moral panics

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The Rise of the Deplorables: Part 1

On Saturday, September 13th, in London, up to a 150,000 people responded to Tommy Robinson’s call for a mass protest against immigration, the Labour government, the censorship of free speech and condemnation of “the great replacement”, the belief that migrants outside of Europe are in the acendency and are being given resources, privileges and preferment over indigenous white people, particularly Muslims. Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) is a well known extreme right figure who is widely described by media, charities, campaign groups and courts in civil findings as anti-Muslim and Islamaphobic and as having spread racist adjacent rhetoric. He has served time in prison for mortgage fraud and possession of a false identity document with improper use. He has numerous convictions for violent assault and contempt of court. In 2024 he was sentenced to 18 months for contempt of court. Robinson was one of the founders of the English Defence League, a far right street protest movement, notorious for anti-Islam demonstrations.

Most of those marching will reject the accusation of racism or xenophobia and will wave thousands of Union Jack and England flags to indicate their patrotism and commitment to British values. They will not appreciate that their march has been organised and coordinated by a convicted thug and career racist. They will not be able to articulate what they mean by describing themselves as patriots other than by acting because they feel their community is threatened. Threatened by foreigners with whom they feel no sympathy and designate a physical menace.

The baleful influence of Trump, Putin, Netanyahu and other hardline Nationalist leaders and their enablers has normalised hate speech and encouraged blatant prejudice. Social media has promoted and intensified aggessive feelings, hostility against groups and individuals, encouraged conspiracy theories, and given widespread dissemination to misinformation and disinformation. This very disappointing UK Labour government has capitulated to the Brexit mentality and right wing populism and generally runs scared of calling out right wing rhetoric, fearing political backlash .

Why are large swathes of populations so susceptible to extreme views and charismatic, seemingly convincing politicians? Why do people believe so easily and uncritically? Why do evidence and fact often lose out in debate? In recent months, the UK media has focused on illegal small boat immigration from France, crossing the English Channel and landing on the UK coast. The UK has a backlog of asylum applications and many of the asylum seekers are housed in small hotels across the country. In some areas this has caused friction and has been the focus of protests. One such incident occured in Epping, Essex, following reports of an asylum seeker being accused of approaching a 14 year old girl and trying to kiss her. The hotel was beseiged by protesters, many from outside the local area, demanding the hotel be closed down. Following a court case, it was ruled the hotel should be closed and a number of local authorities also made similar applications. The ruling was later defeated on appeal. The media continues to concentrate on illegal immigration organised by gangs across the Channel.

Interviewed protesters cited they were worried about the safety of children and women and strongly felt asylum seekers should not be accommodated in hotels in the general community. They were concerned about possible criminality, the proximity of the hotel to several schools and a care home, that residents in the hotel are not vetted and stated local residents did not feel safe. There were clashes with the police.

The asylum seekers were regarded as an existential threat to the local people and a drain on housing, the NHS and other resources which they felt should be directed to the local community. There was no expression of concern, compassion or charity for people who have gone through dreadful experiences. They singled out an incident that involved an asylum seeker but were oblivious to the several hundred reported cases of violence and sexual offences, in the Epping and Ongar area, in April and May 2025, as shown in published data.

Despite their protestations and self serving explanations, I believe that the vast majority joining in the Unite the Kingdom march and shouting outside immigrant accommodation hotels are racist and xenophobic. Large numbers also espouse fascist views. It’s a moot point to suggest, in mitigation, they have been manipulated and inflamed by far right media. At best they are dangerously credulous. Flags in the UK, depending on the context, are now synonymous with racism and far right values, not a love of one’s own country. These flag wavers are not patriots. They bring British values into disrepute.

How is my running going? Quite well. I’ve kept free of any further episodes of atrial fibrillation and I’m injury free at present. Currently running around 25k weekly, sometimes more, and regularly doing 5k parkruns. I’m massaging my knee, calves, foot and toes each day and my legs feel much better for it. Occasionally I try to do a few plyometric exercises but I am wary of my right knee suddenly snapping into a hundred pieces, I exaggerate, of course, but arthritic changes have made it feel stiff and weak. I can still run up to 16k easily enough but plyometric exercises may be a demand too much unless I go carefully.

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Aliveandrunning October 30 2014

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This is Rupert. He’s a dalmatian. It’s a little known fact that dalmatians’ spots have the ability to change their position overnight. Sometimes they align themselves so he looks more like a zebra than a dog. He has a number of habits, one of which is particularly disconcerting. If I meet other dog walkers and we stop for  a chat in the field, he may well cock his leg up against you and pee. Generally this is hilarious unless you have the misfortune to be the recipient of his largesse. It may take several seconds for you to realise what’s going on and to react promptly ie jump out of the way. I’m considering teaching him to do it on command to people who annoy me.

Not much running going on this week. Following a jaunt to south west London on the weekend, I went down with a heavy cold. In the olden days I would have found the strength to continue running, at least for shorter distances, but now I am Mr Sensible of Cambridge. No runs for a week now. I’ll do a 5k parkrun tomorrow and I’ve got a 10k race on Sunday. If parkrun is a struggle, I won’t do the Sunday race. I’ll still go along and take some pics because us runners love to see ourselves in action.

It’s very dispiriting when the Government and the Great British Public, in the pre-election period, work hand in hand to reach out to the electorate’s  lowest common denominator. There’s clearly an insatiable need to condemn, demonise, vilify and hold in contempt those in society who have the least or whose life chances have been destroyed or sabotaged at a very early stage. At the moment politicians are falling over themselves to articulate in reasonable terms the cruelest of policies. Here’s an excellent example of a scandalous disregard for the value of human life. When the new Foreign Office minister Lady Anelay gave a written answer in the House of Lords at the beginning of the week she announced that our Government would not be supporting future search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean (designed to save drowning, abandoned, sinking illegal migrants escaping to Europe). They die in large numbers already despite rescue services but the British government feels such humanitarian acts serve only to encourage migrants to make the dangerous crossing. http://bit.ly/1tGscI7

Of course, this absence of humanity will be applauded by large numbers of UKIP voters, Tories and right wingers in general who will accept the logic behind the statement and want other swingeing cuts to go further, either aimed at immigrants or benefit claimants. But they won’t take this logic and apply it elsewhere because it would be election suicide. What about stopping treatment of liver disease, obesity, lung cancer,and  heart disease  for drinkers, over eaters, smokers and non exercisers respectively on the grounds that this medical safety net only encourages them and others to continue their damaging habits. Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are the parasitical  class (again). So much for empathy and Christian values!

The travails of the Naked Rambler continue! Stephen Gough has long believed it should be a given human right to walk around naked in public. To this end he has walked the length and breadth of the UK naked and has been prosecuted and imprisoned on numerous occasions. In fact he has spent a lot of time in prison because he’s in frequent contempt of court (he simply continues to walk naked as soon as he leaves prison).   http://gu.com/p/42zcp This is just nakedness. It’s not sexual, exhibitionist or threatening. Just unusual. Prison is is cruel option to a non problem. The UKIP/Tory perspective? He’s only got himself to blame. If you let him get away with it, everybody will be at it! If only. 

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Aliveandrunning December 28

200th parkrun at Cambridge today and I have run 148 of them plus another 10 at Wimpole Estate. The weather was fine – sunny and not too cold – but muddy in many places. My arch rival, Mike, was marshaling which left me competing with No. 2 arch rival Diane. As usual I could hardly contain myself. I felt like a rocket in a silo waiting for the FIRE button to be pressed, I was a torpedo restless in its tube. Someone said go and I took off like a particle whizzing around the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Knocking people aside without pity, I broke free from the pack and took on the mantle of front runner only to have my dream shattered. The race had not started yet. I was a highly strung thoroughbred and when a couple having a conversation near me included the word GO I responded instinctively. Boy, was there a copious amount of egg on my face ! Ashen visaged, I apologised to my fellow runners whom I had pushed into a ditch or into muddy puddles and retook my position farther back as a penance. It didn’t go very well. No. 2 arch rival Diane overtook me around half way and I had no gas left in the tank to catch her up. I was startled when a very small child went past me. I’m sure I’ve seen larger tadpoles ! As is the nature of small, young fast children, they suddenly speed up then dramatically slow up, simultaneously weaving from side to side and repeating this strategy. It’s hilarious if you are limited  to running responsibly as a grown up (unless you succeed in getting tripped up). After cutting me up several times, he took off and I was history. He probably complained to the run director that too many old people are cramping his style. Lovely run despite coming 135th out of a field of 336.

Tomorrow I hope to do a 45-60 minute run and on New Years Eve I’ve got a 10 K. Possibly on New Years Day I might be doing one or two differently convened parkruns. As I write this it does seem a tad excessive (for me). It will definitely blow out the tubes and hopefully get me running longer and more frequently again.

Cambridge parkrun is held in Milton Country Park to the north of the city. The course is mainly grass and trail with some narrow paths. I’m sure the trees are closing in at various points. Quite a lot of them look surly and resentful  as we pass by. I’m convinced they’re not happy with the  resultant pounding of over 300 pairs of feet every week. I’ll try to speak to the wood nymphs and reach an accommodation. I saw  Spielberg’s Poltergeist and I don’t want to be plucked off the run path by a malevolent maple.

Alan Turing has been given a posthumous pardon for his conviction following homosexual activity. He committed suicide after being required to undergo  “chemical castration”- experimental hormone therapy to dampen down homosexual urges. The type of work he had been allowed to undertake subsequently was limited because of the supposed risk to security linked to his sexual orientation. There’s plenty of criticism to the pardon under a Royal Prerogative of Mercy which notes he was convicted under due process of the current laws in 1952. Some people argue it’s unfair on the thousands of ordinary, consenting gay men who were convicted under the same laws whose convictions still hold. My view is that all men (and women, if any) who were sentenced under these vicious “moral” laws should be pardoned. Moral panics, and particularly those of a sexual nature, may last for decades or centuries or even become embedded into the culture. In kinder and more enlightened times, I feel it is very important to revisit those nasty, ignorant and bigoted laws and expose their cruelty rather than merely state they were a product of their times. Alan Turing , along with many others at Bletchley Park, shortened the war and saved thousands of lives. The “laws” he transgressed had no right to be laws of the land and contained no justice, only sexual fear and prejudice.

New Year resolutions :

1. Research science fiction literature over last 100 years with view to developing a cult/religion.

2.Consider options to monetise said cult/religion.

3. Complete Janathon (run and blog daily) for month of January.

4. Keep an eye on Pope Francis!