This must be a sad day for England

Calling people stupid, racist, etc isn't going to work. I see no way that people are going to listen to that but I will keep tediously doing it.

Keir Starmer has made a statement saying We will never surrender our flag as it represents our diverse country. Nobody should feel intimidated because of their background or colour of their skin.

Tommy Robinson and Elon Musk stand against diversity. They want to divide the country and spread hatred.

Iam64 I do think a big part of the PM’s and Labour’s problems can be traced back to their appalling communications or complete lack of!

I agree that the U.K. feels rather rudderless in the current storm.

KS is conducting himself well on the world stage, but is increasingly invisible at home.

I am beginning to feel sorry for the Labour MPs who are given the job of doing the TV interviews each morning on the various breakfast media outlets. They never have the chance to speak on their brief as they are being bombarded by the interviewer on the latest mess up/scandal in Labour’s midst.

There is a vacuum in society and TR is taking advantage of it.

We also see the way women are treated in some Muslim countries, (Afghanistan, Iran, Middle East) and some fear that it could happen here with the increasing numbers of young migrant men, whose cultural values are totally different to those of the majority in the U.K. and the West.

Galaxy

Calling people stupid, racist, etc isn't going to work. I see no way that people are going to listen to that but I will keep tediously doing it.

So we should never call a racist a racist? Why? Do you think the two white men who raped a young Sikh woman while racially abusing her should be called something nicer. They are racists as well as rapists and that's what I call them.

GG13 - more consensus arising. Maybe we can start our own new political party. I’m on the way out to join my youth wing for a good Sunday roast, will ponder our name and belief systems

But if you ( not you personally) label everyone far right or racist then it becomes meaningless. I don't even hear those words anymore and I am not the only one.

theworriedwell

Galaxy

Calling people stupid, racist, etc isn't going to work. I see no way that people are going to listen to that but I will keep tediously doing it.

So we should never call a racist a racist? Why? Do you think the two white men who raped a young Sikh woman while racially abusing her should be called something nicer. They are racists as well as rapists and that's what I call them.

798,000 women are raped or sexually assaulted in the U.K. every year.

For everyone who is posting 'Oh look, 400 arrested at the Palestine marches. Gosh they must have been much worse than those racist thugs at the Stephen Yaxley Lennon march', just ask any Police Officer friend or family, which of the two marches would you rather attend?

Agreed theworriedwell.

Some of us are called ‘intolerant left loonies’ but heaven forbid we should call a racist a racist; a bigot a bigot; an Islamophobe an Islamophobe!

MollyNew

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Babs03 and growstuff totally agree with you that most Muslims are lovely people. I have a good friend, a doctor locally, she attended Hadj last year.

However.
There is a flip side to all this kumbaya.

Why is that school teacher who was hounded out by a baying mob in Batley still in hiding all these years on?

It’s not all flowers and lollipops. Good and bad in all religions.
I’m a Humanist so I have no skin in the game but I do like fairness. In everything and for everyone.

Nowt wrong with that!

A Humanist? An Atheist, maybe but Humanists UK promote tolerance, empathy and kindness. I've not seen much evidence of this in some of your recent posts. Also, your "some of my best friends are muslim" is a bit of a cliche.

Also, your "some of my best friends are muslim" is a bit of a cliche.
Yet it keeps being used by several posters claiming friends, family members, second cousins three times removed etc. to prove how tolerant they are compared to other posters.

I don't do that though and as someone who was endlessly called a bigot for suggesting women need spaces of their own, I view that word with wariness.

Iam64

fancythat

GrannyGravy13

The question is (should be) why is it that a growing sector of the population is so disenfranchised with mainstream politics?

Why are they so concerned for their children in this changing UK?

Why has TR been held up as a paragon of British Unity ?

Our current PM maybe should address these issues?

Start a new thread?

You or Monica who raised the same point?

I’ve read through this long and irritable thread. Its encouraged me to ask the question posed in GrannyGravy’s comment. At the risk of raising the ever present ghost of Brexit, I’m always concerned when the intelligence of a large proportion of our population is suggested as lower than average because they don’t share ‘our’ more tolerant views.

I listened to the news and Paddy O’Connel’s radio 4 programme this morning. It added to my despair and had mr thinking it’s time Keir Starmer addressed the nation. I’ve neen a Starmer supporter, our country feels rudderless and drifting into dangerous waters. . This week on top of awful comms and changes of direction mean we need leadership we can trus

I agree, Iam64

Starmer needs to be more decisive. So far all we have seen is shilly shallying, U turns and hesitancy.

He is not proving to be the leader I had hoped he'd be, one to bring the country together.

Preserving British culture? Footage on social media showing a flag clothed gentleman and his friends consuming delicious onion bhajis on his way to yesterday's family festival.
Which part of England was it that created such tasty cuisine?

I think he hasn't got a belief system for want of a better word, which makes it very difficult to 'set out your stall' so to speak.

And GrannyGravy too, as well as M0nica whom I answered previously.

The majority of people in this country are not out protesting on the streets, they are trying to get on with their lives, concerned about their families and their futures, getting on with their neighbours of all nationalities.

Maremia

Preserving British culture? Footage on social media showing a flag clothed gentleman and his friends consuming delicious onion bhajis on his way to yesterday's family festival.
Which part of England was it that created such tasty cuisine?

Chicken Tikka Masala was invented in Glasgow!

Quote theworriedwell Sun 14-Sept-25 14:39:35
She was as poor as the rest of them, I wasn't born. Being stupid has nothing to do with being poor, plenty of poor people saw through him. Would you want gold bath taps when you hadn't got a bath?

What a horrid woman, I certainly don’t believe the “gold taps” story and being poor certainly causes lack of education, the 30’s , !

And yet Starmer called us ‘an island of strangers’.

Keir Starmer has spoken out against the actions of TR but not strongly enough imo.
I know this violent chaos yesterday is the last thing he needs with all the other things going on but he needs to address the nation on this as we can't have Tommy Robinson spreading hatred.

If large numbers of people are concerned about illegal immigration why not organise a demo that isn’t a declaration of rampant nationalism and not done in the name of Yaxley Lennon or Elon Musk.
Am all for marches and demos so why not organise one that isn’t about racism and is about a political issue.

There were some violent trouble makers there yesterday, and they have been/will be arrested and rightly so.

There were over 100,000 people on the Unity march, to accuse them all of being violent racist thugs is stirring up more hatred.

The Labour Party MUST surely have a viable, effective alternative to Keir Starmer somewhere in it's ranks. So far, all he seems to have devoted himself to is trying to cosy up to President Trump and try to clamp down on free speech in the UK.

Galaxy

I don't do that though and as someone who was endlessly called a bigot for suggesting women need spaces of their own, I view that word with wariness.

So was I, but how can we say we are not bigoted unless we believe that bigotry exists?

I fully appreciate that free speech and tolerance is a two way street, and I have said myself that calling people stupid (or uneducated or ill-informed feeds the extremists); but it is becoming increasingly difficult to express a point of view on here without being up against the nullification of anything but the blandest of vocabulary. It makes attempts at discussion pointless, and puts me off bothering, to be honest.

Chicken Tikka Masala, yes probs invented in Glasgow, an example of the delights that come from cultural fusion. Bangladeshi chefs catering to the tastes of their Glasgow keelie customers, who liked a little bit of sauce with their dinner.
Thanks Allira.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

And yet Starmer called us ‘an island of strangers’.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he regrets saying the UK risked becoming "an island of strangers" in a speech about immigration.

The prime minister was accused by some critics of using divisive language when he made a speech to announce plans to cut immigration in May. (2025)

"I had no idea – and my speechwriters didn't know either.

As a former DPP you'd think Starmer would quite used to being very careful about the words he uses.

I hope he realises how divided the country is becoming and can step up now and take charge.