BBC Journalist Laura Kuenssberg has to hire a bodyguard at a Labour Conferance because of online threats
And that’s just a flavour of the way some people on social media greeted the news that the BBC’s political editor has been assigned a bodyguard to protect her at Labour party conference: by blaming the victim, not those who threaten violence against her. She’s making it up for attention! She was asking for it, what with her wilful refusal to report the news in a manner more to people’s liking! She should have known it was provocative even to set foot there!
There has been a rather interesting story developing in UK politics, where more and more now, even staunch left wingers are being forced to address the aggression and borderline violence being expressed by the anti-capitalist supposed 'Corbyn wing' of the Labour party. People outside this country may not know this, especially America given the pathetic coverage of it by mainstream press, but contrary to what my delusional countrymen often think we are not the beacon of civilisation we think we are, free speech is very much dead in this country.
The reason? Just like in America, there has always been a highly militant, anti-capitalist movement in this country that people refuse to address, particularly on the left and partly because they have benefited from it so much as in the past they have gone after their political opponents rather than them. Now though, they're turning on their own and the left is eating itself because of what has happened with Brexit and Trump.
What's particularly interesting about this whole situation though is not the fact that she's going through this, while horrible, it's the mentality of people on the left is in exact parallel to the left in America. Even the methods they use to deny any form of left wing violence either to members of their own movement or to political opponents. Just like with Charlotesvillle, we had literally one legitimate incident of a crazy far right guy shooting a Labour MP, totally shit situation for everyone but because that happened the anti-capitalists especially think that their sustained campaign of harassment and violence is completely acceptable. In their eyes, because Capitalism is so 'evil' and far right people in particular are that bad, it is completely okay to attack the rest of us as much as they want and we have to shut up and either join them or stay silent.
It isn't acceptable, none of this is, it's not just a left or right wing thing either, we also have a serious issue with an out of touch cosmopolitan elite who, even if somebody is left wing, will quite happily go after leave voters for example who wanted Brexit to happen. They may be left wing when it comes to domestic politics, but because they're even slightly concerned about Islamic migration and want the ability to govern their own nation that makes them an evil right wing neo-nazi.
I actually really respect this woman even though I probably disagree with most of her politics, she campaigned for remain, but had the balls to actually respect her constituents and represent them as she should. Meanwhile, she gets heckled by people in her own party, a bunch of backstabbing scumbags who ignored their constituents entirely and just voted how they wanted.