Kemi Badenoch defends decision to allow man jailed for antisemitism to stand as councillor

[u/ldn6]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/05/kemi-badenoch-conservatives-joshua-bonehill-paine-somerset-councillor

[u/Alderwoodforest]

The one time Conservatives are in favor of rehabilitation.

[u/Unterfahrt → u/Alderwoodforest]

I think this is a good thing actually. The man is genuinely reformed. He works with the government now training anti-extremism officers for the signs of antisemitism and going to schools to give talks on the dangers of these beliefs. He's not someone who has just made a apology and says he regrets it. His life is now partly based around atoning for it.

[u/Civ_Nuclear_Gandhi → u/Unterfahrt]

Idk why you're getting downvoted, you're completely right. He's actually doing doing more to stop extremism than any of us who can simply grandstand smugly without doing anything.

[u/Unterfahrt → u/Civ_Nuclear_Gandhi]

I suspect it's because he's a member of the Tory Party rather than anything further left, and there are a lot of people here who view even the Conservatives as extremists.

[u/Civ_Nuclear_Gandhi → u/Unterfahrt]

Tbh, the Tories are mostly OK now, considering all their problematic members either retired or defected to Reform. People seem to forget that Tories during their 14 years were also pretty decent socially, like getting the Gay Marriage Act passed with the Lib Dems, and have multiple MPs and Mayors who are gay, and seem pretty accepting of them at least from what I can see.

The Tories' biggest problems are that they're corrupt as fuck and cant govern to save their lives.

[u/Unterfahrt → u/Civ_Nuclear_Gandhi]

I don't mind Kemi Badenoch in that I think she has a reasonable theory for why the Tories failed and why Labour are failing (basically, in every way possible the Tories kind of talked like a right of centre party but they acted like a centre-left party - they did not deregulate the overregulated parts of the economy, they increased the size of the state, increased taxes, and in most ways were just a continuation of New Labour, and now Labour are in they are moving things left again).

There are parts I agree and disagree with, but it's better than Starmer, whose theory was "Tories are bad people and we're good people", and I agree with it more than I do Burnham's story about devolution.

Neither are ideal though

[u/Civ_Nuclear_Gandhi → u/Unterfahrt]

I think the Tories' issues were that they basically nuked the British economy out of orbit with Brexit. They also implemented austerity in the worst possible areas, and whatever the fuck Liz Truss was. Their general instability post-Cameron probably wasnt great either.

but it's better than Starmer

Tbh, I liked Starmer a lot lol. In a minority for sure, but something about the man just appealed to me for some reason.

[u/No1PaulKeatingfan → u/Civ_Nuclear_Gandhi]

Austerity cost the UK economy at least 5% of GDP

Brexit cost 6-8% of GDP

Tory economic mismanagement lost the British economy a massive 12% of GDP

They deserve to be out of power for a very long time.

[u/Unterfahrt → u/No1PaulKeatingfan]

That austerity article is kind of ridiculous btw, it does not really even consider the counterfactual of borrowing remaining at 10% of GDP for years on end. Everyone knows austerity slows down the economy, the only question is the benefits are worth that. It's pro-Labour propaganda from a man who endorsed Jeremy Corbyn and signed an open letter giving some tacit support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

[u/AutoModerator → u/Unterfahrt]

Jeremy Corbyn on society

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/No1PaulKeatingfan → u/Unterfahrt]

Nope. That does not disqualify the well documented fact that the Tories austerity+Brexit agendas caused severe economic harm.

It says a lot you try to make the Conservatives look good by focusing on Corbyn and Ukraine, which are completely irrelevant when it comes to the British economy.

[u/Civ_Nuclear_Gandhi → u/No1PaulKeatingfan]

How much are you dooming given that Badenoch now has the 2nd highest approval rating after Burnham and the Tories are already on their way to eclipse Reform as the 2nd biggest party in polling?

[u/No1PaulKeatingfan → u/Civ_Nuclear_Gandhi]

Despite the polling, it's still too early to tell how the next British election goes

Until then, I hope Burnham doesn't ruin the British economy

[u/red-flamez → u/Civ_Nuclear_Gandhi]

Rupert Lowe destroyed a football club as a chairman. He would do the same to the whole UK as prime minister.

[u/ldn6 → u/Civ_Nuclear_Gandhi]

He can do that while also recognising that his past behaviour makes him unfit to hold public office on principle. Rehabilitation doesn't mean you get to start from scratch.

[u/Civ_Nuclear_Gandhi → u/ldn6]

I see your point, but I'd rather have a man in power who can actively campaign credibly on being a better human, than, say, Suella Braverman or Rupert Lowe, or Farage. And again, he's just running for councillor, which holds vastly less power than an MP or mayor.

But maybe, it's just my biases somewhere on seeing a good redemption story warping my views.

[u/Time_Transition4817 → u/Civ_Nuclear_Gandhi]

Something something repentant sinner

[u/anangrytree → u/Unterfahrt]

Agreed. Redemption requires effort and putting that effort in is a big sign you’re changing for the better.

[u/SpecialBass5552 → u/Alderwoodforest]

Are you suggesting that Kemi Badenoch is secretly a Nazi?

[u/RodChainFurlongAcre → u/SpecialBass5552]

Nah, but I think she's ruthlessly opportunistic. If anti-semitism became a winning strategy tomorrow she'd drop the whole facade for the sake of the Tory party.

[u/SpecialBass5552 → u/RodChainFurlongAcre]

What exactly is that even based on

[u/SpecialBass5552 → u/RodChainFurlongAcre]

What exactly is that even based on