Name the trolls
THE outpouring of love for Marcus Rashford shows the true nature of our nation.
Manchester is united, like the rest of Britain, behind Englands young black players after their Euros heartbreak and the hate they endured from racists.
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Those morons and the drunken, violent mob which gate-crashed Wembley have tarnished our image as the worlds most welcoming country.
But both cases involve a tiny, bovine hardcore, their thuggery amplified via instant broadcast to smartphones the world over.
We dont blame social media firms for that. We do blame them for becoming safe spaces for often nameless hate-filled trolls. Twitter, especially, is a cesspit of ignorance. So we like Harry Maguires common sense today.
Social media, he says, allows players to interact with fans with unprecedented ease. But it also makes it far too easy for bigots to abuse them directly and without consequence.
So bar anonymous posters, says Harry. Force tech giants to verify every account and hand details to police if asked. Racists can then be arrested.
It wont solve every ill. But its a start.
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IN a parallel universe the Taliban peacefully share power and guide Afghanistan into a prosperous future. Sadly we do not live in that universe.
So the assertion by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace that Britain would then treat these murderous fanatics like any other world government is a triumph of hope over experience.
They will come to power only by force. Like the cold-blooded execution of 22 Afghan troops after they surrendered.
Expect them then to overturn 20 years of transformed human rights. They may be a little less bloodthirsty than Islamic State . . . its hardly a recommendation.
The fact they have taken back half the country since we pulled out will break the hearts of Brits who served there and the families of the 457 who died.
OUR MPs decision to trim the colossal aid budget has huge public support.
It was backed in a YouGov survey last year by most voters from all main parties and by Remainers and Leavers.
Tory rebels and Labour argued that even after the pandemic forced us to borrow 300billion and counting we must borrow more to give away.
But far from every aid cause has merit. And the cut to 0.5 per cent of GDP still leaves us one of the worlds top donors.
Manifesto pledges to keep it at 0.7 per cent were made before a once-in-a-lifetime catastrophe changed everything.
We cannot saddle generations yet unborn with more debt and higher taxes to salve the consciences of MPs who enjoy being generous with other peoples money.
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