“Beware the friendly Fascist”

I know I’ve been posting a few news highlights over the last few weeks and I’ve been pretty tongue in cheek with them, mocking and sarcastic but this one is deadly serious.

I wrote before the EU referendum about how a leave vote would embolden the racists and the fascists in our society and it appears that this is indeed the case.

I linked yesterday to an article from the Manchester Evening News which reported on a family in Milnrow – where I lived for 11 years, who were racially abused in their own home. The community rallied round the report said and so I would expect, these are my people, but that was after two men on a motorbike spray painted the front of their house in broad daylight.

In London a group of fascists forced their way into a socialist bookstore, wrecked books and intimidated and threatened the staff.

And whilst we are at it, Tommy Robinson (aka Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) a founder member of the EDL, former member of the BNP is being feted as the saviour of the ordinary person whilst being Bank rolled by the US far right apparently.

And Boris Johnson, recently met with Steve Bannon, a right wing US horror who it is reported is planning a foundation to push far right politics across Europe. Then Boris insults women wearing the Burqha saying they look like “letterboxes” and refuses to apologise.

Some of you might think this is not the worst thing Boris Johnson could say but it is telling. Despite Boris Johnson’s carefully constructed bumbling image he is not a stupid man. This is a concerted attempt to change the acceptable narrative and it and these other instances, frankly scare the shit out of me – more than food shortages, more than unemployment, more than anything else. It’s what I was afraid of before the EU referendum and it’s what I’m afraid of now.

Meanwhile, in Scotland, the protests against the forced eviction of asylum seekers by Serco in Glasgow which would have left people on the streets has been stopped. By the power of a people’s protest, by the coming together of organisations like GCC, Housing Associations, Third sector organisations, places like Govan Law Centre. That is a clear indication of the difference in the direction of travel in Scotland, from The rest of the U.K.

Of course we have racists, bigots, fascists in Scotland – you only need to look at A force for Good – the Holocaust denier waving his Union flag and extolling the wonder of the UK at the Indy marches, the Orange Order parades for examples. But they are fought, not empowered, they are criticised, not feted and they do not infest the cabinet of the Scottish Government.

You scared? You should be. I am.

You YES yet?