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Perhaps I’m old fashioned, but I don’t see a role for government in determining working arrangements beyond some basic rules governing safety and non-discrimination. In a free society with a generally healthy economy, employers and employees can hammer out their own deals. As long as force or coercion isn’t involved, it’s not the legislature’s or federal bureaucracy’s concern whether someone, say, takes contract jobsor full-time employment.

I cannot recall a single time that any government rule has improved my life in any noticeable way. It’s usually the opposite. After the Legislature passedAssembly Bill 5the “landmark” labor law that largely banned companies from using independent contractorsmany Californians lost their freelance income, with many adopting costly workarounds that involved myriad legal and accounting costs. Thanks very much for the “protections.”

AB 5 was an unmitigated disaster. That should be obvious to any policymaker in California and at the national level. An old friend of mine had a saying that went, “even the worm learns.” It referred to a scientific experiment that found if you prod the dumbest of creatures (worms) several thousand times they will eventually learn not to squirm in a particular direction. The Biden administration is filled with Californians (Kamala Harris, Xavier Becerra, Julie Su), yet they somehow missed the requisitelesson. They apparently need a lot more prodding.

To recall, the California Supreme Court in the 2018 Dynamexdecisionimposed a strict ABC test on companies that used contractors. The case involved a delivery service that shifted its workforce from permanent employees to contractors. The court decided that contractors must be A) outside the control of the company; B) do work outside the company’s core mission; and C) be working as contractors in general. Unions were giddy. The Legislature codified the decision in AB 5.

California’s progressive Democrats, who apparently spend little time talking to normal people, were shocked at the results. Instead of hiring contractors as full-time workers with 9-5 schedules and oodles of benefits, companies downsized their workforces. Unions claimed they were battling”wage theft”but there is no theft when willing workers take jobs from willing employers at agreed-upon terms.

In the midst of stay-at-home, lawmakers got an earful from struggling Californians who no longer were free to pursue home-based incomes. Volunteer musical and arts gigs had toshutteras a result of these work prohibitions. Lawmakers promised advancements for workers, but instead made their lives miserable. The funniest result: A publication that advocated for the law laid off its California workers.

The Legislature ultimately exempted 100-plus industries from the law. Voters then approved an initiative (still tied up in the courts) thatexempted ride-sharing drivers. Granted, lawmakers have legislative cars at their disposal, but those of us who take Uber and Lyftand routinely talk with our driversrealize most of them do not want to work full-time for those companies. They like flexible schedules and fill-in work as they pursue college or other careers.

Apparently, the Biden administration doesn’t pay attention to California news events. Through it all, the president has doggedly pursued implementing some variety of AB 5 through legislation and the federal Department of Labor. It recently implemented a new rule that echoes ABC test standards. The newruledoesn’t have the authority of something passed by Congress or legislatures, but it makes it tougher to classify workers as contractors and could disrupt many industries. It’s clearly an attempt to promote AB 5’s rules.

In a strikingly biasedarticle, theLos Angeles Times’ Noah Bierman chides some conservative publications for claiming that the president is taking California’s approach nationwide, when it merely restores the old Obama administration approach to these matters. Yet Bierman admits that Biden’s “promise to replicate California’s law at the national level has fallen victim to congressional gridlock and industry clout.”

In other words, the president promised to replicate AB 5 nationally but has failed. I can only surmise that the Los Angeles Times doesn’t pay much attention to California news, either. As noted above, AB 5 isn’t the victim of Congress or industrybut of massive, angry blowback from California freelancers, many of them Democratsin multiple professions who didn’t appreciate losing their jobs. The story focused on San Francisco’s settlement with a company that connects workers with hospitality industry jobs, so AB 5 is still wreaking havoc.

The most aggravating part of the Times article cites a study from the pro-unionEconomic Policy Institute, which finds “blue-collar workers classified as contractors are losing out on as much as $16,700 a year compared with what they would have made as regular employees.” Perhaps it should show how much money these workers are losing when companies axe their jobs because of the AB 5-style mandates. When it comes to economics, union think tanks, reporters, and the Biden administration are as clever as those proverbial worms.

This column was first published in The Orange County Register.

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Politics

Millionaire former Tory donor defects to Reform

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December 6, 2025

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Millionaire former Tory donor defects to Reform

Millionaire Tory donor Malcolm Offord has defected to Reform UK, saying he would be campaigning “tirelessly” to “remove this rotten SNP government”.

Nigel Farage announced the former Conservative life peer’s defection during a rally in the Scottish town of Falkirk, where regular anti-immigration protests have taken place outside the Cladhan Hotel – which is being used to house asylum seekers.

Mr Farage, Reform UK’s leader, said he was “delighted” to welcome Greenock-born Lord Offord to Reform, describing his defection as “a brave and historic act”.

He added: “He will take Reform UK Scotland to a new level.”

During a speech, Lord Offord, who previously donated nearly £150,000 to the Tories, said he would be quitting the Conservative Party and giving up his place in the House of Lords as he prepares to campaign for a seat in Holyrood in May.

The 61-year-old said he wanted to restore Scotland to a “prosperous, happy, healthy country”.

“Scotland needs Reform and Reform is coming to Scotland,” he told the rally.

Read more:
Nigel Farage dismisses school racism claims as ‘banter in a playground’
Farage allegations are deeply shocking – but will they deter voters?

“Today I can announce that I am resigning from the Conservative Party. Today I am joining Reform UK and today I announce my intention to stand for Reform in the Holyrood election in May next year.

“And that means that from today, for the next five months, day and night, I shall be campaigning with all of you tirelessly for two objectives.

“The first objective is to remove this rotten SNP government after 18 years, and the second is to present a positive vision for Scotland inside the UK, to restore Scotland to being a prosperous, proud, healthy and happy country.”

The latest defection comes as Mr Farage finds himself at the centre of allegations of racism dating back to his time in school.

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Claims made against Nigel Farage

Sky News reported on Saturday that a former schoolfriend of Mr Farage claimed he sang antisemitic songs to Jewish schoolmates – and had a “big issue with anyone called Patel”.

Jean-Pierre Lihou, 61, was initially friends with the Reform UK leader when he arrived at Dulwich College in the 1970s, at the time when Mr Farage is accused of saying antisemitic and other racist remarks by more than a dozen pupils.

Mr Farage has said he “never directly racially abused anybody” at Dulwich and said there is a “strong political element” to the allegations coming out 49 years later.

Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice has called the ex-classmates “liars”.

A Reform UK spokesman accused Sky News of “scraping the barrel” and being “desperate to stop us winning the next election”.

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World

Paramilitary drone attack in southern Sudan kills at least 50 people, including 33 children

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December 6, 2025

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Paramilitary drone attack in southern Sudan kills at least 50 people, including 33 children

At least 50 people, including 33 children, have been killed in southern Sudan after a drone attack by paramilitary forces hit a nursery in South Kordofan state.

Sudan Doctors’ Network says paramedics on the scene in the town of Kalogi were also targeted by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in a “second unexpected attack”.

Rights group Emergency Lawyers reported a “third civilian site” near the previous two attacks was also targeted.

The death toll is expected to be higher, but communication blackouts have made it difficult to confirm the full number of casualties.

Emergency Lawyers says the strikes are a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians, especially children, and vital civilian infrastructure.”

UNICEF has urged both parties to stop the attacks immediately and allow safe access for humanitarian aid.

“Killing children in their school is a horrific violation of children’s rights,” said UNICEF representative for Sudan Sheldon Yett.

“Children should never pay the price of conflict.”

Read more from Sky News
RSF says it has captured Babanusa in West Kordofan
Sudan ‘epicentre of suffering in the world’
Sudan’s paramilitary forces agree to US-led humanitarian ceasefire proposal

The attack on the nursery is among the latest in the two-year conflict between the RSF and Sudan’s military, where the focus has recently shifted to the oil-rich Kordofan states.

A photo released by UNICEF shows displaced children and families from al-Fashir. (Mohammed Jammal/UNICEF via AP)
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A photo released by UNICEF shows displaced children and families from al-Fashir. (Mohammed Jammal/UNICEF via AP)

Hundreds of civilians have been killed in the last few weeks as fighting shifted from Darfur, following the RSF’s violent takeover of the city of Al Fashir, which was marked with civilians being executed, rapes, sexual assaults and other atrocities.

Thousands managed to escape the violence, but thousands more are trapped or feared killed.

Grab from RSF social media channels in Al Fashir, Sudan
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Grab from RSF social media channels in Al Fashir, Sudan

Meanwhile, Sudanese military aerial strikes last weekend killed at least 48 people, mostly civilians, in South Kordofan.

The RSF has also accused the military of carrying out a drone strike on the border with Chad, posting a video showing billowing black smoke.

The Associated Press has been unable to verify the video or whether there were any casualties, while Sudan’s military also hasn’t commented.

The RSF and the Sudanese military have been fighting for power over the country since 2023, which has seen more than 40,000 people killed, according to the World Health Organisation, although the real death toll is expected to be higher. 12 million people have been displaced.

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UK

England and Scotland fans discover where their opening World Cup games will be played

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December 6, 2025

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England and Scotland fans discover where their opening World Cup games will be played

England and Scotland fans have found out where their World Cup group games will be played when the tournament kicks off in June.

England, who are in Group L, will begin their tournament against Croatia in Dallas at 4pm EST (9pm BST) on 17 June. They will then go on to face Ghana in Boston at 4pm EST (9pm BST) on 23 June and Panama in New Jersey, New York, at 5pm EST (10pm BST) on 27 June.

Scotland are in Group C, and their first match will be against Haiti in Boston at 9pm EST on 13 June (2am GMT the following morning).

They will go up against Morocco also in Boston at 6pm EST (11pm GMT) on 19 June and then Brazil in Miami at 6pm EST (11pm GMT) on 24 June.

Fans are expected to rush to sort their travel and accommodation plans now that they know where and when the matches take place.

Read more: Unapologetically political – a World Cup draw like no other

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England and Scotland learn World Cup fate

Wales and Northern Ireland have yet to find out if they will qualify.

Wales must face a play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Cardiff, then either Italy or Northern Ireland, if they are victorious.

If they beat these play-off opponents, they will secure their place in Group B alongside Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.

However, Northern Ireland will also be vying to guarantee their spot in the same group if they can beat Italy and then either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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