Don’t mess with the tolerant people in Brighton.

I'd been dreading another day of rioting, but it turned out to be a great day of us standing up to the bullies.
This country has many problems, as do most countries, but we are absolutely not finished, washed up, doomed. Some people love to say it is. Wouldn't it be better to have a positive attitude, work hard to improve ourselves, be thankful for all the good instead of emphasising the bad all the time.
There is much to fix. I hope Keir Starmer is the one to start improving things.

Thank goodness. Those riots have had the opposite outcome and the good old British spirit has shown itself.

MaizieD

I hope that Starmer will not make immigration the top of his agenda. It was the tory/right wing negative focus on it that has caused the situation we found ourselves in last week and this.

I hope that Labour continues to competently sort out the immigration mess that the tories have left, while not turning it into a culture war issue, and turns its focus to measures to improve the lives of those whose disaffection stems from poverty and feelings of helplessness. Which would cover so many more areas than immigration.

I think first and foremost Starmer has to focus on installing the rule of law and act swiftly to ensure the courts can deal with perpetrators.

Only then can he begin to focus on the racist rhetoric and reasons behind it.

Thatcher refused to accept that there was any underlying cause for the riots of 1981, Starmer cannot that mistake.

We have known and been warning for years about the growing inequality in the U.K. but the Tory government wilfully turned a deaf ear to the calls for greater fairness, and imposed greater snd greater cuts to benefits and public services.

Starmer will be sensible to listen and listen hard. He will also be sensible not to play the racist game and blame immigration for our ills.

The blame lies entirely with government tax and domestic policy.

This has to change.

Rhetoric will achieve nothing, but policy and action will.

Hear, hear WW.

Oreo

Absolutely a realist, a few marches with rainbows and glitter doesn’t put this country back together again when there are so many things to put right.

I don’t think any of us think that!

But for me, it made my heart sing to see so many peaceful tolerant protesters last night

Well said, WW.

henetha

I'd been dreading another day of rioting, but it turned out to be a great day of us standing up to the bullies.
This country has many problems, as do most countries, but we are absolutely not finished, washed up, doomed. Some people love to say it is. Wouldn't it be better to have a positive attitude, work hard to improve ourselves, be thankful for all the good instead of emphasising the bad all the time.
There is much to fix. I hope Keir Starmer is the one to start improving things.

👏👏👏👏

WW

Completely agree

And before the anti-immigrants start jumping up and down..

Yes immigration will have to be dealt with, but dealt with in a grownup, non-populist way, where policy decisions are made and the rhetoric has gone, with immigration firmly put into its place alongside other issues so many left by the Tory government.
.
Childhood poverty is a good start point imo.

Protests, probably the usual rent a mob hellbent on rioting, due in Newcastle too. I’m hoping the Toon Army will turn out in force and have the same calming outcome as seen in Brighton (and other places).

LizzieDrip it wasn’t so lovely for the ill people whose carers stayed at home for fear of their own safety with riots in the streets was it?

I agree Ronib.

It must have been awful for them during the far right, hate riots of the last week.

Fortunately, there were no riots on the streets last night

Hear hear WWMk2. There are many in this country who feel “left behind” in the ever widening equality gap.
My heart was cheered when I saw the news last night where so many people demonstrated peacefully and in huge numbers all over the country to show that the fascists do not riot in their name.

In the words of Joan Baez:

We shall, overcome

Never forget though that when these thugs and dissenters go quiet, they have not gone away, but the trick is to push back as soon as they pop up.

Don’t give them the oxygen of legitimacy.

Anyone believe the headline of the Daily mail today, after years and years of creating an environment that demonised immigrants?

You’d be a fool if you did.

Yes WW, the Mail’s headline today is one of the most blatant demonstrations of hypocrisy I’ve ever seen!

LizzieDrip you might not know that even though riots didn’t happen last night, carers took precautions and stayed away from areas where demonstrations were happening. So I have the greatest sympathy for the infirm whose needs were not met. Yet again.

Well done Brighton, that's the way to respond to these ridiculous people , who ever thought of doing this reception at the station deserves recognition 👏👏
Hearing this has made my day. 👍

Whitewavemark2

And before the anti-immigrants start jumping up and down..

Yes immigration will have to be dealt with, but dealt with in a grownup, non-populist way, where policy decisions are made and the rhetoric has gone, with immigration firmly put into its place alongside other issues so many left by the Tory government.
.
Childhood poverty is a good start point imo.

Am not sure who you are labelling anti-immigrants, we need legal chosen immigration in the right numbers but not any other kind.Even the present government agrees on that.

I do agree tho on your last paragraph about it being dealt with properly.

Callistemon213

In the words of Joan Baez:

We shall, overcome

Yes, thought about her yesterday. Almost 54 years since I heard her sing it live at the Isle of Wight.

Yes, made my heart sing to see all those decent, tolerant and wonderful people turning out all over the country to stand up to those racist thugs.

ronib

LizzieDrip you might not know that even though riots didn’t happen last night, carers took precautions and stayed away from areas where demonstrations were happening. So I have the greatest sympathy for the infirm whose needs were not met. Yet again.

This is true, and many offices and businesses lost money too.
The Police hoped people would stay at home from both sides.
In East London there were def those who came prepared for a ruck in amongst all the peaceful protesters.Heavily masked, hoods and sunglasses.You don’t do that if you’re there for a peaceful march.Thankfully there were no far right protesters so no clashes.If there had been tho it would just have been another headache for the Police.
I really hope that’s the end of all this and things go back to normal.

So I have the greatest sympathy for the infirm whose needs were not met

Ronib so do I.

If only far right, racist thug’s hadn’t been rioting for a week, thousands of ordinary people would not have had to come out last night to show solidarity against racism.

Fleurpepper

Callistemon213

In the words of Joan Baez:

We shall, overcome

Yes, thought about her yesterday. Almost 54 years since I heard her sing it live at the Isle of Wight.

Yes, made my heart sing to see all those decent, tolerant and wonderful people turning out all over the country to stand up to those racist thugs.

Sorry about the superfluous comma.

This stylus has a mind of its own.

I do not think that anyone is suggesting that getting the right balance when it comes to immigration is an easy task. Many nations are grappling with this right now.

But the sort of blind hatred we have seen this week warrants an antidote - which is not a solution by any means but is a way of recognising our shared humanity. I can only applaud this wholeheartedly.

Even if all immigration stopped tomorrow, the populists would find something or someone else to blame, and would be able to incite those who are genuinely suffering as a result of the apparently entrenched inequality in this country. The far right thugs and neo-Nazis, of course, need little encouragement but I think they are comparatively few.

Reports out this week show that programme after programme (several of which I worked on) of rebalancing regional economies over the past 25 years have failed, partly because some were poorly designed, but significantly because of the refusal to genuinely rebalance the distribution of resources and take actions to reduce systemic inequalities.

It is this that I hope this government will make inroads into.