Politicians have learned that to repeat the same simple mantras over and over again will have the desired effect on the voter. People react emotionally to information received, they rarely investigate the information given to discover whether it was true.
I once posted a fake news about the SAS team from the Iranian Embassy getting prosecuted. The article contained a bold and clear footer, which read ‘FAKE NEWS’. The post had a huge response because very few readers read to the bottom line. Even when the FAKE NEWS was made clear the emotional responders refused to accept that the post was fake. Eventually I took it down.
In the 1970s the UK was bombed weekly and most of our centres of population were attacked. The attacks were carried out by the IRA. The IRA are all Catholic and all Irish. In spite of the attacks the majority of the people of the UK did not suddenly denounce all Catholics or demand the repatriation on all people of Irish descent to Eire. In this case the government never confused the crime with the religion or nationality. The IRA hoped that the fear and hatred created would drive millions into the ranks. The attacks failed until the UK government introduced internment or imprisonment without trial. This undermined the legitimacy of the legal system and filled the ranks of the Provisional IRA. This is an example of good politics and bad (in hindsight).
Extremist political groups are currently reinforcing the same emotional response to Islamic Extremists in Europe. From this fear and hatred they hope to gain democratic political support. The deliberately confuse a crime with an ethnic background - they confuse a religion with an extremist group that uses the religion in their title. They are having a great deal of success in creating disorder in the UK.
Freedom of speech is not the right to abuse, intimidate or threaten it is the right to disagree, to promote alternatives, to present new ideas and to offend without being deliberately abusive. If a person disagrees it doesn’t make him or her an enemy.
The current frustration of many followers of right wing extremist views in the UK has been generated by successive governments that have supported minority interests against the majority of the UK population in the name of promoting equality. This is turn gave minorities an unjustified amount of leverage. The ‘race card’ is raised whenever minority policies are opposed.
Our greatest war leader Winston Churchill said ‘Jaw jaw not war war’. By this he meant talking beats the hell out of killing. Those who advocate violence always see themselves as the suppliers of violence not the receivers.
The Brexit referendum was the first truly democratic decision of the people of the UK for a generation. The people must have moderate Political Parties that address these issues not a two party state that simply swaps places every ten years.To obtain the changes that are needed to bring our politics back into a realm that supports the moderate majority of the people, the people must vote.
My Party the Veterans and People’s Party https://www.vapp.org.uk/ is a centrist, moderate party. We renounce all extremism, be it supremacist or religious. All extremist groups rely on the emotions of frustration, fear and hate.
Change can come from the ballot box if ordinary people run for election and other ordinary people vote for them. If people don’t vote then the alternative is revolution and violence.
Those who support revolution should remember that violence has no boundaries.
(c)Robin Horsfall 2018
