Don’t let thugs on our streets, or pundits claiming those thugs somehow represent a silent majority, rewrite our national story. We have work to do, but the truth? Britain is a more liberal country than it has ever been www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... - ThreadSky

torstenbell.bsky.social • 205 days ago

Don’t let thugs on our streets, or pundits claiming those thugs somehow represent a silent majority, rewrite our national story. We have work to do, but the truth? Britain is a more liberal country than it has ever been https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/aug/10/despite-appearances-britons-are-more-tolerant-than-ever

Comments

beckya.bsky.social•205 days ago

I don’t know much about British politics, but could the rioting be a reaction by the racist right to growing tolerance by the majority? Sure seems like something similar is going on here in the USA

emuhp.bsky.social•205 days ago

No. Its largely bc 'tolerance' is weak in the face of us being an institutionally racist country, and not a strong enough sentiment to fight fascism. Also because the media have fueled this through relentless, endless anti immigration sensationalism to sell papers to eg old Doris in St Mary Mead

robertgalbraith.bsky.social•205 days ago

Oh hey Torsten, which protest did you go to?

litterygeniarse.bsky.social•199 days ago

THere is a total absence of acknowledgement that rising fascism is a problem nor any discussion on how to prevent it.
Press regulation is key, so too prevention of foreign funding, priviliged access for wealthy/pressure groups.

forsardines.bsky.social•204 days ago

Hmm doubt

mac-interactive.co.uk•205 days ago

Hi Torsten 👋 Good to see you on here. Don’t forget the thugs online especially the owner of X who seems to want to stir things up over here. Government should consider a boycott of X with immediate effect.

laotianrockrat.bsky.social•205 days ago

MOAR FLAGS

aylwin.bsky.social•205 days ago

Shame there's not more of that 54% in your party eh?

mr.place•205 days ago

All of this is in @torstenbell.bsky.social’s excellent book referenced in the article👊

blobbydreadnought.bsky.social•205 days ago

Torsten Bell End

stuartarnell.bsky.social•205 days ago

After this last couple of weeks I am pleased to have some faith restored that the intolerant mob is small. Vocal and heavily represented. But small.

krustyallslopp.bsky.social•204 days ago

Yeah, they're all Torsten's media pals, halfwit grifters like Hazarika and sire racist losers like Jonathan Ashworth

bobhawkins.bsky.social•199 days ago

That’s exactly what the right wing thugs realise & hate…

riv3th3ad.bsky.social•205 days ago

Call these violent pricks what they are: xenophobic fascists

Stop with the notionally racist “thugs” bull shit.

Everyone sees through it.

michelegrant.bsky.social•205 days ago

Good to see you here. Sunder Katwala went through some really useful stats on the FT podcast yesterday that completely bear this out

0x416e6479.bsky.social•205 days ago

Did you read the Forde report Torsten?

https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/The-Forde-Report.pdf

Ps. disappointing to see the former CE of Resolution foundation vote against the SNPs amendment to end the 2 child benefit cap.

algybooker.bsky.social•205 days ago

The country maybe, but the politics and media community is not.
Red and blue tories fighting to be the most 'stop the boats' party, egged on by the media, is a major problem.

The problems wont get fixed until this is accepted and addressed.

lamentablyawake.bsky.social•205 days ago

You might want to talk to your party grandees about that then:
https://www.theguardian.com/global/article/2024/aug/11/were-too-frightened-to-talk-about-immigration-warns-top-labour-party-veteran

davidantos.cz•204 days ago

Depends. The consensus that immigration is bad and you don't want any more Czechs or Poles or Romanians even if it hurts the economy is decidedly illiberal.

werkoderko.bsky.social•205 days ago

By taking on the Tory rhetoric about migration, which has been blaming migrants for years for their policy failures, the Labour Party needs to have a good old look at themselves here. Also when it comes to trans people.

melzat.bsky.social•205 days ago

The wonderful 1950's in the UK, where all deviance & difference was locked away. Those with a disability, mental health issues or single pregnant women, etc etc.
And when people from the colonies bailed us out & staffed our hospitals & buses - they had to know their place.
Happy days!

emuhp.bsky.social•205 days ago

Yet the rhetoric of the party you represent has emboldened the right to think their views are the majority which led directly to the events of the past 2 weeks

totr.bsky.social•204 days ago

how did we get here? It's a mystery, but I reckon it's definitely not the fault of the

[ENORMOUS COUGHING FIT]

oh! bloody hell. sorry about that

[EVEN WORSE COUGHING FIT]

jesus! wow. Sorry, i'll have it shifted in a

[ENORMOUS, EXPLOSIVE RETCHING NOISES]

"centre-left"

incorrectenglish.bsky.social•205 days ago

sallyinfrance.bsky.social•205 days ago

What a heartwarming message.

senduirsellaid.bsky.social•205 days ago

I've noticed that when "one side" gets stronger, so does the "other"...
In sweden when the far-right, the Swedish Democrats (SD) grew, at the same time the anti-fascist groups and the socialists grew.

It seems that our societies are getting more polarized.

forsardines.bsky.social•205 days ago

So when the far-right gets more popular more anti fascists rise up to oppose them, and you think this is a bad thing?

senduirsellaid.bsky.social•205 days ago

No.

forsardines.bsky.social•205 days ago

Ah I see, it’s just that’s how you framed it.

senduirsellaid.bsky.social•205 days ago

❤️🙏