Headlines in the States yesterday reported on a shadowy organisation that’s close to Starmer called the Center for Countering Digital Hate. CCDH is alleged to have been trying to undermine Twitter by telling brands if they advertise on the platform they’re supporting hate.
It may seem crazy for Labour to take on both Elon Musk and Trump at the same time. And it is. Musk was already unhappy with Labour.
Now he is going positively nuclear.
At the heart of this tale of Labour incompetence and over-reach is Starmer’s Chief of Staff, Morgan McSweeney.
It was he who set up the Center for Countering Digital Hate. The fact he did that while he was running the campaign to make Keir Starmer Labour leader and has remained close to it ever since is one reason this spat will be going nowhere fast.
The group’s mission was allegedly to…. ‘Kill Musk’s Twitter’.
What is truly shocking, given CCDH’s closeness to the Starmer clique is how extreme it suggests their views are on gender identity ideology. The LGBTQ+ Hate Report was published just last year and is still on the CCDH’s website. It is one of many orchestrated attempts to starve Twitter of advertising revenue. If this campaign succeeds it will help shield the incoherent, unevidenced and dangerous ideas of gender extremists from challenge.
Who would benefit from that? I know one group of people who would prefer less scrutiny. Actual groomers.
If you want an example of how bad actors might benefit from less social media challenge just look at Balenciaga. On November 15th 2022 it became the first major brand to announce it was leaving Twitter.
Shame then that just six days later it was revealed the brand’s latest ads contained images that were distinctly troubling. In one shot an adolescent girl who looked like she’d been beaten held up a teddy bear in bondage gear.
In other shots of children the same bondage themed teddy bear made an appearance. Along with collars, handcuffs and other sex fetish gear. In one image there were photocopies of court judgments concerning child pornography. The next day Balenciaga apologised and pulled the ads.
No guesses on which social media site the exposure of Balenciaga’s disgusting campaign first appeared? Twitter.
The attempt to stifle free expression on Twitter is sinister. To misrepresent and lie in order to do achieve that, the way the Centre for Countering Digital Hate are now doing is outrageous. What is truly worrying is this campaign of disinformation and financial bullying is being waged by people intimately connected to top officials in Downing St; using tactics perfected by the Prime Minister’s own Chief of Staff.