Tag: Brexit

“Hostile” and “authoritarian” United Kingdom

United Kingdom has been downgraded in an annual global index of civic freedoms because of the government’s “increasingly authoritarian” drive to impose restrictive and punitive laws on public protests. According to Civicus Monitor, British government has created a “hostile environment” towards campaigners, charities and other civil society bodies. Stephanie Draper, chief executive of the Bond charity, said, “The UK is becoming increasingly authoritarian and is among concerning company in the Civicus Monitor ratings as restrictive laws and dangerous rhetoric are creating a hostile environment towards civil society in the UK.”

Read the full story on The Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/16/hostile-authoritarian-uk-downgraded-in-civic-freedoms-index

Political humor in Brexit Britain

Brexit, COVID-19 pandemic, cost of living crisis as well as political decisions and antics of the hardline Conservative governments have created a “perfect storm”, and the frustration of British people have been seen in various polls. According to YouGov poll in November last year, only 32% of the public said that it was right to vote to leave the EU and 56% said that it was wrong to leave (1). According to latest YouGov poll regarding voting intention, 47% of voters would vote Labour and only 25% of voters would vote the ruling Conservatives (2). According to research published in November last year, trust in politicians is “in free fall”. 66% of British voters believe that “politicians are only out for themselves” and only 4% of the public believe that politicians are “doing their best for the country”. (3)

The chaotic years have inspired some hilarious and surreal political humor, such as art created by Cold War Steve (4, 5) and Duke Smoochem, a dystopian game created by Dan Douglas (6). Last year a 60 pence lettuce rose to world fame after it lasted longer than Prime Minister Liz Truss who became the shortest-serving PM in British history. (7, 8)

References:

1) “One in five who voted for Brexit now think it was the wrong decision” YouGov 17.11.2022

https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/11/17/one-five-who-voted-brexit-now-think-it-was-wrong-d

2) YouGov UK voting intention 8.3.2023

https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2023/03/08/voting-intention-con-25-labour-47

3) “Revealed: trust in politicians ‘in free fall’ after ‘year of chaos’, poll reveals” IPPR 3.11.2022

https://www.ippr.org/news-and-media/press-releases/revealed-trust-in-politicians-in-free-fall-after-year-of-chaos-poll-reveals

4) “The art of Cold War Steve” The Guardian 15.6.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2019/jun/15/the-art-of-cold-war-steve

5) “Cold War Steve: satire is my antidote to a scary world” The Guardian 15.6.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/jun/15/cold-war-steve-satire-is-my-antidote-to-a-scary-world-interview

6) “‘Keir Starmer just ordered an alpaca airstrike!’ The game that holds up a dystopian mirror to the UK” The Guardian 8.3.2023

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/mar/08/game-dystopian-mirror-uk-dan-douglas-duke-smoochem

7) “Daily Star lettuce celebrates victory as Prime Minister Liz Truss resigns” Daily Star 20.10.2022

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/breaking-daily-star-lettuce-celebrates-28282527

8) “Lettuce rejoice: inside story of Daily Star iceberg’s triumph over Liz Truss” The Guardian 21.10.2022

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/oct/21/inside-story-daily-star-lettuce-triumph-liz-truss

Hostility towards politicians soars in Brexit Britain

Daily Sabah reported that the violence and death threats against British politicians has soared during recent years. The number of alleged crimes reported by Members of Parliament was 151 in 2017 and 342 in 2018. It is estimated that the amount will be over 450 this year. Women and ethnic minorities have been targeted more than others.

Read the full story on Daily Sabah:

https://www.dailysabah.com/europe/2019/12/08/brexit-divides-britain-to-the-point-of-toxifying-countrys-protest-culture

The enthusiasm of hard-line Brexiteers

The original Brexit day has come and gone. Minting of the commemorative coin has had to be scrapped (1) and Brexit memorabilia has become collectible for entirely different reason. The situation in Britain remains chaotic and difficult – however, one positive thing is the fact that there haven’t been any serious riots or violent clashes.

On Friday, some planned celebrations of the hard-line Brexiteers were cancelled (1) or turned into a campaign against “Brexit betrayal.” UKIP leader Gerard Batten advertised his party’s event on Twitter:

“Today’s the day we could & should remove ourselves from rule by a foreign power. We know our quisling political establishment will betray Brexit, but the fightback resumes its next phase in Whitehall today. Be there at the UKIP event…” (2)

Another far-right Brexit leader Nigel Farage issued a dire warning to British MPs – he believed that British people would wake up angry on Saturday the 30th because Britain had not left the EU (3). However, perhaps the most memorable event on Friday evening and Saturday morning was the appearance of a lonely trespasser with St. George’s flag on the roof of St. Pancras Station – the incident led to cancellation of several Eurostar trains (4).

References:

1) “Brexit coins and cancelled parties: What is happening on 29 March now?” BBC News 29.3.2019

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47712530

2) UKIP leader Gerard Batten on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/GerardBattenMEP

3) “Nigel Farage issues DIRE warning to MPs about MORNING of March 30th – ‘Just you wait!'” Alpha News UK 29.3.2019

https://youtu.be/j5IIBfAZmJ8

4) “Eurostar passengers stranded as trespasser with St George’s flag halts trains” The Guardian 30.3.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/mar/30/eurostar-trains-cancelled-as-man-spends-night-on-st-pancras-station-roof-with-st-georges-flag

The Brexit cliffhanger in Britain continues

Things are heating up in Britain. Britain was supposed to leave the EU today, but during the recent days it has become more and more likely that there will be a delay – just how long, it is unclear. The chaotic cliffhanger continues. Prime Minister May promised to resign, if her Brexit deal is accepted. Her promise predictably started a fervorous leadership competition within the Conservative Party. (1) The hard-line Brexiteers lead by Nigel Farage will congregate on the Parliament Square around 4 p.m. GMT today. Farage tweeted yesterday:

“Westminster has betrayed the greatest democratic vote in the history of our country, and we won’t let them get away with it.” (2)

The far-right UKIP Party has been advertising their own Make Brexit Happen Rally which is sponsored by notorious far-right figure Tommy Robinson and his TR News service (3). Leader of UKIP Gerard Batten tweeted yesterday:

“There are reports that water cannon may be deployed tomorrow in London, & that some of the police may try to aggregate and provoke Brexiteers. There is always the danger of provocateurs planted to cause trouble. I hope it is not true but I call on everyone present to be peaceful.” (4)

Several far-right extremists and groups are going to try to cause riots and other trouble. For example, members of the UK “yellow vests” threatened on social media:

“If you stop Brexit, we’ll make the Paris riots look like a f***ing tea party.” (5)

Counter-protesters, including anti-fascists and trade unions, are going to oppose the far-right rallies. The police are bracing for possible unrest and clashes between different demonstrators. (5)

References:

1) “At least 10 cabinet ministers considering prime ministerial bids” The Guardian 28.3.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/28/cabinet-ministers-considering-running-prime-minister-theresa-may-conservatives-tories

2) Nigel Farage on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/nigel_farage

3) UKIP National News 25.3.2019

https://www.ukip.org/national-ukip-news-item.php?id=196

4) Gerard Batten on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/GerardBattenMEP/status/1111394659551584257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Eprofile%3AUKIP%7Ctwcon%5Etimelinechrome&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ukip.org%2Fnational-ukip-news-item.php%3Fid%3D196

5) “Brexit protest: Police brace for disorder after far-right threaten to riot at London rallies” The Independent 29.3.2019

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/police-brexit-riot-violence-far-right-tommy-robinson-leave-ukip-eu-met-scotland-yard-a8844181.html

“Time for some structured anarchy” – British hard-line Brexiteers preparing to fight for Brexit

With less than three weeks to the official Brexit day, Prime Minister May is expected to face another defeat on Tuesday, when the parliament will vote on her Brexit deal proposal. The hard-line Brexiteers are getting ready to fight for Brexit. The hard-liners also seem to want to polish their image.

Boris Johnson wrote on The Telegraph on the 24th of February:

“…I am getting sick of the constant suggestion that anyone who sticks up for Brexit must have far Right tendencies. I can’t understand why people are suddenly claiming that anyone who wants to get out of the EU – and follow the instructions of the British people – is a zealot, or an extremist, or Ukip, or Blukip, or some kind of ultra-conservative bigot. Where is this stuff coming from?” (1)

Johnson himself has become infamous for his racist and Islamophobic remarks. Last year he caused an uproar by comparing veiled Muslim women to “letter boxes” and “bank robbers.” Bizarrely, Johnson was not considered to have breached the Conservative Party’s code of conduct. (2)

Last Tuesday, chairman of the European Research Group ERG Jacob Rees-Mogg once again accused May’s government and the Remainers of trying to block Brexit. He wrote in The Sun:

“…the extreme Remainers do not just want an extension — they want ­reversal (i.e. of Brexit referendum) and see this as a first step.

It is worth remembering that those who love the European Union prefer it to democracy and always have done.”

“…the Government must prove that it is committed to the referendum result, for that is the authoritative ­constitutional voice.

No responsible government ought to allow the constitution to be subverted because of its own weaknesses. The ­conventions are there for good ­reasons and, if ignored, confidence in the system that has served well for ­centuries will be damaged — with ­consequences that could include the rise of extremist parties. Failure to deliver Brexit would be a gift to Tommy Robinson.” (3)

Leave Means Leave campaigner Nigel Farage tweeted yesterday that “it’s time for some structured anarchy.” He also advertised March To Leave campaign and “historic rally of Brexiteers” on Parliament Square, London, on the 29th of March. (4)

References:

1) “Brexiteers are not far-Right zealots. Just ask the younger Tony Blair” The Telegraph 24.2.2019

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/02/24/brexiteers-not-far-right-zealots-just-ask-younger-tony-blair/

2) “Conservatives rule Boris Johnson comparing Muslim women in veils to letter boxes and bank robbers was ‘respectful'” The Independent 21.12.2018

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-cleared-burka-niqab-bank-robber-letterboxes-conservative-party-a8693761.html

3) “We the people have spoken on Brexit… let us now have have lift-off ” The Sun 5.3.2019

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8570432/jacob-ress-mogg-people-have-spoken-on-brexit/

4) Nigel Farage on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/nigel_farage

More bad news for Britain

As Brexit is getting closer, political disintegration seems to continue in Britain. Jeremy Hosking, a multimillionaire financier, has registered a new party Brexit Express in order to support “hard Brexit” – the move increases the risk that the Conservative Party may split (1). Today seven MPs resigned from the Labour Party. According to them, the British politics is “broken” and the Labour Party has been taken over by “hard left.” They also criticized the leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, as well as “antisemitism” and “racism” in the party. (2) One of the defectors, Luciana Berger, accused Labour Party of “institutional antisemitism” (3). Another defector, Angela Smith, caused a racism row by saying that members of ethnic minorities are of a “funny tinge” (4).

The British organization Hope not Hate published their annual “State of Hate Report.” According to the report, “Britain is increasingly divided and that is likely to increase” whatever happens with Brexit. There is also a growing risk of far right terrorism and increasing support for far right. The report also states that “anti-Muslim prejudice has replaced immigration as the key driver of far right growth”, but also attitudes towards immigration “are deteriorating.” The report also pays attention to the antisemitism problem in the Labour Party. On the other hand, Islamophobia seems to have become a significant problem in the Conservative Party. According to the report, “49% of 2017 Conservative voters think that Islam is incompatible to the British way of life and 47% think there are no go areas in Britain where sharia law dominates and non-Muslims cannot enter.” (5)

References:

1) “No-dealers dig in for a fresh battle amid fears of Tory split” The Guardian 17.2.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/17/no-deal-brexiters-tory-split-conservative-multimillionaire-donor-new-party

2) “In their own words: why seven MPs are quitting Labour” The Guardian 18.2.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/18/in-their-own-words-why-seven-mps-are-quitting-labour-independent-group

3) “MP says UK Labour is ‘institutionally anti-Semitic’ as 7 lawmakers quit party” The Times of Israel 18.2.2019

https://www.timesofisrael.com/mp-says-uks-labour-institutionally-anti-semitic-as-7-lawmakers-quit-party/

4) “Britain’s newest political group isn’t even a day old. It’s already been accused of racism” The Washington Post 18.2.2019

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/02/18/britains-newest-political-group-isnt-even-day-old-its-already-accused-racism/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4b46f4e89b8d

5) “State of Hate Report 2019” – Hope not Hate 17.2.2019

https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/research/state-of-hate-report-2019/

From friend to foe – new American approach to Europe

Perhaps one of the most surprising changes during the Trump presidency has been the change in the attitude towards Europe and particularly the European Union. When asked to identify his biggest competitor or foe during an interview in July 2018, President Trump said:

“Well, I think we have a lot of foes. I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade. Now, you wouldn’t think of the European Union, but they’re a foe.” (1)

USA and particularly Republicans have increased their cooperation with European far-right and right-wing populist leaders. The former leader of British far-right party UKIP, “Mr. Brexit” Nigel Farage has had close ties particularly to President Trump and Steve Bannon (2). Farage is still campaigning for Brexit and according to him President Trump is a “believer in Brexit” (3, 4). In last year’s Conservative Political Action Conference CPAC, organized by American Conservative Union ACU, one of the guest speakers was Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, who describes herself to be “the political heir” of her grandfather Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the French far-right party National Front (5).

President Trump has appointed ambassadors who have caused controversy. The US ambassador to the Netherlands Pete Hoekstra has worked closely with some American anti-Muslim organizations and he has made several unsubstantiated anti-Muslim claims (6). The US ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell caused controversy already before his appointment because of his insulting and derogatory remarks about women. After becoming the ambassador Grenell gave an interview to far-right news outlet Breitbart and said that he wanted to “empower” anti-establishment right-wing forces throughout Europe (7, 8). Steve Bannon has been trying to start a “Trump-style populist insurgency” with his Brussels-based group The Movement. However, many European far-right parties or politicians haven’t been very keen to join his operation (9).

Italy’s far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has joined Bannon’s group (9, 10). Salvini has also wanted to create “Italian-Polish axis” that could help to spark right-wing populist “European Spring” and replace the center-right “French-German axis” in Europe (11). Poland has become increasingly important ally of USA. President Trump has praised Poland and Polish people “for standing up for their independence, their security and their sovereignty.” The ruling Polish nationalists have wanted to strengthen the American-Polish alliance even more by requesting that USA would establish a permanent armored base, “Fort Trump”, in Poland. European diplomats have been worried that “hard-liners in the White House are using a willing Warsaw as a wedge to divide and weaken the EU, with which Trump has clashed over trade, climate change, defense spending, Middle East diplomacy and global governance” (12).

Reference:

1) “Donald Trump calls the EU ‘a foe’ ahead of Putin summit” Independent 15.7.2018

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/trump-calls-eu-foe-putin-summit-european-union-china-russia-a8448421.html

2) “Nigel Farage on the story behind his friendship with Trump” The New Yorker 30.11.2016

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/nigel-farage-on-the-story-behind-his-friendship-with-trump

3) “Nigel Farage: Trump supports Brexit because it will upend ‘global bureaucracy’” Breitbart 20.12.2018

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2018/12/20/nigel-farage-trump-supports-brexit-because-it-will-upend-global-bureaucracy/

4) “Nigel Farage joins Leave Means Leave campaign as Vice Chairman” Leave Means Leave

https://www.leavemeansleave.eu/nigel-farage-joins-leave-means-leave-campaign-vice-chairman/

5) “Trump’s GOP is morphing into France’s far right” The Washington Post 23.2.2018

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/02/23/trumps-gop-is-morphing-into-frances-far-right/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.12446e5a9a6c

6) “New US ambassador to Netherlands regularly made unsubstantiated ‘no-go zones’ claims, speculated 15% of Muslims could be jihadists” CNN 9.1.2018

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/09/politics/kfile-pete-hoekstra-no-go-zones/index.html

7) “Senator weighs holding up Trump nominee over ‘insulting and derogatory’ tweets” The Daily Beast 12.7.2017

https://www.thedailybeast.com/senate-democrat-holding-up-trump-nominee-richard-grenell-over-insulting-and-derogatory-tweets?ref=scroll

8) “New US ambassador to Germany under fire for rightwing support” The Guardian 4.6.2018

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/04/new-us-ambassador-to-germany-under-fire-for-rightwing-support

9) “Steve Bannon’s far-right Europe operation undermined by election laws” The Guardian 21.11.2018

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/21/steve-bannons-rightwing-europe-operation-undermined-by-election-laws

10) “Italy’s Matteo Salvini joins Bannon’s European populist group” The Guardian 8.9.2018

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/08/italy-matteo-salvini-joins-steve-bannon-european-populist-group-movement

11) “Salvini calls for ‘Italian-Polish axis’ to replace Paris-Berlin” EurActiv 10.1.2019

https://www.euractiv.com/section/eu-elections-2019/news/salvini-calls-for-italian-polish-axis-to-replace-paris-berlin/

12) “Poland’s risky ‘America first’ policy” Politico 6.10.2018

https://www.politico.eu/article/poland-risky-america-first-policy-jaroslaw-kaczynski-donald-trump/

The hardline Brexiteers and far right – more trouble

It has been quite unbelievable to read news about Brexit and the political situation in Britain, lately. I lived in Britain over 10 years, but Britain seems to have changed beyond recognition – and not in a good way.

Today’s perhaps most stunning news was about hardline Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, who reportedly suggested that PM May “should close parliament temporarily if necessary to stop MPs passing a bill blocking a no-deal Brexit.” (1)

Another worrying news was about the threat posed by far right. Britain’s counter-terrorism chief Neil Basu said that “the far right will exploit Brexit tensions with their propaganda triggering rises in hate crime and creating an atmosphere that terrorists can exploit.” Mr Basu continued:

“My concern is the polarisation, and I fear the far-right politicking and rhetoric leads to a rise in hate crime and a rise in disorder.” (2)

References:

1) “May should close parliament if necessary to stop bill blocking no deal Brexit, says Rees-Mogg – Politics live” The Guardian 23.1.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/jan/23/brexit-latest-news-developments-pmqs-may-corbyn-wont-be-able-to-use-vote-next-week-to-stop-no-deal-liam-fox-claims-politics-live?page=with:block-5c487636e4b024f0efeaccd2#block-5c487636e4b024f0efeaccd2

2) “Far right may exploit Brexit tensions, says UK counter-terror chief” The Guardian 23.1.2019

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jan/23/no-deal-brexit-incredibly-damaging-security-says-uk-counter-terror-head-neil-basu