Populism - A Response to Two-Tier Rule?

A British Problem

The following is an extended version of my opening speech for the debate ‘Populism: A Response To Two-Tier Rule?’ held at this year’s Battle Of Ideas in London.

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Everyone agrees that populism exists. But there is not consensus on what it is exactly.

When debating populism with Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi earlier this year she presented the cliched establishment definition, predictably conflating it with demagoguery and ethno-nationalism.

The English political elite are not much better.

Closeted hard-left Labour supporter and bitter anti-populist Rory Stewart regularly conflates populism with “Racist and divisive” politics, “authoritarianism” and toxicity. His side-kick Alastair Campbell, famous of course not just for being a lovely bloke, but also for his unwavering commitment to the pursuit of truth, called populism a “virus”.

Perhaps these two are opposed to populism because they are the Ant and Dec of the Westminster metropolitan elite. They are about as in touch with the concerns of ordinary people as Jeremy Corbyn now is with the leadership of Hamas.

So to be clear, and technical, populism is the politics of ordinary people in contention with an elite. Or as the OED defines it: “a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups”.

In contrast, we all agree what ‘Two-Tier Rule’ is: that different groups and people are treated differently by the police, judiciary and legal system. And in contrast with populism, though we agree what it is, there is not consensus that it exists.

Prime Minister Starmer says “there is no two-tier policing. It is a non issue”. Even former Conservative home secretary Priti Patel denies that there is two-tier policing.

So let me make the case that two-tier rule exists in Britain.

Two-tier rule is last week Lucy Connolly, the wife of a Conservative Party councillor, being sentenced to 2 1/2 years for racist tweets that were deemed to be inciting violence at the time of the English riots. The same judge had sentenced Antonio Boparan to 18 months for killing a girl in a car accident when he was driving 70mph in a 30. Boparan served only 6 months.

Lucy Connolly was being held on remand at HMP Peterborough prior to the hearing

Two-tier rule is 400 people charged after the English riots, many with long jail time sentences, meanwhile Mohammad Hassan, caught on CCTV beating 3 asian women in Bradford, was given a 6 month suspended sentence in August.

Two-tier rule is Richard Williams sentenced to 3 months in prison for a derogatory Facebook post during the riots, but the men driving around London in 2021 shouting from megaphones: “F*** the Jews…f*** all of them. F*** their mothers, f*** their daughters, and show your support for Palestine”, those men were not charged.

Two-tier rule is Adam Smith-Connor criminally convicted last week for praying outside an abortion clinic but no such legal proceedings for those praying on their knees towards Mecca, jubilantly chanting “Allah Akbar” in celebration outside the Israel Embassy in Kensington on October 8th, 2023.

Two-tier rule is Keir Starmer holding a press conference to announce a “new national violent disorder programme” following the English riots, but making no such address to the nation following the violent riots in Harehills, Whitechapel, Rochdale, Southend, the violence and crime at Notting Hill Carnival, nor indeed after the Southport killing itself which was more heinous than any of the riots it would inspire.

But is populism a response to two-tier rule?

It is tenuous to describe the English riots as “a political approach”, though perhaps the protests at Downing Street at the time could be considered so. On the other hand the political movements of Tommy Robinson, namely his “patriot rallies”, and separately of Nigel Farage, first with UKIP then with Reform UK, are explicitly populist.

But did two-tier rule precede and inspire them?

For that I need only remind you of the grooming gangs scandal. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of girls and children sexually exploited, decade after decade, up and down the country. From Telford to Bristol, Oxford to Rochdale, Birmingham to Huddersfield. Specifically targeted because they were kefir. And perpetrators predominantly of Pakistani heritage let off the hook because of their ethnicity. Police, media and politicians too cowardly to act lest they be called “racist”.

That scandal no doubt influenced the English riots, or the spirit that animated them, which were openly hostile to Islam, despite the killer not being Muslim.

Take the The Knowsley Riots of February 2023, for example. In that case, riots outside an asylum hotel erupted after a video leaked of one of the asylum seekers harassing a local 15 year-old girl and the police failing to do anything about it. When Sky News reported on it they claimed the harassment was a “rumour”. The Guardian too reported that the harassment was only “alleged”. Both failed to mention that the video was real and that the police failed to charge the accused perpetrator. Fifteen rioters were arrested. Rioting of course is never acceptable. Yet this case not only shows two-tier policing, but shows two-tier media also.

The failure of the elites to deal with the Grooming Gangs Scandal can no better be typified than by the forced resignation of Sarah Champion from Corbyn’s front bench in 2017 after her article in The Sun addressing the issue head on.

Nigel Farage regularly brings up the Grooming Gangs Scandal, even using it on the campaign trail. For Tommy Robinson, whose own cousin was a victim, it remains one of his chief campaigning issues.

The scandal is certainly not the only inspiration behind populism in Britain, but may be the most egregious. There is no surer way to ignite the anger of men than attacking their daughters. That anger quickly became populist and anti-elite when it became obvious just how badly the elites, first the police then politicians and media, failed to deal with those crimes.

WM