Don't forget the role the media has played in this. In the recent riots in particular. Days of reporting alternately that the murderer was carrying a knife required by his religion which he used to commit the murder, and that the murder weapon was a larger knife, not the wee religious one tucked within his clothing. Sikhs appear to be the next hate group for the media now!
"We have created an underclass of mainly white, ill educated, low skilled, low income losers and amongst their midst is a hard core of bigoted, easily whipped up thugs"...
Sounds rather like a large country to the west of the UK - and we certainly don't want any more of their influence!!
Entirely justified fury, Jonty. All involved (ourselves included) have been played for fools by those who have offered the illusion that a low tax economy can offer continuing welfare, education, and social security. We need a path to social democracy but we're getting a path to what is unfolding in the USA.
According to the BBC news report, Robinson and Fox were there stirring up their pliant mob of racist thugs who clearly had no idea about why they were doing it. Not did they care about the families involved. It was just another opportunity to get free media coverage to please their financiers. None of them would associate their rioting with pensions. It was just a bit of mindless fun for them.
I lived in the USA for four years, arriving just after the 2007-2008 global financial crisis (caused mainly by American banks) and it was a dystopian hell on earth. The anger and resentment from Dems and Republicans alike at losing their 'American Dream' was palpable and very divisive indeed. They blamed everyone but themselves, punching downwards at immigrants and anyone less fortunate than themselves "for squandering their precious tax dollars".
The USA was largely founded by immigrants, criminals, misfits, tax dodgers, and a myriad of extreme religious sects who all seemed to hate each other and refused to integrate ... and they haven't changed much since. They committed the most appalling genocide on the native population whose remnants are now isolated and excluded from normal everyday life. They embraced slave labour, rampant capitalism and constant war-mongering, and endless interference in every other nation's sovereign affairs, just to enrich themselves.
Americans are NOTHING like Europeans; not in mindset, culture, social attitudes, values or even in their version of the English language and how they use it. I genuinely felt we had arrived in a bizarre alien society which viewed and pitied us, as a white English-born family, who had fled their idea of a mythical Victorian England (full of smog, acid rain, grim tenements, grinding poverty, child labour, high taxation and nasty government overreach), who must be so thrilled at escaping to the 'Land of the Free'. Even our passports described us as a "non-resident aliens" which was both comical and sad at the same time.
And now those attitudes are being imported over here, via our own (mostly foreign) billionaire-owned mainstream media. It is therefore small wonder that European countries (which includes the UK) have decided that we need to re-arm to defend ourselves against "future hostile states". We are all glancing nervously West across the pond at the most uncivilised, hostile and bellicose country on the planet and wondering who are our real allies ... and who is our actual enemy?
The relentless American-funded propaganda would have us believe that it is countries in Eurasia who represent a threat to our future prosperity and cherished way of life. I would beg to differ.
You are right about the creation of a white underclass, ill educated, with a sense of grievance, but I am not convinced that they are swayed by thoughts of pension. They definitely are swayed at their thoughts of injustice and the easy answer that it is all down to immigrants having their share rather the reality that it went straight to the wealthy in the form of tax cuts, along with the utilities that are now profiteering so heavily. It is perhaps easier for them to concentrate on the easier target. Although once the immigrants have gone and their lives are even harder, it is hard to know where their anger will turn next. Eventually the tumbrils will start to roll and those responsible for punching down so hard will perhaps realise that perhaps their actions have consequences…..
This is not something that has just come about over the last twenty years it has been a long time in the making. I was an overseas Masters student at a UK university back in the early nineties, I had been living out of the UK for nearly
twenty years, but the discussions with fellow students and lecturers led me to the conclusion that I no longer had very much in common with the British working class. The bigotry and mindless "patriotism" was already evident. And the far right have seized on this mindset and are pushing as hard and as fast as they can.
Might I ask if that was England or Scotland? Because my experience is that this is a much more prolific issue in England, albeit not unheard of & now on the rise in Scotland.
Don't forget the role the media has played in this. In the recent riots in particular. Days of reporting alternately that the murderer was carrying a knife required by his religion which he used to commit the murder, and that the murder weapon was a larger knife, not the wee religious one tucked within his clothing. Sikhs appear to be the next hate group for the media now!
When they're not being confused with Muslims by Tommy-Ten-Names.
"We have created an underclass of mainly white, ill educated, low skilled, low income losers and amongst their midst is a hard core of bigoted, easily whipped up thugs"...
Sounds rather like a large country to the west of the UK - and we certainly don't want any more of their influence!!
Entirely justified fury, Jonty. All involved (ourselves included) have been played for fools by those who have offered the illusion that a low tax economy can offer continuing welfare, education, and social security. We need a path to social democracy but we're getting a path to what is unfolding in the USA.
I share your anxiety. This is the road to hell - only this one is not even paved with good intentions.
According to the BBC news report, Robinson and Fox were there stirring up their pliant mob of racist thugs who clearly had no idea about why they were doing it. Not did they care about the families involved. It was just another opportunity to get free media coverage to please their financiers. None of them would associate their rioting with pensions. It was just a bit of mindless fun for them.
I lived in the USA for four years, arriving just after the 2007-2008 global financial crisis (caused mainly by American banks) and it was a dystopian hell on earth. The anger and resentment from Dems and Republicans alike at losing their 'American Dream' was palpable and very divisive indeed. They blamed everyone but themselves, punching downwards at immigrants and anyone less fortunate than themselves "for squandering their precious tax dollars".
The USA was largely founded by immigrants, criminals, misfits, tax dodgers, and a myriad of extreme religious sects who all seemed to hate each other and refused to integrate ... and they haven't changed much since. They committed the most appalling genocide on the native population whose remnants are now isolated and excluded from normal everyday life. They embraced slave labour, rampant capitalism and constant war-mongering, and endless interference in every other nation's sovereign affairs, just to enrich themselves.
Americans are NOTHING like Europeans; not in mindset, culture, social attitudes, values or even in their version of the English language and how they use it. I genuinely felt we had arrived in a bizarre alien society which viewed and pitied us, as a white English-born family, who had fled their idea of a mythical Victorian England (full of smog, acid rain, grim tenements, grinding poverty, child labour, high taxation and nasty government overreach), who must be so thrilled at escaping to the 'Land of the Free'. Even our passports described us as a "non-resident aliens" which was both comical and sad at the same time.
And now those attitudes are being imported over here, via our own (mostly foreign) billionaire-owned mainstream media. It is therefore small wonder that European countries (which includes the UK) have decided that we need to re-arm to defend ourselves against "future hostile states". We are all glancing nervously West across the pond at the most uncivilised, hostile and bellicose country on the planet and wondering who are our real allies ... and who is our actual enemy?
The relentless American-funded propaganda would have us believe that it is countries in Eurasia who represent a threat to our future prosperity and cherished way of life. I would beg to differ.
You are right about the creation of a white underclass, ill educated, with a sense of grievance, but I am not convinced that they are swayed by thoughts of pension. They definitely are swayed at their thoughts of injustice and the easy answer that it is all down to immigrants having their share rather the reality that it went straight to the wealthy in the form of tax cuts, along with the utilities that are now profiteering so heavily. It is perhaps easier for them to concentrate on the easier target. Although once the immigrants have gone and their lives are even harder, it is hard to know where their anger will turn next. Eventually the tumbrils will start to roll and those responsible for punching down so hard will perhaps realise that perhaps their actions have consequences…..
This is not something that has just come about over the last twenty years it has been a long time in the making. I was an overseas Masters student at a UK university back in the early nineties, I had been living out of the UK for nearly
twenty years, but the discussions with fellow students and lecturers led me to the conclusion that I no longer had very much in common with the British working class. The bigotry and mindless "patriotism" was already evident. And the far right have seized on this mindset and are pushing as hard and as fast as they can.
Might I ask if that was England or Scotland? Because my experience is that this is a much more prolific issue in England, albeit not unheard of & now on the rise in Scotland.
It was in England.
Unfortunately the parties the “protestors” will vote for (like Reform) will only make things worse as they gut the very protections needed
Some rather wide-ranging platitudes in this piece today, Mr. Bloom.