Guest blogger Dr. Anna Szilagyi describes how dehumanizing rhetoric – a key hallmark of Dangerous Speech – affects our thoughts and perceptions, making violence more acceptable.
Dangerous Metaphors: How Dehumanizing Rhetoric Works | Dangerous Speech Project
Showing posts with label xenophobia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label xenophobia. Show all posts
Sunday, 23 February 2020
Saturday, 26 January 2019
That Irish backstop...
Seb Dance, MEP (Labour), sums up the situation nicely:
Basically, May is trying to sell a lie to MPs. She knows, because the EU27 have told her - and indeed everyone - often enough that it's non-negotiable.
They, at least, draw their red lines at hurting people and (re)starting wars.
No backstop = breaching Good Friday Agreement = hard border = physically dividing communities and families = a return to the Troubles, which is what the GFA put an end to.
We must not forget that the March 29 deadline is now barely 2 months away. Those who talk of extending it in order to re-negotiate are dishonest, as it is impossible unless May's viciously and self-destructively xenophobic 'red lines' are removed. Those who want to extend it to hold a referendum on "May's deal, no deal, or no Brexit" have a better chance, but they're kidding themselves if they think they'll be allowed a stay past 30th June, when the new European Parliament will sit for the first time.
Moreover, the suspiciously-funded No-deal Leave lobby started ramping up its Facebook and Twitter campaigns some time ago and the far-right UK tabloids continue to spread xenophobic lies unchecked, while denouncing anyone who disagrees with their perverted views as 'traitors' (I believe there's a word for that kind of attitude. Someone came up with it about 100 years ago).
Equally suspiciously, Theresa May has admitted to knowing the 2016 referendum was corrupt, while insisting on continuing with her destructive course, encouraging xenophobia and an ever-deepening split in the country. She has also blocked police investigations into known criminal activity that affected the result of the 2016 referendum. Why? Is she afraid one of the trails the police might undercover would lead to her?
Theresa May, and a number of her cronies, shouldn't be leading the country. They should almost certainly be 'helping the police with their inquiries', as the euphemism goes. Time for Toadface Farage is already running out: the FBI are after him.There is something deeply shaming about a foreign country being more willing to track down and punish criminals destroying your democracy and your country than you are.
So, there is currently no guarantee that the result of another referendum would be any less tainted with corruption.
There is only one option left, and it's the only option that can save the UK. It will annoy a small, but admittedly vocal and violent far-right thugs. It will upset the corrupt rich, who will lose money over it, as they've been betting on the £ continuing to plummet so they can asset-strip the country. It will really piss off Putin, who wants a weakened Europe for his own expansionist wet dreams. Fuck them all, and fuck them mightily.
It will require all Governments to stop using the EU as a useful scapegoat for their own misdeeds.
It will require actually educating the British (well, the English mostly, as other countries in the Union already have it) as to what Parliament does, what the EU does, what an MP does, what local authorities do, and so on. It's called civic education, and it should be obligatory everywhere.
It will require a vote of Parliament. It's feasible. The hard bit is of course getting certain MPs to understand that their job is to put their country before everything else.
Parliament must withdraw Article 50 and commit (because it's the only way to regain even a fraction of the trust lost over Brexit) to closer ties with the EU.
Anything else is just dicking around and trying everybody's patience.
Removing the backstop means the EU27 will reject it.— Seb Dance MEP (@SebDance) 26 January 2019
• May can get an agreement with the EU27 that won’t pass HoC.
• May might be able to squeeze an agreement with HoC that won’t pass EU27.
Obviously May needs both to approve. She can’t get both. https://t.co/RSBl8r70AR
Basically, May is trying to sell a lie to MPs. She knows, because the EU27 have told her - and indeed everyone - often enough that it's non-negotiable.
They, at least, draw their red lines at hurting people and (re)starting wars.
No backstop = breaching Good Friday Agreement = hard border = physically dividing communities and families = a return to the Troubles, which is what the GFA put an end to.
We must not forget that the March 29 deadline is now barely 2 months away. Those who talk of extending it in order to re-negotiate are dishonest, as it is impossible unless May's viciously and self-destructively xenophobic 'red lines' are removed. Those who want to extend it to hold a referendum on "May's deal, no deal, or no Brexit" have a better chance, but they're kidding themselves if they think they'll be allowed a stay past 30th June, when the new European Parliament will sit for the first time.
Moreover, the suspiciously-funded No-deal Leave lobby started ramping up its Facebook and Twitter campaigns some time ago and the far-right UK tabloids continue to spread xenophobic lies unchecked, while denouncing anyone who disagrees with their perverted views as 'traitors' (I believe there's a word for that kind of attitude. Someone came up with it about 100 years ago).
Equally suspiciously, Theresa May has admitted to knowing the 2016 referendum was corrupt, while insisting on continuing with her destructive course, encouraging xenophobia and an ever-deepening split in the country. She has also blocked police investigations into known criminal activity that affected the result of the 2016 referendum. Why? Is she afraid one of the trails the police might undercover would lead to her?
Theresa May, and a number of her cronies, shouldn't be leading the country. They should almost certainly be 'helping the police with their inquiries', as the euphemism goes. Time for Toadface Farage is already running out: the FBI are after him.There is something deeply shaming about a foreign country being more willing to track down and punish criminals destroying your democracy and your country than you are.
So, there is currently no guarantee that the result of another referendum would be any less tainted with corruption.
There is only one option left, and it's the only option that can save the UK. It will annoy a small, but admittedly vocal and violent far-right thugs. It will upset the corrupt rich, who will lose money over it, as they've been betting on the £ continuing to plummet so they can asset-strip the country. It will really piss off Putin, who wants a weakened Europe for his own expansionist wet dreams. Fuck them all, and fuck them mightily.
It will require all Governments to stop using the EU as a useful scapegoat for their own misdeeds.
It will require actually educating the British (well, the English mostly, as other countries in the Union already have it) as to what Parliament does, what the EU does, what an MP does, what local authorities do, and so on. It's called civic education, and it should be obligatory everywhere.
It will require a vote of Parliament. It's feasible. The hard bit is of course getting certain MPs to understand that their job is to put their country before everything else.
Parliament must withdraw Article 50 and commit (because it's the only way to regain even a fraction of the trust lost over Brexit) to closer ties with the EU.
Anything else is just dicking around and trying everybody's patience.
Sunday, 12 August 2018
OKWONGA.COM: My new post, on Redfish and Russia Today.
I feel sick, but most of all I feel naive.
Last week I spent a wonderful couple of hours in the company of a film crew, who interviewed me at length for a documentary they were making about xenophobia and austerity in the UK. A few days later, I was thankfully informed by Oz Katerji, an investigative journalist, that this company – Redfish, based in Berlin – was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Russia Today...
OKWONGA.COM - My new post, on Redfish and Russia Today.
Last week I spent a wonderful couple of hours in the company of a film crew, who interviewed me at length for a documentary they were making about xenophobia and austerity in the UK. A few days later, I was thankfully informed by Oz Katerji, an investigative journalist, that this company – Redfish, based in Berlin – was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Russia Today...
OKWONGA.COM - My new post, on Redfish and Russia Today.
Sunday, 6 August 2017
Anti-immigrant rhetoric
Dealing with #Racism? Here's the Top Four Comebacks :-) pic.twitter.com/SlM7RQy2W2— Far Right Watch (@Far_Right_Watch) 5 August 2017
Sunday, 2 July 2017
May's Brexit plan will hit rights of Britons abroad, campaigners tell EU | Politics | The Guardian
Theresa May’s proposal to protect the rights of EU citizens after Brexit is so poor, it will badly damage the rights of Britons living in Europe, campaign groups have told the European commission.
In an official response to the EU Brexit negotiating team, British in Europe and the3million have said that if May’s proposal is adopted it would represent a “severe reduction of the current rights” enjoyed by Britons in Europe.
Last week they expressed fears that Britons would be the “sacrificial lambs” in the Conservatives’ mission to reduce immigration...
Full article here: May's Brexit plan will hit rights of Britons abroad, campaigners tell EU | Politics | The Guardian
Websites of:
In an official response to the EU Brexit negotiating team, British in Europe and the3million have said that if May’s proposal is adopted it would represent a “severe reduction of the current rights” enjoyed by Britons in Europe.
Last week they expressed fears that Britons would be the “sacrificial lambs” in the Conservatives’ mission to reduce immigration...
Full article here: May's Brexit plan will hit rights of Britons abroad, campaigners tell EU | Politics | The Guardian
Websites of:
- British in Europe
- the3million (EU27 citizens in the UK)
Sunday, 23 April 2017
Government responded to “Exempt Non-EU NHS professionals from £35,000 salary threshold”
Exempt Non-EU NHS professionals from £35,000 salary threshold
Since April 2016, Non-EU citizens wishing to remain permanently in the UK have been required to earn £35,000 a year on a single contracted salary. I find this rule discriminates unfairly against those who chose to work in the NHS, where such a salary is impossible within first 5 years of employment.
Like many others I came to the UK to complete my MSc and now wish to remain working for NHS making differences to people's lives on a daily basis. I have been living here for over 7 years and working extra hours during nights/weekends to meet the threshold however it is not good enough to secure my place here unless something changes.
Sadly there are many others facing the same hardship and I believe that the threshold should be lowered to at least the average UK salary £28,000 for NHS staff.
The petition having reached 10K signatures (it's open for signatures until 3rd May), the relevant Govt. department was required to issue an official reply. The current Secretary of State for the Home Department is Amber Rudd (see photo). The Petitions Committee will also take a look at this petition and its response. They can press the government for action and gather evidence.
Please note: this response was issued after the announcement of a General Election on 8th June.
Friday, 21 April 2017
Why Theresa May should scare you | Never Cruel Nor Cowardly
Looked at objectively, Theresa May is very clearly a political leader who, given free rein, would be a dictator.
Her history as Home Secretary is one of increasingly authoritarian rhetoric and policy, summarised by the “Go Home” vans.
Since becoming PM, govt proposed lists of foreign workers, forcing out foreign doctors, removing troops from international human rights law...
Read on: Why Theresa May should scare you | Never Cruel Nor Cowardly
Her history as Home Secretary is one of increasingly authoritarian rhetoric and policy, summarised by the “Go Home” vans.
Since becoming PM, govt proposed lists of foreign workers, forcing out foreign doctors, removing troops from international human rights law...
Read on: Why Theresa May should scare you | Never Cruel Nor Cowardly
Tuesday, 18 April 2017
My 9-year-old sold the Big Issue and revealed the truth of Brexit Britain - iNews
I was in the market town of Shrewsbury with my 9 year old on a recent Saturday. We stopped to buy The Big Issue and chat with Samaria, who is Romanian and has been in the UK for three years.
Despite the pouring rain and pregnancy-induced back ache, Samaria hadn’t sat down or eaten all day. We got her some lunch but she refused to rest because she had only sold enough to cover her transport costs. With two hungry children at home, she was resolute. What followed next was the proudest moment of my life. My son said, “Don’t worry, I’ll sell while you eat!” But my pride gave way to dismay...
Read on: My 9-year-old sold the Big Issue and revealed the truth of Brexit Britain - The i newspaper online iNews
Despite the pouring rain and pregnancy-induced back ache, Samaria hadn’t sat down or eaten all day. We got her some lunch but she refused to rest because she had only sold enough to cover her transport costs. With two hungry children at home, she was resolute. What followed next was the proudest moment of my life. My son said, “Don’t worry, I’ll sell while you eat!” But my pride gave way to dismay...
Read on: My 9-year-old sold the Big Issue and revealed the truth of Brexit Britain - The i newspaper online iNews
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