At a ward meeting this week my local Labour councillor in Camden, north London, showed us a sign that had been left on a member’s car windscreen. The car had a remain poster on it and was parked round the corner from where I live. This is what the message said, printed in capitals (I’ve left the original spelling): “This is a lave [leave] area. We hate the foriner. Nex time do not park your car with remain sign on. Hi Hitler. White Power” – accompanied by racist symbols. The car’s owner had passed it on to the police.
Herein lies the most obscene perversion of this turn in the Brexit campaign. The very people who are slashing resources – the Tory right – and diverting what’s left to the wealthy are the ones rallying the poor by blaming migrants for the lack of resources. Not content with urinating on our leg and telling us it’s raining, they have found someone to blame for the weather.
The exaggerations and radicalisation of part of the language do not help to foster an atmosphere of respect.
That’s why we all value democratic game rules. And we know how important it is to draw limits, be it in the choice of speech, in the choice of the argument but also in the choice of partly disparaging argument.
Otherwise the radicalisation will become unstoppable.
Sure, but generally more of a US thing.
Merkel calling on UK politicians to stop 'radicalising'.
Facts, in this climate, are obviously an irrelevance. A few weeks ago I saw Frank Field, one of the “thoughtful” Labour MPs who’s in favour of leaving the EU, declaring on Question Time that “I don’t think people should be basing their decision on facts” – yes, he actually said that – and nobody even told him it was a colossally stupid statement. But we’re living in a reality where raw prejudice is genuine, where nuance and context are mealy-mouthed, where hysteria is debate, and where bigotry – of course – is legitimate concern.
And none of this has just happened. It’s been fostered by a media that’s seen how hysteria sells papers, by politicians – either those happy to whip it all up, those looking to win votes by pandering to it while secretly despising anyone who falls for it, or those who don’t want to lose votes and hence ignore it – and ultimately, as is always the case, by everyone.
When it comes to the murder of Jo Cox – the appalling, sickening, heart-rending murder – it’s important to say that nobody really knows why it happened as yet. However, in a society where immigration is an enemy, where migrants are a swarm, where the country is at “breaking point,” where anger is an electoral tool, where you only have to care about “your own,” where you’re told to “take control” and “take your country back”… what do you expect to be the outcome of this, if not violence? Shocking… yes, the murder of Jo Cox was that, of course. But if you were surprised, you haven’t been paying attention.
If this seems bleak, then it’s only half the story. There’s another way of doing things in Britain, and it’s the way that Jo Cox, a mother-of-two who formerly worked with Syrian refugees for Oxfam, represented. Her husband’s ludicrously beautiful and inspirational statement does that too. Jo Cox is someone who, before yesterday, many others would have dismissed as a do-gooding idiot, someone out of touch with ordinary people. Pathetic, hollow, joyless men would have thought her foolish for her belief that caring and kindness and empathy are more important than blame, power, and advancement through the propagation of fear. Jo Cox will be remembered, of course. But the least duty for everyone else is to remember her, not just as a victim, but as someone who was right.
""I'm probably borderline pro-Eu. But I am massively, completely and utterly Vote Remain".
I've been appalled by the poor representation of arguments made by both camps in this referendum. I've been dismayed by the fear mongering on both sides, and by the shallow depth of most commentary.
Personally, I neither believe Brexit will save us, nor kill us. At two extremes, we are led to believe it will lead to the breakup of the UK, or alternatively magically turn us in to a new economic superpower.
In truth, if we vote Brexit, things will be a bit worse for a while, and then we’ll find our way. And that 'way’ may even be good for us.
But I won't and can't stomach voting for Brexit. And not because I fear the economic consequences. And not because I believe our only global role as a nation is as a lead economy within the EU. The reason I can't and won't vote Brexit is because of what is driving the majority of Brexit voters: a tacit to explicit bigotism that looks at people who are different to us and blames all their perceived troubles on them. As Nazi Germany did to the Jews, Middle England wants its ’country back’ from the people who they claim are responsible for all our ills - immigrants.
And while some high profile Brexiteers are not motivated by this argument, they are happily playing to it. And encouraging it. And as a country, however we vote next week, we will have some painful wounds to stitch up because of this political strategy.
But we can all start the healing process now. This week we can rally round our families, rally round our friends and rally round our communities. We should embrace everyone who lives in this country. Celebrate their individuality, and be grateful for the differences that they bring - the differences that make us the ’United Kingdom’ and ’Great Britain’.
For this country has and always will welcome immigrants and refugees. And we should - actually must - protect ourselves from this groundswell of belief that it is OK to blame others for your misfortune - or the perceived misfortune of your country. It is not. It never will be.
I'm probably borderline pro-Eu.
But I am massively, completely and utterly ’Vote Remain’."
About 30% of the UK admits to being racist.
The right, supported by most of the media and enabled by mainstream parties openly uses racist xenophobic nazi tropes to foment hatred against immigrants and minorities to the point where the UK is on the verge of leaving the EU, and a left wing sitting MP has just been murdered by a far right neo-nazi member of an EDL spin off group...
But the problem here is the political correctness of the left.