Alpesh Patel’s Political Sketchbook: Labour move from Jews to Hindus

Alpesh Patel Tuesday 29th June 2021 12:24 EDT
 

The Labour Party leaflet in the Batley election showing PMs of India and UK with the undertone that you shouldn’t, therefore, vote Conservative as they are friendly with Indian and Hindu is clear.

I remember in a Politics class at Oxford my tutor showed me an election leaflet from a renowned right-wing Senator with a white hand helping a black hand and he asked me what I thought.

I said, well he could be speaking of unity and a helping hand. He made it clear what ‘dog-whistle' politics is. Where you pretend you’re not saying what any sensible person knows what you are.

The Labour leaflet says the following (although they will try to deny through doubt to give them enough cover) –

First: don’t trust a party that is pro-India because you are Pakistani

Second: you know Modi is Hindu, and don’t forget you don’t like Hindus

Labour, in their evangelism, tried the same game against Jewish people and the anti-semitism started bubbling out. Then they will do the ‘what about…’ Yeah, what about totally irrelevant other things? What about them? They’re an attempt to distract used by dimwits.

Trust me, as a Barrister, I can turn people against each other in an empty room. And if that’s what victory means for Labour – you can have it. No, wait, I don’t want that in my country.

And what about the electorate – why doesn’t Labour just say “It was a Labour PM that gave you Pakistan in 1947 remember – be grateful and vote for us you backward idiot”. That’s after all what they are saying.

I’m not as stupid as they think their electorate is. It’s their superiority and assumptions which annoy me.

But, but, but, what about…what about…and what about. No, we are discussing this. This is the subject at hand.

The fundamental problem with Labour is not solution-seeking, but problem maintaining. If you can’t rely on the working class, let’s go for religion.

Religion and politics don’t mix well. Britain learnt that from sectarian and religious conflicts and civil wars. Now religion is part of politics as a historic hangover and ceremonial only.

Labour in a desperate attempt to win, shame their party. I agree with Labour though – desperate times call for desperate measures. And boy are they desperate.

I’ve met Tony Blair, Robin Cook, Patricia Hewitt – Labour MP’s from an era when they could win elections. Little wonder that by the time of the next General election, the last Labour leader to win an election before the last one would have been half a century ago. (Harold Wilson in case you’re wondering, before Blair).

Their class warfare pivoting to religious war is redundant – or as Blair would have said “off-message”.


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