“DEI – Diversity Equity Inclusion”

The Jason Arday affair has been a great revealer. On the one hand, it is a glorious romp that has brought much-needed mirth to the nation. On the other, the exposure of Professor Arday isn’t really about the guileless Arday himself, but the establishment that elevated him. It has served up a moment of unavoidable clarity in which the nonsense of progressivism stands exposed like the imperial scrotum.

Are congratulations in order for Sacha Baron Cohen? The more I read about Jason Arday, the Cambridge sociology professor and DEI poster boy caught up in a plagiarism row, the more convinced I am he’s the comedian’s greatest creation.

First, there’s the over-the-top back story. He claimed to have been totally mute until the age of 11 – having been diagnosed with autism – and unable to read or write until he was 18. Yet in spite of these disadvantages, he earned a PhD by the time he was 30 – which he managed to complete while suffering from a brain tumour!

A really good comedy could be made of this.

The Cambridge professor at the centre of a plagiarism row is facing questions over claims he has made about his athletic prowess and charity fundraising.

Prof Jason Arday says he once ran 600 miles in six days for charity, 300 miles in three days, and 30 marathons in 35 days, partly with a broken leg.

But experts in ultra-distance running have cast doubt on his claims, expressing surprise that he is not known in the ultra-distance community despite achievements that would put him among the world’s top athletes.

Andrew*, a detective sergeant in the Metropolitan Police, is telling me about a former trainee. “Before they join, direct-entry detectives are sold the whole Line of Duty bollocks,” he says. “They think they’ll be chasing gangsters. Then we dump them in an office and give them 40 GBHs, frauds and sexual assaults to deal with.” That’s what normally happens — but Andrew’s colleague was neurodiverse. This allowed her to get “reasonable adjustments” under the Equality Act, meaning she only had to investigate a single case at a time. What about the other 39 crimes the average detective deals with? “The rest of her team took them on,” Andrew says. The rookie’s staff association even argued she couldn’t be put in situations where she might be surprised. “That is obviously a problem for a detective,” he adds.

“Wouldn’t it be the most ridiculous story ever told, if the boy who couldn’t read and write at 18 gets a PhD before he’s 30?”

Those are the words of Jason Arday—the 2002 Professorial Chair in the Sociology of Education at Cambridge University. Indeed, the story of his metamorphosis from arguably the most disadvantaged person in the UK to elite scholar-athlete-philanthropist would make even Walt Disney raise an eyebrow.

An incredible tale.

Laura’s previous reports on the Preston Davey murder case – a baby ‘routinely abused’ by gay adoptive parents until his death at 13 months – have covered the evidence and the jury’s unanimous verdict. Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley were found guilty of all charges in connection with the murder of Preston.

Varley was sentenced on Thursday to a whole life term for murder. McGowan-Fazakerley, convicted of allowing the death of a child, child cruelty and sexual assault, was sentenced to 25 year, and will serve at least two-thirds of that behind bars.

On May 17, Prime Minister Mark Carney declared that “Pride is a promise — that every Canadian can live safely, openly, and proudly as themselves.”

Unfortunately, despite the fact that Mark Carney has eagerly mouthed a glib lip-service to the human rights of homosexuals and the “LGBTQ+” community, it is evident that his promise of personal equality does not extend to all Canadians.