Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 4:01 pm Racism covers more than race though, surely.

No it doesn't.
By definition "racism" refers to racial prejudice.

"racism, noun: a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race"
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism

I'll see your Webster and raise you an OED:

racism
noun
noun: racism
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.

If Sunak and Braverman simply stated that the group they believed to be responsible were Asian, or even Pakistani, that would be bad enough (because it's not true and is a false correlation) but if they imply (dogwhistles all round) that it is in the nature of that ethnic or religious group to behave egregiously then it is racism.

Which I believe they have done.

Where those ads are leading; team effort...

The firearms ad seems to be talking about something which isn’t a specific offence. Poor.

It's about the optics. That's pretty basic politics.

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:44 pm I'll see your Webster and raise you an OED:

racism
noun
noun: racism
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.

Thanks Malcolm. So, unsurprisingly, the dictionaries agree that racism refers to racial discrimination rather than any other form of discrimination.

The Equality Act (2010) defines religion as a protected characteristic.

Braverman specifically referred to Muslims...

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 7:16 pm Where those ads are leading; team effort...

I can't see a problem with that.

The prosecutors thing might help with the courts backlog, which is a bloody nightmare, and not entirely because of COVID shutdowns. And in fairness I'd rather Reed was talking about this sort of thing than that 'name and shame the druggies' scheme, which is the sort of braindead reactionary shite you desperately hope they're making up because some particularly dyspeptic focus group demanded that Something Must Be Done.

Hadn't heard of that until now. Sounds like it was aimed at open drug markets, which are a nuisance to locals in fairness. And a terrible way to source drugs, allegedly.

Wouldn't cameras do the job more easily?

Is Reed going to fund more courts? I would assume so, just that prosectutors and cops plays better.

Oboogie wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 8:00 pm

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 7:16 pm Where those ads are leading; team effort...

I can't see a problem with that.

Oh I'm sure some people will object because it's right-wing or something.

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 7:24 pm It's about the optics. That's pretty basic politics.

I strongly suspect these numbers include people who don’t have “intention to harm” but get non custodial sentences because it’s inferred by the judge that they are holding them for people they’re scared of.

Apparently Starmer is responsible for the guidelines according to this person

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:44 pm I'll see your Webster and raise you an OED:

racism
noun
noun: racism
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.

If Sunak and Braverman simply stated that the group they believed to be responsible were Asian, or even Pakistani, that would be bad enough (because it's not true and is a false correlation) but if they imply (dogwhistles all round) that it is in the nature of that ethnic or religious group to behave egregiously then it is racism.

Which I believe they have done.

Pandering to far right memes is loathsome enough but being married to a prominent Indian family with connections to Hindu nationalist mischief makers in the BJP government*, might have given Sunak pause for thought. I think he’s an out of his depth fool rather than a knave, living in a restricted political paradigm of neoliberal bean counting. Everything else he’s learning on the hoof, badly.

* Not to be outdone, Priti used her office of state to openly promote the fascist RSS

Marina Hyde has commented upon the latest ad campaign in a manner which might be deemed unhelpful.

The thing about political attack ads is that there will always be people, usually the ones who came up with them, who’ll sweep in to explain loftily that actually, the ad in question was a dark form of magic. “Hey, it’s not pretty, but politics is a bloodsport,” will be the position of some boring little inadequate whose other positions include banning bloodsports and having a number of views about where to get the best flat white in SW1.

God bless, but I'm not sure how well this is going to go. She's applying her trademark mockery to entirely the wrong people.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ishi-sunak

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 7:59 pm The Equality Act (2010) defines religion as a protected characteristic.

Braverman specifically referred to Muslims...

It does, but it doesn't define Islam (or any other religion) as a race.

I don't understand your point.

"Yebutt, so what?" is not the crass level of posting we expect on here, but I am simply not able to get my knickers in a twist over this. Marina Hyde going into a meltdown, the press still holding this story close to the top of the agenda, and everyone but me clutching their pearls this weekend rather than rolling cheeses.

I must be missing something. Sure, I see it as rather clumsy but it far from heralds a paradigm shift. So fucking what?

My pearls, also, are unclutched.

I'm not overly bothered, I just think it's pointless. The sort of voter it appeals to will still shout "Savile," Damien from Brighton will call it conclusive proof that the day after the election he will be rounded up and sent to his very own Gulag, most of us will still go to the shops next week and wonder what's gone up this time.