In the context of my last post on the need to tackle authoritarianism and making the assumption that authoritarianism and hate crime are associated, this data from the government is sobering:

The breakdown was as follows:

Crimes in all categories except religion are rising.

Let's not pretend that there is nothing we need to do to tackle the cause of this crime. The increases in this type of crime are stark warning of there being real fear amongst some who feel alienated within our society.

It is my suggestion that they feel alienated by the deliberately created growing economic inequality that has been created by austerity over the last decade. This growth in inequality is known to trigger authoritarian attitudes.

Without an adequate avenue for expression of that fear resulting from economic inequality those feeling it are blaming others more vulnerable than themselves, and so are creating fear for them, and they in turn then feel that they too are isolated and unprotected within this society that appears not to care about them as well.

This is what happens when the existing political hierarchy of the UK only reinforces the hierarchies of wealth-driven power within this country.

It goes without saying that that hierarchy of power is where change has to begin. We need politics that cares.