The right hill to die on
I wonder how all those op ed writers, columnists and contenders for the Tory party leadership are feeling today? Let alone the Reform party. Do they feel chipper that they have jumped the right way and have history on their side? Or is there a worm of doubt somewhere at the back of their minds?
After all claiming as several have that Magna Carta is dead, free speech is history and Big Brother is watching you, when the Labour government has not introduced a single piece of legislation is pretty daft. Verging on paranoia really. It is claiming that calling for and inciting mass murder, rioting and ethnic cleansing is free speech, and must be protected. Really?
Then they blame the Labour government for releasing prisoners early when it was announced by them months ago, not a bright move. We can all remember that far back; in fact we still have the announcement on tape.
But most worryingly they then side with the rioters. I know they condemn them as well, but then they say BUT.
“But” they are rioting for a reason, “but” this reflects a divided and worried section of the population, “but” their cause is just, “but” immigration is damaging, “but” we must listen to them, “but” we must do what they want.
And they do all this when we can all look at the people up in the courts and quite rightly going to prison. Surely that must make even the dumbest Tory pause for thought?
Thugs, drunks, bigots, thieves, burglars, people with a list of convictions for violence and disorder as long as their tattooed arms.
People who took knuckle dusters to protest peacefully about the tragic murder of three young girls, because they thought it was the chance to murder some muslims. People who tried to burn down hotels with their guests still in them, tried to kill police officers, and destroy mosques, beat up people based only on the colour of their skin.
Really? Because people notice these things and it alters the mood music, permanently.
You might have thought there was some kind of race memory in the Tory party that continually reminds them not to do this. Never appease Nazis it reminds people of our past and our real believes, don’t say “Hurrah for the Black Shirts”, it reminds people of our past and our real thoughts.
But no, they really want to fight on this ground. They really want to offer this to the electorate.
Free speech for racist murderers, what a hill to die on.
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
By Jonty Bloom Media
They’ve got to a state where they are engaged in a form of projection but have themselves become untethered from whatever used to constitute the kernel of their success.
There’s a genuine case for anticipating an electoral lacuna into which Reform erect their stall. If Farage, like some of his continental far right bedfellows, can dupe the disaffected youth and combine that with rural votes, we could be much closer to what once seemed unthinkable.
The centre-right, as it has proven in the past, has caved to the blood-lust of the loon flank. Starmer seems to recognise that people desire purpose and order in times of great flux. He has appropriated some of the rhetorical hooks of his opponents and deployed them skilfully in pursuit of much more progressive purposes.
Another economic shock after 2008, Covid & Ukraine could break the camel’s back, the steering of the ship to a more resilient position in the form of “securonomics” and making us a reliable partner once again will be tough to achieve in five years. How you do this and make people feel the benefit in a tangible way, in their pockets and a functional public realm is the mother and father of all challenges for Reeves and Starmer. The longer they are spoken of in the same breath, one suspects, the closer we will be to attaining the ground we have all lost under the incompetent misrule of the past decade and a half.
I’m still amazed that the tory hopefuls (and, actually, why would you want to lead such a bunch anyway?) seem to believe that all the rioting yobs vote tory, or will once they’re out of prison. I suppose that the rioters might at least make up some of the numbers for the elderly tories who are dying off and reducing party numbers (“smaller but better”, as Lenin probably didn’t say)