25 February 2024 , 23:26
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Riddled with the fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists that David Cameron once claimed populated UKIP, the Conservatives will suffer grievously for being the Nasty Party.
Most British voters are fundamentally decent and so revolted by the likes of hate-filled crackpots Lee Anderson, Suella Braverman and Liz Truss – who have climbed out of the closet and gone public with deranged claims and conspiracy theories. And compromised Tories suffer for cowardly avoiding fully confronting an enemy within, Rishi Sunak’s craven deputy Oliver Dowden a spineless apologist for toxic colleagues.
Pressure will legitimately intensify for an Equality and Human Rights Commission investigation into abuse of Muslims within Tory ranks after the inquiry into Labour anti-Semitism. To probe the opposition then give a free pass to a governing party funding you would be damaging double standards.
Poison peddlers drunk on the cheers of crazed extremists and those too weak, too frightened to confront them are putting lives at risk. Deputy Prime Minister Dowden’s kid glove approach to Anderson was stomach-churning, stating a recent deputy chair could’ve avoided suspension if only he’d apologised and leaving the door open to a return.
Pretending ex-Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s Islamophobia was different is implausible. While his excuse for Liz “deep state” Truss not challenging praise for Far Right thug Stephen Yaxley-Lennon aka Tommy Robinson – she didn’t hear – is utterly contemptible.
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The surprise isn’t one-in-three think the party of Enoch Powell once more has a real problem but two-in-three aren’t paying sufficient attention. When they do, mainstream Conservatives will dig themselves into a deeper hole by compromising with extremists in their own ranks.
One brave, defiant female MP told me they fear it’s only a matter of time before a third is assassinated after Labour Jo Cox’s murder in 2016 during the Brexit campaign by a Neo-Nazi and Tory David Amess in 2022 at the hands of an Islamofascist.
Loudmouth 30p Lee may not have intended to incite violence with his grotesque and incendiary comments about London Mayor Sadiq Khan. But there might be ignorant menacing fools who believe Anderson’s mendacious stupidity.
Tight security around Khan, as I witnessed a few weeks ago, is there for a reason and malevolent MP Anderson is gambling with lives. There is, as Tory peer and former party chair Sayeeda Warsi acknowledged, a real rot at the heart of the Conservative Party.
Democracy itself is imperilled by these Hard Right Tory fruitcakes. Both the loonies and closet racists and those who make excuses for them.