Like the nation, I felt physically sick and repulsed as news emerged of the butchery of children in Southport on Monday – and outraged at the riot the following day.
The sheer contrast of the innocence of little girls enjoying a Taylor Swift-themed dance club at the start of a sunny summer holiday with the malevolence of a 17 year-old man brutally robbing three girls of their lives and injuring more was deeply upsetting. For many people, the shock of it gave way to both despondency and pure rage. How could this happen in the U.K. in 2024? And yet, it somehow seemed less of a shock in the context where many feel that lawlessness is becoming the norm – that the police, politicians and mainstream commentators seem either indifferent to society spiralling out of control or are powerless to prevent it.
Worse, attempts at a frank discussion about what is going wrong are regularly muted by labelling people’s raw responses of fury and frustration as some variant of extremist bigotry or by accusing them of stoking up those infamous culture wars. So, the particularly harrowing aspect of children being the target of such extreme violence has acted as a lightning rod for all sorts of pent-up fears and fury; an understandable refusal to calm down, be dignified, not to worry our pretty little heads while those in charge sort it out with their platitudes and new repressive laws.
The subsequent malevolent and destructive riot in Southport has muddied the situation further. Most of us looked for some consoling sense of hope in the aftermath of the tragedy, such as the awe-inspiring bravery of ordinary passersby and those heroic dance teachers defending their pupils (so well captured by Fraser Myers here), or the community coming together in an act of poignant solidarity at a thousands-strong vigil on Tuesday evening.
But then, I started to notice some bad faith actors circulating ugly rumours about the 17-year-old perpetrator being a Muslim asylum seeker (with no evidence whatsoever) alongside calls for vengeance at what was called a “protest” at a local mosque. We then all witnessed the chaotic scenes of brick throwing, car-burning, police-under-siege chaos. Those same seaside town streets lived in by a community still trying to process an act of savagery were trashed by yobs who seemed to be revelling in the occasion, rather than expressing the nation’s anger.
But yes, I know, it’s more complicated than that. So here are a few examples of the double standards that make this issue tricky.
On policing: When the recent Harehills riot occurred in Leeds, there was justifiable public outrage that the police seemed to retreat from the scene. Too often, when disorder is taking place – from Just Stop Oil’s anti-social destruction of property to the rampant anti-Semitism on many pro-Gaza demos, from mass shoplifting to the grooming gangs scandal, from normalised machete fights to increased sexual assaults – the police appear to look away. But for once, in Southport, the police heroically charged at danger to apprehend the knifeman and rightly aimed to control a volatile riot. Despite this, the response from too many has been to cheer on as officers were injured and the target of violence. How can that help restore order?
On controlling our streets: The queues of politicians lining up to condemn the Southport riot compares poorly with more mealy-mouthed reactions to the equally nihilistic and violent Harehills riot in Leeds. The full force of the law needs to be equally applied but rarely is. What’s more, in my contribution in the Lords to the King’s Speech on criminal justice – labelled by Keir Starmer as Labour’s “Take Back Control of our Streets” policy – I was the sole voice to speak on events in Leeds. I was also one of a small few to raise the frightening levels of violent, abusive, misogynistic, antisemitic intimidation faced by some candidates in the General Election from organised gangs of Gaza activists and Islamists.
Government Ministers didn’t even bother to reply. So, when Angela Rayner proclaims that “thuggish behaviour” has “absolutely no place in our democracy” after violent scenes in the Merseyside town, we might ask why some thuggish behaviour matters more than others.
On identity politics: There is seething public resentment about the fact that identitarians regularly deploy skin colour and ethnicity to demonise the majority of U.K. citizens for their “white privilege”, divisively pitted against minority “victims” who need special protection. But for a few white nationalists to exploit the horrors of Southport for their own opportunistic power grab is just as sordid and grubby, and benefits no one.
On speech: Identity politics is one effective way that those in charge fence-off open debate on everything from immigration to the growing hold of radical, politicised Islamism. And as it’s become fashionable to promiscuously demonise opponents as far-Right hate mongers – from gender-critical feminists to free-speech supporting academics – any meaningful discussion of real bigotry becomes muted and muddled. And as a minority opportunistically leap on the Southport tragedy to push a racialised agenda that targets people for no other reason than their ethnicity, we need to be free to call this out publicly with no apology. However, it is equally true that when the public are told you can’t say that, or ask that, because it may offend a particular identity group, it results in millions feeling frustrated that issues are brushed under the carpet.
It should be acceptable to ask if undocumented young men arriving on small boats present a threat; to raise worries about immigrant communities that seem unwilling to integrate into British society; to query if there is a relationship between Islamists pledging support for Hamas and Islam as a religion. All these are legitimate questions, and should be the subject of open debate. For the authorities to try and close down discussion is a disaster.
On gaslighting: Indeed, the public are constantly ‘gaslit’ by authorities, told to ignore the evidence of our own eyes. There’s “nothing to see here”. Those who wanted to be righteously angry about the Manchester Arena bombing or the murder of Sir David Amess MP are told to repress public outrage and mourn quietly. Those who asked about the brutal slaying of a Hartlepool pensioner or the contradictory accounts of recent events at Manchester Airport are told to shush and calm down. And if you dare worry about terrorism when a soldier is knifed in broad daylight, you are treated as some sort of threat to civil order for raising your concerns. Yet, in reality, there has been a collapse of civility and order in society and official attempts at controlling information about such incidents creates suspicion and a further breakdown of trust.
On repression: Forcing difficult issues out of the public square to bubble under the surface only allows them to fester. People end up retreating down conspiratorial ‘rabbit holes’, until eventually they erupt in an unruly and unholy manner, as we are witnessing this week. And yet, silencing, gaslighting and repression are the only political weapons the political elite feels at home with. The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, is said to “be looking at” whether the English Defence League (EDL) should be proscribed under terrorism laws following the riot, while cabinet ministers and their Antifa cheerleaders are falling over themselves to call for the strengthening of the Online Safety Act, with greater clampdowns on disinformation online following false reports about the perpetrator’s identity.
That the only solutions to the horrifying events in Southport are more bans and censorship is more likely to fuel new depths of anger and resentment – far more than any hard-Right memes. It will also give far more glamour and credit to the decrepit EDL and its supporters by pretending it is they – and only they – who are responsible for the febrile mood of betrayal felt by millions, let down by the Westminster bubble, regardless of which party is in power. As I write this on Wednesday evening, crowds are gathering at Downing Street and Hartlepool as copycat skirmishes break out.
These are serious times, and it can be challenging to discuss difficult issues with so much at stake. Nuance and context can easily get lost in the noise. But we must persevere. Discussing events in Southport with Mike Graham and Tim Montgomerie on Talk TV on Wednesday, I felt I was walking on eggshells, wary of misspeaking. Sure enough, I was labelled from all sides as “centrist mum” and “controlled opposition” by the ‘deport them all’ side; “far-Right, racist enabler” by the ‘multiculturalism is sacrosanct’ brigade. But we need to have these conversations, and thrash them out frankly, to pursue thinking out loud, to try and avoid simplistic sloganeering and screaming at each other. We need to dig deeper than headlines or tweets. We will aim to do so at the Battle of Ideas festival, which we are programming now. Below are just a few articles that are insightful at unravelling a fast-moving mood, with decades of deep, tangled roots.
- Fraser Myers, ‘In praise of Southport’s heroes‘, Spiked, July 30th 2024
- Brendan O’Neill, ‘Condemning the Southport riot is not enough‘, Spectator, July 31st 2024
- Ben Sixsmith, ‘Southport and the inescapability of politics‘, Critic, July 31st 2024
- Tom Slater, ‘Southport and the deadly cowardice of the elites‘, Spiked, July 31st 2024
- Rakib Ehsan, ‘Southport attack has been exploited by conspiracists‘, UnHerd, July 31st 2024
Baroness Claire Fox is a free speech and democracy campaigner, member of the House of Lords and founder of the Academy of Ideas. This article first appeared on the Academy’s Substack page.
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Whether or not white Americans feel guilty about slavery, they certainly wish they’d picked their own damn cotton (h/t the great Kathy Shaidle).
Good article highlighting the one-sided hatred and violence coming from the radical, mentally deranged ‘Trans’ extremists, being all the while enabled and supported by the authorities;
”If Clive or Sadiq or the Trans+ Pride crew could point me in the direction of any counter examples, of prominent gender-critical women calling for transgender activists to be physically assaulted, or getting stuck in themselves, or refusing to condemn those who do, I’d be keen to see them. But we all know they don’t exist. For all the allegations of transphobia hurled at gender-critical campaigners over the years, they are not the extremists and haters in this debate – and they never have been.
Putting to one side the thorny issue of incitement in this case, and the thin line between venting one’s rage and directly inciting violence, there is simply no comparison to be drawn between the so-called TERFs and the trans activists. One side is robustly defending their rights against a tide of bigotry and routine harassment by the police. The other are the trans activists – who not only have genuine extremism among their ranks, but also get a free pass for it from Labourites, universities and even the police.
Violent woman-hating has made a comeback in politically correct form. Men are being cheered on at rallies for calling for women’s rights activists to be punched in the face. Meanwhile, politicians and activists, who on any other day might fancy themselves as valiant warriors against ‘the patriarchy’, are either staring at their shoe laces or making excuses for them.”
https://www.spiked-online.com/2023/07/10/punch-a-terf-the-violent-misogyny-of-the-trans-movement/
Probably sharing this is just giving this absolute certifiable POS even more exposure but I do feel we need a reality check on just what kind of nasty mentalists are in our midst. I actually hope this ‘person’ gets everything they deserve off the back of sharing this video and he is condemned from all sides. Just vile.
https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1678892214682890241
https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1678892214682890241
That is one specimen that does not belong on the planet. Seriously that is one of the most corrupted, evil, anti-human things I have seen. Mengele territory.
I know, hux. It’s bad enough to even have those thoughts or record those thoughts ( everybody is entitled to the privacy within their mind, after all, and as far as I’m aware actual ‘thought police’ do not exist ) but to actually post those seriously f*cked up, offensive thoughts and opinions onto the web so that everybody becomes aware….well, I just hope his video backfires and Karma pays him a visit. I’m not going to shed a tear if there’s one less sicko inhabiting the planet alongside decent folk. I hope his parents are proud of what they produced!!
America’s guilt about slavery is understandable? Really? None of them were alive at the time FFS! What cobblers. Nonsense like this is partly why we’re in the mess we’re in.
“Parochial xenophobia” is a useful, but incredibly shortsighted, way of defending your own country. By failing to distinguish the real issues, you leave yourself defenceless against them when they are in fact shared by the other nations. We should be building bridges with those of like mind abroad, not crowing about our supposed superiority.
So apart from the “we abolished slavery quicker than the Yanks did” thing, consider how we cover up our own involvement in recent war crimes by pointing the finger at the US and Guantanamo Bay; how we are blind to our leadership in State tyranny by talking about “Chinese style social credit” when they appear to have less of it than we do; saying the French are prone to rioting when they’re just further down the slippery slop than we are, etc.
I’m well aware of my own country’s (England) shortcomings. I tend to think it’s superior to many other places (for which I take no personal credit, just put it down to good fortune) and a lot of people from many places seem to agree with me as people seem very keen on coming here. But I am not overly interested in cultural pissing competitions – other people might feel their countries and culture are superior and if so, good luck to them. England suits me – probably because I grew up here and I am used to it, and know what to expect. Change is inevitable but can be managed in a way that gives people time to get used to it.
I agree we should build bridges with those of like mind abroad, though goodness knows there seem to be very people of like mind to me anywhere, at home and abroad. There’s an argument that we need new countries, some of which would be places where the vast majority of the population had a strong belief in individual responsibility and freedom, small government, rule of law. Would I like to live in such a country? Yes, probably – but would I like to live there if the people there mainly of a completely different culture to me, with different social mores and ways of behaving? I don’t know. Covidian sheeple who know how to queue vs. anarchists who don’t know how to queue. I don’t know and won’t ever have the choice, though I think it might depend on how bad things get here.
Exactly! When is the cut off date for reparations?
How about modern day Italy having to pay reparations to the thousands of persecuted Christian slaves killed in the gladiator games for entertainment!.. their later generations have a claim,.. and through human history, where does this list end?
“Secret blacklists have no place in a modern democracy.”
On the contrary they appear to be an indispensable feature of modern democracy.
Now, if you were talking about the old, unenlightened and primitive form of democracy (you know, the kind where Christian views are not beyond the pale and where voting meant something), then I’d agree.
Dr McCullough’s opinion on this whole ”chest-feeding” nonsense ( 1min clip ) and I did think this bit on his substack was funny. He’s right though.
”Instead of fantasizing about being a women, men can focus on helping the mother who just delivered with work around the house, cooking, supervising other kids in the home, and keeping their appointments for psychotherapy.”
https://petermcculloughmd.substack.com/p/cdc-becomes-public-laughing-stock
About Chicago paying reparations to black residents – I thought this definition of reparations was perfect, apologies if youv’e read it before;
“Where people who aren’t guilty are forced to give money to people who aren’t victims”.
In the HART article “The inversion of the ‘precautionary principle’” listed above, there is a link to another of their publications, which is quite instructive: https://www.hartgroup.org/fact-check/ “Government funded take-down looks increasingly ridiculous”. Changing the definition of things so as to manipulate public understanding of something is pretty close to fraud, Languages are flexible enough to accommodate new terms to correctly describe, or label, the functionality of anything new.
“Pupils struggle more with three Rs than before pandemic” – Barely three in five children in England are meeting standards in reading, writing and maths
It’s all that white privilege they’re having to mug up on…..
“How Bill Gates wants to hack the weather to
savelead usfromto extinction”There, sorted.
Well done.. and for those that don’t know they’ve been hacking it since 1946, and in full blown technological earnest since the mid 90s.
Geoengineering’s the name.. weather warfare’s the game..
https://usawatchdog.com/biden-blocking-sun-destroying-earth-dane-wigington/
George! You came back!!
OK you can stop messing with our minds now. 
Yes I’m back.. well rested.. and have my alter-ego back under lock and key.. haha..
Absolutely – you can see & hear the on/off con trail planes overhead here (South West) almost all the time, following which the sky often looks like complex tartan before shading into that sickly milk white. (Didn’t do it during Glastonbury Festival I noticed as it would look bad on the telly, but got back with a vengeance after.)
Yes.. its pretty damn despicable isn’t it. When I’m back in UK I spend a lot of time in the SW and have witnessed the massive amount of spraying going on down there..
Transgenderism can be seen as a politically correct ideology along with feminism, anti-racism and the others. The main things it has in common with them are a hatred and denial of nature and an impertinent urge to overcome it.
https://www.unz.com/article/transgenderism-as-a-pc-ideology/
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/how-much-longer-can-this-junk-money-charade-go-on/
A brief why and how our monetary system must collapse. It’s all about debt and value.
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/the-wrong-sort-of-fools-running-our-lives/
“If this is the case, then the drive to combine Artificial Intelligence with humanity in the form of transhumanism is redundant, not only in its evil intent, but in the possibility of humanity’s own natural development. Perhaps, as that brilliant and humane historian Neil Oliver says, ‘We are not a finished piece – we are a work in progress’.
It seems to me that the court jester would be infinitely preferable to the fools in charge at present.”
A worthy short read.
https://europeanconservative.com/articles/commentary/excluded-for-the-crime-of-whiteness/
A cracking essay by the wonderful Frank Haviland laying bare the crap and lies of “diversity.”
Anyone else think the BBC might have sat on the presenter scandal throughout June in order to stop the story emerging during Pride Month?
We deserve more than the woeful response to Sarah Jane Baker’s ‘punch TERFs’ rant
Even the author of this piece has failed to understand that Baker’s rant was an incitement to violence and not just hatred. The clue is in the word ‘punch.’