Portsmouth this evening

[Shmoigel]

Has anyone else seen the news about what’s happening in Portsmouth this evening
A boat has arrived in Hampshire and the protesters from Dover are currently in the sea blocking passage with hundreds more on the quay blocking coaches waiting.

It's not the 'whiteness' that is the vexed vicar's issue, it's the loss of what he perceives is our British culture and replacement by the 'religion of peace'. He harks back to Britain being a Christian country for centuries, 'Celtic Christianity'.

Well! I’m off to Iona next year to explore Celtic Christianity . And to discuss social justice, equality and the climate emergency with the community.

Given his affiliation with Yaxley Lennon I presume he’s an Islamophobe. What a very, very silly man who is is missing the point in a spectacular way.

The thing that disturbs me about him is that he stands shoulder to shoulder with fascists in his dog collar and people, like the lady on here who thinks I got her post deleted, see that as some sort of respectability.

However, I feel British Culture IS being swamped by another: the USA’s polemic rigidity around politics. Nothing against USA citizens as a whole but people have started talking like them.

I was called an ultra liberalist yesterday. What? I’m British, Liberals aren’t ultra anything here. They’re the nice folk who are actually very good at local government. I mean I can’t vote for them since they propped up Cameron that time but they are probably a bit embarrassed about that.

I resent the way USA political language is invading our debate. It’s incredibly limiting and reductive.

I guess it’s come from X and that loopy White South African fellow but I really resent the Americanification of our political discourse.

Everyone spitting “woke” all the time. I’m not woke, it’s an African American term and solidarity to them but it doesn’t describe me, it’s not in my vernacular.

The problem with the USA viewpoint is that it’s over simplified, only two parties and if you’re one or another it’s assumed you must carry a load of other beliefs like around abortion, or gender or immigration or whatever.

We didn’t used to be like this. There’s too much conflation. I’m on the left because I believe socialism and public ownership to be fairer and more humane. However, I admire the Tories for having several female leaders and I think the current one is an excellent communicator with impressive resolve.
But under this imported USA mindset we should snipe at each other.

It’s damaging the national mood and happiness and we should be more worried about it than we are about Islam or whatever the British population will be a bit less white in 30 years.

There’s some reading and reporting, maybe come back another time, otherwise it’s all just one view.

@SevenYellowHammers If you think the concerns about immigration are about the UK being 'a bit less white' then it is you who is missing the point absolutely spectacularly.

And you simply don't realise it.

I don’t! But as a Christian, seeing bogus vicars adding respectability to thuggery really grates.

I definitely have my doubts about him, not just his theology but beyond that.

As for the language thing, yup of late it feels like we are all being labelled in a more extreme way whether it's far right or far left! It's a way to stifle debate before it even gets started.

I couldn't deal with the 2 party American system, I sometimes hear an American apologising 'although I really support Trump I do disagree on this one thing he's said/done and please don't have a go at me for saying so' and then being accused of 'disloyalty'! I think this is a sad state of affairs, I can vote for a party but that won't stop me criticising them if they go down a route I disagree with, and I don't feel the need to apologise 'I voted Labour but I'm so sorry I don't agree with X policy!'

I've voted Labour for awhile now but won't be doing so next time, I may indeed vote Tory as I do like Kemi, but that would be unthinkable in the US, to switch to such a different party. It's more par for the course over here.

I'm not worried about the whiteness of the population here but I do have concerns about Islam, for sure.

Ah v, that cesspit of misinformation and far right MAGA support platform.

Bye then.

I agree with much of this. For me it’s nothing to do with whiteness and everything to do with an authoritarian religion/religious practices. I also like Kemi. Rather enjoyed her talking to an activist yesterday who tried to tar her by suggesting she was on the right. She said I am on the right, my party is on the right lol. These bloody activists just spout out right wing alongside Nazi and think it’s the ultimate take down 🤪

The Tories on the Right? Who'da thunk! 😂

I’ll see if I can find the link to the video. It was funny.

https://conservativehome.com/2026/05/07/kemi-badenoch-tackles-a-heckler-its-not-pandering-to-the-right-i-am-the-right-and-proud-to-be-so/

😂

Well same.

I’m no more a Stalinist than Kemi’s a Nazi.

But this Americanisation of our language and politics is driving us apart and we’re losing the ability to debate and find common ground and consensus.

I don’t use term “fascist” lightly. I wouldn’t use it about a political party and its supporters which operated with our country’s written law and cultural custom of decency.

But those blokes who wear black, fight the police and scream at the boat occupants should probably hire an image consultant if they don’t want to be thought of as fascist.
Because they look chillingly like a scene from Cable Street to me.

Meanwhile, the volunteer RNLI are having their details and families details shared on SM (Twitter?) and are fearful for their lives. (BBC News). We’re going to lose them if we don’t support them. Do the bully boys even know they are a voluntary organisation?

Another dark day for Britain.

She was amazing! I loved what she said.

100%

Those who made Jewish schools need security guards are a total disgrace. I don’t care if they are left, right, Muslim, Christian WHATEVER they are disgraceful.

And damn right Kemi, we don’t want to the 30s. THAT is what I mean about Tommo’s Black Shirts. Kemi’s got it!

No I’ll never vote Conservative but she’s an integral part of our Government system as leader of the opposition. That’s how Britain works, not this American tit for tat.

May I suggest Ed’s done good by standing up to Israeli government expansion while making it clear that conflation it with Judaism is antisemitism.

Two amazing politicians, both second generation immigrants, working hard and with integrity for Britain.

I am concerned about SOME Muslims, SOME Christians, SOME Tories, SOME socialists, SOME travellers and so on. Maybe because I studied and taught Media for about a million years I have heightened awareness of how ideological representation works. I kind of thought most people did but I’m questioning that now.

But those blokes who wear black, fight the police and scream at the boat occupants should probably hire an image consultant if they don’t want to be thought of as fascist.
Because they look chillingly like a scene from Cable Street to me.

My opinion is that these people are the thin end of the wedge, meaning that a lot of people (and I couldn’t guess at the percentages) agree with them, but aren’t prepared to take to the streets and risk their livelihoods and reputations. It’s similar to why many moderate people within a religion won’t condemn the extremist element, some of what the extremist element is saying they agree with, even if they don’t agree with all of it or the way they’ve gone about it.

Take Gaza as an example. You’d get a lot of agreement I think that hostage-taking and murder is a bad thing, but running alongside that will be an emotion that Palestine has the right to exist and its people protected and so terrorist action is required based on historical wrongs. It’s cognitive dissonance at play.

Same with these balaclavaed individuals. On the one hand it can be accepted that dressing all in black and hiding your face during protests will be perceived to be an aggressive and frightening tactic, alongside rabble rousing the police, on the other lots of people understand we’re at end game politics, no one’s listening and the protests need to step up for the government to take notice.

I’m sure some of those protesters are absolutely racist scumbags with a criminal record as long as your arm and a penchant for enjoying a fight, but you’re missing the nuance if you don’t recognise there’s a lot of very ordinary people that are grateful someone is brave enough to get out there and piss the authorities off over an issue that basically caused Brexit and fucked us over forever.

Well yes, but yet another way of looking at it is that the Black Shirts drive debate further underground and make it less and less palatable to discuss.

I keep saying this and I’m boring myself let alone others but Burnham needs to TALK to us about it. We need Covid style briefing at least weekly.

This is how many got in, this is how we dealt with them, these are next steps. With so much swirling misinformation out there people are getting more and more angry, anxious and combative.

Load’s being done but we hear nothing. The incidence of violent crime on women by illegal immigrants is tiny.

Let’s be clear if it was one it’s too many but the stats (Oxford Uni observatory on immigration) show it’s rare.

Reform mucked about with stats to say 100% of violent crime on women was by immigrants - and yes, it was, for a short period of time in a small area.

And absolutely wrong on every level that women are attacked by men we have no information on.

Can’t say that enough.

BUT we need some truth. We are in an era of post truth. Burnham has top job, he needs to be clear about what’s happening and what is not.

Boris for all his faults knew he had to LEAD us through Covid. He screwed up with the parties, I know. Burnham needs a bit more Churchill .

Unless people are told what is happening, they are going to make shit up. And we will be back to the 30s.

I keep saying this and I’m boring myself let alone others but Burnham needs to TALK to us about it. We need Covid style briefing at least weekly.

Oh Lord. "We are flattening the curve of small boat arrivals!" Not that again! 😅

But yes we do need Burnham standing up and being honest with the public and what is going on, not just once a year but regularly. Otherwise it very much looks like nothing is being done.

Ah no thanks. One good thing about Burnham is he leaves us alone more than Starmer.

Oh God, flatten the curve. 😂 I miss that. I loved Chris whatsit and the slides. All those clever men but not one of them could use a clicker to move their PowerPoint on. But yeah, bring back briefings. And tell the bloody truth!

You can’t be a light touch pm!

Oh my word you can. Just to give us a break.

Brilliant. Thanks for this.

😂

He does, doesn't he? He's more like a janitor or a security man than a PM. And another very dull PMQs, made me quite nostalgic for Starmer.

Brian: "There's no pleasing some people."
Ex-Leper: "That's just what Jesus said, sir." 1]