It appears Leave voters are racist, if much left-wing commentary is to be believed. Despite race not being an issue before the UK’s Independence Day vote on June 23rd, it certainly is afterwards, as immigration was seen as the top issue deciding the vote. But the opposition to unlimited immigration is due to the adverse economic consequences, not ethnic identity.
It is not true to state that migrants produce more than they consume in terms of the national economy. This is because the value is always stated in monetary terms, and never in other resources. However, I understand it is not possible to assemble a large pile of cash and have it spontaneously turn into the NHS doctor whose services a migrant will need on arrival. If anyone is willing to give me a large pile of money to test this theory, please contact the editors. £50 notes will work best.
Immigration results in an increased demand for free state services which has not been previously planned for, resulting in a dilution of those resources for the existing community. If free services are based on universal access, this should have also included controlled entitlement. Universal delivery with universal entitlement is impossible with unlimited immigration. The NHS is now at breaking strain, not because of government policy, but because it is being asked to do the impossible.
There has been an increase in the number of reports of racist incidents of one kind or other since the vote. An increase in the reports, not the actual number of incidents. Some of these reports are included just because someone has anonymously uploaded details of an alleged incident to an official website. There is no investigation or fact-checking. The Government wants to increase reporting. This does not mean there are large numbers of people suffering in silence. It does mean that a Conservative Government wants to evade the traditional accusations by the Left of being ‘soft’ on racism.
This is nonsense. There is no rolling Kristallnacht taking place across the land. There was no dog-whistle that signalled to a cohort of racists on Friday 24th June 2016 that they could all finally come out of the closet and freely practise their bigotry on Britain’s streets. The BNP did not hold victory parades in front of cheering crowds. The only crowds on the streets were those opposing a proposition that had been approved by a popular vote of millions. In fact the only open racism that is on the rise in the UK is by Labour Party members and supporters against the Jewish community.
Hate crime in this country is no longer an offence that is exclusively performed with intent by the perpetrator. What matters is the perception of the ‘victim’. This means that if the perception of the ‘victim’ changes, that the same circumstances or behaviour may be regarded as an act of bigotry, no questions asked. It is highly likely that a lot of people’s perception of life in Britain underwent a fundamental change on the morning of 24th June. This does not necessarily mean there are more public expressions of bigotry outside the behaviour of morons. It may be that people commenting on a dramatic event in British politics in a way that someone else does not like are now classed as racist. It is not just Tories that have to be shy in modern Britain.
Voting Leave was not a racist act. It was not based on ignorance. It was not based on stupidity. It was based on the inability of the EU and the government to make a convincing argument for continued EU membership that was of sufficient appeal to the majority of voters. A very large number of people enjoying huge salaries, some based on perpetuating the status quo, could not make the case for Remain. Instead all we got was threats should we vote Leave.
As I have written before, this country will not acquiesce to threats from European coalitions. To quote Wellington, “They came on in the same old way and we defeated them in the same old way.”, but “It has been a damned nice thing — the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life.” And it is not over yet.
(Image: David Holt)
