Heroes: “Fruitcakes”, “loonies” and “closet racists”. (1)

 

“Mix like sticks of dynamite

Red black or white, this is my fight

Come on courage, let’s be heard”

 
Lee Anderson’s anti-something tirade might be one the final nails in the Tory party’s coffin. To be clear, I don’t mean to their chances of re-election, but their ability to say together as a cogent political party.

Whilst Anderson remains unrepentant, his rather self-serving justification makes interesting reading.

He said, “……. , I believe in free speech and have 100 per cent respect for people of all backgrounds.” Recent Tory legislation around demonstrations clearly shows that free speech applies only to those who agree with them

My words may have been clumsy but my words were borne out of sheer frustration at what is happening to our beautiful capital city. You might love our beautiful city but it doesn’t love you!.

Perhaps, I should be kinder to him. This proves what I wrote in March 2017, that Brexit would tear the Tories apart. Secondly, it shows that whatever tangles Labour get themselves into, the Tories can always go one better.

Before we go on, what is all the fuss about?

Last week, the Conservative MP Lee Anderson claimed that “Islamists” have “got control of London” and its mayor, Sadiq Khan.

Speaking on GB News, Anderson said of Khan, the first Muslim mayor of London: “I don’t actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they’ve got control of Khan, and they’ve got control of London.”

In addition, Anderson also said; “Ultimately we run the country, and if the police aren’t doing their job – and they’re not doing their job … we need to step in and take over”.
 

“Ultimately we run the country, and if the police aren’t doing their job – and they’re not doing their job … we need to step in and take over”

 
A recent report from Tell Mama, a charity, recorded 2,010 Islamophobic incidents between 7 October and 7 February, compared with 600 in the same period last year.

Subsequent to Anderson’s remarks, the Tories have suspended after he refused to apologise for his words.

Really, this was a fitting end for what was a grim week for British politics. We had the Commons taking the tragic situation in the Middle East and making it all about themselves. Followed by some politicians who, rather than recognising the danger of this type of division, have sought to weaponise it.

Aside from Andersons comments, in Friday’s Telegraph, Suella Braverman declared Britain was “sleepwalking into a ghettoised society”, arguing that ours is not a country “where different faiths and races [coexist]” peacefully”.

In terms of dealing with these uncontrolled outburst, Rishi Sunak is in denial. He clearly believes that the Conservative party doesn’t suffer from Islamophobia. Regarding Lee Anderson’s comments about Sadiq Khan, he said they were “wrong” rather than prejudiced.

In two separate radio interviews when asked about whether the party had Islamophobic tendencies, he replied:

“No, of course it doesn’t. And I think it’s incumbent on all of us, especially those elected to parliament, not to inflame our debates in a way that’s harmful to others.”

“I believe racism or prejudice of any kind is completely unacceptable, and we must stamp it out”.

He made no mention of the specific idea of anti-Muslim prejudice.
 

‘In terms of dealing with these uncontrolled outburst, Rishi Sunak is in denial’

 
Interestingly, his comments were contrary to those of Anderson and Braverman, Sunak said the UK was the “most successful multi-ethnic democracy in the world”.

“That’s because we have a way of doing these things, of respecting everyone, and at the same time ensuring that everyone integrates into our community and subscribes to a common set of British values.

“And that’s why, as I said, racism or prejudice of any kind is completely unacceptable.”

Sunak also declined to criticise Braverman, saying her comments “were not about an individual in particular”.

Sunak’s refusal to engage with the specific idea of anti-Muslim prejudice is likely to increase concern among some Tories.

Sayeeda Warsi, the Conservative peer who was a cabinet minister in David Cameron’s government said; “What is it about the prime minister that he can’t even call out anti-Muslim racism and anti-Muslim bigotry? Why can’t he just use those words”.

As pressure mounted on Sunak, the Conservative Muslim Forum (“CMF”), which is the party’s affiliated body for Muslim members, was in talks about meeting the Tory chair, Richard Holden, this week.

Naveed Asghar, the deputy chair of the CMF, said: “Is the party racist or Islamophobic? I would say no, from my heart. Individuals? Yes. Are these people pandering to the vote base in their seats? I can’t see what’s going on.

“If he is doubling down on the comments then the party should absolutely be having a word with him. I was hoping that the suspension would be enough.
 

“Is the party racist or Islamophobic? I would say no, from my heart. Individuals? Yes’

 
“Any inflammatory remarks are just not acceptable, whether it’s people on the left making antisemitic comments or people on the right making anti-Muslim comments.”

Mayor Khan, in an article for the Evening Standard on Monday, wrote that Sunak’s refusal to describe the comments as Islamophobic was “a tacit endorsement of anti-Muslim hatred and can only lead to the conclusion that anti-Muslim bigotry and racism are not taken seriously”.

What is more sinister is that, as the week has rolled-on, support for Anderson is increasing, with his supporters calling Sunak a “snake” over the suspension, with some MPs demanding that he should be allowed back.

In leaked WhatsApp messages, members of the Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO), attacked the PM for kicking Anderson out of the parliamentary party. Several endorsed Anderson’s comments and some went further in decrying “the threat of Islam”.

The CDO was created in December 2022 by the Tory donor and Johnson supporter Peter Cruddas, after Boris Johnson and then Liz Truss were ousted, and has had high-profile support from senior Tory politicians on the right, with Priti Patel, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadine Dorries addressing its conference last May.

Jonathan Gullis, the Tory MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, said: “I hope that we will see him return to that party sooner rather than later but of course he has to, I think, make that apology to Mayor Khan.”

Another said it was “time for the snake of a PM to go.” Another called Sunak a “nutsak” and said “he should never have been there”.

Multiple activists expressed support for Suella Braverman; One CDO member said: “She is saying the exact same thing as Lee Anderson, just in less colourful language, and importantly in print. I am beginning to believe that Suella is the only person who has shown the mettle who can turn the party and remove the threat of Islam from our country.”
 

Another said it was “time for the snake of a PM to go.” Another called Sunak a “nutsak” and said “he should never have been there”

 
Research from Hope Not Hate, conducted by Opinium earlier this month shows that this racism is becoming embedded in the broader party outside of parliament, after a poll of 521 Conservative party members:

· 58% think Islam is a threat to the British way of life. In a 2020 poll the number was 47%

· While only 18% believe the two are compatible.

· Over half think it’s true that “Parts of many European cities are under the control of Sharia Law and are ‘no-go’ zones for non-Muslims”,

· Only 20% think that statement is false.

· Twice as many party members have a negative view of Muslims as those who have a positive view.

· 80% think that the UK should be prepared to ignore and/or overrule human rights legislation and the European convention on human rights to ensure asylum seekers are sent to Rwanda

· When asked what three words best describe the government’s approach to immigration, 52% describe it as not strong enough, while 41% say it is ineffective and 28% say weak.
 
The views they express are far more extreme than those of the population as a whole: whilst 58% of Conservative party members think Islam is a threat to the British way of life, only 30% of the UK public does.

Interestingly, the polls sheds some light on what members see as the party’s future. Without doubt the party is shifting rapidly to the right. Within this, Sunak is increasingly adopting hardline positions, whether that is by choice, is a discussion point.
 
· 55% of those surveyed supported Nigel Farage joining the party, with just 23% against,

· 45% believe that “Globalist elites are encouraging immigration into Europe as part of a plot to weaken European identity”
 
I suspect that the momentum for party to move further right will continue.

‘whilst 58% of Conservative party members think Islam is a threat to the British way of life, only 30% of the UK public does’

One of the great strengths of the far-right is the support it enjoys in the media, E.G., the Daily Mail, the Telegraph, and the television channel, GB News.

The latter is, according former broadcasters, being allowed to violate broadcasting impartiality while Ofcom is failing to take tough action against it.

The complainants include former ITN chief Stewart Purvis and broadcaster Adam Boulton, also expressed unease over Conservative MPs fronting GB News shows, in some cases interviewing each other. They were also concerned over the prominence of Nigel Farage, who has yet to rule out an election run for Reform.

GB News is currently facing 13 Ofcom investigations relating to allegations of a lack of impartiality and fairness, in several instances linked to shows hosted by Conservative MPs – many of them going back almost a year.

“Some of these cases are very old and you find yourself thinking: what are they waiting for?” said Purvis.

In summary, there are deep-rooted issue within the party, which, perhaps explains the PMs reluctance to tackle them head-on. The views expressed by Baverman and Anderson appear to be representative of a good number of the parliamentary party and grassroots members.

Backbenchers are reportedly hearing a backlash from constituents regarding Anderson’s sacking, with one telling the Telegraph that he, “speaks for the silent majority”. Even as the Tory MP Paul Scully criticised his colleague, he added that there were “no-go areas” in parts of Tower Hamlets and Birmingham Sparkhill. Last week, Liz Truss, the former prime minister, stood silent as Steve Bannon called Tommy Robinson “a hero”.

In conclusion, this whole sorry saga just sums up populism; aggressive pub politics devoid of measured argument.
 

this whole sorry saga just sums up populism; aggressive pub politics devoid of measured argument

 
This week it emerged that three female MPs (both Conservative and Labour) have been issued with bodyguards and cars out of rising fears for their safety. Hardline activists who sneer that this “comes with the territory” lack foresight and humanity in a way that is not totally different to the way in which Anderson does.

Parliament is there to govern, to lead, to set standards, as those standards of leadership degenerate it is only natural that the standards of a number of the populations degenerates too.

We are in an era of cheap politics from cheap politicians; we have had Boris Johnson defending himself against a new raft of Partygate stories by telling the House that Keir Starmer had failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile when he was director of public prosecutions. Labour are little better running a social media ad saying: “Do you think adults convicted of sexually assaulting children should go to prison? Rishi Sunak doesn’t.”.

There was also Nigel Farage celebrating the Brexit referendum victory with a provocative and sniping speech only days after the murder of Jo Cox, saying we’d got there “without a single bullet being fired”.

The current generation of politicians are simply divisive. They love the attention it gets them in a world of instant media, and, perhaps more importantly, this divisiveness covers up their own shortcomings.
 
Ultimately, it is easier for them to do this and to try and solve the country’s problems.

“Southern trees bear strange fruit

Blood on the leaves and blood at the root

Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze

Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees”

 
Notes:

1. Quote by (Lord Cameron of Austerity and Misery (David Cameron), April 2006; https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2006/apr/04/conservatives.uk
 
From the perspective of a political commentator, the Tory party – and indeed the whole rotting mess of UK politics – is a gift that keeps on giving; and Philip’s been filling his boots!:

This really is a back to the future moment. As I predicted back in March 2017 in, “Brexit: the Never-Ending Story”, it was ultimately the point at which the Tory party began to implode. Prior to that they had been adept at not washing the dirty linen in public, but, post-Brexit the hard-right started to flex its muscles.

In this they have been aided by circumstances; the GFC, austerity, progressive politics and immigration. This has created a new breed of “Conservative”, let’s call them “social conservatives’ ‘. They are a hybrid; economically they are big-state, supporters of public services, especially the NHS, socially they are racist, anti-woke (anti-progressive) and nativistic. You could call them National Socialists!

Today, the Tory party continues to lurch further to the right, and, in doing so further alienating the moderate One Nation Conservatives. As far as I can tell their membership is C.110 MPs, making them the largest single block, but possibly a minority should all the far-right groups be joined together.

Unfortunately, they are by and large the silent majority, whilst the right shout and holler in the manner of a true populist.

I find it almost beyond comprehension that the two-sides can continue to work together, and I suspect that post the expected election defeat there will be some form of split.

As a member of the One Nation grouping said;  “These are people who want to turn the Tory party into Reform or some version of it, and are seizing on opportunities to do so. Anyone sensible recognises that you cannot simply add the Reform vote to the Tory vote and say, ‘look, it’s a new coalition’. You shed voters on the other side.”

Before finishing a piece that is largely based on racism, it would be unfair not to give the Met Police their moment of glory.

This week it was revealed that a Met detective initially sacked for racism has been reinstated and sent on a leadership course.

DS Neil Buckmaster was dismissed in 2021 after a discipline panel found him guilty of gross misconduct. The panel heard he had used racist terms, which he gave to avatars while playing an online football game. The Met said the officer’s behaviour was “offensive and utterly unacceptable”.

A public complaint led to an investigation, and Buckmaster was sacked and placed on a list barring him from employment in policing, Scotland Yard announced.

When asked about Buckmaster’s continued services, the force said he had been dismissed but an appeal tribunal set aside the guilty finding.

The Met said the case added to the strength of the commissioner Mark Rowley’s argument that he, and not an appeals tribunal, should have the final say about who works in the Met.

Buckmaster is now back in the Met and is still a DS based in south London and is understood to be assigned to a programme to help transform the Met, which is battling to win back public trust.

In many ways this makes sense, a racist government supported by a racist police force – what could be more logical!

Lyrically, we start with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and “The Power of Equality”, which is dedicated to 30p Lee, who looks like an Oasis fan. I imagine in those ¾ length trousers, Ralph Lauren shirt untucked, red-faced bellowing out “Wonderwall”; yuk! We finish with what is perhaps, the definitive anti-racism song “Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday. Enjoy!

 
@coldwarsteve

 

Philip Gilbert is a city-based corporate financier, and former investment banker.

Philip is a great believer in meritocracy, and in the belief that if you want something enough you can make it happen. These beliefs were formed in his formative years, of the late 1970s and 80s

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