Brexit Euphemisms 3

Metropolitan bubble

"Labour has attracted voters who hold views on immigration, welfare and patriotism at odds with public opinion." Erm, don't they mean mainstream or simply conservative public opinion? (Charles Holland quoting the Guardian Nov 2015)

Let's just agree, as point of fact, that moving freely in Europe is not an "abuse" of free movement. It is free movement. (‏@IanDunt)

“I am sensitive to issues of immigration.” Tony Blair


The working classes are supposedly anti-metropolitan (read: anti-immigration) (LRB)

Man on BBC News ranting: “I’m a Cornish fisherman! A CORNISH FISHERMAN! You can take your luvvie friends and banker friends....” (I think he meant “I’m voting OUT.”)

The intolerable arrogance of the EU elites. (Michael Gove)

Stewart Jackson MP calls Sarah Wollaston “flaky” – she left the Leave campaign and changed sides because of their persistent lies over figures.

[Boomers] are angry about Brussels bureaucrats, national identity and democracy, even though it’s quite difficult to get specific (and true) examples of what they mean. They are angry about immigration, even though a lot of them don’t live in high immigration areas. (flipchartfairytales.wordpress.com)

That woman who said despite his French roots Farage is an English gentleman and it's all about culture which is being diluted... (Question Time)

We haven’t got the facts and figures. They haven’t given us the information. It’s all smoke and mirrors.

This is why they’re trying to depose Jeremy Corbyn – he refused to be racist enough. The real nature of the complaint is of course buried in metaphor; the preferred euphemism is electability. (versobooks.com)

There are many millions of people in the UK who do not enthuse about diversity and do not embrace metropolitan values yet do not consider themselves lesser human beings for all that. Until their values and opinions are acknowledged and respected, rather than ignored and despised, our present discord will persist. (BBC internal memo)

Progress. Apparently when it comes to "very real concerns" and "respecting the result", liberal thinktanks have a limit and it's deportation. (Dan Davies ‏@dsquareddigest)

Brexit bingo (from Very Brexit Problems)Immigrants!!!
Norway
£350 million
Our destiny
World war 3
Project Fear
Eurocrats
Sour grapes
Muslamic ray guns
Get over it
Faceless bureaucrats
Get our country back
Blue passport
Defend our borders
I’m not a racist but...
Take back control
Normal, decent people
Patriots
Free trade
They don’t speak English
Muslims
Straight bananas
Didn’t think my vote would count
Make Britain great

I love how everything that isn't troglodytic dog whistle bigotry is automatically "rabidly left wing". (@AlexPaknadel)

The mainstream media is the part of the media that expresses opinions different to yours. (Karl Sharro ‏@KarlreMarks)

"The people" n. 1. The people who agree with me. (@BDSixsmith)


Few things sum up the post-factual political climate better than all the racists arguing that racism isn't really on the rise. (James O'Brien ‏@mrjamesob)

Racists racistly explaining that it isn't racist to be racist, etc. (@hugorifkind)
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And making hilarious memes showing that calling a racist a racist is proof that they're not actually racist. (@mrjamesob)


What have non-white sub-groups contributed to civilization, asks Republican Steve King.

"This Tweet is unavailable" = "I've inadvertently said something racist". (Or “I thought I could get away with being racist”) (Sathnam Sanghera ‏@Sathnam)


Britain more worried abt immigration than any major country (Ben Page, Ipsos MORI @benatipsosmori)

Think you mean 'Britain more racist'. (@How_Upsetting)

Today's headlines make a lot more sense if you read 'patriotic' as 'racist'. (Dean Burnett ‏@garwboy Oct 12 2016)

Is "liberal elite" the new code word for "not a complete bellend" ? If so, I'm in. (@mrdavidwhitley)

I don't find patriotism or anti-immigrant arguments "distasteful" or "parochial". I find them racist and wrong. (Charlotte L. Riley ‏@lottelydia)

Increasingly fear "we need to accept result and make Brexit work" = "we need to sit back and accept bigotry, hatred, division, intolerance". (@Sathnam)


Last week of Sept 2016, Rachel Reeves MP says that attacks on Poles mean that Poles should go home (paraphrase). She tweets: “Immigration has brought UK many benefits. But we need to recognise people’s concerns & have honest debate re migration/freedom of movement.”

David Whitley replies: We’ve had this “honest debate” for a decade. The answer is that said concerns are complete bollocks, but you’re not honest enough to say it. There’s a wealth of evidence. It just contradicts what people want to believe. That’s the problem. Not all “concerns” are valid ones. It’s a euphemism for “ungrounded prejudice” here.

Simple-minded ideologue who thinks in absolutes: historian saying the British Empire was a bad thing. (@fordebirds on historian @lottelydia Charlotte L. Riley)

[The right] said we should "take back control" but what they wanted was more control for certain groups! (RABaker ‏@LaughingDevil)

Saying "dog whistle" and "divisive" rather than "racist", "white supremacist" or "fascist" is part of the problem. (David Whitley ‏@mrdavidwhitley)

More here, and links to the rest.