Were you offended?

All this talk of Nazism is laughable.

Is it rosesarered? In Germany it was those who had laughed at the demonising of various groups that they were not happy with who were made to walk through the newly discovered concentration camps to see where their ignorance of the fact that words can be used as weapons which take us to places we never intended to go (although reading and hearing of some comment being made so do actually intend the same sort of outcome) had taken them.

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This is nonsense GG, on a thread like this about one word which hardly anyone on this forum objects to. give up on the Nazi stuff please.

thatbags I was not offended by DCs use of words. I was merely adding my personal opinion as to why he might have used it. The people in Calais are a major difficulty for politicians none of whom have a politically acceptable andwer. I do not begin to pretend that I have a solution. As the daughter of a political refugee I tend to err on the side of the underdog but am not blind to the problems of poorly managed migration.

I try always to see the 'migrants' as a persons with parents, lovers, children,hopes and desires like me. It sometimes feels to me that much of the press, several politicians and some of the general public try not to think like that. They try to make the general public seethem as rather less than the human beings that they are. In this way people can more easily accept unpalatable solutions. Eg sending young men 'home' to certain death.

I've already said I wasn't offended by Cameron's use of the word swarm though I do understand and accept that others may have been.

I am beginning though, to feel offended by some of rosesarered's comments. Gracesgran has every right to re-post the "first they came for the socialists" poem and I'm not in the least offended by that. The analogy between the language and attitudes of the Nazi's towards the Jews (and other groups they targeted) is not an unreasonable one to make during a discussion like this one.

Will do.

Iam64 it is completely unreasonable actually.

rosesarered I was not talking about Nazis, as you put it. I was comparing the outcomes of the use of language as a way of diminishing and demonising various groups.

In fact, what I was referring to was "an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization" and these parties have occurred all over the world it is just that the fascism in Germany is better documented and understood so it makes a simpler example.

Iam64 , there it goes, the feeling offended bit again.Sigh.

GG, this was not meant to be yet another Tory bashing thread, but once again that is what it has turned into, how boring.

Thank you Iam64. I was beginning to feel a bit battered

grace did not sound offended roses she is a) not conceding to your opinion
b) re stating and clarifying her opinion.

It is called debate .

But history shows all acts of genocide start with dehumanising . I think bringing the horrors of the Nazi regime is relevant , once we stop seeing all human beings as equal then we reduce a section to sub human

Penstemmon, there you go again, not reading posts properly.It was Iam64 that was feeling offended.

There are a small group on here that are determined to link a word 'swarm' with the atrocities of the Nazis, and therefore smear the Conservatives at the same time, it is completely ridiculous.

roses the person sounding most offended appears to be you. Nobody in the last few posts has done any tory bashing. Posting ideas thiughts and opinions that are not tory policy is not bashing anyone.
Iam was pointing out that personal comments 'that's nonsense GG' can cause offence. Argue the point not the person.

We are not talking about 'acts of Genocide' here Anniebach, I wish people would get a grip!

Penstemmon,am not offended by anything on here..... Just amazed by the nonsense put out.

I agree with all of your 0920 post, pen. Through all this migrant story I am left only with a sense of bafflement at the problem. No politician or group of politicians in the UK or in the EU as a whole seem to have a good set of answers. Maybe it's the kind of problem that will always generate uncertainty as to what to do because it is so complex itself.

I've no philosophical objection to the migrants coming here but we don't seem to be coping too well with our current population (everyone, not just immigrants) so I am at a loss.

I am sure if I have posted anything unacceptable it will be removed rosesarered . I wish people didn't have a need to be bossy

What anniebach and others don't seem to accept is that the vast majority of posters on this thread don't think there is or was any dehumanising in what Cameron said. It is their right to think differently from the majority but I also think some of the views expressed are considerably alarmist and therefore unreasonable – much more unreasonable than Cameron's use of a word that, by all definitions, can be used of large numbers of people, including neutrally, as most of us believe it was.

One can be someone who doesn't agree with much of Tory politics without thinking they, and Cameron in particular, are absolute demons. I think that's the nub of it to me: I regard some of the expressions, at either end of the spectrum of views on this thread, to be extremist.

And I only mean extremist within the bounds of acceptable posting on GN.

Thank Penstmmon debate is exactly what I was intending.

rosesarered I am not "Tory bashing* although I can see why it appeals to you to call it that. I am trying to put forward the evidence for what happens when we get parties in power which are authoritarian, nationalistic and right-wing. I do not see the majority of current Conservatives, of which I assume you are actually one, as extreme as this but I do see the seeds of this within the current party and I do see such demonising happening in the past.

This current Conservative party has moved further to the right than it has been for many a long year - not intrinsically bad but, just as the left wing parties have to watch for extremes so, I believe, do the right wing ones.

You come out with statements such as "Iam64 it is completely unreasonable actually." but do not explain why. However, if you have become bored with the debate as you say perhaps others will take the discussion forward without personal attacks on those who do not share their views.