To think it’s weird that no one is connecting the dots between the PM’s rhetoric and what’s happening on the streets?

[RedThreadRabbit]

Every day, the Prime Minister gets on camera and says things like “send them back” or “stop the boats.” And every day, I see mobs gathering, sometimes violent, chanting the exact same things. Word for word.

But somehow, we’re all pretending there’s no connection between what’s being said from the top and what’s being acted out at the bottom. It’s like people are trying to keep those things separate on purpose.

AIBU to think this isn’t a coincidence and that political rhetoric has consequences, especially when it gives people permission to act on their worst instincts?

Do you not think that perhaps you have it the wrong way around?

Can you name the Prime Minister (without checking)?

Most people realise OM is saying these things as NF is ahead in the polls

we take in 1.8% of refugees/asylum seeks, it’s really a very small amount compared to Iran or turkey and German, France, Italy, Greece Spain take more asylum seeks than uk

Interesting question but I don’t think it’s that simple. I’m not denying that public sentiment can influence politics, of course it can. But I think we underestimate how much leadership shapes the tone of public discourse. The PM isn’t just reflecting the public mood, he’s actively reinforcing certain messages, in repeated soundbites, with media amplification. That kind of repetition doesn’t just mirror what people already think, it legitimises it, gives it weight and emboldens action.

You could argue it’s a feedback loop but there’s still a clear power imbalance. What’s said by someone in his position carries far more authority than what’s said in a pub or on Facebook. And when leaders use loaded language, it trickles down fast and gets echoed in ways that can turn dangerous. So I don’t think it’s “the wrong way around,” I think both directions matter but only one side is elected to be accountable for the impact of their words.

It’s the other way round.

farage has been on about stop the boats for years and the Tories got in on it before they lost the last election.

starmer needs to be seen to be addressing it as it’s an issue on the doorsteps.

Farage is the problem. Took many people listen to him.

The far right is rising all over Europe has been for a while now, many countries are much worse than us for this. Is that Starmer's fault? Did Trump get people to vote for his anti-immigration policies through Starmer?

What a weird theory!

I don't think it is a weird theory, I think that politicians and people with a platform need to think that their words DO filter down and have an impact. If certain phrases are used on TV by our leaders, of course people think it is OK to use them.