{"id":90451,"date":"2026-02-28T07:46:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T07:46:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/?p=90451"},"modified":"2026-02-28T07:46:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T07:46:41","slug":"we-have-to-deal-with-a-new-world-of-toxic-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/2026\/02\/28\/we-have-to-deal-with-a-new-world-of-toxic-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"We have to deal with a new world of toxic politics"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Telegraph<\/a> has been pushing this article out:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It begins with this comment:<\/p>\n

If there is a more shameful and disturbing moment in modern British politics, I\u2019m struggling to think of one today. After a campaign that weaponised troubling sectarianism and open bigotry, the smug and gurning Greens have taken the Gorton and Denton by-election at the expense of our democracy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And then it continues with this racist analysis:<\/p>\n

This was effectively a straight fight between the working-class population of Denton \u2013 83 per cent white, mostly in low-paid jobs, and supporting Reform \u2013 and the communities of Gorton, who are 60 per cent non-white, 40 per cent Muslim, and voting Green.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And the Greens' big crime? They did this:<\/p>\n

Understandably,\u00a0Reform focused on the Denton vote. But they were no match for the Greens, who cynically sold two different messages to the different groups, speaking of the cost of living from one corner of their mouths and Gaza from the other, and producing \u201canti-Zionist\u201d videos in Urdu.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In other words, what they did was talk to voters about what mattered to them, in language they understood, whilst never once misleading anyone as to their overall message, which reflects universal concerns about:<\/p>\n