Renta-Mob Rules

During the last election, there was an event which wasn't picked up as widely as it may have been, or perhaps should have been. This was the emergence of what I can only assume were left wing bullyboy tactics, who attempted to subvert democracy by threatening political opponents to stop them campaigning.

This intimidation process has been practised in the past, but only against 'far right' politicians, usually from the British National Party, who were often prevented from holding rallies, and or, were physically hounded by thugs. This behaviour was apparently agreed with in some imperceptible way, as being 'OK' for some reason. Other far right groups though, such as the English Defence League, were largely immune from this threat, because they had built in thug protection at the rallies (in the form of their own 'boys'), although the sudden resignation by its leader Tommy Robinson was allegedly after threats to his family, although this was not publicly given as a reason.

Sarah Champion MP - Not Champion Of Free Speech

 

However during the election, this renta-mob tactic turned against more mainstream targets.
 

For instance it was the leader of Ukip, a right leaning, but mainstream political party, who was hounded  ..... Nigel Farage was blockaded in his party offices in Rotherham by union led protesters, who claimed that Ukip weren't wanted in Rotherham. A statement refuted by the simple fact that Ukip already had 10 councillors in Rotherham.

 

The protesters were egged on by the sitting Labour MP (Sarah Champion) .... who presumably would have been outraged had it been a visiting Labour politician locked in their offices by Ukip protesters.  Mr Farage ended up having to leave town on 'police advice' ..... This followed another incident in March, when protesters were reported as having chased the Ukip leader and his family out of the Queen's Head pub in Downe, Kent, before jumping on the car bonnet as he drove away.

In both incidents the protesters included breastfeeding mothers, and seemingly came from the same 'groups' (i.e. banners provided by the same organisation) .... or is that same rent-a-mobs? In any case democracy only works when everyone has their say ..... not when some thugs determine who can speak and who can't ..... or its so much for free speech and democracy.

Stopping Free Speech Is Anti-Democratic
Even If You Don't Like The Message

What disturbs me most about this, is not the personalities involved, but that there has been a seemingly casual acceptance that this now can, and does happen. Even that its somehow 'democratic' to have the political landscape re-set by roving protest mobs, guided by who knows whom and motivated by who knows what. If other groups from the right (or even in a very strange world, 'centerists'), take it into their heads that anything the left can do with impunity, they can do as well, then we will become like Greece or some other polarised states, where the political discourse is set by mass rallies, and violent clashes with opponents and the police.

However as its stands, maybe next time, maybe it will be David Cameron, or some other non left leaning politician who gets mobbed into silence ..... then the gloves really will be off.