In August 2024, a 66-year-old grandmother was arrested at her home in Cheshire for a Facebook post about the Southport attacks. Police turned up at her door. She was taken to a station. Questioned. Her devices were seized.

Her crime? She shared a post that police deemed "likely to stir up racial hatred."

The same week, a shoplifter in Manchester walked out of a Co-op with £200 worth of goods. On CCTV. In broad daylight. He got a conditional caution. Didn't even go to court.

This is Keir Starmer's Britain. And if you think the priorities are upside down, you're not alone.

Since the Southport riots, over 1,000 people have been arrested for social media posts. Some were charged within 48 hours. Courts held emergency weekend sittings to process them. Sentences were handed down faster than at any point in British legal history.

Compare that to burglary. The average time from report to charge for a burglary in England is now 47 days. For shoplifting, most cases never reach court at all. Police forces across the country have effectively decriminalised theft under £200.

So let's get this straight. Tweet something spicy? 48-hour arrest. Rob a shop? Here's your caution, mate, off you go.

The National Police Chiefs' Council admitted last year that only 6% of burglaries result in a charge. Six percent. For a crime that traumatises victims, destroys their sense of safety, and costs the economy billions.

But there's always resources for online speech policing. Always an officer available to knock on a door about a tweet. Always a court slot for someone who shared a meme.

The government calls it "protecting communities." What it actually protects is the government. A population afraid to speak is a population that can't organise. Can't push back. Can't say what everyone is thinking.

They're not fighting crime. They're fighting dissent.

Every grandmother arrested for a Facebook post is a message to the rest of us: shut up, or you're next.

This isn't law enforcement. It's intimidation with a badge.