Fascism doesn't arrive in fancy dress...

[Batmanisaplaceinturkey]

"I sometimes fear that
people think that fascism arrives in fancy dress
worn by grotesques and monsters
as played out in endless re-runs of the Nazis.

Fascism arrives as your friend.
It will restore your honour,
make you feel proud,
protect your house,
give you a job,
clean up the neighbourhood,
remind you of how great you once were,
clear out the venal and the corrupt,
remove anything you feel is unlike you...

It doesn't walk in saying,
"Our programme means militias, mass imprisonments, transportations, war and persecution."

By Michael Rosen

michaelrosenblog.blogspot.com/2014/05/fascism-i-sometimes-fear.html?m=1

I know I can't control it. I am not seeking to do so.

I am merely suggesting that posters who actually want to discuss the issues should simply scroll by and ignore the blatant attempts to derail.

And, in keeping with that suggestion, I will not be engaging any further on this issue here, and hope that we can get back to the discussion that the OP originally wanted to have.

@MrsBennetsPoorNerves great and I'll pick up on posts that interest me and if the topic doesn't I expect those posters will scroll past

@Notmycircusnotmyotter agree

I did wonder what she meant by that.

What did he say that was disinformation.

It’s fanatical to know the difference between men and women?

It’s not derailing. Any blurring of the lines leads to the dissolving of women’s rights. It might not be of importance to you, but you have no right to dictate to others what they should find important.

As part of a bigger picture a more liberal stance people have been pushed towards the right, and you can see it happening here.

Farage the Opportunist has played right into this. With the lack of decent governing he has been able to waltz in and win over loads of people who were desperate for a party to be decent but to also be pragmatic about important issues that are affecting people’s lives.
Trying to address these issues in the last decade has led to these people being constantly insulted by those who don’t share their views - you see it everywhere now - and once you’re calling someone who is obviously not racist a racist scumbag, or a woman who spent decades working on gay rights a bigot, you’re pushing them to the welcoming arms of Farage, or in the case of USA, Trump.

This is happening all over the place. It’s not right, I’m not happy about, but since I no longer align with any political party it’s easier to see how this is happening in real time.

Absolutely

Thank you OP. Will use for World Poetry Day. Much appreciated x

@GrandpaFlump agree

It might not be of importance to you, but you have no right to dictate to others what they should find important.

Corbyn is not and never has been extreme. His brand of socialism was all about making public services profitable for reinvestment and eliminating profit for shareholders. Very much in keeping with Scandinavian democracies

Michael Rosen is an awful poet and characterising cleaning up neighbourhoods, growing employment and prioritising security as 'fascist' is part of the left's problem.

You didn't understand the poem.

The Darlington nurses case is still ongoing (under tories and now Labour) and the misrepresenting of the equality act continues to happen in all government departments both north and south of the border, starmer has refused to amend the equality act to clarify that sex means biological sex.
Quite frankly neither he nor his party can be trusted as far as they can be thrown on women's rights issues

I didn't understand a Michael Rosen poem?

MAAAATE.

Evidently.

Danger, why danger. Sounds like you mean don’t vote as you would want. Wouldnt that be facist of you to say that.

Agreed. But I had to learn to give up on trying to explain why Corbyn isn't the devil incarnate, people just either believe what they were told about him the right wing press, or else twist what he stands for to suit their own agendas.

Corbyn is very fond of Hamas and the Iranian islamic state. Is that not extreme? Are they not a bit fashy? Is having women's rights concerns there disingenuous?

To be clear as you claim we are in a democracy, fascism is opposed to democracy, so which is it, as they can’t both be correct.

I think there are no good guys, because the good guys went to sea in a wonderful pea green boat to live on honey and five pound notes.

The good guys are so privileged they lost sight of their own citizens who are paying for the ideals of the good guys and are struggling.

I agree with most of the ideals of the good guys. But we can’t make the poorest and most vulnerable pay for them- they are luxurious ideals that you buy into when your basic needs are met.

My adult child lives in the US and I’m appalled by what is happening there. Musk openly stoked the riots here and we know he is funding Farage. It’s terrifying.

Oh you mean he sat down to listen to,and talk to terrorists? Oh I think lots of the world's leaders have to do the same in the end don't they? Good Friday agreement anyone??Oh and Trump has been chatting with two war criminals just very recently....

Yes, I do mean danger. I believe that it was incredibly dangerous when the people of Germany democratically elected Hitler. Would you not agree?

In any democracy, there is a risk that "the people" will elect individuals and/or parties who will do significant harm. We choose to accept that risk because every political system carries risk and democracy seems like the best option for getting a reasonable and responsible government. The danger is always there, though, and democracy sometimes produces terrible results.

And yes, I suppose that it is all subjective. After all, some people probably still believe that the Nazis were great. But most will agree that they were not a good choice.

Do you think saying okay you can keep what you've stolen so far but please don't take anymore will stop him coming back for another round when he's built his army back up and shown his people he's won?

More Trump and Musk bashing.

Oh what bloody joy.

We need more, I say.

For avoidance of all doubt, yes, I am being sarcastic.

How's about we all wait and see what happens for a little while and give screeching, screaming and crying on Tiktok (or other such venues riddled with the overwrought) a rest for five minutes.

It’s very much here already.

It’s “taking back control” through Brexit it. It’s claiming that “Brexit only hasn’t worked because we didn’t do it hard enough” now that it’s been shown to fail.

It raised its ugly head with that horrible poster in the Brexit campaign showing the long queue of exclusively brown “immigrants”.

It’s pissing on our London streets draped in a St George’s cross and claiming to want its country back.

It’s shouting “free Tommy!” And claiming that Yaxley-Lennon is some kind of political prisoner rather than a criminal.

It’s claiming that Trump “just wants to help ordinary Americans” or that he’s “trying to make peace / save lives” by holding talks with fascist, terrorist russia.

Its saying “oh well russia only wants to protect russian speakers/ hold back NATO expansion / other flimsy propaganda” and presenting that as “free thinking” when it’s quite obviously nonsense.

It was all over this site yesterday arguing we have no need to fight russian attacks on Europe and trying to frighten us with the idea of conscription at some undefined time.

It is here already and we need to fight it now.