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Does Reform councillor Alexander Jones need a history lesson?
I am writing having read the comments made by Reform’s Doncaster councillor Alexander Jones – since deleted – who suggested that unless you descend from the ‘Angles, Saxons and Jutes’ circa 927AD you are not ‘English’.
If that’s the case, does Reform UK want me to take my Anglo-Norman, invading ass back to Normandy? And how exactly am I meant to do that? Without the Normans, we probably wouldn’t have the monarchy, legal system or half of England’s institutions, so it’s an odd group to exile.
And what about everyone who lived here before 927AD? As Stewart Lee once joked, were those ‘bloody Beaker folk, coming over here with their beakers’ not English either? Where does this purity test stop? It seems to collapse the moment you apply it consistently.
What troubles me more is that some educated people overlook why so many refugees come to Britain and Europe in the first place – they are fleeing persecution by the governments of the countries they were born in.
There’s a book called Prisoners Of Geography and the title kind of gives it away – it’s not usually the refugees’ fault. Perhaps it would be more constructive to encourage peaceful protests outside the embassies of regimes committing human rights abuses, rather than outside hotels housing their traumatised victims. It worked with South Africa. Eventually.
Yes, some nefarious characters have arrived – but without state persecution abroad most would never need to flee at all.
Finally, I can’t help noticing a curious twist in Mr Jones’ ancestry test. Nigel Farage has proudly stated that he is of part-German descent. By Mr Jones’s own logic, that means Mr Farage isn’t English either. Is this the first glimmering ray of an erstwhile leadership challenge? If it is, I’ll put £5 on a Greggs sausage roll to win. Antoine de Gurnais (Duke of Earl, Right Lord Half Lieutenant Of The Midship Parasol, Key Holder Of The Chocolate Box And Right Privy Groovemeister Of The Grand Chihuahua) AKA, Tony Gurney, via email
‘Don’t be fooled into thinking Reform will be any better’, says reader
Don’t be fooled into thinking that Reform will be any better than the other rotten parties.
What is needed is proportional representation, which will ensure that none of them ever get an overall majority again. This country has been ruined by governments elected with little more than a third of the popular vote. Alan Cheesman, Orpington
Are Labour ‘proud of their achievements so far’?
I hope that Labour are proud of their achievements so far.
By failing to take the opportunity to implement popular increases to the higher 40 per cent (which I fall into) and 45 per cent tax bands, and by stoking division by planning cruel immigration policies, they are doing a very effective job of shaping the next (Reform) government. George, Hertfordshire
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Reader says ‘a one per cent rise on basic rate tax is necessary’
The Office for Budget Responsibility’s fiscal outlook for the UK economy improved to being slightly less of a basket case last week, so chancellor Rachel Reeves responded by scotching rumours that income tax would rise in the budget, which instantly made UK government borrowing costs rise.
This is because markets know the UK is saddled with unsustainably high debt and that an income tax rise is the most efficient way of reducing this.
A one per cent rise on basic rate is necessary, with a two per cent rise on higher rate so Labour can uphold their mantra that the broader-shouldered are paying more. The rise could apply for three years, so it could be reduced again before the next general election.
As for a tax rise breaking a Labour manifesto pledge, governments have regrettably misled the electorate since time immemorial. Robert Hughes, London
We should ‘despair for the future of mankind’, says reader
The article about rich ‘war tourists’ paying to be ‘weekend snipers’ and shooting unarmed civilians in Sarajevo from Bosnian-Serb positions (Metro, Fri) was utterly shocking.
If this turns out to be true, we should be horrified at the depths some humans will plummet and despair for the future of mankind. Bernard Butterfield, Leeds
‘National identity is not diminished by those who seek justice on world issues’, reader points out
In response to Chris’s assertion (MetroTalk, Fri) that ‘tribal sectarianism gradually replaces a sense of national identity’ and that one is now ‘more likely to see a Palestinian flag than a poppy’ in London, it is important to challenge both the premise and the implications.
The presence of Palestinian flags at recent marches reflects public concern over international humanitarian issues, not the replacement of British identity or Remembrance traditions.
Tens of thousands attended pro-Palestinian rallies in London, yet Remembrance events continue to draw broad support from people of all backgrounds – including veterans, officials and many residents born abroad who actively participate in services at places such as the Cenotaph and wear the poppy.
National identity is not diminished by those who seek justice on world issues.
In fact, London’s tradition of peaceful protest and Remembrance side by side is a testament to the city’s enduring values of freedom, respect, and inclusion.
The strength of our society comes from the ability to hold different views and still unite in honouring our shared history. Az Moss, London
Are Starmer and Reeves up to the job?
With a man reportedly arrested for masquerading as an admiral at the Cenotaph, could something now be done about the pair impersonating a prime minister and a chancellor in Downing Street? Penny Ponders, Dunfermline
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