongoing issue for Western allies. During Scholz's visit, Biden suggested a Russian invasion of Ukraine would result in the end of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Scholz stayed vague on this, and was again coy during a CNN interview later in the evening.
Okay, why does that matter? The pipeline would deliver Russian gas to Western Europe. It has been a heavily criticised project. As BBC News pointed out, it cost $11 billion to build, has taken five years, and is not yet even open. The aim is that it will ultimately double German gas imports from Russia.
One of its most vocal critics was President Trump, who repeatedly said during his time in office that it made Germany too reliant on Russia. The Nord Stream 2 project is being run by a former German chancellor.
Bigger picture: In terms of Europe in general, Russia supplies 40% of its gas. Here is an excellent article all about this.
New here? if you want to understand the dynamics at play in all of this, read our recent piece about Ukraine, Russia, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the expansion of NATO. Trust us, it'll help!
Footballer Mason Greenwood has been dropped by his sponsor, Nike, following allegations of rape.
Remember: The Manchester United footballer has effectively been suspended from his club since allegations of rape, domestic violence, and threats to kill circulated on social media late last month. Greenwood was arrested, but later released on bail.
Worth noting: At this point, Greenwood has not been charged with a crime. In England, there is a system called ‘police bail’, where a person is not charged but remains under suspicion. It means a person is released from custody pending further investigation and can be brought back in if more evidence emerged. The police can also impose conditions like not leaving the country or contact with certain people.
ON TODAY'S AGENDA
It's a busy day in the world of Showbiz.
Firstly, Oscar nominations are expected to be announced later. Secondly, the Brit Awards are being held this evening, with Adele understood to be performing.
It will be the first time the awards have scrapped gender-specific categories.
TWITTER TRENDS
#JimmyCarr
Why? The stand up comedian is trending due to outrage over a reference in one of his shows to the Holocaust. Carr talks about the fact the Holocaust is rarely talked about in reference to the thousands of gypsies who were also murdered by the Nazi regime. In his controversial punchline, Carr says "no one ever wants to talk about that, because no one ever wants to talk about the positives".
The comment was widely condemned online, with Downing Street even weighing in. A spokesman for the prime minister said the jokes were "deeply disturbing and it is unacceptable to make light of genocide". Carr's show - which is currently still on Netflix - is called 'His Dark Matters'.
If you click the screenshot below you can access video of the joke that caused the controversy.
STARK STATISTICS
In Ireland, one in four women who have been in a relationship have been abused by a current or former partner.
RTÉ News spoke to a number of women's refuges as part of an investigation into the issue, noting that during the pandemic the need for support rose by as much as 150%.
SOCIETAL SHIFTS
Porn sites in the UK will soon be legally required to have users verify their age before accessing their content, or risk a fine of up to 10% of their global turnover.
Background: The move is part of the Online Safety Bill. According to BBC News, the plan is for people to prove they possess a credit card or confirm their age via a third party service.
Why the need for this? A study cited in the article suggests half of 11 to 13-year-olds have watched pornography at some point.
MOST READ
- BBC News: PM urged to apologise after Starmer protest
- The Guardian: MPs blame Boris Johnson's 'poison' after protesters mob Keir Starmer
- The Financial Times: Market swings leave high-profile stockpickers wrongfooted
- Al Jazeera: Europe faces 'most dangerous moment' over Russia-Ukraine tensions
- The Irish Times: Retrofit grants: €25,000 offered to households to help insulate homes
REACHING MILESTONES
On Monday, NewsFix HQ celebrated the milestone of reaching 5,000 followers on Instagram. Thank you so much for the support! If you haven't already followed us, there's never been a better time to do so 👉🏽 @newsfix_
ON A LIGHTER NOTE...
Slice of heaven.
