Speaking as an effing p myself the kind of people who think effing p is ok to say existed before 2010 and will continue to exist after this election. They are violent racists who genuinely feel not just antipathy or anxiety towards people who different to them but actual aggression.
Whatever the faults of the last five Tory and coalition governments they have not been normalising that kind of extreme hate speech. I cannot think of a single Tory MP expressing a sentiment like that and of course many of them are effing p*s and from other BAME groups. What they HAVE done is fail to effectively deal with the rising anxiety of people on the right about immigration, our multi-ethnic communities, living in secular society etc. And they have taken money from Frank Hester who is definitely a violent racist which is inexcusable. Their lack of moral clarity about racism versus rightwing anti-immigration views is unacceptable.
The Reform Party which is mopping up the votes of the anxious far right votes is also mopping up the votes of violent racists. The ones who would shoot people arriving in boats, who think Hitler is unfairly maligned, and that we should turn all mosques into Wetherspoons. Reform has stood candidates or used canvassers who have said all those things. Not all reform voters are violent racists, but the majority of violent racists voting in this election will be voting reform.
No Conservative wanted that. The effect of their uselessness at maintaining a centre right home for moderate voters is expanding the base for parties like Reform which welcome racists as part of their coalition.
There is an opportunity here. The Conservatives are different and they need to be clear about that. They are not holocaust deniers, advocates of violence or outright misogynists. So for rightwing voters who want a small state but dislike extremism, they need to put an x there. To his credit Sunak has started to communicate that clearly today and I respect that.