Opinion: Emma Little-Pengelly's common sense reaction to the chaos, violence and protests. - eviltoast

Just listened to the BBC Radio Ulster interview with the Deputy First Minister for Northern Ireland, Emma Little-Pengelly. I think it was a good response as she was condemning violence, but also acknowledging the problem and catalyst (a lack of social housing) and started talking about how she’ll try and work to create more social housing so people aren’t displaced by migration, etc. I think this was a common sense approach instead of just simply encouraging violence or declaring war on the rioters, which I feel like would just make things worse.

It is true, we should expand social housing. I think everyone can agree with that.

  • Flax@feddit.ukOP
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    3 months ago

    Dismissing valid concerns about immigration as “nazism” is not constructive at all

      • Flax@feddit.ukOP
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        3 months ago

        So it’s racist now to think letting criminals into the country unchecked is a bad thing? What are you going to tell me next, it’s racist to put people in prison? I’m not talking about a specific race. I don’t have a specific race in mind. In fact, I believe the current laws are far too harsh on good people who want to come here and actually contribute to society. But sure, just call everyone a racist so people stop taking the issue seriously. Ever heard of the boy who cried wolf?

        “Anyone I don’t like is a racist” you pig.

        • mindlesscrollyparrot@discuss.tchncs.de
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          3 months ago

          Criminals are not being let into the country unchecked. That is not a valid concern.

          A valid concern would be that foreign actors are feeding false information to the British public to destabilize the country.

            • mindlesscrollyparrot@discuss.tchncs.de
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              3 months ago

              You think that the small boats are unchecked? That they are not intercepted and the people detained?

              In any case, that is only illegal because the last government made it so that you cannot claim asylum upon landing. They are not criminals in any other sense.

              • Flax@feddit.ukOP
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                3 months ago

                They don’t have a right to be here- They’re coming from France, a safe country. They’re not fleeing persecution, they’re just trying to cheat the system. And they’re paying criminal gangs and they keep causing deaths among their own people.

                • mindlesscrollyparrot@discuss.tchncs.de
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                  3 months ago

                  Theresa May introduced the Hostile Environment, and Priti Patel made it even more strict. If the Home Office could refuse asylum applications for any reason whatsoever, they would. Despite that, the vast majority of asylum applications are successful.

                  So they are not cheating the system and they do have the right to be here.

                  Besides which, how many people do you think we’re talking about? Small boats. The clue is in the name. It’s not like Dunkirk out there.

                  • Flax@feddit.ukOP
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                    3 months ago

                    30k people arrived here in 2023 via small boat.

                    Theresa may also lacks common sense immigration policy. She was far too harsh on people wanting to come into this country for good sincere reason

        • rwtwm@feddit.uk
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          3 months ago

          Using the phrase ‘valid concerns about immigration’ today is a little bit like waving a St. George’s cross in the 80’s though. I mean, it can be done with the purest of intentions, but you’re using a symbol that people (taking you at your read) you’d rather not be associated with use to identify each other.

          • Flax@feddit.ukOP
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            3 months ago

            So what should I say to refer to my literally valid concerns about immigration

            • rwtwm@feddit.uk
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              3 months ago

              It’s up to you. You could add context to those concerns, you could tweak the phrasing, you could undertake a heroic quest to reclaim the phrase if you want.

              I’m just adding some context as to why some people react to the phrase.

        • FelixCress@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          I believe the current laws are far too harsh on good people who want to come here and actually contribute to society

          Of course you do, sweetheart 🙄

          • Flax@feddit.ukOP
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            3 months ago

            Ah, so you aren’t calling me racist because of what I’m saying, you’re calling me racist because you jumped to a conclusion, creating a headcanon of me, then rejecting anything I say because it contradicts your headcanon.

            When you ignore people with moderate concerns about things, things get worse. I’ll never ever advocate for or justify violence, but like how the black lives matter riots happened, or the stonewall ones, I can see how these ones spawned. Because people are ignored and dismissed, whether as “nasty marxists”, “(homophobic slur)s” or “racists”

            Apparently building social housing and reducing literal crime is “racist” now.

            • FelixCress@lemmy.world
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              3 months ago

              I am calling you a racist because you use racist language. And then you are lying pretending you are not a racist. You should have also said that “some of my best friends are Asians”, it would be as credible as your other statement.

              • Flax@feddit.ukOP
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                3 months ago

                What part of my language was racist? And how would me having an Asian best friend not be credible or believable?

                  • Flax@feddit.ukOP
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                    3 months ago

                    Since when was the term “valid concerns about immigration” racist? Valid concerns refers to non racist concerns.