So a UN report criticises the UK for its racism in government, Parliament and the media.
It does not name names, but we can be clear that most, if not all the Tory candidates to suceed Sunak will be on the list along with Reform and most of the published and broadcast media, the Met Police and other public bodies. Labour should also be concerned – Starmers initial speech on Gaza was horrendous!
However racism has become so mainstream that even a family member can say “I am not racist but ….” with no sense of irony! I can give explanations for this but not excuses. For my parents generation (and their influence over my generations thinking) the war was a good reason for xenophobia. This was amplified by the media, controlled by the upper classes and rich who really only supported the war effort once it became apparant that Hitler would use (please do not fact check this – I can be as guilty as any of converting a random thought into fact! Was I thinking of Remains of the Day”). TV had the Black and White Minstral Show (although even in my pre-teens this was embarrassing) and then “some mothers do have them” which was funny, very racist and I (sounding like Donald Trump) sided with the long haired scoucer trade unionist).
So my generation were indoctrinated at every opportunity – no lessons about the slave trade for me, just hearing about our racist heroes of the past like ‘Clive of India’, Captain Cook, Drake and Churchill. No mention of Winston sending the troops in against strikers or his role in the Indian Famine. Signs were up in B&B “No blacks, Irish or queers”. A very intolerant society. But it also gave birth to the Sixties and rebellion against the conformity of austerity. Hippies opened their horizons whilst the Mods and Rockers craved for the lost norms of the past. Then along came the skinheads – a tribe for the failures and those failed by society. Being and acting like a moron became the norm for a sector of society. 30p Anderson and Farage and the others realise this is a fan ase neglected by the main parties. In the days before Thatcher when we had an industrial base these guys (and they are mainly men) had jobs in factories and identified with their trade union. As the Trade Unions lost membership so the football Ultras and yobo’s proliferated. As hooliganism was cut back on, then these people had no ideological home. Car theft also lost its shine as it became more difficult.
But my relative is not poor – home owning and well off. Former mod with a police record to prove it. He and I suspect his family have become radicalised by the media of the Mail, Sun, GB News etc. Their fear, bigotism and paranoia defies logical explanation. Their paucity of ideas and ideology craves a symbol to follow (Flag, badge, club) basically anything to hide the fact that they are pathetic morons who can only articulate their views via the sound bytes of the rich and wealthy.