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→ Kemi Badenoch is winning the social media contest
Kemi Badenoch launched her bid to become leader of the Conservative Party today. But before doing so, she released a teaser video on X on Sunday which received more views and likes in 12 hours than her rivals’ posts had in over a month.
Kemi Badenoch’s launch video has racked up more views and likes in 12 hours than others have in over a month pic.twitter.com/nJXEu7f9Is
— James Heale (@JAHeale) September 2, 2024
By 9am on Monday morning, Badenoch’s launch video — which opens with her taking the fight to Doctor Who actor David Tennant, who previously impelled her to “shut up” — had 4,300 likes and 742,000 views. By comparison, Robert Jenrick’s launch video from 30 July has only clocked 1,500 likes and 660,000 views. Tom Tugendhat’s video was seen 701,000 times and was liked by 1,700 users. Badenoch’s video has now been seen over 3 million times with a little under 6,000 likes. Maybe waiting until September and the return of Parliament was a shrewd move. Or maybe wading into the culture wars is good for virality…
→ AfD is now the party of Germany’s youth
The AfD’s success on Sunday in Germany’s regional elections has been likened to a “political earthquake”. But the results in Thuringia and Saxony may be even more consequential than the Right-wing party’s opponents realise. That’s because the AfD appears to have comprehensively captured the youth vote. Among those aged 18-24 in Thuringia, 38% voted for the party, with the nearest competitor in the age bracket being the Left-wing Die Linke on 16%. In Saxony, the corresponding figure for Gen Z AfD support was 31%.
East Germany’s Gen Z is shifting right – massively. pic.twitter.com/wV1MSy8Pzs
— Ralph Schoellhammer (@Raphfel) September 1, 2024
The party has been praised for its effective use of social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, and it captured 17% of the 18-24 vote in June’s European elections as the Left-wing Greens plummeted among young voters. The AfD’s opposition to foreign wars and focus on limiting immigration have both proved popular with German Zoomers, while the party has capitalised on a growing disaffection with the political establishment. The popularity of Ausländer Raus should have been a clue…
→ Trump attack ads on Harris intensify
Donald Trump is enjoying X again after being allowed back on the platform by Elon Musk, and he’s using it to attack his opponent Kamala Harris. Ahead of next week’s debate, Trump’s account has posted a series of pictures claiming that America would be a hellhole under Harris’s presidency. One picture shows a group of Asian men burning the American flag and reads: “MEET YOUR NEW NEIGHBOURS IF KAMALA WINS.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2024
Another shows a man holding a knife behind a woman in a dark alley and reads: “NO ONE IS SAFE WITH KAMALA’S OPEN BORDERS.” A third depicts a hospital with the words, once again in block caps: “KAMALA HARRIS PLEDGED FREE HEALTHCARE FOR ILLEGALS… THEY’RE COMING TO COLLECT”. It remains to be seen whether trying to scare Americans will work in Trump’s favour…
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SubscribeLike many other people I know, I can’t wait for Badenoch to take over the Tories if only to see how often she can use the Left’s platitudes about “women of colour” against them. Wondering also how long it will be before her political opponents somehow conclude that she is a white supremacist.
I do like Badenoch a lot, but I’m afraid it’s too late for the Tories as far as I’m concerned. I’ve gone over to Reform for good.
I made a similar comment elsewhere – She may not even be considered ‘leader of the opposition’ by the time of the next general election…!
Yeah man own the libs, she’ll show who the real racists are… No one should want her as leader, she is Nigerian, she grew up there, there is very little about her that could be called British even by the dumbest civnats. She pushed for the ludicrous open borders policies the Tories adopted from around 2020 which is why we have so many of her countrymen arriving here now. She epitomises the worst of the centre-right in this country.
Asian men? Are they all from Tokyo? Or Taipei? You mean ‘muslim men’.
When a Brit says “Asian” they mean SOUTH ASIAN or NEAR EASTERN. When ANYONE ELSE and especially USians says “Asian” they mean EAST ASIAN. It’s seriously confusing to anyone who isn’t informed of this distinction.
It’s bad even in the British context as it lumps all of them in when it’s mainly the Pakistanis doing the bad stuff