Tuesday, June 12, 2018
A toxic racism in the Tory Party?
If Corbyn has a problem with anti-Semitism then it seems that the Tories also have a problem, with Islamophobia. At least that is the view of their former party chair, Baroness Warsi.
According to the Independent she says that the "poison" of Islamophobia is "very widespread" in the Conservative Party but is being “ignored” by Tory leaders. Warsi believes that the problem is present at all levels of her party and claims some of the Tories’ own campaigns have included anti-Muslim messages:
She told Business Insider: "It's very widespread. It exists right from the grassroots, all the way up to the top.
"I don't think it's something that Theresa [May] is a part of, but I do believe it is something the leadership feels can be easily ignored."
She claimed Tory leaders are not taking the problem seriously because "they don't think it is going to damage them because that community doesn't vote for them in any great numbers."
She added: "I think that there is a general sense in the country that Muslims are fair game and it is not the kind of community where you can treat really badly and have many consequences. You can get any with it".
Baroness Warsi highlighted the 2016 London mayoral campaign, during which the Conservatives were criticised for portraying Labour’s Sadiq Khan, who is Muslim, as “extremist”:
She said: "We specifically went out for Hindu voters saying Sadiq's after your jewellery and I love [Indian prime minister Narendra] Modi and by the way, Sadiq is an extremist. It was really amateur dog whistle politics.
"I just feel that somebody in the campaign took a decision that if we throw enough dirt at him tied to the fact that he's a Muslim, then people will say this man can't be trusted and he won't vote for him. [It was a] terrible, terrible campaign which I think still has an effect."
The point that the Tories do not believe that these campaigns will damage them is well-made. However, for a party that supposedly believes in an inclusive Britain, their failure to act is disgraceful. It certainly removes any moral authority they may have had to criticise Labour for the anti-Semitism that is present in that party.
According to the Independent she says that the "poison" of Islamophobia is "very widespread" in the Conservative Party but is being “ignored” by Tory leaders. Warsi believes that the problem is present at all levels of her party and claims some of the Tories’ own campaigns have included anti-Muslim messages:
She told Business Insider: "It's very widespread. It exists right from the grassroots, all the way up to the top.
"I don't think it's something that Theresa [May] is a part of, but I do believe it is something the leadership feels can be easily ignored."
She claimed Tory leaders are not taking the problem seriously because "they don't think it is going to damage them because that community doesn't vote for them in any great numbers."
She added: "I think that there is a general sense in the country that Muslims are fair game and it is not the kind of community where you can treat really badly and have many consequences. You can get any with it".
Baroness Warsi highlighted the 2016 London mayoral campaign, during which the Conservatives were criticised for portraying Labour’s Sadiq Khan, who is Muslim, as “extremist”:
She said: "We specifically went out for Hindu voters saying Sadiq's after your jewellery and I love [Indian prime minister Narendra] Modi and by the way, Sadiq is an extremist. It was really amateur dog whistle politics.
"I just feel that somebody in the campaign took a decision that if we throw enough dirt at him tied to the fact that he's a Muslim, then people will say this man can't be trusted and he won't vote for him. [It was a] terrible, terrible campaign which I think still has an effect."
The point that the Tories do not believe that these campaigns will damage them is well-made. However, for a party that supposedly believes in an inclusive Britain, their failure to act is disgraceful. It certainly removes any moral authority they may have had to criticise Labour for the anti-Semitism that is present in that party.
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The Tories do use every technique in their arsenal to obtain power.They exploit any way that is advantageous. They only correct their 'mistakes' when in power. By then the seeds of disruption have taken root and then hold up their hands to say that it was not our fault.
I notice that the papers are not covering Baroness Warsi's article I guess the papers are quite happy with causing mahhem and destruction in the country. Also to back this up is the nasty headline in the Sun. No doubt the other right wing papers will have similar headlines.
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