Boris Johnson’s disastrous time in office has spluttered to an ignominious conclusion. Many of those now deploring his record sided with Johnson when it really mattered because they wanted to block a left-wing government that could transform British society.
by Daniel Finn
Part 4 - The World’s Most Selective Anti-Racists
During the final weeks of the 2019 election campaign, the Guardian published an open letter signed by a group of celebrities urging people not to vote Labour and gave it front-page coverage. The signatories claimed that it was impossible to vote for a party led by Corbyn because of their concerns about antisemitism. The words “Boris Johnson” did not appear at any point in the letter, and there was no suggestion that it was morally impermissible to vote for his party, so they clearly perceived no such issue with the Tory leader.
In fact, the only reason the celebrities could imagine for opposing Johnson was Brexit. They insisted that it should take second place to their deeply held concerns:
In fact, the only reason the celebrities could imagine for opposing Johnson was Brexit. They insisted that it should take second place to their deeply held concerns:
Antisemitism is central to a wider debate about the kind of country we want to be. To ignore it because Brexit looms larger is to declare that anti-Jewish prejudice is a price worth paying for a Labour government. Which other community’s concerns are disposable in this way? Who would be next?
Although the final questions were meant to be rhetorical, they received a blunt answer from the silences of the open letter itself. The concerns of black people in Britain about continued Tory rule, after the shame and trauma of the Windrush scandal, were clearly disposable. So were the concerns of British Muslims, who had been specifically targeted by Johnson, and who went on to vote overwhelmingly for Corbyn’s party.
After his election triumph, Johnson’s government predictably turned out to be a horror show of performative bigotry, culminating in the plan to forcibly transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda. The victims of Tory racism could certainly use some “unwavering solidarity” from the open letter’s signatories, many of whom have public platforms at their disposal. That solidarity appears to have gone missing in the post.
After his election triumph, Johnson’s government predictably turned out to be a horror show of performative bigotry, culminating in the plan to forcibly transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda. The victims of Tory racism could certainly use some “unwavering solidarity” from the open letter’s signatories, many of whom have public platforms at their disposal. That solidarity appears to have gone missing in the post.
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