AIBU to think this quote sums up Tommy Robinson and his supporters?

[Gingerbreadtree]

The quote is taken from the British philosopher Bertrand Russell's essay on Fascim in 1940,

"The first step in a fascist movement is the combination under an energetic leader of a number of men who possess more than the average share of leisure, brutality, and stupidity. The next step is to fascinate fools and muzzle the intelligent, by emotional excitement on the one hand and terrorism on the other."

To me it sums them up, but it sums up a lot of the far right in general. The same could be said about Farage and many of his supporters too.

If they have convictions why would he campaign against them? They’re already convicted.

Aside from your conveniently generalised and unevidenced claims, you do understand that the huge issue with the predominantly Pakistani grooming gangs is that the authorities turned a blind eye and are actually reported to have enabled them?

No Pippin the real problem is these alleged networks of Pakistani grooming gangs that are apparently operating all over the country in plain sight for everyone to see, even though I've never seen one.

What I have seen though is so much misogyny from white men. Why doesn't Tommy address that?

As I said before, yes people who believe they are somehow "really" the oppodite sex have always existed, just as people who believe they are visited by spirits, can see the future, speak to the dead, or are linked to animals have always existed.

That doesn't mean these people actually are these things though.

Outside his head there is no difference whatsoever between a trans "woman" and ang other man. He is certainly no nearer to being female than any other man.

It's all just sexist projection. Very genuinely felt sexist projection maybe, but nothing more than that.

I’m hoping you are young and will eventually work out how utterly bonkers your world view is.

So you support the total eradication of Western society and culture through unlimited migration? Are you serious?

Anything to say on the man shouting for every Jew to be beheaded? I don't believe he is white. Your agenda is very clear.

I think @noblegiraffe is right - @InstantlyBella is just on the wind up

So because you’ve never personally seen a Pakistani grooming gang, their existence is only ‘alleged’ in your mind? Do you know how callous towards the thousands of very real victims you sound?

www.themaggieoliverfoundation.com/grooming-gangs

Do you...do you think "Right wing" just means people who are prejudiced and like to say "No" and "Left Wing" just means people who are open and like to say yes?

Do you not know that Right and Left are also linked to economic approaches - more individualist/capitalist on the Right, more collectivist/socialist on the Left?

The Soviet block in the 60s to 90s were very very big on borders. Had quite a famous wall. Killed people trying to cross it. Of course, those people were trying to get out rather than in, but still....

Then the Left needed borders to keep in the workers they needed to do all the things. Now, the Left need borders because they need to know who lives where so they can tax them to pay for all the things.

I think from your posts you probably think the billionaires should be taxed to pay for all the things? But also, you think no borders and everyone can move and live anywhere at will. So in your borderless world... why would the billionaires hang around to pay their taxes?

As I said way back, I'm Left wing (centre left: more left on the social side and more centrist on the economic side) and bizarrely I'm happy to pay my taxes, I even get a bit of a warm feeling when I get the breakdown of how much of my tax was spent on what, how much I'm contributed. I'm weird like that.

But I'm not an idiot. I can see if there were no borders none of this could function unless you also have a single whole world government.

First of all, like the Bible, Russell wrote a lot of stuff, and i'm sure that you can find material to support any of your views in his work.
Secondly, both the Right and the Left hold nutjobs with abhorrent views. What we have lost sight of (wilfully) is that most people on those camps are reasonable. We might not agree with them, but we should respect them.
Blackening everyone that you disagree with, on the basis of what is going on at the fringe, is unhelpful.

So can you see that you yourself fall into the 'leans towards authoritarianism' camp? You are suggesting the banishment and silencing of anyone who has a view you disagree with. That is the very essence of Authoritarian control. You must realise you cannot control people's free thoughts and speech living in a democratic society? If you really want to experience what it's like living in an Authoritarian country perhaps go live in Iran or Russia or North Korea. You'll be fine as long as you think and say what you're told is permitted.

In theory, yes, but when the country has s Welfare State and there's a cost of living crisis, affordable housing shortages and we have safeguarding DBS/reference system, as well as a different culture around women's freedoms and ate of consent, allowing completely free movement, doesn't work. We had war before boarders, greed and religious intolerance causes conflicts. As well as a few completely insane men in charge, or those who want lots of women to rape. Early tribes went to war, long before boarders. Read up on what's happening in Nigeria, the mass killing of Christians has been ignored for decades.

Look up the paradox of tolerance and you'll see why it is not the same.

'The paradox essentially outlines a rational limit to tolerance, arguing that tolerance should not be extended to ideologies that threaten the foundation of a free, tolerant society.'

This could apply to Trans ideology. TRAs who attempted strived for 'No debate'. Who called for gender realists to be criminalised and cancelled. This ideology threatened and cotinue to threaten the foundation of our free and tolerant society.

No I think it's the opposite actually. Your feelings on whether or not you think transgender people are legitimate or not does not trump their right to live exactly how they truly feel on the inside. It is you who are contrary to a free and inclusive society as I have just illustrated.

Quite. Not even 'just' criminalised and cancelled. Rape threats, death threats and all manner of sexist slurs and abusive language towards those that would not come into line. Sounds quite totalitarian and incredibly intolerant to me. But, like I said before, I am not sure InstantlyBella is posting entirely in good faith...

You can think what you want, but it doesn't mean it makes sense.

If a man who sees himself as a woman says we need to redefine womanhood as a mental feature rather than a physical because he feels he is a woman just like me, but I do not see myself as a "mental" woman at all, just a person who happens to have a female body like half the human race -

Why does his belief that he and I are just the same trump my belief that we are not? Why does his idea of what a woman is get to define me?

How is it ok that we can have words for something as trivial as the differnt colours of human hair, but not for something as fundamental as the two sexes? That people like you will rightly fight against people being treatedly unfairly because of their skin or religion, but go silent when it comes to the reality and consequences of being just plain physically female and why we need rights and protections?

It's just that Elon's trolls have found the forum and dutifully fight the 'woke mind virus'.

"The next step is to fascinate fools".

I do not see how this applies to Polanski.

Polanski has taken you in. He doesn't want an "inclusive" society. He wants a society that only includes those who toe his line.

Anyone outside that line such as people with Conservative views, real women who won't be handmaidens to perverts in dresses and the "wrong" kind of Jews will be excluded from his "inclusive" society.

He perfectly meets the definition of a fascist.

I'm not interested in telling people how to live their lives or police their thoughts. As long as people do not harm others in their pursuit of happiness I'm ok. Likewise I don't want people telling me what my beliefs should be. Transgender people exist and have the right not to be harassed just as a women and all in our society have those same rights. Transgender people should respect single sex spaces and our government has a duty to ensure single sex spaces are maintained and protected. This is not an authoritarian/totalitarian approach not matter how many times you say it is. You on the other hand are saying that everyone must agree that transwomen are one in the same as biological females. No one should be forced to accept this belief. Children should not be indoctrinated with these beliefs.

All other protected characteristics of a person such as race and sexuality etc are more valued and 'worthy' of being defended. And also religion which is in this country generally a choice rather than something you are born 'as' rather than into, but I accept this is not always the case, and the lines between ethnicity and religion are sometimes blurred. But being a woman? Not so much. We tend to be the ones sticking up for ourselves with not a huge amount of visible or audible support from men. And internalised misogyny really is a thing - but how could it not be given society? Why should women step aside and give up hard won protections just because another group wants to do its thing? The only other group of people with less societal and political sway are disabled people.

The trouble is you can’t have genuine concerns without being branded a far right thug. Even old ladies are being called far right thugs these days. Perhaps someone can explain why it is far right having genuine concerns about undocumented migrants committing sex crimes against British women and children while awaiting asylum?

I actually agree that humans can't change sex, but they can decide their gender identity for themselves. That's completely up to them. If you don't want a transgender woman in the bathroom with you, that's up to you. But that doesn't mean there should necessarily be a blanket ban on that. I personally generally use the disabled toilets due to noise sensitivity and hand dryers, but I'm not calling for a blanket ban on hand dryers just because they offend me personally.

A big shout out to all the incredible Women from all walks of life, up and down this country who have tirelessly taken on Governments, Public institutions, private organisations, the Legal profession, our own national health service to say No we will not accept and go along with the idea that sex is mutable. It wasn't very long ago that just to state the definition of a woman = adult human female was considered a crime. This is what the Green Party strive to go back to.

Probably because it's not true and you are being manipulated by Russian sponsored assets who want to divert you from the reality that diversity is our strength and immigration is actually a net benefit to your life. If the shoe fits basically.