Quote Originally Posted by Sir C View Post
Well, there we are. We agree absolutely.

Quite where it will all end, is hard to say. I suppose that the prevailing centrist instincts of the British people will out.
I do hope so. While I'm a lefty, I'm not so deluded to think that the public think like I do. {And how momentum can't get their heads around this given the polls all show he can never win, God alone knows.}

They asked people to define themselves a left, centre-left, C, C-R, R, and it was 45% centre, 15% C-L, 10% Left.

So the only hope for people like me is a centrist or at best centre-left position. People will vote Tory otherwise.

Our best shot is socially liberal and economically competent (with an emphasis on helping the most disadvantaged and increasing social mobility while not damaging economic growth.} Which is pretty similar to the Times' position.

But on Islam and migration, I fear that the situation in Europe shows that all of us well-meaning anti-racists (and I include centre-right parties in this too) failed to understand that while many people moaning about Muzzies are racists, others had genuine concerns the political elite should have been addressing.

They didn't, so they are now voting far right.

As you say, where it ends we don't yet know.

We have the French banning Burkinis. (And I hate Burkas as much as the next man - all that time in India where you see how badly the women are treated in Kashmir compared to the Buddhists next door in ledakh, where the women wear the trousers, has made me quite opposed to it.}

But we now have the French state telling women what they can wear on a beach. And this is just the public trying to get revenge on Muslims cos they can't do what they'd really want to.

I don't know if you follow Indian politics, but Modi's BJP is encouraging these cow vigilantes. They attack Muslims and Dalits {untouchables} when they accuse them of skinning dead cows or eating beef. Normally then they are innocent.

This is pure tribalism. Just stopping the other tribe doing their ting {when it's no real problem for you} just out of spite.

And the Fr Burkini ban in the thin end of this wedge. And I don't want my country or continent to copy this part of Indian culture.

It's scary. Though if you and I are in complete agreement, despite our political differences, then there should be hope, if you see what I mean.