When trying to appraise any situation the question that has always to be asked is cui bono, or who benefits? That clearly coordinated rioting is taking place in the UK obviously justifies this question being asked.
I accept that there is such a thing as coincidence in life. I also believe that when something is happening that suggests that a pattern of behaviour is being revealed then to presume that this is coincidence is mistaken. Coordination is much more likely.
That is most especially the case when we are aware that there has been massive misinformation with regard to migration published by the UK news media over many years. The Daily Mail and the Daily Express have been particularly responsible for this, although throughout the media over the last few days the widespread acceptance by employed commentators that migration is a problem and that there is, apparently, a legitimate right to complain about those who can be identified as migrants has been far too commonplace to be comfortable. That at last some of the media have a stake in the creation of the current situation appears undeniable as a result.
The Conservative Party and Reform have also heavily promoted an anti-immigrant agenda, whilst Labour has been far too weak to resist it. As a consequence, we now see them, too, supporting the idea that the free movement of people is, somehow, a threat to our freedom, and that migration must be controlled, come what may, even though the whole bedrock of the UK has been built on the basis of migration actually happening, and we once invaded and occupied other countries without ever asking permission, which it seems those in power would very much like to forget.
Who else has gained from creating stress leading to the current situation? Some social media companies would definitely appear to have done so.
What is it, therefore, that those who have promoted these ideas seek to gain by doing so? 
Firstly, I think we can safely say it is none of those things that those who are on the streets claim to be worried about. When they are denying that they are racist, those rioting about migration suggest that they are worried about pressure on wages, increased use of public resources and pressure on housing as excuses for their actions. I frankly doubt that any of those entities that I have noted above care very much about these supposed concerns of those who might claim that they are legitimately protesting. None of them seems intent on solving the problems of low pay, poor public services or housing shortages, so the possibility that they might be exploiting the issue of migration for their own goals has to considered.
Saying so, we know that the Mail, Express, Tories and Reform all share a mythology based on the idea that there was once an ideal Britain when misogyny and the Empire ruled. They use this wholly false idea as an excuse for the re-establishment of patriarchal power by a wealthy elite. I think Labour is not far from this view now, such is its dedication to the symbolism surrounding these ideas.
It does, therefore, follow that those promoting anti-immigrant sentiment are doing so to fuel their own deeply divisive political agendas. They have a very real responsibility for what is happening as a result, most especially as they are in many ways responsible for exacerbating the real inequalities in our society that feed into the tension that has led to rioting.
Then there is a second reason for what has happened, and that is a profit motive. For some in the media, whether mainstream or social, fuelling anger on migration - and so racial hatred - has been a way of promoting sales of their products. There would not have been nearly so many front covers of the Mail and Express on this issue if that was not the case. Social media has won traffic, too, as a result: that is why it is not dealing with the issue.
Third, behind all this there are the tech billionaires and others of exceptional wealth who do not believe in democracy, would rather see it gone, and who are happy that it be stressed to its limits by what is happening. Did Elon Musk really suggest civil war was likely in the UK in a disinterested way? I don't know because I cannot know his mind. But if your desire is to undermine the state and social structures as we know them, then the creation of social stress most certainly helps.
Put together, there appears to be a remarkable lack of coincidence about what is happening. All it took was a trigger - which in this case was manufactured using misinformation - and a hot few days, and the stress spilt over.
Of course, this stress might go away. A few days of rain and trouble on the streets will fade. But the tensions will not.
Companies with interests in fuelling tension that promote sales of their products; politicians who are indifferent to the needs of most people they are meant to serve and the conditions they are forced to live in; and those with wealth intent on bringing down democracy are not going away, and they all carry a big portion of the blame for what is happening, without in any way condoning the actions of those who are rioting, which are vile.
There could be change.
Papers could be charged with fuelling racist tension.
Social media could be better regulated.
The ability of those with wealth to influence politics could be constrained.
Politicians could make addressing inequality and poverty their priority.
All of those things are possible.
Then, the cause for what is happening might begin to dissipate.
But until we take seriously the fact that millions of people live lives of unacceptable poverty in the UK anger will remain, and those intent on using that anger for their own ends will continue to exist.
My concern is that all I am hearing from politicians is discussion on criminality. That is the symptom, and not the cause of what is happening. It has got to be addressed, but matters should not stop there. The real causes of what is happening - including the Islamophobia deeply embedded in UK politics, as Baroness Farsi has so often, and bravely said - have to be addressed. Until it is, we will live in a society ill at ease with itself at cost to us all.
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“That clearly coordinated rioting is taking place in the UK”
No it isn’t taking place in the “UK”. It’s taking place mostly in England with some trouble in Belfast.
Accepted
My mistake
Ok.
WHY is it not happening in Wales and Scotland? What is different about those societies that has meant they were less affected by the pressures and misinformation that has caused the trouble in Englans and Belfast?
Excellent questions
The explanation is they are not touched by English exceptionalism
I would add the caveat “so far”. Because a rally in support of “the Union” has been called for Glasgow on 7th September. 10 years ago, on 19th September 2014, we saw very ugly scenes of triumphalism in George Square after the Referendum on Scottish Independence. So, I wouldn’t completely rule out crowd trouble here.
Yaxley-Lennon called for a far-right gathering in Glasgow; it was supposed to have already taken place.
Hopefully, some hefty sentences will be handed down to some of the accused who have taken part in the racist disturbances in England which will discourage those tempted to turn out in Scotland.
There is no feeling that there is a tinderbox of violence about to catch fire here and Police Scotland has said there is no intelligence to indicate that trouble is brewing.
Imagine had Starmer used the space he had in the election campaign to absolutely throttle the Conservatives on this and their wholesale dereliction of duty to the country?
The descent into relentless anti immigrant hysteria was a deliberate Tory ploy. Sunak was driven to the edges of madness by it.
Starmer today could be stomping on the ashes of not just that delinquent political party but its corrupted establishment supporters. But now he too has to parrot all the dreary mealy mouthed phrases, playing catch up on an issue and Tory behaviour surrounding it that traditional Labour has yet again been proven right. The missed opportunities now arising out of that bizarre excessive campaigning caution are so frustrating. It’s also a key reason why he only got 34pc of the vote
I worry that the ‘Blue Labour’ contingent have too much say on this issue in the current government. We must not forget that that faction exists, one that sympathises with the misinformation and mal-portrayal of the discontented perpetrated by the extreme Right etc.
I go back to Aurelien’s essay ‘No Left Turn’.
There are lots valid takeaways from it already. But the one for me is that our politicians have joined the elite as tools of the financial elite, HNWIs etc.
They talk to each other and agree what their priorities are behind closed doors and although they have to go through an election process where the voters essentially let the elite borrow their vote, and after that democratic inconvenience is over, they don’t listen to us at all.
This will not stop until party funding is restricted and regulated, indeed – nationalised. Why not tax and fund it – a £1p.a. democratic tax from every eligible voter no matter what income – or something like that?
All I see now is rampant opportunity for corruption. As a socialist, all I want is a country that works for everyone – just like the Kent lad who wrote ‘No Left Turn’.
Is it not obvious what is going on, how it works?
Is it not obvious by now that it has to be stopped?
I agree with your final point, however you may have it slightly wrong on this:
” …our politicians have joined the elite as tools of the financial elite… they talk to each other and agree what their priorities are behind closed doors”
“This will not stop until party funding is restricted and regulated, indeed – nationalised”
The problem is that regulated party funding is likely to have only a small impact (do it by all means) – because “our politicians” have shared values, LINO. Tories, Lib-Dems and shared backgrounds (often similar schools, similar unis etc). It is a self-sustaining system, designed to prevent “upsets”. Which is why the imbecile Reeves did not tell BoE – 1% cut now and schedule in two more cuts between now and Xmas. She could, she didn’t. Water? LINO still doing a fan dance etc.
“Why not tax and fund it – a £1p.a. democratic tax from every eligible voter no matter what income – or something like that?”
Would this not be a “poll” tax?
Mike
You are right – the STV problem (Single Transferable Vote) does exist – there is a shared mindset in the elites that we know of here and which ‘No Left Turn’ examines a lot. I acknowledge your point but stick to my guns.
Party funding is only the part of the problem for sure, but a big one – I believe it turbo charges actually the proclivity of modern politicians have to move themselves further away from the electorate and ‘forget’ who they represent. Let’s not forget the power of money.
If Keynes said ‘Anything we can do we can afford’ then all things being equal, it also applies to well funded politicians whose scruples are lost when the big fat cheques come in and hobnobbing wide eyed with the rich on their islands and estates changes their world view whereupon it becomes ‘Anything I’m told not to do, the party can afford because we can lie barefacedly and out advertise the opposition’!!
Do you see what I mean?
To me, dealing with and equalizing party funding robustly – making a sovereign exception you Liberals you! – would be like taking a leg off a four legged table. It would begin to destabilize the cosy, anti-democratic existence that we have now – PR would remove another leg.
Let the progressives start to make OUR reality.
I’ve had enough of watching Neo-liberals make theirs.
Let’s get it done.
If we look at this survey about half the population 53% think either the majority, or an equal number of migrants, are here illegally.
The number arrived ‘illegally’ on small boats last year c.30,000 (Migration observatory) with about another 10,000 by other means (House of Lords website) Net migration about 685,000 ( unusually high includes people from Ukraine and Hong Kong ) The real figure is around 5% plus or minus
My observation is ‘why can’t politicians and media tell us plainly what the figures are?’ I can only guess they assume the public as whole would see any explanation as trying to minimise the figure and be against the people who said it.
If they broke down the figures into students, workers with special skills, refugees we might have more light and less heat. It needs courageous politicians.
https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/survey-results/daily/2024/01/18/677e4/1
Thanks
Same survey as I posted on the other blog but I forgot we can get the figures on opinion by gender, social group, region and politics.
This is one is on politics. People tend to read or listen to those ‘on their side’. Undoubtedly parts of the media and some politicians are milking the issues for their advancement. Note the remain/ leave break down
https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/survey-results/daily/2024/01/18/677e4/1
@Ian Stevenson
What is “Social Grade”???
See https://www.ukgeographics.co.uk/blog/social-grade-a-b-c1-c2-d-e for an explanation of the “Social Grades” category.
Hi Richard. My view, expressed in theatrical terminology, is that current rioting in England is but a dress rehersal for the hit show destined to open on Broadway later this year (November 5th). Coincidentally, that date is known as Guido Fawkes Day by America’s former colonial master.
Having enjoyed a successful run in England’s provinces, the tragedy ‘Civil War II’ will soon transfer to London’s West End and thereafter to towns and cities throughout the USA. There, the cast will be different but indistinguishable from our English troupe as they are all trained in the Theatre of the Absurd. Humankind, in their view is hopeless, leading the audience to bewilderment and anxiety. I hope they are wrong!
There are reasons why the ‘uprisings’ haven’t yet happened in Scotland. From dearscotland.substack.com
UK and foreign media reports refer to ‘UK uprisings.’ But one nation isn’t experiencing these uprisings – Scotland.
Why not?
First, is identity. A 2011 survey found that Muslims in Scotland are more likely to identify as Scottish than Muslims in England are to identify as English. A 2005 study noted:
“it was widely acknowledged and appreciated that compared with other parts of the country, especially England, Scotland was a tolerant place.”
Second, Scots have consistently demonstrated support for the Palestinian people against whom Israel is committing a genocide. In 2016, the ‘Green Brigade’, known for their Irish Republicanism and support for Palestinians, along with Celtic fans, raised £175k for a football team in Aida refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. The money was raised to defy a UEFA fine on the Celtic club when Palestinian flags were waved at a game against the Israeli club Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
Third, mosques in Scotland don’t have radical preachers. One reason is Scotland’s Muslim community come from more middle class and educated backgrounds than their UK counterparts. 38% of Muslims in Scotland are educated to degree level or above compared to a UK average of 27%.
This is also reflected in the Scottish prison population where 1.8% is Muslim, consistent with the 1.45% of Scotland’s Muslim population, whereas 13% of England’s prison population is Muslim, double the 6.5% English Muslim population.
Finally, national governance matters. In 2015 a young Scottish Muslim wrote:
“… political grievances at home are a major factor in radicalising young people, from perceived western imperialism and bias towards Israel. While these issues are not exclusive to England, the Scottish government seems more supportive of the Muslim perspective. During the bombing of Gaza last year [2014], Holyrood was quick to condemn Israel, whereas Cameron came to Israel’s defence.”
Isn’t Scotland tired of being tarred with the UK brush?
I think at some naive level amongst certain elements there may be a desire to bring about a fascist revolution. I don’t think that likely but beyond that Tommy Robinson is seeking to create a contemporary Blackshirt movement with himself as the new Mosley.
The current government have so far shown themselves incapable of enacting the economic and social policies that would mitigate against such a movements growth.
“pressure on housing as excuses for their actions”
This is also believed in the USA by the anti immigrant people. I work in the construction-engineering industry and I can tell you first hand that immigration by foreign nationals is not (or only slightly) affecting housing stock and housing cost. The main driver of the housing market in south Florida (other than interest rates) is the immigration/migration of well-off retirees from the Midwest to Florida buying second homes with cash thereby pushing first time or second time “trade-up” buyers out of the market.
“has been a way of promoting sales of their products”
It is all about selling newspapers and generating clicks for revenue. I check in about once a week to the Fail online, The Dim online and The slow online to keep abreast of the “gossip” in England. The articles that generate the most comments (sometimes over 1000 per article) are on “boat people” immigration and the Duke& Duchess of Sussex. You really need to read the comments to see how wacked-out they are. A good portion cannot be from AI or comment bots as AL and comment bots are not that stupid.
Correct
We have a second home problem here too
And a buy-to-let problem of low quality housing
“And a buy-to-let problem of low quality housing”
Low quality rental housing in the USA as a whole is less of a problem here than in the UK because there are local regulations that are fairly well enforced to eradicate “sub-standard” rentals. Most of the problems that do exist are with “off-the-books” landlords.
I am not saying the USA has no problems in this area but that they are less in quantity and very different than those in the UK. However, from what I have learned, I can honestly say that I understand less about the UK housing market now than I did before I started researching.
Example politician 1 : Ed Miliband 2015
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/03/labours-anti-immigrant-mug-worst-part-it-isnt-gaffe
Mhairi Black 2 years ago, the “F” word
https://www.thenational.scot/news/24500239.mhairi-blacks-viral-fascism-speech-resurfaces-riots-continue/
Stephen Flynn, this week
https://www.thenational.scot/news/24498368.stephen-flynn-issues-statement-far-right-riots/
I think Flynn was right
The ruling classes have always used the far-right as a way to direct revolutionary energy to reactionary causes. They’re very useful to the system.
The Rwanda scheme and ‘stop the boats’ – were never about ‘reducing migration’ but all about keeping ‘migration’ in the headlines day after day month after month year after year. Also , why Trump killed Briden’s deal to reduce migration across US southern border – the fascists want to keep it as ‘the problem’ .
So redolent of Germany in the thirties.
(Real) anarchism rules. I am so proud of the Geordies who turned out to protect a Newcastle building offering support to immigrants. According to the BBC
“Counter-demonstrators shouting “refugees welcome” and “Nazi scum off our streets” have taken over the pavement in front of the Beacon Centre, which was listed as a place where anti-immigration protesters and the far-right would gather tonight.
Numbers appear to be approaching up to a thousand people now.
The local imam said they had been scared to come here after the violence this week, but they wanted to show the real side of Newcastle and were reassured by the presence of so many people. They chanted “Geordies united will never be defeated”.
And this is being repeated throughout the country. Who needs politicians?