How ‘anti-racism’ becomes blanket totalitarianism – and racist. The ‘wrong kind of black people’ are now not safe from left-wing totalitarianism.
For those of us who genuinely care about continuing to reduce racism of all kinds, and provide genuine equality of opportunity in the UK as fast as we can, within a functioning, healthy economy (and have spent decades of effort towards it), Dawn Butler MP just showed how decent efforts are now so undermined by extreme left-wing activists.
On 2 November 2024 the Labour MP re-tweeted deeply offensive black-on-black racism upon Kemi Badenoch’s Party Leadership Election (“coconut, choc ice, house n****” etc).
Meaning clearly that Kemi is a traitor to the best interests of black people and she needs public humiliation for colluding with the “white supremacy” that permanently keeps black people down. In Dawn’s world. And she’s in power, so it’s a clear threat to black people in the public services not to think independently but to follow Dawn’s political agenda – or else.
While we wanted more progress, DEI (“Diversity, Inclusion, Equity”) is now down a reputational rabbit-hole it can’t get out of. And it helps no-one – black, brown or white – that the political left have taken it there.
But that’s the result of the proactive intolerant ideological mindset of extreme “anti-racism”. It has made the term not fit for purpose. We need a moderate but effective alternative now.
For here is the point…In Dawn’s world, Kemi would be outed, ousted, and ex-communicated from all society of influence for having views that favour more freedom of the individual, and that do not agree with Dawn’s. People like Kemi, under Dawn’s power, would not be able to get a job at all. Imagine Dawn or her colleagues as part of a job interview panel. Kemi’s ability to do the technical work would count far less than her ‘responsibility’ to commit and deliver ‘social justice’. The ‘lack of commitment’ shown by those who are not as extreme as Dawn means they would have no possibility of being selected for a job and no livelihood at all in the public, quango, charitable, or public contractor sectors (and remember the Marxists want no private sector without oversight control by the State). So anyone disagreeing with Dawn’s political views would become a beggar on the streets, to be abused and kicked by the ‘be kind’ inclusivists. And that applies to any other black person who disagrees with Dawn Butler MP. They are demonised and effectively starved. And her political Party (who chose not to discipline her for this) governs you.
Kemi (and anyone not toeing the line) is a Kulak (middle class Russian not 100% committed to total State control) to be sent to the Gulag (Russian hard labour prison) – a political prisoner jailed for her conscience.
An outlandish claim? Unrealistic for 21st Century UK? In the 20th Century perhaps two billion people lived (or died) under totalitarian regimes. There is nothing automatic about achieving or manitaining a liberal democracy. Like a beautiful flower, it’s a happy exceptional state of affairs that needs protecting and nurturing.
In Dawn’s world, the State can’t help implementing demonising policies, however mad, and these get worse, due to the need to progressively ‘root out’ capitalists. Also the State fails for lack of honest, accurate feedback and therefore a policy correction mechanism. The see-saw of equity (correction) fails to balance at equality but accelerates to demonisation and totalitarianism. It’s never enough.
Wheras our nation is built on co-tolerance of people’s lives and views. What happened to Voltaire? “I do not agree with what you say, but I would defend to the death your right to say it”? I get it. Free speech means the possibility of harm speech. The risk is that Voltaire’s colleagues may say or do something a) racist, or b) that contributes to the systemic status quo. This is seized upon as justification for the destruction of society as it roots out every last vestage of human frailty and spite. But replaces it with another form of frailty and spite.
Dawn’s retweet was wrong on so many levels. Anyone who disagrees with the hard left hiding behind this oxymoronic and hypocritical version of ‘anti-racism’ is off to the Gulag. Her ways make impossible others’ efforts towards a moderate society with low racism.
As a local wit says, Marxism in practice comes in four phases: 1. Things are bad and unfair (partly true) 2. Destroy society. 3. ??? (ie. no idea!) 4. Utopia!
Luckily a poll last month showed most immigrants to the UK think we are a fair society. No doubt Dawn Butler thinks they are suffering from false consciousness, despite their own independent thinking. And this week we are reminded we fought two World Wars to liberate the world from threat of totalitarianism. We are nowhere near perfect, but we have come this far, and we now have better laws against incitement, defamation and offence, to guard against the worst excesses.
The choice of The Prime Minister and the Government not to discipline Dawn shows Sir Kier Starmer’s willingness or desire to leave some of the implications out there. You are not being fooled – you are being ‘instructed’. That’s totalitarianism in practice.