Our January meeting was an open discussion of events of the past year.

Inevitably, the Gaza war was debated, specifically the struggle to find balance in reporting. One issue raised was the troubling claim that the October 7th assault was a deliberate (and successful) provocation of Israel by Hamas, exposing willingness to sacrifice the lives of Gazans in a political cause.

The rise in antisemitism was manifested as widely as the awful murders in Bondi and Manchester, and the disingenuous justification offered by police and politicians for excluding Jewish football supporters from Villa Park. The evident fear of Islamism by authorities devalues the status of those holding other beliefs, or none.

New in 2025 was the open discussion of remigration, assimilation, and lack of selectiveness in immigration policy, especially against countries over-represented in serious crime.

It was also apparent that the New Year—and President Trump—had already provided many sources of debate, notably on Iran and Venezuela. Was it all about the price of oil? Does kidnapping align with the International Rules Based System?

Reasons to be cheerful included the triumph of Linzi Smith regarding her exclusion by Newcastle United for her belief that men can’t be women, the possible abandonment of Non-Crime Hate Incidents (NCHIs) and the Supreme Court ruling protecting single-sex spaces.

Many topics were proposed for PiPs events in 2026. These included international law; NGOs, quangos and charities (unelected, unaccountable and too influential?); sick note Britain (is there a cure?); the honours system; feminisation; local politics; the Chagos debacle; and alternative parties such as Advance UK and Reform.

Another year of stimulating discussion is afoot!