logo
‘Woke waste': The biggest scandal you've never heard of

‘Woke waste': The biggest scandal you've never heard of

Yahoo13-03-2025
' Most people know about 'woke' and how it has captured our institutions, but what I've found, through a series of inadvertent rabbit holes, is how much of it we [the taxpayer] are funding. Billions in total.'
Charlotte Gill is an investigative journalist who founded and runs Woke Waste, a website that examines taxpayer funded grants to charities and institutions. She describes herself on X as running 'DOGE UK', DOGE being the Elon Musk headed Department of Government Efficiency in Trump's administration.
' There are a lot of government quangos, especially in the arts sector. You've got the Arts Council England, which we give £445 million per year to. It funds the likes of Soho Theatre, giving it just under £2 million, which put on shows like '52 Monologues for Young Transsexuals' and a comedy show where white audience members are encouraged to check their privilege at the door.'
She joins Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan on this week's Planet Normal podcast, which you can listen to using the audio player above.
' One of the worst areas that would worry taxpayers is the funding going into charities. We think that they're good causes, but a lot of them are lobbying for open borders, with our money.
' I also think there's a bigger danger with NGOs [non-government organisations] generally. Most of them are politically active and Far Left in a way that the Right would never be able to get away with. It's potentially opening up Britain to lots of foreign interference meddling.'
Planet Normal, a weekly Telegraph podcast featuring news and views from beyond the bubble. Listen on the audio player above or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your preferred podcast app.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

White House Proudly Promotes Trump's Snub to Greatest Allies
White House Proudly Promotes Trump's Snub to Greatest Allies

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

White House Proudly Promotes Trump's Snub to Greatest Allies

European leaders arrived at the White House on Monday not to be met by President Donald Trump, but by the former Fox News host Monica Crowley—a snub the Trump administration is now proudly promoting. The official White House account compiled a montage of top U.S. allies arriving at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave to be met by an unfamiliar face, with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky being the lone exception. The dramatic clip showed the arrivals of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The seven leaders were greeted by Crowley, 56, who is the chief of protocol at the White House. The White House wrote on Instagram, 'Peace and American leadership are BACK under President Trump.' Crowley commented under the video herself, writing, 'It is an honor and a privilege to serve our greatest President and the American people as Chief of Protocol of the United States, and to welcome world leaders to the White House.' Trump, 79, rolled out the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska. He exited Air Force One first, while Putin waited on his presidential jet, and then struggled to walk in a straight line until he reached their meeting point. There, the president smiled and clapped as the longtime U.S. adversary approached him. He then surprised Putin with a U.S. Air Force flyover and a ride in his presidential limo. The White House has not explained why Trump opted not to greet the majority of the Europeans upon their arrival on Monday—something critics noted the president would demand from them if he ever hastily crossed the Atlantic Ocean for a meeting. Trump did trek to the White House's north entrance to greet Zelensky. The men shared a warm handshake and smiled as they met for the first time since February, when Trump and Vice President JD Vance ambushed him in the Oval Office and literally chased him out of the White House over his response. Zelensky, 47, appeared overly friendly with Trump on Monday. He is attempting to secure all-important guarantees from Trump that the U.S. will ensure his country's safety if he strikes a deal with Putin to end more than three years of fighting. Russia—and the Soviet Union before it—has been among America's top adversaries since the mid-20th century. However, Trump has long been sympathetic to Putin, and, after meeting with him in Alaska, aligned his position to be more in line with that of Russia. Trump has notably said he no longer wishes for a ceasefire, as Zelensky says is necessary. He instead wants to see an immediate peace deal made, even if it requires Ukraine to cede large swaths of its land to Russia. It is not all doom and gloom for Ukraine, however. The New York Times reported Monday that Trump is now considering security guarantees for Ukraine. That is a change from his previous position earlier this term, when he demanded that Europe alone should be responsible for protecting its mutual ally.

World leader softens up Trump with a gift he's sure to love
World leader softens up Trump with a gift he's sure to love

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

World leader softens up Trump with a gift he's sure to love

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is apparently appealing to President Donald Trump through his favorite pastime. Zelenskyy presented Trump with an engraved golf putter from a Ukrainian soldier who lost his leg while fighting in the war against Russia, his office announced on Tuesday. The New York Post revealed that the club displays the words 'Let's putt peace together!' It was gifted to Trump in the Oval Office on behalf of Junior Sgt. Kostiantyn Kartavtsev, who has found solace in the sport. Kartavtsev has an artificial leg through a rehabilitation program under United by Golf, a Ukrainian veteran organization. In a statement, Zelenskyy's office said that golf 'became part of Kostiantyn Kartavtsev's rehabilitation and helped him regain balance – both physical and emotional." It added that he had lost his leg within the first months of Russia's invasion in 2022. Zelenskyy had showed a video of Kartavtsev to Trump 'to help Ukraine end the war with a just and lasting peace,' his office said, adding that Trump had recorded a video to thank the soldier. 'I know a lot about golf, and your swing is great,' Trump said in the video, according to The Post. 'It's beautiful and it's made with real love, and it's given to me with real love from you, and I appreciate that," he continued, joking 'Every time I sink a putt, I'll be thinking of you.' Zelenskyy had met with Trump at the White House on Monday, alongside other European leaders, where the two discussed potential security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace deal to end the war. In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Trump emphasized that American boots will not be on the ground. 'I hope President Putin is going to be good, and if he's not, that's going to be a rough situation,' Trump said during his 'Fox & Friends' appearance. 'And I hope that President Zelenskyy will do what he has to do. He has to show some flexibility also. The thing is a mess.' In July, Trump, an avid golfer, had visited Scotland for the opening of his new golf course as part of a five-day trip. The Trump Organization, the president's family business, owns two other courses in the country: an additional one in Aberdeen that opened in 2012, and another in Turnberry that opened in 2014. While initially intended to be a private visit designed to promote his family's properties and play golf, the president had announced a trade agreement with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. A website that tracks Trump's golfing throughout his second term claims that he has played the sport for 24.1% of his presidency thus far, coming to 51 out of 212 days. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to

Thousands object to Tesla bid to supply energy to UK homes
Thousands object to Tesla bid to supply energy to UK homes

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Thousands object to Tesla bid to supply energy to UK homes

More than 8,000 people have asked Ofgem to block Tesla from supplying British households with electricity over owner Elon Musk's 'clear political agenda'. The company applied for a licence from the energy regulator last month, aiming to start supplying power to homes and businesses in England, Scotland and Wales as soon as next year. But its billionaire owner's political activity, including his support for Donald Trump and far-right activist Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has drawn objections to the application from the public. Campaign group Best for Britain has urged the public to write to Ofgem, arguing Mr Musk is not a 'fit and proper' person to have 'a foothold in our essential services'. Some 8,462 people have used the group's online tool to lodge objections with Ofgem so far. Best for Britain's chief executive Naomi Smith said: 'We've all had a front row seat to Musk's malign influence, turning Twitter into an incubator for right-wing hate, promoting baseless conspiracy theories and helping Trump secure a second term as US president – something that continues to change our world in profoundly dangerous ways. 'British people are rightly against Musk being anywhere near our electricity supply and that's why we are encouraging more people to make their views known before Friday by using our online tool to write to Ofgem and say they oppose this power grab – it only takes two minutes.' Members of the public have until Friday to comment on the application, after which Ofgem will decide whether to grant Tesla a licence to supply electricity. The electric car manufacturer, run by the world's richest man, also has a solar energy and battery storage business. Tesla has been involved in the UK energy market since 2020, when it was granted a licence to be an electricity generator. In the US, the group has been an electricity supplier in Texas for the past three years. The application comes amid a backdrop of waning demand for Tesla's electric vehicles across Europe in recent months. Industry figures showed an almost 60% plunge in the number of new Tesla registrations in the UK in July, compared with a year earlier. Data showed that 987 new vehicles were registered in the UK in July compared with 2,462 in the same month a year earlier. Tesla was approached for comment for this story. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store